Category: Recipes

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?

Call me crazy….it was pretty hot and humid today. I really didn't feel like going out of the house. So what did I do? I stir-fried. What the heck was I thinking?

Anyway, I used basically the same technique as my Spicy Chinese-style Eggplant, but went for more of a Thai inspired dish. In other words, totally lost for ideas, I found stuff around the kitchen and went for it…….

Two types of chilies and chili paste brings the heat. Palm sugar, white sugar, and the red bell peppers add sweet. Soy Sauce and Fish Sauce add the umami saltiness. Garlic and onions add depth of flavor. The kaffir lime leaves and cilantro give this a definite Southeast Asian touch. And the sour and tangy tamarind paste tops it off. I'm looking at this as a nice starting point and will add to the recipe in the future……

It turned out rather well. I actually measured stuff out initially as I made things. There are three acts to this play…..

Eggplant with Tamarind Sauce:

First the Tamarind Sauce:
4 Tb tamarind pulp or concentrate
2-3 Tb palm sugar
2 Tb premium soy sauce
3 Tb fish sauce
2 Tb sambal olek

– Combine all ingredients and let sit

Then prep everything you'll need for parts 1 & 2 below:

Part 1:
2-3 medium sized Chinese Eggplant cut into 1/3 inch dice
3 dried red chilies seeded
Dash of white pepper
2 Tb White sugar
2 Tb Shaoxing Wine
2-3 Tb premium soy sauce
3 Tb canola or grapeseed oil

Part 2:
1/2 large red bell pepper diced
1/2 medium onion diced
5 kaffir lime leaves thinly sliced
4-6 Thai Chilies Sliced
6 cloves of garlic minced
2 Tb canola or grapeseed oil
1/2 cup loosely packed chopped cilantro

– In a hot wok heat first 3 tb of oil add dried chilies to scald
– Add eggplant, white pepper, and sugar, and stir fry
– Add Shaoxing and stir fry
– When eggplant starts to dry out, add soy sauce to moisten a tablespoon at a time
– When the eggplant has browned and is cooked through, remove to a plate and start Part2

– Allow wok to come back up to temperature and add oil
– Quickly add kaffir lime leaves and Thai Chilies, stir fry until fragrant, about 10-15 seconds
– Add red bell pepper and stir fry to coat and let soften slightly
– Add garlic and stir fry. Do not allow garlic to burn
– Add onion and stir fry
– Return eggplant back to wok and combine well.
– Add sauce, combine, bring up to temp, and remove from heat
– Add the chopped cilantro, saving a few tablespoons for garnish

Looks like a lot, but things go pretty quickly. In fact, I even made some chili-garlic shrimp as well. Didn't even use the Big Kahuna.

Interesting thing was…..that I felt a lot less sluggish after making this….dunno why….

So, did you cook at home today?

In keeping with the Missus' wish to never have the same fish dish for more than two or three times (there are exceptions of course) I have to keep coming up with various preparations, most of which include some kind of sauce. I'll readily admit that sometimes my answer to the Missus's, "why don't you make something good for a change" can be a hard sell. This one is a good example. I've been missing Chinese flavors, so looking at the nice piece of halibut, I thought why not guai-wei, also known as "strange flavor", but probably even more well known as the flavoring for a popular Sichuan dish called "Bang Bang Chicken"……bang bang ji si. It's basically a combination of "fish flavored" (yu xiang – 鱼香), sesame paste, and Sichuan Peppercorns.

To the Missus this seemed like heresy, She had never heard of such a preparation using fish….but I've made guai wei ji si in the days when the Missus used to eat chicken. Still, She really doubted that I could pull this off………

In the end, She loved it….well, She loved the sauce. You talk about the classic suan-tian-ku-la-xian, the sour-sweet-bitter-spicy-salty metaphor for a flavorful, yet balanced dish the Chinese use.

The fish was prepared in typical Chinese fashion. The basic marinade step for the fish is simple:

2 Tb Shaoxing Wine
2 Tb Grated Ginger
White Pepper

Combine and let fish sit for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile the strange flavor sauce:

3 Tb Chinese sesame paste, mixed well
1 tsp sesame oil
2-3 Tb Chili Oil
1 tsp ground, toasted Sichuan Peppercorns
2 Tb Premium Light Soy Sauce
1 Tb sugar
Salt to taste
water or peanut oil to thin out the sauce

– Combine the first 6 ingredients, mixing well until the sugar is dissolved
– Add oil or water if the sauce is too thick
– Taste and adjust flavors, add salt if desired

I then dust the fish with potato starch and pan fry. Spoon on the sauce, garnish with scallions, cilantro, sesame seeds and some really spicy red chilies.

Drizzle with more chili oil.

I served this with Jinan style purple cabbage slaw on some mizuna.

I lived to cook another day………

 

It's really feeling like record heat isn't it? For some reason, I enjoy dishes like this, called Smacked Cucumber because you smack the cucumbers with the flat of a cleaver a couple of times before cutting. The sauce is that wonderful combination of sour-salty-sweet-spicy-numbing that I find refreshing.

Fuchsia Dunlop has a nice version in her latest book, Every Grain of Rice. I enjoy a bit more of everything, but the recipe in the book is a nice place to start. Even though it might not seem so; the version I made this evening has 6 cloves of garlic, which I grated into a paste. Because there's so much flavor, you may not notice just how much garlic is in this until after your meal…..garlic breath, the gift that keeps on giving. I also cut down on the normal 1:1 ratio of sugar to vinegar because the Missus enjoys this less sweet.

You can cut the cucumber whichever way you choose, either into quarters or use rolling cuts….I just do whichever I feel like. This is more than enough sauce for a pound of cucumbers….I just tend to like more sauce, which you can actually save and use for another batch.

Smacked Cucumbers – Pai Huang Gua:

1 pound Persian or Japanese Cucumbers
1 Tb salt
4 tsp Chinkiang Black Vinegar
2 tsp Sugar
2 Tb Chili Oil
4 tsp Premium Soy Sauce
1 tsp ground toasted Sichuan Peppercorns
2-6 cloves garlic minced

– Smack cucumbers with the flat of a cleaver to loosen and tenderize the flesh
– Slice/chop cucumbers as desired, salt and let rest for 10-15 minutes in the refrigerator (I like this chilled)
– Meanwhile combine the last six ingredients until sugar dissolves. Taste and adjust flavoring.
– Drain cucumbers and pour sauce over and mix. Let sit for 5-10 minutes.
– Eat!

There you go……

I've actually mentioned this sauce/glaze in previous posts. I've used it as a sauce for chicken wings, fish, salad dressing, almost anything that you can glaze, if you can deal with just a touch of heat. I think the Missus really enjoyed it the most when used here:

I'm sure you know how to quickly saute shrimp, right? So, I don't think I really have to go over that. This glaze is super easy, the only items you may….or maybe you do have in your pantry is Kecap Manis and Sambal Olek. Not the Chinese/Vietnamese plastic bottled Sambal, but the stuff from Indonesia.

It's really easy stuff.

Indonesian Style Glaze/Sauce:
1/4 cup Kecap Manis
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup ketchup
1/4 fresh squeezed lime juice
2 TB ginger juice
5 cloves of garlic grated/finely minced
2 Tb Sambal Olek
zest of 1 lime
dash of white pepper

– Combine all items, sample and adjust to your taste

The longer the sauce sits, the better it tastes, if left overnight it also gets a bit more spicy.

The shrimp we used for this is wild Mexican Shrimp from Catalina Offshore. We saute quickly in a neutral oil and add some coconut oil for a nice little hint of coconut flavor.

Shrimp:
2/3 lb 21-25 shrimp deveined with tail left on
1 shallot minced
2 Tb Shaoxing wine
dash of white pepper

5-6 Tb canola or grapeseed oil
1 Tb coconut oil
cilantro
sesame seeds

– Combine the first 4 items and let sit for 15 minutes
– Heat a pan over high heat
– Add oil
– Saute shrimp until just about cooked – do not overcook
– Remove from heat
– Add 1/2 cup of glaze and coat shrimp
– Arrange on plate and top with sesame seeds and cilantro

Easy to pull off, especially on a weeknight.