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Thai One On!

I love Thai food. And while living in Malaysia, I was able to eat my fill of it. So happy was I! I wanted to share some recipes with you that I've managed to get from the locals. I hope you'll try them and enjoy!



Thai Chicken Fried Rice

6 oz Boneless chicken breast
2 Tbsp Canola Oil
2 Cloves Garlic, chopped
2 tsp Medium Curry Paste(use a Thai paste, not an Indian curry paste)
1 lb Cold Cooked Rice
1 Tbsp Light Soy Sauce
2 Tbsp Thai Fish Sauce
Large pinch of Sugar
Freshly ground black pepper

1. Using a sharp knife, trim the chicken, discarding any fat and cut into small cubes. Set aside.

2. Heat a wok or large frying pan, add the oil and , when hot (but not smoking hot), add the garlic and cook for 10-20 seconds or until just golden. Add the curry paste and stir-fry for a few seconds. Turn up the heat, add the chicken and stir-fry for 3-4 minutes or until tender.

3. Stir the cold cooked rice into the chicken mixture, then add the soy sauce, fish sauce and sugar, stirring well after each addition. Stir fry for 2-3 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through and the rice is piping hot.

4. Check the seasoning and if necessary, add a little extra soy sauce. Turn the rice and chicken mixture into a warmed serving dish. Season lightly with black pepper and garnish with green onion. Serve immediately.


Grace Notes: I've been told that the best way to cook Asian food in a wok is to have the heat on very high and cook it fast. For this reason, you want your chicken pieces small and uniform in size so that some pieces are not over-done while others are still raw in the middle. Also, the pan should be hot enough that you can see the rice hopping around a bit. The heat makes the rice jump in the pan. This is not a slow cooking recipe...it should all come together very fast!




Szechuan Beef

1 lb Beef Fillet
3 Tbsp Hoisin Sauce
2 Tbsp Dry Sherry
1 Tbsp Brandy
2 Tbsp Peanut Oil
2 Red Chilies, seeded and sliced
8 Spring Onion, chopped
2 Garlic Cloves, chopped
1 inch piece Fresh Ginger, peeled and cut into match sticks
1 Carrot, peeled, sliced length-way and cut into shot lengths
2 Green Peppers, seeded and cut into 1 inch pieces
1 8oz can Water Chestnuts, drained and halved or sliced

1. Trim the beef, discarding any fat or grizzle, then cut into 1/4" strips. Place in a large bowl. In another bowl, stir the hoisin sauce, sherry and brandy together until well blended. Pour over the beef and turn until coated evenly. cover with plastic wrap and leave to marinate in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.

2. Heat a wok or large frying pan, add the oil and , when hot, add the chillies, spring onions, garlic and ginger and stir-fry for 2 minutes or until softened. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to a plate and keep warm.

3. Add the carrot and peppers to the wok and stir-fry for 4 minutes or until slightly softened. Transfer to a plate and keep warm.

4. Drain the beef, reserving the marinade, add to the wok and stir-fry for 3-5 minutes or until browned. Return the chili mixture, the carrot and pepper mixture and the marinade to the wok. Add the water chestnuts and stir-fry for 2 minutes or until heated through. Garnish with sprigs of coriander and serve immediately with noodles or fried rice.


Grace Notes: All these sauces should be available in the Asian food aisle at the grocery store. Remember Asian cooking is fast so you'll want to have everything prepped ahead of time to be able to toss it into the wok. Happy Eating!



With Love in the Mix,
Shannon

Blog on Hold

Blogger is sick and won't be posting any blogs until it's safe to be around food again! LOL ;)

Shannon

Cupcakes!

We stopped in LA for a two day layover on our way home from Malaysia. On our list of things to do was find the Hollywood sign, walk the Avenue of the Stars and buy something on Rodeo Drive. Check, Check and Check! Then we ran out of things to do. We didn't have the time or the "want to" for a tour of any kind, the maps to the stars' homes are fake and we didn't have enough time to go to Disney Land or anything of the like. Food was our last option.

I hit the web running looking for things to do and, in LA, there are plenty of foody things to dive into. Most upscale restaurants have to have a reservation several weeks in advance so that was out. I would have loved to go to Craft restaurant or visit some of the places where celebrity chefs spend their time. But I happened upon cupcakes and the first place that really caught my attention was ridiculously over-priced. Even on the uppity scale, they were high. $60 for a pound cake is nuts unless you've provided solid gold edible sprinkles on the top. But I stumbled upon "Famous Cupcakes", the tongue-in-cheek name for the bakery owned by the beautiful Kardashian sisters. And since they're famous AND beautiful...the name Famous Cupcakes stuck!

The shop is located just a couple blocks away from the famous Rodeo Drive on a little corner across the street from a coffee shop. just like you would expect if you were going to Beverly Hills. Women in jeans with their high-heeled boots and dog in tow. Everyone was cute...but of course, I felt frumpy. Well, when you're feeling frumpy you might as well indulge. We walked into this adorable bakery and were quite please with the atmosphere and cleanliness. The employees were extremely friendly and helpful. Even let me know the coffee was imported from Italy so it wouldn't have that burnt bean flavor like some other popular coffee house establishments had. He was right. My iced latte was delicious and not so sweet that I couldn't enjoy it with my cupcakes.



We ordered the following flavors...Carrot Cake, Milk Chocolate, Red Velvet and Good Morning (or something like it). Special Note - all their cupcakes are made with totally organic ingredients and are just really THAT good. Extremely moist...better than I've ever had from a professional bakery. I don't know how much of a hand the Kardashian sisters have in this store (beyond their pretty faces and perfect bodies) but whatever they've dipped into here is truly a winner by any standards. If you ever get a chance to visit Beverly Hills, make sure you stop by Famous Cupcakes! You won't be sorry!


With Love In The Mix,
Shannon

Don't Ever Say "I'll Never Eat That!" - Because you will!

What is a Century Egg? Glad you asked! It's one of the most vile forms of egg you can imagine...it's the wrong color, the wrong taste, the wrong texture...it's just plain wrong! But they love them over here!






Here are some good pics of what century eggs looks like after it's been cut open. Before it's opened, it looks like an egg that you dipped in glue and rolled in hay. It is a Chinese cuisine ingredient made by preserving duck, chicken or quail eggs in a mixture of clay, ash, salt, lime, and rice hulls for several weeks to several months, depending on the method of processing. After the process is completed, the yolk becomes a dark green, cream-like substance with a strong odor of sulphur and ammonia, while the white becomes a dark brown, transparent jelly with little flavor or taste.

I said I'd never eat a Century Egg...but I did it! I was pressured into it in order to feed my blog. My darling husband "egged" me on until I agreed to do it.

Just before the first bite...this is the only pic I posed for. The egg sat on that spoon for quite a while before it entered my mouth!

It's in! It feels bad, it smells bad, it tastes bad... tears are forming and the gag reflex is setting in.


It's out! The texture was so repulsive I couldn't go any further. Remember the show "Fear Factor" where they bit into cow eyes and fish eyes and the contestants commented about how they popped? Well, that image was in my head and the egg was out of my mouth!!

This is the "Never Again" or "I've learned my lesson (this time)" expression. I say "this time" because those of you who know me, know that there will always be some weird food that I will try. Like this next one...


I asked the man at the dessert counter what this was BEFORE I tasted it. He said "chocolate". So, to make sure, I asked what was inside. He said, "chocolate". And just to double-check I said, "Oh, inside is chocolate too?" And he said, "Yes, chocolate". Could it possibly be that "chocolate" is the only English word he knows" Why YES! I believe it was! Inside this beautiful little truffle was a bean paste...bean, as in kidney bean or red bean or black bean. If it wasn't for the company we ate with that night, I would say the night was a total disaster. Thank God for friends to laugh with!

Thank you Adeline and Deno for such a fun evening!


With Love In The Mix!
Shannon

I Have a New Found Love!

My darling husband should be jealous when I've found a new love, not because I've replaced him, but because I will spend hours and hours with this new love creating new dishes to please my palette. My new love this past year became Avocados!

Question - Is it wrong to admit that I found a "new" love within my first year of marriage? (giggling inside)

I've always known about avocados but never truly found them until we lived in Malaysia. And the sneaky little scientist in me crept up and said, "Let's figure out what we can do with these things to make them taste exceptional". Well, as it turns out, not much had to be done. Seeded, skinned and sliced...just adding a sprinkling of sea salt and black pepper was enough. I loved them like this to top off a salad! I also enjoyed stacking a sandwich on crackers with a bit of honey mustard and cheese. Stack 'em on a Dagwood sandwich! Mmmm!

Ever had bad guacamole? Well, maybe I should say, have you ever had good guacamole? I lived 35 years before I stumbled onto some good guacamole. In restaurants and grocery stores, it always seemed to have this sort of, well, a smothering taste. And if it's not treated with an acid such as lime or lemon juice, it takes on a whole new meaning of "disgustingly brown". My husband has a much more graphic description of it but we'll leave that for another time.

The key to a good avocado is to get a ripe one. If the avocado is very hard, you will not be able to seed it short of renting a jack-hammer from the local equipment supply company. Find an avocado that gives just a bit if you squeeze it. If it gives too much or feels very soft, it is over-ripe. Regardless of the color, grab the ones that have a little give. To seed it, use a large, sharp chef's knife to cut all the way around the seed from top to bottom and back up to the top again. Twist the two sides in opposite directions and they should come apart easily. One half will hold the seed, the other half, obviously will not. Hold the half with the seed in your hand and the knife in your dominate hand (the one you write with - trust me, you'll want to use the hand with the most control and accuracy for this next step). Whack the seed with the blade (embedding the blade into the seed) and then give the blade a twist just as you did to separate the halves. The seed should pop right out and still be embedded with the knife blade. To remove the seed, grab it with your hand using a kitchen towel as a barrier of protection.

Use a tablespoon to scoop our the flesh. Just wedge it between the skin and the flesh and dig the spoon through to scoop it out. It should take only a swipe or two.

Please note - DO NOT ALLOW YOUR CHILDREN TO SEED AVOCADOS! You might also benefit from using an oven mitt or a towel when holding the avocado half, you know...just in case your aim is a bit off. ; )


Quick Tip for Ripening Avocados

• Place 2-3 avocados in a brown paper bag and store at room temperature. If you don't have paper bags on hand, wrapping them in newspaper will also do.
• For even quicker ripening, add an apple or a tomato to the bag.
• Check daily to see if avocados are ripe yet. Don't just judge by their color, as some varieties will retain their green color, even when ripe, rather than turning a deep greenish brown.
• Ripe avocados will peel easily and are soft, yet still firm and not squishy.
• Extra Tip: If your avocados are ripening before you have a chance to eat them, place them in the crisper of your refrigerator, as this will help them keep a bit longer once they are ripe.

Basic Guacamole

• 1 Large Ripe Avocado
• 1 tsp Fresh Lime Juice
• 1/4 cup Pica de Gallo
  
• 1/2 tsp Fresh Minced Garlic
  
• sprinkling of Sea Salt to taste
• 1 Extra-Finely Minced Chili Pepper (with or without seed & it's optional)

Mash avocado with a fork until almost smooth, or until desired consistency. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix until well combined. That's it! Dip your chips and enjoy!


Avocado Dip

• 2 Large Ripe Avocados
• 2 Tbsp Fresh Squeezed Lime Juice
• 1/2 Block Cream Cheese, soft
• 1/2 C Sour Cream
• 2 Tbsp Butter, soft
• 1/4 c Finely Chopped Yellow Bell Pepper
• 1/2 c Finely Chopped Onion
• 2 Cloves Garlic, minced
• 1/2 tsp Fresh Cracked Black Pepper, fine ground
• 1/2 tsp Ground Cumin
• 1 Chili Pepper, extra-finely minced (with or without seeds)

Seed and skin the avocado and place in a medium sized bowl with lime juice. Beat with an electric mixer on medium speed until smooth. In another bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth then beat in the butter and sour cream. (Butter should be soft but not melted). Combine the cheese mixture with the avocados and beat until smooth. Add in the rest of the ingredients and whip up until thoroughly blended.

This is a perfect dip but it is also great as a spread. The next time you make fajitas or burritos, try spreading this on the tortilla before piling on the rest of the ingredients! It's also a tasty replacement for sour cream on tacos, taco salads and other Mexican dishes. Ole'

I hope you will give these recipes a try! They are delicious!! If you have a favorite recipe for using avocados, please add them to the comment section. I'd love to post them!

With Love in the Mix!
Shannon


Just Adding Another Avocado Recipe!!


Avocado Corn Salsa

• 3/4 cup frozen corn, thawed
• 1/2 cup quartered grape tomatoes
• 1 medium avocado, diced
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
• 2 teaspoons lime juice
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt

Toss avocados, tomatoes, corn, cilantro, lime juice and salt in a medium bowl. Make sure the juice covers the avocados so they don't turn brown.

Also try with minced chili peppers, thinly sliced garlic and/or pineapple chunks

Yee Sang!

No I didn't sing! I have sung but this time...Yee Sang! What a delicious dish!

Today I went to a cooking class put on by the American Association of Malaysia. It's a group of expat ladies who get together (in whatever country they happen to be living in at the time...really, they're everywhere)and do fun activities such as quilting, cooking, cultural events and so on. Today, we learned all about the Chinese New Year and the foods prepared for that day. This one...Yee Sang...was my favorite. Never in this world would I have imagined that a salad would be my favorite. And you know me...it didn't contain CHicken, CHeese, CHocolate or CHilies so it wasn't at the top of my "Must Try" mental list.

Judy Loh, the instructor, gave us all the details. Chinese everything is so full of symbolism and the Chinese New Year is no exception. Instead of telling you what each and everything stands for, let me summarize by saying that nearly every symbol of the Chinese New Year means Prosperity, Blessings, Luck or Fortune. Even the tossing of the salad...the higher you toss the salad, the more blessings you'll receive.

So here are the ingredients to make Yee Sang. I hope you will attempt this as it is no more difficult than preparing a chef salad in your home. And the flavor will keep you coming back for more! I'm quite sure you can find these ingredients in Asian markets or possibly in the Asian food section of larger grocery stores.


Yee Sang

# 1 C white radish, shredded
# 1 c carrot, shredded
# 1 c mango, shredded
# 1/2 c spring onions, shredded
# 1 red chilli, shredded
# 3/4 C pickled papaya, shredded
# 6 pickled leeks, shredded (or non pickled is fine)
# 1 c pomelo wedges, peeled and separate the sacs (substitute mandarin orange)
# 4 kaffir lime leaves, finely shredded (substitute 1/4 c Lemon or Lime Zest)
# Just under 1/4 C young ginger, finely shredded
# 1 pair yao char kwai, sliced thinly and deep-fried until crispy (see note)
# 1 c sweet potato, finely shredded
# 1/3 c toasted sesame seeds
# 1/2 c roasted peanuts, pounded

Sauce ingredients (cook and cool)
# 1 c plum sauce
# 1 tbsp apricot jam
# 3 tbsp lime juice
# 3 tbsp honey
# 1 tbsp sesame paste
# 1 tsp sesame oil
# 1/2 tsp salt or to taste

10g Chinese five spice powder, put into a red packet

Method
Deep-fry shredded sweet potatoes in hot oil until crispy. Drain. Add sliced yao char kwai pieces to the hot oil. Deep-fry until lightly golden and crispy. Remove from oil and drain well on crushed kitchen paper.

Combine the sauce ingredients in a small saucepan. Bring to a low simmering boil. Leave aside to cool completely before use.

Arrange the shredded ingredients attractively on a big, round serving platter.

To serve, pour the sauce over the yee sang and sprinkle the with five-spice powder.

Add a sprinkling of sesame seeds and roasted peanuts.



Note - You can substitute deep fried wonton skins for yao char kwai. Cut them into thin strips and deep fry quickly in oil. Don't let them over-brown. About one cup is nice.

When all of the ingredients have been prepped, they are placed in mounds on a large platter. The seasonings, oils, sauces etc (anything not a veggie) is sprinkled on top by those sitting around the table. Everyone grabs a pair of chopsticks and yells out "Xīnnián kuàilè" 新年快乐 which translates Happy New Year while tossing the salad high in the air. Thank heavens blogs are written and not verbal...I would have butchered that phrase just as I did during the dinner. ;) Happy Chinese New Year everyone!!


Just from my experience (and hearing the oooos and aaahhhs of the ladies at the cooking show, if you make this salad once, you will find reasons to make it again and again! It's really quite tasty!

Enjoy!

With love in the mix,
Shannon