Beef Kabob

For this Easter I forgo the traditional ham, lamp and turkey dinner for something that is exotic and closer to home and less complicated. So I decided to do an Asian B.B.Q. with beef and chicken kabob with all the dressing and herbs Khmer style. I grew up loving this beef stick because of it rich tasting and powerful aroma. There is no other beef kabob that can match it in taste or texture and I’ve tried many. Overall, if you into spices and herbs this is one dish you got try at least once. This is one of those dishes that can be used for multi-purposes. I made both chicken and beef with the same marination, but somehow the beef more flavorful and tender. It's great as sandwich meat, as an appetizer or even as the main dishes, whichever way it is just oh so good! Of course I used it as my main dish accompany by papaya salad and a couple of desserts. Simple yet very delicious and interesting to taste bud and everyone seem to love it too. I didn’t have any leftover for this Easter!

Ingredients:

1 Cup minced lemon grass
3 Dried chilies (soak in hot water for an hour until soften)
1 Tsp of turmeric powder
2 Tbsp of oyster sauce
2 Tbsp of fish sauce
¼ Tsp of kosher salt
¼ Cup kaffier lime leave minced
4 Garlic cloves
¼ Cup of coconut milk
2 Tbsp of vegetable oil
1 Tbsp of palm sugar or brown sugar
2 LB beef skirt

Methods:

1. Cut the beef skirt against the grain about 2 inchs long. Set aside.
2. Put all of the ingredients in the food processor and grind to fine.
3. Once it finely grinded poured the puree over the meat and let is sit for at least 6 hours or overnight for great flavor.
4. Soak the skewer in water for 30 minutes before you kabob them.
5. Cook beef for 5 minutes flipping every 2 minutes. For chicken kabob cook for 10 minutes or until done.

Stir Fried Herbs Chicken

This is a favorite among many Southeastern Asian for it many herbs and ingredients. What interesting about this dish is that the combination of the herbs aroma makes you just wants to chow down more than you desire potion. Although it not hard to make, but if you making the herbs from scratch and using your hands it can be tiring and time consuming. The easiest way is to buy the ready minced lemongrass and using an electric blender. It works and it time and life saving! Of course, everyone will have their version of this dish. Even the restaurants added their own flavor to it. Here my version. Enjoy making it and eating it!


Ingredients:

6 Stalks of lemon grass sliced to it thinnest possible. Or ½ cup of ready minced version.
1 Lb Chicken wings or drumstick clean and cutting into 2” sizes. It taste best when use part with bone in them.
4 Cloves of garlic
I Thumb size turmeric or ½ Tsp of powder version
1 Handful of kaffir lime leaves
4 or 5 Thai chilies pounded to open
3 to 4 Jalapeno sliced
1 Tbsp oyster sauce
1 Large onion cut into four
1 Handful of holy basil
1 Tbsp of vegetable oil
2 Tbsp of fish sauce
½ Tsp of dark soy sauce
A couple pinches of kosher salt or to taste

Methods:

1. Combine all the lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves and pulse for 4 times or until blend. Sometime adding a little water makes it easier to blend. When it minced and blend thoroughly add the garlic and turmeric and pulse 3 more time.
2. Heat a nonstick pan to hot and add the oil. When oil it hot add the herbs mixture and Thai chilies and stir until aroma.
3. Add the chicken pieces and stir in the fish sauce, salt, oyster sauce and dark soy. Stir occasionally so the chicken will not be burnt on one side.
4. When the chicken it fully cooked, usually a good 20 minutes or so add the jalapeno and onion and stir for another 5 minutes.
5. Turn off the heat and add the holy basil and give it a couple of tosses.

Serve hot with fresh steam rice.

Ginger Chicken

If you ever had ginger chicken before, than you know that there are many ways to make them. Every restaurant have their own version of how it done. I for one don’t really like the one in the Chinese restaurant, due to the fact that it is too soggy and have too many ingredients. For me, ginger chicken only require two main ingredients and that is ginger and chicken. I want to be able to taste the spiciness of the semi crispy ginger and tender chicken, no other overpowering flavor needed. Of course, oil, soy sauce, oyster sauce, and pepper are an addition that also a must to perfect the dish!

Growing up ginger chicken is our favorite dish to make and eat. As mention before, we love our ginger and chicken to be crispy and with lots of pepper.
Beside from the fact that ginger taste good, it also very good for you. It is known to regulate your blood flow due to it heat factor. This is also a very popular dish for women post baby, to help their body heal and regulated itself. Not to mention it other benefit for nauseate, gas, stomachache, headache, but we’re not going to get to into that today.
The point is that ginger is just plain good for you and taste absolutely delicious no mater what you add to it!

Ingredients:

8 oz Chicken thigh or breast thinly slice into strip
Cup of ginger cut into thin strings
1 Tbsp of soy sauce
1 Tbsp of fish sauce
1 Tsp of oyster sauce
½ Tsp of dark soy sauce
1 Tbsp of vegetable oil
A couple dash of white pepper
Lots of black pepper or to taste

Methods:

1. In a hot wok add half of the oil.
2. When oil is hot, stir the ginger until it is lightly golden.
3. Remove the ginger and set aside.
4. Add the remaining oil and add the sliced chicken to the hot wok.
5. Add the dark soy sauce, soy sauce, fish sauce, salt, oyster sauce and pepper.
6. Stir until it is fully cooked and all the liquid is evaporate.
7. Stir in the ginger and stir for a couple times.
8. Remove from heat and serve with hot steaming rice!

Chicken Curry with Rice Vermicelli

As I mentioned before, my favorite dish of all time is anything with noodle in it. In our house, it called “noodle head” and there a couple of us that can be labeled as that! Although rice vermicelli is not really consider as your traditional noodle, but nevertheless it is such as good if done right and with the right soup base. Now this is one of those dishes that is very popular in Southeast Asian where spices is their everyday life. And after tasting so many different curries dishes, I can state that every culture and family has their own version on how it is done.

This version that I am making is my family version that been passed down by my grandma. I remember getting up early in the morning to help cook, because she would make two big giant pot so that she can give it to all her five children and their family. Not to forget her neighbor too. Therefore, she usually make enough to feed 30 plus people and that meant lots of coconut grating, lemon grass mincing and the mortar always busy pounding away.
Of course this is the long and old fashion way where everything is made from scratch. In the end, the result is authentic and tasted splendid!

Now let face fact, not everyone is a homemaker that would actually have the time to do all this from scratch, so I came up with a shorter version and taste very close to how I remembered how my grandma curry used to be. Of course, if she ever found out I did this she would have a field day with me, but what she doesn’t know doesn’t hurt right?
Then again, I have both the long and easy version, so I am pretty much guilt free…or at least I hope to be….lol


Ingredients:

6 Lemon grasses
Handful of kaffier lime
5 Dried chili pods soak in hot water to soften
1” turmeric
4 Garlic cloves
In a mortar or food processor mash the above ingredient to fine and paste like. Now you have your homemade curry paste.
1 Tbsp of powder curry
(For a shortcut, you can use 2 Tbsp of Thai yellow curry + 1 Tsp of curry powder instead of the above ingredients)
1 Large can of coconut juice or 3 to 4 Cup of fresh squeeze coconut milk
1 Tbsp of oyster sauce
1 Tbsp of sugar
1 Tsp of shrimp paste
1 Tbsp of vegetable oil
½ Cup of fish sauce or to taste
1 Tsp of kosher salt or to taste
3 Tsp of chicken soup flavor powder
1 Organic chicken cut into small desire pieces
1 Large can of bamboo shoot
2 Large yellow onions
1 Handful of Asian green bean cut diagonally
3 Asian eggplants cut diagonally
2 Potato cut into 2’ cubes (optional)
Water

Garnish:

1 Handful of sweet basil
Fresh Thai chills
Bean sprout
Thinly sliced green been
Thinly sliced cucumber
Thinly sliced cabbage

Sauce:

4 to 5 Jalapenos
2 Cloves of garlic
1 Tsp of kosher salt
2 to 3 Tbsp of lime juice

This is the sauce that I made for dipping the chicken and vegetable in. It also great to put in the noodle to “give it a kick” BAM! Lol
In a mortar mash everything together and add the lime juice to taste. Set aside.

Methods:

1. In a 10 quart pot, heat to hot. Add the vegetable oil, wait a couple of seconds to bring the oil to hot. Stir in the curry paste, oyster sauce, half of the fish sauce, salt and stir until aroma and lightly golden.
2. Now stir in half of the coconut milk and bring to boil. If using the ¼ of the can, use half at a time with about a cup.
3. Add the chicken and stir until gently. Slowing adding the rest of the coconut milk, chicken flavor soup base, the rest of the salt and enough water to cover the chicken. I used coconut can to measure 3 to 4 cups of water, depending how thick you want the curry to be.
4. After it boil bring to heat to medium.
5. About 10 minutes before it done, put all the vegetable and let it cook.
6. In another pot, add enough water and bring to boil. Cook the vermicelli according to package.
7. Remove from heat and run cold water on it to stop the cooking process.
8. With your two index fingers pick the noodle up and form a circle around your palm.
9. Wring the water out of it and place on a strainer to dry.
10. Serve by placing the noodle and vegetable and herbs in a bowl while pouring the curry soup on top of it.
11. For a kick add the jalapeno and garlic sauce.

Hai Nam Chicken Rice

Here another dishes that is widely enough and enjoy in many Asian culture. Even though there were some changes that were made passing down from generation to generation and culture to culture, but we can all agreed that it was originated from a region in China call Hai Nam. Or at least this is what it is called in most restaurant and people that I know that makes this dish. Simple as it is, yet the chicken is burst with flavors that compliment the chicken very nicely. My guess is that this is Asian comforting food, or at least it is for our house.

The taste though is very similar, but the ingredients and the sauce might be a bit different. I noticed the Vietnamese and Cambodian version they used broken rice. It actually very good this way too! And they would accompany this dish with some pickle carrot and diakon. As for the sauce they would use the sweet and sour fish sauce.

My version is the Chinese version, the one that you can find in Chinese restaurant.
Although it is easy to make, but it is time consuming. The longest would be steaming the chicken and then cooking the rice. Too bad there no way to shorten the process, unless you used the can chicken broth to cook the rice and steam the chicken at the same time, but it will defeat the whole purpose of this awesome dish. So take the long way, and I guarantee you that you will appreciate it more. So will your family and their health! I know my kids did, because once in awhile they would ask me to make it for them.


Ingredients:

1 Whole chicken 4-6 lb (organic best flavor)
1 Cup finely chopped scallion
1 Tbsp powder or cube chicken soup based
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
3 Garlic glove, minced
1 Tsp of ginger minced
1 Tbsp kosher salt + ½ Tsp of salt
½ Tsp black pepper
4 Cup of jasmine rice uncooked, clean

Dipping sauce:

1 Tbsp of vegetable oil
1 Tbsp of ginger, minced
1 Tbsp of scallion, minced
1 Tbsp of cilantro, minced (optional, can used whole to eat as a vegetable)
1 Tsp of sugar

Mix everything together and set aside

Methods:

1. Clean and towel dried the chicken.
2. Take the minced ½ Tbsp of the salt, ginger, scallion, and garlic and spread it evenly under the chicken skin. Let it sit for 30 minutes or more.
3. In a steamer, add the rest of the salt in enough (10 cups or more) water to steam the chicken. Put it in top tray and steam for 45 minutes.
4. When the chicken is cooked. Remove the water or juice from the chicken steam bottom part and pour it on top of the clean rice in the rice cooker. With your index finger, measure up to the first notch on your finger for nice firm rice. If you like it soft then go past that a little.
5. Press cook and wait.
6. Meanwhile, when the rice is almost done. Sautee the finely chopped scallion in the 2 tbsp of vegetable oil by heating the oil to hot, add the scallion and remove from the stove.
7. Pour the hot oil and scallion on the cook rice with the ½ tsp of salt and mix well.
8. Serve by chopping the chicken to desire size and arrange it around the rice with some cucumber and cilantro. And the dipping sauce on a side.
9. If you still have some juice left, make it into soup by adding some cilantro and white pepper.

Serve hot.

Salt and Pepper Chicken Drumstick

Here another version of the salt and pepper dish. I find this one is very yummy with it crispy out and moist inside, accompany with it salty and pepper taste. Although, I have to admit that I do prefer the shrimp version better, but the chicken is just as good. If you haven’t realized by now that our house love chicken, then this should seal it. Yes, we love chicken and there was even a time where we only had chicken. You name it we ate. Chicken soup, chicken dumpling, chicken noodle, fried chicken, broil chicken, stir fried chicken etc….And then there was a long pause from chicken, because we feel that we’re actually turning into a chicken from eating too much chicken. Lol Or at least that what my husband said.

Anyway, let not get off subject. The purpose of this recipe is for anyone and everyone out there that don’t have a lot time to cook and want something that is fast, easy and delicious. I can attest to you that this is the recipe for you. Beside from the cleaning and cutting the vegetable part, which is actually the time consuming part, the rest is a breeze. Well at least it is for me. You see, I don’t have a lot of patient. Therefore, I like to every thing fast. And things as vegetable washing and cutting sort of slow me down. When I do feel too drain and too busy, sometime I make my son do all this tedious work for me, so that I can just go and do the major part. It like having an assistant, the only thing is that he learning in the process.


Ingredients:

10 Chicken drumstick, but into two or three small pieces
¼ Cup of corn starch
1 Egg white
1 Tbsp of white pepper
1 Tsp of black pepper
1 Tbsp of kosher salt
½ Cup of finely chopped scallion
½ Cup of finely chopped jalapeño

Methods:

1. Clean and dried chicken. Cut it into three pieces and mix the egg white in completely.
2. Next, mix the corn starch in let it sit for 10 minutes. Heat the fryer at this time to hot.
3. Cook it in the fryer for 15 minutes or until done and golden brown. Do it in three small batches, so that it won’t stick together and it crisper this way.
4. As soon as you pick it out of the flyer place it in a mixing bowl and sprinkle the salt, pepper and white pepper on it. Toss it a couple of time.
5. Lastly, toss in the minced scallion and jalapeno and give it one more toss.

Serve with hot rice.

Crispy Chilies and Garlic Chicken

Ok, I will be upfront with you regarding this recipe. This is the first recipe that isn’t mine, but I really enjoy eating this tasty and crispy chicken once in awhile. In fact, this is my husband recipe. He said that it is his special recipe and that it should be keep a secret! For he felt that it took him awhile to perfected this recipe.
And I do have to admit that it actually very good, considering that it came from a guy that only cook a couple of dishes. Well maybe 6 to be exact! Lol And those are all his favorite dishes too..not kidding!

Anyway, this crispy outside and moist inside chicken have a lots nice spices to it. He a very simple guy that doesn’t have much method to his cooking, therefore I don’t have much to share with you on this one.


Ingredients:

6 Pieces of thigh meat
10 Thai chilies
5 Garlic cloves
1 Tbsp of powder chicken stock
4 Tbsp of fish sauce
½ Tsp of kosher salt
1 Tsp of black pepper

Methods:

1. Clean and remove the fat out on the chicken and place it in a clean mixing bowl. Set aside.
2. Using a mortar combine all the dried ingredient first and mash to paste like.
3. Add the fish sauce and mix well.
4. Now take the chicken and message in the sauce. Cover tightly and place in the refrigerator overnight.
5. The next day, heat the fryer to hot.
6. Cook in the fryer for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.
7. Serve right away for the nice crispy taste.

Chicken and Tofu in Clay Pot

If you’re looking for authentic Chinese cooking, than this is the closest you’re getting without having to go to China. Many of the rural Chinese village uses clay pot to cook, due to lack of fancy porcelains. They utilized what they have and this method actually makes the dish very tasteful. Another popular dish that was made from clay pot is the rice and meat or seafood. Cooking this way makes the rice nice and crispy on the bottom and very moist inside. It’s also very flavor and has a nice aroma to it too, but that is another recipe in the making soon.

This is almost stew, because of the process of make the chicken tender. It’s great comfort food for the winter and when you don’t know what to make.





Ingredients:

4 to 6 Pieces of thigh or drumstick cut into desire size
1 Cube of soft tofu cut into tiny cubes
1 Garlic chopped
1 Cup of water
½ Tsp of ginger
1 Tbsp of vegetable oil
1 Tsp of sesame oil
½ Tsp of black pepper
½ Tsp of kosher salt
¼ Cup of soy sauce or to taste
¼ Cup of dark soy sauce
1 Tbsp of brown sugar
1 Tbsp of rice vinegar (optional if you like it with a hint of tanginess)
6 Shiitake mushroom, soaked until soften

Methods:

1. Soak the dried shiitake mushroom 30 minutes in advance in hot water. Cut the steam and spilt in an x in the middle.
2. Heat the clay pot to hot. Add the vegetable oil and sesame oil until hot then add the chopped garlic and ginger until lightly amber and aroma.
3. Add the water and brown sugar, vinegar, salt, pepper, soy sauce and dark soy sauce and bring to boil. Lower the heat to medium until the sauce is slightly thicken.
4. Add the chopped chicken and mushroom, stir a couple of time and cover it for 25 to 35 minutes or until if tender.
5. The last 10 minutes give it a couple of stirs and carefully add the soft tofu on top and side and cover it with the juice in the pot. Cover and cook for another 10 minutes.
6. Remove and give a couple dash of white pepper, serve hot over steam rice.

Caramelized Garlic and Pepper Chicken

If you love anything caramelized then it about time for you to try it with chicken. You’ll love this dish, because I too, love anything caramelized. This dish just melts in your mouth bursting with so much flavor that it makes you salivate for more.
It not hard, just a couple steps and about 40 minutes of your busy schedule you can make this delicious meal too!

When I do crave this dish, I often anticipate making it. It is a very clam cooking process that sort of make you want to relax. Well at least it does for me. I would literally salivate just thinking about it, because of it sweet and salty flavor. And all that garlic and pepper is such a superb combination with chicken.


Ingredients:

8 Pieces chicken drumstick cut into two or three small pieces
3 Tbsp minced garlic
1 Tsp sea salt or kosher salt
½ Cup soy sauce
2 Tbsp black pepper
1 Tsp dark soy sauce
¼ Cup + 2 Tbsp brown or malt sugar
1 Tbsp vegetable oil


Methods:

1. Clean and chop chicken into 4 to 5 pieces for each thigh, towel dried.
2. Heat the flyer to hot and place the chicken in it to cook for 10 minutes.
3. Remove from heat and towel dry.
4. In a hot wok add the oil and bring to hot.
5. Stir in the minced garlic until aroma and golden.
6. Add the soy sauce, dark soy, salt, pepper and sugar and stir slowly until it thicken for 5 minute.
7. Now add the chicken and toss occasionally until fully cooked and caramelized.

Remove and serve hot over steam rice..Yum..yum!

Preserved Lime Chicken Soup

If you never heard or had this before, than this is the time to try it. It has a sour and tangy soup that is good for winter. Great for the common cold, cough and sore throat. I made
this soup when the ever changing and cold winter gave me a sore throat and chest congestion. As soon as I took a sip of this soup, I felt better right away. Maybe it just in my head, but it does feel great right away!



For the preserve lime:

8 to 10 limes
¼ Cup Salt
Water

Steam the lime for 5 minutes. Then take it out and put it on a strainer and lay flat to sun dried for 3 days. After 3 days, bring enough water to cover your glass or plastic jar to boil and add the salt. Let cool slightly and then pour in jar with the dried lime in there. Let it sit for at least 2 months or until color changes..the longer preserved, the more sour it become, the better it is. It also great as a drink for a hot Summer day.


Ingredients:

1 Small duck or chicken
1 Preserved lime
1 Tbsp of sugar
1 Tbsp of salt or to taste

Methods:

1. Place the chicken or duck in a pot and fill up with water to cover completely.
2. Add salt, and preserved lime and cook for at least 1 hour 45 minutes until the meat is so tender that it about to fall off.
3. Remove from stove and serve hot.