red thai curry

30-45 minutes, depending on type of rice you serve with it

1-2 tablespoons red curry paste
1 can coconut milk
1 can (about 1/4 cup?) bamboo shoots
3 tablespoons fish sauce ****
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/3 cup chicken or vegetable broth
1/3 cup basil, chinese if possible
1 handful dried shitake mushrooms or any kind you have handy
1/2 red bell pepper
1/2 yellow bell pepper
1/2 green bell pepper
1 cup sliced carrots, broccoli, thai eggplant or other veggies to your liking (i just use what i have)
extra firm tofu or vegetarian chicken (optional)

brown or basmati rice, cooked

in a medium saucepan combine red curry paste and coconut milk. simmer for 5 minutes. add basil through shitake mushrooms. simmer for 10-15 minutes. meanwhile, over medium high heat, add some oil to a wok or a second sauté pan and and stir fry veggies and/or tofu to desired tenderness. to serve, place rice in a bowl, add veggies and spoon curry mixture over the top. i like mine a little soupy but that is a personal preference.

*****vegetarian/vegan fish sauce does exist and can be found in some asian (vietnamese) markets. here is a recipe I found as well: http://www.thekitchn.com/recipe-vegan-fish-sauce-130535

vegan asian lettuce cups

30 minutes

1 block firm tofu, pressed and crumbled
1 cup rehydrated tvp or veggie crumbles or mushrooms (or get crazy and combine mix it up)
1 tablespoons bottled sri racha sauce
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1/4 cup hoisin sauce
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 tablespoons sherry or chinese cooking wine
2 teaspoons canola oil
2 tablespoons fresh minced ginger
1 bunch scallions, thinly sliced, about 1 cup each greens and whites
1 can water chestnuts, finely diced
1 large head lettuce (bibb, butter, red leaf, green leaf..whatever suits you)
1 red bell pepper, finely diced
1/4 cup chopped peanuts or cashews, lightly toasted
sweet chili sauce
sri racha, for garnish
chow mein noodles
avocados, diced
cucumber, diced
mung bean sprouts

in a bowl, whisk chili-garlic sauce through sherry. set aside.
place tofu on a plate and blot/press tofu until dryish. crumble and set aside. dice red pepper, scallion greens/whites (separate) and water chestnuts. toast nuts.
heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. add the ginger and scallion whites and cook until scallion whites are translucent and ginger is fragrant, about 2 to 3 minutes. add ground turkey and tofu and cook, stirring, until opaque and just cooked through, about 4 to 5 minutes. add reserved sauce. reduce heat to a simmer and cook, stirring, an additional 3 to 4 minutes. add water chestnuts and stir to incorporate.

fill each lettuce leaf with the filling. serve garnished with scallion greens, red peppers, nuts, chow mein noodles, bean sprouts, avocados, cucumbers, sri racha and sweet chili sauce.
recipe adapted from ellie krieger. this is so yum. even my 6 year old digs this recipe minus the sri racha, green onions and red peppers.

colorful, fresh, lovely....enjoy

faux pho tom yum

20 minutes start to finish

if you couldn't tell by the title, i am unsure what to call this. each time i modify it slightly and it turns in to a new soup from another asian country.

4-5 oz rice noodles or rice sticks
3 T peanut oil
10 cloves fresh garlic, minced
1 1/2 inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and minced
1-2 t crushed red pepper
1 pound chicken breast
72 oz chicken stock
5 T fish sauce
2 large tomatoes, diced (optional)
8 oz mushrooms, quartered (optional)
1/2 bunch cilantro, chopped for garnish
fresh basil leaves chopped for garnish
3-4 green onions, thinly sliced for garnish
sri racha sauce for garnish
hoisin sauce for garnish

add noodles to a bowl of very hot water and let soften until you need them. mince garlic and ginger. set aside. remove fat from chicken and slice in very thin strips, about 1/8 inch thick. heat a pot or large saute over medium high. add peanut oil, garlic, ginger and crushed red peppers and stir constantly for one minute. add chicken and stir fry for a minute longer. add stock and fish sauce. increase heat to high and bring to a boil to cook the chicken through. while the soup is coming t0 a boil, dice tomatoes and quarter mushrooms. add to pot. let boil until slightly softened or cooked to your desired tenderness. turn off heat. it will be very hot. i burn my mouth EVERY time....quick learner, right? chop herbs and onions.

to serve, place a serving of noodles in the bottom of bowl, ladle in soup and top with cilantro, basil and green onion. if you like, top with hoisin and sri racha sauce. this is so good on a cool day. it makes me happy.

***note: hoisin sauce has a flavor similar to anise. sri racha is a very hot chili sauce. add sparingly until you reach the taste you like. also , if you are not so keen to spicy flavors, you can limit the red pepper. we like it SPICY.