Thai Papaya Salad

Ingredients:

• 1 green papaya
• 2 medium cloves of garlic
• 3 green onions
• 1/4 cup cilantro
• 8 to 10 oz. cherry tomatoes
• 2 large limes
• 8 Chinese long beans
•  10 fresh Thai chili peppers
• 1/4 cup dried shrimp
• 3 tbsp fish sauce
• 1/2 to 3/4 lump palm sugar (about 1 heaping tbsp once ground)

Tools you will need:

• Mortar and pestle
• chef’s knife
• grater or julienne peeler (best)
• regular peeler
• large mixing bowl

Instructions:

1. Peel the skin off of the papaya leaving a little on the smaller end for a better grip (it will get slippery).
2. Peel off strips of papaya using the julienne peeler or grater and put into large mixing bowl (use caution – see video).
3. Peel and chop garlic into small chunks, then place into mortar.
4. Finely mince the cilantro, reserving a little in a small bowl which will later be ground up in the mortar. Place the rest in the large bowl with the papaya.
5. Slice the remaining vegetables and add to the large bowl, again reserving a little of each in the small bowl. I like to slice the cherry tomatoes in half and even quarter the larger ones.
6. Finely mince the chili peppers and do the same as with the other vegetables (mince these last as you may want to wash the cutting board, knife and your hands to avoid burning any sensitive body parts like your eyes).
7. Cut the 2 limes in half and set aside.
8. Finely mince about a quarter cup of the dried shrimp.
9. Grind the garlic in the mortar to make a paste.
10. Add the minced dried shrimp and a little of the juice from one of the lime halves (not too much or it will really splatter).
11. Add the reserved vegetables from the small bowl and the palm sugar to the mortar. Grind into a paste.
12. Use a spatula or wooden spoon to scrape the contents of the mortar into the small bowl. Add the juice from the limes and the fish sauce. Mix well.
13. Pour the dressing over the vegetables and toss.

Tips:

Be careful handling the chili peppers, especially if you have sensitive skin. At the very least you’ll want to wash your hands thoroughly to avoid accidentally burning your eyes.

Hand julienne peelers are sharp! The papaya can get very slippery so be careful.

Just 1 green papaya can make a lot of salad. If you’re just making this for 1 or even 2 people, you can freeze half in a large freezer bag. Because of the seafood content, it won’t keep in the fridge for too long.

To cut down on the salt and fishy taste, you can add less dried shrimp/fish sauce.

Salmon Roll (sushi)

* It is highly recommended to use a sushi roller and a non-stick rice paddle for this recipe. You will probably find watching the video to be very helpful with this one but it’s really not as difficult as you might think.

Ingredients:

• 5 to 6 pieces of nori (dried seaweed)
• 5 to 6 cups cooked sticky white rice (3 cups uncooked makes about 6 cups cooked)
• 1/4 cup rice vinegar
• 4 oz package of Nova Scotia Smoked Salmon
• 2 Tbs Best Foods Real Mayonnaise

Instructions:

1. Let the rice cool in the cooker for at least 3 hours. If you’re pressed for time, you can cool it for a bit in the fridge but I don’t recommend more than an hour or 2.
2. Fold the rice in with the rice vinegar until it’s evenly mixed in and there are no “lumps” of rice remaining.
3. Remove the salmon from the packaging and slice it into thin strips.
4. Put a piece of nori on your sushi roller, shiny side down.
5. Take a few scoops of the rice mixture with your rice paddle and spread them out on the lower 2/3 of the nori. Make an even rectangle of rice by patting the rice down using the rice paddle, filling in gaps where needed.
6. Place the thin strips of salmon evenly in a horizontal line in the middle of the rectangle of rice.
7. Coat these strips of salmon with mayonnaise using a butter knife. You can also simply squeeze it out directly onto the salmon if your mayo is in a squeeze bottle.
8. Gently but firmly roll the sushi forward with the sushi roller. Before you completely roll it up, you’ll need to get the last bit of nori wet using a little water mixed with a small amount of rice vinegar. This will cause it to stick to the outside of the roll so it won’t come unraveled.
9. If desired, cut the sushi into bite sized pieces and serve immediately. This recipe makes about 5 medium sized rolls like the one shown in the video.

Tips:

• Use a sharp sushi knife (or one that has a finely serrated edge) for cutting up the roll. Keeping the blade wet helps prevent the sushi from sticking to the blade.
• Your first few rolls may look a little lopsided – it just takes practice. The key is getting the rice rectangle the same thickness.
• Wrap up any remaining rolls you’re not going to eat right away in some plastic wrap and freeze. It’ll dry out pretty quick in the freezer so don’t forget it’s in there. It also doesn’t taste quite as good as it does when it’s fresh.

Grilled Kajiki (swordfish) Steaks, Corn on the Cob and Rice

Rice:

Please see my previous post on how to make perfect sticky white rice if you haven’t already done so.

Kajiki Steaks:

• 2 kajiki steaks (aka marlin or swordfish)
• 4 large cloves of garlic (minced)
• 1 cup soy sauce
• 1/2 cup lemon juice
• 1 Tbs Dijon mustard
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 1 Tbs ground black pepper

Instructions:

1. If you don’t have any rice made, throw some in your cooker now.
2. Mince garlic and place in a jar or mixing bowl.
3. add the remaining ingredients (except for the fish) and mix well.
4. Place the steaks in a Ziploc bag or other seal-able container and pour the marinade over the top, reserving a few tablespoons for cooking.
5. Marinate for at least 2 hours.

Corn on the Cobb:

• 2 fresh ears of corn
• 1/2 stick butter or margarine
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp pepper
• tin foil

Instructions:

1. Place the butter or margarine in a small bowl and microwave on high for 30 seconds. Mix in the salt and pepper and set aside.
2. Cut off any extra silk from the small ends of the ears of corn if needed.
3. Microwave 1 ear oh high for 5 minutes.
4. Use some oven mitts to remove the 1st ear from the microwave.
5. While the 2nd ear is nuking, prep the hot ear by first cutting off the large end (stem side).
6. Slowly squeeze the small end of the ear until the corn pops out of the husk (it should have very little to no silk left on it).
7. Place the husked ear on a 1′ x 1′ sheet of tin foil and brush the butter mixture over the corn, turning it as you go.
8. Fold the tin foil to completely seal, leaving a small amount over the top to use as a handle.
9. fire up your grill to let it get hot while you’re prepping the 2nd ear.
10. Grill the fish and corn over a medium flame for about 20 to 25 minutes. The fish will be done when it flakes apart easily.
11. Place the cooked steaks on a bed of hot sticky white rice and pour some of the remaining marinade over them.
12. Add the ears of corn onto the plate and enjoy!

Tips:

• I usually place the corn on a cooler part of the grill since it really doesn’t need that much heat to cook – be careful not to overcook.
• I would suggest viewing my previous post on how to make perfect sticky white rice if you haven’t already done so.
• Large ears of corn may require an extra minute of nuking before husking, depending on your microwave’s wattage.

Homemade Guacamole

There’s nothing like homemade guacamole using fresh ingredients. This is way better than buying anything already made from the store. Perfect for nachos, tacos and all kinds of things. It even tastes good on hamburgers.  🙂

Ingredients:

• 1 large or 2 small avocados *
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1 Tbs lime juice
• 1 large roma tomato
• 4 green onions
• 4 Serrano chili peppers
• 1 small glove garlic (about 1/4 tsp finely minced garlic)

Directions:

1. Peel the avocado(s) and place into a medium size mixing bowl. The video shows you a very quick and simple method for doing this (again with the chef’s knife).
2. Mince the garlic and add to the bowl, along with the salt and lime juice.
3. Either mash the contents of the bowl with a potato masher or use a food processor until the mixture is creamy. Don’t do it the way I did it in the video unless you don’t have either of those things.
4. Cut up the green onions and tomatoes and mince your Serrano peppers (chef’s knife – see video).
5. Add the vegetables to the avocado paste and fold gently using a spatula.

*Avocados are ripe enough to use for guacamole when they’re soft enough to dent with a thumb without using much pressure. You can let them sit on your kitchen counter top for a few days if you can’t find any at the store that are ready to mash.

*Anything you’re not going to eat should be frozen because this stuff goes bad pretty quickly. Even if you stick it in the fridge right away, it will start to turn brown sometimes within only a few hours. I usually divide what I’m not going to immediately eat into small portions that I freeze in Ziploc bags.

Hawaiian Style Macaroni Salad

This is what you’d normally get as a side dish when you order a “plate lunch” in Hawaii. It’s not really high in nutrition but it’s terrific with meat and rice, super easy and takes only a few minutes to make. This recipe makes enough for about 6 plate lunches.

Ingredients:

• 8 oz elbow macaroni
• 1 Tbs finely minced yellow onion
• 1 Tbs grated carrot
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 Tbs milk
• 4 to 5 Tbs Best Foods Real Mayonnaise

Instructions:

1. Boil the macaroni. If the instructions on the package call for 12 to 14 minutes, boil for at least 16 minutes or even a bit more. I usually tac on at least an extra couple minutes to the maximum cooking time.
2. While the pasta is cooking, mince up your onion and grate your carrot – about 1 heaping teaspoon of each. Don’t try to grate the onion, that just doesn’t work.
3. Once the macaroni is nice and soft, pour it into a drainer and rinse it for a minute or two under cold running water until it’s consistently cool to the touch.
4. Drain well! I usually toss the macaroni around in the drainer from time to time and shake it to get all the water out of the hollow part of the elbows.
5. Mix all ingredients together in a bowl. No need to chill in the fridge – it’s ready to eat as is!  🙂

 

Spazzy Teriyaki Sauce

I’ve had several people compliment me on this sauce so I’m tossing it into the pile. If you like teriyaki and you like spicy, this one’s for you…

Ingredients:

• 2 cups Yoshida’s Teriyaki Sauce
• 1 cup sriracha sauce
• 2 Tbs Robert Rothschild Farms Peach Habanero Mango  sauce
• 2 Tbs Thai Kitchens sweet chili sauce
• 1 tsp red chili powder
• 1 tsp red chili flakes
• 1/4 tsp hot chili oil
• 1/8 tsp sesame oil
• 1/2 tsp sesame seads

Tips:

Basically you just mix everything up in a bowl. The only reason I bothered with a video is because I wanted you to see the nice thick sticky goodness.  🙂

The sauce can be used as a marinade and/or dipping sauce for grilled chicken. See my Spazzy Teriyaki Chicken Plate Lunch post for more details. The recipe yields enough sauce to marinate about 10 medium sized pieces of boneless skinless chicken thighs with a little left over for dipping.

• Both the Yoshida’s and Robert Rothschild sauces can be purchased at Costco
• You can sub the peach habanero mango sauce for a little pineapple or mango (or both)  if Costco doesn’t have any
• If you find that the sauce is too spazzy, you can reduce or completely omit any of the hot spices.

Baked Salmon

Ingredients:

• 3/4 to 1 lbs. salmon filet
• 1/2 tsp dried dill
• 2 tbs chopped onlins
• 1/2 tsp minced fresh garlic
• 1/4 stick of butter or margarine
• 1/2 fresh lemon, sliced

Instructions:

1. Cook some white calrose rice in your rice cooker.
2. Preheat oven to 325° F.
3. Place the the salmon filet on a piece of tin foil – enough to cover the fish over when folded.
4. If needed, microwave the butter or margarine on high for about 20 seconds to soften and then pour it over the fish.
5. Sprinkle the garlic, onion and dill on top of the filet.
6. Add slices of fresh lemon, squeezing a few of the extra pieces over the fish.
7. Fold the tin foil so that it covers the filet but won’t be too hard to open when checking for doneness.
8. Place on a cookie sheet in middle of oven and bake for about 45 minutes*.

*Oven times may vary depending on the size of the filet. The fish is cooked when the meat in the thickest part of the filet flakes easily with a fork.

 

 

Chili & Rice

Ingredients:

• 1/2 can of your favorite chili
•  Cooked sticky white rice (previous post)
• Cheddar cheese to taste
• Other toppings that go well with this include; minced onions, sliced pickled jalapenos, pepper jack cheese, Doritos crumbs, sour cream.

Instructions:

1. If you just cooked your rice, it’ll be nice and hot so just put some on a plate. If you have leftover rice, put some on a plate and stick it in the microwave for a minute to a minute and a half.
2. Open the can of chili and mix it up with a fork – this helps if the contents have separated during storage.
3. Pour about half of the can on top of your rice. If you want to add extra chili powder or other spices, go right ahead and spazz it up!
4. Mix the ingredients together right on the plate. When you’ve got the mixture consistent enough, scoop out a little bit in the middle so that the whole thing is in the shape of a doughnut. This will help your microwave heat it more evenly.
5. Break off small pieces of cheese and place them evenly on top of the mixture.
6. Microwave on high for about 3 minutes or until all of the cheese has melted and the mixture is heated through.
7. Add whatever other toppings you want like jalapenos, sour cream, etc.

As you can see, this isn’t really even a recipe. It’s just something you can whip up really quickly if you’re on the go and don’t have time for serious cooking. Not including the time it takes to cook the rice, total prep and cooking time is only about 5 to 6 minutes. You can really get creative with different kinds of toppings – feel free to reply with any you’ve tried and you think tasted good.

Spazzy Fried Chicken Breast

Ingredients:

• Frozen Chicken Breast(s) – the bigger the better 😉
• 1 teaspoon of my Spazzy Chicken Rub (previous post) per breast
• Cooked sticky white rice (previous post)
• 1 to 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil per breast
• 1/4 teaspoon hot red chili oil per breast
• Side dish/vegetables of your choice

Instructions:

1. Heat the two oils together in a 10 to 12 inch pan (use larger if cooking more than 1 or 2 breasts) over medium heat until hot – no need to get it smoking. Shake the pan to mix the oils together while the pan heats up.
2. Place the chicken in the pan and simmer for about 15 minutes, turning every few minutes. Start sprinkling the rub on the chicken after you’ve turned the meat over a couple times. After a few more turns, you can start adding a few drops of shoyu every time you sprinkle on more spices. I add more spices just about every time I turn the chicken.
3. Reduce heat to medium low and simmer for another 30 minutes. If your stove is like mine and has a number scale from 1 to 9, this will be about a 3 or 4. Medium to small size pieces can cook a little faster so you may only need to cook for another 20 to 25 minutes. If you’re not sure if they’re done, you can always use a meat thermometer – internal temperature of the thickest part of the meat should be at least 165° F.
4. IMPORTANT: Once the meat is cooked all the way through, immediately place it on a plate, pour the remaining oil and spices from the pan over all the pieces evenly and then cover the plate with a piece of tin foil. Rest it like this for at least 20 minutes!
5. Slice the meat on your cutting board using your chef’s knife and then transfer it to a bed of sticky white rice. You can pour a little of the oil back over the chicken to give the rice a little flavoring if you want. A side dish is optional – I found that the kimchee went very well with this.

Perfect Sticky White Rice

It’s very simple: there are basically 2 rules for making perfectly cooked, sticky white rice every time:

1. Buy yourself a good electronic rice cooker
2. Use it – they’re well worth the investment, even if you don’t eat rice as much as I do  🙂

Some tips:

• In this video I cooked calrose rice. It’s the cheapest and most common type of rice. It’s definitely not the only kind of rice you can cook in your rice cooker though. Some of my other recipes include jasmine rice which is typically served with Thai food.
• Rinse the rice a couple of times before soaking it (see video above) to get rid of the stuff they put into it to keep it dry and from sticking together. To avoid eventual clogs, be careful not to get any down your drain!
• Soak the rice for at least an hour or 2 if you have time. This will make it softer and stickier. I usually fill the water level a little bit over the measuring line because the rice soaks up more water the longer it sits.
• Don’t refrigerate the rice for more than a few hours after it’s cooked. Refrigeration will make your rice hard and not very fun to eat.
• Most cookers have keep warm or even an extended keep warm feature. Only use this if you need to keep the rice hot for an hour or two after cooking. If you keep the heat on for too long, the rice will dry out quicker. I usually turn the heat off as soon as the rice is done cooking.
• You can keep leftover rice in the cooker for about 2 or 3 days at the most. Just nuke it in your microwave for 1 to 1.5 minutes when you’re ready to eat.
• Throw any old leftover rice in the trash. Even if you have a garbage disposal, DO NOT dispose of rice in your sink. This is because wet rice expands in water and will eventually clog your drain pipe. The rice pot that came with your cooker should be non-stick so it’s easy enough to sponge the old stuff directly into the garbage.