Recipe: Pad Kee Mao

Ingredients:

2/3 lb. boneless/skinless chicken breast, thinly sliced
2/3 lb. boneless/skinless chicken thigh, thinly sliced
1 leek, finely chopped
1 bunch of scallions, finely chopped
1 large habanero, finely chopped
3 tbsp. minced garlic
3/4 cup loosely packed holy basil (Thai basil is OK if you can't find holy basil)
1 large red bell pepper, cut into thin strips
1 large yellow bell pepper, cut into thin strips
Juice of 2 limes
1/4 cup oyster sauce
1/4 cup fish sauce
3 tbsp. dark soy sauce
3 tbsp. white wine
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 bunch cilantro, chopped
1 package (500 g/18 oz) of wide rice noodles, cooked
2 tbsp. canola oil

Directions:

Cook noodles according to package directions, chilling immediately with cold water after cooking.  Heat canola oil in the wok over high heat.  Add leek, scallion, habanero, and garlic.  Cover, cook for 2 minutes until fragrant.  Add chicken, mix vigorously.  Re-cover for about 3 minutes.  Remove cover and continue cooking until chicken is about 2/3 cooked.  Add bell pepper and holy basil.  Cover and cook for about 3 minutes more until the bell pepper is tender and the holy basil wilts.  Once chicken is fully cooked, push all ingredients to one side in the wok.  Add the beaten eggs to the other side.  Once the egg is close to set, vigorously mix all of the ingredients together.  Whisk lime juice, oyster sauce, fish sauce, dark soy, and white wine together.  Add to the wok and mix vigorously.  Add the cooked noodles and cilantro and turn off heat.  Mix all ingredients together completely, coating noodles completely in the mixture.  Serve immediately.

Makes 8 servings.

Recipe: Spicy and Quick Pho Lon (Pork Pho)

Making traditional pho broth can take days... so I cheat mightily to get this recipe down to a more manageable time frame AND add more veggies than would be traditional because, well, it's healthier.  Oh, and I pull the Japanese trick of adding a whisked egg to the soup at the end to add some richness :)

Ingredients:
4 cups low-salt chicken broth
3 cups water
1 cup dry sherry
1 package bonito flake, approx. 4 oz. (available in bulk in Asian markets)
2 tbsp. fish sauce
2 tbsp. chili/garlic paste
1 tbsp. minced ginger
2 tsp. ground corinader
2 star anise cloves
2 tsp. ground white pepper
2 tbsp. sugar
1 tbsp. sea salt
1 1/2 lbs. of pork butt, VERY thinly sliced (have your butcher do it)
1 1/2 cups of chopped spring onion or leeks
2 cups of fresh carrots, thinly sliced
1 whole Napa cabbage, cored and shredded
2 cups of chopped rapini (i.e. broccoli rabe)
1 cup chopped shitake mushrooms
1 cup chopped Tokyo turnips or other soft turnip
1 large package (20 - 24oz.) of thin rice noodles (Vietnamese vermicelli)
10 large eggs

Directions:
Prepare the rice noodles according to package directions, shocking with water at the end to chill.

In a large stock pot, combine chicken broth, water, sherry, and all spices and condiments.  Cover and bring to a boil over high heat.  Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 15 - 20 minutes to allow the flavors to fully combine.  Remove the star anise cloves with a slotted spoon before continuing.

Add the pork butt and onion.  Simmer covered for 15 minutes.  Add the carrots, mushrooms, and turnips.  Raise heat to return to boil, then reduce heat and simmer covered for 15 minutes.  Add the cabbage and rapini, return to boil, then reduce heat to simmer again covered for 10 minutes.  Remove from heat.

Place approx. 1 cup of cooked noodles into the bottom of a bowl.  Ladle in 1 1/2 cups of the soup mixture.  Crack an egg into a separate small bowl and whisk with chopsticks then pour into the hot soup bowl.  Mix the egg into the soup with chopsticks thoroughly before eating (this will cook the egg).

Makes approx. 10 servings.

Recipe: Pepper Steak over Rice Noodles

Ingredients:

1 3/4 lb. of lean flank steak, cut into 6 equal portions
8 oz. of uncooked rice noodles
1 cup chopped scallions, green and white parts
2 red jalapenos, thinly sliced
1 cup low-sodium soy sauce
1 cup mirin (Japanese cooking sake)
1/2 cup fresh lime juice
3 tbsp. rice vinegar
4 tbsp. minced garlic
1 tbsp. wasabi paste
1 tsp. salt
3 tsp. black pepper
1 tbsp. canola oil

Directions:

Whisk soy sauce, mirin, lime juice, rice vinegar, 3 tbsp. of the garlic, wasabi, salt, and pepper together into a large bowl. Submerge steak filets into the mixture, cover, and allow to marinate overnight.

Oil and then heat the grill to medium-high heat. Remove steaks from marinade and place on the grill and grill for about 6 - 8 minutes on each side for medium rare. Reserve 2 tbsp. of the marinade. Once done, thinly slice the steak and set aside.

Cook the rice noodles according to package directions. Heat the canola oil over medium high heat in a large wok. Add the scallions, the remaining garlic, and the red jalapenos to the wok, moving them about quickly to prevent sticking. Cook until the oil becomes fragrant, about 1 1/2 to 2 minutes. Add the steak, the rice noodles, and the reserved marinade to the wok. Continue cooking for another minute or two and then remove. Serve immediately.

Makes 6 servings.