Green Curry with Fresh Bamboo, Tiny Eggplant, and Mushrooms

2 c tender bamboo shoots, sliced in 1-2" pieces

2 c Thai green eggplant, cut in halves or quarters

2 c tiny purple eggplant, cut in halves or quarters

2 c fresh shiitake mushrooms, quartered

1 pkg of extra firm tofu, air fried (optional)

1/4 c or more to taste green curry paste (purchase or use recipe below)

3 cans coconut milk

¼ c fish sauce

3 T sugar (or palm sugar)

3 T boullion

6 kaffir lime leaves

2-3 stalks of lemon grass, sliced

water to cover, 2 cups or so

¼ c holy basil and Thai basil leaves

1 bunch cilantro, chopped

1. Wash and slice the veggies so they are ready to go.

2. Sauté the mushrooms in 1 tsp of oil until liquid is released, just a few minutes and remove from heat. 

3. Heat several tablespoons of the thick part of the coconut milk in a large pot. Add curry paste and saute until fragrant. Add the remaining coconut milk, sugar, bouillon, kaffir lime leaves, lemon grass, fish sauce and bring to a simmer.

4. Add bamboo shoots, both types of eggplant, air fried tofu, and sautéed mushrooms to the broth. Add enough water to cover, about two cups. Bring to a simmer for about 10 minutes, or until eggplant are still firm but tender.

5. Remove from heat and stir in fresh basil and cilantro.

6. Serve with rice

Green Curry Paste (you can make this or buy in a tub)

8 garlic cloves, chopped

4 shallots, sliced

½ c (or more) chopped jalapeno peppers

½ c chopped green Thai chili peppers

3 stalks lemongrass, tender parts chopped

1 T galangal (around 1 ¼ “ piece) peeled and chopped

1 t cumin seeds

1 T coriander seeds

10 black peppercorns

½ chopped cilantro leaves and stems, chopped

1 t shrimp paste

1 t vegetable oil

Grind in a grinder or mortar and pestle until combined. Roasting the peppercorns and seeds gives a nice flavor but it's not always necessary if you don’t want to take the time.

Vietnamese Yellow Curry

 Vietnamese Chicken Curry

3-5 lb chicken thighs or turkey parts with bone in (can sub other meat or tofu here, I've used boneless, skinless chicken breast, too)

¼ c chopped garlic

⅓ c chopped lemongrass

½ c sugar

4 T chicken bouillon

¼ c MSG (optional)

½ c Vietnamese curry powder

Combine the ingredients with the meat and set aside for at least 4 hours to overnight.

Olive oil, enough to cover bottom of deep pan with ¼”

2 ½ T chopped garlic

2 cans Coco Rico

3 cans coconut cream

2 T Vietnamese curry powder

10 whole keffir lime leaves

10-15 dried chilies

water to cover, about 4 cups

4 pieces of fresh lemongrass pounded and tied in a bundle

2-3 lg carrots, cut in 2” pieces

1 peeled taro root, cut in 2” pieces

1 peeled sweet potato, cut in 2” pieces

Lightly fry the carrot, taro, and sweet potato in a small amount of oil, if a firmer texture is desired until you are just able to pierce with a fork and set aside on paper towels to drain. 

Coat a deep fry pan with about ¼ “ of olive oil and heat. Add meat with plenty of space between pieces and sear all sides. You may need to do multiple batches.

Put a large stockpot on low heat and add oil, garlic, and curry powder Take care to not let it burn. Add chicken and two cans of Coco Rico, dried chilies, lemongrass bundle and whole kefir lime leaves. Add enough water to cover meat and veggies, around 4 cups in my pot. Simmer until the meat is cooked through about 15-20 minutes. 

Add coconut cream, taro root, sweet potato, and carrot and simmer a few more minutes. Adjust seasoning with bouillon and sugar. Remove from heat.

Stir in:

2 white onions, cut into wedges and separated

Serve with:

6 kefir lime leaves, shredded on top

with French baguette, noodles, or rice to soak up that delicious broth

Lightly frying taro root and other root veg in batches

Marinated chicken after several hours



Sautéed chicken before adding CoCo Rico to loosen up the fond

Sheila's Mushroom Stew (inspired by Beoseot Jeongol)

Choose a variety of Asian mushrooms to make this dish adding up to the equivalent of about 45 oz of mushrooms or more. You want to have a balance of 50% or more meatier mushrooms (king oyster and shitake) and 50% or fewer lighter mushrooms (oyster, shimeji, and enoki). You can find these mushrooms at an Asian grocery store. You will find that they are much cheaper there too! This version is vegetarian but you could add thinly sliced beef if you want.

Ingredients:

3  king oyster mushrooms, sliced into medallions

1/2 pkg fresh shiitake mushrooms, sliced

1/2 pkg fresh oyster mushrooms, chopped

1/2 pkg of shimeji mushrooms (brown beech/brown clamshell)

1 pkg of enoki mushrooms

2 TB olive oil

salt and pepper

1 red onion, sliced

6 cloves garlic, minced

2 TB mirin

1/8 c soy sauce or tamari

1 block of tofu, cubed

2 c water/broth

1 small zucchini, cut in half then sliced in half moons

5-6 baby bok choy, cleaned and drained

2 c bean sprouts, rinsed and drained

1 TB mushroom powder (or chicken bouillon)

1 tsp smoked red pepper or smoked paprika

3 green onions, chopped

2 tsp sesame oil

1. Heat a braiser or large deep skillet with a lid over medium heat. Add 2 TB of olive oil to heat. Add red onion, king oyster medallions and shiitakes. Sprinkle with salt and black pepper. Sauté for 2-3 minutes letting the mushrooms release their liquid; then, add minced garlic. Continue to cook a few more minutes until a fond of nice brown bits develops on the bottom of the pan.  

2. Add mirin and tamari and scrape up the fond with a spatula. Add water or broth and tofu and turn up the heat to medium high to allow liquid to come to a boil. Add oyster and shimeji mushrooms to the liquid as it is coming to a boil. Add mushroom powder and smoked pepper. Turn down to simmer for about 5 minutes. 

3. Nestle the baby bok choy in the liquid and let cook for a couple minutes. Add zucchini, bean sprouts, and enoki mushrooms and cover for 3-4 minutes. 

4. Remove from heat and add green onion and sesame oil. 

Serve with steamed brown rice. I like to add some chili crunch oil to the top! 

Mapa Dubu

Mapa Dubu (Korean-style Mapo Tofu)

1 pkg firm tofu

Oil, enough to coat bottom of pan by ¼ inch

1 lb ground pork or meatless pork sausage patties

1 bunch green onion 

6-8 cloves of garlic

2 Tb Dubangjang (chili bean paste)

1 Tb Soy sauce

1 Tb Mirin or other alcohol

1 ts Salt

1 Tb sugar

1 c water

Black pepper, to taste

Cornstarch slurry (1 T cornstarch with 3 T water, mixed)

1 T Sesame oil

1. Press liquid from tofu and cube
2. Fry tofu in hot oil until all sides are golden
3. Remove all but 1 T of oil and cook ground pork or meatless sausage patties breaking them up as they cook. 
4. Add white part of green onion, garlic and dubangjang to pork
5. Add soy sauce, alcohol and pepper
6. Add water and tofu and bring to a boil, turn down to simmer until water is almost gone
7. Add cornstarch slurry and cook until thickened
8. Stir in tops of green onion and sesame oil
   
   Serve with rice.
   
   
   
   
   

Red Pozole

Red Pozole

6 pounds pork shoulder or butt (bone-in is more flavorful)

1 lg white onion

½ c peeled, crushed garlic cloves

2 bay leaves

1 T Black pepper

1 T Cumin

Cover the above with water (around 12 cups) and bring to a boil. Then simmer for 1 hour or until the pork can be pulled apart with two forks. Skim impurities throughout. 

Remove pork from liquid and let cool. Strain the broth into another container. You can chill to remove excess fat if you would like. Reserve the bone to put back in the broth.

Shred pork into 1 inch pieces.

Next ingredients:

9 guajillo chilies

5 chili de arbol

1 quart of boiling water

5 cloves of garlic
1 white onion

Remove stems and seeds from chilies and toast in a hot pan for a few minutes. Add to boiling water and let steep for 15 to 20 minutes.

Process chilies and soaking liquid in blender or food processor with 5 cloves of garlic and 1 white onion.

Pass the results through a fine mesh sieve and add the liquid to pork broth. Discard the solids.

Add 1 giant can of hominy to pork and chili broth

Add shredded pork and bone back into the pot

Add 4 Tb mexican oregano

1 Tb ground cumin

2 bay leaves

1 T salt or bouillon (or more to taste) 

Simmer for 30 minutes or longer while preparing the garnishes.

Garnishes (can prep while pozole is cooking):

• Half a small cabbage, thinly sliced
• One bunch cilantro, chopped
• 1/2 white onion or green onion, chopped
• 2 avocados, chopped
• 4 limes, quartered
• A bunch of red radishes, sliced thin
• Cotija cheese, crumbled
• A couple dozen tostada shells
• Mexican crema, optional

Ladle soup into large bowls and let people garnish as they like. It makes a lot so it is good for a crowd, but you can also freeze the soup.

Preserved Lemons and Moroccan Chicken with Preserved Lemons

I used Simply Recipes version to make preserved lemons. They keep well in the fridge and can be used in tagines, stews, pilafs, pasta, and even in salads where you want to add a little brightness to a dish. You can use it anywhere you would use lemon peel or juice, really. Then, you can eliminate some food waste. I can barely get through a bag of lemons before they have gone off.

https://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/how_to_make_preserved_lemons/


This is the recipe that I used in making my chicken tagine.

https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/6555-chicken-tagine-with-olives-and-preserved-lemons

Chicken Lentil Soup with Jammy Onions

I found this recipe on Bon Appetit at the beginning of 2020 and I can't stop making it. I double or triple the jammy onions. When you cook with bone in chicken and water, you make chicken broth. If you decide to use boneless, skinless chicken, you may want to add some bouillon to enhance the flavor.




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