Beef Pad Kra Pao (Thai Beef with Basil)

Beef Pad Kra Pao (Thai Beef with Basil)

I love the sweet, sweet smell of basil in the...morning?

I don't want to steal the Flavor Town® exaltation from guido-with-top-down-red-sports-car-and-sunglasses-reversed Guy Fieri, but basil will drive you to Flavor Town, drop you off at the front door, pay for the gas, tip the doorman, and compliment you on your luxurious hair. And it will all happen with "Then He Kissed Me" by the Crystals playing in the background.

The centerpiece of Thai cooking, basil has a minty, licorice flavor that kicks stir fry and noodle dishes into an aromatic Valhalla.

Not all basils are created equal.

There are more than 100 different basils, according to this basil expert. Italians tend to cook with sweet basil, while Thai use holy basil and or Thai basil. Most of the basil you find in Asian supermarkets in America will be labelled "Thai basil" (sometimes "Chinese basil"). Pad kra pao is traditionally made with holy basil, which is much harder to find in the States than in Thailand. For this dish, Thai basil is sufficient.

The most popular proteins for Pad Kra Pao in Thai restaurants are chicken or beef. I find that beef adds a little more assertiveness to the flavors, while chicken has a more mellow texture. Many American Thai restaurants offer Chicken with Basil with chunks of bite-sized chicken, but the traditional ingredient is ground chicken. Instead of the bell peppers, you can use green beans, cut into 1/3 pieces.

Finally, I would recommend eating this with steamed white rice and topping the whole dish a fried egg. This common method of eating kra pao in Thailand makes for a gooey, rich and substantial weeknight treat.

Flavor MVP: It's a tie. First, the basil, of course. Next, the super-secret special sauce that many of the top Thai restaurants in America use in many of their dishes, including Sripraphai Thai Restaurant in Queens, New York (which got a 27 out of 30 food rating in the latest Zagat) is none other than Golden Mountain sauce. I will write more about this magic seasoning sauce in other posts.

You ain't seen the last of me, you meddling kids!

Ingredients:

• 1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
• 1 green bell pepper, thinly sliced
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 6-8 Thai red chillis, minced
• 1 white onion, chopped
• 1 lb ground beef, pork, or chicken
• 1/2 cup Thai or holy basil leaves
• optional: shrimps, de-shelled
• salt and pepper, to taste
• your favorite chilli paste, to taste

Stir Fry Sauce:

• 1 tbl fish sauce
• 1 tbl oyster sauce
• 1 tbl dark soy sauce
• 2 tbl white sugar
• 2 tbl Maggi sauce
• 3 tbl Golden Mountain sauce
• 1 tbl chilli powder

Method:

1. Heat up oil, fry garlic and red chilli peppers.

2. Fry onions, then red and green bell peppers, add a few lines of oyster sauce.

3. Season ground meat with a little salt, pepper and add in meat to wok.

4. Add stir fry sauce.

5. Add chilli paste, and black pepper to taste.

6. Add basil leaves, turn off heat after 20 seconds.

Garlic Shrimp Sauteed in Shrimp Paste

Garlic Shrimp Sautéed in Shrimp Paste

Why would you put more ground up shrimp on top of shrimp? Because shrimp paste with bean oil is concentrated essence of shrimp. Think of it as if Mr. Prawn (like Pac-Man) went around and gobbled up all his prawn brothers while remaining the same size, but suddenly he gets bottled up in a jar.

Behold, Bubba Gump Shrimping Company's worst nightmare:

Doesn't Mr. Prawn look sinister in the picture?

Note: Do NOT buy "fine shrimp sauce". That greyish sauce an entirely different product, used mainly in Vietnamese and Thai soups. It's pretty foul-smelling too, not fragrant like shrimp paste.

Back to the dish. This quick and flavorful prawn dish can be whipped up on a weeknight in ten minutes flat (depending on how fast you can peel shrimp).

Flavor MVP: obviously, Mr. Prawn.

Ingredients:

• 3/4 to 1 lb peeled and de-veined shrimp (large or jumbo work best)
• 3-4 tbl shrimp paste
• 3-4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2-3 tbl fish sauce
• 5 tbl water

Method:

1. Fry up garlic in oil.

2. Add shrimp and shrimp paste and sauté for about two minutes

3. Add fish sauce, then water and sauté for a couple more minutes. Do not over cook shrimp or it will become rubbery.

Vietnamese Mackerel Steamed Eggs

Mackerel Steamed Eggs

This is a spin on the Vietnamese egg omelet/meat loaf called cha trung.  The advantages of this recipe are it is much easier and cheaper to make, because it foregoes the minced pork, tree ear fungus and vermicelli noodles, as well as the layer of yellow egg glaze on top that is really just there for aesthetic reasons. I also like this version more because I find the noodles that pervade the traditional dish nullify the airiness of the steamed egg meatloaf.

You can prepare this dish in ten minutes and steam it for 45 minutes; traditional cha trung needs more babysitting. Pair this dish with a nice pork chop and white rice and you have yourself a sweet Vietnamese meal. Try topping the egg with a couple drops of tabasco sauce when you eat it. It really brings out the flavor of the mackerel.

Flavor MVP: sugar - I've made this once without sugar and it just tasted off.

Ingredients:

• 1 can of mackerel
• 8 medium eggs
• 1 medium onion
• 6-8 tbl fish sauce
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 tsp chilli powder
• 3 stalks of green onion chopped (optional)
• black pepper, to taste

Method:

1. Drain the mackerel (taking out the bones) and mush up.

 

2. Fry garlic in oil. Fry chopped white onions. Add green onions (optional) after a couple minutes.

 

3. Add the mushed up mackerel and fry all together. Add chilli powder.

4. Crack 6-8 eggs into metal bowl. Add 6-8 large tbl of fish sauce to eggs (1 tbl per egg). Add 1 tsp sugar (more if you want it sweeter).

5. Add fried mackerel to eggs and mix altogether.

6. Steam everything for about 45+ minutes a large pot of water with the lid on. Keep checking to make sure there is water in the pot, if low add some more water. But make sure there is not too much water, or it will spill into the metal bowl and into the eggs.

Salmon with Red Curry

Salmon with Red Curry

Fact: Some courageous Atlantic salmon migrate hundreds of miles from the ocean to swim, upstream, against a torrent of rushing river while dodging grizzly bears, bald eagles, and sport fisherman. The few who flip and flail and flounder to successfully make it to the upper reaches of rivers spawn on gravel beds, and die unceremoniously afterwards. The salmon life cycle starts over again.

You owe it to your salmon to make a restaurant-quality, umami-infused dish and perhaps impress your girlfriend who is sick of run-of-the-mill salmon with asparagus, mashed potatoes, and two-buck chuck wine from Trader Joe's.

Unfortunately, your grocery store bought salmon was probably raised on an industrial salmon farm in Maine.

This dish is a revelation. You may have never thought about pairing salmon with red curry before, but after you make this, you probably will crave this flavor combination like you do peanut butter and jelly. Sometimes I will sit in rush hour traffic in my orange Lamborghini Diablo and texting Jennifer Lawrence, and think, "I want me some of that salmon with red curry tonight. I should stop at Market Basket because salmon is on sale for $6.99 a pound this week." True story.

The dish can sit comfortably on the table of a good Thai restaurant, or in front of the television on a Monday night with your significant other, while you lament Penny's new haircut on Big Bang Theory. You may never want to pan-fry your salmon again with just olive oil and S & P.

Flavor MVP: pineapple adds a nice zing to an already flavor-packed curry.

Ingredients:

• 1.5 - 2.0 lb salmon
• 3 tbl red curry
• 2 cans coconut milk
• 1 onion chopped
• 1 red pepper, chopped
• 1 green/yellow pepper, chopped
• optional: green beans
• 1 can pineapple, large chunks
• 1 lemongrass stalk, cut until 3 inch piece and flattened
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• salt and pepper to taste
• fish sauce to taste
• corn starch slurry (1 tbl corn starch + 2 tbl water) (optional)

Method:

1. Salt and pepper salmon.

2. Heat up oil, fry salmon head skin side up for 4 minutes (seared), remove salmon.

3. Add garlic, then onions, then 3 tbl red curry.

4. After a couple minutes, add red and green/yellow peppers.

5. After 1 minute, add coconut milk. Then add pineapple, lemongrass, fish sauce, and water. Add corn starch slurry to make thicker.

6. Simmer for 5 minutes. Then add salmon back and simmer until done (7-10 minutes).

Non-Battered Sweet and Sour Chicken

Non-Battered Sweet and Sour Chicken

There's Hall and Oats, autumn and Pumpkin Spice Latte, fedoras and lonely nights, sweet and sour. Some combinations are just natural.

The object of much Chinese take-out mockery, "Sweet 'N Sowa" chicken is the quintessential non-Asian Asian dish. It's as American as saggy jeans and saluting the stars and stripes on the Fourth of July while Katy Perry calls you a "firework".

But you can make this dish LESS American. You can take out unneeded calories and perhaps scoff at Paula Deen if she ever deemed to make Chinese food.

Baby, you don't need to deep fry.

The tomato puree in the sauce turns this dish into an adequate representation of the glowing red ooze with neon yellow pineapple chunks monstrosity that made the dish famous.

But maybe that's not enough. Maybe you need to go more nuclear. Maybe your sweet and sour chicken needs to glow with the fire of 1000 suns about to go supernova. Maybe you need an extra night light in your kitchen. Just add two drops of red food coloring, like the professionals do.

Flavor MVP: rice wine vinegar, not as acid as regular vinegar and cuts the sweetness just right.

• 1 - 1 1/2 lb chicken breast, thin strips
• 2 green peppers, chopped
• 1 red pepper, chopped
• 1 small onion chopped
• 4-6 cloves garlic, minced
• 4-7 Thai chili peppers, minced
• 2 tbl ginger, minced
• 20 oz pineapple and juices
• 1/2 cup chicken broth
• 2 tsp water + 3 tsp corn starch
• 5 tbl tomato puree
• 3 tbl rice wine vinegar
• 3 tsp lemon juice
• white pepper, to taste
• soy sauce, to taste
• fish sauce, to taste
• msg, to taste
• garlic salt, to taste

chicken marinade:

• 5 tbl soy sauce
• 3 tbl light brown sugar
• 2 tbl honey
• 1 tbl chilli powder
• 4 cloves garlic, minced

1. Marinade chicken 1 hour or over night in fridge.

 

2. Fry up oil, and chicken until a little brown, sprinkle a little old bay if wanted, set aside.

 

3. Add more oil, then garlic, then ginger, chilli, onions, then green and red peppers.

 

4. Add pineapple and juice, chicken broth, vinegar and stir.

 

5. Add soy sauce, fish sauce, garlic salt, msg to taste.

 

6. Stir in tomato puree and lemon juice.

 

7. Stir in corn starch mixture until thickened enough.

 

8. Add chili powder and white pepper to taste and cook for another minute.

 

 

Crispy Chicken with Thai Basil

Crispy Chicken with Thai Basil

 

We've all been there. You order a noodle dish and there's an option to add fried crispy chicken. Dang, you know that's gonna take your order to a Power Level 99 dish. But you get your plate and they gave you four measly pieces of battered chicken that you must ration off like you're in a North Korean gulag.
 

What if I told you that you could replicate that savory, spicy, basil-infused morsel of poultry heaven at home and have leftovers for your Super Saiyan sexy self?
 

This is seriously the best fried crispy chicken recipe I've ever eaten. It's a combination of a popular Taiwanese dish, with a Thai spin. The five-spice, potato starch, and basil are the keys. The chicken just pops in your mouth. You can also make the chicken pieces alone and it would make a great snack.
 

NOTE: You must use Thai basil.

Flavor MVP: five-spice powder, you can make many variations of a crispy fried chicken pieces, but the powder makes the chicken sing.

 

 

 

• 1 1/2 - 2 lbs chicken breast, 1/2 inch pieces
• 1-2 cups thai basil, chopped
• 2-3 jalapenos, chopped, de-seeded
• 4-6 red thai chilli peppers, sliced thin
• 2-3 cups oil

marinade:

• 3 tbl soy sauce
• 1 tbl five spice powder
• 1/2 tbl white pepper
• 1/2 tbl black pepper
• 1 tsp chilli powder
• 2/3 tsp sesame oil
• 1 tsp shaoxing rice wine
• 2/3 tsp salt
• 1 tsp sugar
• 2-3 cloves garlic minced

starch mixture:

• 2-3 cups potato starch
• 1/2 tsp white pepper
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 tsp five spice powder
• 1 tsp chilli powder

1. Marinade chicken 1/2 hour to 1 hour in fridge.
2. Fry up oil.
3. Dredge chicken in starch mixture, coat well.
4. Fry chicken in small batches, about five minutes per batch, put chicken on towel-lined platter to drain excess oil.
5. Take out all but 2 tsp of oil.
6. Fry jalapeno peppers, thai chillis, about 2-3 minutes.
7. Put chicken back and toss for a minute.
8. Put basil in and toss for a minute.

 

 

 

 

 

Shrimp and Pork with Lobster Sauce

Shrimp and Pork with Lobster Sauce

One of the defining moments of any culinary ninja's life is that instance where you find out shrimp with lobster sauce has no lobster. It could be after a 1:55am (they close at 2:00am!) mad dash to Three Happiness Chinese Restaurant, in the shadow of awkward drunken buffoons at your best friend's wedding, or it could happen with your eyes closed, in the shower, reminiscing about that awesome dinner with the fam last night...

My tongue tasted shrimp, pork, green onions, some eggy concoction...wait a second...no, no it can't be...NO LOBSTER! Waaaa? That's like saying Taco Bell doesn't use beef! Or rocky mountain oysters contain no oysters!

This blog is dedicated to the genius marketer who came up with a famous lobster dish that didn't contain lobster. And the Chinese restaurant line cook who has to explain this fact in broken English to his oh-so-ill-informed customer.

Shrimp with lobster sauce is a staple in Chinese-American take-out menus. It is a "prestige" dish in Asian weddings, along with crab fried rice, lobster in ginger and scallion oyster sauce.

The savory, gooey gravy melds well with the bouncy shrimp and minced pork.

Sometimes the pork is foregone in shrimp with lobster sauce, and you may omit it as well in this recipe. But the minced pork adds a more little substance to an already delectable dish. After all, you spent the time to imitate one of your favorite take-out dishes, why not make it more worth your while?

Flavor MVP: white pepper - you won't taste it out right, but adds that je ne sais quoi.

 

• 1/2 to 3/4 lb shrimp
• 2/3 lb peas and carrots
• 1/2 lb pork
• 3 egg whites, beaten
• 3 green onions, chopped
• 1/3 tsp baking soda
• 1 1/2 cup water
• 3 tsp corn starch
• 2 tsp veg oil
• 3 tsbl potato starch
• 2 tsp wine (sherry or shaoxing rice wine)
• 1/2 tsp sesame oil
• 1 cup unsalted chicken stock
• 3/4 tsp sugar
• soy sauce, to taste
• white pepper, to taste
• pinch of salt, 3/4 tsp for sauce
• pinch of garlic powder

1. Mix 1 cup water with baking soda and shrimp, set aside 30 minutes. Rinse shrimp with cold water thoroughly. To shrimp, add pinch of salt, white pepper, garlic powder and mix. Add corn starch, and mix. Add 3 tsp vegetable oil and mix.
2. Seasoning mixture: 1 tsp salt, 1 1/2 tsp chicken powder, 2 tsp sugar.
3. Slurry: 3 tbl corn/potato starch, 3 tbl water and mix.
4. Bring pan of water to boil. Blanch peas and carrots for 30 seconds. Remove from water. Boil shrimp for 1 minute, remove shrimp and discard water.
5. In separate pan, saute pork with a little seasoning of your choice (i.e. salt, pepper, etc.) and set aside.
6. In a wok, add 2 tsp vegetable oil. Add 3 green onions and saute for 15 seconds. Add 3 cups chicken stock. Add seasoning mixture. Add 2 tsp wine. Add slurry and bring to boil and make slimy.
7. Add pork, shrimp, peas and carrots. Add dash of soy sauce.
8. Turn off heat, then add egg white. Turn heat on and push mixture away slowly.
9. Add sesame oil, white pepper to taste.