Asian Eggplant

From Bon Appetit, via Epicurious.

1/2 bunch fresh cilantro, stems trimmed
5 tablespoons canned low-salt chicken broth
2 green onions, chopped
2 large garlic cloves
1 small jalapeño chili, chopped
1 tablespoon minced peeled fresh ginger

4 tablespoons peanut oil
1 1 1/4-pound eggplant, cut lengthwise into 3/4-inch-wide slices and slices cut crosswise into 3/4-inch-wide-strips

1 tablespoon soy sauce

Combine cilantro, 1 tablespoon broth, green onions, garlic, chili and ginger in processor and puree until paste forms.

Heat 2 tablespoons oil in heavy large nonstick skillet over high heat until very hot. Add half of eggplant. Cover skillet and cook until eggplant is tender and beginning to brown, turning once, about 5 minutes. Transfer to paper towels. Repeat with remaining 2 tablespoons oil and remaining eggplant.

Add cilantro paste and soy sauce to skillet and stir over medium-high heat 2 minutes. Return eggplant to skillet and add remaining 4 tablespoons broth. Stir until sauce thickens and boils and eggplant is heated through, about 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Serves 4.

Cabbage and Carrot Stir-Fry with Toasted Cumin & Lime

Serves 6

1 1/2 tsp. cumin seeds
2 T. canola oil
3/4 tsp. ground coriander
1/2 tsp. freshly cracked black peppercorns
1/2 jalapeno, seeded, ribbed, and finely chopped
6 cups thinly sliced green cabbage (about 2/3 medium cabbage)
2 cups julienned or grated carrots (about 3/4 lb.)
2 1/2 tsp. kosher salt; more to taste
1 1/2 tsp. granulated sugar
1/2 cup loosely packed fresh cilantro sprigs, finely chopped
2-3 T. fresh lime juice

Toast 1 tsp. of the cumin seeds in a small skillet over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until deeply browned and beginning to smoke, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer to a bowl to cool. Grind to a fine powder in a spice grinder.

Heat the oil with the remaining 1/2 tsp. cumin seeds, the coriander, and peppercorns in a large wok, and cook until the cumin is browned. Add the jalapeno and cook until sizzling and just starting to soften, 30 to 60 seconds, and then add the cabbage and carrots. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the cabbage has wilted yet is still al dente, 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in the freshly ground cumin, salt, and sugar and cook for 30 seconds.

Remove from the heat. Stir in the cilantro and lime juice and taste for seasoning. Serve warm, at room temperature, or cold. From Fine Cooking.

Tom yam kung

Tom Yum is one of my favorite soups. It's actually pretty easy to make if you have the right ingredients on hand. Now that we have a Kaffir lime tree in a pot, we always have fresh lime leaves, and we can harvest lemongrass from the pot on our deck. We always have chicken stock in the freezer, and shrimp is easy to keep there as well, so we really only need to make sure we have chillies, limes, and mushrooms around to be able to make this. I'm sure it took longer than the 5 minutes prep and 5 minutes cooking that the recipe claims, but not by much.

600ml (1 pint) chicken stock

1 lemon grass stalk, chopped into 4 pieces and slightly crushed

4 Kaffir lime leaves, roughly chopped

2 small fresh red chillies, finely sliced

8 small button mushrooms, quartered

8 raw king prawns, peeled and de-veined

2 tablespoons lime juice

1 teaspoon sugar

Coriander leaves, to garnish

In a saucepan, heat the stock to boiling point.Add the lemon grass,

Kaffir lime leaves, chillies and mushrooms and bring back to the boil.

Add the prawns, Fish sauce, lime juice and suger and simmer for

about a minute or so, unit the prawns are cooked.

Turn into soup bowl and garnish with coriander leaves

From Stylish Thai in Minutes

"Best eggplant dish ever"

An excellent way to use eggplant. We like it on baguettes, but it's good on rice, too.


We use a little fish sauce instead of dried shrimp.

3 dried red chilies, preferably Thai ¼ cup chopped shallots
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
1 heaping tablespoon dried shrimp
1 teaspoon salt
1 medium tomato, cored, coarsely chopped and briefly drained
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
¼ cup ground pork (optional)
½ teaspoon ground turmeric (optional)
1½ pounds eggplant, preferably the small Asian kind, sliced ¼ inch thick
Roughly chopped cilantro or mint for garnish.

1. Soak chilies in warm water for about 15 minutes, until softened. Drain, reserving water. Discard stems and seeds, and combine chilies in a blender or small food processor with shallots, garlic, shrimp and salt. Process, adding a little of the chili-soaking water if necessary. Add tomato, process briefly and set aside.

2. Put a large, deep skillet over high heat, and add oil; a minute later, add pork and cook, stirring to break up lumps, for just a minute. Add chili mixture and turmeric. Lower heat to medium, and cook, stirring occasionally, about 2 minutes. Add eggplant, stir, cover tightly and reduce heat to low.

3. Cook, stirring every 5 minutes or so, for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until eggplant is very tender and shapeless. (You can prepare ahead to this point and reheat before serving.) Just before serving, raise the heat, and boil off any excess liquid if necessary; the mixture should not be watery. Serve, topped with cilantro or mint.

From Hot Sour Salty Sweet, by way of The New York Times.

Cod with Coconut, Lime, and Lemongrass Curry Sauce

Modified from this epicurious recipe.

Sauce
2 shallots, peeled and cut into large chunks
3 garlic cloves, peeled
1 lemongrass stalk, sliced into rounds
1-inch knob ginger, peeled and cut into chunks
1 tablespoon butter
3 kaffir lime leaves
1 tablespoon red or green curry paste
3 cups chicken stock
3/4 cup fresh coconut milk, or canned
4 cilantro sprigs
Fine sea salt to taste
Freshly ground pepper to taste
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

4 7-ounce cod fillets, 1 1/2-inches thick
salt and freshly ground pepper

Place the shallots, garlic, lemongrass and ginger in a small chopper, and chop until minced together. Heat the butter in a skillet, and add the chopped ingredients. Put in the lime leaves and curry paste, and saute until the chopped ingredients are tender and colorless, about 5 minutes. Add the chicken stock, bring to a boil, and adjust the heat to simmer, uncovered, for 15 minutes. Add the coconut milk and cilantro, simmering for 5 more minutes. Remove from heat, season to taste with salt and pepper, and remove the lime leaves. Return to a chopper or blender and puree, then set aside.

Heat several tablespoons of oil in a skillet, and rinse the fish and salt and pepper on both sides. Saute the fish on the first side until golden brown and crusted, then flip and finish the fish on the other side until cooked properly. Serve over rice, with sauce poured on top; they also suggest bok choy sauteed in butter on the side. Enough for 4.

Fragrant Rice Noodles with Vegetables

Modified from a recipe in The Moosewood Restaurant Cooks at Home.

Sauce:
3 T. fresh lime juice
zest of one lime
¾ c. peanut butter
2 tsp. brown sugar
¾ c. stock (vegetable, chicken, whatever)
1 T. fish sauce
½ tsp. salt
3 garlic cloves, minced
rooster (red chili) sauce to taste

6 oz. rice noodles (¼-inch wide)

2 leeks, well rinsed
2 small zucchini
2 small yellow squash
3 T. vegetable oil
¼ c. water

In a covered pot, bring 1½ quarts water to a boil. While the water heats, put all sauce ingredients except for the rooster sauce in a blender and puree until smooth. Gradually add rooster sauce to taste; adjust with lime juice, pb, brown sugar, or fish sauce as necessary to balance flavors.

When the water boils, add the noodles and cook for 3-5 minutes or until just tender. Drain, rinse briefly under cool water, drain again, and set aside.

Cut the leeks, zucchini, and squash into julienne sticks 2 to 3 inches long and ½ to ¼ inch wide. Heat the oil in a wok, and stir-fry the leek sticks on medium-high for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the zucchini and squash and stire fry for about 3 to 4 minutes, until the vegetables are just tender, adding a little water if necessary to prevent scorching. Add the noodles and about half of the sauce, and toss well until heated through. Serve immediately, with extra sauce on the side.

Szechwan-style eggplant

Tried this from Gourmet, via epicurious, and liked it.

• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• a 1 1/4-pound eggplant, peeled if desired and cut into 1/2-inch cubes (about 6 cups)
• 1 teaspoon cornstarch
• 1/2 cup chicken broth
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1 tablespoon minced peeled fresh gingerroot
• 2 to 3 teaspoons Szechwan chili paste*, or to taste
• 1 teaspoon hoisin sauce*
• 1 tablespoon rice vinegar* or white-wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon dry Sherry
• 3 scallions, sliced thin
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon firmly packed light brown sugar
• 1 red bell pepper, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon Oriental sesame oil, or to taste

In a wok or large skillet heat the vegetable oil over high heat until it is hot but not smoking and in it stir-fry the eggplant over moderately high heat for 3 to 5 minutes, or until it is tender and browned. Transfer the eggplant with a slotted spoon to paper towels to drain.

In a small bowl dissolve the cornstarch in the broth. To the wok add the garlic, the gingerroot, the chili paste, the hoisin sauce, the vinegar, and the Sherry and stir-fry the mixture for 30 seconds. Add the scallions and stir-fry the mixture for 30 seconds. Add the soy sauce, the brown sugar, the cornstarch mixture, stirred, the bell pepper, and the eggplant and stir-fry the mixture for 1 minute, or until the eggplant has absorbed most of the liquid. Remove the wok from the heat, add the sesame oil and salt and pepper to taste, and toss the mixture well. The eggplant mixture may be made 1 day in advance and kept covered and chilled.

They suggest serving it with pita wedges, but I just made it as a side with lemongrass chicken and rice.

Kill Soup Dumpling

For Joe's Shanghai, New York City home of the soup dumpling, this Kill Bill parody:



I especially like the employees gathered round laughing at him.

Refreshing hot day lunch: Cold Soba Noodles and Vegetables

From Noodle Fusion by Dorothy Rankin:

"Yield: 4 to 6 Main-course Servings

"These cold, chewy buckwheat noodles with crisp vegetables and a sweet, salty, and sour dressing have a lovely balance of flavors and texture. It is somewhat of a misnomper to call the liquid portion of this salad a 'dressing.' Consider it, instead, a delightful chilled broth that can be drunk from the bowl when the noodles are gone. This is wonderful made ahead and served icy cold in bowls. If you do so, refrigerate the noodles, vegetables, and broth in separate, well-covered containers."

12 ounces soba noodles
1 medium-size daikon radish, grated
1 carrot, peeled and grated
½ cup snow pea shoots
4 scallions, thinly sliced
2 T. rice wine vinegar
1 T. mirin
1 tsp. sugar
½ tsp. salt
garnish: 1 T. toasted sesame seeds

Cold Broth Dressing
1½ cups Dashi
4 T. mirin
2 tsp. peeled, grated ginger
2 scallions, finely chopped

Cook the soba noodles as directed. Drain and rinse thoroughly to cool. Meanwhile, combine the vegetables in a bowl. Add the vinegar, mirin, sugar and salt and mix well. Combine all the broth ingredients in a separate bowl.

To serve, divide the noodles among the bowls. Arrange the vegetables over the noodles and pour the broth over all. Garnish with the toasted sesame seeds.

(ams note) Very robust to substitutions. I used this as a general idea, substituting cabbage and bean sprouts for daikon and pea shoots, had to skip the scallions, and found out--after beginning--that we were out of mirin. Oops. Substituted more vinegar and sugar liberally in place of it. Then I just forgot the sesame seeds (oops again). Yummy nonetheless.

The Soto King's Chicken Soup

This was a very nice, fragrant soup. I didn't top it with fried shallots & celery leaves, which would be good, I'm sure. I used macadamia nuts from Hawaii- although we saw candlenut trees there, we didn't bring any home with us.

THE SOTO KING'S CHICKEN SOUP
Makes 4 or 5 servings without rice, or 6 servings with rice

• 2 tablespoons Crisp-Fried Shallots (see Note)
• 1 whole free-range chicken, 3 to 3 1/2 pounds, quartered
• 2 quarts water
• 2 thick stalks fresh lemongrass, each tied into a knot
• 6 whole fresh or thawed, frozen kaffir lime leaves
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt

FOR THE FLAVORING PASTE:

• 1 teaspoon black peppercorns
• 1 1/2 tablespoons coriander seeds
• 2 teaspoons cumin seeds
• 5 shallots (about 3 3/4 ounces), coarsely chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
• 3 candlenuts or unsalted macadamia nuts
• 1 piece fresh or thawed, frozen turmeric, 2 inches long, peeled and coarsely chopped (about 2 teaspoons), or 1 1/2 teaspoons ground turmeric
• 1 piece fresh galangal, 2 inches long, peeled and thinly sliced against the grain (about 2 tablespoons)
• 1 piece fresh ginger, 2 inches long, peeled and thinly sliced against the grain (about 2 tablespoons)

FOR THE REST OF THE DISH:

• 3 tablespoons peanut oil
• 1 small package glass noodles
• Boiling water to cover the glass noodles
• 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped Chinese celery greens or regular celery leaves
• 3 limes quartered

Prepare the fried shallots and set aside.

Combine the chicken, 2 quarts of water, lemongrass, lime leaves and salt in a 4-quart saucepan, Dutch oven or soup pot. Place over medium-high heat and bring to a roiling boil. Using a large spoon, skim off the foam that rises to the top. Cover, reduce the heat to medium-low, and let the liquid cook at a lively simmer until the chicken is tender, about 45 minutes. Continue to skim off the foam every 10 minutes or so to yield a clear broth.

Meanwhile, make the flavoring paste. Place the peppercorns, coriander and cumin in a small food processor. Pulse until the spices are ground to a dusty powder, about 2 minutes.

Add the shallots, garlic, candlenuts, turmeric, galangal and ginger to the ground spices. Pulse until you have a smooth paste the consistency of creamy mashed potatoes. If the paste won't puree properly and repeatedly creeps up the side of the processor instead of grinding, add up to 2 tablespoons water, 1 tablespoon at a time, periodically turning the processor off and scraping the unground portions down toward the blade.

Heat the oil in a 2-quart saucepan over medium-low heat. Test to see if the oil is the right temperature by adding a pinch of the ground paste. The paste should sizzle slightly around the edges, not fry aggressively or sit motionless. When the oil is ready, add all the paste and saute, stirring as needed to prevent scorching, until the paste begins to separate from the oil and the aroma of coriander and cumin takes over, 5 to 7 minutes.

By now the chicken should be cooked through and just beginning to fall away from the bone. If it isn't, allow it to simmer for another 10 minutes or so. Remove and discard the lemongrass and lime leaves from the stock. Set the stock in the pot aside (don't discard it). Transfer the chicken quarters to a bowl and set them aside until they are cool enough to handle. When they are, tear the flesh and skin -- discard the bones -- into the finest pieces you can manage; this works best if you tear with the grain of the flesh, not against it. (You can discard the skin if you like, though it is traditionally used in soto.)

Add the flavoring paste and the chicken pieces to the stock and stir well to combine. Bring to a gentle boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to medium-low and allow to simmer until the essence of the flavoring paste begins to bind with the stock, about 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, place the glass noodles in a bowl and cover them with boiling water. Let the noodles soak until they soften, 10 to 15 minutes. Once they're soft, hold the noodles in a tight bunch and, with a pair of kitchen shears or a knife, snip or cut them into pieces 4 to 5 inches long (longer pieces can be tricky to eat, as the noodles are quite slippery). Drain the softened noodles into a colander and set aside.

Taste the simmering soup for salt, and add a pinch more if needed. Remove the pan from the heat, add the lime juice and stir to combine. Taste once more for salt.

To serve the soup, you can divide the glass noodles among shallow, wide soup bowls, ladle the soup over them and sprinkle the fried shallots and celery greens on top just before serving. Or, add the noodles to the soup while it's still in the pot, and then transfer the soup to a tureen and garnish with shallots and celery just before serving. In both cases, put the lime quarters at the center of the table for guests to squeeze into the soup as desired. Serve the soto warm, not piping hot, which will allow guests to discern its layered flavors more clearly. It will taste even more delicious reheated the next day.

Note: You can buy fried shallots in bags or plastic containers at Asian markets. To make your own: Cut 7 shallots (about 6 ounces) into paper-thin slices. Pour peanut oil to a depth of 1 inch into a 1 1/2 quart saucepan. Heat the oil over medium-high heat until hot, but not smoking. Add as many shallot slices as will comfortably fit in the pan. Using a slotted spoon, move the shallots around until they turn a uniform light-gold color, about 2 to 3 minutes. When ready, remove from oil and drain on paper towels. They will crisp up after a minute or two.

From Cradle of Flavor by way of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer

Japanese curry

There was an article about Japanese curry in the New York Times Magazine this weekend. It's got a recipe, but that's a lot of work since I can buy pints of curry sauce to bring home directly from Go Go Curry on 38th Street in Manhattan.

I am interested, though, in trying to make something like the red pickles they serve as a side dish at Go Go Curry: fukuzinzuke. A Google search doesn't come up with many recipes, but this one is simple and promising, and this one looks interesting. We've got two daikons to use still, even after I made the Korean pickles from Quick Pickles.

Shrimp and Mango Salad with Glass Noodles

4 ounces very thin bean thread noodles (also known as cellophane, glass, or mung bean noodles)
1 pound cooked, peeled, and deveined medium or large shrimp
1 large mango (1 pound), peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
3 scallions, thinly sliced crosswise
1/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh basil (I used Asian basil)
1 teaspoon chopped fresh serrano or jalapeño chile, including seeds, or to taste
1/3 cup rice vinegar (not seasoned)
2 tablespoons sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt

Cover noodles with boiling-hot water in a large bowl and let stand 8 minutes. Drain noodles in a colander and rinse with cold running water. Drain well, then return to bowl.

While noodles are soaking, combine shrimp, mango, scallions, basil, and chile in another large bowl.

Stir together vinegar, sugar, and salt in a measuring cup until sugar is dissolved, then toss half of sauce with noodles and half with shrimp salad. Serve noodles topped with shrimp salad.

From this epicurious post. This was good; next time I'll replace half of the vinegar with fresh lime juice as several reviewers suggested.

Green-wrapped Flavor Bundles

Filling
1/2 pound boneless lean port or lean ground pork
1 T. tamarind pulp, dissolved in 1/4 c. warm water
3 T. peanut or vegetable oil
1/2 c. chopped shallots
3 T. minced garlic
2 T. palm or brown sugar
1 or 2 T. fish sauce
1/2 to 1 tsp. salt, to taste
1 T. minced ginger
2 T. dry-roasted peanuts, finely chopped

Wrapping and topping
about 30 pieces Thai-style pickled cabbage, or Bibb or other tender leaf lettuce leaves
1 stalk lemongrass
2 T. minced ginger
2 to 3 scallions, trimmed and minced
1/2 c. chopped coriander leaves and stems

If not using ground pork, cut the port into small cubes and then mince to even consistency. Set aside. Place a sieve over a bowl and press the dissolved tamarind through the sieve; discard the pulp. Set the tamarind juice aside.

Heat a wok over high heat. Add the oil and, when it is hot, add the shallots and garlic. Stir-fry until golden, then add the pork and stir-fry until it has all changed color, about 4 minutes. Add the sugar, the tamarind juice, the fish sauce, and salt and cook until the liquids have almost evaporated, about 5 minutes. Add the ginger and peanuts and stir-fry for another minute. The mixture should be the consistency of paste and somewhat salty tasting. Adjust seasonings if you wish. Remove from the wok and let cool. You will have about 1.5 cups filling. (Can be made ahead and stored in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.)

To make a flavor package, put a leaf of pickled cabbage or lettuce on the palm of one hand, then scoop up a scant tablespoon of the filling and place it on the leaf. Sprinkle on a pinch of minced lemongrass, a little ginger, a pinch of scallions, and another of coriander. Fold the leaf over to make a bundle, or leave it open, like a filled cup, and place on a platter. Repeat with the remaining ingredients and greens. Or instead, serve these roll-your-own style. Makes about 2 dozen.

from Hot Sour Salty Sweet by Alford and Duguid


I often include dry-roasted grated coconut (not the sweetened kind!) and sometimes tiny lime wedges as additional toppings. Served tonight with lettuce-wrapped salmon (including a leaf of Asian basil in the wrapping of each), and leftover Javanese sambal, from Sunday's dinner that included sweet chili grilled chicken.

Malaysian Chicken Satay

Our favorite chicken satay recipe from Cradle of Flavor. A good reason to fire up the grill for the first time of the season.

Orange Chicken

I was looking for an orange chicken recipe that doesn't require deep frying. This one was OK, but I should have been more careful to dry off the marinaded chicken before dredging it in flour - it made a gooey mes in the bottom of the wok. The sauce was good.

It's a lot like General Tso's chicken - it's not that hard, but makes a mess an takes several steps. In the end there are a lot of simpler meals that are just as good.

General Tso's Chicken

Had big salad the last couple nights, and steamed the bok choy to go as a side dish with this.

I like this recipe, but we agreed that it could be more balanced, with less chili sauce and more sugar. This is based on a recipe I've had for a long time, but I don't know the original source.

1 lb boneless chicken thighs, cut into 1 in. cubes
1 egg
1 tbl. cornstarch
1 tbl. soy sauce
1 tbl. minced ginger
1 crushed clove garlic
3 scallions
2 tbl. soy sauce
1½ tbl. chili paste
2 tbl. corn starch
1 tbl. rice wine vinegar
1 tbl. sherry
1 tbl. sugar
⅜ cup chicken stock
1 tsp. sesame oil

Coat the chicken with egg, cornstarch & soy mixture. Fry in batches in ½ inch of oil in wok. Set aside.

Heat a bit of oil in wok. Fry scallions, ginger, and garlic until scallions soften a bit, then add chicken and stir fry briefly. Add the sauce made from the rest of the ingredients combined and cook until thickened. Remove from heat, add sesame oil and stir.

Salmon Wrapped in Lettuce Leaves

Used up one head of lettuce with this. I could have used a few more leaves, but I can't imagine using 4 heads as in the recipe. I was skeptical after I wrapped the fish (I actually used steelhead, very similar to salmon) in lettuce and it was falling apart, but after steaming the lettuce stayed on well. This is nice with no added flavors, but might be improved with some ginger & lemon grass, and maybe a crunchy vegetable in the package with the fish. Variations have some potential.

4 medium heads Boston lettuce (about 8 oz. each)
1 lb. salmon fillet

Prepare the lettuce: Carefully separate the lettuce leaves. Cut each leaf in half, removing the center rib. Trim the heavy white sections from each half, leaving a circle of lettuce approximately 3 ½ inches in diameter. Set aside (do not blanch).

Cut the salmon into 1 x 1 x ½ inch pieces. Place a piece of salmon on each piece of lettuce leaf. Fold the edges of the leaf over the salmon. Place seam side down in the top of a two-part steamer, or in a bamboo steamer rack or on a plate in a bamboo steamer. Fill the bottom of the steamer pan or a pan large enogh to hold the bamboo or steaming rack with water; the water should not touch the rack. Bring to a boil. Place the salmon on top, cover and steam until the salmon is completely cooked, for about 10 minutes.

Makes about 48 pieces (can be divided easily).
from Vegetable Love, by Barbara Kafka

Yummy noodle dish

A good recipe from Epicurious. They are a bit fussy with the preperation, though it tastes good as described. To simplify, just make the sauce, and use it as a stir fry sauce with chicken & or vegies & or tofu...

ASIAN NOODLES WITH CHICKEN AND SCALLIONS
1 lb chicken tenders (not coated or cooked)
1 lb fresh or frozen broccoli florets
1 lb dried udon (thick wheat noodles)
1/2 cup premium oyster sauce (preferably Lee Kum Kee)
2 tablespoons hoisin sauce (preferably Lee Kum Kee or Koon Chun)
1 tablespoon Asian sesame oil
2 teaspoons Chinese chile garlic paste (preferably Lan Chi), or to taste
1/2 cup chopped scallions (from 1 bunch)
2 teaspoons roasted sesame seeds (optional)

Cook chicken in a 6-quart pot of boiling unsalted water, covered, until just cooked through, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl with a slotted spoon.

Add broccoli to boiling water and cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until just tender, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer with slotted spoon to a colander to drain, then transfer to another bowl. Return water to a boil and cook noodles until tender (check often; cooking time on package may not be accurate). Reserve 1 cup cooking water, then drain noodles in colander and rinse under hot water.

While noodles cook, tear chicken into chunks.

Add oyster and hoisin sauces, sesame oil, chile garlic paste, half of scallions, and 1/3 cup cooking water to chicken and stir to combine.

Divide noodles, broccoli, and chicken mixture among 4 bowls and sprinkle with sesame seeds and remaining scallions. Serve immediately, stirring just before eating. If noodles become dry, moisten with some of cooking water.

Sambal in the Style of Java

For Khyati, who liked this when we had it on Saturday night, and wanted the recipe (right after I said I wouldn't post it...). This is from Salsas, Sambals, Chutneys & Chowchows by Chris Schlesinger and John Willoughby--but Khyati and John might know Schlesinger by reputation, as owner of the East Coast Grill in Inman Square.

Sambal in the Style of Java

2 cups shredded green cabbage
1 cup peeled, shredded carrots
1/2 cup bean sprouts
1/2 cup peanuts, toasted

Dressing
1 T. minced, fresh ginger
1 T. minced red or green chile pepper
1 tsp. minced garlic
1 tsp. shrimp paste
2 T. coriander seeds, cracked
1/4 cup lime juice
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup molasses
1/2 cup peanut oil
salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste

Combine main ingredients in large bowl. Combine dressing ingredients; process until very well blended. Pour over vegetables and mix well.

Notes on my copy of the recipe, which I always follow:
Alice and Craig say: use more chiles, less molasses. Jamie says: put peanuts on last, on top, after mixing in dressing. All three of us say: needs more stuff for the amount of sauce made.

On another note, the reason that we didn't have egregiously more dressing than stuff last Saturday, Khyati? Because I forgot the oil. And it was yummy anyway. Hmmm.

Lemongrass chicken over lemongrass coconut rice

The chicken I think of as a recipe from my friend Ryan, because we got so stuck on it that it seemed like we were making it almost weekly for a while. But in reality it's a recipe from Steven Raichlen, off of the website Star Chefs, which we modified just a tiny bit.

Lemongrass Chicken

• 1 1/4 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1 1/2 Tbs. honey
• 1 Tbs. fish sauce
• 2 to 3 stalks fresh lemongrass (at least 2 tablespoons minced)
• 1 1/2 Tbs. canola oil
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 large onion, thinly sliced
  
• 1 Tbs. soy sauce
• 3 Tbs. chopped fresh cilantro

Wash and dry the chicken and trim off any fat. Cut the chicken breast across the grain on the diagonal into 1/8-inch strips. Cut these strips into 2-inch pieces. Combine the chicken, honey, and fish sauce in a bowl and stir to mix. Let marinate for 5 to 10 minutes. Trim the green leaves and root end off the lemongrass stalk and strip off the outside leaves. Mince the core finely.

Just before serving, heat a wok (preferably nonstick) over high heat and swirl in the oil. Add the garlic and lemongrass and stir-fry until fragrant but not brown, about 15 seconds. Add the chicken and stir-fry until the pieces turn white, about 1 minute. Move the chicken to the sides of the wok and add the onion to the center. Stir-fry until the onion loses its rawness, about 1 minute. Mix the chicken back in the center of the wok, add the soy sauce, continue stir-frying until the chicken is cooked, 2 to 3 minutes. Correct the seasoning, adding honey or fish sauce to taste. The dish should be a little sweet and salty. Sprinkle the chicken with the cilantro and serve at once.


We ate the chicken with lemongrass-scented coconut rice--yes, redundant, but good. We had the rice left over from dinner a couple of nights ago. It's from a new cookbook by James Oseland, Cradle of Flavor, about which we're pretty excited. We also had Sambal in the Style of Java, from Salsas, Sambals, Chutneys & Chowchows by Chris Schlesinger and John Willoughby both nights, but I won't reproduce that here.

Lemongrass-Scented Coconut Rice

2 cups jasmine rice
3 thick stalks lemongrass, tied into a knot
1-1/2 cups water
1 cup coconut milk
1 tsp. kosher salt

Place the rice in a 2 quart saucepan and rinse four times with cold water. Add the lemongrass, cooking water, coconut milk and salt to the rinsed rice. Stir well to combine, making sure the lemongrass stalks are as fully submerged in the rice as possible. Place the pot over high heat and bring the liquid to a boil, stirring with a large spoon to prevent scorching or burning. Allow the rice to boil for 15 seconds, still stirring, then reduce the heat to the lowest possible setting and cover tightly with a lid. Continue cooking for 15 minutes. Without removing lid, remove the pot from the heat and allow to continue to steam for ten additional minutes, away from the heat. Discard lemongrass, gently fold and fluff rice, and serve.

Oseland includes optional daun salam leaves in cooking, and fried shallots for topping, but we just make it simply. This time we tried it in the rice cooker; it was a small bit browned on the bottom, but not burnt, and worked well.