Fearless Kitchen

Recipe: Squid in Tamarind Sauce

Recipe Source: Başan, Ghillie. The Complete Vietnamese Cookbook. Anness Publishing, London, 2007 p. 124

I love squid. It's one of my favorite kinds of fish to eat and to work with. I'm not sure where this excessive fondness came from. I certainly never had squid growing up, not even fried calamari as an appetizer. I guess I've got some good memories associated with squid after I left home, but that doesn't explain the real joy I take in cooking with squid. Squid is very easy to work with. It has a flavor of its own, but I have yet to find a flavor with which the flavor of squid does not match. (I haven't tried chocolate. I don't plan to. Some things just don't need to be explored right now.)

I made this on a Friday night, because it cooked up quick. I made a few changes. I tried to convince my husband to cook it on the Big Green Egg, but we just couldn't work that out. I forget why. I omitted the mint because of a food allergy, so I increased the cilantro instead. I increased the garlic because that's just what I do. Oh, and I used fire roasted diced tomatoes from a can, because tomatoes weren't yet in season. That's about it. It was everything I wanted. It cooked up quickly, it tasted great and it was very light.

Squid in Tamarind Sauce (serves 4; approx. cost per serving not available)

2 tablespoons olive oil

14 ounces canned diced fire roasted tomatoes, drained

1 ¼ pound squid, tubes and tentacles (I love the tentacles, but if you prefer go ahead and get all tubes. I won't mock you. Much.)

1 bunch fresh basil, chopped

2 bunches fresh cilantro, chopped

1 tablespoon tamarind paste

3 tablespoons lime juice

2 tablespoons fish sauce

1 tablespoon raw sugar

4 garlic cloves, crushed

2 shallots, finely sliced

2 serrano chilies, sliced

Equipment

• Large sauté pan
• Small bowl

1. Combine the last 7 ingredients in the small bowl. Set aside.
2. Heat the oil in the sauté pan.
3. Add the squid. Sauté until cooked.
4. Add the tomatoes. Heat thoroughly.
5. Transfer to your serving vessel. Add the herbs and the dressing. Toss well, then serve.

Recipe: Mustard Greens with Oyster Sauce

Recipe Source: Le, Ann.  The Little Saigon Cookbook.  Insider's Guide, Guilford, 2006 p. 94

I think mustard greens are probably my favorite green leafy vegetable.  I love them.  I love their kind of peppery flavor, I love their texture, I love the fact that they cook up so quickly.  They're versatile, working well in a wide variety of cuisines and dishes.  And they're so tasty!  I served this with a spicy shrimp and cilantro dish and think they really made a great combination.

I made a couple of small changes, as I usually do.  I reduced the amount of olive oil, doubled the garlic, and omitted the sesame seeds.  It was such a simple dish that it would be hard to make more changes!  Try this sometime on a weeknight when you're pressed for time. 

Mustard Greens with Oyster Sauce (serves 2; approx. $2.07/serving)

1 tablespoon olive oil

12 garlic cloves, crushed

1/4 cup oyster sauce

3 tablespoons fish sauce

1 teaspoon fresh-ground cubeb

1 bunch mustard greens, trimmed

Equipment:

• Small bowl
• Wok or saute pan

1. Combine the oyster sauce, fish sauce and cubeb in the small bowl. 
2. Heat the oil in the wok over medium heat. 
3. Add the garlic and cook until the garlic is threatening to brown.
4. Add the greens to the pan along with the oyster sauce concoction.  Cook until the greens have wilted. 
5. Serve. 

Recipe: Beef Stew with Star Anise and Basil (Thit Bo Kho)

Recipe Source: Basan, Ghillie.  The Complete Vietnamese Cookbook.  Anness Publishing, London, 2007 p. 148

I have a horrible confession to make.  I've historically been uninterested in regular TV series.  It requires too much of an investment of time and energy - trying to get everything done before the show comes on, watching it religiously so that I know what's happening from one episode to the next.  I just can't do it, especially since the television has one purpose from April - October and that is Baseball.  However, since my energy levels have decreased significantly due to the presence of the Fearless Fetus, I've been finding myself watching a lot more television than is good for me.  Specifically, I've been watching crime dramas.  In order of preference, we like Criminal Minds, NCIS, CSI, and CSI: New York.  I think that part of what attracts us to these shows is the fact that while there are regular characters and some running sub plots, we don't have to watch them in order or have even watched the show ever before to be able to follow that day's episode.  Well, that and the fact that they're in syndication, so we can see them whenever we happen to be home at the right time instead of planning to be home for the latest installment.  While I do enjoy these shows, I will be very happy to have my energy levels back so that I don't feel compelled to watch them quite so often.

What does any of this have to do with food?  Well, this year, two different cable channels were showing Criminal Mindsmarathons on New Year's Day.  We were going to be able to watch 13 straight hours of our favorite TV show (non-sports related, that is.)  The weather was supposed to be atrocious and nothing around here is open on New Year's Day anyway.  We decided that we were going to get the year off to a mellow start by overdosing on our favorite show.  In planning our meal, I needed something that didn't require a lot of fussing on my part and that could be started well in advance.  In light of the expected foul weather, I thought a stew would be nice.  Therefore, despite the fact that this dish is usually a breakfast dish (according to the author, anyway) I decided it would be our New Year's feast. 

There was only one significant change that I really made.  I know that I bought red chilies, but I could not find them when I needed them.  I used a handful of dried red chilies instead.  This seems to have worked fine in the dish, although I can't speak to its authenticity. 

Beef Stew with Star Anise and Basil (serves 4; approx. $2.62/serving)

1 lb stew beef

1 tablespoon turmeric

2 tablespoons hot pepper sesame oil

3 shallots, chopped

8 garlic cloves, crushed

1 handful dried red chilies

2 lemongrass stalks, chopped

1 tablespoon curry powder

4 star anise, roasted and ground to a fine powder

3 cups boiling water

3 tablespoons fish sauce

1 tablespoon raw sugar

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1 bunch fresh basil, leaves only

A handful of chopped fresh cilantro, to garnish

Equipment:

• Dutch oven or other appropriate stew pot

1. Toss the beef and the turmeric together.  Set aside.
2. Heat the stew pot with the oil. 
3. Add the shallots, garlic, chilies and lemon grass.  Saute until fragrant.
4. Add the curry powder, star anise, and beef. 
5. Brown the beef. 
6. Add the water, fish sauce, soy sauce and sugar.  Bring to a boil.
7. Reduce heat and cook gently 40 minutes, or until the meat is tender. 
8. Season to taste with kosher salt and black pepper.
9. Add the basil and stir well.
10. Transfer to the serving vessel and sprinkle the cilantro on top.
11. Serve.

Recipe: Beef Salad with Basil and Lemongrass

Recipe Source: Le, Ann.  The Little Saigon Cookbook.  Insider's Guide, Guilford, 2006 p. 34

If you're wondering why I might have been a little out of touch lately, there's a simple explanation.  I'm tired.  I have a lot of things that I want to accomplish, but a lot less energy to do them with lately.  Some things, like, say, replying to comments, get left for a mythical "later" when I'm more awake and coherent.  This fatigue extends beyond the blogging realm, though.  Sometimes I'll buy the stuff to make a dish, but when it comes time to get into the kitchen and cook it, I just can't do it.  I'm told that this is normal and to be expected.  Usually the ingredients will keep a day or two...

This is one of those dishes that got postponed.  I wouldn't usually serve a beef salad as a side dish, but I couldn't get out of bed on the day that I intended to make it.  Instead, I served it on a day when my husband was attending a regional practice for his particular sport.  They always get a hard workout in during those regional practices, and when he works out all he can think about is getting more carbs.  He would not consume any vegetables at all if I didn't insist.  Since this salad had meat, it became acceptable (meat is always acceptable).  The fish sauce makes it a little salty, which he also needed. 

I made a few changes to the recipe.  I omitted the sugar, and I switched out the iceberg lettuce for romaine out of personal preference.  (I just don't get the point of iceberg.)  I omitted the mint because my husband is allergic, and I... er... forgot the mung bean sprouts.  I was tired.  Sorry.  Oh, and I omitted the fried shallots as unnecessary, and I switched cashews for the peanuts because of my own food allergies. 

The result was a very tasty salad.  The Spouse made sure that there were no leftovers, which is all you can really ask for! 

Beef Salad with Basil and Lemongrass (serves 4; approx. $5.45/serving)

1/4 cup fish sauce

1/4 cup fresh lime juice

1 1/2 teaspoons black pepper

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon chili garlic paste

2 stalks fresh lemongrass, finely chopped

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 onion, sliced into half-moons

11 garlic cloves, crushed

1 lb sirloin, thinly sliced against the grain

1/2 cup chopped fresh basil

3 cups shredded Romaine lettuce

1 cucumber, peeled and julienned

1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1/3 cup roasted cashews

Equipment:

• Small bowl
• Wok or frying pan

1. Combine the lettuce and the herbs on your serving platter or in your serving bowl.  Mix well. 
2. Whisk together the fish sauce, lime juice, pepper, salt, chili garlic paste and lemongrass until well mixed.  Set aside. 
3. Heat the oil in the wok.  Add the onions and garlic.  Cook 5 minutes or so, until softened and fragrant.
4. Add the steak and the fish sauce mixture all together.  Saute the steak until it has achieved your desired degree of doneness. 
5. Top the lettuce and herb mixture with the cucumbers, then top with the mixture from the pan. 
6. Sprinkle the cashews on top and serve. 

Note: I actually prepared the different components of this salad ahead of time, then assembled them (and cooked the steak) at the last minute.  This strategy worked well, but it's important to remember that there's a lot of liquid in with the steak.  Don't top the salad with it until just before you serve it, or else the greens will become wilted, slimy and nasty. 

Recipe: Water Spinach with Nuoc Cham

Recipe Source: Basan, Ghillie.  The Complete Vietnamese Cookbook.  Anness Publishing, London, 2007 p. 190.

This dish was prompted by no other urge other than the fact that I found water spinach at the Brookline farmer's market the week before.  I like water spinach.  Well, I like leafy green things.  I also like side dishes that come together quickly and easily.  This satisfied both needs.  It was a little spicy, which was fine for me and my husband, but might not fill you or your diners with enthusiasm.  You can substitute jalapenos for the serranos to mitigate the heat if necessary. 

Stir-Fried Water Spinach with Nuoc Cham (serves 4; approx. $0.84/serving)

2 tablespoons hot pepper sesame oil

7 garlic cloves, crushed

2 serrano chiles, finely chopped

1 bunch water spinach, trimmed

3 tablespoons nuoc cham

Equipment:

• Wok or saute pan

1. Heat the oil in the wok.
2. Add the garlic and chiles.  Heat until chiles are softened. 
3. Add the water spinach.  Saute until the water spinach is just beginning to wilt.
4. Add the nuoc cham.  Cook another minute, then serve hot. 

Recipe: Nuoc Cham

Recipe Source: Basan, Ghillie.  The Complete Vietnamese Cookbook.  Anness Publishing, London, 2007 p. 222. 

I made this sauce for a specific recipe, which will be posted tomorrow.  I'd originally planned to write up the sauce as part of that recipe, so I wouldn't be posting two recipes from the same source so close to each other.  I changed my mind for two reasons.  First, this recipe made a lot more sauce than I needed for the water spinach recipe.  Secondly, this is a fantastic sauce in its own right.  I used it as a dipping sauce for the pheasant dumplings, and then I used the rest as a sauce for the scallop fried rice I made with the leftover rice for the braised pheasant.  It's versatile, it's easy, it's delicious.  In fact, it is so easy that the only change I made was to add more garlic.

Nuoc Cham (makes about 16 tablespoons; approx. $0.15/serving)

1 head green garlic, roughly chopped

2 red Thai chiles, roughly chopped

1 tablespoon turbinado sugar

5 tablespoons lime juice

4 tablespoons fish sauce

Equipment:

• Mini-prep food processor

1. Combine the garlic, chiles and sugar in the food processor and process to a paste.
2. Add the lime juice and fish sauce.  Process until a thick sauce forms.
3. Serve.

Recipe: Braised Pheasant in Coconut-Pineapple Sauce

Recipe Source: Le, Ann.  The Little Saigon Cookbook.  Insider's Guide, Guilford, 2006 p. 150

For some reason, I tend to crave food from South-East Asia when it's cold.  I guess I must just be distracting myself from the misery of winter by thinking about places that are warm.  At some point last winter, I left this book in the bedroom.  While I was trying to come up with inspiration for last week's menu, I picked up this book.  This recipe was the first one I opened up to.  I said, "Inspiration!"  (I will admit, I frequently pick up this book, open it to a random page, and say, "Inspiration!"  Then I fall asleep and forget again - I told you it's been living in the bedroom!) 

At any rate, I wound up having to make a few changes, but you knew I would.  The biggest change was the type of fowl used.  I mentioned yesterday that I couldn't find duck at my local Whole Foods, so I substituted pheasant.  (This brought the cost per serving up dramatically.  Pheasant is not cheap.  Duck can be.)  I couldn't find my stock of five-spice powder, so I substituted plain old ground coriander.  Finally, my local Whole Foods also lacked coconut juice AND coconut soda as called for in the recipe.  The closest I was able to find was pineapple-coconut juice.  I don't think that I lost out here.  (I'd also like to point out that the pineapple-coconut juice would probably pair very nicely with rum.  Since I'm holding off on the rum for another few months, perhaps my good friend Carol would be willing to experiment in my stead.)  Another change (I know, another change after I said "finally" is not only bad grammar but misleading.  Sorry.) is that I served it on a bed of basmati rice that I cooked up with a batch of my Lemony Vegetable Broth.  This is only important in that the broth lent a unique flavor to the rice that combined exceptionally well with the sauce from the pheasant.  There was plenty of rice left over, so I used it the next night for some fried rice which I'll post at a later date. 

I would easily describe this dish as "delicious."  It was the first time either of us had tasted pheasant.  It's not really like anything we've had before.  The nearest thing I can compare it to would be turkey, but that doesn't convey the unique flavor of this bird.  Like I said earlier, pheasant is not cheap, so I'd reserve it for a special occasion.  If you happen to be a very small crowd for Thanksgiving, consider pheasant in place of turkey.  You won't be disappointed! 

Braised Pheasant With Pineapple-Coconut Sauce (serves 4; approx. $8.22/serving)

1 pheasant, skinned

2 tablespoons turbinado sugar

2 tablespoons ground coriander

2 heads green garlic, chopped

1/4 cup fish sauce

1 teaspoon black pepper

2 scallions, thinly sliced

2 1/2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon minced ginger

1 fresh Thai bird chile, sliced into rings

2 cups coconut-pineapple juice

Chopped fresh cilantro, for garnish

2 cups basmati rice, washed

1 tablespoon sesame oil

1 tablespoon hot pepper sesame oil

3 1/3 cups Lemony Vegetable Broth

Equipment:

• Large shallow saute pan with lid
• Saucepan with lid
• Small saucepan

1. Bring the broth to a boil in the small saucepan.
2. Heat the sesame oil and hot pepper sesame oil in the saucepan.
3. Add the rice and saute briefly, about a minute.  Make sure that all the rice gets treated with some of the hot oil. 
4. Pour the boiling broth over the rice.  Return to a boil if necessary, then reduce heat to a simmer and cover.
5. Simmer five minutes, then turn the heat off and let sit, lid-on, at least half an hour.  Do not succumb to any urges to peek.
6. Meanwhile, make the pheasant.  Sprinkle the pheasant all over with the sugar and the coriander powder.  Let sit 15 minutes - this would be a good time to prep your other ingredients.
7. Heat the 1 tablespoon olive oil in the saute pan. 
8. Add the pheasant and brown on all sides, making sure that the sugar caramelizes.  You will certainly want to use your range hood here - it may smoke up a bit.
9. Combine the garlic, fish sauce, black pepper, scallions, 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil, ginger and chile.  Add them and 1 cup coconut-pineapple juice to the pan and bring to a boil.
10. Lower heat to a simmer, cover and cook about an hour. 
11. Add another half cup of the coconut-pineapple juice to the pan.  Deglaze, cover, cook another 15 minutes.
12. Add the remaining coconut-pineapple juice.  Deglaze again.  The internal temperature of your bird should be around 180.  If it isn't, cover and continue to cook until it is.  (Pheasant cooks quickly, just so you know.)
13. Put the rice in your serving vessel.
14. Put the pheasant on top of the rice, and pour the pan sauce over the lot. 
15. Sprinkle with the fresh cilantro and serve. 

Recipe: Pan-Seared Tuna with Cumber

Recipe Source: Basan, Ghillie.  The Complete Vietnamese Cookbook.  Anness Publishing, London, 2007 p. 120.

I've loved fish and seafood as long as I can remember.  I heard stories about the traditional Feast of Seven Fishes Christmas Eve dinner when I was a kid, and I was always so jealous.  (My mother and sister intensely dislike fish, which would have made such an event difficult at best.)  I love to try new and different fish recipes, especially tasty, light ones like this.  I also like spicy food, especially during the spring when my allergies make me so absolutely miserable.

I made a few changes.  Some of them were procedural.  I moved the garlic from the pan to the dressing.  I used hot pepper sesame oil instead of regular sesame oil, because of the affore-mentioned sinus difficulty.  I actually restricted myself to the number of chilies in the original recipe, which was a mistake, and I used regular sugar because I was out of raw sugar.  I don't have a functional mortar and pestle, so I used my mini-prep food processor.

The end result was pretty darned good, if I do say so.  Because I used tuna that had been frozen, the meat dried out a little more than I would have liked, but that in no way rendered the food inedible.  I would have liked a little more chile power, but I suspect that the majority of you would prefer it as-is :) 

Pan-Seared Tuna with Cucumber (serves 2 - 4; approx. $6.20/serving)

1 cucumber

2 teaspoons hot pepper sesame oil

3 cloves garlic

2 tuna steaks

4 tablespoons minced ginger

2 long green chillies

3 tablespoons sugar

3 tablespoons fish sauce

3 tablespoons lime juice

Equipment:

• Mini-prep food processor
• Skillet
• Bowl

1. Roughly chop the chilies.  Combine them, the garlic and the ginger in the food processor and grind to a pulp.
2. Add the fish sauce and lime juice.  Process to combine.
3. Turn the dressing out into a bowl. 
4. Thinly slice the cucumber into long strips.  Add them to the bowl and let sit half an hour. 
5. Add the oil to the pan.  Heat the pan and swirl around to coat.
6. Add the fish to the pan and sear over medium-high heat for a couple of minutes.
7. Flip and sear the other side another couple of minutes.
8. Evacuate to a serving tray.  Scatter the cucumber strips on top and add the dressing.  Serve and enjoy. 

Recipe: Scallion Rice

Recipe Source: Basan, Ghillie.  The Complete Vietnamese Cookbook.  Anness Publishing Ltd., London, 2007 p. 174

This recipe started out life intending to be "Garlic and Ginger Rice with Coriander."  It didn't quite get there.  I intended to serve it for one of our Sunday open houses.  This happened.  However, whereas the previous week we got more of a turnout than expected, this week we got less of a turnout.  Emergency phone calls were made, many of which essentially amounted to, "We have too much food.  Come eat it."  While this was good in that it got some slightly different people over, one of the guests has an allergy to cilantro.  This removes that "cilantro" part of the recipe.  Her boyfriend is a vegetarian, which resulted in another change to the recipe.  In the end, it probably bore very little resemblance to the original recipe and probably doesn't even qualify as Vietnamese anymore (although I'll still list it that way, because that was at least the inspiration.) 

Okay, so you've already heard some of the changes I made.  I used olive oil instead of peanut oil, because I'm allergic to peanuts.  I used minced jarred garlic and doubled the amount, because garlic is good for you.  I used jarred minced ginger as well, also approximately doubling the amount, because I love ginger.  I used basmati rice because that's what I keep on hand; it might have been a little more glutinous than I would have wanted, but it still worked decently.  I omitted the chicken stock and substituted water to keep the recipe vegetarian.  I omitted the cilantro and substituted scallions to provide that kind of "herbal" note and green color.  Where the recipe called for optional basil and mint, I used about half a bunch of basil and omitted the mint, this time because of my husband's mint allergy.  That looks like a lot of changes, but it still tasted good and was pretty easy to pull together. 

Scallion Rice (serves 8; approx. $0.39/serving)

1 tablespoon olive oil

6 tablespoons minced jarred garlic

2 tablespoons minced jarred ginger

Generous 1 cup basmati rice

3 3/4 cups water

1 bunch scallions, thinly sliced

1/2 bunch basil, finely chopped

Equipment:

• Saucepan

1. Heat the oil in the sauce pan.
2. Add the garlic and ginger and cook about 2 - 3 minutes or until fragrant. 
3. Stir in the rice and allow it to absorb the flavors for about a minute. 
4. Pour in the water and stir to make sure that the rice doesn't stick.
5. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat.
6. Scatter the scallions over the surface of the mixture.  Cover and simmer gently for about 25 minutes. 
7. Turn off the heat and gently fluff to mix in the scallions.
8. Add the basil, cover and leave to infuse another 10 minutes before serving. 

Technorati Tags: Recipes,easy recipes,vegetarian recipes,vegan recipes,Vietnamese food,rice,ginger,garlic,scallions,basil

Recipe: Chicken Wraps

Recipe Source: Smith, Fiona.  Dim Sum: Delicious Asian Finger Food.  Ryland, Peters and Small, London, 2001 p. 34

 

We recently threw a party.  The party went relatively well, but we made a few crucial mistakes.  The first is that we didn't formally invite anyone, we just told people about it.  The second is that we didn't set an official start time.  We just told people to show up sometime after 3:00 PM for a fireworks show that wouldn't start until much later.  We had no idea how many people to expect or how long they'd be there before the meal was served, so we had to plan to feed a lot of people for a long time.  I decided to make these wraps because they looked like fun and they looked like the kind of thing people could eat with their fingers. 

 

I didn't make a lot of changes to the recipe.  I omitted the dipping sauce, figuring that people wouldn't want to make a mess of their clothes.  I also omitted the mint called for in the original.  My husband is allergic to mint, and while I certainly would have told him about the mint in this dish I don't know that he would necessarily have remembered about the mint.  Rather than risk illness, I decided to just double the basil.  I used more garlic than the original called for and I doubled the recipe.  I also didn't have an oven bag, so I had to improvise.  I found the rice paper wraps difficult to work with at first, but once I got the hang of them they weren't that bad.  If you haven't worked with them before, I'd recommend having more than you actually need available. 

 

Chicken Wraps (serves 12; approx. $1.12/person)

3 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1/2 cup dark soy sauce

2 - 3 tablespoons minced jarred ginger

6 garlic cloves, crushed

4 tablespoons Shao Xing wine (you can substitute dry sherry)

1/2 package small rice paper wraps

1 bunch cilantro

2 bunches basil, chiffonade

Equipment:

• Plastic zip-top bag
• Roasting pan
• Aluminum foil
• Bowl of water
• Large plate or bowl

1. Place the chicken into the zip-top bag.
2. Combine the soy sauce, ginger, garlic and wine and add them to the bag.  Seal and refrigerate a minimum of 2 hours and a maximum of 24 hours. 
3. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. 
4. Add the chicken to the roasting pan with the marinade.  Cover with aluminum foil and cook 40 minutes.  Remove from the oven and let cool. 
5. Meanwhile, wash and roughly chop the cilantro.  Chiffonade your basil.  Combine the herbs in the bowl or on the plate. 
6. When the chicken is cool enough to touch, slice it lengthwise into slices. 
7. To make each wrap:  Use the bowl of warm water to soften up a sheet of rice paper. 
8. Place a generous pinch of herbs in the center of the wrap. 
9. Lay 1 piece of chicken on top of the herbs. 
10. Fold up the bottom third of the wrap. 
11. Fold the right part of the wrap over the filling. 
12. Roll the rest of the wrap over to get the left side of the wrap. 
13. Place on the serving platter.  Repeat with the remaining ingredients until finished. 
14. Serve at room temperature or warm. 

Technorati Tags: Ethnic food,Vietnamese food,rice paper,chicken,basil,cilantro,dark soy sauce,garlic,ginger,shao xing wine,finger foods,appetizers,hors d'oeuvre,recipes