Regional Recipes Brazil Round-up

If you've been anxiously waiting for the Brazil round-up, I'm sorry it's late. There is a good reason, which you'll read about shortly, but first I want to get to the submissions. Let's get started!

Picadinho de porco (minced pork) submitted by Marisa of The Creative Pot. It has chorizo! Need I say more?




Brazilian-style salmon fish stew submitted by Joanne of Eats Well with Others. If you're looking for a fish stew with bold flavors and vibrant colors, look no further!




Brazilian-style empanadas submitted by me. Succulent shredded chicken, green olives and hearts of palm in a butter crust. Yum!



Thank you to Joanne and Marisa. They are such terrifically reliable participants and all around good people.

Before revealing the next region, I want to make a quick announcement about the future of Regional Recipes. I was worried that with my increasingly busy schedule, I would have to end the event, but I am happy to announce that Joanne of Eats Well with Others has agreed to take over as host and administrator. At some point, the event main page and round-ups will be available on her site. Until then, information is still available at the RR link above. I'm glad the event will continue and it will be in good hands. Thank you, Joanne!

WOW! This may be the last time I choose the region. I better make it good, huh? Let's do the Middle East. Joanne is going to be hosting. Send your submissions to her at jhbruno87(at)gmail(dot)com by 11:59 on February 28.

Pan-fried Japanese-style Mackerel

Before I lived in Denmark, I thought mackerel was used only in Asian cuisines, but it turns out the Danes and much of Scandinavia eat it as well.  (I also thought badminton was only popular in Asia, but it turns out the Danes are pretty good at that too.) I routinely bought the Danish smoked mackerel and ate it with Thai sticky rice and hot sauce. Hubby thought it was a strange combo at first, but he was easily converted. In turn, he introduced me to a product called Makrel Guf, which is mackerel in a tomato sauce not unlike Chef Boyardee tomato sauce. I know it sounds totally unappetizing, but spread atop Danish rye bread with a healthy squirt of mayonnaise, it was really quite tasty. It's been years since I've had it, and I do get a craving for it every once in a while. Maybe my in-laws would be so kind as to bring us a few cans the next time they visit?  

Mackerel is one of my favorite fish.  Some people don't like it due to the strong flavor, but that's exactly why I like it. Serving it to the kid can be an iffy proposition, but turns out, he liked it!  Yay!

This dish is flavorful (good way to get the kids to eat fish) and fast (hey, it's not French!).  I spread a miso mixture over the fish and pan fried it (great grilled too).  The only thing you need to be careful of is not to overcook this fish.  There's not much worse than overcooked mackerel. For an average filet, it only needs about 4 or 5 minutes, tops.   If you're not a fan of mackerel or can't get it where you are, try substituting with salmon.

Pan-fried Japanese-style Mackerel

Serves 2.5 people

• 2 mackerel filets 
  
• 1 tbs yellow miso
  
• 1/2 to 1 tsp sugar
  
• 1 tbs mirin
  
• 1 tsp grated ginger
  
• lemon or lime wedges for serving
  
• finely sliced green onion for garnish

Make the paste by combining the miso, sugar, mirin and ginger.  Rub it on the meaty side of the fish.  All that's left to do is pan fry the fish in a fairly hot pan with a little oil.  Start with the skin side down, then flip it for the last minute or so.  That's it!  Serve with Japanese rice and a (pickled) vegetable of your choice and/or a nice salad.

Fish, fish and more fish!

I hope you're not getting tired of hearing about my visit home to Las Vegas. Good! Because I have a little more I want to share.

It seems like every time I visit LV, there's a new fancy-schmancy casino opening and Mom always insists on taking me to see it. This time it was Steve Wynn's Encore. I think she was a bit disappointed I didn't want to go, but I'm just not into that sort of thing.

I wanted to go to a fish market instead.

I was in the mood for fish so I conned my 19 year old nephew into going to Seafood City, a Pinoy grocery and fish market. The selection was quite impressive. There were at least 20 fresh, fully intact types of fish available, labeled with where they were from and whether they were farmed or wild (if only I had brought my camera!!). In addition, there were live tanks with crab and a shrimp bar with a selection of fresh shrimp (some with heads! yay!). You pick the fish you want and bring it up to a counter for weighing. They will also clean and fry the fish for you, free of charge. (Fried smelt, anyone?)

Pompano are cute, aren't they? Especially when they're marinating in soy sauce, white pepper and lots (lots!) of garlic. They were simply fried to a crisp and eaten with sticky rice and dipping sauce.

Now, we get great seafood here in Portland, but the selection can be a bit limited. I had the opposite problem at Seafood City. I just didn't know what the hell to choose. Las Vegas is landlocked so everything was obviously shipped in, some from far away places. Made it kinda hard to choose local. I finally settled on a couple large streaked spinefoot and a few small pompano.

If one is called a spinefoot, then two would be spinefeet?? In any case, they were rubbed with a paste made of garlic, ginger, kaffir lime leaves, lemongrass and salt. Before we steamed them, mom doused them with a couple splashes of Healthy Boy mushroom soy sauce.

BTW, if you go to a place like Seafood City, you need to put on your poker face. Not because of any fishy smells. I was actually pleasantly surprised that it only smelled of the sea. But you may witness some unforgettable moments. Like when one customer dropped her fish on the floor, picked it up with her hands (completely unphased) and put it back in the plastic bag from which it fell. Or the other customer that tried to stuff a giant, fresh squid into a plastic bag that was not quite big enough. Apparently she didn't mind that the tentacles were splayed out in her cart, along with her other grocery items. It was simultaneously horrifying and hysterical. (Note to self: Never put fresh produce into a cart if it's not securely tied in a plastic bag. You never know who's been using the cart before you.)

What started out as a couple of fish dishes turned into a fish feast. In addition to the spinefoot and pompano we had fried mackerel courtesy of one of Mom's friends, shrimp fried rice and tom yum goong (which I made and Mom loved! yay!). Mom even made a delicious fish dip spiked with fermented fish juice! Yum!

Steamed spinefoot. The broth was awesome!

Bottom row: pompano. Top row: mackerel. People are always trying to do fish in some fancy way, but to me there's nothing better than crispy fried salted fish. I guess I'm just a country bumpkin :-)

When making tom yum, to prevent hard, rubbery shrimp, don't add them in until after you've added all the other ingredients and seasoned the soup to your liking. Turn off the heat and drop the shrimp in. Don't stir! Just put the lid on and wait about 5 to 7 minutes, then serve.

There's a fermenting fish in there! Mom used the juice to make a dip with fire roasted tomatoes, shallots, garlic, chilies and some fish meat. It really did taste a lot better than it sounds.

Shrimp fried rice for my stepdad. He doesn't eat much Thai food. Puzzling, huh?

And here are some final random pictures:

Grilled sticky rice. Thai sticky rice is steamed then cooked with coconut milk, sugar and salt. The rice is put into a banana leaf then grilled. This batch has a layer of taro (faintly purple), which is a little hard to see. My relatives brought these all the way from Michigan.

Mom called these Daughter-in-law eggs. It's fried eggs topped with a Thai-style sweet and sour pork stir fry. Apparently peas are the norm but she just used some left over veggie mix from Christmas dinner.

Another of Mom's friends missed our seafood extravaganza, but brought this over the following day. It was awesome! Crispy fried tilapia with a sweet, garlicky, spicy sauce. Better than what you can get at any restaurant!

Stir-fried bean sprouts don't sound very exciting, but this is a very flavorful dish. It has lots of garlic and simply seasoned with mushroom soy sauce and oyster sauce. This is more the type of simple stir-fry I grew up eating.

That's it! Hope you enjoyed seeing the type of Thai food we eat at home.

The Humbling Potato

If there is one vegetable that can evoke the biggest sense of uselessness in me, it is the potato. I just don’t know what to do with the damned thing beyond the standard boiling or mashing. For the last couple of weeks, I’ve been trying to come up with a dish to submit for Weekend Wokking that would showcase the potato in all its glory. I thought maybe I could do them up Asian-style, but there really weren’t many recipes that inspired me. The one Thai dish that I would have loved to do was massaman curry, but I’ve already done that (and you should too, if you've never had it). There was a Korean dish with potatoes and pork loin that briefly piqued my interest. And of course Indian spiced potatoes would have fit the bill. Yet I couldn’t motivate myself for either of these.


The thing about potatoes is that they're humble, almost too humble. They're never the star of the show, but can certainly save a meal. Think about it, if the main attraction sucks, like an over cooked steak or a dry pork chop, at least the potatoes will be satisfying. So with that in mind, I decided on an easy potato salad with smoked trout and dill. The smoked trout gave it a complex flavor and the dill added that extra bit of freshness. It’s the type of potato salad that brings a bit of sophistication to the humble potato.

Note: For this dish, I used just your average, run of the mill potatoes. They work just fine, but for a little more interest, try using unpeeled fingerlings or small new potatoes. Red potatoes would be very pretty as well.

Fresh smoked trout is difficult to find. So here’s a secret: use the canned stuff. I know some people would balk at this, but it worked beautifully. I got mine at Trader Joe’s, but any respectable brand will do. Just make sure it’s drained well before using. Dab it with paper towels or a clean kitchen towel, if necessary, to remove the excess oil and liquid.

Potato Salad with Smoked Trout and Dill

• Approx 1. 5 to 2 pounds potatoes, peeled, boiled and cooled
• 3 oz smoked trout (hot smoked salmon works beautifully as well)
• 1 to 2 tbs finely chopped sweet (red or white) onion
• 2 to 3 tbs chopped fresh dill
• 1 tbs mayonnaise
• 2 tbs sour cream (crème fraiche or crema will also do the trick)
• lemon or lime juice, to taste
• salt and pepper, to taste

In a bowl, combine the mayonnaise, sour cream and lemon juice. Add salt to taste and set the dressing aside until needed.

Depending on how you like your potato salad, dice or coarsely mash the potatoes. In a large bowl, combine the potatoes with the onion and dill. Add about 2/3 of the dressing and some salt. Gently mix the salad until well combined. Taste and adjust seasoning by adding more dressing, salt or lemon juice and pepper. Serve chilled.

I’m still going to submit this dish to Weekend Wokking, which was created by Wandering Chopsticks. Despite the name of the event, the submissions don’t need to be Asian or cooked in a wok. They just have to showcase the (seasonal) theme ingredient, which happened to be the potato this month. If you want to participate in the next round, visit White on Rice Couple to see the round-up and what they’ll choose as the theme ingredient. Once they announce the ingredient, you can send your delicious submissions to me for the August round-up. To see who else is hosting in the future, click here.

Added: Check out the round-up here.

Three-Flavors Fish

Here in the Portland area, we have a huge Asian supermarket called Uwajimaya. They offer an incredible variety of Japanese goods, as well as a decent selection of goods from other Asian countries. I’ve only been twice because it’s located in a suburb and I don’t get out that way very often. The times I did visit were quick trips to pick up specialty produce. They had a large enough selection, but half of their stock was wilted and just didn’t look that good.

Since I was in the neighborhood, I thought I’d just pop in to see if they had any good looking fish. This time I was pleasantly surprised. The produce still didn’t look spectacular, but the fish, meat and deli departments were very impressive. How I didn’t notice the live fish tanks before is baffling because they take up a large portion of the back wall. They had 4 or 5 different whole fish to choose from as well as filets of sushi-grade fish. In their tanks, there were mussels, clams, oysters, crab and lobster. I’ve yet to see a live crab at any other supermarket in Portland. Their meat department was very well stocked: pork belly, pork shank (with skin!), and kalbi cut beef short ribs. I noticed most of the meat was NW raised and natural, meaning no hormones or antibiotics. The deli department was my favorite part. No potato wedges or chicken strips to be found, thank goodness! There was roasted whole duck, dim sum, several different pickled vegetables and several different fish cakes. I was in paradise.

Many of you are probably rolling your eyes at my enthusiasm. The thing is, Portland really doesn’t have a big Asian population, so we don’t have an overabundance of retailers that cater to our preferences. I have a market for my everyday foods, but to have a place where I can go to get fresh, whole fish or kalbi-cut beef without having to special order is awesome. I left Uwajimaya with a whole tilapia, pork shank, a couple of different pickled vegetables, fresh turmeric, and fresh BBQ pork buns.

I was particularly excited about the fish because I’ve been wanting to make 3-flavors fish. You’re probably more familiar with it being called fried fish in chili-garlic sauce or something like that. The three flavor components are sweet, sour and salty, which are the result of (palm) sugar, tamarind or lime juice and fish sauce. Chilies are the bonus. This is one of my favorite “special occasions” dishes. Mom never made it, but her friend was a master at it and always brought it to special gatherings at their temple. I always thought it would be hard to make, but turns out it’s as easy as pie, and I mean that literally.

Now, I’m not one of those crazy purists that will berate someone if they deviate from the traditional. For this dish, that would mean deep-frying the entire fish then ladling the sauce over. If you can’t find a whole fish, use filets, preferably with skin. I’m not shy about deep-frying, but if you prefer, you can pan-fry the fish or even steam it (gasp!). Of course, steaming is the healthiest, but there’s going to be a little compromise in flavor and a lot in texture. However, the sauce is so flavorful, the end result will still turn out tasty. I promise.

3-Flavors Fish
serves 3 to 4

• 1 large whole white fish (pompano, red snapper, sea perch, tilapia, etc), cleaned and de-scaled
• flour for dusting
• salt and white pepper for seasoning
• 5 cloves garlic, minced
• chilies, to taste, split lengthwise
• 1 shallot, minced
• 1 bunch cilantro, including stems, finely chopped
• 5 tbs tamarind puree (see note)
• 3 tbs fish sauce
• 2-3 tbs sugar, to taste
• oil for deep-frying or pan-frying

Note: Tamarind puree can be bought ready made but I prefer to make it myself from the big, condensed blocks. The blocks keep in the fridge in a Ziploc bag for months. To make the puree, add 4 oz of the tamarind block to 1 cup boiling water and let it sit for about 10 minutes to loosen the tamarind. Use a fork to help loosen it and stir it around. You’ll get a thick mixture with tamarind membrane and pits. Strain the mixture, pushing down on the pulp to push as much of the liquid and pulp through the strainer. Discard the solids. The puree can be stored in an airtight container for a couple of days. It’s also good for use in cocktails in place of sweet and sour mix (add simple syrup to taste). Try it and you’ll see!

Start by heating the oil to fry the fish. Depending on whether you plan on deep-frying or pan-frying, it may take a few minutes.

In a bowl, mix the tamarind puree, fish sauce and sugar. Taste and adjust seasonings if necessary. Set aside until needed. Stir before use to make sure the sugar is dissolved.

Before cooking the fish, score it a couple of times on each side. Season it well with salt and white pepper and let it sit for a couple of minutes. Dredge the fish in flour and shake off the excess. Fry the fish for about 10 to 12 minutes, flipping halfway through if the fish isn’t submerged. I didn’t flip my fish, even though it wasn’t completely submerged. I just continually ladled the oil over the top, old school style. When it’s crispy and done, drain on a rack set over a sheet pan. I don’t recommend draining on paper towels because the underside of the fish will get soggy.

I must admit, that thing looks a little creepy with its eye staring off into space.

In a saucepan or small frying pan over medium-high heat, add about 2 to 3 tablespoons of the oil used to fry the fish. Add the shallot and chilies and fry for about 1 minute. Add the garlic and the cilantro and fry for about 20 to 30 seconds (but don’t let the garlic burn). Add the tamarind mixture and stir until it thickens, about 1 minute. Taste one last time and adjust seasonings if necessary. Plate the fish and ladle a little of the sauce over the fish and serve the remaining sauce on the side. Serve with steamed jasmine rice.

Sweet-Salty-Spicy Fish

It was fish night around these parts again and I decided to make something I haven't had in a long (very long) time. You've probably seen it called something like Deep fried Fish with Thai Basil and Chilies. That name tells you very little about the dish. Traditionally, a whole fish (like pompano) is deep fried then quickly turned in a sauce made from red curry paste, sugar, fish sauce and Thai sweet basil. The result is deliciously balanced...sweet, spicy and salty in every bite.

Thai sweet basil has a very distinctive taste. Some say it has an anise flavor. I encourage you to try it side by side with regular basil to see for yourself. BTW, you can use the flowers too!

I've adapted the recipe to cut down on the prep mess and to use what I could find at my local grocer. Here in Portland, despite being known for having access to some of the best seafood in the country, I can usually only find whole trout. I’m not crazy about that fish. Instead, I thought of using a fish fillet with skin, which basically leaves only salmon. Mom, who is a traditionalist, was a bit horrified when I told her I used salmon, but it turned out great.



Fish with Thai Basil and Chilies

• 1 whole fish (cleaned) OR 1 pound fish fillet with skin, de-scaled (pompano, tilapia, red snapper, perch or even salmon will work)
• ¼ cup Thai basil leaves, well dried
• 2 to 3 Thai chilies split lengthwise, seeds and membranes removed (optional)
  
• ½ to 1 tbs red (green okay too) curry paste (store-bought is fine, or see recipe below)
• 2 tbs fish sauce (start with 1/2 tbs if using store-bought curry paste)
• 2 tbs brown sugar
• 3 tbs water
• 3 kaffir lime leaves, julienned (optional)

When using fish fillets, pan searing works well. For this task, some people swear by non-stick. I always use cast iron. Whatever you use, it should be able to stand high heat.

Brush the fish with oil on both sides (vegetable or peanut is best). You could even spray the fish with cooking spray if you prefer. When your pan is nice and hot (I mean very hot), put the fish in it, skin side up. Don’t be tempted to rotate the fish. Just let it sear for about 2 or 3 minutes (longer may be necessary for thicker fillets). It needs to form a nice crust; otherwise it will stick to the pan. Flip the fillets and finish frying, skin side down, until done to your liking. We like our salmon a little pink in the center with crispy skin. Remove from the pan onto a plate, with the skin side up to keep it crispy. Keep warm.

Make the sauce (and heat the wok) while cooking the fish. In a small bowl, add the fish sauce, sugar and the water. Stir to dissolve the sugar. Set aside until ready to use.

Heat a wok over high heat until very hot. Add about 1 to 2 tbs oil (peanut or vegetable; no olive oil!) and push it up the sides of the wok. Add the dry basil leaves (be careful because they will spatter, no matter how dry they are). Let them fry, without stirring for about 30 seconds. When crispy, remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Do the same with the chilies.

To the hot oil left in the wok, add the curry paste. Fry, stirring constantly, for about 30 seconds. Add the sauce mix. It should begin to caramelize immediately. Stir to dissolve the curry paste. Add 1 or 2 tbs more water if the mixture gets too thick too fast. Taste and adjust with more fish sauce if necessary. Lastly, add the fish and coat it with the sauce, carefully flipping once. Remove from heat and serve immediately garnished with the julienned kaffir lime leaves, fried basil leaves and chilies and a side of steamed jasmine rice.



Store-bought paste is fine, but I feel homemade paste gives the sauce a little more texture. You can also make it as spicy as you like, and it won’t contain all the salt found in the store-bought stuff. It may seem like a bit of work, but you’ll have enough to freeze for future use.

Red Curry Paste

• 10 fresh or dried Thai red chilies, seeded and roughly chopped
• 3 (or more) whole red chilies, chopped
  
• 2 stalks lemon grass, whites only, finely chopped
• 1 tbs finely chopped galangal
• 6 or 7 finely chopped kaffir lime leaves
• 6 cloves garlic, crushed
• 4 Asian shallots (or 2 tbs regular shallots), finely chopped
• 4 or 5 coriander roots, chopped (if you can’t find roots, use a bunch of stems)
• 2 tsp fermented shrimp paste (also called kapi shrimp paste)
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• vegetable or peanut oil as needed

The easiest way to do this is to throw everything into a food processor. With the processor on, add a little oil to help the processing. Stop to scrap down the sides. Try to get the herbs as fine as possible, but don’t expect it to look like the store-bought stuff. And don’t expect it to be red. It will probably be greenish-brown with flecks of red. Freeze in batches of 1 or 2 tbs.

White fish in Chili Black Bean Sauce

I’ve always loved fish. We ate it regularly when I was growing up and I could never understand why so many of my friends didn’t like it. I don’t want Sonny to be one of those kids that grows up hating fish, so I try to make it at least once a week.

Tonight I threw together this Chinese-style fish in 30 minutes. I used orange roughy, but any other firm white fish, such as cod, will do. You could also bake or steam the fish, if you prefer. Just omit the flour.

White fish with chili black bean sauce

• 1 pound white fish
• 1 tbs lime juice
• flour for dusting
• 1/2 to 1 tbs grated ginger
• 2 bunches scallions, greens and whites separated, finely sliced on the diagonal
• 1 tbs Chinese chili black bean paste
  
• 1 tbs black soy sauce
• 1 tbs Chinese rice wine or dry sherry
• ½ to 1 tsp sugar, depending on taste
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• ¼ to 1/3 cup water to de-glaze

Rub lime juice on the fish and let it sit for a couple of minutes. Pat dry and dust with flour. Pan fry in a skillet over medium-high heat. You only have to use enough oil to coat the bottom of the pan. When done, put it to the side and keep it warm.

While the fish is cooking, combine the chili black bean paste, soy sauce, rice wine, sugar and sesame oil in a small bowl. Whisk well to dissolve the sugar.

Chili black bean paste can be found at Asian markets.

In a wok over high heat, add a tablespoon or two of oil. Fry the ginger for about 20 seconds, until it’s fragrant and browning a little (don’t let it burn!). Add the whites of the green onions and stir-fry for about a minute or two. Don’t over-stir them; give them a few seconds to brown between stirs. Add the sauce mix. It should caramelize and get a little thicker quite quickly. Add the remaining green onions and ¼ to 1/3 cup of water to deglaze the wok (drizzle the water down the sides of the wok). Quickly check the seasonings, and if you’re happy, spoon the sauce over the fish. Serve immediately with steamed white rice.

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.