Thai Nightmarket Shrimp and Rice Soup

I was wandering the streets of Bangkok at 3 AM when came across the midnight market, where I tasted a dish so heavenly it was worthy of the name of where it came. Krung Thep, City of Angels actually has the longest name of any city in the world ,   "Krung-thep-maha-nakorn-boworn-ratana-kosin-mahintar- ayudhya-amaha-dilok-pop-nopa-ratana-rajthani-burirom-udom-rajniwes-mahasat-arn-amorn-pimarn- avatar-satit- sakattiya-visanukam" 

As  bad of a rap the capital city gets for it's after hours activities, the true joy lies in the night market, where the hustle bustle of  spice vendors, fish mongers and meat markets are a food lovers paradise.   Make shift seating areas, alongside street carts, line the alleys.  As people actively shop for goods,  these provide an oasis to slurp down a dish of noodles, nibble away on a  grilled prawn or enjoy a hot bowl of Thai Rice Shrimp Soup ( Tom Yam Khao) .  Now the concept of breakfast for dinner is reversed here where its dinner for breakfast, well if you eat breakfast at 3 AM, but having soup for breakfast is common in Asia.  Whatever the time,  this meal always hits the spot.  This dish is  fragrant with a blend of galangal, lemon grass, garlic and chili and shrimp, is cut perfectly with tangy citrus and crisp Thai basil.  The complexities of  Thailand, the country of smiles,  are truly expressed in its cuisine.  

Shrimp  Stock

1 Lb shrimp

3 stalks lemongrass

1 bunch cilantro

1 inch galangal, minced

4 cloves of  garlic

juice of 2 limes

4 kafir lime leaves

1 medium onion

4 quarts water

2 tblsp sugar

5 green chilies

1/4 cup  soy  sauce

1/8 cup fish sauce

Remove heads and shells of shrimp leaving tails intact. 

In a large stock pot add heads and shells of shrimp to boiling water.   Add  all  other ingredients except shrimp meat and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer  for another 30 minutes,  strain  and  you have shrimp stock.

Add 1 cup jasmine rice and simmer  till  cooked

In  a  separate pan heat oil.  Add  1 clove garlic,  1 scallion,  3 dashes soy sauce and shrimp meat.  stir fry till done.

Add shrimp and garnish with  more scallion, cilantro, lime, chili and basil  leaves.  

Add 1 raw egg to broth, and let it poach.

 

Pulled Pork Po' Boy

Pulled  pork,  is  well,  just that, pork that  has  been  slowly cooked over low heat so that the meat becomes so tender  that you can pull it  apart.  If you think the  sound of it  is appealing, just wait till  you taste it. The meat becomes so infused with flavor, it falls off the bone, yet still maintains the stringy tendons.  And  a Po' Boy, well, basically is a no frills  sandwich, hence the name (Poor Boy). It is also rumored to be a sandwich served in bars  to accompany drinks with French origin "Pour Bouire" . Whether they be pork, fried oysters or shrimp,  these delicious sandwiches are always a treat.  For the pulled pork I opted to go with a braised North Carolina style, slow cooked in vinegary, spicy BBQ sauce.  The pork shoulder or Boston Butt of the pig will shred easily giving the appropriate texture yet still melt in your mouth with every succulent bite.  

Rubbing and searing the pork

4 lb pork shoulder or Boston Butt (skin on) 

coarse salt

black pepper

5 cloves garlic, mashed

2 tblsp cayenne pepper

2 tblsp coarse Dijon

1/4 cup brown sugar

Mix all spices together and massage pork in rub

Heat up dutch oven (or pot  with lid ) on high heat and sear all sides, about 4 minutes to a side then remove from pot.

Deglaze with 1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce.

Add

2 large onions

4 gloves garlic

1 can tomato sauce

1/4 cup ketchup

1/8 cup cider vinegar

1 cup Coca Cola

3 tsp liquid Smoke

1/4 cup Frank's or Trappy's Hot sauce

1 -2 cups water

Salt

Black Pepper

Add pork to liquid and bring to a boil for 5-10  minutes.

Reduce heat to low and cover, checking occasionally, let simmer for 4-5 hours.  

Remove from heat and separate meat from liquid.  Reduce the rest of the sauce till  you get a  hearty gravy,  Once pork has cooled  to room temperature pull it apart and return to sauce.  

Serve hot in a baguette

Lettuce, tomatoes. pickles, kettle chips,  potato salad and watermelon are great accompaniments.

The perfect drink for this is an Arnold Palmer ( Half Lemonade, Half Sweet Tea)

Spicy Peanut Coconut Curry with Cucumbers and Tomatoes

Talk about confusion. I'm making a coconut peanut curry. Ironically, neither coconuts nor peanuts are nuts, but the do taste delicious when prepared with Asian spices, onions, garlic and ginger, cilantro giving the entire kitchen a  delightful aroma.  Serve with cold cucumbers, tomatoes, which are fruits not vegetables.  I love making this because of the contrasts and complexities.  The cool crispness of the fruits and vegetables,  adorned with the warm sweet, spicy curry intermingled with the aromatic rice and finished with tingling citrus, is heavenly.  The first mouthful is a true "Mouthgasm". This can be served over noodles or rice,  its the curry that makes the dish.  If using noodles,  I  suggest Thai rice flat noodles, soaked in water and lightly pan fried till soft.  If you  decide to go  with rice, use basmati or jasmine steamed in a  rice cooker.  For the  fruits and vegetables, get them as  fresh  as possible,  crispness is so  key to  this  dish.  The  dish  is defiantly Asian  influenced, but I've never had it in my travels there,  I made  this  dish as  one of  those "use  up  what  I  have  in the  cupboard" and I just  happened  to have  peanut butter, coconut milk, noodles and spices.  The  fruits and vegetables I  had  in the  fridge, and the only thing  missing  was  company.  It  was  so good I was  calling  people to  make yummy noises on their voice mail , friends, not random people. The  next  day  I made  it again. 

Fruits and Vegetables 

 1 or 2 plum tomatoes cut into slices

1 cucumber peeled and sliced

1/4 cup bean sprouts

1 or 2 scallions  cut length wise

3 or 4 small green chili peppers

1 lime cut into wedges

small  bunch of  fresh  basil

For curry  sauce

4 cloves garlic minced

2 tsp ginger minced

3 yellow onions chopped

Saute  till soft  then  add

2 cans  coconut milk

1/2 cup peanut butter ( unsweetened if possible) 

1 cup water or vegetable stock

Stir until smooth then add

1 bunch cilantro

2  tsp each coriander, cumin, nutmeg , turmeric, red chili powder 

juice of one lime

4 tbsp soy sauce

salt

black pepper

At this point add more chili powder or chili oil to taste.

Let  this  simmer over  slow heat  stirring  occasionally  and the  room  will fill  with a  heavenly  aroma.  At this  point  start  your  rice  cooker  or  get  noodles soaking.  

The  sauce should  be  ready by the  time  the rice  is  done.  Put a layer  of  rice  in the  bowl, then fruits and veggies, ladle curry over and garnish with basil and a squeeze of lime and  crushed  peanuts. 

Purple and Red Potato, Granny Smith Apple and Cheddar Cheese Soup

I  love  the  farmers  market  because  I  can  go  there  with  nothing  in  mind  and  walk  away with a  million  ideas.  Also everything is seasonal so you know its fresh and organic. I could  go  on  for  hours,  days  even  of  the  importance of  grow local, think global and supporting small industry but I am assuming you are an intelligent person. Today  I  went to  a  rather  small  market  near Colombia University.  There were 4 different  stands,  one had  a  variety of potatoes, one had a variety of apples,  one  had  a  variety of cheeses  made  by  an  Amish dude, one had  bread .  If  you  take one  component from each of these you can make a  delicious, local, organic, sustainable , seasonal and  whatever  other hippie  green Eco friendly termed soup.  So  I  filled  my  recycled hemp flax Guatemalan bag with purple, red and yellow potatoes,  granny smith apples, cheddar cheese (from  the  Amish dude),  red and yellow onions and a loaf of  crusty bread.  I  walked  back to my  kitchen in  my  Birkenstock and llama wool socks and, after  giving  thanks to the  harvest gnomes,  I put on my Andean Chefs hat with the  natural dye useless ear flaps.  The cheddar, pommes and pomme de tere combo ,  for  some  strange  reason,  works  deliciously.  Besides looking  like  the  Benetton of soups,  multiple colors of vegetables and fruits deliver different vitamins and minerals.

2  green  granny smith apples

2 of each purple, red and yellow potatoes

1 red onion

1 yellow onion

2 cloves garlic

Peel  and saute all of  these  in a  stock pot adding salt and pepper  to  taste.

Add

1 quart heavy cream

1 quart vegetable stock

2 cups water

1 tsp nutmeg

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp smoked paprika

 simmer over low heat till everything  is is cooked.

Puree in  food processor and  return to low heat

Add 1 cup grated cheddar cheese and melt into soup.

Serve hot with a crusty bread on the side.

Wait  at least 1 hour before partaking in a game of  ultimate Frisbee

Spinach Basil Mushroom Shallot Lasagana

Garfield  was  a  stupid  comic  strip,  and and even  worse  movie,  but  for  some  reason  his love for  lasagna and the gluttony and laziness caused  by  it really hit it on the mark.  I do  love to  eat but tend to  eat several small  meals spread out over the  day as  opposed to  stuffing  my pie  hole to  the  point  of  going  into  a  food  coma siesta.  If  it  is one  food  that  If  I do  decide  to  indulge  in it  is  Lasagna.  Although  one  can add  any  combination  of  ingredients  my overall  favorite  is  Spinach,  maybe  because  some  where  deep  down  inside I know that its   good  for  me.  Spinach  is  the  only vegetable  that  actually  is has  more  vitamins when consumed cooked  than raw,  either  way they  are  both  delicious  and  still have  tons  of  Iron and fiber.  On  a  cold  winter  day,  I  love  consuming  it  and  then  going  into  a  hibernation like  state,  I  just  woke  up  from  a  4  hour  power nap  after  consuming 3  healthy portions  of  it.  When  done  consuming  leftover  are  great because  it  is  made  in trays  and  this  allows  the  sauce to  soak  into the  noodles  and  it  gets  better  with  time.  Serve  with garlic  bread  and  little  raw  vegetable  crudites and you  have  a  great filling  power  up  meal.

Sauce

1 large onion

4 cloves garlic

1  28 oz  can  crushed  red  tomatoes

1/2 cup water

2  tsp sugar

salt

black pepper

1 tsp cayenne pepper

bunch  fresh  basil

2 tsp dry oregano

Filing

1 16 Oz cup  ricotta Cheese

1/4 cup Parmesan

2 shallots finely minced

2 cloves garlic

bunch basil

2 tsp oregano

salt

black pepper

1 bag  frozen spinach

1 cup chopped  mushrooms

1 box lasagna  noodles

2 cups shredded  mozzarella

Preheat over to 350

Sweat onion and  garlic and  then  add  rest of  ingredients  and   simmer  over  low  heat

Mix together all  ingredients  for  filling  and  set  aside  as  you boil  lasagna  noodles

Take  a  large baking pan coat bottom of  pan  with layer of  sauce, the noodles, then filling, then layer of cheese the noodles then sauce then filling then layer of cheese then noddles then sauce then layer of  cheese.  Bake for 30 minute  remove from heat and  let  sit  15 minutes before serving.

Secret trick :  Have a light  sorbet in the  freezer as  a desert  for  after  you  fully  digest  to finish of the meal with a smile,  I recommend  tangerine  or  watermelon.

Avgolemono (Greek Egg Lemon Soup)

We  always  associate Chicken  soup  with  sick days and as something that we consume as a remedy.  But it is not an old wives tale, it actually boosts the immune system and helps prevent and cure the common cold and the flu.  In this case it is neither the chicken or the egg,  but actually all the vegetables in chicken soup that give you the rich nutrients and vitamins to help fight illness.  The  chicken and egg  just make it  taste so much better. Onions, carrots , and celery, parsnips, turnips, all have anti inflammatory A,  C and D Vitamins that  really help  you out.  As well as rice will help out with any digestive issues and chicken has proteins and fats that your body needs if you want to  stay  strong.  I particularly like this soup because of the flavor.  Lemon gives  it  a  nice  touch  and  I always love  a  dash  of  dill.  You can use rice or Orzo ,  they both have soothing property's for the stomach. And most  important of  all this  is  a  soup  that is  cooked  with  love, the  most  important  ingredient of all to  make  someone  feel  better.  

For  Soup

3 cups  chicken stock, either homemade or from a can ( if making homemade go heavy on onions, garlic and parsnips,  and carrots and beet tops or kale) 

1/2 cup  rice

juice of  one  lemon

2 eggs whisked

sprig of  dill

Heat  chicken  stock up  add  rice  and  reduce  heat until rice is  cooked.  in a  separate  bowl  whisk together eggs and  lemon  and dill.    Remove soup  from  heat and whisk  in  egg  lemon mixture.  Ladle  into bowl,  kiss  loved  one  on forehead  and  serve. 

Optional  

Serve  with  some crusty bread  and tzatziki (Greek  yogurt with garlic, dill and  cucumber)  on the  side even though  dairy produces mucus, the enzymes in yogurt are great in fighting cold.

   

Pao de Queijo (Brazilian Cheese Bread)

These mini cheese  breads  are  so  incredibly  tasty  that  when  you  have  them  for  the  first  time  you  will  wonder  where  these  treasures  have  been  hiding  and  how  incredibly  easy they  are  to  make.  They  are   best served  hot and  are  a  great thing  to nibble  on at  anytime, as  an  appetiser  or  a  snack.  Sometimes I  like to  make  them  in  larger  sizes so  they  can be tossed  in the  microwave  for  a quick  breakfast on the  go.  I  had  these  as  a  child  growing  up  but  never  ate  them  again until I  was  in  college, and fell in love again.   Served alongside yucca fries, ham croquettes and a heart of palm salad,  these are great  for  entertaining  at  a  diner party or  a  summer  time picnic  (well  you  can  picnic any time  of  the  year).  Yucca,  the  main  component, also known as  manioc or cassava.  It is  a  long  root that is  ground  into  powder  to make  this  dish.  It  is  also what tapioca is made of.   Originally  from  the  tropics of  Brazil  it  has  been transplanted  to  many  regions  of Africa  where,  like  the potato  ( same  family  of root  vegetable)  has  become  a  staple in the regional  diet.  Medicinally  it  is very  good  for  any  digestion  problems and  economically  can  be  transformed  into  a  bio  fuel.

1 cup milk

1 stick butter

2 cups  yucca flour 

2 eggs

1 tsp salt

2/3 cup parmesan cheese

Preheat  oven  to 400

Melt butter and  add  milk get  to  just underneath boiling  temp

Remove from heat add salt and flour and  mix

add  eggs  and parmesan  and  kneed  into  soft dough 

roll out 1  inch  balls

place  on  greased baking  tray

cook  15-20 minutes and  serve  hot

Word  of  caution,  these  are  incredibly  addictive,  make  sure  you make  enough or  are  prepared  to  run  as  you  decide  to  hoard  them  from  your  guests