Tag: Summer

Miso Keema Curry

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I absolutely love this curry because it combines three of my favorite things: okra, keema, and donabe-style cooking. Adapted from my Donabe cookbook, this makes a perfect weeknight entree because of how easy it is. Make this in the summer when okra are in season and serve with rice. Perfection.

Miso keema curry
Ingredients:
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons cumin seeds
  • 1 onion, minced
  • 1 clove garlic, grated
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons peeled, grated ginger
  • 1 1/4 pound ground beef
  • 1 carrot, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch cubes
  • 2 tablespoons curry powder (I use a mix of Madras and Sri Lankan)
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons paprika
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons red miso
  • 1 3/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons chicken bone broth
  • 3 tablespoons ketchup
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 teaspoon Chinese black vinegar or balsamic vinegar
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • Pepper
  • 1/2 pound okra, trimmed and sliced crosswise
  1. Heat the olive oil and butter in a donabe and saute the cumin seeds over medium or medium-low for 1 minute, until aromatic. Add the onion and a pinch of salt and continue sauteeing for 20 minutes, or until the onion is light golden and soft, being careful to not let the onion burn. Cover with a lid when not stirring. Add the garlic and ginger and stir for 1 minute, or until aromatic. Turn up the heat to medium-high and add the beef. Saute until the beef is almost cooked through. Add the carrot and stir. Add the curry powder and paprika and stir for 1 minute.
  2. Whisk the miso with a half ladleful of the stock in a small bowl. Set aside. Add the remaining stock, ketchup, and bay leaves to the donabe. As soon as the broth starts to boil, turn down the heat to simmer. Line the surface with a piece of aluminum foil. Cover with the lid and simmer for 10 minutes.
  3. Stir in the miso mixture, vinegar, salt, and a pinch of black pepper. Add the okra and simmer for 5 to 7 minutes. Turn off the heat and let it rest, covered, 5 minutes. Serve with rice.

Panko-Crusted Salmon Patties

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It’s salmon season! Kind of. Okay, so there’s no salmon season in California this year (thanks, climate change), but you can use any wild salmon in this easy and comforting dish. Chopped water chestnuts add crunch to the filling, making these patties oh-so-easy to eat.

Panko salmon patties
Ingredients:
  • 1/2 pound skinless salmon fillets, cut into 1-inch pieces

For the marinade:

  • 1 egg white, lightly beaten
  • 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
  • 1 tablespoon rice wine or dry sherry
  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon pepper
  • 1/2 cup finely chopped water chestnuts
  • 1 egg, lightly beaten
  • Cornstarch for dry-coating
  • 3/4 cup panko
  • 3 tablespoons avocado oil
  1. Place salmon in a food processor and process until finely chopped. Add marinade ingredients. Process until mixture is smooth. Remove the salmon mixture to a bowl. Add water chestnuts and mix well. Let stand for 10 minutes.
  2. To make each patty, take 1/4 cup salmon mixture and shape into a patty. Dip patty in egg, drain briefly, then coat with panko.
  3. Place a wide frying pan over medium heat until hot. Add oil, swirling to coat sides. Add patties and cook until golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes per side.

Spaghetti with Eggplant, Piquillo Peppers, and Tomatoes

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This pasta screams summertime. Tossed in a light salsa rossa made with fresh tomatoes, this garlicky spaghetti is full of buttery eggplant, piquillo peppers, and loads of basil. 

Ingredients:

For the salsa rossa:

  • 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 pound tomatoes, coarsely chopped
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • Pinch of hot red pepper flakes
  • 10 basil leaves, chopped
  • Salt and pepper to taste

For the spaghetti:

  • 2 medium eggplants, skins on, cut in 1-inch cubes
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup olive oil, divided
  • 4 cups diced fresh tomatoes
  • 10 canned piquillo peppers
  • 2 tablespoons minced garlic
  • 1 cup fresh basil leaves, cut into strips
  • Pinch of hot red pepper flakes
  • 2 tablespoons fresh oregano leaves or 1 tablespoon dried
  • 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
  • 1 pound spaghetti
  • Grated Parmesan cheese
  1. Make the salsa rossa: Heat the olive oil in a skillet. Add tomatoes, garlic, and red pepper flakes, and saute until tomatoes are soft. Stir in fresh basil, and add salt and pepper to taste. Puree or leave chunky.
  2. Make the spaghetti: Place the eggplant in a colander, sprinkle with salt, and let rest for one hour.
  3. Pat eggplant dry. In a large skillet, heat 1/2 cup oil on high. Add one layer of eggplant and cook until crispy on one side. Do not stir. Turn to crisp the other side. Eggplant will shrink and crisp. Repeat until all the eggplant is crispy.
  4. In a wide pot, heat 1/4 cup olive oil, add diced tomatoes and peppers, and cook on high, stirring, for about 3 minutes. Lower heat, add garlic, and cook for 2 more minutes. Add eggplant and salsa rossa, and cook, stirring gently. Add basil, red pepper flakes, oregano, and parsley.
  5. In a large pot, bring salted water to boil and cook spaghetti until al dente. Drain, reserving 2 cups cooking water. Add pasta to sauce and cook over high heat 2 to 3 minutes, adding a little pasta water if needed. Serve with grated Parmesan.

Nasi Lemak (Fragrant Coconut Rice with Crispy Anchovies, Peanuts, and Cucumber)

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I’ll be real with you: the first time I made this nasi lemak I told myself I wouldn’t make it again. It took too long to make! Too many components. But then I took a coconuty, eggy, cucumbery, peanuty bite, and uh, I guess this one’s a keeper. Crunchy, crispy, savory, and sweet, this Malaysian classic has it all. 

Ingredients:

3 1/2 ounces dried bird chiles or dried chiles de arbol
1 cup avocado oil
1/2 cup peanuts
2 1/2 cups small dried anchovies
2 shallots, halved
3 garlic cloves
2 Holland chiles (or similar red chile), stems removed, halved lengthwise
4 teaspoons sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons tamarind paste
2 cups jasmine rice
1 teaspoon salt
3 pandan leaves
1/2 cup coconut milk
4 eggs
2 Persian cucumbers or 1/2 English cucumber, cut in half lengthwise, thinly sliced crosswise
Soy sauce, for serving

1. Chop dried chiles into 1/2-inch pieces, discarding the seeds that fall out. Place in a small bowl and pour in boiling water to cover. Let sit 30 minutes to soften, then drain.

2. Meanwhile, bring oil and peanuts to a simmer in a small saucepan over medium heat; cook, adjusting heat as needed, until peanuts are golden brown, 6–8 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer nuts to paper towels to drain; set aside for serving. Immediately add anchovies to oil and cook until golden brown and crisp, about 2 minutes. Transfer to paper towels; let cool. Set ¼ cup oil aside.

3. Pulse shallots, garlic, and 1/4 cup fried anchovies (save remaining anchovies for serving) in a food processor until a smooth paste forms. Transfer to a medium bowl. Add dried and Holland chiles to food processor (no need to clean) and pulse until very smooth and no visible pieces of dried chile remain. Transfer chile puree to a small bowl.

4. Heat reserved oil in a medium skillet over medium-high until shimmering. Add shallot mixture and cook, stirring, until slightly darkened in color and fragrant, about 2 minutes. Mix in chile puree and cook, stirring often, until it starts to stick to bottom of skillet, about 3 minutes. Reduce heat to low. Add sugar, tamarind concentrate, and 1/4 cup water and cook, stirring often, until sambal is much darker in color and thickened, 25–35 minutes.(Sambal ikan bilis can be made 1 week ahead. Let cool; cover and chill.)

5. Make the rice: place rinsed/cleaned rice in a medium saucepan and cover with 2½ cups cold water; stir in salt. Gather pandan leaves together and tie into a knot; add to pan. Bring rice to a simmer over medium-high heat. Cover pan and reduce heat to low; cook 18 minutes. Remove lid and stir in coconut milk. Cover, remove from heat, and let sit 5 minutes.

6. Meanwhile, bring a small saucepan of water to a boil. Lower eggs into water. Cook 10 minutes, then transfer to a bowl of ice water and let cool. Peel eggs and cut in half lengthwise.

7. Combine sambal ikan bilis, reserved fried peanuts, and reserved fried anchovies in a medium bowl and toss to evenly coat. Scoop a generous ½ cup sambal mixture into a 12-oz. bowl. Top with 1½ cups rice and pack into bowl with a rubber spatula to compress. The bowl should be filled to the rim. Place a slightly larger bowl upside down over bowl of rice. Invert so larger bowl is now on the bottom; lift off smaller bowl. You should have a dome of rice and anchovy mixture nestled in the center of the larger bowl. Arrange 8 cucumber slices around rice dome, overlapping slightly to make a semicircle. Add 2 egg halves to side of rice with no cucumber slices; season yolks lightly with soy sauce. Repeat with remaining rice, sambal mixture, cucumbers, and eggs to make 3 more bowls.

Eggplant with Crispy Shallots and Fish Sauce-Lime Vinaigrette

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It’s eggplant season! Adapted from chef Joe Ogrodnek, this buttery, savory, and lime-heavy eggplant dish is one of my new favorites. I could eat this all summer.

Ingredients:

4 medium Japanese eggplants (about 1 3/4 pound)
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

For the dressing:
6 tablespoons hot water
4 tablespoons brown sugar
1/2 cup fish sauce
1/2 cup fresh lime
1 teaspoon grated ginger
1 teaspoon grated garlic
1 serrano chile, seeded and finely chopped
1 (2-inch) piece lemongrass stalk, halved lengthwise and smashed
1 makrut lime leaf

Additional ingredients:
1/4 cup torn fresh basil, cilantro, and or mint, plus more for garnish
1/4 cup thinly sliced radishes
1/4 thinly sliced red onion
1/2 cup toasted chopped peanuts
1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions
2 teaspoons crispy fried shallots
2 teaspoons fried garlic

1. Cook the eggplant: Working in batches, sear the eggplants in vegetable oil in a cast-iron skillet over medium-high until browned on all sides and tender. Set aside to cool slighly.

2. Whisk together 6 tablespoons hot water and sugar in a small bowl until sugar dissolves. Whisk in fish sauce, lime juice, ginger, garlic, and chile. Add lemongrass and lime leaf.

3. Cut eggplants in half lengthwise (do not cut all the way through).

4. Place eggplant on a serving platter. Stuff eggplants evenly with herbs, radishes, and red onion. Drizzle 2 tablespoons dressing over each stuffed eggplant. Top evenly with peanuts, scallions, fried shallots, and fried garlic. Sprinkle with additional herbs. Serve warm or at room temperature.