Thai Lettuce Wraps

When I think of Thai food, I often think of overly complicated dishes with many steps done in a particular order with ingredients not found in many kitchens. I'm so silly, because in the end - none of that is even true. The most complicated thing about this dish was making the rice. And, who (besides Lisa on Top Chef) doesn't know how to make some kind of rice? I also think of my very special pan thai. (Cheating is OK!) Thai food has this way of ending with a "pretty" and a "yum." I think what draws me to this particular cuisine over and over are the vibrant colors, different textures and the break from the American norm of meat and potatoes. I went out to dinner with a couple of friends last week to a newly opened Thai restaurant, and tried the fried bananas...you can bet I will be attempting to make those soon!

Give this recipe a shot. I promise you will not be disappointed in the outcome. It's lovely on a warm summer night! Plus, no silverware.

THAI LETTUCE (under) WRAPS

2 cups prepare Jasmine Rice
1 head of a leafy green lettuce (such as Boston), leaves separated, cleaned and patted dry
1 1/2 cups fresh pineapple, milled finely to a canned "crushed" texture
1 bell pepper (any color), diced
4 scallions, diced
1 tbsp vegetable oil
4 tsp minced garlic
4 tsp minced ginger
2 lb. lean ground pork
3/4 tsp chili paste, or Tabasco sauce (less if you want less heat)
1/3 cup Thai fish sauce (nam pla)
1 tbsp soy sauce
3 tbsp rice vinegar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

Prepare rice according to package directions.

While rice is steaming, prepare lettuce leaves and set aside. Prepare pineapple, scallions and bell peppers and place each ingredient in their own small bowl.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. When hot, add ginger and garlic and cook about 30 seconds, until fragrant. Immediately add pork - using a wooden spoon to separate the meat. Season with pepper. Add chili paste and stir to combine. Cook meat until done, approximately 10-12 minutes. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine brown sugar, soy sauce, vinegar and fish sauce. Add sauce to cooked pork and simmer for 1 minute. Turn off heat. Add chopped cilantro, and transfer to a serving bowl.

Assemble your lettuce wraps using each of the prepared ingredients, and enjoy.


Sometimes you just need to feel like a kid again, and eat with your hands. Pork and pineapple are such a classic combination, there was no doubt in my mind that this recipe would work and be great. Plus, it left ample room for ice cream.

BiBimBob

I'm sure I mentioned it before now, but Nathan is 1/2 Korean - so Korean food has quickly become one of my favorite cuisines. I have a particular love for BiBimBob, and order it (almost) every time we go out to our favorite Korean restaurant. To me, it's the most perfect meal. You can eat a lot of it, and not get that "I'm going to slump into a coma" full feeling.

BiBimBob is basically a loaded salad covered in a spicy bean paste and served alongside some steamed white rice. BiBimBap is the same thing, only it is served over rice in a hot stone bowl, so the rice becomes crunchy on the bottom. I prefer soft rice, and don't enjoy the whole stone bowl thing, as I often suffer burns while trying to eat out of it. Seriously!

BIBIMBOB (Kat style)
4 portions

1 6oz. beef tenderloin steak, sliced thin
2 big handfuls of baby spinach
1 handful of fresh bean sprouts
6 oz. fresh shiitake mushrooms, stems removed and sliced
1 carrot, peeled and grated
4-6 cups of chopped romaine lettuce
1/4 cup diacon radish, peeled and grated
2 green onions, sliced
4 chicken eggs
3 tbsp vegetable oil
toasted sesame seeds, for garnish
8 tbsp Gochujang
4 tsp water
Prepared rice
Kimchee (a must!)

Heat oil in a large skillet. Brown beef, and set aside. In the same skillet, bring 2 cups of water to a boil. Drop in spinach, carrots, diacon and mushrooms. Cook until spinach is wilted. Drain from boiling water and set aside.

Meanwhile, distribute chopped romaine between 4 bowls. Top each bowl with beef, and blanched vegetables. Add bean sprouts and green onions. Mix together gochujang with water and divide into 4 small condiment cups.

For added flair right before service, add 1 egg yolk (or gently fry an egg if you do not want to do the raw stuff) to the middle of the bowl on top of the vegetables. Top with toasted sesame seeds.


To eat: break the egg yolk and mix in the gochujang mixture. Enjoy with rice and kimchee, and a dumpling or two!

I also tried my hand at a little vegetable (carrot, red pepper and cucumber) rolled sushi, which wasn't as bad as I anticipated. I couldn't find the wasabi that I purchased a couple of weeks ago, until after our meal was over. Turns out it was right in front of my face. Figures.

SPICY Noodles with Veggies (out in the open!)

Thanks to Nathan, I love Korean food and all things spicy! He's half Korean, and when we started dating he brought me to a Korean restaraunt, opening up a whole new world of sights and tastes.

I rarely dabble into Korean food at home because it is just not the same, unfortunately. However, I've been holding onto this recipe because I thought it might have some potential...and I was right! It was simple to make, the ingredients were easy to find (with an easy substitution if you don't want to go to an Asian food store) and the meal was really, really tasty. But, he forewarned - it was HOT! Grab a glass of milk, a side of kimchee, some chop sticks and enjoy Korea, without the plane ride and language barrier.

SPICY NOODLES WITH MUSHROOMS AND CABBAGE

1/3 cup water
1/3 cup soy sauce
3 tsp gochujang* 1 tbsp brown sugar
1 lb dried spaghetti (or soba noodles, if you want to keep it truly authentic)
10 oz. of sliced mushrooms - I prefer shiitake for the visual
2 cups shredded cabbage
1 cup shredded carrot
1/2 cup sliced green onions
2 tbsp sesame seeds, toasted until browned
3 tbsp vegetable oil
2 tsp garlic, finely minced
1 inch of fresh ginger, finely minced

In a small bowl combine water, soy sauce, brown sugar and gochujang together until sugar dissolves and set aside. Prepare pasta as directed.

While pasta is cooking, heat oil in a large skillet until hot. Take off direct heat, and add ginger and garlic. (If you keep your ginger in the freezer, like me - be prepared for some "spitting" when the residual water hits the oil!) Return to the heat and immediately follow with the sliced mushrooms, and cook, stirring constantly, until the mushrooms take on a darker brown color, approximately 6 minutes. Add cabbage, carrot and green onion, and saute until veggies become crisp tender. Add sauce and mix thoroughly, until heated through.

Add your noodles to the vegetable mixture and toss to combine. Sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds for a garnish. Serve immediately.

*Gochujang, a Korean spicy bean paste, is readily available in most supermarkets in the international food aisle. If you can't find it there - check out your local Asian Food Market. It retails between $4.00 - $5.00. You can substitute 3/4 teaspoon Chinese chile paste and reduce the amount of soy sauce to 1/4 cup.

Moroccan Spiced Chickpea Soup

I adore chickpeas. I love them roasted and covered with garlic powder, or on salads, or mashed up in hummus. My most favorite Indian dishes either include or feature chickpeas in them. When I saw the recipe for this soup, I knew I had to try it. Not only was this meal hearty - but it is also pretty cheap to make, and the leftovers were fantastic.

MOROCCAN SPICED CHICKPEA SOUP

3 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, diced
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp paprika
1 can of diced tomatoes
3 (15 oz) cans of chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1 quart chicken or vegetable stock
salt and pepper
2 good handfuls of pre-washed baby spinach

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add onions and garlic and cook until onions become translucent. Add cinnamon, cumin, paprika and cayenne pepper and cook for approximately 2 minutes to develop the flavors. Add the tomatoes, chickpeas and stock and bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally. Continue cooking on medium-low for approximately 45 minutes or until the chickpeas become tender.

Take soup off heat, and use a potato masher to mash up some of the chickpeas right in the pot. (This is an optional step...but it does change up the texture and makes the soup thicker.) Stir in the spinach until it wilts, then season with salt and pepper and serve!


If you don't like the heat, omit the cayenne - because even though you are using just a tad of the spice, it still will hit the back of your throat when you least expect it!