Project Cookbook: Thai Rice Noodles with Pork, Chicken, and Shrimp

I have a memory associated with most of my cookbooks knowing that I purchased the book for a specific recipe, Food Network star or I remember who gave it to me and when or why. This particular cookbook: Terrific Pacific Cookbook: The Vibrant Foods of Thailand, Bali, Singapore, Australia, Vietnam, and Malaysia was a wedding gift along with a really cool cutting board.

And I’m really glad I opened this book back up (it had been awhile) for my cookbook project! The first recipe I tried was MEE KROB, an authentic Thai dish with crispy fried rice noodles. I wasn’t in the mood to fry, so I adapted this recipe slightly and Curtis and I both loved it. It tasted as good as take-out Thai, but not nearly as greasy and I was able to add extra veggies to the recipe. On day two, I added some broccoli and more tofu to the leftovers and had another complete dinner. We also had a cabbage, fennel, onion and cucumber salad – a recipe I saw in the December issue of Food & Wine.

I thumbed through the book and found several more recipes I’d like to try. In fact I feel out of fairness I should make at least one recipe from each region, but I’ll try to plow through a few more of my cookbooks before I come back to this one.

Note: I bought my rice noodles at Safeway but they were a rip off. I’d recommend stocking up at an Asian market such as Uwajimaya.


MEE KROB (Stir Fried Rice Noodles with Pork, Chicken, Tofu and Shrimp)
Adapted from Terrific Pacific Cookbook

INGREDIENTS:
Rice Vermicelli Noodles (8 oz.)
Coconut Oil, Ghee or high heat oil
¼ cup garlic, chopped
1 whole shallot, chopped
6 oz. shrimp
4 oz. chicken breast, thinly sliced
4 oz. lean ground pork
4 oz. tofu, diced
¾ cup light coconut milk
¼ cup Asian fish sauce
2 tablespoons Thai yellow bean sauce (Safeway didn’t have this, so I skipped it this time. Will look for it at an Asian market).
2 ½ tablespoons rice vinegar
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon ketchup
1 ½ teaspoons soy sauce
5 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 ½ tablespoons light brown sugar
Red pepper flakes, to taste
Kale, about 5 leaves, chopped
2 carrots, thinly sliced

GARNISHES:
Fresh cilantro leaves
Green onion, diced
Lime wedges
Julienned red bell pepper

DIRECTIONS:
1. Soak the rice noodles in hot tap water for 30 minutes. Stir them to make sure they don’t stick together. Drain in a colander and set aside.
2. Chop, dice and slice all your spices, meats and veggies to have them ready to toss in the stir fry.
3. Make the sauce by whisking together the ingredients listed from the fish sauce to the red pepper flakes.
4. Heat a wok over high heat. Add oil and slowly add in all the ingredients starting with the pork and shallots, then the chicken, veggies, a few handfuls of noodles at a time (so they’ll soak up the sauce), tofu and garlic. Add the shrimp last so it doesn't overcook and stir fry for about 3 minutes. Be careful not to overcook the chicken. Alternatley pour in the sauce and coconut milk as you’re adding ingredients (Your kitchen is going to smell amazing!).
5. Use tongs to dish up the stir fried noodles and serve with garnishes.

###
Recipe #2 from Project Cookbook: My 2012 New Year’s Resolution to cook at least one recipe from every cookbook I own.

Pin It

Crisp-Skinned Roast Chicken

While driving to work the other morning I heard Dick Stein and Nancy Leson talking on NPR about crispy skinned roast chicken. When you start salivating over roast chicken that early in the morning, you know it’s a recipe worth trying. Plus roast chicken falls on my list of top ten favorite foods.

The secret? Baking powder.

...And being able to plan a day in advance because this chicken has to sit in the fridge overnight. And I figured as long as I was going to the trouble, (even though it wasn’t much trouble at all) I may as well roast two chickens and get a few meals out of it. Lucky for me we have a spare fridge the garage, because there’s no way I would have been able to cram two whole, raw, uncovered chickens in my regular fridge.

Below are the simple ingredients and steps. But I recommend you go over to The Paupered Chef and check out their visuals and step by step instructions – the wittiness is copied word for word from their site.

Crisp-Skinned Roast Chicken, via Baking Powder
The Paupered Chef / Cooks Illustrated
• 1 chicken
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Night before:

1. Pat dry the chicken, inside and out.

2. Cut four slits along the back of the bird.

3. Carefully loosen the skin from the breasts, thighs, and legs. Tuck the wing tips under the bird (I didn’t tuck anything).

4. Mix together the salt, baking powder, and black pepper.

5. Cover the chicken with the mixture.

6. Place on a rack in a roasting pan and set in the fridge for one day. Uncovered, of course.

About an hour and a half before you're going to roast it:

1. Take the chicken out of the fridge. It will look kind of gross after a day. Oh well.

2. Emily’s notes: I stuffed the chicken full of chopped onions, whole garlic cloves, fresh thyme, rosemary and sage. I also poured some apple juice and a can of Coors light in the bottom of the roasting pan for some steaming liquid. This is optional!

3. Heat the oven to 450 degrees. When the oven is hot, flip the chicken on its breast and roast on a rack in the roasting pan for 25 minutes. (I had to ask Curtis which side was breast side down. Really.)

4. Flip the chicken breast-side up. Roast until temperature hits 135, about 20 minutes. (I never stuck a thermometer in my bird, just followed their instructions.)

5. Crank the heat to 500 degrees. Cook until chicken is 160 degrees, another 10-15 minutes. (At this point my kitchen was starting to fill with smoke and the bird was getting borderline black n’ crispy, so I pulled it out early… and it was perfect!)

They're getting Crispy!



6. Let it rest before carving in. Admire the skin, and try not to eat too much.

Seriously moist!


We served it with Thai rice, roasted sweet potatoes and garlic and green salad.
We ate all we could eat and then I saved the rest knowing I could make chicken pot pie, chicken salad or just do a repeat of this fabulous meal again the following night.

They weren’t lying. This chicken was moist and had the tastiest crispy skin! The dog and cat were lingering hoping, praying and wishing we’d drop a bite or two on the floor.

And I threw all the bones, onions, etc. in a big pot with water and made chicken broth. I put the broth in recycled pasta sauce and Mason jars and into the freezer so I can use it later for soup or chicken pot pie. It’s the meal that just keeps on giving!

Orange Basil BBQ Chicken

The other day my mother-in-law asked me for my favorite basil recipes. I love basil and use it all the time in Italian and Thai cooking (and love it in cocktails too!) … but I didn’t have any specific basil “recipes” that came to mind. So I did what I like doing best, I started browsing all my favorite blogs and recipe sites and put together a list of fresh basil recipes for her. In my search I came across this recipe for BBQ chicken on allrecipes.com and I adapted it a bit to fit what ingredients I had at home. It was super easy, pretty (orange peel and basil brightened it up), quick and tasty!

What’s your favorite thing to make with fresh basil?

Honey Orange Basil BBQ Chicken
Adapted from allrecipes.com

Ingredients
• Grated orange zest from 3 oranges
• Orange juice, squeezed from 3 oranges
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley
• 5 stalks of fresh basil chiffonade (cut into ribbons)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 6 pieces of chicken (breasts, thighs or legs)

Directions
1. In a large resealable plastic bag (or bowl), mix the orange juice, oil, honey, parsley, basil, orange zest, salt, and pepper. Place chicken in the bag, seal, and marinate in the refrigerator overnight (or longer).

2. Preheat the grill for medium heat.
3. Lightly oil the grill grate. Place the chicken on the grill, and discard marinade. Cook chicken about 7 minutes per side, turning once, or until juices run clear.

Tequila Lime Chicken with Jalapeno Butter

This post was supposed to be about fresh margaritas. The kind that are so refreshing that they go down easily, and before you know it, you’re two or three in and feeling good. But Jason, the margarita maker, wouldn’t share his super secret family recipe with me. And I guess if he had shared it and then I turned around and blasted it out to blog land, I would have lost a few points. And really, at the end of the day, it’s probably better for me and you if I don’t have the recipe.

This past weekend Jason (who was the best man in our wedding) and Curtis had a smoked meat party with a Mexican theme. Jason made the margaritas and chicken and Curtis did brisket with a Mexican dry rub (it was melt in your mouth good!). We completed the meal with homemade salsas, taco fixings, Mexican carrot torte, Piper’s cilantro fennel coleslaw, smoky beans and Dulce de Leche cupcakes. It was a feast and we’re still recovering!

Since the average household doesn’t have a smoker, I think this chicken brine and butter rub would also be pretty divine for BBQ chicken. It could then be pulled off the bone for tacos or eaten as is!

TEQUILA LIME BRINE
From Low & Slow

2 whole chickens, halved

½ cup tequila
2 limes, juiced (about ¼ cup juice)
1 cup warm water
2/3 cup kosher salt
½ cup honey
2 teaspoons grated lime rind
½ teaspoon freshly ground white pepper
½ teaspoon ground coriander
2 jalapenos, cut in half

In a large bowl, whisk the tequila, lime juice, water, salt, honey, lime rind, pepper, and coriander together until the salt and honey are dissolved. Add the jalapenos.

Cover the chicken pieces with brine and allow to marinate for 6 to 12 hours in the refrigerator, turning the bag once or twice.

JALAPENO-ORANGE COMPOUND BUTTER
2 tablespoons orange juice
¼ pound (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 jalapeno, stemmed, seeded, and minced
2 tablespoons grated orange rind
2 tablespoons finely diced chives
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground white pepper

Combine the orange juice with the softened butter in a medium bowl. Add the remaining ingredients and stir until blended.

To apply, slide your fingers between the skin and the chicken, and gently lift up the skin over the breast. Massage 2 tablespoons of compound butter directly onto the meat.

To crisp the chicken skin, brush two tablespoons of the melted butter on the chicken a few minutes before it comes off the BBQ.

The Smoke Masters ready for a re-fill

Chicken Mole

I received the Soups, Stews & Chilis From the Editor’s of Cook’s Illustrated cookbook for Christmas and there are so many recipes I’m excited to try, but number one was Chicken Mole. I love mole but have never made it before. After recently realizing I rarely follow recipes exactly as they’re written I decided to do exactly what I was supposed to for this one! It is Cook’s Illustrated / America’s Test Kitchen after all… they work and work to perfect their recipes, so I gave them the benefit of the doubt and I even read through all their notes and the entire recipe before I started (what a concept – right?). The only roadblock I ran into was I couldn’t find ancho chilies so I substituted a Serrano and Anaheim chile.

The verdict? The mole was amazing! I could take or leave the chicken, but this sauce recipe is a keeper! I’ll make it again for enchiladas, other meats, shredded Costco rotisserie chicken or maybe even as a unique pizza sauce.



CHICKEN MOLE
Cook’s Illustrated Soups Stews & Chilis

Serves 6 to 8

¼ cup raisins
¼ cup almond butter
1 ounce bittersweet chocolate, broken into pieces
2 medium garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon minced chipotle chile in adobo sauce
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
4 pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (about 11 thighs), trimmed
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 ancho chilies (about ½ ounce), stemmed, seeded, and broken into small pieces
2 tablespoons sesame seeds, plus extra for serving
1 medium onion, minced
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 teaspoon dark brown sugar, plus extra to taste
2 scallions, sliced thin

1. Adjust an oven rack to the lower-middle position and heat the oven to 325 degrees. Combine the raisins, almond butter, chocolate, garlic, chipotles, cinnamon, and cloves in a small bowl and set aside. Pat the chicken dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper.
2. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Brown half of the chicken well on both sides, 10 to 15 minutes; transfer to a plate. Repeat with the remaining 1 tablespoon oil and remaining chicken; transfer to the plate. Remove and discard the chicken skin.
3. Pour off all but 2 tablespoons of the fat left in the pot, add the ancho chilies, and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until they are dark red and tasted, about 5 minutes. Stir in 2 tablespoons of the sesame seeds and cook until golden, about 1 minute. Stir in the onion and cook until just softened, about 2 minutes.
4. Stir in the raisin-chocolate mixture and cook, stirring constantly, until the chocolate is melted and bubbly, 1 to 2 minutes (do not let the chocolate burn). Stir in the broth, scraping up any browned bits.
5. Stir in the diced tomatoes with their juice and 1 teaspoon of the sugar and bring to a simmer. Puree the sauce until smooth (my Vita-Mix came in very handy for this step!), then return to the pot and season with salt, pepper, and additional sugar to taste.
6. Nestle the browned chicken with any accumulated juice into the pot, spoon the sauce over the chicken, and bring to a simmer. Cover the pot, transfer to the oven, and cook until chicken is very tender, about 1 hour.
7. Remove the chicken from the pot, let cool slightly, and then shred the meat into bite-size pieces, discarding the bones. Whisk the sauce to re-emulsify, then stir in the shredded chicken and reheat gently over low heat, 1 to 2 minutes. Serve, sprinkling individual portions with scallions and additional sesame seeds.

Serve with rice or warm corn tortillas

Curly Kale with Orange Peanut Dressing

I love kale. I always throw it in soups and stir-fry’s, but I’ve never really had it raw (except in the green smoothies Hillary introduced me to) until now. My parents picked up this kale salad recipe at Whole Foods and the first time my mom made it, I couldn’t stop eating it!


I served this alongside Bridgett’s (La Bella Cook) recipe for Roasted Smoked Paprika Chicken with Spicy Chorizo and Potatoes. Dinner was Asian flavors meet Spanish – but I didn’t get any complaints! In fact this chicken is about the easiest recipe ever and while it was roasting Curtis commented at least three times how great it smelled. The only change I made to her recipe was I roasted a couple heads of garlic earlier in the day and then added the whole cloves to the chicken goodness when it came out of the oven.

Curly Kale + Roasted Chicken + Rice = One delicious weeknight dinner!

Curly Kale with Orange Peanut Dressing
Whole Foods

Curly Kale, washed and chopped

Dressing:
1/2 cup orange juice and grated rind from one orange
1/4 cup rice vinegar
2 T. peanut butter (fresh ground)*
2 T. raw cashew butter or almond butter*
1 t. soy sauce
1/4 inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled
1/4 clove garlic**

Blend all ingredients in a high power blender until smooth. Pour over kale.

*I do love fresh peanut butter and raw almond butter, but I didn't have either so I just used regular ol' peanut butter, it was still delicious

**or more!

Amber’s Chicken Tortilla Soup

Since I put my heavenly fleece sheets on, it has warmed back up… but it is raining, so that’s all the excuse I need to make soup. My friend Amber sent me this recipe a few days ago, her version of Chicken Tortilla Soup. I’m leaving for Montana today to visit my friend Megan on her ranch, so I made a huge batch last night so Curtis will have plenty to eat while I’m gone. I’ve included Amber’s original recipe below with my changes noted. We also tried Trader Joe's tamales and they're great! The soup is delicious!

Ingredients:
1 chicken breast (I used 2)
½ onion, diced (1 onion, diced)
2 cans diced tomatoes (1 - 28 oz. can)
1 small can diced green chilies
4 cups chicken stock (I put in a box and ½ of stock)
Dashes of Tabasco, to taste (I love spicy, hot, so I put in a big squirt of Sriracha sauce)

For later…
1 can corn
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 avocado
Cheddar or Jack cheese, shredded
Crumbled tortilla chips

In a Crockpot, put in the chicken breast (whole), diced onion, canned tomatoes, green chilies, chicken stock and hot sauce. Let cook for about 4 hours on low, and then pull the chicken breast out and shred. Add shredded chicken back in soup and then add the corn and beans. Let the soup cook another 30 minutes to an hour.

To serve: Put a generous helping of shredded cheese and a handful of crumbled (but not too crumbled) tortilla chips on the bottom of each bowl. Fill each bowl with soup, add a little more cheese and chips to the top and finish off with fresh, cubed avocado.

In Amber’s words, “Seriously, Yum.”