Donut Army

  We destroyed these. In a good way. It's a lovely-to-look-at dish, chock full of vegetables. More so than I had anticipated, and more so than most soba noodle dishes I've made in the past. We absolutely gobbled this up! Served here with a five-spice chicken and smashed cucumbers.  The original calls for nori. We don't love nori so left it out. Maybe we are missing a part of the experience, but even without it, this was delicious.  Chilled Soba Noodles with Cucumber, Snow Peas, and Radishes Cook's Illustrated 8 oz soba noodles 3 T white miso paste 3 T mirin 2 T toasted sesame oil 1 T sesame seeds 1 tsp ginger, grated 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes 1/3 English cucumber, quartered lengthwise, seeded, sliced thin 4 oz snow peas, strings removed, cut lengthwise into matchsticks 4 radishes, trimmed, halved, sliced thin into half-moons 3 scallions, sliced thin Bring 4 quarts water to boil in large pot. Stir in noodles and cook according to package directions, stirring occasionally...

  This had a lot of depth of flavor, especially for a dish that came together in less than 30 minutes.  I had so many vegetables in the fridge, that I wound up doubling the sauce and doubling the vegetables. The recipe is very forgiving that way. For me, I might not double the curry paste next time - it was one of those dinners where I was crying from the heat, but kept going back for more because it was also so good.   Weeknight Red Curry Bon Appetit 1 large shallot 6 cloves garlic 1 2-inch piece ginger , peeled, cut into pieces 2 T vegetable oil 2 T red curry paste 2 tsps turmeric 1 1/2 15 oz can canned tomatoes , plus juices 1 13 oz can coconut milk coarse salt 1 lb mixed vegetables (cauliflower, carrots, shallots) in 1" pieces 1 lb chicken , in 2" pieces rice noodle , cooked cilantro , for garnish Pulse shallot, garlic, and ginger in a food processor to finely chop. Chop chicken into 2" pieces. In a hot pan with olive oil, sear chic...

This recipe, while requiring some not-always-stocked kitchen ingredients, is easy to follow. And, once you taste it, you won't believe it came from your own kitchen instead of from a restaurant. I promise you. Follow the instructions and you'll be fine. Personally, I omit the shrimp paste because I think it's conceptually gross. But, never skimp on the kaffir lime leaves. They cannot be replaced with simply lime juice, as some food bloggers will suggest. It's a different taste profile altogether. You can find kaffir lime leaves in Asian and Southeast Asian groceries. I use it often enough that I buy a small plant and grow it in a pot so the leaves are always on hand. In a pot, it has grown easily in the midwest (brought indoors for the winter), in Texas (kept in a pot but outdoors, unless it was going to freeze), and now in North Carolina (growing in a sunroom). Easy to grow. It's not a particularly attractive plant, but once you start cooking with it, you'll...

I am challenging myself to find one thing in the pantry that I've never cooked with (or haven't used in a while) and get it out of here. Today's challenge - thick rice noodles from the Asian market. While I clearly have not mastered the art of soaking and cooking rice noodles (and these had more chew to them that they should have), this was still a delicious dish and I would make it again! Singapore Hawker Rice Noodles Gourmet magazine, May 2007 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken, white meat 1/2 tsp sesame oil 1/2 c chicken stock 1/4 c oyster sauce 1 T ketjap manis (Indonesian sweet soy sauce) 2 T soy sauce 1 T sambal oelek 1 carrot, matchsticks 1/2 lb baby bok choy, cut crosswise into 3" pieces 3 T peanut oil 1 c shallot, halved lengthwise, then cut into 1/4" thick slices 2 T garlic, finely chopped 1 tsp red thai chile, sliced 1/2 lb bean sprouts 1 bunch scallion 1 lb rice noodles, cooked 3/4 c cilantro Slice c...

I tried this recipe knowing that green curry is, for me, the hottest curry there is. But I really wanted to try the tofu puffs mentioned in the recipe. As a result, I am now a fan of the tofu puff and, depending on the recipe, rely on the puff for many of my tofu needs! Found easily in larger Asian supermarkets. That said, this dish was too hot for me to eat. I recommend cutting the amount of green curry paste by at least half. Thai Green Curry (Gaeng Keow Wan) Veggie Belly 4 T green curry paste 1 13.5 oz can coconut milk 1/2 c water 2 c napa cabbage or Chinese cabbage, shredded 1 red bell pepper, julienned 1 carrot, cut into matchsticks 1 c straw mushrooms 1/2 c canned baby corn (I omitted) 1 c tofu puffs (or firm tofu cubes that have been fried) 1/4 - 1/2 c Thai basil leaves Heat a large wok and place the green curry paste, coconut milk and water in it. Bring to a boil while stirring. Reduce heat and simmer for about 5 minutes. Add all ...

Once again, Cooking Light saves the day with this very easy version of aThai classic - highly recommended! Crispy Tofu Pad Thai Cooking Light , January 2009 1 package firm tofu,d rained 1 T cornstarch (I used potato starch) 6 oz rice noodles, flat, uncooked 1/2 c ketchup 2 T sugar 2 T asian fish sauce 1 T sriracha sauce 2 T canola oil, divided 2 eggs + 1 egg white, lightly beaten 1/2 c scallion, chopped 2 T cilantro, chopped 2 T peanuts, unsalted, dry-roasted, chopped 4 lime wedges Place tofu on several layers of paper towels and let stand 30 minutes. Remove from paper towels and cut into cubes. Place on  a freezer-safe dish. Place in freezer until solid, about 30 minutes. Remove from freezer and let thaw. When thaw, gently squeeze each cube to release the water. Toss with starch until coated and set aside. Boil a pot of water. When water reaches boiling point, add noodles and turn off heat. Let noodles soak in hot water for 6-8 m...

I have always wondered about the mysteries of the spring roll. What is this rice wrapper, and how do people get it from firm and flat, to soft and pliable? I figured it was an ancient cultural secret that I may never access. But after passing a stack of rice papers in the Asian market, I thought, "What the heck. How badly can I mess this up?" Turns out, not that badly! Spring rolls and fantastically easy to prepare, and they may be my new favorite midday snack. The only thing I haven't figured out yet is how to work with multiple pieces of rice paper at once -- do you know how to keep them from sticking together? Spicy Thai Wraps Vegetarian Times , June 2001 Dipping Sauce (note: I served mine with peanut sauce I had already made for another purpose) 1/4 c hoisin sauce 1 T vegetable oil 2 T peanuts, chopped, unsalted, dry-roasted  Wraps: 3 carrots, peeled and julienned 1 T vegetable oil 1 lb firm tofu, drained and cut into strips 12...

This was a simple-dimple variation of Thai eggplant. Super easy to prepare, and not calling for any ingredient that is too unusual. Thai Spicy Eggplant with Sweet Basil Vegetarian Times , June 2004 1 c jasmine rice 2 T peanut oil 1 tsp red pepper flakes 3 baby eggplants, cubed into bite-sized chunks 1 onion, diced 1 red bell pepper, diced 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped 2 T white vinegar 3 T tamari sauce 2 T dark brown sugar 20 leaves basil, shredded or torn Cook rice according to package directions. Heat a deep skillet over high heat. Add oil and red pepper flakes. Let sizzle 10-15 seconds.   Add eggplant and stir-fry for 2-3 minutes. Add onion, bell pepper and garlic. Cook 3 minutes. Add vinegar and soy sauce. Sprinkle with sugar and toss 1-2 minutes longer. Remove eggplant from heat. Add basil leaves and toss to combine. Serve over rice.

I thought I was having guests for dinner on a night when I had prepared a Thai eggplant dish. Not knowing how much they liked eggplant, or how much they might miss meat in their meal, I quickly put these satay strips together. The satay part was embarrassingly simple to prepare, and very attractive to present. I served with a peanut dipping sauce, but am not thrilled with the version I used. I will continue experimenting and hopefully have a better version to share in the future. Chicken Satay with Peanut Sauce 3 T lime juice 1 tsp curry powder 2 tsp honey 1/2 tsp coriander 1/2 tsp cumin 1/8 tsp salt 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, cut into 1" cubes Mix all ingredients, except the chicken. Place chicken in a Ziploc bag. Pour lime juice mixture over chicken; toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate 2 hours. Set oven to broil. Spray broiler pan with cooking spray. Remove chicken from marinade, and reser...

This one falls into the category of "Did this really come from our own kitchen?" Special Thai Lime Leaf Green Curry Recipe shockingly, from About.com   Homemade Curry Paste: 10-12 kaffir lime leaves 6 cloves garlic 4 scallions, sliced (or spring onions) 3 T fish sauce 4 T lime juice 3 T soy sauce 1 tsp dark soy sauce 2 tsp brown sugar 3 T coconut milk 1/2 c basil 1/2 - 1 tsp cayenne pepper, or, 1 fresh red chili 1/2 tsp shrimp paste (I omitted) Curry Ingredients: 2 T vegetable oil 2 shallots, or, 1/4 c red onion, finely chopped 2-3 T cooking sherry 1 - 1 1/2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs, cut into bite-sized pieces 1 red bell pepper, chopped 1 green or yellow bell pepper, chopped 1/2 c coconut milk 1/2 c basil To make the curry paste: Use scissors to snip the lime leaves into thin strips, discarding the stems and central veins. Combine these strips plus all remaining paste ingredients in a food processor. Process until w...

I have a love-hate relationship with this recipe - part of it I love, but parts of it I haven't got quite right yet. It relies on the Thai peanut sauce recipe posted yesterday. And, as you can see from my comments on that, I don't have that recipe perfected yet; mine remained a bit grainy, and I would prefer something smooth. That problem remained throughout the fully assembled dish. More than that, though, is the quantity of sauce to use. You can see from some of the user comments on the Cooking Light website itself that some users have found the original recipe bland, and thought that increasing the amount of peanut sauce would help. I followed their advice and began adding additional peanut sauce in small increments -- just 1/4 c additions at a time. Eventually, I had added the entire 2 c of peanut sauce made from yesterday's posting. And that turned out to be too gloppy -- tasted good, but looked unappetizing. Somewhere, there is a happy medium for this dish. ...

  Thai peanut sauce is very versatile stuff - it can be used as a dipping sauce, as a salad dressing, or as a sauce for stir-fry or pasta. Here is one version of Thai peanut sauce I found that is simple to make, and tasty to boot. I made mine in a food processor. I may make it in a blender in the future, to see if I can get a better grind -- I found mine was a bit lumpy throughout. Thai Peanut Sauce About.com 1 c dry roasted peanuts, unsalted 1/3 c water 2 cloves garlic, minced 1/2 tsp dark soy sauce 2 tsp sesame oil 2 T brown sugar 2 - 2.5 T fish sauce 1/2 tsp tamarind paste, or, 1/2 T lime juice 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper, or 1 tsp Thai chili sauce 1/3 c coconut milk Place all ingredients in a blender or food processor. Blend or process until smooth. If you prefer a runnier sauce, add a little more water or coconut milk. This sauce tends to thicken as it sits; add a little water or coconut milk to think it out, as needed. Stores well, if kept covered. (K...

Make this dish, and you will have your family running out from whatever computer or book they are hiding behind. Your neighbors, following the wafting odors of this dish as it cooks, may even pop over round dinnertime! There are some difficult ingredients to find. I've made a few suggestions for alternate ingredients. But if you can, find the original ingredients. Kaffir lime leaves are worth the search. In the south, I grow my own because the dried version is so hard to find. Thai Tofu with Red Curry Sauce over Coconut-Scallion Rice Vegetarian Planet 10 dried kaffir lime leaves (if you can't find it, use 1 1/2 tsp grated lime rind) 1 1/4 c coconut milk 2 3/4 c water 1 tsp salt 1 1/2 c jasmine rice 1 bunch cilantro, coarsely chopped (2/3 c for the sauce, and the rest for garnish) 2 cloves garlic, cut in half 1/4 c dry-roasted, unsalted peanuts 1 T fish sauce (if you can't find it, use a dash of salt) 1/4 c canola oil 2 T chile paste 1 16-oz package firm...

This is actually a re-post from something I posted earlier . I hadn't made it since that last post, and remembered it as, well, life-changing. And it's still delicious, but I did learn that if you don't have all the ingredients, the overall taste is diminished accordingly. This go-round, I did not have the fish sauce I needed, and the overall dish suffered. Still, I think it's worth a re-post. Stir-Fried Eggplant with Garlic and Basil Sauce Cook's Illustrated , May 2002 Thai Sauce Base: 3 T asian fish sauce 1 T lime juice (1 lime) 1 tsp lime zest (1 lime) 1 T brown sugar 1/8 tsp red pepper flakes Eggplant: 1 T + 1 tsp peanut oil 1 lb eggplant, cut into 3/4" cubes (6-7 cups) 6 cloves garlic, minced 1 3/4" pice ginger, minced (1 T) 2 scallion, sliced thin 1/2 c basil, torn into 1/2" pieces Begin by preparing the sauce base. Mix all ingredients together in a bowl or, simpler yet, in a Mason jar. Shake or whisk together until...

Many people think they don't like tofu because of the texture -- it can be kind of chewy/spongy, especially when prepared the way most recipes indicate. Most recipes (including the one below) call for people to use the tofu straight from the package, without any kind of prep work. In my experience -- and I do not consider myself an expert in tofu -- it is best to take the tofu from the package and freeze it before using it in any dish.  Remove tofu from the package and drain. Cut into chunks, or whatever shape you will be using. Place on a freezer-safe dish and freeze for an hour or more -- until solid. Remove from the freezer and let thaw on the counter. When soft, squeeze the excess water out by hand. (Alternatively, you could freeze the tofu with a heavy plate on top of the tofu itself, to help drain the tofu as it sits.) This process helps to give the tofu a bit more structure, making it more pleasant to chew. That said, this recipe was delicious. I have made c...