Monthly Archives: March 2016

Philippines (Part 2)

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Pancit Canton

Traditional Filipino noodle dish with vegetables, pork, chicken, and shrimp.

Total time: 50 minutes
Servings: 8-10

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 1 onion, thinly sliced
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 500g pork shoulder, thinly sliced
  • 1 medium chicken breast, thinly sliced
  • 250g shrimp, peeled and deveined
  • 3 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 4 cups chicken broth
  • 1 cup cabbage, shredded
  • 1 cup yellow beans, julienned
  • 2 carrots, shredded
  • 1 cup shiitake mushrooms
  • 500g packaged rice noodles
  • 4 tablespoons fish sauce
  • 4 green onions, sliced (for garnish)
  • 2 lemons, cut into wedges (for garnish)
  • bean sprouts (for garnish)

Directions

  1. Soak mushrooms in warm water for 30 minutes, then remove the stems and cut into thin strips. Set aside.
  2. Heat oil over medium-high heat in a large wok.
  3. Sauce garlic and onions until tender (about 3 minutes).
  4. Add pork, chicken, and shrimp. Cook until evenly browned (about 6 minutes).
  5. Add soy sauce and chicken broth and bring to boil.
  6. Add cabbage, green beans, carrots, and mushrooms. Cook until vegetables are tender yet crisp (about 5-8 minutes).
  7. Add rice noodles, mixing to immerse in broth. Cook until liquid is absorbed and noodles are soft (about 10 minutes).
  8. Remove from heat and serve immediately.
  9. Garnish with green onions, lemon wedges, bean sprouts, and soy sauce as desired.

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Family Ratings

  • Mama: 4/5
  • Papa: 4/5, would recommend using fewer noodles (350g)
  • Girlie: 4/5
  • TW: 5/5, very tasty with lemon juice as garnish!
  • McM: 4.5/5, delicious!

Original recipe: http://www.food.com/recipe/pancit-canton-25121

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Philippines (Part 1)

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Lentils and Pechay

Filipino side dish with bok choy.

Total time: 30 minutes
Servings: 6-8

Ingredients

  • 3 cups canned lentils, drained
  • 2 tablespoons ginger, minced
  • 3 medium tomatoes, diced
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 3 cups fresh bok choy, coarsely chopped
  • 1 1/2 cups vegetarian chicken broth

Directions

  1. Blend the onion in a food processor to create a soft mush.
  2. In a large pan, combine blended onion, 1/2 cup broth, garlic, ginger, and tomatoes. Cook (3 minutes).
  3. Add the canned lentils and remaining broth. Bring to a boil, add the bok choy, and cook until tender (about 5-8 minutes).
  4. Serve.

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Family Ratings

  • Mama: 3.5/5
  • Papa: 4/5, would be even better with more bok choy!
  • Girlie: 4.5/5
  • TW: 3.5/5, I don’t like tomatoes
  • McM: 4/5, double the amount of bok choy next time!

Note

  • Lentils were substituted for mung beans in the original recipe. Mung beans were not available in our local grocery stores.

Original recipe: http://www.food.com/recipe/philippines-monggo-beans-and-pechay-mung-beans-and-bok-choi-305953?photo=155213

Laos (Part 3)

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Larb

Minced chicken in lettuce wraps. Served with sticky rice, a staple in Laotian meals.

Total time: 45 minutes
Servings: 6

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cups sticky rice (sushi rice works well)
  • 1/4 cup uncooked medium grain white rice
  • 1kg boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into chunks
  • 2 tablespoons peanut oil
  • 4 garlic cloves, minced
  • 2 tablespoons fresh ginger, minced
  • 1 small red chile, deseeded and finely chopped
  • 4 green onions, finely chopped
  • 1/4 cup fish sauce
  • 1 tablespoon shrimp paste (see previous post on this blog)
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 4 tablespoon fresh mint, chopped
  • 1/4 cup lime juice
  • 10-12 lettuce leaves (one head of butter lettuce works well as the lettuce is flavorful and sturdy enough to make wraps)

Directions

  1. Cook sticky rice according to package instructions. We used sushi rice cooked in a rice cooker.
  2. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Spread the uncooked white rice onto a baking sheet. Bake the rice in the oven until golden (15 minutes). Once cooled, grind into a fine powder using a spice grinder or coffee grinder. Set aside.
  3. Process the chicken thigh meat in a food processor until finely minced. Set aside.
  4. Heat the peanut oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Stir in the garlic, ginger, chili, and green onions. Cook, stirring, until the garlic softens (3 minutes).
  5. Add the minced chicken and cook, stirring to break up lumps, until the meat is no longer pink (5 minutes) .
  6. Add fish sauce, shrimp paste, and sugar. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until the excess liquid has evaporated (5 minutes).
  7. Stir in the ground rice, mint, and lime juice.
  8. Serve on lettuce leaves with sticky rice.

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Family Ratings

  • Mama: 5/5, my favorite dish out of all the countries so far!
  • Papa: 4.5/5
  • Girlie: 4.5/5
  • TW: 4.5/5
  • McM: 4.5/5, very interesting and exotic flavor, lettuce wraps make a great light meal!

Original recipe: http://www.food.com/recipe/lao-papaya-salad-447215

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Larb (bottom) served with sticky rice (right), papaya salad (top), and shrimp paste on crackers (left). See other posts on this blog for recipes.

Laos (Part 2)

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Papaya Salad

A traditional Laotian side dish.

Total time: 20 minutes
Servings: 6-8

Ingredients

  • 3 medium ripe papayas
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 small red chilis, deseeded and minced
  • 3 tablespoons shrimp paste (see previous post on this blog)
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons fish sauce
  • 4 tablespoons sugar
  • 3 tablespoons lime juice
  • 10 cherry tomatoes, halved

Directions

  1. Peel papayas. Cut in half. Scoop out seeds and discard. Shred papaya and set aside.
  2. Mash garlic and chilis together using a meat tenderizer or mortar and pestle.
  3. Drain the excess juice from shredded papaya. Then add the mashed garlic and chilis, shrimp paste, fish sauce, sugar, lime juice, and cherry tomatoes. Mix thoroughly.
  4. Serve.

Family Ratings

  • Mama: 4/5
  • Papa: 4/5, would have liked more tomatoes and more chilis!
  • Girlie: 5/5, this is delicious!
  • TW: 4/5
  • McM: 3/5, very sweet initially with a spicy aftertaste, a little too spicy for my preference but a tasty side dish with an exotic flavour!

Original recipe: http://www.food.com/recipe/lao-papaya-salad-447215

Laos (Part 1)

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Shrimp Paste

A common ingredient in many Laotian recipes. Can be served on crackers or in sandwiches for a tasty snack.

Total time: 10 minutes
Servings: 1 cup

Ingredients

  • 100g canned cooked shrimp
  • 1 tablespoon mayonnaise
  • 1/2 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 1/4 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 2 tablespoon onion, finely chopped
  • pinch of salt

Directions

  1. Place all ingredients into a food processor. Blend into a smooth paste.
  2. Serve on crackers or in sandwiches.

Family Ratings

  • Mama: 4/5
  • Papa: 4/5
  • McM: 4/5

Original recipe: http://www.food.com/recipe/shrimp-paste-134317