Weekend Wokking with Eggplant

Eggplant is one of those vegetables that I’m very particular about. I’m not a big fan of those oversized specimens often found in the grocery store. There are two reasons. First, they are usually tasteless. Second, the proportion of skin to pulp is wrong—there just isn’t enough skin. The pulp just cooks up to a pile of mush. That may be okay if I’m making a dip or baby food but completely useless when I’m trying to stir-fry. That’s why I stick to the small Thai or long Chinese varieties for Asian cooking.


This eggplant stir-fry is a very popular dish found in Thai restaurants across the US, but I don't remember mom ever making it at home. I'll have to ask her why that is because it turns out to be quite easy to throw together and packs a flavorful punch. And my version is far less oily than what's found in most restaurants.

The key to this dish is the Thai black soy sauce. And just to confuse you, it may also be called "dark soy sauce" or "dark thick soy sauce" or "dark sweet soy sauce". This "dark sweet soy sauce" should not be confused with the "real" sweet soy sauce, which is also dark. LOL

Anyhow, there are two popular brands, Healthy Boy or Dragonfly. I like the Healthy Boy brand. I was only familiar with their mushroom soy sauce, but I've recently discovered they have a whole line of soy sauces available and the ones I've tried are all good. Mom uses the Dragonfly brand. To me it tastes a little too strongly of molasses.

Note: In Martin Yan’s Chinatown Cooking (see right sidebar), he explains that the best way to prepare Chinese eggplant is to first oil blanch it, which results in an intense and concentrated eggplant flavor. This is a very common practice in Asian restaurants (and is often used with green beans), but I can’t be bothered to do it at home. I find briefly steaming the vegetable to be a little more manageable. Steaming will soften the vegetable a little and cuts back on the stir-frying time. You can decide which you prefer.

Thai Eggplant Stir-fry with Chicken
Serves 3-4

• 2 long Chinese eggplants, cut lengthwise into quarters and then into 2 to 3 inch segments
• 3 chicken thighs, roughly hand minced
• 3 large cloves garlic, minced
• ½ bunch Thai sweet basil, leaves only
• chillies to taste, cut in half lengthwise (optional)
• 1 ½ tbs Thai black soy sauce
• 2 tbs thin soy sauce (or 1 tbs regular soy sauce, such as Kikkoman)
• ½ tsp brown sugar
• ½ tsp fish sauce + more to adjust flavor to taste

Start by preparing the eggplants. Prepare a steamer and steam the eggplants for about 5 minutes. They should begin to soften but still feel spongy. Remove them from the steamer to cool a bit. You could even steam them the day before and store them in the fridge until ready to use.

Alternatively, the eggplant can be oil blanched. Heat enough oil to deep fry the eggplant. The oil should be hot enough for deep frying, about 350º. Make sure the eggplant is completely dry before introducing them to the oil and do not crowd them. Fry until they get a bit soft (not mushy!), about 1 ½ to 2 minutes. Drain them well.

Mix the minced garlic and minced chicken in a small bowl and set aside. Make the sauce by combining the black soy sauce, thin soy sauce, fish sauce and brown sugar. Stir to dissolve.

Heat a wok over high heat. When it’s hot, add about 2 tbs oil (peanut, grapeseed, or vegetable). When the oil begins to smoke, add the chicken and chillies, if using, and stir-fry until almost done, about 2 minutes. Do not over stir the meat; give it about 20 to 30 seconds between each stir to get a proper sear. Add the eggplant and basil. Again, don’t over stir. Let the eggplant sear a little as well. Add the sauce mix and stir to coat the meat and vegetables. When it’s all heated through, it’s done. Transfer immediately to a serving bowl or plate and serve with steamed jasmine rice.

This is my submission for this month's Weekend Wokking hosted by Palachinka. If you're interested in hosting or want to see who's hosting in the future, check out this page.

SE Asian Pilaf

Hey, guess what?! I like delicious food and I bet you do too, right? I don’t care if it’s *authentic* or not. I’ll be the first to admit, I don't cook authentic food. It's not that I can't, I just like experimenting (I'm a woman of science, didn't you know?). As long as it tastes good, I’m happy. I guess this must really drive the purists out there crazy (hi, mom!).

This picture really doesn't do this rice justice. The herbs make it so fragrant and the shrimp paste gives it so much flavor. You'll just have to try it for yourself to see.

Since I’m in a bit of a mood, I’m going to make those purists really nuts with this recipe for SE Asian rice pilaf. It’s not really a classic Thai dish, but has classic Thai flavors. I could have called it fried rice, but when I think of fried rice, I think one-wok meal, complete with protein and vegetables. This is more of a side dish— a pilaf to accompany grilled fish or chicken. It’s also good for breakfast served with a fried egg on top and a couple squirts of fish sauce. And yes, I’m completely serious about the breakfast thing. So there you go, something that’s not authentic but totally delicious anyways.

SE Asian Rice Pilaf
Serves 4

• 1 stalk lemongrass, white part only, finely sliced
• 2-3 cloves garlic, smashed
• 3 kaffir lime leaves, finely sliced
• 1 to 2 tbs shrimp paste in soy bean oil
• 1 shallot, thinly sliced
• ½ tsp brown sugar
• 24 oz cooked, cold rice (about 5 cups)
• fish sauce, to taste

Note: Shrimp paste in soy bean oil can be found at any Asian market that has SE Asian items. Or you can order it online. It's not fermented, which means it's not stinky, but the oil has a way of leaking out and staining stuff red-orange, so be sure to store it in a plastic Ziploc bag or similar. Don't let the fact that it contains the "buttery substance in shrimp heads" turn you off. You wouldn't have known if no one had mentioned it. :-)

In a mortar, combine the lemongrass, garlic and kaffir lime leaves and pound until you get a uniform paste. Put some elbow grease into it, otherwise the lemongrass won't break down enough and it'll be unpleasant to chew and swallow. Transfer the paste to a bowl and mix in the shrimp paste.

Heat a wok on medium-high heat. Add about 2 tbs oil for stir-frying. When hot, but not smoking, add the seasoning paste and the shallots. Stir-fry for about 30 seconds to release the flavor of the herbs. Be careful not to let the paste burn. Add the brown sugar and incorporate. Add the rice and stir-fry until well coated with the seasoning paste and heated through. Add fish sauce to taste. Serve as a side dish with simple grilled fish or chicken.

Daddy's Got Skilz

My in-laws are visiting for a few days. They wanted an extended summer, but what they are getting is hell. Literally. It's been 90+ degrees inside the house for the last two days and even I, the one who grew up in Las Vegas, am feeling uncomfortable. Just imagine how miserable the Vikings are feeling. Oh well, nothing to do but drink more beer!

Danes have a collective skill. They can open beer bottles with just about any object. Normally they just use lighters, but a fork, blunt knife, rock and as you can see, a hammer works well too.

Obviously, we haven't been cooking food inside. Tonight we grilled up chicken that was so delicious, it was snapped up before I could pull some aside to snap a proper picture. I marinated the chicken in a paste made by combining naam phrik phao with some garlic and Thai sweet basil. Can't go wrong with that combination, can you? So here you go!

Watch the master at work! And if you're following the gas vs coal saga, we still haven't done it.

Grilled Chicken Marinated in Naam Phrik Phao and Thai Sweet Basil

• 5 boneless, skinless chicken thighs (breasts will work okay too)
• 2 cloves garlic
• 2 tbs naam phrik phao
• 2 handfuls Thai sweet basil (use the stem and flowers too!)
• 4 tbs thin soy sauce or about 2-3 tbs regular soy sauce

When I grill thighs, I like to pound them to get them to a uniform thickness. Breaking down the meat fibers a little also allows the marinade to penetrate better, which means less marinating time. I definitely recommend doing this.

Make the marinating paste by pounding the garlic and Thai sweet basil. Transfer to a bowl and add the naam phrik phao and soy sauce. Mix well.

Add the paste to the chicken and rub it around to coat the chicken. Marinate for at least 3 hours in the fridge. Pounded chicken breasts need less time. One to 2 hours is probably sufficient for them. Take the chicken out of the fridge about 30 to 45 minutes before grilling to take the chill off. Grill over direct heat.

I served the chicken with Thai sticky rice. I also put out some sambal oelek, naam phrik phao and soy sauce for dipping.

Here are some other recipes using naam phrik phao that you may enjoy: Beef and asparagus stir-fry, stir-fry with naam phrik phao, Thai basil and coconut milk, shrimp and pomelo salad, and Thai hot and sour soup.

Here's How We City Folk Do It

Don't have the time or inclination to take your kid camping? Here's what you do:

1. Send your husband to the sporting goods store to buy the biggest, most obnoxious tent he can find.

2. Invite your kid's best friends, whose parents also happen to be your best friends, for an outdoor sleepover.

3. Get the kids all sugared up on smores and let them run around the backyard like a pack of wild animals. Your neighbors can live with the annoyance for just one night. (After all, you have to put up with their teenage kid and his garage band. Or the dog barking at all hours of the night. Or the girl next door, sitting out on the deck, recounting her *awesome* date last night. And it did sound awesome, if I was 24 again.)

4. Put the kids to sleep then let the adults drink lots of beer by the fire pit. Or if they prefer, play video games until the wee hours of the night.

5. Make the dads sleep outside with the kids while the mamas sleep on the cozy beds inside the house.

6. Make a hardy breakfast, preferably using cast iron skillets to get the full effect. Then send everyone home exhausted and declare the end of the camping season!

The instructions were basically useless. Or maybe they were wonderfully written and it was the user that was the problem?

It only took about an hour or so to put up the tent. And there was a minimum amount of cussing.

Just so you can get an idea how big our tent was. Everyone just ended up sleeping in ours.

Little angels. An hour earlier they were little devils.

No, that's not a woman with a beard! It's a tired daddy, who stayed up until 3:30AM playing video games. The first kid woke up at 6:15AM. HAHA.

Try getting 5 kids to sit still so you can take a picture. It is impossible.

Weekend Wokking Round-up is Here!

I know you've all been anxiously awaiting the Weekend Wokking round-up featuring tomatoes. Well, it's here! The submissions this month came from all over the globe and were wonderfully varied. Caprese salad from the Philippines, anyone? Or how about tomato and pork stir-fry from Serbia? So without further ado, here are the submissions:

Tomato Bread Salad submitted by Where's the Bubbler? (I love the story behind the name!) from Southern California. Fresh tomatoes tossed with herbs, red onion, ciabatta cubes and a lemon dressing. Along with Caprese salad, this has to be one of the best ways to enjoy tomatoes at their peak!




Tomato and Cheese Bake submitted by Heart and Hearth. Melted cheese atop a delicious tomato? And they're perfect with cocktails? Yes please!




Ketchup Prawns submitted by NoobCook. A dish that combines one of my favorite condiments with one of my favorite proteins?! In a stir-fry? I will definitely be trying this one soon!



Chicken Tomato Curry submitted by Tigerfish of teczcape-an escape to food. The combination of curry powder, sweet onions and tomatoes give this dish the perfect flavor combination--spicy and tangy.




Insalata Caprese submitted by Manggy of No Special Effects from the Philippines. What a wonderfully simple yet elegant dish. This is the way everyone wants to eat tomatoes when they are in season.



Vietnamese Stuffed Tomatoes submitted by Wandering Chopsticks from Southern California. What a delicious twist on stuffed tomatoes! I can almost taste the savory stuffing contrasting beautifully with the sweetness of the tomato. And a beautiful presentation leaving the stems on!




Ravioli "Caprese" submitted by sisters TS and JS of [eatingclub] vancouver from Vancouver, Canada. Who wouldn't love homemade ravioli stuffed with roasted tomatoes, basil and boccocini topped with balsamic reduction and herb infused oil??? Oh my goodness, this decadent dish could certainly make a girl swoon!




Egg and tomato submitted by gaga in the kitchen (I love that name!). In case you weren't aware, fried eggs with tomatoes is a Chinese dish. And I always thought this was a Thai dish because it was a standard in our house too. LOL Served over steamed rice, there's nothing easier and more comforting!




Stuffed Tomatoes submitted by Giz of Equal Opportunity Kitchen from Canada. This is the most creative presentation I've encountered for stuffed tomatoes. A fresh tomato stuffed with chicken salad. This is perfect summer fare.



Tomato Pork submitted by Palachinka. This dish sounds and looks like my kind of comfort food. Pork stir-fried with seasonal vegetables in a sauce of douchi (aka fermented black beans), garlic and tomato puree. Sounds perfect served with a bowl of steaming rice.



Tomato and Thai Eggplant Stir-fry submitted by Blazing Hot Wok. Fresh tomatoes are always best IMO, but it wouldn't be too hard to convince me to take them in this spicy-sweet yet savory stir-fry!



Thanks to all the participants! Please remember to link the round-up to your post.

Now for next month's secret ingredient....

Are you ready???

I think we're doing so well with the Nightshade family, let's stick with it. First the potato, then the tomato, and now it's EGGPLANT!!

I know you all have a special eggplant dish you want to share so get to it! Palachinka is hosting this month. Submissions should be sent to palachinkablog(at)gmail(dot)com by Sunday, August 31.

Indonesian-style Egg Noodles

A group of us at work have started an unofficial food club. The idea is to take turns “teaching” the others about any food-related topics in which we have experience. The topics can range from stir-frying, making cheese, canning, baking, using a pressure cooker—basically anything to do with food. It’s really fun because we get hands-on “demonstrations”, but it’s still very informal and social.



I volunteered to host the first meeting and the topic was stir-frying, of course! My goal was to cover technique as well as introduce some common Asian ingredients. I provided noodles, rice, tofu and all the sauces we were going to use. The attendees brought the other ingredients and their woks, if they had one. Bringing the woks worked out perfectly because we discussed the different materials and their advantages or disadvantages. I laid out a sample of all the sauces and special ingredients and allowed everyone to taste them. The only thing that scared the group a little was the fermented shrimp paste. Most of them passed on the taste test; the smell was quite enough!

Thai fermented shrimp paste. Some call it stinky. I prefer "odoriferous". It will keep indefinitely in the fridge. You may want to store it in a Ziploc bag for extra protection.LOL It's also used in Thai curry pastes. It's also a good substitute for Indonesian fermented shrimp paste.

The meeting turned out to be a success. Everyone enjoyed tasting the different sauces and how the flavors changed or complimented other ingredients in the final result. One person said she never tasted tofu before the meeting. She’d heard so many people say they didn’t like it, but she loved it. Yay! A convert! I love when that happens.

One of the dishes we prepared was Indonesian-style egg noodles. I chose this recipe because I wanted to demonstrate how to cook noodles in a wok and introduce some common ingredients in Indonesian food, namely kecap manis and fermented shrimp paste. After the taste testing though, I was afraid to use the shrimp paste. The original recipe called for 1 tbs of the stinky stuff, but I brought it down to just ¼ tsp dissolved in water to give a total of 1 tbs. Turns out I shouldn’t have toned it down. Everyone liked the dish very much but agreed it could have used more of the shrimp paste flavor. We ended up sprinkling on fish sauce to make up for the lost umami.

I made the recipe again, this time using more shrimp paste, although not the entire 1 tbs, and it was really delicious. Kecap manis gave it sweetness as well a bit of saltiness. The shrimp paste shined! It came through to give a nice complexity and it was not fishy at all (although it was quite odoriferous when it hit the hot wok ☺). I recommend using it if you can get your hands on it. It’s available from any Asian market that sells SE Asian ingredients. If you can’t or don’t want to find it, fish sauce will compensate for some of the lost complexity, although it’s not quite the same.

Notes: The recipe calls for 1 pound fresh, thick egg noodles. They may be labeled yakisoba-style noodles. I couldn’t find any, so I used 8 oz Filipino dried egg noodles. They simply needed to be boiled for like 2 minutes, drained, rinsed in cold water and tossed with a little bit of oil to keep from sticking.

Hey manggy or Marvin, are the noodles actually called pancit canton? Or are they just trying to show these are the noodles to use for pancit canton? I'm kinda confused.

The original recipe called for topping with a fried egg, but I didn’t have any left after breakfast. How disappointing because the creamy yolk goes so well with the flavors and adds another texture. Otherwise there’s not any real protein in the dish. If you wanted, you could add tofu (which is what we did for the food club version) or chicken or shrimp.

Don’t forget the condiments, especially the fried onions! They add a wonderful textural component. I prefer to use an Asian brand, but Trader Joe’s fried onions are also fine. I don’t like the texture of French’s fried onions. They bread them or something. I also always serve noodles with lime wedges, sambal oelek and of course fish sauce (I can't help it, I'm Thai!) so that people can adjust the taste to their liking.

Indonesian-style Stir-fried Egg Noodles
From The Food and Cooking of Indonesia and the Philippines
Serves 3 or 4

• 1 pound fresh thick egg noodle (or 80z dried noodles; see note above)
  
• 2 shallots, minced
  
• 3 spring onions, minced
  
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 to 2 tsp fermented shrimp paste (called belacan or kappi shrimp paste), dissolved in 1 tbs water
• 1 tbs tomato paste
• 2 tbs kecap manis
• 4 eggs, fried over easy or over medium for serving (optional, but highly recommended)
  
• fried onions for topping
• 1 or 2 scallions, finely sliced for garnish (optional)
  

If using dried noodles, prepare them first because they can be set aside. See note above about preparation.

Combine the mined herbs together in a small bowl. They will go into the wok together.

Dissolve the shrimp paste in water, making sure to break up the clumps. Don't fret about the smell. It will taste good!

Mix the tomato paste and kecap manis together until thoroughly combined. Set aside until needed.

In a wok over medium-high heat, add about 2 tbs oil (grapeseed, peanut or a vegetable oil are best). When hot, but not smoking, add the minced herbs and stir-fry until fragrant and softened, about 20-30 seconds or so. Don't let them burn! Add the shrimp paste and stir to coat the herbs. Fry for about 30 seconds. Add the noodles then the kecap manis sauce. Turn the noodles in the sauce. Make sure they are well-coated. I found that using tongs to turn the noodles works well. Just be careful not to smush the noodles. Adjust flavor with salt or fish sauce, if needed. When the noodles are heated through, they are done! Remove to a plate and keep warm while you fry the eggs (unless you are good enough to fry the eggs while stir-frying the noodles; I am not!).

Serve on individual plates, each portion topped with a fried egg and garnished with fried onions and/or thinly sliced scallions.