Category: Cooking

I was surprised at the interest folks seemed to have with Bhut Jolokia. Honestly, I bought the plant out of curiosity and because of the fussiness of growing and the long time it takes to ripen, the Missus didn't think the plant had a chance. But with the recent warm days, guess what?

So having these have been interesting. But what happens after all of the novelty? We are enjoying our garden and it is important not to waste, not a single radish, cucumber, shishito pepper, or leaf of kale if possible. We know when to pull the plug….the stalk of lettuce was almost two feet high and the leaves were getting bitter, it's time to move on. But what about all these ghost peppers? We've kind of decided not to go out and find specific recipes for our ghost peppers, but to insert them into everyday items we'd make, which would be much like how we garden; a very organic process.

Which is how it ended up in guacamole. The Missus is the guac maker in the family, so this is basically what She made. We had bought some nice 80/20 grass fed ground beef and some other veggies to grill. I'm not a big fan of grilling burgers, I like them griddled in their own fat, but items that baste our add moisture to the product are exceptions. Initially, it was going to be teri-burgers, but the Missus wanted me to fire roast one of the peppers for guacamole. I love guacamole on burgers, so I thought why not just grill of the meat and pile on that lovely guacamole on the burger?

I had the Missus put only half the roasted ghost pepper in the batch of guacamole, seeds and all. This was enough for a nice fruity heat that lasted for several minutes after each bite. It was delicious! Next time we'll throw in some bacon as well….ghost pepper-bacon guacamole!

I'm just giving you more or less a list of ingredients…the Missus doesn't really measure. You can replace the ghost peppers with 1-2 serranos if you like. Or a habanero. If you do use a very spicy chili, make sure to mince it very finely. I do all the chopping of the peppers, garlic, and such for the Missus who doesn't like to prep those items.

Roasted Ghost Pepper Guacamole
3-4 medium avocados
1-2 roma tomatoes seeded and chopped
1/3 red onion chopped
1/2 roasted ghost pepper, seeds and all, very finely minced
1 clove of garlic finely minced
cilantro (optional to taste)
lime juice to taste
salt to taste

You might want to go a little conservative in terms of salt and lime juice initially. You can put your guac in the fridge and let set for 15-20 minutes and then adjust the flavors.

 It was great on the grassy flavored burger. We managed to use tomatoes, lettuce, and cilantro from the yard.

Ok, but what about the other half of the ghost pepper? Well, I didn't want to waste the rest of the rolls I had bought and I ended up using the smoker again today. So I went ahead and did a Rib Sandwich topped with my Asian Purple Cabbage slaw. I took a half cup of my BBQ sauce, added a bit more agave syrup, then the other half of the ghost pepper and blended.

So, when I  made this, the Missus had a taste and said it was "kind of sissy". Nothing I could really do about it and I put it in the fridge. When it came time to eat the stuff, 2 hours later, holy smokes……man, it was pretty darn spicy. I'll use more sauce as a base next time! Still it did have add a nice fruitiness to the sauce….while you were able to enjoy it!

So three you go Lynnea, I hope you enjoyed this one! I gotta go and shred 10 pounds of chicken for da Boyz' food now! Hope you're all staying cool and safe on this hot weekend!

I actually made this as a condiment for some grilled triggerfish; yep, triggerfish. We never ate this much in Hawai'i. Calling it triggerfish is kind of vague; this has to be kawahagi (threadsale filefish – カワハギ) versus the Reef Triggerfish, which many will know as the
humuhumunukunukuāpuaʻa, the unofficial state fish of Hawai'i (also known as tasukimongara – タスキモンガラ), which I don't recall was very good eats. It would also make me feel like I ate a Nene! Anyway, Tommy told me to try it out. He described it as mild absorbing flavor well, with flesh that tends to dry out. Since the flesh was so thin, it was perfect for super hot, direct heat grilling. So I decided to season simply; salt and and pepper, adding lime juice as it grilled. I also made habanero onions, a Mariscos truck favorite; pico de gallo, and decided on a rather simple salsa roja with tomatoes I roasted while I grilled the fish.

The salsa tasted so good, that I ended up using it as a cooking sauce a couple of days later for shrimp. Which was delicious!

Some notes: The tomatoes still didn't have as much flavor as I desired after roasting so I added a tablespoon of double concentrated tomato paste. The agave syrup is totally optional, some folks don't like the sweet, but I think it adds another nice dimension; especially if you're going to cook with it. This is really close to my guajillo adobo, but I think I like this better.

Guajillo, Chipotle, and Roasted Tomato Salsa
2 ounces dried guajillo chilies (about 8 or so) wiped clean, stemmed, slit open with seeds and veins removed.
2 cups warm water
5 cloves of garlic unpeeled
1-2 chipotle peppers whole
1-2 Tb adobo from the peppers
about 3/4 – 1 pound of roasted roma tomatoes, skin removed, deseeded, roughly chopped
1 Tb double concentrated tomato paste (optional)
1-2 Tb agave syrup (optional)
salt and pepper to taste

– heat a heavy skillet or griddle (I used my cast iron pan) over medium heat
– toast the chilies for a few minutes, pressing down frequently, turning several times until fragrant and the chilies have slight changed color and even blackened in a few spots.
– tear chilies in half and cover with water, soak for 30 minutes in two cup water
– while toasting the chilies also toast whole cloves of garlic until scalded. Remove skin
– after 30 minutes, drain the chilies, reserving 3/4 cup of the soaking liquid
– in a blender combine rehydrated chilies, garlic, tomato, about 1/3 cup of the liquid, 1 chipotle pepper, and 1 Tb adobo and blend.
– add more liquid to attain desired texture
– taste and adjust flavor to taste by adding more chiptole pepper, adobo, tomato paste or agave syrup if desired
– add salt and pepper to taste
– let sit for at least 20 minutes.

The shrimp was simple, it started with a combination grapeseed-extra virgin olive oil, crushed red pepper, shrimp, about 1 tb grated garlic, lime juice, white wine. I added the salsa at the end and adjusted the flavor.

OK, so as I've noted in previous posts, this gardening thing is getting out of hand…..

It's getting to the point where things are getting kind of out of hand….like, there has to be an intervention for the organic-veggie-plant growing addict! Man, the inventory gets kind of crazy….we now have have watercress and radishes, planted over carrots because of some timing thing. We bought hibernating ladybugs because it controls aphids. After a couple of days the Missus "fired them" because they weren't working fast enough! Still, there's something therapeutic about releasing, then watching ladybugs do their thing….I call it the "aquarium affect". Though that nirvana is soon broken by the Missus encouraging them to "kuai den….kuai den!" Then of course, we have to deal with "what happens when the novelty is over…." The Missus is on tomato deathwatch…..waiting to plant something in the real estate once the plants die. It's all a learning process for us. And yet, I find myself spending more time in our formerly desolate backyard, unless Sammy takes my seat.

And then, there's the question of "we have this stuff, what am I gonna make?" The Kale and Chard are fine, it's the Missus making "juice". But the other stuff has been, well, kinda fun interesting as a whole. I kid about the Missus a lot. But that's not to say I have no barriers. I tend to think in specific, structured ways. Take for example, that the Missus told me, "we have all this stuff, make a Thai Beef salad!" So immediately, I give two options, Yum Neua, which for me is a minced/chopped beef salad/larb that is cooked with herbs/sauce/flavoring or Nahm Tok, which is grilled, then sliced, and flavored. You know where this going, right? Yep, the Missus told me…."I want it grilled, then chopped, then flavored….then eaten."

Which was kind of good. It made me think…."if I had a a bunch of people to serve a Thai inspired beef salad to, what would I do?" Well make a sauce of course? Which I made the night before.

The Sauce – this is what you start with:
1/4 cup Fish Sauce
1/4 Cup Lime Juice
5 Thai Chilies Chopped, then smashed with a cleaver – I use seeds and all
3 Tb Palm Sugar
2 Tb White Sugar
1 Tb minced/grated garlic
2 Tb minced cilantro stems (save the leaves)

First I microwave (one of the few things I use it for) the palm sugar for 15-20 seconds to soften, then I add to a pot with all the other ingredients and bring to a simmer. This helps to dissolve everything. Once everything is mixed I remove from heat and cool. I then taste and make adjustments. Why? Well, because we all have our own preferences. The one key thing to remember is, it's easy to adjust flavor of the final product when making this ahead of time….you can add fish sauce. more chilies, etc…..except for the sweet component. So I err on the side of making this a tad too sweet. Also, remember, once the flavors come together, it's going to be a bit different.

So finally….we get to the version of Yum Neua, right?

Well….not so fast Kemosabe. It depends on what cut of beef you use…of course. The Missus really likes Hanger Steak, which ain't cheap, but is tender, and I always think in terms of "what I make at home versus cost of eating out". But it really depends. Sirloin might do well marinated in something like pineapple juice for an hours or two……for me, I rubbed the beef, all 1 3/4 pounds of it with 1 Tb of salt, 2 Tb fish sauce, 1 Tb granulated garlic, 2 Tb dark brown sugar, and a dash or two of white pepper.

I let sit for about 20 minutes, while I grilled like 2 pounds of brussel sprouts for the Missus……… Anyway, I grilled the beef until about 150….medium well, and let sit for 10 minutes. The carry-over cooking took it to almost well done. I cut against the grain, then chopped. I then mixed in chopped cilantro leaves, Thai chilies, scallions, and mint from the yard, then added about half the sauce. Had a taste, then added about 2 Tb of roasted rice powder. I tasted and adjusted the flavor.

Served it with lettuce and cucumbers from the garden and garlic from elsewhere….we consume so much garlic that I don't think we'd be able to keep up. Ended up using 10 Thai chilies, so I think we raised wimpy ones.

What's really funny is….same sauce and all…..I used half the beef which the Missus thought was delish. The next day, She just went ahead and made it herself with the remaining beef and sauce, without smelling or tasting and it wasn't quite as good. Go figure…..

And life is about juggling priorities….like Frankie wanting equal time, and letting us know, "in my next life, I'll be a farmer!"

In all honesty, I really don't know what to call this……..

I'm not going to insult anyone and call it Lamb Bun Cha, that would be wrong…..it's basically the product of having our little backyard garden go a little crazy and the Missus texting me this morning asking what to get at the market. I had been going through Cindy Pawlcyn's, Big Small Plates and saw a recipe for what is called Spicy Lamb Burgers with Vietnamese Salad. And while this bares hardly any resemblance to that recipe, I always try to note my inspiration.

 The Missus decided it would be great grilling these…..and even better, why don't we do it over binchotan on our konru, wrapping it in herbs and lettuce from our yard. Just like tree-huggers would do!

And so it came to pass………and this was pretty darn good. We grilled it with some shishito peppers that needed to be picked soon.

 We dipped these in nuoc mam cham and had a nice meal. The lamb was really moist and full of flavor…though it just wasn't gamey enough for the Missus.

Still, it was rather quick once you get the bincho going. There was a good amount of flavor. The savory fish sauce dip balanced out the borderline almost too sweet meatballs.

And as always, I lived to cook another day!

And we had a couple of interesting beers to boot…actually, I liked the name more than the beer.

Asian style grilled lamb meatballs:

1 lb ground lamb
3 tb minced shallot
2 tb minced scallion
3 tb minced mint
1/4 cup minced cilantro
1 tb dark brown sugar
1 tb agave syrup
2 finely minced Thai chilies
3 tb fish sauce
1 tb soy sauce
salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

– Combine all ingredients and let rest for 20-30 minutes
– Roll into balls then flatten into small patties
– Grill and serve with fresh herbs, nuoc mam cham, and wrapped in lettuce leaves

Thanks for reading!

Yes, I know I have not one, but two of these already. I did notice that it was four years between the first and second. And heck, guess what? It's been another four years already. So I guess it's just about the time again……

Actually, it was an email from frequent commenter (and hopefully reader) "Soo" that sent me down this road. It was a simple question about Kalbi, which made me realize that I hadn't made it in a while. I'd been wanting to try a different version and this seemed like a great time to do it.

So I bought some meat……..

And the other ingredient, a new one……Sierra Mist. I'd been hearing about folks using lemon lime soda in their kalbi for quite a while. It's supposed to help tenderize the meat….though like most of everything else, I'm not sure how true that is. I believe it was Thomas Keller who debunked the acid as tenderizer theory. Yes, who am I to say this wouldn't work or taste good?

Still, the addition of other acids (i.e. mirin) and the standard Asian Pear which has the enzyme papain which does indeed break down protein. I know something about that since I had two chymopapain injections when I was younger. Though too much papain can make your meat really mushy.

Anyway, I started with a baseline, and just built on it by taste of the marinade. One big change in how I make this. I now grate everything by hand. A couple of years back I decided not to use the food processor/blender for this anymore. It was whipping in too much air, adding too much heat, making the marinade taste a bit different for me.

Enough of that; here's Kalbi Three:

Kalbi Three:

1 cup Aloha Shoyu
12 ounces Sierra Mist or Sprite
¼ cup mirin
1/3 cup dark brown sugar
½ cup grated Asian Pear
½ cup grated onion
2 Tb minced or grated garlic
3 Tb Malt Syrup
1 Tb sesame oil

– Combine all ingredients.
– Marinade ribs overnight

The flavor was more light and fruity than sweet. Even though I used Haeundae cut, Angus beef ribs, these were on the chewy side. Still, the Missus enjoyed the flavor. I need to do a taste-off of my various recipes with the addition of one that does a milk marinade for tenderizing first. I've heard a couple of "my grandma's kalbi recipe" stories of milk being used to tenderize the beef. Anyone know of this?