Soy Sauces Used in Modern Thai Cooking and How to Make Your Own All-Purpose Stir-Fry Sauce Throughout 2010 and beyond1 you will see posts consistently, though not consecutively, published on this blog on how to equip your kitchen and stock your pantry with items that are sitting in the homes of my aunts, uncles, cousins, and friends in Bangkok as we speak as well as how to turn those ingredients into either 1. the dishes we eat over there, or 2. the dishes you can’t get enough of at your favorite Thai restaurants outside Thailand, or both. The goal is to get you acquainted with Thai/Southeast Asian ingredients so that you won’t find them intimidating any longer, assuming that is presently the case. Then it’s just a matter of knowing how to make the most of those ingredients in the realm of Thai cooking. Posts in this series will be under the “She Stocks a Thai Pantry” label. Our first subject is the major soy sauces (ซีอิ๊ว) used in Thai cooking. This is the table sauce of choice for most Southeast Asian kids and adults alike. Some facts about oyster sauce:
Mushroom Stroganoff A quick and easy meal, perfect for Meatless Mondays! A combination of Shiitake, Baby Portabella and Cremini mushrooms with noodles in a light creamy sauce. I played around with Mushroom Stroganoff a few times last week (until we were sick of it) for a Meatless Monday option. Now don't get me wrong, I love Beef Stroganoff, so for me it was a challenge to get the flavor of the beef without using any meat as well as keeping it creamy yet light. The bonus of making it without the beef is that you can eat more for less calories and fat. Using a variety of mushrooms gave nice textures and flavor and the Worcestershire sauce and tomato paste helped give me some of that beef flavor I was looking for. As a kid, I always topped my Stroganoff with grated Parmesan cheese. Mushroom StroganoffSkinnytaste.com Servings: 4 • Serving Size: 1 1/2 cups • Old Points: 5 pts • Points+: 7 ptsCalories: 268 • Fat: 3.5 g • Carbs: 52.5 g • Fiber: 7 g • Protein: 12.5 g • Sugar: 4.5 gSodium: 312 (without salt)
Korean beef BBQ (Bulgogi Hi everybody! I’m eventually posting a video for bulgogi today. I posted a simple bulgogi recipe a few years ago but it was without a video. Delicious bulgogi depends on three things: a good cut of beef, a delicious marinade, and the method you use to cook it. So I am very pleased to release the best bulgogi recipe that I’ve ever made: it has all 3 of these elements. First, a good cut of beef always makes for delicious bulgogi. Secondly, the marinade: the marinade in this recipe is the best that I’ve yet developed. Thirdly, when we talk about the best cooking methods, grilling over charcoal will always be the best. I was invited to my friend’s BBQ party in the Catskills in upstate New York a while ago. Everybody loved my bulgogi! Also, the recipe for the spicy pork BBQ in this video will be posted soon! Ingredients 1 pound of beef tenderloin, sliced thinly into pieces ½ inch x 2 inches and ⅛ inch thick Marinade (for 1 pound of beef): Directions
Extra Crispy Waffles Recipe | 5 Secrets for Crispy Waffles Did you ever eat those frozen pre-packaged waffles growing up? I did. And I almost can’t believe I did. They’re quite a far cry from the crisp, thick, flavorful waffles I now make every Saturday for brunch. Even though my waffle standards started out with the soggy, spongy frozen variety, I’ve gotten very demanding about how a waffle should be, and you should be too. A waffle should be crisp as heck but a little fluffy in the middle, have good flavor, and also be doused in real maple syrup (though admittedly that last part has nothing to do with technique). After experimenting with various waffle ingredient combinations, I’ve discovered there are 5 major secrets to a fantastic waffle: 1. 2. 3. 4. Once the buttermilk amaretto liquid is added to the dry ingredients, it’s time to fold in those stiff egg whites I mentioned earlier: And now we’ve come to Secret #5-A Flip Waffle Maker. I know this because I had one. Here’s the recipe: Ingredients: Directions: Notes © Fifteen Spatulas LLC
Light Chinese Chicken Salad Recipe @CDKitchen 1/4 cup water3 tablespoons rice wine or white wine vinegar1 tablespoon sesame tahini1 tablespoon reduced-sodium soy sauce2 teaspoons sugar2 teaspoons finely chopped beni shoga (pickled ginger), drained OR1 teaspoon grated ginger root1 clove garlic, minced1/8 teaspoon black pepper4 cups shredded Chinese (Napa) cabbage or lettuce2 cups shredded cooked chicken or turkey1 cup carrots cut into julienne strips1 cup pea pods, halved lengthwise1 cup seeded cucumber cut into julienne strips1 cup red sweet pepper cut into julienne strips1/2 cup sliced green onions1 package (3-ounce size) low-fat ramen noodles For dressing, in blender container or food processor bowl combine water, vinegar, tahini, soy sauce, sugar, beni shoga or gingerroot, garlic, and pepper. Cover and blend or process till smooth. Set aside. In a large salad bowl toss together cabbage or lettuce, chicken or turkey, carrots, pea pods, cucumber, sweet pepper, and onions. With hands, break noodles over salad.
Navratan Korma Recipe, Navrattan Korma Recipe, Navaratan Korma, Navaratna Korma Ingredients for navrattan korma : 3 cups - Boiled vegetables (9 varieties-potatoes, carrots, green peas, french beans, cauliflower, capsicum, cabbage, bottle gourd, cluster beans) 150gms - Grated paneer 3 - Tomatoes 2 - Grated onions 1 1/2 tsp -Ginger paste 1 1/2 tsp - Garlic paste Salt To Taste 1 tsp - Turmeric Powder 1 1/2 tsp - Red chilli powder 1 tsp - Coriander powder 2 tsp - Garam Masala Powder 2 tbsp - Cream 6 tbsp - Vegetable oil 1 tbsp - Ghee 1 cup - Milk / water 1/4 cup - Dry fruits (cashew nuts, raisins) Coriander leaves for decoration How to make navrattan korma : Boil tomatoes till tender. Allow them to cool. Ssamjang (Korean spicy dipping sauce I am introducing Ssamjang to you today, a kind of Korean dipping sauce. I’ve posted ssamjang recipes in the past, always as a side dish for things like grilled beef (soegogi gui) and grilled pork belly (samgyeopsal gui), but the ratio can vary depending on your personal preference and mood. This is a special ratio for ssamjang that I think the most delicious so far. But it’s your choice. If you don’t want to make your ssamjang sweet, you can skip sugar, honey, or syrup or use less of it. You can also buy premade ssamjang in Korean grocery stores, but I guarantee this will be fresher and more delicious. As I show in the video, you can make a simple, light meal with ssamjang, lettuce, and rice. Ingredients : (4 servings) ¼ cup doenjang (fermented soybean paste)1 tbs gochujang (hot pepper paste)1 stalk of minced green onion1 clove of minced garlic¼ cup chopped onion2 ts honey2 ts toasted sesame seeds2 ts sesame oil Directions
The Secret to Better Brussels Sprouts: Bacon Braised Brussels Sprouts with Bacon and Hard Apple CiderServes 3 to 4 If there was ever a way to get Brussels sprouts haters to try the vegetables, it’s with browned bits of bacon balanced by honey and crisp apple cider. 3 strips bacon, cut crosswise into ½” strips2 Tbsp. butter1 ½ lbs. Brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved2 large shallots, roughly chopped1 cup hard apple cider1 tsp. honey1 tsp. kosher saltFreshly ground black pepper Heat a large cast iron skillet over medium-high. Pour all but 1 Tbsp. bacon fat into a heat-proof jar and reserve for another use. Stir in the shallots and cook for 2-3 minutes. Reduce heat to a simmer. Toss with bacon and serve immediately. Watch more cooking videos:The Key to Fluffy Mashed PotatoesPan-Seared Pork ChopsWhy Baking Bacon Is Better Then Frying It Are you a Brussels sprouts lover or hater?
Distressing Salad Dressings With Artificial Additives Some government agencies have decided that it is just fine to add several substances to processed edible products. Many of them are things that we wouldn't normally recognize as food. There are more than 1,400 different approved food additives listed in Codex Alimentarius, ("food book") of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN and the World Health Organization whose main purpose is "to protect the health of consumers". The list includes additives to color food, to stabilize color or retain color, as well as others to keep food from caking, or foaming or doing something else that it might really want to do in its natural state. Other additions may emulsify, liquefy or firm a product, or cause a mixture to gel or glaze. There are also additives to keep food moist, additives to keep food food dry and at least one to fight foaming-- which is something that apparently needs to be fought. It seems like most commercially-made salad dressings have more than their fair share of additives.
Butter Chicken (Indian Chicken in Tomato Cream Sauce) Recipe : Directions To make the spice blend: Stir the ingredients together in a small bowl and set aside. To make the sauce: Melt the butter in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat. Shake any excess water from the peas. Variation: If you prefer shreds of chicken to whole pieces, remove the skin from the chicken and pull the meat into large chunks by hand.
Pork Chops with Crispy Garlic and Lemongrass Your experience as an expat living in North America may be different, but for me the loneliness that already gnaws on your heart from time to time throughout the year becomes so intense it tears you up around the holidays. Funny how even with all the friendly faces around, something about this time of year never fails to trigger the kind of deep longing for home that you never get used to or outgrow — the kind that makes you nearly double over and sob. One Christmas Eve, I made pork chops with crispy garlic and lemongrass, missing Mom who used to make these all the time. While it usually takes me a few times to successfully replicate many things in Mom’s repertoire before getting them just right, I nailed this dish the first time mainly because it’s so easy to make. The very delicious and versatile crispy lemongrass and garlic slices certainly make the pork chops special. Most people are already familiar with crispy garlic and how mild, sweet, crunchy, and delicious it is.