Turkey Larb

Adapted from NY Times Cooking (https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1020222-spicy-turkey-stir-fry-with-crisp-garlic-and-ginger)

2 tablespoons neutral oil, such as safflower or grapeseed
4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1(2-inch) knob ginger, cut into matchsticks
Fine sea salt

2 tablespoons coconut oil or more neutral oil
3 scallions, white and green parts separated, thinly sliced
¼ teaspoon red-pepper flakes, plus more to taste
1 pound ground turkey, preferably dark meat (or use ground pork)
2 tablespoons lime juice, plus more to taste
1 tablespoon fish sauce
½ teaspoon soy sauce, plus more to taste

Cooked sticky or white rice, for serving
⅔ cup cilantro leaves and tender stems, for serving
⅓ cup torn basil leaves (or use more cilantro), for serving
1 fresh bird’s-eye or serrano chile, thinly sliced, for serving

1. In a cold 12-inch skillet, combine oil, garlic and ginger. Place over medium heat until sizzling, then continue to cook, stirring frequently, until garlic and ginger are golden brown, 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer with a slotted spoon to a paper towel-lined plate and sprinkle lightly with salt.

2. Add coconut oil to pan, then stir in scallion whites and cook until starting to brown, about 2 minutes. Stir in red-pepper flakes and cook for 1 minute.

3. Stir in turkey, raise heat to medium-high, and cook, breaking up meat with a spoon, until golden and crisp, about 7 minutes. Don’t stir the meat too much, so it can turn deep brown.

4. Remove pan from heat and stir in lime juice, fish sauce and soy sauce. Taste and add more lime juice, red-pepper flakes, soy sauce and sugar or honey if you like.

5. Gently mix about two-thirds of the fried garlic and ginger into the turkey. Serve turkey over rice, topped with cilantro, basil, scallion greens and fresh chile, and garnished with remaining fried ginger and garlic.

Pad kee mao (drunken noods)

Adapted from the Wok of Life (https://thewoksoflife.com/drunken-noodles-pad-kee-mao/)

For the chicken & marinade:

2 tablespoons water
12 ounces sliced chicken thighs or chicken breast (340g)
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon oil
2 teaspoons cornstarch


For the rest of the dish:

8 ounces wide dried rice noodles(225g)

1 1/2 teaspoons brown sugar (dissolved in 1 tablespoon hot water)
2 teaspoons soy sauce (Thai soy sauce preferred)
1 teaspoon dark soy sauce
1 tablespoon fish sauce
2 teaspoons oyster sauce
pinch ground white pepper
3 tablespoons vegetable or canola oil (divided)

4 eggs (beaten)

3 cloves garlic (sliced)
¼ teaspoon fresh grated ginger
2 shallots (sliced, about 1/3 cups)
1 scallion (julienned into 3-inch pieces)
4 Thai red chili peppers (deseeded and julienned)
1 cup holy basil or Thai basil (loosely packed)
1 cup of chopped green asian veggie like gailan
2 teaspoons Shaoxing wine

1. Work the 2 tablespoons of water into the sliced chicken with your hands until the chicken absorbs the liquid. Add 1 teaspoon soy sauce, 1 teaspoon oil, and 2 teaspoons cornstarch, and mix until the chicken is evenly coated. Set aside for 20 minutes.

2. Soak noodles in hot tap water for 15 minutes or longer.

3. Stir together the dissolved brown sugar mixture, soy sauces, fish sauce, oyster sauce, and white pepper in a small bowl and set aside.

4. Heat your wok until it’s close to smoking, and spread 2 tablespoons of oil around the perimeter of the wok. Add the chicken and let it sear for 1 minute on each side until it’s about 90% cooked. Remove from the wok and set aside. If the heat was high enough and you seared the meat correctly, your wok should be still clean with nothing sticking to it. If not, you can wash the wok to prevent the rice noodles from sticking.

5. Continue with the wok on high heat and add 1 tablespoon of oil, along with the garlic and grated ginger.  After a minute, add the shallots. Stir fry for 20 seconds and add the scallions, chili peppers, basil, asian veggies and shaoxing wine. Gradually dribble in the eggs while stirring vigorously so that the size of the solidified eggs is overall small (not like scrambled eggs).  Stir-fry for a minute and then add in the rice noodles. Use a scooping motion to mix everything for another minute until the noodles warm up.

6. Next, add the prepared sauce mixture and stir-fry at the highest heat for about 1 minute until the noodles are uniform in color. Take care to use your metal spatula to scrape the bottom of the wok to prevent sticking.  Continue to stir-fry until the noodles soften.

8. Add the seared chicken and stir-fry for another 1 to 2 minutes.

Four-spice Salmon

 

• 46-ounce skinned salmon fillets
• Salt and black pepper
• 1tablespoon coriander seeds or ground coriander
• ¼teaspoon whole or ground cloves
• 1½teaspoons cumin seed or ground cumin
• 1teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 2tablespoons peanut oil, grape seed or other neutral oil, or clarified butter

1. Step 1

   Season fillets on both sides with salt and pepper. If necessary, combine spices and grind them to a coarse powder in a coffee or spice grinder. Press some of the mixture onto the top of each fillet.

2. Step 2

   Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat for 2 or 3 minutes. Add the oil or butter and, when it shimmers, place the fillets, coated side down, in the pan. Cook about 2 to 3 minutes, or until the spice mixture forms a nicely browned crust.

3. Step 3

   Turn the fillets and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes, or until the salmon just slightly resists when pierced with a thin-bladed knife.

Basic Pesto from NYT

 

• 2 cups fresh basil leaves (no stems)
• 2 tablespoons pine nuts or walnuts
• 2 large cloves garlic
• ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
• ½ cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

smoky passion

1.5 oz scotch

1.5 oz (cooled!) brewed lapsang souchong

1.5 oz passion fruit juice

.75 oz lemon juice

optional egg white
 

Red Wine Mac & Cheese

2 cups tomato sauce (eg Prego Italian Sausage)

.5 c red wine (I used cab suav)

.5 c cream

1.5 cup shredded mozzarella/cheese of choice

salt

pepper

heat tomato sauce, add in wine and cream and stir to homogenize; on low heat, dump in cheese and stir until smooth. cover to reduce.

goes well with caramelized shallots, pan-seared chicken, and fresh basil
 

Chao Nian Gao

Adopted from https://drivemehungry.com/stir-fried-shanghai-rice-cakes-chao-nian-gao/

Ingredients:

16 oz rice cakes - pre-soak if using dried rice cakes
1 lb chicken breast - thinly sliced, about ⅓ inch thick
3 Tablespoons oil (olive is fine)
5 large shiitake mushrooms - sliced about ⅓ inch thick with stems removed
4 cups napa cabbage - chopped into 2 inch pieces
3 scallions - chopped into 2 inch pieces

red pepper flakes if a little kick is desired

Sauce:
2 Tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
2 Tablespoons dark soy sauce
2 Tablespoons oyster sauce
2 teaspoons brown sugar
¾ teaspoon Chinese black vinegar

3 cloves garlic - minced

Instructions:

1. If using dried rice cakes, pre-soak them in water for about 3 hours or overnight in the fridge. After 30 minutes, carefully separate the rice cakes so they're not stuck together. For frozen, just thaw to RT.

2. Add the ingredients for the sauce in a small bowl and mix it together until the sugar dissolves.

3. Heat a wok or large pan on high heat and add the oil. Once the pan is hot, lay the chicken pieces flat on the surface and let it cook for about 1 to 2 minutes or until it's almost cooked through.

4. Next, add the mushrooms and scallions to the pan and stir fry for about 1 minute. 

5. Add in the drained rice cakes and add 4 Tablespoons of the sauce. Stir fry the rice cakes together for 2 - 3 minutes and then add in the chopped cabbage. If needed, add in the rest of the sauce and stir fry everything together for another 2 - 3 minutes or until the rice cakes are soft and chewy and the cabbage has wilted. 

6. Taste a rice cake to be sure it's fully softened. Add 1 Tablespoon of water if needed to further soften it up while stir frying. Serve and eat immediately as the rice cakes harden when they cool.