Thai Beef with Thai Noodles and Thai Basil

Serves two, adjust accordingly. If you can’t find Thai Basil substitute cilantro only add the cilantro at the end when serving.  (Pic w/cilantro below).

4 oz, Thai Kitchen Brand stir-fry rice noodle (or Ramen Noodles from the cheap pack)

4 tsp. Thai Kitchen red curry paste
1 large garlic clove minced
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 lime squeezed juice
¼ cup white wine
¼ cup chicken stock
Dash red pepper flakes, (If you would prefer instead of flakes add Sriracha or Chiu Chow Chili Oil when serving)
1 Tbsp. brown sugar (Or substitute Aji-Mirin)

Suggest cut on a mandolin:
½ red onion thinly sliced
½ large cucumber thinly sliced and again into spaghetti
1 red bell pepper thinly sliced (or 1/2 red bell and carrots slice thinly)
¼ cup Thai basil leaves or regular basil sliced (or add cilantro when serving)

1 Lb. flank steak (or rib eye steak)
S&P
Olive oil

Brush olive oil on flank steak and add salt and pepper to both sides. Get your grille hot cook 3 minutes each side remove bring inside and let rest. Should be red on the inside. Cut long ways 2 inches with the grain and then cut slices against the grain.

In a large Dutch over add olive oil and add onion, cucumber, red bell, basil and sauté gently about 5 minutes (al dente) and remove.

In the same pot add red curry, garlic and gently fry together a couple of minutes then add the wine, chicken stock, brown sugar, red pepper flakes and lime juice. Stir until you get slight gravy. Add the meat and cook on medium with the lid on for 12 minutes and turn off and let steam.

At the same time boil water with salt and when the water is boiling add the noodles and cook exactly 12 minutes. Drain the noodles.

Place the vegetables in the microwave for 30 secs to reheat.

Take tongs and grab some noodle and place in a bowl, use the tongs to grab some veggies and place over noodle, use the tongs and place meat on top and spoon in some red curry gravy.

Serve and eat with chop sticks.

The idea is to char the meat but leave the center uncooked. When added to the gravy it will cook a little more and brown but will be warm and tender when served. The veggies should still be al dente and the noodles soft.

As of 4/18/21

Chicken Piccata

Piccata is referring to a sauce.  Piccata in general is made with veal.  In this case chicken breasts.  This dish is fried chicken with a buttery lemon sauce.

Serves 2

First boil water for the pasta.  When adding the pasta at about half way cooking add the spinach listed below. All dried pasta takes exactly 12 minutes to cook in boiling water.

Slice the chicken in two pieces and then slice the thick part down the middle flat ½ inch thick.  Pound if need to make ½ inch by placing plastic over chicken and gently pound the chicken just a little.  Salt and pepper the chicken. 

Flour chicken:
Dredge the chicken in flour.  Add two TBSP olive oil and heat. In a 12″ fry pan get the oil hot shimmer, add chicken and brown golden for ~ 4 minutes per side.  When the chicken is browned, remove, place on a platter.

Sauce:
½ cup white wine
1 TBSP capers
1 TBSP chopped Italian Parsley
2 TBSP freshly squeezed lemon juice
3 TBSP butter
¼ cup chicken stock

In the pan drippings, add the capers and then the wine to de glaze the pan and then add the rest of the ingredients and finish on low temp.  Return the chicken and coat in the sauce. 

Pasta:
Thin Spaghetti
Fresh baby spinach
1 TBSP butter
Reserve some pasta water to reheat

No matter what time zone or country of origin you are in, all dried pasta takes EXACTLY 12 minutes to cook in boiling water.

As of 6/20/21

Stir Fry Sweet Beef with Veggies and Turmeric

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(click on pics to enlarge)

This is my own formula. I’ve been working on the exact right flavors and found it. It is kind of a Thai assortment and has a little heat with the chili sauce and then sweetness with the Shoaxing and turmeric.  If you can’ find Shoaxing then substitute brown sugar and sherry.

100_6507

Marinade for 1 pound of meat:
2 tsp soy sauce
2 tsp brown sugar
2 tsp corn starch
2 tsp sherry
Alternatively using Chinese Shoaxing Cooking Wine:
2 tsp veg oil
2 tsp soy sauce
2 tsp cornstarch
2 tsp Shoaxing Wine

First Step to marinade:
1 tsp baking soda (add the baking soda to 1/2 cup water and soak the meat ~30 minutes.  Not too long or the meat will get gushy.  The baking soda tenderizes the meat and help it brown better in the wok.   Thoroughly rinse the meat to remove the baking soda)

Second step is to marinade the meat at least an hour in the marinade choice listed above.

Wok Sauce:
1/3 cup chicken stock
1 ½ TBSP soy sauce
1 tsp. chili sauce
1 TBSP cornstarch (added to the cold chicken broth and whisk, the cornstarch thickens the sauce)
½ tsp. Turmeric
1 ½ TBSP Shoaxing cooking wine or sherry

Veggies:
4 small Napa cabbage (Chinese cabbage) cut thin
1 carrot cut into match sticks
4 mushrooms (Shiitake or white)
3 scallions chopped
4 or 5 broccoli heads quartered
½ TBSP garlic – minced
½ TBSP fresh ginger – minced
½ small yellow onion chopped into half moon pieces
½ green bell pepper, thinly sliced
½ orange bell pepper, thinly sliced

Meat:
½ Lb. beef chuck, sliced into thinly cut short pieces

Oil
3 TBSP veggie oil
1 TBSP sesame oil

Prepare the veggies, ginger, garlic and meat

Marinade: Place the beef in a bowl and mix with the marinade listed above and leave on the counter.

Wok Sauce: Mix all ingredients in the 1/3 cup of cold water and let stand.

In a wok:

Sauté the ginger and garlic in a TBSP of oil for a minute or so on a low heat and remove. This avoids burning the ginger/garlic.

Brown the meat in the oil in batches. Add more oil as you need. Remove and set aside.

Sauté the onions for a minute or so and then add the veggies. Add more oil as needed. Cook those about 4 to 5 minutes – stir often.

Return everything to the wok and then add the sauce. Get the sauce hot until it thickens, mix everything together and then cover and cook on low for several minutes.

Serve over rice or noodles.

As of 6/20/21

Indonesian-Style Chicken-Mushroom Noodles (Bakmi Ayam Jamur)

2 tablespoons oil
½ cup sliced scallions
1 cloves garlic, minced
1 garlic clove size galangal or ginger
2 chicken thighs, boned, trimmed of skin and fat, and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 pepper
8 ounces mushrooms, sliced (I used fresh oyster mushrooms)
1 tablespoons soy sauce
8 ounces dried Chinese egg noodles or Italian egg linguine (or any noodle you prefer)
1 teaspoon sesame oil
Small dash Fish sauce
4 leaves baby bok choy or Napa Cabbage, halved cut thin
2 cups water

  1. In a separate pot, lightly boil the chicken in 2 cups of water with the galangal and garlic until chicken is half-cooked.  Remove chicken.  Strain the chicken broth and set aside.  De-bone the chicken and chop chicken into pieces.
  2. Heat the oil in large Dutch oven. Add the onion, garlic, green onions, galangal/ginger from the chicken pot and cook on medium until the onions are translucent.
  3. Add the chicken to the pot.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
  4. Add the mushrooms and soy sauce. Keep stirring and tossing to coat the chicken and mushrooms evenly. Simmer over low heat for another 10 minutes until the chicken is cooked through and the ingredients have absorbed the sauce.
  5. For the noodles:  Bring a pot of water to boil and cook the noodles according to package directions. Drain in a colander and rinse with cold water to remove starches.
  6. Cut the cabbage or greens and add to the pot. 
  7. To the pot add sesame oil, a few dashes of fish sauce.  Stir and cook a few more minutes until the soup is somewhat hot.
  8. To serve, plate the noodles into a bowl. Top with the chicken, mushroom and other ingredients.
  9. Pour 1/2 cup of chicken stock each into each bowl. 
  10. Serve noodles with bowls of soup.  Top with Sriracha if you need heat.

As of 6/3/21

Malaysian Curry Seafood Laksa

Ingredients:

  • 2 TBSP oil
  • 14 oz. frozen shrimp thawed
  • 4 oz. white fish cut into 1” squares (Cod or north Atlantic Pollock)
  • 1 chicken thigh cut into pieces
  • 1 TBSP cloves garlic minced
  • 1 TBSP grated ginger or galanga. (I used galanga)
  • ½ medium red onion chopped
  • ½ red bell pepper chopped
  • 2 TBSP Red Curry Paste (Thai Kitchen Red Curry Paste can be found in most independent stores)
  • 2 TBSP Curry Powder
  • 1 can of unsweetened coconut milk
  • 2 cup Chicken stock
  • Dash of fish sauce or to taste
  • 1 handful of cilantro leaves plucked from the stem
  • Kosher Salt
  • Cooked Chinese egg noodle and vermicelli rice noodles.
  • Bean sprouts
  • 1 lime cut into wedges

Heat oil in a dutch oven, (I use a cast iron oven).  On medium heat fry the curry paste in oil for a minute or so until the aroma begins to come forward.  Add the curry powder and stir in.  Add the chicken and fry a minute or more longer.  Add the coconut milk, galanga/ginger, red bell, garlic, onion, salt and the chicken stock.  Slow roll the pot on low to medium heat and cook for 20 minutes or more.

Twenty minutes before serving add the shrimp and fish.  This prevents the over cooking of the seafood.

Noodles:
Boil the egg noodles in a separate pot exactly 12 minutes and drain.  Cook the rice noodles exactly 12 minutes and remove the noodles but keep the hot water. 

Back to the Laska pot now add the fish sauce and stir (dash of fish sauce, it can be a little frisky).  Cook several minutes more. 

Plate the noodles, heat the bean spouts in the hot left over noodle water and plate on the side of the noodles.  Ladle in the meat and veggies and ladle in the Laksa soup sauce.  Top with a lime wedge and cilantro leaves.

Serve

As of 5/29/21

2161 Calories per pot, 219g. Carbs per pot