Bouillabaisse

[the_wanlorn]

Ingredients:
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 leek, white part only, chopped
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
peel of 1 orange, orange part only (use vegetable peeler)
3 tomatoes, chopped
1/3 cup chopped fennel fronds
fresh herbs (in any combination): thyme, parsley, oregano
1/2 teaspoon saffron threads, crushed
3-4 pounds of fish trimmings (heads, bones, tail), shrimp shells
10 cups water
1 cup dry white wine
1 tablespoon sea salt
3 pounds of assorted fish and shellfish (clams and mussels should be scrubbed clean)

Directions:

1. In a large stockpot, heat the olive oil on medium heat. When hot, add in the leek, onion and garlic. Saute for 5 minutes until softened but not brown.

2. Add in the orange peel, tomatoes, fennel, fresh herbs, saffron, fish trimmings, water, wine, salt turn the heat to high and bring to a boil. Then turn the heat to low and simmer for 30 minutes. Strain the soup into another large pot.

3. Bring the strained soup to a boil over medium high heat. Taste and adjust with additional salt if needed. The soup should be slightly salty (remember we still have unseasoned seafood to add into the soup). Now we'll cook the seafood, adding in the items that require the most cooking time first. If you have whole lobster tails or large crab claws, add them in first and give them a 2-minute head start. Clams next, then the mussels and extra-large shrimp, lastly the fish, scallops and any smaller shrimp. You want to be careful not to overcook the seafood, so 4-5 minutes max then turn off the heat.

4. Ladle bouillabaisse into each bowl with the seafood and garnish with fresh fennel fronds.

Simple Pâte à Choux and Cheese Puffs

[the_wanlorn]

Ingredients:
1 cup water
1 stick butter (1/2 cup)
1 cup all purpose flour
1 good pinch of salt
1 cup eggs (4 large eggs)

Directions:

Preheat oven 425F.

1. In a medium pot, bring the water and butter to a simmer on medium heat. Add the flour and with a wooden spoon or spatula, stir very quickly in one direction. Carefully watch and you'll see that the flour starts absorbing the liquid -- and a dough will form. Keep stirring to continue cooking the flour and cook off some of the water, another minute or two.

2. You can do the next step one of two ways:

Transfer the paste to the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or to a bowl if you're using a hand mixer.
If you want to mix the eggs directly into the dough in the pot, let it cool slightly, 4 or 5 minutes, or cool off the pan itself by running cold water over its base if you will be mixing the eggs in that pot. You don’t want to cook the eggs too quickly.

3. Add the salt and the eggs one at a time mixing rapidly until each is combined into the paste. The paste will go from shiny to slippery to sticky as the egg is incorporated. The pâte a choux can be cooked immediately at this point or refrigerated for up to a day until ready to use.

4. Spoon the dough into a large gallon-sized plastic bag (or piping bag.) Use your hands to squeeze dough towards the bottom corner. With kitchen shears, snip off just the tippy tip of the bag, about 1/4" of the tip. Pipe onto a baking sheet into little puffs, keeping the puffs 2-inches apart. With your finger, press down the peaks (as they can burn.) Bake at 425F for 10 minutes, then 350F for 18-30 minutes, depending on the size of your puffs.

To make gougeres (cheesy poofy puffs)

Stir in 1/2 cup finely grated gruyere cheese (or other grated hard cheese of your choice) + 1 teaspoon kosher/sea salt (1/2 teaspoon fine table salt) - I used a rasp/microplane grater to get ultra-light snowflakes of cheese so as not to weigh down the dough with heavy cheese. You can also sprinkle a bit of the cheese on top of the puffs after you've piped them.

Flank Steak with Goat Cheese on Toast

[the_wanlorn]

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon smoked paprika
2 teaspoons red chili pepper flakes
2 tablespoons olive oil
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 pound flank steak (or skirt steak)
One 8-ounce jar roasted red bell peppers, sliced
1/2 cup fig jam (or your choice of jam/chutney)
1-2 loaves baguette

Directions:

1. In a resealable bag, mix together the paprika, pepper flakes, olive oil, salt and pepper. Add the steak, seal bag and refrigerate up to overnight.

2. To cook the flank steak, heat a grill pan over high heat. Grill the flank steak, turning once, about 8-10 minutes total for medium-rare. Let steak rest before slicing.

3. While the steak is resting, slice the bread into thin slices. Toast the bread in the oven if you'd like.

4. Slice the steak very thinly (as thin as you can) ACROSS the grain. Top each toast with goat cheese, steak, a couple of red bell pepper slices and/or small spoonful of fig jam.

Crispy Fried Rice Vermicelli

[soleta]

Curries of the World
Mridula Baljekar

Mee krob is usually served at celebration meals. It is a crisp tangle of fried rice vermicelli, with minced pork, prawns, dried shrimp and beansprouts, tossed in a piquant sweet ond sour sauce and garnished with strips of omelette.

serves 4-6

vegetable oil, for frying
175g/6oz rice vermicelli
l5ml/1 tbsp chopped garlic
4-6 dried chillies, seeded and chopped
30ml/2 tbsp chopped shallot
15ml/1 tbsp dried shrimps, rinsed
115g/4oz minced (ground) pork
115g/4oz peeled, raw prawns (shrimp), chopped
30ml/2 tbsp brown bean sauce
30ml/2 tbsp rice wine vinegar
45ml/3 tbsp fish sauce
75g/3oz palm sugar or light brown sugar
30ml/2 tbsp tamarind or lime juice
115g/4oz/½ cup bean sprouts
salt and ground black pepper

For the garnish
2 spring onions (scallions), shredded
30ml/2 tbsp fresh coriander (cilantro) sprigs
2 heads pickled garlic (optional) 2-egg omelette, rolled and sliced
2 fresh red chillies, chopped

1 Heat the oil in a wok or large pan. Cut the vermicelli into handfuls about 7 5cm/3in long, and deep fry until they puff up. Remove. Drain on kitchen paper.
2 Leave 30ml/2 tbsp of the hot oil in the pan. Add the garlic, chillies, shallot and shrimps and fry for 2-3 minutes.
3 Add the pork and stir-fry for about 3-4 minutes, until it is no longer pink. Add the prawns and fry for 2 minutes. Remove the mixture and set aside.
4 To the same pan, add the brown bean sauce, vinegar, fish sauce and palm sugar or brown sugar. Bring to a gentle boil, stir to dissolve the sugar and cook until thick and syrupy.
5 Add the tamarind or lime juice and adjust the seasoning. It should be sweet, sour and salty.
6 Reduce the heat. Add the pork and prawn mixture and the bean sprouts to the sauce; stir to mix.
7 Add the rice noodles and toss gently to coat them with the sauce. Transfer the noodles to a platter. Garnish with spring onions, coriander leaves, pickled garlic, omelette strips and red chiles.

Thai Fried Noodles

[soleta]

Curries of the World
Mridula Baljekar

Phat Thai, as this dish is known, has a fascinating flavour and texture. It is made with rice noodles, combined with shellfish and beancurd, a range of vegetables and ground peanuts, and is considered one of the national dishes of Thailand.

serves 4-6

250g/12oz rice noodles
45 ml/3 tbsp vegetable oil
15ml/1 tbsp chopped garlic
16 raw king prawns (jumbo shrimp), peeled, tails left intact and deveined
2 eggs, lightly beaten
15ml/1 tbsp dried shrimps, rinsed
30ml/2 tbsp pickled white radish
50g/2oz fried beancurd or tofu, chopped
2.5ml/½ tsp dried chilli flakes
115g/4oz garlic chives, cut into 5cm/1in lengths
225g/8oz/1 cup beansprouts
50g/2oz/⅓ roasted peanuts, coarsley ground
5ml/1 tsp granulated sugar
15ml/1 tbsp dark soy sauce
30ml/2 tbsp fish sauce
30ml/2 tbsp tamarind juice or 5ml/1 tsp concentrated tamarind pulp
30ml/2 tbsp fresh coriander (cilantro) leaves and 1 kaffir lime, to garnish

1 Soak the noodles in a bowl of warm water for 20-30 minutes, then drain.
2 Heat 15ml/1 tbsp of the oil in a wok or large pan. Add the garlic and fry until golden. Stir in the prawns and cook for 1-2 minutes until pink, tossing from time to time. Remove and set aside.
3 Heat another 15ml/1 tbsp of oil in the pan. Add the eggs and tilt the wok to spread them into a thin sheet. Stir to scramble and break the egg into small pieces. Remove from the pan and set aside with the prawns.
4 Heat the remaining oil in the same pan. Add the dried shrimps, pickled radish, beancurd or tofu and dried chillies. Stir-fry briefly. Add the soaked noodles and stir-fry for 5 minutes.
5 Add the garlic chives, half the beansprouts and half the peanuts. Season with the granulated sugar, soy sauce, fish sauce and tamarind juice or pulp. Mix well and cook until the noodles are completely heated through.
6 Return the prawn and egg mixture to the pan and mix with the noodles. Serve garnished with the rest of the beansprouts, peanuts, coriander leaves and kaffir lime wedges, if using.

Pineapple Fried Rice

[soleta]

Curries of the World
Mridula Baljekar

When buying a pineapple, look for a sweet-smelling fruit with an even brownish/yellow skin. To test for ripeness, tap the base - a dull sound indicates that the fruit is ripe. The flesh should also give slightly when pressed.

serves 4-6

1 pineapple
30ml/2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 fresh green chillies, seeded and chipped
225g/8oz lean pork, cut into strips
115g/4oz cooked, peeled prawns (shrimp)
675-900g/1½-2lb/3-4cups plain boiled rice, cooked and completely cold
50g/2oz/⅓ cup roasted cashew nuts
2 spring onions (scallions), chopped
30ml/2 tbsp fish sauce
15ml/1 tbsp soy sauce
2 fresh red chilies, sliced, and 10-12 fresh mint leaves (optional), to garnish

1 Using a sharp knife, cut the pineapple into quarters. Remove the flesh from both halves by cutting around inside the skin. Reserve the pineapple skin shells for serving the rice.
2 Slice the pineapple flesh and chop it into small even-size cubes. You will need about 115g/4oz of pineapple in total. Any remaining fruit can be reserved for use in a dessert.
3 Heat the oil in a wok or large pain. Add the onion and chilles and fry for about 3-5 minutes until softened. Add the strips of pork and cook until they have browned on all sides.
4 Stir in the prawns and rice and toss well together. Continue to stir-fry until the rice is thoroughly heated.
5 Add the chipped pineapple, cashew nuts and spring onions. Season to taste with fish sauce and soy sauce.
6 Spoon into the pineapple skin shells. Garnish with sliced red chilies, and with shredded mint leaves, if you like.

Karahi Chicken with Fresh Fenugreek

[soleta]

Curries of the World
Mridula Baljekar

This karahi chicken was the dish that inspired a style of cooking known as karahi cuisine in northern India, where fenugreek is a typical flavouring agent. In the west, dried fenugreek leaves can be used for convenience, as fresh fenugreek is generally more difficult to find. The dried leaves are sold in Indian and Pakistani food stores throughout the year, and will keep well in an airtight jar.

serves 4

225g/8oz chicken thigh meat, skinned and cut into strips
225g/8oz chicken breast fillets, skinned and cut into strips
2.5ml/½ tsp crushed garlic
5ml/1 tsp chilli powder
2.5ml/½ tsp salt
10ml/3 tsp tomato purée (paste)
30ml/2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 bunch fresh fenugreek leaves or 15ml/1 tbsp dried
15ml/1 tbsp chopped fresh coriander (cilantro)

1 Bring a large pan of water to the boil, add the chicken strips and cook for 5-7 minutes. Drain and set aside.
2 In a bowl, combine the garlic, chilli powder and salt with the tomato purée.
3 Heat the oil in a wok, karahi or large pan. Lower the heat and add the tomato purée and spice mixture.
4 Add the chicken pieces and stir-fry for 5-7 minutes. Lower the heat further.
5 Add the fenugreek leaves and the chopped fresh coriander to the pan. Continue to stir-fry for 5-7 minutes, then pour in 300ml/½ pint/1¼ cups water, cover and cook for a further 5 minutes. Serve hot.

Chicken Tikka

[soleta]

Curries of the World
Mridula Baljekar

The word tikka refers to the use of boneless, skinless cubes of chicken breast. Strictly speaking, the term cannot be applied to other types of meat, even if they are prepared and cooked in a similar way. Traditionally cooked in the tandoor (Indian clay oven), chicken tikka is enduringly popular in the West as well as in India.

serves 6

450g/1lb chicken breast fillets, skinned, and cubed
5ml/1tsp grated fresh root ginger
5ml/1tsp crushed garlic
5ml/1tsp chilli powder
1.5ml/¼ tsp ground turmeric
5ml/1 tsp salt
150ml/¼ pint/⅔ cup natural (plain) yogurt
60ml/4 tbsp chipped fresh coriander (cilantro)
15ml/1 tbsp vegetable oil

to serve (optional)
lettuce
1 small onion, cut into rings
lime wedges
fresh coriander (cilantro)

1 In a large bowl, mix the chicken cubes, ginger, garlic, chilli powder, turmeric, salt, yogurt, lemon juice and coriander. Leave to marinate in a cool place for at least 2 hours, or in the refrigerator overnight.
2 Place the chicken on a grill (broiler) gray, or in a flameproof dish lined with the oil.
3 Preheat the grill to medium. Grill (Broil) the chicken for 15-20 minutes until cooked, turning and basting two or three times. Serve with lettuce, onion rings, lime wedges and fresh coriander.