Thai Spicy Beef (Nuer Phad Phed)

I’m not too familiar with Thai food, but I’m always looking for recipes that are quick and do-able on a weeknight, and stir fries like this certainly fit the bill. This recipe comes from the book Simply Thai Cooking. It should be noted that “20 basil leaves” is a rule of thumb the book uses, so it doesn’t need to be exact at all. I didn’t have any Thai basil (I actually had some bi-colored basil growing in the summer that would’ve subbed well) so I used regular basil.

Thai Spicy Beef (Nuer Phad Phed) (Serves 2)

10 oz. Flank steak, trimmed of excess fat

¼ medium green pepper

¼ medium red bell pepper (plus some extra for garnish)

Snap peas (enough for 2 servings, so like a big handful)

Canola/vegetable oil

1 teaspoon chopped garlic (1 clove)

2 tablespoons red curry paste

5 tablespoons coconut milk

2 lime leaves, torn into thirds (I substituted lime zest and a bay leaf)

½ cup bamboo shoot strips

2 tablespoons fish sauce

1 tablespoon sugar

20 fresh Thai basil leaves

Cut the beef into pieces that are ¼” thick, 1” wide and 2” long. Dice the peppers. Set aside some strips of the peppers for garnish. Get the rest of the ingredients ready as the cooking goes quickly and you’ll be too busy stirring to prep ingredients, open cans, etc.

Heat a large skillet over high heat. Add vegetable or canola oil (the original recipe calls for 5 tablespoons, I used something in the neighborhood of 2.5-3 tablespoons) and heat until it’s just about to smoke. Add the curry paste and garlic, stirring and frying for 45 seconds, then add the coconut milk and lime leaves. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes, until thick and bubbly.

Add the beef, the bamboo shoot strips, the snap peas and the peppers all together. Stir fry for 1 minute. Add the fish sauce and sugar and cook for 2 to 3 more minutes, until the peppers are softened. Add ¾ of the basil and cook for 45 additional seconds.

Serve over rice, and garnish with remaining basil and pepper strips.

Chicken Fried Quinoa

I’ve been trying to eat moderately healthier, so for this week (with the theme being fried food), I opted for a healthy version of fried rice. Or at least I’m assuming quinoa is healthier then rice, but I’m no nutritionist, so take any claims of healthiness with a grain of salt. If the quantities in the recipe and the pictures don’t look like they match up, you’d be right. I made enough quinoa and chicken for two servings, but only cooked one finished serving.

Chicken Fried Quinoa (serves 2):

1 cup uncooked quinoa, washed

2 cups chicken stock

Salt

2 tbsp peanut oil, divided

1 large chicken breast, skin removed, diced

Broccoli, chopped into florets

1 large shallot, diced

2 cloves garlic, diced

2 tbsp soy sauce

1 tbsp fish sauce

1 tbsp oyster sauce

Frozen peas

1 egg

1 tbsp white vinegar

Purple basil

Green onions (green parts only)

Black pepper

Sriracha hot sauce

Make sure you rinse your quinoa before cooking, even if the package says it’s pre-washed. Bring the 2 cups chicken stock to a boil, add the quinoa, and simmer for 15 minutes. Drain excess liquid and refrigerate overnight.

Gather all the ingredients and have them ready to go – this cooks fast, so you won’t have any time to chop things on the fly. Fill a medium saucepan with water, add 1 tablespoon of white vinegar, and heat to a simmer. Keep it simmering so you can start poaching your egg when the time comes.

Heat a pan over high heat. Add 1 tbsp of peanut oil, and the diced chicken. Cook for about 3 minutes, turning halfway. Remove to a plate. While the chicken is cooking, place the broccoli florets in a microwave-safe bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and microwave on high for 1 minute.

Add the broccoli to the pan, and cook for 2 minutes, flipping occasionally. Add shallots and garlic, cook for 30 seconds (add the other tablespoon of peanut oil if the pan looks a little dry), and add back in the chicken and cooked quinoa. Cook for 2 minutes, stirring regularly.

Right after you add the quinoa to the frying pan, start poaching your egg. Crack the egg open into a small dish. Use a slotted spoon to create a whirlpool in the pan of water, and bring the bowl as close to the water as you can, and slip the egg into the center of the water. Keep the water at a simmer, and cook for exactly 3 ½ minutes.

Add the soy, fish, and oyster sauce to the quinoa, stirring to incorporate. Let cook for about 30 seconds, then add the frozen peas (straight out of the bag) and cook for 30 seconds. Remove from heat and plate.

Remove the poached egg from the water with a slotted spoon, and drain any excess water. Lay on top of the fried quinoa.

Sprinkle on a good amount of black pepper, squirt on a generous portion of sriracha, and garnish with green onion slices and purple/Thai basil.

Banh Mi with Lemongrass Pork

Banh Mi is about the only Vietnamese dish I have any familiarity with, so I figured I'd try making my own. The marinade for the pork is very sweet (and the pickled carrots and daikon - called Do Chau - have sweetness to them as well), but the cilantro and pickled jalapenos help balance everything. Recipe adapted from: http://rasamalaysia.com/banh-mi-recipe/2/

Do Chau:

1 large carrot, peeled and julienned (about 1.5 cups)

¼ large daikon radish, peeled and julienned (about 1.5 cups)

1.5 cups rice vinegar

1.5 cups warm water

½ cup sugar

1 teaspoon salt

I cut my carrot and daikon into 1/8” julienne using a mandolin. Place the cut veggies into a container. Pour the warm water in a pyrex measuring cup (or other container) and add the sugar and salt, stirring to dissolve. Add to the container with the veggies, along with the rice vinegar. Refrigerate until ready to use. These should last in the refrigerator for at least a month.

Pork:

1 lb. pork loin

¼ cup minced lemongrass

¼ cup sugar

2 tablespoons fish sauce

1 tablespoon sesame oil

1 tablespoon peanut oil

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 tablespoon Sriracha

1 teaspoon black pepper

1 large shallot, minced

2 cloves garlic, minced

Cube the pork into 1” chunks and add to a Ziploc bag with the rest of the marinade ingredients. Refrigerate and allow to marinate for 1 to 2 hours.

Remove the pork from the marinade. Heat a large pan over medium high heat and cook pork for about 4 minutes, flipping the meat halfway through.

Serve on a long roll with do chau, pickled jalapenos and cilantro.

Soy, Citrus, and Sriracha Marinated Chicken

This week’s 52 Weeks of Cooking theme is BBQ/Grilling, which is like a cruel joke to me since I live in an apartment and don’t own a grill. If I did own a grill, I would have cooked this chicken on there, but we’ll just have to pretend instead.

Recipe:

¼ Cup Soy Sauce

3 Tablespoons Orange Juice

1 Tablespoon Lime Juice

2 Tablespoons Sriracha

1 Tablespoon hoisin

1 Tablespoon honey

2 teaspoons sesame oil

3 sprigs cilantro

1 clove of garlic, minced

2 teaspoons ginger, minced

2 chicken legs (thighs and drumsticks)

Put everything except the chicken together in a bag/dish. Taste and adjust. Add the chicken, marinade for 4-6 hours. Preheat your oven to 425°F, and bake the chicken for 40-45 minutes, until juices run clear. Better yet, grill it. Meanwhile, reserve the marinade in a small sauce pan. Bring to a simmer and reduce by about half. Turn off heat. Brush marinade on chicken two or three times during the cooking process to get a bit of a glaze going. Toss the chicken under a broiler for a hot minute (both literally and figuratively) if you want some additional color on it.