July 25, 2009
Kid-Friendly, Poultry, Recipes, Vegetables
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This is an easy chicken version of my mom’s more traditional seafood coconut soup. This can be made in about 30-40 minutes for a healthy weeknight dinner. Traditionally Thai coconut soup is made with galangal root, kaffir kaffir lime leaves, and lemon grass, none of which can be purchased within a 20-minute drive from my house.
On weekends when I feel like driving to get what’s needed for the real deal, I’ll trek to the closest Asian market to procure the goods. For most nights, this suffices when I’m craving a comforting chicken soup.
You can serve this as a starter to a full meal, but I prefer to add 1/2 cup of cooked buckwheat soba noodles to each bowl, which gives it a bit more substance as a meal in itself.
In my opinion, the jury is still out on whether to use chicken stock, broth, or a combination of both. I like the richness that stock adds, but I find it’s a bit too heavy for such a light soup. My recipe indicates broth, but I like it with a little stock added in.
Oh, my boys, who are decidedly against most soups, totally dig this stuff!
Ingredients
3 cups chicken broth
2 (14 ounce) cans coconut milk
Juice of 2 limes, plus 1/2 lime cut into wedges
4 tablespoons fish sauce
3 tablespoons fresh ginger, peeled and minced
1/4 teaspoon chili sauce (I use Sambal Oelek, but Sriracha is fine)
1 teaspoon raw (turbinado) sugar
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into thin, 2-inch-long strips
1/4 cup freshly sliced scallions
2 roma tomatoes, cored, seeded, and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1/2 cup freshly chopped cilantro, divided evenly
1 package buckwheat soba noodles, boiled, drained, and rinsed in cold water (optional)
Method
Combine the chicken broth, coconut milk, lime juice, fish sauce, chili sauce, ginger, and lime wedges into a sauce pan and warm over a medium-low flame. Let it simmer, but don’t let it boil. This will be the broth for the soup, so starting it first is ideal to develop the flavors. I like to simmer it about 15 minutes ahead of adding the chicken.
Sautee the chicken breast strips in a nonstick pan for 3-4 minutes, or until the flesh turns white and opaque. Don’t cook it for too long, or it will be rubbery and dry. Alternatively, in a regular skillet with 1-2 teaspoons oil, as needed. Drain any excess liquid and add the chicken to the broth. Let simmer about 5 minutes and then add the sugar, and stir to dissolve. Remove the lime wedges.
Add half of the cilantro, tomatoes, and scallions and cook for 3-4 minutes longer, and then remove from heat. Serve in individual bowls over soba noodles, or alone, sprinkled with a little of the remaining cilantro.
4-6 servings
Mom’s Recipe
Here’s my mom’s version with a shrimp and vegetable broth and shrimp meat instead of chicken. I think hers is more similar to tom kha talay.
Ingredients
1 pound raw shrimp, peeled, with the peels reserved
4 quarts water
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped roma tomatoes
1 (15oz) can coconut milk
6 kaffir lime leaves
1 piece dried galangal root (1 inch by 2 inches) broken into 3-4 parts
2-inch square piece fresh ginger, peeled and minced
4 dried red whole chili pods
flaked red chili to taste
10 medium-sized mushrooms, washed and quartered
1 bunch green onions, washed, trimmed, and coarsely chopped
2 roma tomatoes, washed, cored, and coarsely chopped
Juice of 3 limes
6-8 tablespoons fresh chopped cilantro
Method
Put the shrimp shells, water, onions, and tomatoes into a stock pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Strain the broth and return it to the bot. Discard the shrimp shells, onions, and tomatoes.
Bring the broth back to a simmer and add the coconut milk, kaffir lime leaves, galanga, ginger, chili, and salt. Allow this to simmer for another 30 minutes.
Add the raw, peeled shrimp, mushrooms, tomatoes, and green onions and simmer for 10 minutes.
Just before serving, add the lime juice and cilantro.
March 1, 2009
Kid-Friendly, Recipes, Vegetables, Vegetarian
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I have an allergy to potatoes, so I try to be creative with yams instead. Never a fan of the traditional candied yams with pineapple and marshmallows, I tend to make this for Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners. It’s best when started early in the day, but I’ve also successfully cooked it overnight on low.
Ingredients
2.5 pounds garnet yams, peeled and cut into 1.5 or 2-inch cubes
1/3 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/4 cup unsalted butter, cubed
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon of freshly grated ginger (or 1/2 teaspoon ground)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Method
In a large bowl, combine the yams with the sugar, spices, and vanilla. Toss and mix to coat the yams. Put this mixture into a slow cooker and top with the butter. Cook on low for 6-8 hours, mixing occasionally.
October 6, 2008
Recipes, Vegan, Vegetables
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Whenever I cook Indian food for friends, they wonder where and how I learned. There seems to be a general misconception that Indian food is a difficult style to cook. I do have a bit of an edge since my family spent a lot of time in Singapore when I was a kid and my mom was able to learn many traditional recipes and techniques from our Indian friends. Though the spice combinations may be complex, reproducing them at home isn’t. Turning out a tasty, freshly prepared Indian dish doesn’t really take me any longer than most foods that I cook from scratch.
I find that the secret is having some key spices on-hand so you can prepare something without a lot of planning and extra trips to the market. I tend to keep turmeric, whole cumin, coriander, cardamom, cinnamon, and red chili powders around all the time. I also have Garam Masala, which is a spice blend. Though there are other spices common to Indian cooking, these are the ones most called upon by the recipes I like.
I love the fragrant spices in the Indian Aloo Gobi Masala dish. Potatoes give me hives in my mouth, though, so I just make this recipe with extra cauliflower and enjoy it as a simplified version. During the great zucchini flood of 2008 (aka zucchini, every night of the week) I tried something different by using zucchini from my garden as the base of this dish. I like it better than the original.
Though you may find it convenient to use prepared curry pastes from the supermarket or Indian specialty stores, this really is better if you use the traditional bhuna technique of mixing the individual spices and then pan-roasting them in oil. Yes, it will make your house smell a bit and takes an extra five minutes, but the flavor pay-off is well worth it!
Ingredients
4 cups zucchini, cut into 1-inch cubes.
1 cup fresh tomatoes, cored, seeded, and diced (I like to use cherry tomatoes cut in half)
3 tablespoons peanut or canola oil
1 teaspoon whole cumin seeds (ground will work, but whole seeds give the dish a better texture)
2 tablespoons fresh ginger, peeled and minced
1 tablespoon fresh garlic, peeled and minced
1 teaspoon turmeric powder
1/2 teaspoon sambal sauce (or sambal powder)
2 teaspoons coriander powder
1 teaspoon Garam Masala
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, finely chopped
Method
Heat oil in a skillet over medium-high heat and sauté cumin seeds for about one minute. Add the remaining dry spices and roast in the oil while mixing gently for about two minutes. Add garlic and ginger and sauté for about one minute more. Add the turmeric and gently mix. Next add the tomatoes, mix well, and cook for about five minutes, or until tomatoes become tender. Now add the sambal sauce and zucchini. Mix to coat and cook over high heat for two minutes while stirring occasionally. Turn heat down to medium-low and sauté for 10 minutes or until zucchini is tender, stirring every few minutes. When zucchini is cooked, remove from heat and serve, garnishing with a sprinkle of cilantro.
July 2, 2008
Recipes, Vegetables
1 Comment
Who is brave enough to grab a bunch of those bitter-looking greens bunched up in the leafy section of the super market? Who really knows what to do with those things, anyway? I’m not a fan of collard or mustard greens and kale makes me retch. But I’ve really taken a shine to Swiss Chard and its almost-salty flavor. It has a twinge of tangy bitterness, but not enough to overpower a dish. My favorite preparation is with some bacon, red onions, and a splash of white wine.
Ingredients
2 slices thick-cut, natural smoked bacon, diced
1/4 cup red onion, diced
4 tbsp dry white wine
1 bunch red Swiss chard
Method
Wash and dry the chard. Remove stems, then chop roughly into 2-inch pieces. Set aside.
In a large skillet, fry bacon pieces with red onion until bacon is fully cooked and onion is soft and translucent. Add Swiss chard pieces and white wine. Sautee for 2-3 minutes, or until leaves are gently wilted and volume is reduced by about half.
Serve immediately.
