Pok Pok Wings at Home (Again!)

June 30, 2019

These were my second attempt at making the addictive Pok Pok Vietnamese style wings from the Pok Pok cookbook Marleigh gave me. You probably remember the first time I had the help of Geordie and my buddy John.

I’m addicted to these things! I’m getting the hang of frying out of my new wok (not exactly new, but I just started utilizing it!) I think the next time I have a go at it I’ll have the oil temperature perfect. I did tone down the heat a little too, even though the flavor was great last time the Thai chili paste I made with the peppers my Mom grew were killing!

Oh, here’s a shot the plate before shishitos and one of Shelby holding them after because she’s super cute!

Chicken Larb

April 8, 2019

It’s been a while since I’ve made this!

Chicken Satay

September 7, 2018

4 lbs chicken
2 tablespoons fish sauce
3 tablespoons minced garlic
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 1/2 tablespoons Thai red curry paste
2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 1/2 teaspoon grated ginger
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
1/2 teaspoon ground red pepper
1/2 cup coconut milk

You'll want Peanut Satay sauce to serve with these, along with sticky Jasmine rice.

Cut chicken into thin slices that can be skewered. Add all the ingredients and then mix well with chicken. Marinate overnight.

Soak wooden skewers for 20 minutes before using sticks. Skewer, grill, serve :)

Mazari Kebab Take-out

March 14, 2018

Shelby and I were craving Mazari Kebab & More last night and called in a little take-out. She got the Lamb Kebab and I got the Chicken. I doubled up on the eggplant side because it's so luscious!

Tom Kha

January 20, 2016

Tom Kha is something I've been around my whole life - that's not the same thing as saying I've been eating it my whole life mind you. If you keep up with me and have read stuff I've written in the past, I wasn't into Thai food much when I was a kid. I do remember how the house would smell when my mother, who is Thai, was using the mortar and pestle to crush Thai Chilis, garlic, and lemongrass.

Delicious!

Those peppers though...the heat could kill you! Seriously. My mom would grow them by the acre and you better believe she was using them too. My first experience eating her beautiful food made me gun shy for years. Then before you know it, Shelby and I were married and off on our own. Boxes of Potato Au Gratin, cheap cuts and that nice Army E-4 pay had us on a affordable diet for years. I'm not knocking it, seriously. I go to Ollie's and pass the rows of boxed spuds, pasta, and Hamburger Helper and think about the good ole lean years. I wouldn't trade a minute of them.

I was talking about soup right?

Anyway...Tom Kha is good. You'll like it and I'm going to show you how to do it. The photo up top has seafood in it obviously. You can do that if you like, the seafood version of this dish is called Tom Kha Talay. Tom Kha is usually made with chicken though, that version (below) is called Tom Kha Gai.

The recipe I put together isn't so much different than most you'll find out there. It's primary components consist of this: Galangal, Kaffir Lime Leaves, Lemongrass and Coconut Milk.

Galangalangawhat?

Galangal has nothing to do with that M.I.A. song, it is a root known as the Thai ginger. You might see it sold in the stores as "Baby Thai Ginger" but please don't confuse it with ginger. Galangal and ginger taste totally different and if you make this soup without galangal it's not really Tom Kha (which translates into "galangal soup" basically.) That being said, you can make it with the ginger we're familiar with if you're in pinch, it just won't taste exactly as it should. It'll be still be good, but different. Galangal can be bought fresh or frozen in your local Asian market. Ask the someone behind the counter to help you out if you're having a hard time finding it.

Let's make some soup! Here's what you need to make Tom Kha at home.

Ingredients:

1 Can of Coconut Milk
3 large Kaffir lime leaves
1 Lemongrass, large stalk, trimmed
2 Thai Chilis
1 Tsp Sugar
1/4 Yellow Onion, minced
1 Package of mushrooms shiitake/oyster preferred, approx 8 oz., chopped
2 Tbsp Galangal, slivered
1 Lime, large
3 Tbsp Fish Sauce
3 Cups of Chicken Stock
Cilantro to Garnish
Optional: Thai Chili Powder

Before You Start:

Important! Do not boil the coconut milk. If you boil the coconut milk at a high temperature, it will not remain emulsified and the fat will separate from the liquid. Just like what happens to butter when it is heated at high temperatures.
You can use chicken or seafood (shrimp, mussels, squid, etc...) with this recipe. Eat what you like!
Chop up everything you need to put in the soup. I like to cut my galangal up in small, thin slivers. I do this so it can stay in the soup and not be strained out. Most recipes will have you remove or strain the galangal after the first phase of their recipes, I like to keep it in the soup. Getting a little bite of the root, almost crunchy, almost nutty, is great. If you prefer not to have it in, just slice it in larger pieces then strain before you add your chicken or seafood.
Trim the lemongrass taking off any rough or brown bits. It a lot of recipes you would only use the white, fleshy part of the lemongrass. The reason is because it it easier to eat, we're not eating the lemongrass it's being steeped in the broth essentially. I'll admit to finely cutting up some lemon grass and leaving it in the soup when the mood hits me.
Crush the lemongrass, Kaffir lime leaves, and Thai chilis. Use your pestle, a muddler or back of a heavy spoon to open up them up to release flavor. Remove chili seeds if you don't want it too hot.
I do not remove all of the aromatics from the stock pot before I add the meat, but I do before I add the coconut milk.
Chili powder can be added for more flavor, this is optional.

Directions:

Add the chicken stock, sugar, onion, Kaffir lime leaves, Thai chilis, lemongrass and galangal to a medium sized stock pot. Bring to a rolling boil for about 10 minutes.
Add mushrooms, continue to boil for about 8-10 minutes to cook mushrooms.
At this time if you wish to remove large pieces of aromatics (Kaffir lime leaves, lemon grass, chili, galangal) do so after the mushrooms are done.
Add your chicken or seafood now, cook for about 10 minutes in the boiling broth. Remove any foam that might float to the top of the broth.
After the meat is cooked through, pour in the coconut milk, fish sauce and lime juice, lower heat to a light simmer for 10 minutes.
Serve with cilantro and lime wedges and maybe have a little more fish sauce on hand.

This is pretty easy to make and after a couple of tries it'll be a breeze. We use leftover chicken sometimes, if we do it doesn't need boiling as long. Just lower the heat to a simmer, cook for the same amount of time as you would the raw. Continue to follow the directions.

Enjoy!

Red Angus Japchae - Korean stir fried noodles with shredded smoked chuck steak, onions, peppers and lime dressed watercress.

Hashi for Lunch

October 24, 2014

I lucked out today. There was actually a food truck parked in the general area of my office building and not just any truck but Hashi!

The office park I work in a surrounded by a lot of places to eat and I admit to loving a quick trip to the fast food joint but when Shelby told me Hashi was going to be down the street I got excited. It was rainy but all the better with what was on the menu. We ended up with a smoky stew and some Korean noodle stir-fry. We got a good portion and it was very filling. Both were delicious but I think I could eat the the japchae all day long. Shelby loved the pickled onions which added some pop to each bite.

They were serving a house made apple soda too, which I almost passed. I'm glad I didn't, it was tart and sweet and made your tongue tingle. The apple pulp gave the drink a great texture and all together it was a delicious drink--I wish I bought two.

Don't pass Hashi up if you see them parked around town, definitely worth a stop.

Smoked Chicken and Chili Stew - Pasilla, miso and honey laced stew of smoked free-ranged chicken and butternut squash. Carolina rice with pickled red onion.

Chicken Piccata

March 25, 2014

I stayed a little late at the office last night and I texted Shelby to figure out what we should have for dinner. She offered to cook; we're trying to eat at home more because we've been all over the place recently. You could probably guess that it gets expensive!

We had some chicken in the freezer and some mushrooms in the fridge--Shelby was feeling creative. She looked up several recipes and decided she's put together Chicken Piccata. She's made it before and it came out really good the first time but she worked it a little different this time around. After going through several recipes she melded together what she liked best out of all of them and started.

She kept seasoning the dredge until she was happy with it dry, then browned the chicken breasts. Adding whatever she figured would taste good (onion powder, garlic powder, red pepper) and saved the some of it for the sauce. The sauce was made up of wine, lemon juice, shallots, capers, lemon zest, garlic--the dredge had salt and pepper in it already.

She added the browned chicken to the sauce and let it simmer to finish off. She had me clip a little bit of our parsley in the garden to garnish. We ate it with some old bread we toasted and buttered.

Kapamilya's at NAS Oceana

November 25, 2013

Our son recently decided to enlist in the Navy. Luckily, we were given an opportunity to check out a couple of spots on a nearby base to give him a glimpse of military life. We're hoping he'll see something he likes and it'll help him make the right decisions while in (the Navy.)

We were waiting to meet our friend Maria outside of the Navy Exchange and we saw a little food truck (trailer) setup in the parking lot. It was Kapamilya's Fusion Bar & Restaurant that specializes in Filipino food here in Virginia Beach, VA. I think I've had some of their food before at one of the events the Exchange had the past couple of years. I hopped out of the car, I just wanted to take a quick look: Pancit, Lumpia, Chicken Adobo--all staples of Filipino food in the area.

Unfortunately, we didn't have time to grab a plate. I did add it to the mile-long list of places to eat in the area--those BBQ chicken skewers looked delicious! Regardless of missing out on lumpia, it was a good day and we had a lot of fun on base. It always makes me nostalgic for my time I spent in the Army and I'm crossing my fingers for our son.

C-130 rolling down the strip (you know the rest)

Chicken Meatballs

October 31, 2013

Last night Shelby made chicken meatballs, she used to use ground turkey for them but I like the chicken more. Better texture, firm and the seasoning takes to them.

The sauce she made from a bag of late tomatoes my mother brought over from her garden. She prepped them and cooked them with onions, garlic and her own blend of seasoning which uses whatever we have available. The house smelled great.

She made the spaghetti and with everything finished up, we ate. Thanks Shelby.

Chicken Sate

July 31, 2013

Shelby put together Chicken Satay tonight, one of my favorite meals. All I had to do was grill the chicken ;)

i<3food

BonChon! Arlington, VA

July 23, 2013

We finally tried Bonchon while were were running around the DC area. We drove to Arlington, VA and parked across the street. The inside of the restaurant was very nice and it was packed. There was a short wait before we were able to sit and order. The menu is small, showcasing their double-fried chicken. We ordered half hot and half soy & garlic. We also asked for the pickled radish, kimchi slaw. Since we love bulgolgi we ordered a plate and some mandoo, which are fried pork dumplings. Everything was great and he had enough leftover for lunch the next day.

i<3food