Slow Cooker Thai Chicken Soup

Delicious and incredibly easy. I added spinach instead of peas and the lime juice and cilantro additions at the end were clutch for flavor integrity. 

Ingredients

2 tablespoons red curry paste

2 12 ounce cans of coconut milk

2 cups chicken stock

2 tablespoons fish sauce

2 tablespoons brown sugar

2 tablespoons peanut butter

1 1/2 pounds chicken breasts, cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces

1 red bell pepper, seeded and sliced into 1/4 inch slices

1 onion, thinly sliced

1 heaping tablespoon fresh ginger, minced

1 cup frozen peas, thawed

1 tablespoon lime juice

cilantro for garnish

cooked white rice

Instructions

1. Mix the curry paste, coconut milk, chicken stock, fish sauce, brown sugar and peanut butter in a 4-1/2 to 6-quart slow-cooker bowl. Place the chicken breast, red bell pepper, onion and ginger in the slow cooker, cover and cook on high for 4 hours.
2. Add in the peas and cook for 1/2 hour longer. Stir in lime juice and serve with cilantro and white rice.

Red Curry Shrimp -Tommy Tang’s Modern Thai Cuisine

Ingredients:

¼ cup olive oil

1 tablespoon finely chopped red onions

1 ½ tsp finely chopped garlic

1 ½ cups coconut milk

1 tablespoon thai red curry paste

4 lim leaves or lemon leaves

2 tablespoons chopped thai or regular basil

1 ½ tablespoons fish sauce

1 cup yellow squash or succhini cut into ¼ inch thick slices

1 cup whipping cream

12 cup julienned red bell peppers

1 tsp flour mixed with 1 tablespoon cold water

1 ½ pounds large shrimp, shelled, deveined

4 sprigs basil garnish

Directions:

Heat olive oil in large sauce pan over high heat. Add onions and garlic and sauté until lightly browned, about 1 min. Add coconut milk and curry paste and cook, stirring constantly, 3 mins. Add lime leaves, basil, and fish sauce and bring to boil. Add squash, cream, bell pepper, and flour/water mixture and return to boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer until sauce is thick, about 15 min. Add shrimp and bring to boil, let boil 2mins.

Broccoli with Mushrooms -An Encyclopedia of Chinese Food and Cooking

Ingredients:

1 bunch broccoli

4 tablespoons peanut/vegetable/canola oil

8-10 mushrooms

2 tablespoons chopped scallions

1 ½ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon sugar

(more water and cornstarch as necessary to make thicker sauce if desired)

Directions:

Cut broccoli into pieces. Blanch broccoli by putting it into boiling water, when water boils again, remove from heat. Drain, and let cold water run over. Heat oil in pan/wok. Stir-fry mushrooms and scallions for 1 minute. Add broccoli, salt, sugar, and ¼ cup of water. Continue to stir-fry for 1-2 minutes.

Fragrant Fried Ginger and Scallion Rice -Travels With a Hot Wok, Ken Hom

Serves 4 as an accompaniment

Ingredients:

2 cups (400 ml) long grain white rice

2 ½ cups (600 ml) water

2 tablespoons oil, preferably peanut

3 tablespoons finely chopped ginger

4 oz (100 g) scallions (about 4-5 scallions,) finely chopped

2 teaspoons salt

½ teaspoon freshly ground five-pepper mixture or black pepper

2 tablespoons finely shopped cilantro

Directions:

Cook the rice at least 2 hours before it is needed, or even the night before. Allow it to cool thoroughly an put it in the refrigerator.

Heat wok or large frying pan over high heat until it is hot. Add the oil, and when it is hot, add the ginger, turn down the heat and slowly stir-fry until the ginger has browned. Then add the scallions, salt, and pepper. Stir-fry for 2 minutes. Add the rice and continue to stir-fry for 5 minutes or until the rice is thoroughly heated through. Finally, add the cilantro. Give the mixture several good stirs.

East-West Pork Satay -Travels With a Hot Wok, Ken Hom

Serves 4

1 lb (450 g) tender, thick, boneless pork

For the Marinade:

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 tablespoon pineapple juice (can substitute lime/lemon/orange)

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon freshly ground five-pepper mixture or black pepper

1 tablespoon mirin (Japanese sweet rice wine) or dry sherry

½ teaspoon dried thyme

¼ teaspoon ground coriander

1 teaspoon sugar

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 teaspoons finely chopped lemon zest

sesame oil and chili oil to serve

Directions:

Cut pork into 1 inch cubes, trimming off any excess fat. In large bowl, combine the pork cubes with the marinade ingredients, mix well, marinate the meat for 2 hours in a cool place, turning it from time to time.

Meanwhile, soak bamboo skewers in water for 30 minutes or so.

Skewer the pork and set aside.

Pre-heat the oven broiler to high or make a charcoal fire in the barbecue. When the broiler is very hot or the charcoal is ash-white, cook the satay for 2 minutes on each side, until golden brown. Serve immediately, drizzled with sesame and chili oil, if you wish.

Emily's amaaazing chinese noodles

Last night I was craving the chinese noodles that Em made the other night, so I searched around online and found the recipe! (Happy for me...sad for all the people who write cookbooks and then have their recipes just re-posted online...which I'm about to do). Enjoy :)--and Em, let us know if you do anything different from the recipe as it's written...

For the dressing and the noodles:

7 Tbs toasted sesame oil
7 Tbs low-sodium soy sauce (or tamari)
3 Tbs balsamic vinegar
3 Tbs sugar
2 ½ tsp salt (or less; this seems like a lot, so I've experimented with using as little as 1 tsp)
1 Tbs red pepper oil
8-10 scallions, thinly sliced into rounds
3 Tbs cilantro, chopped
1 lb spaghetti (the original recipe calls for thin fresh Chinese egg noodles, but I’ve found simple spaghetti to yield just as tasty a result; please forgive the lack of authenticity)

For the eggplant and vegetable garnishes:
1 lb firm, shiny Japanese or Chinese eggplants
1 Tbs fresh ginger root, peeled and minced
1 clove garlic, minced
Reserved dressing
1 cup snow peas, strings removed
½ lb mung bean sprouts
3 Tbs sesame seeds, toasted in a skillet until lightly colored
1 medium carrot, peeled and julienned
Cilantro leaves

Begin by making the dressing. Combine all the dressing ingredients (except the noodles, of course) in a bowl, and stir them together until the sugar has dissolved.

Bring a large pot of (unsalted) water to a boil, and add the noodles. Cook until done but not overly soft; then immediately pour them into a colander. Rinse them with cold water to cool them, and then shake the colander to remove excess water. Transfer the noodles to a large bowl. Stir the dressing again; then pour half of it over the cooked noodles, tossing them with your hands to distribute the dressing evenly. Set aside the remaining dressing. If the noodles aren’t to be used for a while, cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate to allow the flavors to develop.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

Pierce the eggplants in several places, and bake them on a rimmed baking sheet until they are soft and their skins have shriveled, 20-30 minutes, depending on their size. When the eggplants are ready, slice them in half lengthwise, and leave them on the baking sheet to cool. When they are cool enough to handle, peel the skin away from the flesh and shred the flesh into rough strips. Add the ginger and garlic to the reserved dressing, and then add the eggplant strips. Stir the mixture well to thoroughly coat the eggplant.

Bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil. Add the snow peas, and cook them until they are bright green, about 20-30 seconds. Remove them with tongs or a strainer, and rinse them with cool water. Cut them into long, thin strips, and set them aside. Next, put the sprouts into the boiling water, and allow them to cook for about 30 seconds. Pour them into a colander, rinse them with cold water, and lay them on a layer of paper towels to dry.

If the noodles have been refrigerated, allow them to come to room temperature; then toss them with the eggplant and reserved dressing, as well as half of the sesame seeds. Mound them in a wide bowl or on a platter, and distribute the snow peas, mung bean sprouts, and carrots over them. Garnish with the remaining sesame seeds and a few branches of cilantro. Once served, guests can toss the noodles and vegetables together to thoroughly mingle the textures and flavors.

Serves four to eight, depending on accompaniments.