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.

Grow Your Own!

One of the things that gives me a great sense of satisfaction is eating the vegetables and herbs that we grow. My wish is to have enough space to grow a lot of the produce we eat, but it’s challenging living in a city and finding enough space to have a productive garden. Some people would laugh if they knew my vegetable garden is only 2’ wide by 8’ long. What’s the point with such a small space?? How about you? What are you growing? I want to know! Leave a comment with a link (to a post or your blog) so I can find you!

My garden. I know it looks like a random mess, but it's quite productive. This year I'm growing 3 or 4 varieties of tomatoes, tomatillos, peppers, sugar snap peas, cilantro, mint, basil, oregano, strawberries.

As it turns out, you really don’t need that much space to produce a healthy bounty. The key is to be selective. Before I planted, I thought long and hard about what we like to eat and what would give the most yield for the space. Things like sugar snap peas, peppers, and tomatoes were naturally at the top of the list. Squash and cucumbers are also good bets. Still, 16 square feet just isn’t enough space, and until Hubby builds me a second vegetable bed, I also have to use containers.

Sonny wanted to grow strawberries this year. I've never grown them, so it will be interesting to see how many we get.

I've got 3 pepper plants going: 2 hot and 1 mini bell.

This is the reason I grow my own mint. Cherry mojitos!

Sugar snap peas are so easy to grow. They like cool weather so you can plant them in early spring. And they produce a ton of pods that are so sweet, you can eat them raw right off the vine. You can eat the young tendrils too! They're also supposed to be nitrogen-rich, putting nitrogen back into the soil.

Send positive thoughts for my dwarf nectarine tree. It seems to have come down with a case of leaf curl and the fruit might not be able to mature. I also have a dwarf cherry tree and Meyer lemon tree, but they have yet to bare any fruit.

I encourage everyone to grow something edible. Even if it's just herbs, it's still worthwhile. Fresh herbs are so easy to grow in containers. Every time you pluck the leaves, it encourages the plant to produce even more. You'll have basil for pesto or mint for mojitos all summer long!

The herb I use the most is cilantro. Sure, it's cheap enough to buy, but I want the roots as well and it's impossible to find cilantro with the roots. I use the roots to make Thai curry pastes and in stir-fries. I'll post a stir-fry using the roots soon. In the meantime here's a simple rice recipe using the leaves and stems. Cumin and lime (or lemon) juice give it a nice freshness. It's very versatile too; perfect with Mexican, Middle Eastern or Indian food.



Cilantro Rice
Feeds 4 as a side dish

• 2 cups Basmati or other long grain rice, washed and drained
• 3 cups chicken or vegetable broth (water is also fine)
• Juice from 1 lime or lemon (about 3-4 tbs)
• 1 tsp cumin seed
• 1 large bunch cilantro (about 1/2 cup or more to taste), finely chopped and divided
• salt to taste, if using water

In a medium pot, heat a tablespoon or two of oil over medium-high heat. Add the cumin seeds and allow them to fry for 10 to 20 seconds. When they start to pop add the rice and half the chopped cilantro. Turn the rice in the oil to distribute the cumin seeds and cilantro. After about a minute, add the citrus juice and broth or water. (Alternatively, you could add the citrus in at the end when you fluff the rice for a more pronounced citrus flavor. ) Bring to a boil. Once it boils, cover and turn the heat down to low. Simmer until the water is absorbed, about 10 to 12 minutes. Turn off the heat, fluff the rice with a fork and allow to steep for an additional 10 minutes. Add the leftover cilantro, fluff again and serve.

I'm submitting this to Weekend Herb Blogging, which is being hosted by Paulchen's Foodblog this week.

Join the Clean-Out-the-Freezer Challenge!

I’ve decided to start one of my New Year’s resolutions early. I’m going to de-clutter my life. It doesn’t take a Feng Shui practitioner to tell me that a cluttered house leads to a cluttered life. Stuff is literally spilling out into my arms every time I open a door or cabinet. Due to a DIY home renovation project with no foreseeable end in sight, our square footage has been reduced by over half and I’m tired of holding on to things that I might-maybe-perhaps use one day. Besides, I need to make room for all the Christmas gifts I’ll be getting (just in case you’re wondering what YOU should get me I want, click on the Amazon button in the right margin).

Since the kitchen was the room that took me over the edge, I started the big purge there. I’ve amassed a nice stash to donate, but I’m not stopping there. I’m challenging myself to clean out the freezer and pantry. For the next 7 days, I’m going to use at least 1 thing I have in the freezer. The next week I’m going to do the same with the pantry. Anybody wanna join me? Resolutions are so much easier to keep when you have friends to help you along!

Miscellaneous junk. Why did I hold on to this stuff for all these years??

How could Hubby think this is junk?! It's got the real vendor label printed on the mug, complete with chemical formula and molecular weight. I'm taking it back to work, where it'll be the coolest mug in the office.

Day 1 of clean-out-the-freezer challenge: hot and sour soup with shitake mushrooms, leftover turkey and rice. I made the base for the soup back in August. All I had to do was add the mushrooms, tomatoes, turkey and rice.

What Do You Feed a Sick Child?

Did I mention I'm exhausted?

At 4:30 last night Sonny crawled into bed with us. Ten minutes later, he threw up...on me. Miraculously, Hubby and his side of the bed were spared. After cleaning up, Sonny and I moved to his bed, where he proceeded to throw up about 10 more times. Luckily I had the foresight to put an empty bucket next to the bed and luckily we were able to contain everything in that bucket. Finally at 6:30 we gave up trying to sleep and turned on cartoons. He didn’t throw up again. But he didn’t really eat anything substantial all day, just crackers and toast.

What do you feed a child who seems to have a stomach bug (or any other ailment for that matter)? If you asked my mom, she’d probably say her cure-all hot and sour soup. But my own motherly instincts tell me hot and sour soup is not going to help Sonny’s stomach. I decided to make a milder rice soup instead.

When people think of an Asian-style rice soup, something like jook usually comes to mind. I love jook...the porridge texture with bits of shredded fried pork on top and dotted with chili-garlic oil, but Sonny won’t touch it because of the texture (did I mention he’s picky??). He prefers a soupier version with firm grains of rice and mini meatballs. Don’t forget the meatballs or the world might end.

Basic Mini Meatballs for Asian soups

• 1 pound ground pork, chicken or turkey
• ½ bunch cilantro, finely chopped
• 1 tbs grated or finely chopped ginger
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• ½ tbs cornstarch
• 1 egg

Mix all the ingredients together and form into small balls. If you end up with more mixture than you need to use immediately, just freeze some of it (before cooking) for later use. I recommend poaching the meatballs in a separate pot from the broth, otherwise your wonderfully rich, clear broth will become cloudy. If this doesn't bother you, then by all means, poach them in the soup broth. If I'm feeling industrious, I will poach them then give them a quick saute to brown the outsides.

Some things to keep in mind:
Use a good broth for the soup. This goes without saying. The broth should be rich enough that if you don’t want to add any sauces or garnishes, it will still taste great. Starting with a bland broth will result in a bland soup, no matter what sauces or garnishes you add.

If you want to chance the world ending, you can use any other protein you like. Diced leftover roasted chicken, tofu, or a poached egg work well. I’ve even used leftover stir-fry from a previous meal (see picture below). It gives the soup some extra flavor.

To keep the rice firm, I use cold leftover rice. I don't even bother to reheat. The grains will warm through when you ladle the hot broth on top.

Enjoy!

Rice soup with chicken and stir-fried mustard greens.

Fried Rice Revisited

Since I had leftover Chinese sausage, I decided to make fried rice. I’ve previously expounded the virtues of fried rice so I'll spare ya'll another expounding. What I wanted to do was try a recipe using black soy sauce, which I normally avoid because it’s so salty (see this post for the Cliff notes). However, I’ve found it inexplicably enhances the flavor of Chinese sausage, and rice can definitely tolerate a little salt.

Fried rice with Chinese sausage

• 1 large carrot, diced small like confetti
• 1 cup frozen peas
• 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 scallions, finely sliced
• 1 link Chinese sausage, diced small like confetti
• 6 oz pork sirloin or 1 large breast chicken, coarsely minced
• 1 tbs sesame oil
• 3 tbs black soy sauce
• 4 tbs oyster sauce
• 6-8 cups cold cooked rice, broken into small clumps

Combine the black soy sauce and oyster sauce in a small bowl. Set aside until ready to use.

Set a wok over high heat. When hot, add 1-2 tbs vegetable oil and use your spatula to push the oil up the sides. Add the carrots, peas and garlic and quickly stir-fry for a minute or so. Add the diced Chinese sausage, minced meat and sesame oil. Stir-fry until the minced meat is just about done, about 2-3 minutes. Add the crumbled rice and use your spatula to break it up further. Don’t stir the rice constantly; give it a few seconds (about 15-20) to brown before turning it. When most of the clumps are broken up, add about 2/3 of the sauce mix. Continue stir-frying until the rice is uniformly coated with the sauce. You may need to add the remaining sauce. Continue to cook until all the clumps are broken up and the rice is heated through. Turn off the heat and stir in the scallions. Enjoy warm with a squirt of Sriracha.

It Only took 32 Years

I had dirty rice for the first time about a month or so ago. How I went 32 years without ever tasting it is beyond me, considering I love Creole/Cajun food. The version I made was thrown together from several recipes (out of a gazillion) I found on the Internet.

Dirty Rice

• ½ to ¾ lbs chicken liver
• 1 lbs pork sausage (not in casing)
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 1 bell pepper, finely chopped
• 3 stalks celery, finely chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tbs Creole seasoning*
• ¼ cup chicken stock
• 6-8 cups cold cooked rice (preferably long grain)
• oil for cooking
• salt and pepper to taste

This recipe makes a lot of rice, enough for 6 adults. That means you’ll need a very large skillet. It’s probably easier to start in a skillet, then move to a large stockpot when you mix in the rice. A large Dutch oven would also work well. I used my wok, which is perfect for this kind of dish because you can toss and mix without stuff flying out of the pan.

In a large skillet (or Dutch oven) over medium-high heat, add 2 tbs oil. When hot, add the livers and sauté until almost done, about 4-5 minutes. Remove and set aside to cool slightly. Chop the livers finely and set aside again. (Alternatively, you could chop the livers before cooking, but I have had an aversion to handling raw liver since freshman biology)

To the skillet, add the sausage and cook, breaking up the clumps, until the meat is browned. Add the livers back in, along with the onion, bell pepper, celery, garlic, bay leaves and Creole seasonings. Cook until the vegetables are soft, about 10 minutes. Add the stock and continue to cook for a couple of minutes to bring everything to the same temperature. Add the rice and mix thoroughly, breaking up the clumps. Cook until the rice is heated through. Season well with salt and pepper.

The first time I had dirty rice, it was served with a steak. I served it with Creole-spiced tilapia fillets and sautéed zucchini. I imagine it can be served with just about any meat or fish or even eaten alone.

*For the Creole seasoning, you can buy it at any grocery store in the spice isle. I make my own using Emeril’s “formulation”: 2 ½ tbs paprika, 2 tbs salt, 2 tbs garlic powder, 1 tbs each black pepper, onion powder, cayenne pepper, dried oregano, and dried thyme.