Extra Schmaltz!

I love this recipe in late summer, when the farmer's markets are full of Japanese eggplants and Thai basil. It's a sweet, gooey, savory treat that's as spicy as you want to make it and I love eggplant far too much. You can use normal European eggplant too in a pinch.   Serve on white rice.      Ingredients 1-2 eggplants depending on size, in thin slices (Japanese and European work fine, Thai would be weird) 1 red bell pepper (cut into small squares) 4 cloves garlic (smashed and roughly chopped) Thai chilis, to taste (minced) Small quantity of shallots or onions (thin sliced, optional, I like the sweet they provide) Protein of your choice, pre-cooked - I've been liking baked tofu, but chicken or pork work well Thai basil (to taste), remove the bigger stems and chop roughly.  Sauce 4 Tbsp soy sauce 1 Tbsp brown sugar (+palm sugar if available) 1 tsp dark vinegar, or white vinegar 2 Tbsp fish sauce  Optional: 1 Tbsp corn starch dissolved in 2 Tbsp co...

We make this really easy recipe often enough that it's worth posting. It's chicken in a simple sauce, often served on a tostada with refried beans and whatever tasty toppings you want (esp. avocado and cotija cheese). A local restaurant near us has this style of chicken as one of their standard meat options, and it's supposedly their specialty. I personally think this recipe produces something very, very close to the same. The adobo peppers tend to be a bit spicy for some eaters - one way to moderate this is to alter how much of the sauce you mix with the shredded chicken. I also suggest making a double version of this recipe and reserving some sauce - that way, next time you want to make it, you just throw sauce on chicken and you're done. You can use raw chicken, or you can use the sauce to cleverly use leftover poultry from other meals (this actually might make turkey edible). The recipe below is adapted from the recipe here , in turn adapted from the Minimali...

I cooked this one directly from one of my favorite food blogger's sites, Eating Thai Food . It basically takes your laab game ( beef or chicken ) up to the next level. Grilled beef, mint, Thai spices...what's not to like? My version, served with cabbage leaves (you can roll them up like a taco with the meat; lettuce also works) and sticky rice. Marinade 1 lb flank steak 1 tbsp ground black pepper 1.5 tbsp light soy sauce Marinate the beef for about an hour. Grill the steak and allow it to rest 5 minutes or more on a plate, reserving any juices. Slice across the grain into bite-sized strips. Salad 2 Tbsp khao khua (toasted sticky rice powder, check out the recipe here ) 4 Tbsp fish sauce 1 tsp sugar 1 – 2 tbsp chili flakes 3 Tbsp lime juice 6-7 small shallots, sliced thinly, ~1/3 c. 2 green onion, minced 1 handful mint leaves + more to garnish Combine the sliced beef with the salad ingredients and any beef juices that collected on your pl...

This is a wonderfully flavorful dish that can be easily prepared in a pinch. If you cannot find the kaffir lime leaf, omit it (although it adds nice flavor). You can also use standard string beans instead of the long beans. Make sure to cook the dish on as high a heat as possible so that the chicken sears quickly and doesn't dribble out all its juices in the pan. I recommend cooking only 1 lb of chicken at a time so you don't overcrowd the pan. My recipe is based off of the one here at Eating Thai Food . 1 lb chicken breast, cut into 3/4" slices 1/2 c. Chinese long beans, cut into 1/4" slices (or string beans) 3 Tbsp. Thai red curry paste 1 Tbsp. fish sauce 1 tsp sugar 4 kaffir lime leaves, chiffonade 2 Tbsp. peanut oil Heat a flat bottomed wok on medium high and then add the oil. Add the curry paste and stir/chop with a wok spoon or spatula so that it sizzles and softens for 30 seconds. Ensure it does not burn. Add the chicken, fish sauce, and sugar an...

Accompanied by my illustrious photographer and culinary muse, JiJY, I present to you: Tom Kha. This fragrant soup is made with chicken and is bursting with flavor from the aromatic spices (and no curry powder/paste at all), and brought together with coconut milk and lime. Finished product, garnished with Thai basil and an egg. Photo by JiJY Thanwalee. Broth 1 chicken 4-5 quarts water 1 chicken boullion cube 3-4 stalks lemon grass 1 galangal root 6-8 kaffir lime leaves 4 large shallots or 1 red onion 4 cloves garlic 3 Thai chilies Simmering the broth. Scoop off the scummy bits so you get a nice clear broth. I accelerated the process by using a pressure cooker. Photo by JiJY Thanwalee. Place the chicken, aromatics, and water together in a large pot or pressure cooker. Bring to a simmer and simmer for 1 hour (or 35 min in pressure cooker). Drain the broth for use in the soup and discard the aromatics. Remove the chicken and when it is cool enough to handle, stri...

This dish is like the mullet of Mexican food: it tempers the healthful protein of chicken breast with the decadent fattiness of chorizo. Everyone wins! I grilled the chicken, but you could cook it any way that works for you. Most restaurants drown this dish in cheese, but it really only needs a little bit to tie the dish together. Would also be delicious with a fried egg on top. From the left: yellow rice, pico de gallo, chori pollo, avocado, and black refried beans. 4 chicken breasts 2 links or ~1/2 pound loose chorizo 1 red bell pepper, sliced 1 onion, sliced 3 Tbsp. oil 2 Tbsp. lard 1 Tbsp. Mexican oregano 1 Tbsp. black pepper 1 tsp. garlic powder 1 tsp. Adobo seasoning 1/2 tsp. cayenne salt to taste 1/2 c. grated Queso de Oaxaca or Monterrey Jack, if desired If the chicken pieces are irregularly sized, pound until they are flat and uniform in thickness. Salt the chicken breasts to taste. Combine the oregano, black pepper, garlic powder, adobo, and cayene, then r...

I received a request to share my fried rice recipe, written for a kitchen beginner. There are a lot of subtleties for making awesome fried rice, which would make it a lot easier to teach in-person; this step-by-step is the next best thing. I'm going to shout a bit in this post, but listen to me if you want your rice to fulfill your every hope and dream! TWO KEY THINGS YOU MUST HAVE: LEFTOVER rice (at least one night in the fridge, ideally a few days old). If you try to make it with fresh rice it will be mushy.  A BIG-ASS non-stick pan. Don't try to be a cowboy with cast iron or some other shiz. I am serious--if you are a beginner, DO NOT PASS GO without fulfilling those requirements or you will be disappointed and frustrated and never try cooking again. For rice I recommend a long-grain Thai jasmine rice, but other types will work. If you don't have a GOOD non-stick pan, I recommend Swiss Diamond . If you are concerned about carcinogens or whatever tin-foil hat b...

What to do when you have some leftover long grain rice and you want some spice? Fried rice, Indian style. You can make it vegetarian, or add some meat or shrimp (leftovers work great). You could also mix in some peas or cooked lentils at the end. 3-4 c. leftover long-grain rice 1 jalapeno, sliced 2 tsp. whole cumin seeds 2 tsp. black mustard seeds  2 cloves garlic, minced 1 Tbsp. ginger, minced 3 green onions, sliced 1 Tbsp. turmeric 1 tsp. black pepper 1 chicken boullion cube 1/2 c. boiling water 1 Tbsp. tamarind sauce 1 c. cooked meat chunks (optional) 1 tomato, diced 2 eggs  handful of cilantro, chopped salt to taste oil for cooking Heat a large nonstick pan, adding a generous amount of oil. Add the cumin and mustard seeds and heat until they begin to sizzle and pop. Add the ginger, garlic, jalapenos and the white part of the green onions and fry until lightly brown. Add the turmeric and black pepper and toss to combine. Break up the rice so it ...

Can also be made with chicken. 50% of the household thinks this would be better made with bone-in, fattier chops, and 50% of the household likes it lean. Either way it's got tons of flavor! 3-4 pork chops, whatever cut you enjoy 2 stalks lemongrass 5 cloves garlic 3 shallots 2-3 red chili peppers 3 Tbsp. fish sauce 3 Tbps. brown sugar 2 Tbsp. black soy sauce 1 Tbsp. oil 2-3 tsp. salt 1 tsp. black pepper Pat the pork chops dry, set them on a plate, and salt lightly. I find it's easiest to control the salt in the marinade if you salt the meat directly. Pound the base of the lemongrass stalks with something heavy to break them up a bit. Slice into 1/2" pieces and then chop in the food processor. Add the garlic, shallots, and chili peppers and chop until fine textured (will be a little fibrous from the lemongrass). Add in the remaining ingredients and process until well combined. Test the flavor and adjust if needed. The marinade should be the texture of ...

Let's face it: samosas are delicious but a P.I.T.A. to make. Why bother with the pastry crust? Just eat the filling! These are a great side dish, perfect for potlucks, and if you're really ambitious you can use it as a savory pastry filling. 3 lbs potatoes (can be any kind, peels can stay on small reds or Yukon gold) 2 stalks celery 1/2 small onion 1/2 c. frozen peas 1 jalapeno pepper 3 green onions 1 stick butter 1 Tbsp. black mustard seeds 1 Tbsp. whole cumin seeds 2 tsp. fresh ginger 1 tsp. turmeric 1 tsp. black pepper 1 pinch hing powder OR 1 clove garlic, minced loads of salt Boil the potatoes in well-salted water until tender, then drain. Smash them up a bit with a spoon. Dice celery, onion, and jalapeno very small. Slice green onions into little rings. Heat the butter in a large pan until it is bubbling. Add the pinch of hing--it should sizzle. (If you are using garlic instead, add it later with the ginger instead) the mustard and cumin seeds and s...

I'm posting this as an add-on to Alex's Kushari recipe--it's really good on top of kushari, but it's also a great side dish in general. This is for a dry style chickpea with Indian spices. It is also dirt cheap! Chana masala on top of kushari. 1 can of chickpeas 3 Tbsp cooking oil 1 Tbsp black mustard seeds 2 tsp whole cumin seeds 2 tsp minced ginger 2 cloves garlic, minced OR 1/4 tsp hing powder 1 tsp ground turmeric 1 tsp ground black pepper 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes, to taste  Optional: chopped cilantro I recommend doing this in a non-stick pan. Don't allow the spices to burn, or they will taste bitter. Start by draining the chickpeas so that they have time to dry on the outside. You can pat them dry further with paper towels. Heat the oil until very hot. Add the black mustard and cumin seeds until they begin to pop, stirring occasionally. Add in the hot pepper flakes, ginger, and garlic (or hing) and allow them to sizzle, but take care not ...

This really is essentially a variation of Lillian's recipe for green enchilada sauce , though not developed as such. Tomatillos and green peppers are simply delicious. This takes a little bit of time to prepare in the morning (or you could do it the night before and leave everything in the crockpot in the fridge) 1.5 lbs (6-7) tomatillos 1 large onion, cut into "wings" 2-4 chiles verdes (Anaheim or Hatch are good) 3 cloves garlic 1 lime, juiced 1/3-1/2 bunch cilantro 2 tsp. salt, or to taste 1 Tbl. sugar, or to taste 2-3 pounds meat (beef or pork roast, though chicken would probably be fine) Remove tomatillo husks and their stems. Place them end up along with the peppers (stems trimmed to reduce burning) in the broiler. Cook until the tomatillos are getting mushy, while rotating the peppers so that they get evenly blackened. Peel the peppers and remove their stems. Remove the more burnt parts of the tomatillos. Throw everything into the crockpot, and have i...

Pozole is a hearty Mexican soup or stew that come in several different styles (with pork or chicken, red, white or green). This recipe can be made either as a pozole, using hominy, or as a white chicken chili, using cannellini beans (or heck, use both). The tomatillos are optional, but add a nice tartness and more color.  You will be surprised that all the green chiles don't make it very hot, so feel free to up the spice level if you like. This serves 6 hungry people.  This is the chicken chili style, which uses beans instead of hominy.   3 lbs bone-in chicken, skin removed 2 large red onions, one half reserved for garnish 3 jalapeño chiles, one reserved for garnish 3 anaheim chiles 2 poblano chiles 5-6 tomatillos, husked 7 garlic cloves, crushed 1 heaping Tbsp. ground cumin 2 tsp. ground coriander 2 cans white beans or hominy, rinsed and drained 1/2 bundle cilantro, chopped Salt and black pepper Oil or lard Garnishes : 3 limes, quartered (reserve jui...

Some say beans don't go in chili. I think this guy would eat anything in front of him. We're home on the range tonight, or is it the Donner Pass? Being stuck inside during a historic snowstorm calls for improvisation, or in this case, a return to basics. Meat? Check. Dried chilis? Check. Can o' beans? Check. Chili here we come! 2 lbs. ground or finely chopped beef 1 large onion, chopped 2 Tbsp. bacon grease (you can also add some bacon) 3 dried ancho chilis 2 cloves garlic 1 tsp. ground cumin 1 tsp. black pepper 1 tsp. Mexican oregano 2 Tbsp. salt 1 can of chili beans (optional) or 1 can tomato sauce water Honestly, I was out of chili powder, so I had to make the chili sauce from scratch. I added the beans mainly for liquid, but you could use tomatoes instead (or in addition). Brown the meat in the bacon grease, seasoning it with some salt and black pepper. I like to pressure cook it for 10 minutes to make it more tender. Cut the chilies open (kitchen ...

I don't know what to call this one. It's really just a good stir-fry, based on one they made on America's Test Kitchen. You can use any meat, really, and any vegetables, so it's hard to pin down. Here's how I made this batch. I used chicken thighs, but the original recipe was for beef (something lean, like top round). 6-8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs (~2 lbs.) 2 Tbsp. fish sauce 1 Tbsp. brown sugar 2 tsp. ground coriander 2 tsp. salt 1 tsp. white pepper 2 heads broccoli, cut into florets 1 red pepper 1 red onion or 3-4 shallots 3 hot chilies 3 cloves garlic 3 Tbsp. fish sauce 1 Tbsp. rice vinegar 1/4 c. chicken broth (or water) 3 Tbsp. brown sugar 2 Tbsp. Chili Garlic Sauce 1 Tbsp. corn starch Begin by boiling a pot of water for blanching the broccoli. Meanwhile, slice the meat into small pieces and then toss them with the coriander, white pepper, salt, brown sugar, and fish sauce. When the water boils, blanch the broccoli for 1 minute, then cool immediately wi...

Well, we can't have a red enchilada recipe without a green enchilada recipe! Heck, we even have a half-assed mole enchilada recipe . I took it upon myself to make these from scratch, since it seems like there are always tomatillos for sale around here, and my food processor is working again. You can use canned sauce instead, if you like. Salsa Verde 1.5 lbs (6-7) tomatillos 1 large onion 2-4 chiles verdes 3 cloves garlic 1 lime, juiced 1 small handful cilantro 1/2 tsp. ground cumin 2 tsp. salt, or to taste 1 tsp. sugar, or to taste 1 c. chicken broth, with extra chicken boullion added Remove tomatillo husks and cut onion in half. Place tomatillos, onion, and chiles underneath the broiler (or on the grill) to roast, turning a few times as needed. When they have lots of brown, roasty edges, remove them and let cool. Remove the roasted skin from the chiles. Feed all sauce ingredients into food processor and process until you have a chunky-smooth sauce. You will probably have sauce le...

Here's another similar summer meat salad recipe, though this one has a roasty flavor from the toasted rice flour and dried chilies. You will wind up with enough rice flour to make this at least twice. You need a blender or food processor. I got the recipe from Thai Food Tonight, which has many good recipes and helpful videos. http://www.thaifoodtonight.com/thaifoodtonight/recipes-YOUTUBESpicyGroundBeef.htm 2 lb. lean ground meat: beef, pork, chicken, turkey, whatever 1 1/2 c. water 1/2 c. white rice, any kind 10-15 whole dried red chili peppers 1/2 cabbage: green, red, or savoyed (or leaf lettuce) 4 green onions, sliced thin 1/4 red onion, minced 1/4 c. fish sauce 1-2 limes, juiced 1 small bunch cilantro, washed and chopped 3-4 sprigs of fresh mint, washed and chopped (optional) Roast the rice in a pan until it is dark brown (but not burnt). Allow it to cool. Grind it in a blender or food processor until it is the consistency of sand. Roast the whole red chilis until they are d...

Clockwise from the left: young coconut juice, rice, chicken (actually turkey) salad, ripe papaya, papaya salad. Holy blazes I'm posting a recipe! Almost hard to call this one, it's so easy. However, it's a valuable use for leftover chicken or turkey, and it's served cold or room temp, so it beats the heat. 2-3 c. leftover cooked chicken, shredded 1 handful beansprouts 4-6 green onions, sliced 1 large handful cilantro or culantro , sliced 1-3 hot chilies, sliced juice of 1-2 limes, depending on size 1 Tbsp. fish sauce 1-2 tsp. salt ~1 tsp sugar I like to heat up the chicken a little so that the salad is warm, but you can make it cold if you like. In the picture I didn't have beansprouts, and it was still delicious. Just mix all the ingredients together and adjust the salt and sugar. If it isn't moist enough, add a little broth or water. It should be salty and zingy with a dominant cilantro flavor.

I have (minimally) adapted this from here. It can be made either as more of a soup, or a stewy pasty thing to eat with rice (and might I suggest Lillian's cumin rice ).If you're interested in more information on chana dal than you could ever have wanted, see here. This is supposed to use the "kabuli" style of chana dal, but I'm guessing you'll be lucky enough to find ANY form of chana dal, let alone have a choice between 'desi' and 'kabuli.' Ingredients: 2 cups of Chana Dal 4 cups water 1 small onion (minced) 3 or so tomatoes, minced finely or pureed (I was pureeing tomatoes for palak paneer anyway) 1 tsp. of cumin seeds 1 tbsp. of fresh ginger (minced) 1 tbsp. of garlic (minced) 1/2 tsp. of turmeric powder 1 tbsp. of coriander Powder 1 tsp. of cayenne pepper (or more - this gave it a relatively mild spiciness). I also think it would be good with jalapenos) Salt (to taste) 1 tbsp. of fresh lemon Juice or Fresh Lime Juice (I used lemon) Prepar...

This is one of those surprise recipes that emerged from what I had on hand and turned out both delicious and beautiful, much to my surprise. It's a hybrid of a few of my favorite Thai recipes. If you're able to find Kaffir lime leaf, you can keep it in the freezer and it still tastes great. In fact, many Asian groceries keep it in the freezer already. Thai basil is optional, but I had some on hand (if you leave it out, use more lime leaf). 1.5-2 lb. ground beef 4 cloves garlic, minced 2-3 hot Thai peppers, sliced 1/2 red bell pepper, diced (optional but pretty) 4-6 Kaffir lime leaves, julienned very finely 1 small handful Thai basil leaves, chopped (optional) 1tsp. salt 2 Tbsp. fish sauce a couple of dollops of oyster sauce 4 green onions, cut into 1" pieces oil for cooking Brown the meat in a frying pan and break it up as finely as possible. (OR if you have a pressure cooker, cook it for 12 minutes--this makes it extra tender). Place a colander over a bowl and dump the me...