Happy Holidays!

Hope everyone had a Merry Christmas! We were traveling on Christmas day, which turned out to be a better experience than I expected. No rushing around and fighting crowds. Our flight was only delayed 10 minutes. All in all a pleasant experience.

The one thing I love about coming to visit Mom is her home cooking. She makes all my favorites, and this time was no different. In fact, it was even better because my relatives from back East (Michigan, not the Far East, that is!) were here too.

As usual, when the family gets together, the cooking and eating was an all-day affair. It started with breakfast. Then a snack. Then lunch. Then another snack. And finally dinner. My family could put the Greeks to shame.


Here's how it went down today:

My nephew was in charge of breakfast. We had sticky rice, Thai-style omelet and Isaan sausages. The perfect way to start the day, if you ask me.

Sonny really loved this omelet. It was "stuffed" with tomatoes, onions, and cilantro and of course seasoned with fish sauce. The edges were extra crispy, due to just the right amount of oil and the right amount of heat.

These sausages traveled all the way from Michigan. Please tell me it's not just my relatives that carry pork products in their luggage??

Mom called in her friend, who is a tod mon (fried fish cake) specialist. Here she's chopping long beans to put into the fish batter.

I was in charge of making the cucumber sauce for the fried fish cakes. I give a basic recipe with my fish cake recipe, but this is the deluxe version. It's got cucumber, Asian shallot, cilantro and toasted peanuts.

These fish cakes were super delicious. Wonderful snacking food.

My cousin's job was to prepare the ingredients for som tom (papaya salad).

Som tom Thai.

Mom in action.

Mom served the green curry with "Chinese" noodles, which is a common way to serve it.

I wonder what we'll cook up tomorrow?!

More Snow in Portland!

I think I should change the focus of this blog to food and weather. What do you think?

We thought we got a lot of snow earlier this week? Ha! Last night we got a few inches of beautiful powder. Turns out it was actually a little ice on top of powder. Terrible to drive in but great for sledding.

[Side note: this was what winter looked like the in Reno, where I started college. Coming from the desert, I was not at all prepared for snow. The windshield fluid (water) in my car froze and my keyholes froze more than once. I was actually 1 hour late to a physics final because I couldn't get my car door open! But by the time I left Reno, I could put chains on with my eyes shut.]

This is what I saw when I woke up this morning. Gave me a warm and fuzzy feeling.

Child labor

Worker on strike. Note to self: still need to get Hubby a real snow shovel.

Child worker turned bossy supervisor. "Faster, Daddy!"

Look how cute this kid is!

Hubby took this picture yesterday. There was double as much snow today.

For our dinner, I made a pot of tom yum soup with mushrooms. With a bowl of steamed jasmine rice, it made a filling, warming meal. And it took all of 30 minutes!

Regional Recipes Round-up #3: T'is the season for Thai food!

I was really excited when Wandering Chopsticks picked Thailand for this round of Regional Recipes. People always say they love Thai food but confess they rarely make it at home, so I hoped this would encourage them to try.

Even though I grew up eating Thai food, preparing it has been a learning process for me. Two reasons: 1) I grew up on Isaan food, which is a cuisine from the northeastern region of Thailand. It's nothing like the food found in most Thai restaurants here in the US, although I've seen more Isaan dishes being offered than in the past. 2) I wasn't very good at paying attention when mom cooked. It wasn't until I was married and living far from my parents that I realized I should have paid more attention. Luckily, I can call mom up whenever I need to and get tips and advice.

Thai green curry is one of my favorite foods. It's the first thing I learned to make after I left my mom's house. It took many (many!) tries, but I think it's almost as good as mom's. Almost.

You certainly don't have to grow up eating Thai food to be good at preparing it. You just have to practice. Sure some of the ingredients can be hard to find, but why not start simple? Hells, at my local Safeway, I can find fish sauce, coconut milk, curry pastes, lemongrass, fresh mint and peanut sauce. With these basic ingredients, you could bang out half of the submissions in this round of Regional Recipes!

Of course, I encourage you to visit your local Asian market for a larger selection. Most big cities have supermarkets that sell ingredients from several SE Asian countries, so you're sure to find fresh Thai herbs and sauces. For the basic Thai pantry I recommend red and green curry pastes, fish sauce, naam prik pao, Thai oyster sauce, palm sugar, coconut milk, tamarind paste (or block, my preference) and thin soy sauce. If you live away from a major city, then the Internet is probably your best bet.

Thai eggplant is usually available at Asian markets that sell SE Asian ingredients.

Thai food is highly aromatic due to the use of fresh herbs. You'll have to visit a store that sells SE Asian herbs, but it's well worth the visit. I recommend you pick up kaffir lime leaves (can be used in place of the zest), galangal, lemongrass, chili and Thai basil (there are 2 varieties, but the sweet basil is usually what's available). If you're worried about the perishability of the herbs, I wrote a post on how to store them. The only one you won't be able to keep more than a few days is the basil. It has to be used fresh.

I highly recommend getting yourself a large mortar for making spice pastes and som tom. Mom gave me this one years ago.

Enough rambling. Shall we get on to the submissions?

Gai Hor Bai Toey (chicken in pandan leaves) from Thip of Bonbini! Pandan is a wonderful flavor often used in Thai desserts. As Thip says, pandan is as important to Asians as vanilla is to Westerners. It can also be used in savory dishes. Unfortunately it can be difficult to find, and that's probably why this dish isn't seen more in Thai restaurants in the US. Too bad really, because this chicken is awesome! It's marinated overnight in a flavorful mix, steamed in the leaves and finally fried to a golden color. The picture speaks for itself!



There are two dishes that bring back memories of home. The first is green curry and the second is laab. This "meat" salad is the perfect example of Isaan-style Thai food. The basic ingredients include ground meat, mint, lime, chili, fish sauce and toasted rice powder. Other herbs, such as cilantro, lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves, scallions and garlic can be added to taste. It's really quite simple, but yet so flavorful. People must agree, because I got two submissions for this dish.

Laap from Kits Chow. KC has used ground pork and added kaffir lime leaves, cilantro and shallots.


Larb from Wandering Chopsticks. Here WC has used ground turkey and garlic in the sauce. The crunchy, sweet cabbage leaves are a perfect textural and flavor accompaniment for this salad. I also like it with Thai sticky rice.




Pla phad phrik khing from Mark of No Special Effects. Red curry is a must in any Thai pantry. Not only is it used in the popular Thai red curry, but as a main seasoning component in a wide variety of dishes. Here it's used to spice up fried fish and green beans, and I can tell you this is a wonderful combination.



Gai Hor Bai Toey (chicken in pandan leaves) also from No Special Effects. Mark's on a roll! He also made chicken in pandan leaves. His version is a little different from Thip's, but I'm positive it's just as tasty. I mean, just look at it! And not a bad wrapping job for a first timer :-).



Gai pad grapow (Thai chicken and basil stir-fry) from Heart and Hearth. Whenever I go out to eat with people who are unfamiliar with Thai food (are there any left??), I always recommend this dish. It can be as spicy or as mild as you like and the Thai basil just shines. It also turns out to be quite simple to make at home with very little fuss. I guarantee it will be a hit!




Boo-jah (crab cakes) from Mary of One Perfect Bite. It's crab season and what better way to use fresh crab than to make these crab cakes? These tasty treats are made with crab and pork seasoned with cilantro and garlic. Served with a spicy dipping sauce, they make the perfect appetizer for any holiday get together.



Thai fried chicken from [eating club] Vancouver. Colonel Sanders has got nothing on this chicken! It's marinated in garlic, cilantro, oyster sauce and fish sauce then fried to a golden crisp. Now tell me, who could resist that?

Spicy Pork Stir-fry (pad phet muu) from me. Didn't I say red curry paste was indispensable in the Thai pantry? Here it's used with Thai chili paste (naam prik pao, another Thai pantry must!) and/or fresh chilies. Again it's the Thai basil that really stands out. If you're a fan of Thai flavors and you like it spicy, this is the dish for you!



Thank you to all who participated in this round of Regional Recipes! I think we were able to show that delicious Thai food can be made at home.

Where do we go from here? I know you're dying to know.

Bust out your beret because we're going to FRANCE!

The host this next round is Susan of Open mouth, insert fork. Please read the Regional Recipes guidelines and be sure to send submissions to Susan at susancarrier(at)sbcglobal(dot)net by January 15th. If you have participated in the past and would like to host a future round, please let me know and I will add you to the list.

Why do they call it monkey bread anyways?

Seriously, where did the name monkey bread come from? Because to me, these are sticky buns.



I'm no baker, so when I say this is one of the easiest things to bake, you know I mean it.

The bread is a buttermilk biscuit, which means you could buy them. It doesn't get much easier than that. But if you have a food processor, you could start from scratch and it will come together in 5 minutes. I used this recipe, which I found on Food Network a while back. All I do is put the dry ingredients in the processor with the shortening (butter works well too) and pulse 3 or 4 times until you get the butter incorporated. I add the buttermilk while the machine is running. It's done when the dough comes together. I never bother to roll out the dough. I just pinch off a small ball and shape it with wet fingers into a rough disc about 1/2 inch thick. For the monkey bread, make the discs about 1/4 inch thick. If you're going to use a standard sized bundt pan (7 to 9 inches), you'll need to double or even triple the biscuit recipe. I did not double the recipe and was able to squeeze out 5 mini bundt pans. After you shape the discs, set the dough in the fridge to keep it cold while you make the sauce for the monkey bread.

The recipe for the monkey (or gorilla) bread is here. It's also from FN. I did both. Sonny liked the monkey because he's not crazy about nuts (I used pecans). I liked the cream cheese in the gorilla version. Both are good. The only thing I would do differently is put a layer of the sauce at the bottom of the pan. Since I didn't do that this time, I made more sauce to drizzle on top, but it's not the same because it doesn't soak into the bread. Another thing: don't pile the dough all the way to the top of your pan because the sauce will drip and muck up the bottom of your stove. The recipe says to bake for 30 minutes, but I suspect you may have to do it longer if using a standard bundt pan. For my mini bundts, I baked for 30 minutes and that was just right.

A Snow Day Post

This post isn't at all food related. It's more for the relatives and another chance for me to talk about the weather (another one of my strange interests).

We got our Christmas tree on Saturday. Sonny picked out it out and it's the largest tree we've ever had. The trunk barely fits in the stand and the star at the top touches the ceiling. But it's a beaut and Sonny is very proud of it. Did I mention it only cost $15?!

We're pretty simple when it comes to tree trimmings. No blinking lights, tinsel or fuzzy garland. Many of the ornaments were made by me years ago, and you can tell when you inspect them closely. Luckily, pictures on the Internet are more forgiving.




This is what we woke up to on Sunday morning. It's not so much the snow that's remarkable. Portland gets one or two days of snow a year, although they say this is supposed to last all week. More interesting is the temperature. The highs these next couple of days will be just below freezing, and the lows will be in the teens (something like -10 C!!). That's cold for us. Who wants to go out in that? Luckily today is a snow day, which means a free a day off for kids and some other people.

Clearly a useless endeavor, but Sonny had fun nonetheless. I'll have to remember to get Hubby a snow shovel for Christmas. I'm sure he'll be thrilled.

Who wants to bet it's going to be another snow day tomorrow?

Regional Recipes Thailand: Spicy Pork Stir-fry

Without my wok, I might starve.

Okay, so that may be a bit of an exaggeration, but I really do use my wok a lot.

I know I've already used this picture, but I really do love my wok and take every opportunity to show it off.

People probably think I learned the art of stir-frying (yes, it is an art!) from my mom. It’s a nice thought—culinary traditions being passed down from mother to daughter, preservation of traditional foodways and all that quaint stuff.

The truth is mom didn’t do much stir-frying. She’s from the northeastern part of Thailand, where the regional food (Isaan food) doesn’t rely heavily on the technique. Isaan food is really nothing like what you’d find at Thai restaurants in the US. It’s saltier, more sour and less sweet than other Thai food. It’s more about grilled meats and fish, sticky rice, and spicy dipping sauces. We ate a lot of meat and fish salads, fried eggs and omelets, simple soups and curries (usually without coconut milk). And let’s not forget the infamous pla ra, which is fermented fish, the juice of which is used to flavor just about everything. Mom always had a jar of it in a plastic bag, ripening, hidden way in the back of a cabinet. It’s quite an acquired taste, and if you didn’t grow up eating it, you may never acquire the taste for it. Of course Mom would occasionally make the more well known stir-fries, but I never really paid much attention when she did the actual cooking.

If I didn’t learn the art of wokking from my mother, then where?

I've been cooking for my own family for a few years, and I would do the occasional stir-fry, but it wasn't something I did often. That changed about 3 years ago, when a friend gave me a cast iron wok. That single event changed my life. Okay, another exaggeration, but it did change the way I cook. Being able to work with a well-seasoned cast iron wok was a real pleasure, so I used it often. Practice, practice, practice—that’s how I learned the art of stir-fry.

So I guess the moral of this story is that it doesn't matter how late you learn to cook or use a particular technique. With the right equipment and enough practice, anybody can become a good cook. I truly believe it!

Spicy pork with Thai eggplant

Pad phet (pronounced like pet) is a typical Thai stir-fry that’s fairly easy to make and the flavor is fantastic. It’s spicy (Hubby says I really need to emphasize this point, although I didn't think it was that spicy), due to red curry paste and either chili paste (naam prik pao) or fresh chilies. The chili paste is sweet-spicy. If you decide to use it, cut down on the sugar a bit. Mom prefers it with just the fresh chilies. In any case, the difference is minor and both will give tasty results.

A very delicious version of pad phet is made with deep fried catfish nuggets, but I wasn’t in the mood for deep frying this time. Instead I used pork, which is also very common, but chicken, or even tofu will do. My preferred vegetable is Thai eggplant, but green beans, bamboo shoots, green bell peppers, cabbage, and zucchini are also good choices.

This time I used bamboo shoots and cabbage.

Spicy Pork Stir-fry (Pad phet muu)
serves 3

• 12 oz pork (see note)
• 1 ½ tbs red curry paste
• 6 cloves garlic
• 1 tbs naam prik pao and/or fresh Thai chilies to taste
  
• 1 tbs palm sugar (light brown sugar is okay), more to taste
• fish sauce, to taste
• 8 to 10 Thai eggplants, quartered (or vegetable of your choice)
• leaves from one bunch Thai basil

Note: Pork belly is commonly used for this type of dish, but I prefer to use pork butt. It has just enough fat without feeling too fatty. If you’re more health conscious, then you’ll probably want to use something like sirloin or tenderloin.

Whenever I stir-fry with pork butt, I like to tenderize it in one of two ways. I slice it into approximately ½ inch steaks, use the tenderizing side of a meat mallet to pound it down by half, then slice it for stir-frying. The pounding helps break down the meat fibers a little so it’s not so tough. Another trick, when appropriate, is to roughly mince the pork by hand. Start by dicing it into very small cubes, then use a sharp knife to mince it roughly. This also works to tenderize the meat. Either of these methods is good for this dish.

In a mortar, pound the garlic, a handful of the basil leaves and chilies (if using) until you get a rough paste. If you don’t have a mortar, do it in a food processor or mince by hand. Mix this paste with the red curry paste in a small bowl. If you are using naam prik pao, mix that in too. Set aside until needed.

Get your wok nice and hot over high heat. Add about 2 tbs oil. When it’s hot, quickly fry the meat until it’s seared, but not cooked through. Remove it to a bowl, leaving as much oil in the wok as possible. If you are using pork butt, some of the oil should have rendered, and you probably don’t need to add more oil. If you don’t have any oil left, add about another tablespoon or two then add the Thai eggplants (or whatever vegetable you're using). Stir-fry them for about 1 minute, then add the spice mix. Continue cooking for about 1 minute, turning the vegetable to coat in the spice mix, then add about ½ cup water. Cover the wok and allow the eggplant to cook for about 5 minutes or until the eggplant is softened a bit (adjust time according to the vegetable you’re using). Add the sugar (if you used naam prik pao, add only about ½ of the sugar, as the chili paste already adds sweetness). Adjust the flavor with fish sauce and more sugar, if necessary. Add the meat back in and the rest of the basil. Cook just until the meat is cooked through, about another minute or two. Serve with steamed jasmine rice.

For other Thai or stir-fry recipes, check out the category links in the right side bar.

This is my submission to Regional Recipes, a blogging event that celebrates national/regional cuisine. This time we’re spotlighting Thailand. There's still time if you want to participate. I'm hosting this month and will accept entries until the 20th, which is when the round-up will be posted (sometime that evening). Send your entries to blazinghotwok(at)gmail(dot)com.