Thai Coconut Curry Chicken

My obsession with Thai food came in college. Though I had eaten it before, college was the time when I fell in love with Thai curries. I am particularly fond of coconut curries. I love the way the coconut milk handles the spice of the chilies.

In college, I remember groups of us gathering at the Thai restaurant in the next town over ordering all different types of curries. Pushing tables together, kicking back, eating good food, staying longer than we should have. It was just like the holidays with the family. We were so far from home it was nice to get away from the pressures of school. Nice to sit with friends and hang out and laugh.

I've made this dish several times and never the same way. But I've found a mixture I really like. Before adding the chicken to the thai red curry paste, I season the chicken with salt, pepper, coriander and ginger. Because of my background in history (and lots of geography lessons) I know how influential the spice islands were when it came to Asian cuisine. One ingredient I didn't think about was sugar. But I realized many Thai recipes have a bit of sweet and spicy so a little sugar was necessary. The Thai Curry Paste adds the spice and the sugar with the ginger adds a hint of tangy and sweet.

As always, I'm interested in including as many vegetables as possible (gotta get the littles their vitamins and minerals) so in addition to my bag of Asian vegetables, I'm adding snow peas and baby corn. I'll add a little extra heat to my plate with some chili peppers. Of course, one of the reasons I like this dish is because the whole meal (including rice) takes about 30 mins and the other is because everyone can get what they want. Heat or no heat. Lot's of sauce or no sauce. It's versatile.

Thai Coconut Curry Chicken

Makes 6 servings

Ingredients

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 pound of boneless chicken breasts (cubed)

1 tablespoon of Thai Red Curry paste

1 can of coconut milk

1 teaspoon grated ginger

2 cloves of garlic (minced)

1 red bell pepper (sliced)

1 small onion (sliced)

1 tablespoon of fish sauce

1 teaspoon of sugar

1 tablespoon of cornstarch

1/2 tablespoon coriander

1 1/2 teaspoons of salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

salt and pepper to taste

Asian vegetables (optional)

1 chili pepper (jalapeño) diced (optional)

cilantro for garnish

Note: If you want to reduce the heat in this dish, omit the chili pepper.

Directions

Season chicken with 1/2 teaspoon of salt, pepper and coriander.

Heat oil in a pot over medium high heat, then add Thai curry paste.

Once paste is hot (it will pop), add chicken and cook for 3 to 5 minutes

Stir in onions and peppers.

Then stir in Asian vegetables (if you are using snow peas wait until the end to add those to the dish).

Add garlic, coconut milk, fresh ginger, fish sauce, sugar and diced chili pepper (optional).

Bring mixture to a boil, allow to cook for about 5 minutes.

Remove 2 tablespoon of liquid and mix with cornstarch.

Add cornstarch mixture back into coconut curry sauce.

Cook and stir until mixture begins to thicken.

Enjoy over rice and garnish with cilantro if you please.

Cold Sesame Noodles

I love noodles!! It's a carb thing. I remember my first time having cold sesame noodles, I was taken aback. There was a large group of us and one of my friends was familiar with the restaurant so she ordered for all of us. I had no idea the dish ordered would be cold. Once I got over the shock, I realized I was in love. Not only is this dish tasty, it works particularly well when you need a quick meal (like a school lunch). The noodles only take 5 minutes to cook and it does not need to be re-heated. I actually always have a bag of flat buckwheat noodles laying around. It's perfect for that morning you decided to ignore the alarm and time got away from you.

But back to the noodles. I remember reading an article in the New York Eater about these noodles originating almost 40 years ago in New York at a restaurant called Hwa Yuan. The article stated that it was the favorite dish of all the stars. Well, we are all stars today. Hooray!!

Note: Adapted from the recipe in the New York Times. The recipe below suggests chinese sesame paste but I use tahini paste because that's what I have on hand in my house.

Cold Sesame Noodles
Makes 6 Servings

Ingredients:
1 pound Chinese buckwheat noodles (spaghetti noodles)
2  1/2 tablespoons sesame oil
3 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons Chinese rice vinegar
2 tablespoons Chinese sesame paste (or tahini paste)
1 tablespoon smooth peanut butter
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon grated ginger
2 teaspoons minced garlic
2 teaspoons chili -garlic paste - optional

Garnish: Carrots, cucumbers or radishes cut into match sticks
sesame seeds
finely chopped green onion

Note: 2 packets of soy sauce equals a little more than 1 tablespoon. Yeah, I've done it. So what.

Directions: 

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add noodles and allow noodles to cook about 5 minutes or until tender.

Drain pot and rinse noodles with cold water.

Sprinkle noodles with 1/2 tablespoon of sesame oil. Place noodles in the fridge.

In a bowl whisk together sesame oil, soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame paste, sugar, ginger, garlic and chili -garlic paste (if using)

Pour sauce over noodles and toss.

Add garnishes.

This is really a versatile dish that can become a full meal if you add a protein like tofu or chicken.

So, how will you eat your sesame noodles?

Thai Basil and Beef Stir Fry

Ever have an idea that grows into a huge project? Our garden started as just a little box of herbs on our balcony. Eventually, it grew into the staple of our summer times dishes. This year we've had to be especially diligent about picking basil and mint from our garden. The basil in particular has a mind of its own and has spread to other plants. So, we're also trying to find different recipes we can use it in. This week we had a stroke of luck and we received some free steaks. Woo hoo!! I love free. Of course, that cemented what I would make. Thai Basil and Beef Stir Fry.  I had a little dried Thai Basil left over from another dish I had made, so I mixed it with fresh basil from the garden.

I love Thai food and this dish, has all my favorite elements, layers of flavor, a bit of spice, tasty vegetables and it can be served with rice. It's filling and warming. And not just because of the heat from the Thai chili peppers. I'm pretty conservative with the amount of pepper I add but if you like spice add another chili pepper and make sure to add the seeds.

Now that I think of it, this is actually a great dish for several other reasons. It utilizes the excess basil in the garden, it includes vegetables but more importantly, it's quick and easy. It only takes about 20 minutes to make. That's so important on a week night. Of course, some of these items you may not have in your cabinet if you don't make Asian inspired dishes. But if you know you want to make several different Asian dishes it will be important to keep items like soy sauce, fish sauce and ginger on hand. I keep those items stocked in my pantry to add variety to our lunches and dinners. Having those things on hand makes life easier. In the end, you can't hate great food, done fast. Now that's comforting on so many levels.

Thai Basil Beef Stir Fry
Makes 6 servings

Ingredients
1 pound of beef
2 teaspoons of cornstarch
2 tablespoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon oyster sauce
1/2 tablespoon of fish sauce
2 red bell peppers sliced
1 onion thinly sliced
1 can of baby corn
2 carrots sliced
4 ounces of mushrooms sliced
4 cloves of garlic (chopped)
2 teaspoons fresh ginger grated
1/4 teaspoon sugar
1/3 cup of soy sauce (Low sodium)
1 hot red pepper/ thai chili pepper (chopped)
1 cup of fresh/dried thai basil (Italian basil will do though the flavor will be slightly different)
1 cup of chopped thai basil
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ginger powder
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
Juice of 1 lime

Directions:
Whisk together fish sauce, oyster sauce, soy sauce, sugar and ginger.

Slice beef thinly (against the grain-look for lines) then sprinkle with ginger powder, garlic powder and salt.

Mix beef with 1 teaspoon of sesame oil and cornstarch.

Heat wok or large pan over high heat and add 1 tablespoon of oil.

Place beef in pan and cook until browned. About 2 minutes per side.

Remove beef from pan and set aside.

Add the rest of the oil and chopped garlic and Thai chili pepper to wok/pan. Cook for 30 seconds

Next add onions and red peppers to pan. Cook until onions caramelize.

Next add stir fry vegetables and allow to cook for an additional 5 to 8 minutes.

Toss beef back in with soy sauce mixture and dried basil (if you are using dried basil)
and stir into vegetables.

Add fresh basil and stir.

Serve over rice with a spirts of lime and enjoy.

Fried Tofu with Ginger-Sesame Sauce

September is back to school time and many of us hope to send happy little faces to school to become better versions of themselves. So, we try to send them to school with everything they need and a little piece of home. Something that makes them smile when they open their backpack or lunchbag. But how do you fit that type of comfort in such a small bag with all of the restrictions the school has. The no gluten, no nut etc etc has been the bane of my school lunch existence. What to do? What to do?

Of course, in our house we don't change what we eat because you're a mini me, so this is another  obstacle with school lunch. But this fried tofu lunch doubles just fine for an adult and a child. The original recipe comes from Food and Wine magazine and has a bit more spice. I had to cut down on the red pepper flakes in the ginger-sesame sauce for my little but that spice can be added back in later. This sauce is actually so good, I think about pouring it over other proteins. Like maybe fried chicken wings?? I might have to give the Korean fried chicken place a run for its money. Of course, you should enjoy the sauce whatever way you choose.


Fried Tofu with Ginger-Sesame Sauce
Makes 4 servings

Ingredients:
Ginger-Sesame Sauce
1/2 sesame oil
2 teaspoons grated ginger
2 cloves grated garlic
1 scallion
1 1/2 tablespoon Soy Sauce
1 tablespoon water
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

Fried Tofu
14 ounces firm tofu
2 tablespoons of vegetable oil

Directions:

Slice tofu into 8 thin slabs. Allow tofu to dry on a paper towel.

Lightly sprinkle tofu with salt and press out excess moisture.

While tofu is drying out, in a small bowl whisk together sesame oil, ginger, garlic, soy sauce, water and red pepper flakes.

Set ginger sesame mixture aside.

In a large skillet heat 1 tablespoon of oil (tofu should be added to an already hot pan).

Cook the tofu in two batches using 1 tablespoon of oil for each batch.

Add tofu slabs and cook over medium heat. Cook for approximately 3 to 5


minutes on each side or until tofu is lightly browned on each side.

Spoon ginger-sesame sauce over fried tofu and sprinkle scallions over.

Serve over rice or steamed vegetables.

When packing this as a lunch, I put the sauce in a separate container to be poured over the tofu and vegetables later.

Quick, easy and versatile. If you do not like tofu, you can swap it out for any other protein and it will work.

Seared Cod with Miso Ginger Vegetables

Don't you hate when you order something and it tastes nothing like what you expected? Unfortunately, I had that experience the other day. I love a good asian inspired dish. I understand that some restaurants alter dishes to make them palatable to the masses but that's no reason to cheat the people out of taste. The other day I was looking for a seafood soup. But what I got was over cooked shrimp and tasteless broth. It's moments like this that encourage me to make my own.

Now the only reason I even attempt most Asian dishes is because my friends have given me the confidence to do so. In college, I wasn't always able to go home. One summer I spent in Maine and despite what people may think about Maine it was one of the best cultural experiences I've had. Maine has become a haven for refugees. I worked with other students from Cambodia and Vietnam. I  appreciate them taking me to their homes where their families embraced me and feed me. We cooked together and spent a lot of time together... eating. So there's a part of me that would love to hold on to that time in my life. I was surrounded by great food and great people and we were really making a difference in people's lives. And having fun doing it. I miss those times.

Though I wanted soup, we just had chicken soup, so I know I had to make something different but I was still reeling from not really getting those flavors I wanted. Of course, I couldn't go to... because mini me had to eat it too. It's dishes like this that allows my mini to get used to foods that are different flavors a textures. It's one of the reasons our little will eat almost anything.

Pan Seared Cod with Miso Ginger Vegetables

Makes 6 serving

Ingredients

1 pound of cod

white pepper

salt

powdered ginger

2 teaspoon miso

1 teaspoon soy sauce

1tablespoon fresh ginger

1 tablespoon of orange juice

1/2 pound of asian vegetables

2 teaspoons sesame oil

1/4 cup of vegetable (fish) broth

1/8 cup of water

olive oil/ canola oil

Tools Needed: Stainless steal pan or cast iron pan and wok/ large sauté pan

Directions:

Pat cod dry with a paper towel.

Gently season with powdered ginger, garlic, onion salt and pepper.

Allow fish the marinate in this dry rub for at least 30 minutes.

In a wok or large sauté pan begin to sauté vegetable in sesame oil over medium heat.

Allow vegetables to cook for 4 minutes.

While vegetables are cooking, place broth miso paste, soy sauce and orange juice to a bowl and mix well.

Gently pour mixture over vegetables and stir (The mixture will start to thicken. Scrape any bits off the bottom of the pan).

Add water as necessary to decrease saltiness and thin the miso mixture.

Add olive oil to a stainless steal pan over medium high heat.

Add cod to pan and cook for 4 to 5 minutes on each side.

You can serve this dish with rice or if you would like soup just add vegetable or fish stock and a bit more soy sauce and fish sauce.

So....how will you enjoy this dish?

Beef with Mixed Vegetables

Over the last year or so I've developed a love/hate relationship with what was my favorite Chinese food restaurant. I liked that it was in my neighborhood and that they knew exactly what I wanted even when I didn't.

I don't know if you can tell but I can be pretty particular about my food. Lately, something's been different. The food, it's just not how I remember it. I know I'm talking about a restaurant like it's my boyfriend but like a boyfriend sometimes food is exactly what you need. Then it lets you down, and you're not sure what to do after that.

And I know everyone has an off day so I've tried to go back at different times of the day on different days, trying to get that old something back. It didn't work. So, I had to take matters into my own hands. This dish is great because it takes 30 to 45 minutes (depending on how long you let the beef marinate) to make and you can put all the beef or vegetables you want in it.

Beef with Mixed Vegetables
Makes 4 servings

Ingredients
1 pound of boneless flank steak (you can use round or cubed)
1 tablespoons of cornstarch
1 teaspoon of garlic powder
1 teaspoon of ginger
1/8 teaspoon of salt
1 tablespoon of vegetable oil
1 tablespoons of sesame oil
1/3 cup of soy sauce
2 tablespoons of sugar
1 small onion cut into strips
1 tablespoon dry sherry
1/2 cup of water/beef stock
1/2 cup of broccoli
1/2 cup of snow peas
1/2 cup of carrots
1/4 cup of water chestnuts

Tools: Wok or large skillet

Directions:

Marinade:
Combine 2 tablespoons of cornstarch, 1 tablespoon of dry sherry, 1/2 a tablespoon of soy, 1 tablespoon of sesame oil, 1/8 teaspoon of ginger, 1/8 teaspoon of salt and 1/8 a teaspoon  of garlic powder. Combine ingredients until smooth.

Pat beef dry then slice.

Add sliced beef to the above mixture and coat completely.

Allow it to marinate for at least 15 minutes (30 minutes is better if you have the time).

Add 1/2 tablespoon of sesame oil to wok or skillet over medium heat.

Add your stir fry vegetables and cook for 4 to 5 minutes.

Remove vegetables from wok.

Add vegetable oil and beef to wok.

Stir fry beef for 5 to 6 minutes then remove from heat.

Combine all left over ingredients (soy sauce, brown sugar, ginger, corn starch, water/chicken stock, and ginger) into a bowl and mix until smooth.

Return beef and vegetables to wok and add the above mixture.

Cook for an additional 2 to 5 minutes mixing thoroughly.

This quick stir fry was a pleaser in our house. I served it over white rice.
Feel free to switch out the vegetables for whatever you like. As you can see, I went a bit veggie heavy.

Sweet Coconut Sticky Rice

My family might be done with me. We are in the heat of the summer and I continue to turn the oven on. I understand. It makes the house hot but I really like cookies and cupcakes. So I asked myself, what sweet treat would really hit the spot but doesn't require me to turn the oven on?

Then I remembered, the stove top dessert that would satiate my sweet tooth...Sweet Sticky Rice. There's a wonderful Thai restaurant where we used to live and it made an awesome coconut sweet sticky rice. The restaurant made it with Thai Sweet Rice but I'm going to use what I have in my kitchen.

It's a great dessert and it's not too sweet. It's served plain in the restaurant  but I'm going to add fruit or maybe raspberry gelato once it's finished. I'm excited. I've made everyone happy and I still get something sweet. Whoopee!

Sweet Coconut Sticky Rice
Makes 6 servings

Ingredients

1 cup of short grain white rice
1 cup of water
2 cups of Thai coconut milk/ 2 cans (not Lite milk)
1 cup of sugar
1 tablespoon of coconut flour (you can use cornstarch or tapioca flour)
1 cup of shredded coconut
¼ tsp of salt
fruit ( mango or strawberries)

Garnish: Mint

Directions

In a saucepan combine water, 1 cup of coconut milk and rice. Bring mix to a boil.
Reduce heat to medium low and cook for 15 to 20 minutes.

While rice cooks, heat 1 cup of coconut milk in a heavy pot on medium heat. Bring milk to a low boil.

Once boiling, add 1 cup of sugar and ¼ teaspoon of salt and stir. The heat will help the sugar and salt dissolve quicker.

To the above mixture whisk in flour (this will help it thicken). This step can be omitted if you are using sticky rice.

Once rice is soft but firm pour the coconut, sugar, flour mixture over it.

Add ½ a cup of coconut flakes to sweet rice mixture. Make sure mixture is thoroughly combined.

Refrigerate mixture for ½ an hour to 1 hour.

While rice is cooling, cut fruit and toast coconut flakes.

Place remaining ½ cup of coconut flakes in a non-stick pan on the stove at medium heat and toast until lightly browned.

When you're ready to serve, scoop about ½ a cup of rice into a single serving dish, sprinkle with toasted coconut and place fruit on top.

There you have it. A sweet treat without the heat.

Effortless Adobo Chicken

We eat a lot of chicken in our house. So I'm always looking to change it up a bit. Luckily, I grew up in a pretty diverse environment. The majority of my classmates in high school were Filipino. So I was lucky enough to experience some of the culture and the deliciousness of the cuisine. From cassava cake and biko, to adobe chicken I have a couple of clear favorites.

But it's been so long since I've lived in an area with a large Filipino population, I actually had forgotten how much I loved the food. That was until I assigned the "Food is Culture" project to my World History students. One of my students brought in Adobo Chicken and it was absolutely delicious. In addition to having delicious food the student explained of how to prepare the dish. Yippe!! Why hadn't I made this dish before? It was super easy - garlic, soy sauce, rice vinegar and a bay leaf. So, in a pinch one night I made it.

Adobo Chicken

Ingredients:

3 lbs of boneless chicken breast
1/2 cup soy sauce
3/4 cup of rice vinegar
4 cloves of garlic
1 bay leaf
Pinch of Salt
Pinch of Pepper
1 tsp ginger

Directions:

Season your chicken with salt, pepper and ginger then place it in a bowl. Smash your garlic and add it  to the bowl with the bay leaf, soy sauce and vinegar. 

Let the mixture marinate for an hour before putting it in a heavy pot (like a dutch oven). Bring everything to a boil. Then decrease the heat to medium and cook for 2 hours.

The sauce took a little longer to thicken so in the end it cooked another hour until it thickened.

*Note: As you see I used boneless chicken breast because that is what I had on hand. I do believe that recipes like this taste better when you use bone-in chicken. Also, I added a little ginger worried about how my mini me would react but he was fine. You could also add a little sugar.

Hope you enjoy it...it's a little reminder of home for me.

Bacon & Shrimp Fried Rice

One of my favorite comfort foods is shrimp fried rice. I don't know when it happened but It's been that way since I was a teenager. There was a great Chinese food restaurant about a block away and if I had a particularly bad day at school I would go and get a pint of pork fried rice or shrimp fried rice.

When I moved away from the city it got harder and harder to find a place that I really liked. And forget finding a place late at night. So I decided to make my own. After several failed attempts I came across a recipe that change everything for me. I felt like I had finally found the secret to getting the right flavor. Guess what it was...BACON. I know... how wonderful right. So now in the time it takes me to bake bacon, I can make delicious shrimp fried rice.

Warning... I use a wok to make fried rice but you could use a curved frying pan to get the same results.

Bacon and Shrimp Fried Rice

Ingredients
3 cups of cooked white or brown rice
2 eggs
4 slices of bacon
1/2 pound of shrimp peeled & deveined
1 cup of frozen vegetables unthawed (I like peas and carrots)
1/3 cup of fresh julienned green peppers
1/3 cup of fresh julienned yellow peppers
1/3 cup of sliced green onions
1/4 cup of bean sprouts
2tbsp of soy sauce
2tbsp of sesame oil
salt and pepper
powdered ginger
Chinese Five Spice

Directions
Place the bacon in a cold oven and let it heat up to 400 degrees. Allow the bacon to cook for approximately 17 minutes.

Place a little sesame oil (about 1/2 a tbsp) in the pan. Whisk the eggs together with a little salt and pepper and pour it into the pan. Allow it to cook like you are making an omelette. Once the egg is cooked remove it from the pan and cut it into thin slices.

Add 1 tbsp of sesame oil to the pan, then add your shrimp. Cook for about a minute then turn the shrimp and sprinkle with powdered ginger and Chinese Five Spice.
Then add your peppers, green onions, bean sprouts and unthawed vegetables. Let it cook for another 2 to 3 minutes. Toss everything together.

Add the rice and the rest of the sesame oil and soy sauce.
By this time your baked bacon should be done. Once it has cooled, cut it into thin slices and add it and your egg to the pan and toss everything together.