Thai Beef Satay with Peanut Sauce

Recently, I've been getting together on a regular basis with several friends for theme nights. I think it is a marvelous way to branch out into other cuisines. Here is a recipe that I picked out of a Gordon Ramsay book that I got as a birthday gift. While the recipe used pork, I decided to try it out with beef and I was pretty happy with the results. There will definitely be more blog entries to come with recipes that I have pulled out of this book. I have been impressed so far by the recipes I have tried. Thanks again Mo for the great book!

adapted from Gordon Ramsay's "World Kitchen"
INGREDIENTS:

Beef Satays:
2 lbs Beef (cut in cubes)
1 can Coconut Milk
3 inch piece Ginger (grated)
2 stalks of fresh Lemongrass (white parts minced, or use 2 tbsp. of already minced Lemongrass)
2 tsp. Turmeric
4 tsp. Coriander
4 tsp. Cumin
1 tsp. Salt
2 tsp. Black Pepper
3 tsp. Sugar

Peanut Sauce:
2/3 cup Roasted Peanuts (unsalted)
3/4 cup Coconut Milk
4 tbsp. Red Curry Paste
1 1/2 tsp. Salt
2 tbsp. Brown Sugar
2 tbsp. Tamarind Paste

DIRECTIONS:

In a large bowl, mix all of the beef satay ingredients together and toss to coat well. Cover and allow to marinate in the refrigerator for at least an hour, preferably overnight.

Soak approximately 25 bamboo skewers in water to preven scorching during the cooking process.

Pulse the peanuts in a food processor until very fine, then pour into a bowl.

In a saucepan, heat up the coconut milk, then add the curry paste and cook until fragrant.

Add the peanuts, salt, sugar, tamarind paste, stirring frequently. Allow to simmer until the sauce thickens. If the sauce is too think, you can add a bit of hot water. Pour into a bowl and allow to cool.

Thread the marinated beef onto the presoaked bamboo skewers.

Heat up the barbecue, or griddle pan and add a bit of oil. Cook for approximately 2 minutes on each side. Serve hot with the peanut sauce for dipping.

Tahu Goreng Tepung (Fried Crispy Tofu)

This is the second entry from Indonesian night at our house. I would like to take this opportunity to thank my wonderful sous chefs (hubby and my mother in law), who have been so supportive of my cooking endeavors while being 8 months pregnant. I have to say, there would be absolutely no way I could put together these elaborate meals without their help (or at least without having severe hot flashes and possibly even getting those crazy braxton hicks contractions).

This dish was a great little side dish. I did however find, with my last couple of theme nights, that I'm actually not a huge fan of turmeric. I just don't really like the taste of this spice. I would suggest spelling/tasting it and deciding for yourself. For me though, I think I will lessen the amount of turmeric next time, and figure out a dipping sauce.

INGREDIENTS

1 Package of medium firm Tofu (700 grams)
1 cup Flour
2 tbsp. Garlic Powder
2 tsp. Turmeric Powder
1 tsp. Salt
1 cup Water
2 Bird's Eye Chilies (sliced)

DIRECTIONS

Cut tofu into cubes and set aside.

In a medium bowl, combine flour, garlic powder, turmeric powder, salt and water. If the mixture is too watery, add more flour. You may want to taste to make sure it is salty enough.

Heat up wok and fill bottom half with vegetable oil. When oil is very hot, lower heat to medium. Coat tofu with batter and fry until golden brown.

Sprinkle chilies on top and serve!

Thai Peanut Crusted Chicken

This is my last Thai inspired entry for the time being. I would like to dedicate this post to my friend, who is the author of the blog, Kitchen Slave (http://thekitchenslave.com/). She was the inspiration for me to start this blog. She had also inspired me to be more creative with my cooking. For the longest time, I was cooking the same few dishes that I had in my little notebook of recipes from my mom, but as I started reading her blog, I suddenly became aware of other cuisine. I was soon finding that I would decide on theme nights, I would spend hours researching, and I would be using new ingredients. Her blog is rapidly gaining an audience, and I’m sure you would understand why if you read a few of her entries. For those of you who are attending my baby shower, I am also pleased to announce that she is planning to cook the majority of the food, so look forward to a big treat! I am very excited to see her original creations! (Thanks C!! *hugs*)

This Thai peanut crusted chicken recipe can be found on the kitchen slave blog. I have copied the recipe in this entry for ease of use, however, if you have the time, do visit her magnificent site. I knew I had to make this recipe as soon as I saw it since hubby loves dishes with peanut and chicken together. Unfortunately, I was apparently a little too generous with the red curry paste, and both hubby and my mother in law thought it was a little too spicy (coughing involved). Thankfully, both my father and brother in law could eat spicy!

adapted from Women’s Daily Chicken Recipes

INGREDIENTS

1 cup roasted Unsalted Peanuts
1/4 – 1/2 cup Red Curry Paste (depending on how deadened your taste buds are)
2 tablespoons Kecap Manis (Indonesian sweet soy sauce)
2 tablespoons Sriracha Chili Garlic paste (optional)
1/2 cup Coconut Milk
1/2 cup packed chopped fresh Cilantro leaves
4 Chicken breast fillets

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Blend or process together peanuts, red curry paste, coconut milk, kecap manis, sriracha (if using) and cilantro. Taste the paste and make any adjustments if necessary. Spread paste onto each chicken breast fillet, covering the top of the fillet.

Bake in the oven for 18 to 22 minutes until chicken is cooked through and juices run clear. Check the oven at the 18 minute mark for doneness as you want to take the chicken out of the oven when the chicken is just cooked to avoid drying out.

Serve chicken with a small scoop of rice and some salad.

Tom Yum Fried Green Beans with Pork

This week's Thai theme has led me to use another new ingredient in my kitchen: Tom Yum paste. I was a little worried about the spiciness of the paste since some of my new ingredients recently have been a little too spicy for hubby and my mother in law (they are the non-spicy eaters in the family). I did opt out of putting in the chilies, although I would usually throw them in anyways, and hope for the best...so use your discretion depending on the mouths you are planning to feed.

INGREDIENTS

1 lbs. Green Beans (trim ends)
½ lbs. Pork (Ground Pork would work as well)
1 tsp. Corn Starch
1 tbsp. Soy Sauce
1 tbsp. Sesame Oil
1 tsp. Sugar
1 tsp. Black Pepper
1 clove Garlic (minced)
1tbsp. Dried Shrimp
2 Bird’s Eye Chilies (optional)

Sauce:
2 tbsp. Tom Yum Paste
1 tbsp. Kecap Manis (Sweet Soy Sauce)
1 tbsp. Soy Sauce
1 tsp. Sugar

DIRECTIONS:

Marinate pork with corn starch, soy sauce, sesame oil, sugar and black pepper. Set aside. In a small bowl, mix together all sauce ingredients and set aside.

Heat up wok and fill bottom of wok with oil. Make sure the green beans are mostly dry, then add to wok. You may want to split up cooking the green beans depending on the size of your wok. When the green beans are tender, remove from wok.

Pour out most of the oil from the wok except for about a tablespoon for stir frying. Add garlic and dried shrimp to the oil and cook until fragrant. Add marinated pork into the wok. When the pork is mostly cooked, add the sauce mixture and chilies (optional). Return green beans to the wok when pork is complete cooked and mix until everything is coated in the sauce. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed (more sugar or soy sauce).

Remove from wok and serve!

Thai Corn Fritters

During the last few weeks, I have become obsessed with having food theme nights at my house, such as the Thai night that I had last night. Trying to cook for a family of 6 can be a daunting task, but it also gives you a chance to try out more dishes. As I am now 8 months pregnant, I have given up doing it all myself. Thankfully, last night, I had a couple of assistants on hand, the hubby and my mother in law. I can’t say hubby is completely thrilled to be my sous chef, but my mother in law has definitely been a life saver. I still however did manage to get a cramp in my right leg in the middle of the night though…so I guess I may have exceeded my limits a little bit.

I was a little skeptical when I put together the ingredients for these Thai corn fritters. It just didn’t seem like there was enough flour in the recipe to hold together all of the corn. In any case, I was pleasantly surprised because the final product looked fantastic and it was a great side dish. I opted out of putting diced green onions in this recipe because I’m not a huge fan of green onions, but if you’re a fan, I would definitely put them in. I also found that there were many variations of this recipe including having shrimp/prawns and/or tofu included which I think would add a different dynamic to the fritter.

INGREDIENTS

2 tsp. Red Curry Paste
1 Egg
1 can of Corn
2 tsp. Soy Sauce
1/4 cup Flour
2 tbsp. Oil
Oil to fill bottom of wok
Thai Sweet Red Chili sauce for dipping

DIRECTIONS

In a medium size bowl, warm up the curry paste to soften. Whisk in the egg.

Mix in corn, soy sauce and flour until blended well.

Heat up wok and add enough oil to fill the bottom of the wok. Drop small mounds into the wok, flattening the fritter as it hits the oil. Flip once it is golden brown on the first side, and then remove once the second side is also golden brown.

Serve with Thai Sweet Red Chili sauce for dipping.