Meat on a Stick: Panang Cocktail Meatballs!

I just had a very fun night with an awesome bunch of women—all affiliated with Portland’s vibrant food scene! When my neighbor asked me to join them, I felt a little intimidated because I was going to be in the company of café owners, restaurant owners, caterers, chefs and photographers—you know, professionals. Women who know their stuff. I have to say, though, I was put at easy very quickly. Everyone was so friendly and it was fascinating to hear their stories. I came away with a lot of great information. Thank you so much to my neighbor for inviting me!



There was another reason I was feeling intimidated. Two words: appetizer potluck. What does a food enthusiast (=amateur) bring to a potluck for a bunch of women who know their stuff? What else but meat on a stick and dipping sauce, of course! Because professionals or no, everyone likes meat on a stick. And what's the fun of eating meat on a stick if you can't dip it in something?


Panang Cocktail Meatballs
serves a crowd (8 to 10)

• 2 lbs ground beef
• ¼ cup panang curry paste
• 2 eggs
• 3 tbs cornstarch
• 1 to 2 tbs fish sauce
• ½ to 1 tbs sugar
• 5 to 10 kaffir lime leaves, finely chopped
• Thai cucumber relish or sweet chili sauce for serving

To begin, set a large pot of water to boil. You may be wondering why? Because you are going to boil these meatballs. Boil meatballs!? Yes! And then you’ll stir-fry fry them. Sounds convoluted, I know, but trust me on this. When have I lead you astray?

You may cook the curry paste by frying it over low-medium heat in about a tablespoon of oil for about 5 minutes. This is not necessary, but it helps to enhance the flavor of the curry paste.

In a large bowl, scramble the eggs, then slowly add in the cornstarch and whisk until it’s well incorporated. Add in the curry paste, fish sauce, sugar and chopped lime leaves. Mix until you get a uniform mass. Mix in the ground beef and make sure it’s thoroughly incorporated. Form into mini-meatballs and plop them into the boiling water. They conveniently float to the top when they are cooked. Fish them out, drain them and let them cool, at least until they stop steaming.

One last step before you’re done! In an ideal world, I would grill these babies over low heat, but trying to start a fire in the rain is just stupid. The second best option is to stir-fry the meatballs to get a nice caramelized outside, while the inside remains moist. During the last minute of stir-frying, I drizzled in some sweet-sour glaze (simple syrup + rice vinegar, to taste) and chopped Thai basil (optional). Alternatively, you could use Thai sweet chili sauce. If you don’t feel like stir-frying you could just as easily stick them under a broiler for a few minutes, turning every so often, until they start to brown.

Serve stuck on skewers with accompanying dipping sauce.

Spicy Shrimp and Pomelo Salad

Could it be? Is Spring coming early this year? Today it was just above 60 F and I swear people were walking around in shorts. I spent the day working in my garden. The snow peas are planted. The cilantro is planted. I laid down landscaping tarp to control them pesky weeds. Here in Portland, they grow like nobody’s business and no matter how much elbow grease I put into it, after about a week of warm weather, my garden is overrun. I also started my indoor seeds. This year I’m growing my own Thai sweet basil and holy basil. I sure hope my kaffir lime tree comes back to life. I left it insulated outside because I didn’t have any place to put it inside. I guess I’ll know in a couple of months. I do know that my lemongrass is dead (sorry mom). They didn't make it despite the insulation.

While I was toiling away in my yard, I was daydreaming about the coming summer. I’m so looking forward to grilling and eating al fresco, my tomato harvest, and leaving my back door open to allow a gentle breeze to cool my house. And just because I'm tired of heavy winter food, I made a refreshing shrimp and pomelo salad for dinner today. I found the recipe in a Thai cookbook I got from Costco called The Food of Thailand (check out the thumbnail in the right sidebar). I bought it for the pictures, but wasn’t expecting too much from the recipes. However, I’ve been pleasantly surprised. I use it often for guidelines and inspiration.

You'll notice I listed a few things as optional because I didn't add them for one reason or another, but I still think the result was quite tasty. The sweet acidity of the pomelo goes so well with the spiciness of the dressing. And it takes no time to throw it all together. If you're a fan of Thai flavors, I think you'll enjoy this one.

Pomelo is the godfather of citrus fruits (as far as size goes). It's got a thick skin that's a bitch to peel, so I always cut it with a sharp knife. The taste is more mellow than a grapefruit. By that, I mean it's sweeter and less acidic. The difference between the two remind me of the difference between a lime and a regular lemon. If you like grapefruit, I'm positive you'll like pomelo. And if you're not a fan of grapefruit, give pomelo a try. You may be pleasantly surprised.

Pomelo and Shrimp Salad with Spicy Herb Dressing

• 2/3 to ¾ pounds medium shrimp, shelled and de-veined
• 1 pomelo
• ¼ large sweet onion, sliced into thin wedges
• ½ cup mint leaves, roughly chopped
• ¼ cup cilantro leaves, roughly chopped
• 1 tbs fish sauce
• 1 tbs naam prik phao
  
• 1 tbs fresh lime juice
• 1 tsp brown sugar
• Thai chilies split lengthwise, to taste (optional)
• 3 tbs unsweetened (!!) shredded coconut, toasted (optional)
• 1 tbs crispy fried shallots or onions (optional)

Set a medium pot of water on for the shrimp. When it comes to a rapid boil, add the shrimp and allow them to simmer for 2 to 3 minutes (adjust the heat if necessary to keep it at a simmer). Resist the urge to stir the shrimp. Just let them poach away gently. When they’re done, drain them and dunk them in cold water to stop the cooking. Drain them again and put them in the fridge until needed.

It’s easiest to peel the pomelo using a sharp knife. Try to remove as much of the pith as possible, since it can be quite bitter. Cut the segments free and reserve them in a bowl.

In another small bowl, combine the fish sauce, naam prik phao, lime juice and sugar. Stir to dissolve the sugar. You want a uniform mixture. Adjust the taste by adding more fish sauce, lime juice or sugar.

To assemble the salad, combine the onion, chili, mint, cilantro and toasted coconut in a large mixing bowl. Add the shrimp and pomelo (but not the accumulated juices). Spoon a couple of tablespoons of the dressing on top and stir gently. Taste and add more dressing if you like. Lastly, top with the fried onions, if using. Serve immediately, alone or with lettuce or cabbage leaves for wrapping.

Grandma's Visit is Worth 2 or 3 Pounds

Mom arrived last Tuesday and commandeered my kitchen. Part of me is a bit annoyed because I can’t find anything and there’s been a constant aroma of Thai food in my home, and I suspect, on my clothing. Oh, and I’ve gained 3 pounds. Truthfully though, most of me is not annoyed because I haven’t eaten this well since I left home in 1993. In six days I’ve eaten red curry, pad Thai, thom kha gai, Issan sausages, fishcakes, fried mackerel, som tom, fried rice, sticky rice with mango, naam prik kapi with various veggies, and chicken satay. Unfortunately, she didn’t want to be photographed in action, and I didn’t photograph most of the food, but I did manage to get the chicken satay. And yes, it tasted as good as it looks.

Chicken Satay

• 3 Asian shallots (or 1 large French shallot), roughly chopped
• 5 cloves garlic
• 4 coriander roots roughly chopped
• 1 knob ginger, approximately the size of an adult thumb, sliced
• 1 tbs ground coriander
• 1tbs ground cumin
• 1 tbs madras curry powder (or yellow curry paste)
• 2 tbs soy sauce
• 1 large can coconut milk, cream removed and reserved
• 2 tbs sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• 2-3 lbs pork sirloin, tenderloin or chicken, sliced for skewering
• 1 portion peanut sauce (recipe follows)
  

Mom doesn’t own a food processor, so she chops everything small, then pounds the hell out of it in a mortar. I don’t have the patience for that so I use a food processor. Your choice, but honestly, the result will be the same. In a food processor, combine the shallots, garlic, coriander roots and ginger. Pulse until you have a uniform paste. In a large Ziploc bag, combine the paste and other ingredients. Marinate in the fridge overnight. An hour before grilling, thread the meat onto skewers. Pour the marinade over the skewers and a set aside until ready to grill.



Peanut sauce

• 1 cup roasted, unsalted peanuts, roughly chopped or pulsed in a food processor
• 5 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 knob ginger about the size of an adult thumb, crushed or grated
• 1 tsp massaman or yellow curry paste
• chilies, to taste, crushed or sliced
• reserved coconut cream from above + 1 small can coconut milk
• salt or fish sauce (or both) to taste
• 1-2 tbs sugar, to taste

In a wok (preferred) or small sauce pan, add about 1 tbs peanut or vegetable oil. When hot (but not smoking), add the ginger, garlic, chilies and curry paste. Saute until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the reserved coconut cream slowly down the sides of the wok. It will spit and spatter, but not too violently. Allow the mixture to cook at medium heat for 5 minutes or until the oil starts to separate out. Stir frequently to prevent burning. Add the peanuts and coconut milk, sugar and salt. Allow to simmer. The oil should continue to separate. Stir frequently to prevent burning. If it looks like this, you’re done.

There’s no doubt this sauce has a lot of oil, mostly due to the coconut milk. If you let the sauce sit for a bit in a bowl, a lot of the oil will rise to the top and you can skim or pour it off.

Thai Fried Fish Cakes (updated!)

It’s funny, some of the stuff kids will eat. They are notorious for being picky, and mine is no exception. For example, he will not eat cheese on a hamburger, but will devour a whole block of sharp cheddar during snack time if I let him. He’ll eat asparagus and green beans, but won’t touch peas. When his teacher asked him what his favorite foods are, he said broccoli, macaroni and cheese, chicken on a stick (chicken sate), sticky rice and (Thai) fishcakes. It made my Thai heart melt (and mouth water!).

Thai fried fish cakes with deluxe cucumber dipping sauce! Picture courtesy of Hubby.

If you haven't tried Thai fried fish cakes, you're missing out. They’re usually served as fancy appetizers here in the States, but in Thailand, they are a common street food. The vendor normally has a big wok filled with hot oil, so they can be fried fresh to order. They’re served in a plastic bag along with a little bag of dipping sauce and a long toothpick to eat them.

There’s nothing hard about making fishcakes at home, if you have a food processor. Frying them up is quick too. They probably only take about 3 minutes a batch (so I recommend having all the patties made before you start frying). This recipe makes quite a few cakes, perfect for serving at large gatherings. They can also be frozen after they are fried.

Thai Fishcakes

• 2 lbs white fish cut into cubes (bones removed), such as tilapia, sole or cod
• 3 tbs cornstarch
• 2 tbs fish sauce
• 2 eggs
• ½ bunch cilantro
• 2 tbs Thai curry paste (red is traditional, but green or yellow is fine)
• 3-4 kaffir lime leaves, finely sliced
• 4 green onions, finely sliced
• ¼ cup Chinese green beans, finely sliced (regular green beans are fine too)
• oil for deep frying
• dipping sauce (recipe follows)

Throw the curry paste, lime leaves, and cilantro into a food processor and pulse until uniform. Add the fish, fish sauce and eggs and process until it forms a uniform, smooth mixture. There should not be any chunks of fish and the mixture will be sticky. Add the cornstarch and pulse until it is well incorporated. Transfer the mixture to a large mixing bowl. Add the green onions and green beans and mix well. Form into small patties. I usually use 1 tbs worth of mixture for each patty, which results in about 50 appetizer-sized cakes.

In a wok over medium-high heat, add enough oil to for deep-frying. When it’s hot (check by dropping a small piece of fish mixture in), add the fish patties. Don’t crowd them. Fry on one side until golden, then flip them. They should puff up and take on a nice brown color. Remove with a spider and drain on paper towels or cooling rack. Serve with dipping sauce.

Dipping sauce

• ½ cup white sugar
• ½ cup water
• ¼ cup rice vinegar
• 1 tbs fish sauce
• sambal oelek or chili-garlic sauce, to taste
  
• ¼ cup seeded cucumber , chopped
• 2 tbs shallot (preferably Asian), thinly sliced
• 2 tbs chopped cilantro
• chopped peanuts (optional), to taste
  

In a small saucepan, bring the sugar, water and rice vinegar to a boil. Reduce the heat a little and simmer for about 5 minutes or until it starts to get a little thick. Turn off the heat, add the fish sauce and sambal oelek. Cool to room temperature then add the cucumber and onion.

They're Called Postickers, Man

Potstickers, goyoza (gyoza), pan-fried dumplings…whatever you want to call them, I love them all. I just don’t love making them. The filling is easy enough to throw together, but wrapping is sooo tedious. The one good thing is I can make a gazillion in one sitting and freeze them.

Spinach and Pork Potstickers

• ½ bunch fresh spinach, cleaned and finely chopped
• 2 scallions, finely chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 egg
• ¾ to 1 pound ground pork
• 1 pack goyoza wrappers
• 1 scrambled egg for egg wash

Mix all the filling ingredients in a large bowl. Spoon about 2 tsp filling into each wrapper, brush the edges with egg wash, and fold into half moons (or triangles if you have square wrappers).

There’s a few different ways to cook these bad boys. Do it any way you like. Here’s how I do it. Bring a large pot of water to boil. Add the goyoza and boil them for about 3- 4 minutes. Drain and toss them IMMEDIATELY with a little oil. At this point, you can freeze the ones you aren’t planning on eating. Put them in a single layer on a lined cookie sheet and stick them in the freezer. When frozen, they can be thrown into a Ziplock bag. Oh, and take care not to drop them all over the dusty basement floor as you pull them out of the freezer.

In a skillet over medium-high heat, add a thin layer of oil and then the goyoza. Fry until a crust forms on each side. Serve with soy dipping sauce or sweet chili dipping sauce.

Soy Dipping Sauce

• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 1/4 cup rice vinegar
• 2 tbs packed brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp sambal oelek (optional)
• 2 tbs toasted sesame seeds (optional)

Sweet Chili Dipping Sauce

• ½ cup white sugar
• ½ cup water
• ¼ cup rice vinegar
• 1 tbs fish sauce
• 1 tsp sambal oelek

In a small saucepan, bring the sugar, water and rice vinegar to a boil. Reduce the heat a little and simmer for about 5 minutes or until it starts to get a little thick. Turn off the heat, add the fish sauce and sambal oelek. Cool to room temperature before serving.

I'm Day Dreaming about Sausage

I’ve been craving a certain type of Thai sausage that’s spicy and sour. I’ve never seen it on a menu here in the States, but it should be. Fortunately, there is a Thai woman my mother knows who can make these incredible sausages. Unfortunately, it’ll be 10 more days before I visit home and get my sausages.

In the meantime, I’ve decided to try my hand at sausage making. I’ve never used casings, and quite frankly, I’m a little intimidated by them. So I did a steamed sausage wrapped in foil. Easy and no mess!

Homemade Thai-inspired Sausage

• 2 green onions, finely chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 bunch cilantro, finely chopped
• 6 kaffir lime leaves, finely chopped
• 1 ½ tbs fish sauce
• 2 tsp sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 pound ground chicken or pork (I used a mixture of the two)

In a large bowl, mix all the ingredients well. Split the mixture in 2 or 4, depending on the size of the sausages you want.

Lightly oil pieces of aluminum foil for rolling. To get the best shaped sausage use a flexible cutting board (or similar) to help you roll. It reminds me of rolling sushi. When you’re finished rolling, twist the ends shut. Place the sausages, seam side up, in a steamer set above boiling water. Steam for 15-20 minutes (if you don’t have a steamer that can fit the sausages, throw them into 375º for about 20 minutes). At this point, the sausage is done and can be served (let it sit for 5-10 minutes before opening and slicing). However, I like to pan fry them to give them a crispy outside.

Serve as an appetizer with dipping sauce* and lettuce leaves to wrap. Also makes a nice entrée with steamed white rice and your choice of veggie.

*My standard dipping sauce is 1 tbs fish sauce, 3 tbs rice vinegar, ½ tbs sugar and sambal oelek to taste.

I Dreamt about Hummus

I must have been spacing when I looked at a two-pound bag of dried chickpeas and decided that would be sufficient for a couple portions of hummus. I soaked all 2 pounds overnight and woke up to about 20 pounds of chickpeas. Even after making 3 different types of hummus and one portion of falafel, I had to freeze a few cups. I don’t know if that’s advisable; I guess we’ll see when I thaw them.

The basic hummus recipe I use comes from my first cookbook (and still one of my favorites). A couple variations include using sun-dried tomatoes and roasted sweet peppers.

Basic hummus recipe (from Moosewood Cookbook)

• 3 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
• handful of Italian parsley
• 2 green onions, roughly chopped
• 3 cups cooked chick peas (about 2 cans worth)
• 6 tbs tahini
• 6 tbs lemon juice (or more to taste)
• 1 tsp salt (or more to taste; probably less if using canned)

If you want to use dried chick peas, they must be soaked overnight first. Then boil them in plain water. DO NOT add salt, otherwise the chickpeas will not get tender. I learned this the hard way.

Put all the ingredients in a food processor and blend until you have a smooth paste. If the paste is too dry, you can add a little water or olive oil while it’s blending. I like to add a drizzle of olive oil, a squeeze of lemon and a dash of cayenne just before serving.

Variation #1: add 1 cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes (the kind stored in oil).

Variation #2: add 2 roasted red, orange or yellow bell pepper. I don’t recommend green, as they aren’t as sweet. Sometimes I buy roasted bell peppers in a jar, but I occasionally do it myself because I have a gas range top. I put the peppers directly on the burner and allow each side to char. It takes maybe 10 minutes. The I throw the peppers into a large Ziplock bag and allow to cool enough to handle. The skin then peels right off. Remove the seeds before using.

Laab (updated!)

Laab is a type of salad made from ground meat (usually pork, chicken, duck or even tripe) and fresh herbs. Some Thai restaurants in America serve this dish semi-wet, but actually it’s supposed to be fairly dry, which makes it perfect for eating with sticky rice.

Photo added December 2008. Serve laab with cabbage leaves, lettuce leaves or Thai sticky rice.

This dish was adapted from a Thai cookbook (see right sidebar)I purchased at Costco. The book has beautiful pictures, but I didn’t have high expectations for the recipes. That’s because it was cheap and I’m always comparing recipes with mom’s home cooking. However, the few recipes I’ve tried are very good and this is definitely a keeper.

Ingredients:

• 1 tbs Thai glutinous or jasmine rice
• 10 oz pork or chicken, coarsely ground*
• 3 tbs lime juice
• 1 tbs fish sauce
• 2 stalks lemon grass, whites only, finely sliced
• 5 kaffir lime leaves, finely sliced
• 4 green onions, finely chopped
• 2-3 tbs finely chopped mint, more to taste
  
• ¼ tsp palm sugar (or light brown sugar)
  
• salt, lime juice and fish sauce to taste

Toast the rice in a pan until it’s brown. Then use a mortar and pestle to grind it to the consistency of kosher salt, and set aside.

Combine the ground meat with the lime juice and fish sauce. Using a blazing hot pan (such as a cast iron wok), heat about 1 tbs vegetable oil and stir fry the meat until the juices are evaporated. I know this seems like a strange way to start, but it actually works to keep the dish dry while flavoring the meat. Remove from heat and let it sit for a few minutes to cool. Drain away any cooking liquid before mixing the cooked meat with the spices. Adjust seasoning with salt, lime juice and fish sauce if desired. Sprinkle with ground rice, to taste.

*I find that pre-ground meat is often too “wet” so when I cook it, even in a blazing hot wok, it will release juices and won’t brown properly. I prefer to grind the meat myself. That way I can use the cut of meat I want and I can get the texture I want. It’s easy to do; you’ll only need a super sharp kitchen knife. Dice the meat into small cubes, then chop like you would parsley. Stop when you get the desired texture. Alternatively, you could put the diced meat in a food processor and pulse a few times, until you get the desired texture. For this dish, pork butt or skinless, boneless thigh meat are best because they are just fatty enough, but leaner cuts of meat will work fine. I do not recommend beef.