Vietnamese Stirfry and Rice Pudding

I have been cooking the last few months, but primarily old standbys plus a few recipes from cookbooks I uncharacteristically do not modify much (like lamb biryani).

This week I made an uninspired by decent improvised curry (the chicken was there and had to be used), salmon pasta salad (canned salmon, plain yogurt, mayo, mustard, Worchestershire sauce, and pasta, mixed to taste; vegetables optional), a simplified version of Barbara Fisher’s Lemongrass Beef (my first attempt at Vietnamese food), and rice pudding.

The rice pudding began as jasmine rice that someone-who-shall-remain-nameless (not me) cooked with 3 cups water to 1 cup rice. There were perhaps 3-4 cups of cooked rice. After it dried out to a kind of mushy consistency three or so days later, I put it back on the stove, added some amount of soy milk (”enough”), 1/4 c. sugar, 1 tsp. vanilla, some saffron dissolved in warm water, and cinnamon and cardamom to taste, and cooked it until it resembled rice pudding.

It’s pretty good, as rice pudding goes. I dislike wasting food (even food as cheap as rice), so I’m glad I salvaged it.

Here’s hoping I’ll have more time to experiment the next few months–I have a couple new Spanish cookbooks, a paella cookbook, a Vietnamese cookbook, and the goal of learning to make cheesecake.

Why cooking when sick is a BAD idea

I set out to make a nice, simple egg custard. Bleary from lack of sleep, I accidentally read “6 tbl” as “2 cups” of sugar (the recipe called for two cups of milk).

No custard for me until we get more eggs. Sigh. I guess I should stick to soup and jello; harder to mess up.

Sore Throat Soup

Being hideously ill with some kind of throat infection which is probably bacterial but not strep, I am living on soup and jello. I pretty much hate jello unless I’m really sick. So I thought I’d throw together something easy but better than ramen.

I had duck broth and some shredded roast duck left over in the freezer from Christmas, so I put them in a saucepan with lots of sliced ginger and garlic, a touch of soy sauce, some lemongrass, sushi vinegar (my plain rice vinegar has mysteriously disappeared), salt, sesame oil, fish sauce, and somen noodles, cooked it up, and garnished with lime juice. While not earth-shatteringly good, it’s pretty good for a sore throat given my present energy level (nonexistent).

And now the freezer is a little emptier, although I really should clean it out.

Mu Pad King (Stirfried Ginger Pork)

I have been trying for a couple years to find or develop a good recipe for Pad King Mu (or Mu Pad King, or a variety of other spellings), with mixed success. Pad King Mu is a dish made with pork, mushrooms (usually woodear), and copious amounts of ginger or galangal. It’s similar to Mu Pud Prik, but it doesn’t have the chilies and it seems to be served in fewer restaurants. I’ve had it both as a dry stirfry with only a little sauce clinging to the meat and as a more saucey dish.

It can also be made with beef (Nua Pad King) or chicken (Gai Pad King) or tofu (um…Tofu Pad King?). Onions and green bell peppers are the traditional veggies, but I’ve also had it with broccoli and personally would make it with snow peas (I didn’t have any tonight).

Pumpkin Pie Filling

I love pumpkin pie, or more properly, the filling. Even the best homemade pie crust doesn’t do much for me, so I usually just make the filling and eat it. Our family recipe is my favorite, although since I am pathologically incapable of following recipes, I have changed it (to horrified squeaking from my mother when I told her) slightly. I don’t know why she’s so horrified, since she herself modified it when she started making it with cream instead of milk (pumpkin pie is a holiday dessert: it’s not supposed to be good for you).

When I made this last night, it came out sweeter than I remembered. I think this is because I used unrefined organic sugar, which has a bit of a molassesy flavor and which seems to be sweeter than regular sugar. Either that or my taste for sugar has become more sensitive. Adjust accordingly.

This recipe will fill a 9″ pie; use 1 1/2 recipe for a 10″ pie.

Pumpkin Pie Filling

1/2 - 3/4 c. sugar*
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ginger
1/4 tsp. cloves
1/4 tsp. allspice
1/2 tsp. cardamom
Pinch of salt

2 eggs
1 good cupful pumpkin
1 c. milk or heavy cream

1. Preheat oven to 400 F (pie) or 375 F (pudding).

2. In a large mixing bowl, mix sugar and spices.

3. Add eggs, pumpkin, and milk, mixing after each one.

Pie: Pour into a 9″ pie crust. Start baking at 400 F for 15 minutes, then reduce heat to 350 F for 45-60 minutes. It is done when it looks done, although a knife can be inserted in the middle to be sure if you don’t mind a hole in your pie.

Pudding: Pour into a sufficiently large oven-safe bowl. Bake at 375 F for 15 minutes, then 325 F for about 45 minutes, until done.

Tom Kha Gai (Coconut Ginger Soup)

I have three pounds of chicken backs simmering on the stove in some water. I make stock like my mother taught me–chicken backs and necks ($1/lb at Whole Foods), water to cover, and simmer for an hour or two. Chicken backs and necks, besides being cheap, make really flavorful stock (I keep meaning to pick up some feet at the Asian market to throw in as well). I don’t put flavorings in the stock as cook it, because I like it to be usable for a variety of purposes. Since I normally use stock for soup or rice, I add other flavorings when I use it.

Today I made tom kha gai, which is a lovely coconut milk and chicken broth based soup. My version is nontraditional for a variety of reasons, the primary one being that I far prefer ginger to galangal, so I use ginger. I also leave out the mushrooms, since I don’t like them. When I first started making this, I had no access to fresh lemongrass, so I used dried lemongrass steeped in water (almost pointless), before moving on to a hideously preserved but better-tasting lemongrass paste. Now that I have a source for fresh lemongrass, I use that. This is the first time I’ve actually had kaffir lime leaves to put in, but I also like the lime juice flavor, even though it’s non-traditional. This is one of my favorite soups, especially when I’m sick. I make it fairly mild, but I’ve had tom kha gai in restaurants that nearly killed me.

So in sum: this is NOT your traditional tom kha gai recipe, but it’s easy to modify to be more traditional.

Tom Kha Gai (Coconut Ginger Soup)

Lamb Onion Soup with Pasta and Potatoes

I’ve been under the weather lately and it’s winter, which combine to give me even more of a craving than usual for soup. Tonight I decided to improvise a lamb soup. I didn’t have any wine on hand to add, but wine is an excellent addition to lamb soups.

Lamb Onion Soup with Pasta and Potatoes

1 lb lamb stew meat, cut into small chunks

1 small yellow onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbl butter
Drizzle of olive oil (optional)

~2 c. chicken or lamb broth
Water

Handful of baby potatoes, cut into small chunks
A couple handfuls of pasta

Ground rosemary to taste
Salt to taste
A few drops of Worcestershire sauce

1. Over low heat, caramelize the onions in melted butter until deep reddish-brown. When the onions are about ready, add the garlic and fry a little more until fragrant.

2. If necessary, add a little olive oil or more butter and brown the lamb.

3. Add chicken broth and sufficient water to allow for the potatoes and pasta. Turn up to a simmer.

4. When water is simmering, add the potatoes, rosemary, salt, and Worcestershire sauce. Cook until potatoes are soft.

5. Add sufficient pasta for your tastes and cook until pasta is done. Check for salt.

I served this with salad and bread.

Potato Pancakes (Latkes)

When I was growing up, my father had two specialties in the kitchen (the only things he cooked, really): Eggs Benedict and potato pancakes. Much later, I figured out that potato pancakes = latkes. We always ate them with maple syrup, sour cream, and applesauce, which isn’t very traditional, but maple syrup is insanely good.

My sophomore year of college, my dorm held a latke cookoff, which I didn’t enter but did attend. There were a variety of latkes, from the traditional potato-and-onion to chili, but nothing I’ve had has ever quite measured up to the ones my dad made–a modification of the recipe from Joy of Cooking.

The measurements are all approximate. A food processor is your friend for the onion.

Potato Pancakes (Latkes)

2 c. grated raw potato
1/2 small sweet yellow onion, grated or finely chopped
3 eggs
Salt

Olive oil

1. Grate potato and chop onion (food processor recommended for this bit). In a large bowl, mix potato, onion, eggs, and salt.

2. Heat a little bit of olive oil in a frying pan (even if the pan is nonstick–the oil helps with the flavor).

3. Spoon fairly small amounts of the potato batter onto the fan and flatten into pancakes about 3″ across and 1/4″ thick. Fry until golden-brown, flipping to cook both sides.

Applesauce and sour cream are traditional accompaniments, but I’m serious about the maple syrup–it balances the onion beautifully. They’re also good with jam or fruit syrups.

I did recently try making some with rosemary, sage, thyme, and garlic in the batter, but they were disappointing. Your mileage may vary.

A variety of spiced goodness

I’m moving again (sigh), but it should encourage the cooking. Of late I’ve made a few things, but nothing really worth posting–peanut satay (chicken marinated in coconut milk, fish sauce, and Savory Spice Shop’s mild yellow curry powder, grilled and served with peanut sauce) and my very first fish curry (halibut, onions, garlic, coconut milk, and spices). I also made a couple loaves of rummy pumpkin bread which didn’t last the week.

Now I am beginning the marathon Christmas cookie-baking season, for I have very little money this Christmas for presents. Also, because cookies are delicious. So far I’ve been working on adapting my favorite cookie recipe ever–cardamom-flavored honey cookies–to 6000 feet. Once I work out the bugs, I’ll post that recipe. Molasses cookies are next on the list, then oatmeal raisin, pumpkin spice, and possibly chocolate chip (I think chocolate chip is rather dull, but it’s popular). I’m also toying with some other ideas–Aztec brownies with ancho chili and cinnamon and cookies flavored with ras el hanout (the ras el hanout blend I buy is heavy on the sweet spices and would make an interesting dessert).

Today I went to Savory again to pick up a few Christmas presents and refill my cardamom supply (it’s the spice I go through fastest). I also picked up some ground ancho chili, which should be interesting to experiment with, especially since I picked up a Spanish cookbook at a thrift store the other day. Savory sells nice gift sets if you’re looking for a good cook’s gift. I always find that sort of thing interesting–the Deluxe Curry Set is my favorite of theirs, but I find some of the others, the starter sets in particular, a little peculiar.

That’s a problem in general with starter sets, however, as the author of my favorite spice book (The Contemporary Encyclopedia of Herbs and Spices) notes. Everyone has a different set of staples. Savory’s Deluxe Starter Set, for example, contains the following: granulated garlic, granulated onion, imported European basil, Greek oregano, Spanish sweet paprika, crushed red pepper flakes, cayenne, black Tellicherry pepper, Mediterranean thyme, and Saigon cinnamon. Of those, I never use granulated garlic/onion, crushed red pepper, or cayenne, and only use paprika for paella and hummus, which I don’t make often. The others, while staples, lean heavily towards the European herbs.

Mmmm, sushi

I have finally started cooking again–I made a basic yogurt-based chicken-and-potato curry on Sunday (it was okay, but the chicken was pretty tasteless–real food, however, was an exciting occurence in our house).

Last night we decided to make sushi. We already had ridiculous amounts of sushi rice and nori, so I picked up some tobiko (flying fish eggs), fake crab, avocado, cucumber, green onions, and sashimi-grade tuna (they were out of salmon, sadly). While it’s true that our homemade sushi isn’t the best sushi ever, it’s still a lot better than most of what you can buy in Colorado Springs. Not only that, but under $30 fed three people full of delicious sushi. No pictures, I’m afraid, since we were pretty hungry by the time I’d acquired all the ingredients (it took three grocery stores, annoyingly, and I got lost trying to find the one with the tobiko and sashimi).

1/2 lb. sashimi-grade tuna - $10
1/8 lb. tobiko - $5
1 avocado - $2
Green onions - $1.50
Cucumber - $1
Fake crab - $2
Rice - ~$0.50
Nori - ~$4
Soy sauce - pennies
Wasabi - pennies

It reminds me that we really ought to make sushi more often (I actually have a book and video on making sushi that I should get around to looking at sometime). It’s really the only way to get enough sushi without breaking the bank.

Next time I’ll just have to call ahead to see if the one overpriced gourmet grocery that consistently sells sashimi-grade fish has salmon (Whole Foods now sells some kinds of sashimi-grade fish by the pound, but I haven’t seen salmon yet and their staff is generally a lot less knowledgeable about sushi, which makes me nervous).