This is a recipe that I’ve been meaning to post for some time, and have finally gotten around to it. The burgers come out nice and moist. It is a summer staple on my grill. You can’t have just one!
Thai Pork Burgers
1 lb ground pork, regular not lean
1 heaping tsp pureed ginger
1 heaping tsp pureed garlic
2 tbs fish sauce
1 tsp shrimp paste
1 egg, beaten
1 tbs or more to taste Dried Thai basil
1 tbs or more to taste chopped fresh or dried cilantro
Handful bread crumbs for consistency
Dash black pepper
Combine all ingredients except for bread crumbs. Add bread crumbs just enough to get the mixture to hold together. Use ¼-1/3 cup to make large meatballs. Slightly squish onto cookie sheet. The burgers should be slider size. Ensure the burgers are at room temperature before heating; otherwise they will stick. Preheat grill on high. Grill for 5 minutes at 350F, flip and grill for another 6 min.
Serve with your choice of dinner roll. They are the perfect slider size. I served them with flax seed buns as pictured below. It doesn’t need condiments, but a dab of sriracha, or sweet chili sauce will liven it up. Ketchup, relish and grainy mustard are all good too.
Slider sized burgsSlider with strawberries, blueberries and spring greens with chili balasmic dressing
After my visit to the St Laurent Cake House last week, I decided to make some adjustments to my bao recipe. I used the recipe from Honey and Spice Blog. This time, I actually followed the recipe to the letter, including the overnight proof.
The dough had a different consistency than my normal bao dough. Like what I saw at the bakery, it was soft, pliable, and stretchy. The dough was very easy to handle and naturally formed a uniform round shape. The water added to egg wash makes for a smoother topping.
The peanut butter paste was made with lentils to obtain the paste consistency texture so familiar with bao. Chocolate chips can be used, but I prefer the unsweetened, natural flavour of the cacao nib. These are heavy on the protein; great for a snack if you are active.
Peanut Butter Paste
½ C green lentils
2 C water, plus extra
¾ C creamy peanut butter, peanuts only
2 Tbs sugar
Soak lentils in water for an hour. Cook lentils until tender. Puree. Add peanut butter and mix by hand. Add a little more water if too thick to stir. Add sugar. Adjust seasoning to taste.
Bao
Follow Honey and Spice Blog’s recipe for the dough. For the second proofing in my oven at 100F with a pan of hot water. Add 1-2 tbs of the peanut butter paste. Throw on top a few chocolate chips or some cacao nibs. Add 1-2 tbs of water to egg wash to thin it out. Change baking temp to 360F and time to 16 minutes.
Stretchy, pliable doughFilling the baoSoft and chewy bao
After my visit to the St Laurent Cake House last week, I decided to make some adjustments to my bao recipe. I used the recipe from Honey and Spice Blog. This time, I actually followed the recipe to the letter, including the overnight proof.
The dough had a different consistency than my normal bao dough. Like what I saw at the bakery, it was soft, pliable, and stretchy. The dough was very easy to handle and naturally formed a uniform round shape. The water added to egg wash makes for a smoother topping.
The peanut butter paste was made with lentils to obtain the paste consistency texture so familiar with bao. Chocolate chips can be used, but I prefer the unsweetened, natural flavour of the cacao nib. These are heavy on the protein; great for a snack if you are active.
Peanut Butter Paste
½ C green lentils
2 C water, plus extra
¾ C creamy peanut butter, peanuts only
2 Tbs sugar
Soak lentils in water for an hour. Cook lentils until tender. Puree. Add peanut butter and mix by hand. Add a little more water if too thick to stir. Add sugar. Adjust seasoning to taste.
Bao
Follow Honey and Spice Blog’s recipe for the dough. For the second proofing in my oven at 100F with a pan of hot water. Add 1-2 tbs of the peanut butter paste. Throw on top a few chocolate chips or some cacao nibs. Add 1-2 tbs of water to egg wash to thin it out. Change baking temp to 360F and time to 16 minutes.
Stretchy, pliable doughFilling the baoSoft and chewy bao
I love making bao. So I decided to try something a little different for the Canadian Lentil Recipe Revelations Challenge. I used the Asian flavours of black sesame, and combined them with green lentils to make a filling for my bao.
For the sesame paste mixture, I used a sweetened black sesame powder. This can be homemade or bought at an Asian grocery store. I say sweetened as this would be the base for black sesame soup.
Black Sesame Lentil Filling
3/4 C sweetened black sesame powder
1/2 C green lentils
2 C water
Pre-soak the lentils in water in a pot for at least an hour. Bring the water to boiling and cook lentils until tender. Puree the lentils in a blender or immersion blender. They will be a little liquid, that’s ok. Gradually add the black sesame powder. The mixture should form a thick paste. If too watery, add more powder. If too dry, add more water. Allow mixture to cool to room temperature before using.
Follow the recipe for making bao as listed above. For steaming, place the bao on parchment paper in a steamer basket. Boil the water and steam until the texture changes to a glossy sponge. You can’t overcook these.
Sweetened black sesame powder and green lentilsPureed green lentilsFilling the baoSteamed baoBaked bao
I love slow cookers. They give you time when you don’t have time. I got inspired to make this dish by someone microwaving their lunch at work. It smelled like peanut butter. I love peanut butter. I found this recipe via A Year of Slow Cooking blog. The recipe can be gluten free, if GF soy sauce is used.
The smell of peanut butter overwhelming my house was too much to bear, I kept on sneaking samples as it was cooking. It goes really well with a vinaigrette coleslaw. I didn’t need the bun; I could have ate it on its own. It has a strong peanut flavor, with satay undertones. Be sure to use the peanut butter that only contains 100% peanuts. No sugar or other additives for a natural taste. I used blade roast and shoulder butt instead of tenderloin. I shredded it in my Bosch Kitchen Machine. It was doing ok, until it got the parts covered with the connective tissue. I pulled those by hand. It is really moist and tender.
Ready to shred
Pulled pork slider with cabbage slaw and pineapple
I’m still working through my pandan paste, so last weekend I tried to make brownies with it. I found a lovely recipe, courtesy of Phamfatale blog. The taste was really interesting; it tasted more like green tea with a hint of chocolate. I also discovered that when using freshly made pandan paste, I need about three times the amount compared to using a commercial version.
I’ve never had Indo Chinese food until I went to a South Indian restaurant last week. It is fascinating to me; Indian food using Chinese cooking techniques. Much of this kind of cuisine is deep fried, with gravy, like this recipe. It tastes like Chinese food, but with undertones of Indian spices and heat. Manchurian style is a sauce that is flavoured with soy and a spicy kick. There is also chow mein and fried rice.
I used the recipe from 365 Days of Eating Blog, but I needed to make adjustments to the recipe as the veggie balls were too watery and the gravy too thin. The original recipe called for corn flour, so I used corn meal. In hindsight, I suspected it should have been corn starch.
For the Manchurian balls
2 cups finely chopped cabbage
2 cups very finely chopped mix of carrots, cauliflower, parsley or whatever you have
4 tablespoons corn starch
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour (may need more if too liquid)
2 tablespoons dark soy sauce
Dash chilli sauce
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Salt
Oil to fry
For the gravy
2 cups water
4 tablespoons corn starch
1/2 cup chopped green onions with stalks
6-7 cloves garlic
1 inch knob of ginger grated
1/2 teaspoon red chili flakes
2-3 tablespoons dark soy sauce
1 teaspoon vinegar
1 tablespoon red chili sauce
1 tablespoon tomato ketchup
1/2 teaspoon pepper
Dash sugar
1 tablespoon oil
In a bowl mix all the ingredients to form the manchurian balls. It should be a little damp to touch and should form a ball when pressed in hand. Take a fistful and bind tightly to shape the mixture into 1 inch balls. If the mixture is too dry to bind, add an additional teaspoon of water. If the mixture falls apart, add more corn starch or flour and squeeze out some moisture as balls are made.
Heat oil in a wok and deep fry the balls on low- medium heat till they are golden brown. These balls can be eaten as a snack with a side of ketchup or sweet and sour sauce.
In another wok, heat a tablespoon of oil. Add the onions (keep aside some greens for garnish), garlic and ginger and sauté on high heat. Add the spices, sauces and water and bring to a boil. Check for salt and add as necessary as the soy sauce will also add salt to the dish.
Just before serving, take out ¼ cup of the liquid, cool slightly and dissolve the corn starch in it. Add to the gravy and bring to a boil while stirring. Heat till the gravy has a shine to it.
Then add the balls to to the gravy and garnish with the onion greens.
Serve hot with Chinese Fried Rice or steamed rice.
To make a dry manchurian, reduce the quantity of water to ¾ cup, corn flour to ½ tablespoon and then proceed as above.
Looking in from the outside, this restaurant looks like an inviting oasis from the Calgary cold. The decor is tasteful, and the house is packed.
We started with the golden tofu and scallops. The tofu was crisp and the sauce packed a flavor punch. The scallops remind me of something you might see in a fine dining restaurant.
Moving along to the pad thai. One of my friends commented that it was the first time the noodles were done al dente. The panang salmon was an interesting dish. The battered fish in the sweet and sour basa stayed crisp as the sauce pooled nicely on the bottom of the plate.
It’s really popular, and there seems to be an endless number of regulars, as the waitstaff greet the customers with friendly recognition. The service was spot on, even when it got really busy.
Golden TofuKhao San Salsa ScallopsPad ThaiCrying TigerSalmon Panang Curry and Sweet and Sour Basa
Ah, the parade of the leftovers. Today it is leftover cabbage, from the awesome meal hubby made last week. What to do, what to do…
Asian Style Spicy Coleslaw with Steak
Adapted from originally from Food and Wine magazine via kalynskitchen.
This recipe makes 10 servings, but can be easily cut in half.
Dressing:
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons creamy peanut butter
3 T fresh lime juice
3 T Asian fish sauce
3 T water
3 T sugar
3 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 t Sriracha sauce
Salad:
2 pounds green cabbage, thinly sliced (about 12 cups)
3 medium carrots, grated
1 red pepper, thinly sliced
3 T chopped cilantro
15 mint leaves (I used about 1/4 cup chopped mint)
1/2 cup roasted peanuts
salt and freshly ground pepper
Steak:
2 T soy sauce
2 T Chinese cooking wine
1 t Worchestershire sauce
2 steaks, inside round/sirloin/ribeye
Whisk together peanut butter, lime juice, fish sauce, water, sweetener, garlic and Sriracha. In large bowl, toss together sliced napa and red cabbage, carrots, peppers, cilantro, mint, and peanuts. Toss all steak seasonings and meat in a dish. Cover. Marinate the steak for at least a couple of hours. Bring steak to room temperature and sear both sides. Cook until desired doneness, but rare is best. Rest for 10 minutes. Slice and toss into salad. Toss salad with the dressing and season with salt and pepper. Serve right away. If you plan to eat some later, don’t add the dressing until just before serving.
Veggie mixSteak addedAsian style coleslaw with steak
When I first heard about this restaurant, I thought they served Newfie food. My mistake, I apologize. This is French Asian fusion cuisine. The Chef and owner is very friendly; he likes to chat with his customers when he is not busy. The restaurant was empty when we arrived for 6pm. Our meals arrived piping hot, and in good time. There was only one server, and as the restaurant got busier, the service slowed. We had to ask for the dessert menu and the bill, but that’s alright.
I’ve been waiting to try this place since they closed and moved in March. It is indeed worth the wait. The food comes in generous portions. Beware, the entrees come with two sides, that would easily serve as an appetizer. We started with the calamari. It was piping hot and crisp. I had the lamb shank with the corn chowder and house salad for an entree. The lamb was fall-off-the-bone fantastic. I liked the crisp potato skins that fell over the top. The sauce was rich and velvety. The corn chowder was smooth and creamy. The salad contained iceberg lettuce but probably would have been livened up with some dark leafy greens. It was served with a dressing that tasted like butter pecan. Yum.
Hubby wanted the prime rib but it was sold out. So he settled for the Muscovy duck. Settled is not the appropriate word. It was apparently delicious. We both followed it up with a homemade tiramisu.
The clientele seems to be mostly Asian on this night. This is upscale food in a casual decor. I suspect that restaurant is family friendly as there were young kids there.
TEMPURA CALAMARI CRISPY CALAMARI BREADED IN TEMPURA FLOUR SERVED WITH THE ROCK TARTAR SAUCEMUSCOVY DUCK BREAST ROASTED 10 OZ DUCK BREAST SERVED WITH SAUTEED SPINACH AND MUSHROOM IN ORANGE BRANDY SAUCESoup of the day Corn ChowderROCKING LAMB SHANK JUMBO LAMB SHANK BRAISED WITH ROSEMARY DEMI JUSTIRAMISU HOUSE MADE
