I try to provide recipes that preserve most of the traditional flavors with as little work as possible.  In classic business terms, a high ROI in the kitchen, and in simpler language, making ethnic food accessible.

This is a quick, modern version of the beloved Thai Panaeng beef curry.  Since we have access to quality beef here, the traditional slow simmer turns into a quick stir-fry, and you will have a very tasty curry in a matter of minutes instead of hours.  In addiition, instead of  boiling peanuts, and grinding them down to make the paste base, I reached for freshly ground pure peanut butter that you can find in many grocery stores these days.

Chef’s tip: “Cracking” coconut milk means separating the cream into its oil, and using the oil to fry the spices.  Unfortunately, canned coconut milk is homogenized and is a hard nut to crack (pun!).  And fresh coconut milk is almost impossible to obtain here in the Bay Area. To achieve a similar effects, you can add a tablespoon of coconut oil to the coconut cream.

Sauce:

2 cups unsweetened coconut milk, separate into 2 parts
1 Tablespoon coconut oil
1/2 Tablespoon ginger, peeled and grated
2 cloves garlic, minced

1 Tablespoon Thai red curry paste
2 Tablespoons tomato paste
2 Tablespoons creamy peanut butter
1/2 Tablespoon curry powder
1/2 Tablespoon paprika
1 teaspoon cumin, toasted and ground
1 teaspoon coriander seeds, toasted and ground
6 kaffir lime leaves, tough middle stem removed, torn into large pieces

2 Tablespoons fish sauce
2 Tablespoons palm sugar

10 basil leaves, whole

2 lbs grass-fed beef steak  – Chateaubriand, NY Strip or rib-eye, trimmed, cut into ½ inch thin strips

1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon black pepper

Garnish:
1 sprig basil
2 kaffir lime leaves, finely chiffonade
¼ cup coconut cream

1.     In a heavy saucepan over medium high heat, add half the coconut milk, ginger and garlic and bring to a boil, stirring constantly for about 5 minutes, until the oil starts to separate aka crack.
2.     Add curry paste, tomato paste, peanut butter, curry powder, paprika, cumin, coriander and kaffir leaves and sauté, stirring, 1 minute, or until fragrant.
3.     Add fish sauce, and palm sugar and remaining coconut milk.  Stir together.  Reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes until thick.
4.     Slice the meat at an angle against the grain, about ½ inch thick. Season with salt and pepper.
5.     Raise the heat on the curry sauce to moderately high, add the meat to the pan and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Cook for another 2 minutes for medium rare or longer for more doneness.
6.     Taste for seasoning, adding more fish sauce or palm sugar as needed.
7.     Remove from heat. Stir in the basil leaves.  Transfer to a serving bowl.
8.     Drizzle with reserved coconut milk. Garnish with a sprig basil and kaffir ribbons.

Serves 6

Tags: curry, Thai.

This simple, Vietnamese-influenced shrimp salad encompasses the full flavors of hot, sweet, sour and salty.   The dressing is really versatile and you can vary the choice of fruit, too – for example, use pomelo, green papaya, even Granny Smith apples, peaches or cantaloupe.

Chef’s tip:  To peel soft, ripe fruits like mangoes or peaches, use a serrated peeler.  Kent mangoes work well for this salad.  To seed it, peel the mango.  Then cut off about 1/2 inch off the bottom and it will reveal part of the oval, flat shaped seed.  Noting the flat side of the seed from the cut tip,  stand the mango on the cut tip, then cut along the flat side of the seed from the top down, applying a slight pressure towards the seed.  Repeat with the opposite side.  Then carefully slice off both vertical side edges along the seed.  To chiffonade herbs, stack several leaves, then roll them tightly into a little cigar.  Next, slice through the roll to create thin slices.  Fluff the sliced herbs to break up the strands.

Dressing
3 small Thai red chilies, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 large shallot, finely chopped
¼ cup olive oil (not extra virgin)
3 tablespoons fish sauce
2 tablespoons palm sugar/ brown sugar
4 tablespoons fresh lime juice
½ teaspoon finely chopped kaffir lime leaves, optional

Salad
1 lb medium sized shrimp, shelled, deveined
2 ripe, firm mangoes, peeled, cut into thick juliennes
1 cup coarsely chopped cilantro leaves
1/2 cup coarsely chopped basil leaves
1/2 cup mint, chiffonade

1/2 cup pine nuts, toasted

Preparing the Dressing and topping:
1.  Place the ingredients for the dressing in a small bowl and whisk together until thoroughly combined.
Preparing the shrimp
2.  In a pot of salted boiling water, drop in the cleaned shrimp.  when shrimp turns pink, remove and immediately plunge into an ice bath.   Drain and pat dry.
Preparing the salad
3. Peel mangoes, and remove pit and slice flesh into thick juliennes.  Toss mangoes herbs and half the dressing.  Set aside.
4. Toss the shrimp with remaining dressing.  And place on top of the mangoes.
5. Garnish with pine nuts and cilantro leaves.

Serves: 6

Tags: Salads, Thai.

Pho purists will probably pooh pooh over this faux pho since I used store-bought beef broth.  Horrors.  But before you click on to another page, give this a try.  For 20% of the work, you get more than 80% of the flavor.  Frankly, it’s almost as good as the real thing. I recently taught a class on South East Asian street foods at Sur La Table, and had 2 hours to do 5 dishes.  Given a decent pot of beef stock takes 5-6 hours, we had to use the boxed version.  It takes literally less than 15 mins to pull this noodle dish together.  How is that for a quick pho?

Chef’s tip: OK — if you want truly want the real thing, buy about 6 lbs or more of beef bones – shanks, oxtails…those parts with good marrows.  Place bones in a big pot of water, bring to boil and let boil 10 mins.  Pour off the water and rinse the pot and bones of scum.  Next, measure in 10 quarts of water, and bring to boil, then simmer 5 hours, while continuously removing scum and oil that form on top  Remove bones and any other solids.  Strain the broth.  Place in the fridge overnight, remove the solid layer of oil that forms.  Now, the broth is ready for use.  Move on to Step 1 below.

Broth:

8 quarts beef broth (unsalted preferably)
2 (3-inch) pieces ginger, skin on
2 small yellow onions, skin on, root removed
1 large white radish, peeled, cut into 2 inch chunks
8 whole star anise
6 whole cloves
1 cinnamon stick
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
Cheesecloth
¼ cup fish sauce, or more to taste
3 tablespoons sugar

1 ½ lbs dried 1/16-inch-wide rice sticks, soaked

1 lb beef sirloin or tenderloin

Garnish:
½ yellow onion, sliced paper-thin
½ cup scallions, chopped
½ cup cilantro, chopped
4 cups mung bean sprouts
16 sprigs Asian basil
1 serrano or jalapeno chili, cut into thin rings
2 lime, cut into thin wedges

Sri Racha hot sauce
Hoisin sauce

1. Bring the beef broth to a boil in a large stockpot.
2. Char the onion and ginger pieces over an open flame. Peel and discard the blackened skins of the ginger and onions, then rinse, cut into 2 and add to the broth. Add radish.  Boil at medium flame for 30 minutes.
3. Place all spices into a cheesecloth and make into a bundle.  Add spice bags into broth, boil another 30 minutes.
4. Add fish sauce and sugar.  Taste, and add more if needed.  The broth should be quite salty as it will be balanced by the noodles.  Remove spice bag, onion, ginger and radish.  If necessary, strain the broth.
5. Slice the onion paper thin.  Soak in cold water for 30 minutes, drained and pat dry.
6. Chop scallions and cilantro and mix together.  Set aside
7. Place bean sprouts, herbs, chilies and lime wedges on a central plate.
8. Soak the rice noodles in cold water for at least 20 minutes.  Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add the drained rice noodles. Give the noodles a quick stir and cook until tender but firm — less than 1 minute. Drain immediately.  Use immediately.
9. Pop the beef into the freezer.  When slightly frozen, remove and slice paper thin against the grain.
10. To serve, place the cooked noodles in bowls.  Place a few slices of the raw sirloin on the noodles. Bring the broth to a rolling boil; ladle about 2 to 3 cups into each bowl. The broth will cook the raw beef instantly. Garnish with yellow onions, scallions and cilantro mix. Serve immediately with the platter of sprouts and herbs, and Sri Racha and hoisin sauce.

Serves: 8

Tags: noodles, street foods, Vietnamese.