Author: Mariam

Thai-Style Jok with Chicken Meatballs

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I visited Thailand nine years ago and have been missing it ever since. Bangkok was brimming with delicious food and I was so excited to try it all. But on my third day there, I got sick. This jok (or congee) nursed me back to health within a couple of days. Sick or not, this jok is delicious and I find myself craving it whenever the weather gets cold. It’s savory, salty, spicy, and super comforting.

Ingredients:
  • 1 lemongrass stalk
  • 1/2 cup jasmine rice
  • 5 cups chicken stock (or water)
  • 1/2 teaspoon white pepper
  • Fish sauce

For the meatballs:

  • 8 ounces ground chicken
  • 1/4 teaspoon white pepper
  • 1 teaspoon fish sauce
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 tablespoon soy sauce
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • 1 tablespoon sugar

For the prik nam som:

  • 1/4 cup white vinegar
  • 1/4 cup boiling water
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • Two garlic cloves
  • 1/4 cup thinly sliced serrano or Thai bird chiles

To serve:

  • 2 cups roughly chopped greens such as kale or spinach
  • 4 eggs
  • Cilantro, minced
  • Green onions, thinly sliced
  • Sweet Thai preserved radish, minced
  • Fried shallots
  • Prik nam som
  1. Make the prik nam som: Combine all the ingredients in a jar. Allow to cool and set aside.
  2. Make the jok: Smash the lemongrass a few times using the back of a knife to bruise it up and help release flavor. Combine the rice, lemongrass, and stock in a large saucepan. Bring to a simmer over high heat, stirring occasionally. Reduce to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until the rice is tender and the water has thickened into a porridge, about 1 hour total. Discard the lemongrass when the congee is done. Season with pepper and fish sauce to taste, and set aside, keeping the congee at a bare simmer on the stove, stirring occasionally and thinning it with water if it gets too thick.
  3. Make the meatballs: Combine the chicken, pepper, fish sauce, salt, soy sauce, garlic, and sugar in a small bowl. Mix with your fingers until the mixture is homogenous and sticky, about 30 seconds. Wash your hands and using wet hands, pinch off teaspoon-sized pieces of the chicken mixture and form into small balls. Drop the balls directly into the simmering congee. Cover and continue to simmer until the meatballs have firmed up, about 3 minutes.
  4. To serve: stir in the greens and continue cooking until greens are wilted and the meatballs are cooked through, about 3 minutes longer.
  5. Ladle some hot congee into the bottom of each of 4 serving bowls, then crack a raw egg on top. Divide remaining congee among the bowls. Let them rest for a couple of minutes before serving to allow the egg to cook partially. Garnish each bowl with cilantro, green onions, preserved radish, and fried shallots. Serve, passing prik nam som to the table to be added as desired.

Charred Cabbage with Garlic and Chili Crisp

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I don’t know if it’s ye olde age or what, but I’m really into cabbage lately. And chili crisp is an absolutely goated condiment; no such thing as too much. This side dish, adapted from Food & Wine, brings a ton of flavor to an otherwise mild-mannered vegetable. Don’t be put off by the amount of garlic: it mellows out and tastes spectacularly savory-sweet.

Ingredients:
  • 15 garlic cloves, peeled
  • 1/3 cup avocado oil
  • 2 tablespoons coconut or granulated sugar
  • 2 tablespoons fish sauce 
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 (2 1/4-pound) head green cabbage, cut through core into 8 wedges
  • 1/4 cup coconut milk 
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup chili crisp
  1. Cook garlic and oil in a small saucepan over low, stirring occasionally, until garlic is golden and semi-softened, about 12 minutes. Drain garlic-infused oil into a small bowl. Transfer garlic cloves to another small bowl. Mash cloves using a fork; stir in sugar, fish sauce, and pepper. Set aside garlic chutney and reserved oil.
  2. Set a steamer rack inside a large pot filled with 1 inch of water; bring to a boil over high. Place cabbage on steamer rack; cover with lid, and cook until bright green and tender, about 5 minutes. Remove cabbage; pat dry.
  3. Preheat a large cast-iron skillet over high. Whisk together coconut milk and 1/4 cup reserved garlic oil in a small bowl. Brush cut sides of each cabbage wedge with 1 tablespoon coconut milk mixture; sprinkle wedges evenly with salt. Working in 2 batches, cook cabbage wedges in skillet until charred, 2 minutes per side.
  4. To serve, spread 1 1/2 teaspoons reserved garlic chutney over charred sides of each cabbage wedge; drizzle each wedge with 2 teaspoons chili crisp.

Crispy Smashed Potatoes with Caviar

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Here’s the perfect fall appetizer (or brunch dish!) to usher in the cooler weather. These crispy smashed potatoes are like fancy French fries meets loaded potatoes in the best way possible. Feel free to use any kind of fish roe here — tobiko, salmon roe, or anything similar will give these potatoes a pop of briny goodness.

Ingredients:
  • 4 ounces turkey bacon
  • 5 teaspoons avocado oil
  • 1 pound baby Yukon Gold potatoes, scrubbed
  • Salt and pepper
  • 1 small shallot, finely chopped
  • 1/4 cup sour cream
  • Juice of 1/2 lemon
  • 1 tablespoon finely chopped tender herbs (such as chives or dill), plus more for serving
  • 1 avocado, sliced, cut into 1″ pieces
  • 1 green onion, thinly sliced
  • 1 1.75-oz. jar salmon caviar, or similar
  1. Cook bacon and 2 teaspoon avocado oil in a medium skillet over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until bacon is browned and crisp, 8–10 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer bacon to paper towels to drain.
  2. Place potatoes in a large saucepan and pour in cold water to cover; season generously with salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer potatoes until a knife slides easily through the flesh, 20–25 minutes. Drain and let cool 5 minutes, then slice in half.
  3. Preheat oven to 400F degrees. Spread out potatoes on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Using the bottom of a measuring cup or a potato masher, gently smash potatoes to about ½” thick. Let cool another 5 minutes.
  4. Drizzle remaining 3 teaspoon avocado oil and remaining over potatoes; season with salt and pepper. Roast until potatoes are golden brown and crisp, 40–50 minutes.
  5. While the potatoes are roasting, mix sour cream, lemon juice, chopped herbs, and shallot in a small bowl. Season with salt and pepper.
  6. Arrange potatoes on a platter or divide among plates. Top each with avocado, seasoned sour cream, some turkey bacon, green onion, caviar, and more herbs. 

Cauliflower Mash

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This cauliflower mash may not be the most beautiful, but it’s flavorful, creamy, and convincing enough to convert even the most ardent mashed potato fan into a cauliflower believer. Best of all, you can make it ahead of time and reheat when you’re ready to serve.

Ingredients:
  • 1 cauliflower, cored and broken into florets
  • 5 garlic cloves, unpeeled
  • 2 tablespoons avocado oil
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 4 teaspoons nutritional yeast
  • 1/4 teaspoon pepper
  • 3/4 cup coconut milk
  1. Preheat the oven to 400F degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper
  2. Spread the cauliflower on a baking sheet along with the garlic. Toss with the avocado oil, garlic powder, and 1/4 teaspoon of the salt. Roast for 35 minutes. Once the garlic is cool enough to handle, squeeze the garlic out of their peels.
  3. Once cooled, place the cauliflower and garlic in a blender and add the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, nutritional yeast, black pepper, and coconut milk and blend until smooth.
  4. To serve, gently reheat cauliflower mash on the stove in a saucepan on low.

Chickpea Salad with Red Peppers and Chorizo

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Here’s the easiest end-of-summer appetizer (or side dish or lunch or whatever you want it to be, really) on earth. It’s smoky, it’s sweet, it’s piquant, and it’s (mostly) healthy. The sum of the parts is greater than the whole here, but the key is letting it sit for at least half an hour so that the flavors meld.

Ingredients:
  • 3 ounces dry-cured Spanish chorizo, casing removed, thinly sliced into half-moons (about 1/2 cup) 
  • 2 14-ounce cans chickpeas, rinsed and drained
  • 1 1/4 cup drained jarred roasted red bell peppers, chopped
  • 1/3 cup finely chopped white onion
  • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar or pineapple vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper plus more to taste
  • 2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley
  1. Stir together chorizo, chickpeas, roasted bell peppers, onion, olive oil, vinegar, salt, and black pepper in a large serving bowl until well combined. Season with additional salt and black pepper to taste; stir in parsley. Let rest in the fridge for at least 30 minutes and serve cold or at room temperature.