Je Mange la Ville » Asian

Thai Hot & Sour Soup with Shrimp Toast

mlb — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 05:26:20 +0000

I hope everyone had a lovely Christmas, if that is the holiday you celebrate this time of year. If not, happy Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Solstice, Festivus, what have you. Maybe you just like to sit around in December eating a lot of appetizers and cookies for no real holiday-affiliated reason. If so, hope you had a nice time doing that!

This was our dinner on December 26th, a day known far and wide for its sensible eating. Because of this, I chose to bake the shrimp toasts in the oven (originally, they were deep fried). This is actually a very nice change from the creamy-cheesey-red-meat-dips-crackers type of eating a person might tend to do around this time of year. This soup is light and full of spinach and mushrooms. It’s also vinegary and a little spicy.

Sure, the shrimp toast isn’t entirely necessarily, but it’s pretty good. It did seem a little bland at first but I think that’s just because the flavors in the soup are so strong. But then, I dipped the shrimp toast into the soup and really liked it! So, why not give the shrimp toast a try too? You know, because it’s sensible.

Thai Hot & Sour Soup with Shrimp Toast
Adapted from a recipe by Ming Tsai
1 tsp canola oil
1/4 cup peeled ginger julienned
1 sliced onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
2-4 dried Thai chiles
3 stalks lemon grass, sliced
1/4 cup fish sauce
6 cups chicken stock
6 kaffir lime leaves (I subbed a long strip of lime zest and about 1 tsp lime juice)
1/2 cup rice wine vinegar
1/2 cup Thai basil leaves
1 tsp ground pepper
2 cups sliced shiitake mushrooms, sauteed
1/2 cup spinach leaves, chopped
1/4 cup sliced scallion
Optional: 1 egg, beaten

Before you start the soup (or while it is reducing) saute up the shiitakes in about a tsp of canola oil. When they’re done, just set aside until it’s time to add them to the soup.

Saute ginger, onion, garlic, chiles and lemon grass in the canola oil until soft. Deglaze pan with fish sauce.

Add chicken stock and lime leaves. Simmer and reduce for about 15-20 minutes over low heat. Add vinegar, basil and pepper.

Check for seasoning. If it is too vinegar-y, you can always add a little more stock. Strain the soup and either return it to the pot or absentmindedly put it in a new pot, like I did. Return to a low simmer.

Add sauteed shiitakes and spinach. If you have a few extra Thai basil leaves, you can tear them up and add them to the soup along with the spinach. If you are using the egg, stir it into the soup now.

Ladle soup into bowls. Garnish with scallions.

Shrimp Toast
Adapted from a recipe by Ming Tsai
1 cup shrimp, chopped
1/2 cup napa cabbage
1/2 tbsp minced ginger
1/2 tbsp sesame oil
1 egg white
2 tbsp chopped scallions
2 tbsp chopped cilantro
Salt and pepper
3 slices of dried bread with the crust removed, cut diagonally
1/4 cup sesame seeds
Canola oil

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. In a food processor, puree first 5 ingredients. Fold in the scallions and cilantro and give it a little salt and pepper.

Spread the mixture on the bread halves and sprinkle with sesame seeds.

Place on a baking sheet and bake for about 10 minutes, turn on the broiler and toast the tops (careful! the tips of the toasts may burn, if they do, just cut them off). Serve with soup.

You can see above where I clipped off the toast ends. I think next time, I’m going to add a little garlic and maybe a dash of soy sauce to the shrimp mixture.

Here’s our Christmas tree this year. It is delightfully spindly! Yes, that is the Sriracha Cookbook on the ottoman…

When Life Gives You Crab, Make Crab Cakes

mlb — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 03:56:54 +0000

Recently, a coworker (thanks, Kevin!) gave jwa a cooler full of cleaned crab from a crabbing expedition in Tillamook. He then sent me an email during the day warning me of the impending crab that he would be bringing home, which gave me a little bit of notice to come up with something tasty to do with it. This is what I found and yes, it was quite tasty. I really liked the mango sauce. In fact, I have some leftover that I have to figure out what to do with. I don’t think it will be a problem.

After pulling all the crabmeat off, we ended up with a half a pound. I halved the original recipe, which gave us two crabcakes each — perfect. If you want more than 4 crab cakes, double what I have written below and that will give you the amount of the original recipe and 8 crab cakes.

I added the lime and cilantro to the sauce — I think it really brightened that up. I also swapped green onions for chives and added garlic. I used a light hand with the siracha, but that’s just me.

Spicy Crab Cakes with Mango Puree
Adapted from a recipe by Ming Tsai in Food & Wine Magazine
1/2 lb lump crabmeat, well drained and picked over
2 tbsp mayonnaise
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp fresh lime juice (plus a squeeze more)
1/4 tsp honey
2 tsp + 1 tsp (or more) Sirachi or other Asian red chili sauce
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 ripe mango, peeled and cut into chunks
1 Tbsp + 2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 small handful cilantro, roughly chopped
All purpose flour, for dredging
1 large egg, beaten
1/2 cup panko (Japanese bread crumbs) or other dry bread crumbs

In a large bowl, combine the crabmeat with the mayonnaise, green onion, garlic, lime juice, honey and 2 teaspoons of the chili sauce; season with salt and pepper. Stir well to break up some of the crabmeat.

Form the mixture into 4 crab cakes, packing them firmly. They will still be a little loose, but that’s okay. Put the crab cakes on a plate and refrigerate until firm, about 25 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a food processor, puree the mango with 1 tablespoon of the oil, the cilantro, a squeeze of lime juice, and the remaining 1 teaspoon of chili sauce until smooth. Scrape the mango puree into a small bowl and season with salt and pepper.

How to easily dice up a mango — score the flesh side of each cheek and scrape out with a spoon. Easy!

Put a handful of flour into a bowl. Put the egg in another bowl and the panko in a third bowl. Take a crab cake in your hand and carefully dust it all over with flour, shaking off any excess. Dip the crab cake in the beaten egg and then coat it well with the panko. Repeat with the remaining crab cakes. If you are like me you will end up with panko mittens when you are done. That’s okay, it washes off.

In a medium skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of the vegetable oil until shimmering. Add the crab cakes to the skillet and cook them over moderately high heat until they are browned and crisp, about 3 minutes per side.

Serve the crab cakes with a drizzle of mango sauce, with the rest of the sauce on the side. Some more chopped green onions are also a nice garnish. We made a quick meal out of this with some lemongrass rice and sauteed green beans on the side.

***

I think the next post will be a bunch of photos. I have a lot from the harvest dinner at Red Ridge Farms that we went to a couple of weeks ago and some from Astoria from this weekend.

Thai Style Fish Cakes

mlb — Thu, 04 Aug 2011 04:13:28 +0000

These were very good, and although time consuming, worth it. Although not really a practical, say Wednesday night dinner, this was a fun Saturday afternoon project. We actually made them a few weeks ago, when it was still pretty cool here in Portland, but if you were to grill these, I’d think they’d still be a pretty good hot weather choice.

The original recipe did not call for any kind of binder in the fish cakes. I honestly did not trust my ability to keep the fish cakes together without one so I added an egg white. You do what you need to do there. For serving, you’ll want some spinach leaves, basil leaves and maybe some rice.

One important thing before we get to the recipe and photos — this is my friend Michael Grenley. I met him in Flagstaff, AZ in 1995 where we worked together at NAU. He’s one of the nicest people I’ve ever met in my life. He’s a husband and a father and has a lot of worried family and friends right now. He’s been missing since July 19th from the Phoenix/Glendale area. Please help us find him. Thank you.

Thai Style Fish Cakes with Erasto’s Nuoc Cham
Adapted from the cookbook, Big Small Plates
1/2 lb cod, salmon or snapper (I used cod)
2 oz thin asparagus or hericots verts
1 stalk lemongrass
2 shallots, minced (I think I used red onion)
1/2-inch piece of ginger, peeled and minced
2 tbsp cilantro leaves, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp lime zest
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp fish sauce
1 egg white
pinch of salt and freshly ground black pepper

Nuoc Cham
2 tbsp rice vinegar
3 tbsp lime juice
1/4 cup fish sauce
1/4 cup hot water
2 tbsp sugar
1/2 tbsp peeled, minced fresh ginger
1 tsp red-chile garlic sauce (Siracha!)
2 tbsp grated carrot
5 mint leaves, julienned or chopped, depending on your mood

Make the Nuoc Cham
Combine all ingredients and mix well. Refrigerate until the fish cakes are done.

Speaking of fish cakes, here’s how you make those
Cut the asparagus or hericot verts into small rounds. Blanch them quickly (30-40 seconds) in boiling water and then shock in an ice bath. Drain and blot dry when cold and add to a bowl. Peel off the outer layers of the lemongrass and mince the bottom 1.5 inches of the bulb end. Save the rest of the lemongrass for another use. Add the minced lemongrass into the bowl with the blanched asparagus and add the shallots, ginger, cilantro, garlic, lime zest, sugar and fish sauce. Mix thoroughly. Place that in the fridge to chill for about 30 minutes.

While that is chilling, rough chop your fish and then place it in a food processor. You want very fine pieces but not a puree. Add the fish to the chilled asparagus mixture and add the egg white and a little salt and pepper. Combine well but don’t over mix.

Form about 8 fish cakes about a 1/2-inch thick. You can refrigerate them at this point until you are ready to cook them. (I’d not leave them in the fridge for more than a couple of hours).

When ready, heat some olive oil in a non-stick pan and fry the fish cakes for about 3-4 minutes per side.

Serve on a platter of spinach and basil leaves with the Nuoc Cham on the side. A bowl of rice on the side is also nice.

You can also grill the fish cakes by oiling each side and grilling about 1.5 – 2 minutes per side.

Miso Glazed Cod and the Oregon Coast

mlb — Wed, 27 Apr 2011 04:32:22 +0000

This is a recipe that is surprisingly good for how simple it is. Really. Make it and you will go, “Wow! I am so surprised. That was so simple.” It makes a great weeknight dinner and reheats well for lunch the next day. I’ll usually either halve the recipe below or if I know for sure I want leftovers for lunch, just go ahead and make a full recipe with all six fillets.

I’m also a big fan of this recipe because I have only recently (within the last couple of years) discovered how wonderful miso is. I have a refrigerator with 3 tubs of miso in it right now: blond miso (which I used for this), red miso and barley miso. Miso, miso, miso!

Miso Glazed Cod
Adapted from a recipe by Ellie Krieger
6 (6-ounce) black cod fillets, or regular cod fillets
1/3 cup low-sodium blond or white miso
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
1 tsp toasted sesame oil
2 tbsp mirin (Japanese cooking wine)
Cooked brown rice, assorted sauteed vegetables
Toasted sesame seeds and scallions, for garnish

Preheat the broiler, then rinse fish fillets and pat dry with paper towels. In a small bowl, combine the miso, brown sugar, sesame oil and mirin and stir well until brown sugar is fully dissolved.

Brush some miso glaze on each fish fillet, dividing it equally between the fish. Marinate for at least 30 minutes, or up to 1 hour in the refrigerator.

Place fish under broiler for 3 to 4 minutes, or until top is slightly charred and glaze has caramelized.

Lower oven to 375 degrees F. Cook an additional 3 to 4 minutes, until fish is flaky but not overcooked.

You can eat some now and pack up the rest for lunches the next day. When I have this, I also serve some brown rice and sauteed vegetables (I used bell peppers, onions and some cherry tomatoes here) on the side.

Packed up and ready for the next day’s lunch.

***

Lincoln City
We spent last Saturday at the coast and had a wonderful time. Lincoln City for a change of scenery (we usually stick to the North coast). The sun was so nice…and sunny. Spring, could you finally be here?

We tried a new place for lodging, The Coho Lodge, which was really comfy and well-appointed. I loved the look of the rooms and they even had freshly ground coffee and a coffee press in the room too (as well as a big picture window of the ocean). Next time, however, I want to spring for a balcony.

For dinner, we headed to the Blackfish Cafe (where we had been once before). Still really liked that place. Crispy calamari with super garlicky dipping aioli, salads, perfectly cooked fish and wine. Uh-oh, it seems Blackfish Cafe is kind of giving Pacific Way Cafe some competition for our favorite coast restaurant.

The Coho Lodge
1635 Northwest Harbor Ave
Lincoln City, OR 97367

Blackfish Cafe
2733 NW HWY 101
Lincoln City, OR 97367

Our room at the Coho Lodge…very nice with a great view!

Dinner special at the Blackfish Cafe — Halibut with crabmeat, gnocchi, asparagus and a beurre blanc. Noble Pig Pinot Gris in the background…

Culinary Tea: Seared Tuna with Tea Spice Crust

mlb — Mon, 11 Apr 2011 03:33:01 +0000

This recipe is from my newest cookbook acquisition, Culinary Tea by Cynthia Gold and Lise Stern. It’s basically a whole cookbook full of recipes that use tea. Delightful! I really love the idea of using tea as a seasoning or ingredient in recipes and this book does not disappoint at all. This is the first recipe I’ve made out of the book and I loved it. I found some beautiful wild Pacific Albacore Tuna at the Zupans on Belmont that worked just perfectly here.

I have to say, I’m always surprised at how well tuna and cinnamon seem to got together. It’s a combination that seems so very, very wrong on paper but in reality it just really works. In fact, all of the tea spice crust just blends together so well with the tuna here. I also loved how the sliced tuna looked almost like sushi, with the dark, spicy crust that seemed to resemble nori. Very, very pretty.

Anyway, it may seem like there’s a lot of ingredients here (and there are) but it’s really worth it. For a lighter dinner just the tuna and salad are perfect, but it also works well if you add some soba noodles on the side. Mmm…noodles. They also go great with the ginger-soy sauce as well, so you don’t have to worry about anything besides cooking the noodles. Just toss with the sauce. Done.

Seared Tuna with Tea Spice Crust
Adapted from the cookbook, Culinary Tea.
Serves 2.
3 tbsp loose leaf black tea (I used Tiger Hill Nilgiri Black Tea)
1/4 tsp whole coriander seeds
1/4 tsp black peppercorns
1/4 tsp anise seeds
3/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tbsp brown sugar
3/4 pounds tuna steak
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1 1/3 tbsp olive oil
salad greens, radish slices, cilantro sprigs for salad

Soy Ginger Sauce
3 tbsp low sodium soy sauce
1/3 cup steeped Jasmine Green Tea
1 tbsp seasoned rice vinegar
1/2 tsp minced fresh ginger
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 tsp toasted sesame oil
2 tbsp olive oil for salad

Combine the tealeaves, coriander, peppercorns, and anise seed in a spice or coffee grinder and finely grind together.

Transfer to a bowl (I used a teacup!) and stir in the dried ginger, cinnamon, and brown sugar. Pour out onto a plate for easy tuna application.

Cut each piece of tuna (if you have more than one) so that you have at least one rectangular shape. If your steak is shaped kind of like a triangle (my two pieces were), slice so that you have two pieces — a rectangle and a smaller triangle (after searing you’ll cut these into slices). This is kind of hard to explain, but just look at your tuna steak(s) and I’m sure you’ll get it. Okay, roll each piece of tuna in the spice mixture and let sit at room temperature for about 15 minutes for the crust to set.

Meanwhile, Make the Sauce: In a small bowl whisk together the soy sauce, tea, vinegar, ginger, garlic and sesame oil. Set aside. Okay, in a large skillet over high heat, add the 1 1/2 tbsp olive oil and when just beginning to smoke add the tuna. Cook each spice-crusted side for about 30-45 seconds.

Slice each piece of tuna into 1/2 inch thick slices and fan out onto two plates. Add some of the dipping sauce to small bowls and place on the plate next to the tuna.

When ready to serve, toss the greens, radish slices and cilantro sprigs with 2 tbsp olive oil and some of the leftover dipping sauce. Arrange next to the tuna.

As I mentioned earlier, we also had some soba noodles with this one the side, also tossed with a little remaining soy-ginger sauce. In fact, bring any extra sauce to the table because it’s delicious!