Tag: Southeast Asian

Garlic Noodles with Dungeness Crab

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If you’ve spent time in San Francisco then you know the city’s garlic noodles are iconic. They’re on countless menus but the original lies with Thanh Long, a classic Vietnamese restaurant in the Sunset District, that I lived near to many moons ago.

This dish is a love letter to Thanh Long’s infamous noodles. It’s absolutely worth seeking out fresh Dungeness crab for the best flavor.

Ingredients:
  • 1 pound fresh wheat noodles or spaghetti pasta
  • 1 tablespoon soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
  • 1 tablespoon fish sauce
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 6 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1/4 onion, sliced
  • 8 ounces lump crabmeat, preferably Dungeness
  • 1/2 teaspoon Cajun seasoning
  • 1/2 teaspoon smoked or sweet paprika
  • Black pepper
  • 1 green onion, sliced, for serving
  1. Cook the noodles to al dente according to package directions. Drain and rinse well with cold water.
  2. In a small bowl, mix together the soy sauce, oyster sauce, fish sauce, sugar, and 1 tablespoon water to blend. Set sauce aside.
  3. In a large skillet or wok, heat 1 tablespoon each of the olive oil and butter over medium-high heat. Add one-third of the garlic and cook, stirring, for about a minute. Add the onion and stir-fry until the garlic just begins to brown, about another minute. Add the crab, Cajun seasoning, paprika, and pepper to taste. Cook for another minute, stirring occasionally. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.
  4. Return the skillet to medium heat and add the remaining 1 tablespoon each olive oil and butter. Add the remaining minced garlic and cook until fragrant, about a minute or two. Add the sauce, let it warm up, then add the cooked noodles. Mix well to coat the noodles with the sauce, then add about 1/4 of the crab mixture and stir for another minute to warm through.
  5. Transfer the noodles to a serving platter and top with the remaining crab mixture, garnish with the green onions and pepper, and serve.

Thai-Style “Sausage” Lettuce Wraps

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This dish is very (emphasis on very) loosely based on the herby, spicy sausages that are ubiquitous in northern Thailand. These were everywhere when I visited Chiang Mai years ago: in the markets, at our hotel, and street vendors. And they were delicious.

This lighter, humbler version is adapted for a weeknight meal at home but it nevertheless satiates my craving for northern Thai food. Sometimes a piece of lettuce, some rice, and a bit of meat is all you need.

Ingredients:

For the chili dip:

  • 2 shallots, unpeeled
  • 1 head of garlic, unpeeled
  • 4 Anaheim chiles
  • 1 serrano or Thai chile
  • 2 tablespoons lime juice
  • 1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
  • 1 tablespoon fish sauce
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • Salt, to taste

For the “sausages”:

  • 1 pound ground chicken
  • 1 shallot, finely chopped
  • 2 makrut lime leaves, finely chopped
  • 2 teaspoons red curry paste
  • 2 tablespoons fish sauce
  • 2 tablespoons coconut milk
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 2 tablespoons finely chopped cilantro
  • Salt, to taste
  • 1/4 cup avocado oil
  • Butter lettuce or similar, thinly sliced daikon, and cooked sticky or jasmine rice, for serving
  1. Make the chili dip: heat the broiler. Broil shallots, garlic, and Anaheim and serrano chiles on a rimmed baking sheet, turning halfway through, until charred in most spots, 5-8 minutes.
  2. Peel shallots, garlic, and chile, then coarsely chop. Transfer to a food processor and pulse to a coarse paste. Mix in lime juice, cilantro, fish sauce, and sugar; season with salt.
  3. Make the “sausage”: Combine chicken, shallot, lime leaves, curry paste, fish sauce, coconut milk, sugar, and cilantro in a medium bowl; season with salt. Using your hands, mix well until chicken is sticking to itself and mixture is smooth, about 3 minutes. Using wet hands, form about 2 tablespoon-sized scoops of chicken mixture into 1-inch thick patties.
  4. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Working in batches, cook patties until golden brown, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer to paper towels to drain.
  5. Serve patties with chile dip, lettuce, daikon, and rice.

Grilled Tri-Tip with Jew Som Dipping Sauce

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This Southeast Asian-meets-Southwest American grilled steak is the perfect dish to ring in warmer weather. Adapted from Food & Wine, you can serve this with some rice and lettuce leaves alongside a pungent salty-spicy dipping sauce and it’s *chef’s kiss.* Marinating the steak is a bit of work but the results are worth it.

Ingredients:

For the dipping sauce:

  • 4 cilantro sprigs
  • 8 garlic cloves
  • 1 (1 1/2-inch) piece fresh ginger, peeled and roughly chopped 
  • 2 Thai or serrano chiles
  • 1/2 cup lime juice
  • 1/2 cup fish sauce
  • 4 tablespoons sugar
  • 1 green onion, thinly sliced

For the tri-tip:

  • 2 1/4 cups (18 ounces) lager or IPA-style beer, divided
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 (2 1/2- to 3-pound) tri-tip steaks
  • 1/2 bunch cilantro, roughly chopped 
  • 1/4 cup finely chopped lemongrass (from 2 stalks)
  • 12 garlic cloves
  • 2/3 cup oyster sauce
  • 1/2 cup fish sauce
  • 5 tablespoons brown sugar
  • 2 teaspoons black pepper
  • Vegetable oil, for grilling
  • Cooked jasmine rice or sticky rice, and lettuce leaves, for serving 
  1. Make the dipping sauce: Cut cilantro stems into 2-inch lengths. Combine cilantro stems, garlic, ginger, and chiles in a blender, and process on medium speed until finely chopped, about 30 seconds, stopping to scrape down sides as needed. Add lime juice, fish sauce, and sugar to blender, and process until combined, about 30 seconds. Stir in cilantro leaves and green onion slices.
  2. Make the tri-tip: Stir together 1 1/2 cups beer and salt in a gallon-size ziplock plastic bag until dissolved. Add steaks to bag, seal, and place on a rimmed baking sheet. Refrigerate 2 hours, turning bag and massaging steaks occasionally.
  3. Meanwhile, combine cilantro, lemongrass, and garlic in a blender, and process until finely minced, about 30 seconds, stopping to scrape down sides as needed. Add oyster sauce, fish sauce, brown sugar, pepper, and remaining 3/4 cup beer, and process on high speed until smooth, about 30 seconds. Remove steaks from refrigerator. Drain and discard beer mixture, and pour cilantro marinade over steaks in bag, massaging gently to coat steaks. Seal bag, and return steaks to refrigerator. Let marinate, turning bag and massaging steaks occasionally, at least 6 hours or up to 12 hours.
  4. Prepare a grill over medium-high heat. Remove steaks from plastic bag, and discard marinade. Grill steaks over direct heat, uncovered, flipping often, until caramelized, about 5 minutes. Transfer steaks to indirect heat. Cover and cook, flipping steaks occasionally, until steak is cooked to medium, about 35 minutes. Transfer steaks to a platter and let rest about 10 minutes. Thinly slice against the grain, and serve on rice or with lettuce leaves as wraps, alongside jeow som dipping sauce.

Thai-Style Chicken and Rice

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This recipe is by no means authentic, and I’ve turned it into a sort of easy red curry-meets-larb situation but the results are delicious and healthy. All you need is 20 minutes and a skillet and you’re set.

Ingredients:
  • 1 red onion, thinly sliced
  • 1 3-inch piece ginger, peeled and cut into thin matchsticks
  • 2 cups cooked jasmine rice
  • 1 tablespoon Thai red curry paste
  • 3 tablespoons lime juice
  • 1 tablespoon plus 1 1/2 teaspoons fish sauce
  • 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons avocado oil
  • 1 pound ground chicken
  • 1 serrano chile, thinly sliced
  • 1 cup salted dry-roasted peanuts
  • 1 cup cilantro leaves
  • 1/2 cup mint leaves
  • Lettuce leaves and lime wedges, for serving
  1. Place red onion and ginger in a medium bowl of ice water and let soak while you prepare the chicken and rice.
  2. Using your hands, toss rice and half of curry paste in a medium bowl to roughly coat. Set aside.
  3. Stir lime juice, fish sauce, and sugar in a large bowl until sugar is dissolved.
  4. Heat 2 teaspoons oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high. Add chicken and spread into a thin, even layer; season with salt. Cook, undisturbed, until golden brown underneath, about 5 minutes. Add remaining curry paste and cook, stirring and breaking up into bite-size pieces, until chicken is cooked through, about 2 minutes. Transfer to bowl with dressing.
  5. Heat remaining 2 teaspoons oil in the same skillet. Add reserved rice mixture and cook, undisturbed, until slightly golden underneath, about 5 minutes. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, 1-2 minutes. Remove from heat and add to bowl with dressing and chicken.
  6. Drain red onion and ginger; add to bowl with chicken and rice, along with chile, peanuts, cilantro, and mint. Mix to combine.
  7. Transfer rice mixture to a platter. Serve with lettuce for wrapping and lime wedges for squeezing over.

Chicken Laksa

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What’s more comforting than noodle soup? Nothing. A fragrant coconutty broth and sprinkling of bright toppings have made this my favorite laksa since the one I had in Singapore.

You can make the laksa paste, fry the crispy shallots, and cook the chicken ahead of time so that the final soup assembly is a breeze. Finally, good laksa at home.

Ingredients:

For the laksa paste:

  • 3 medium shallots, chopped (about 3/4 cup)
  • 4 lemongrass stalks, sliced (about 1/2 cup)
  • 1/4 cup avocado oil
  • 1 4-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and sliced (about 1/2 cup)
  • 4 small dried red chiles (deseeded if you like your laksa less spicy)
  • 3 large garlic cloves, smashed
  • 1 cup chicken stock, divided
  • 1/2 cup peanuts
  • 2 teaspoons minced anchovies
  • 2 teaspoons ground turmeric
  • 2 teaspoons ground coriander
  • 1 teaspoon coconut sugar or brown sugar

For the soup:

  • 2 tablespoons avocado oil
  • 4 cups chicken stock
  • 1 15-ounce can coconut milk
  • 2 tablespoons fish sauce, plus more to taste
  • 10 ounces dried rice noodles
  • 2 8-ounce cooked boneless, skinless chicken breasts, sliced
  • 1 cup fresh bean sprouts
  • 4 green onions, sliced (about 1/2 cup)
  • 1/2 cup loosely packed fresh mint leaves
  • 1/2 cup loosely packed fresh cilantro leaves
  • 1/4 cup fried shallots
  • 1 lime, cut into 4 wedges
  1. Make the laksa paste: combine shallots, lemongrass, oil, ginger, red chiles, garlic, and 1/2 cup stock in a blender; process until mixture forms a thick, smooth paste, about 30 seconds. Add peanuts, anchovies, turmeric, coriander, sugar, and remaining 1/2 cup stock to blender; process until smooth, about 30 seconds.
  2. Make the soup: heat oil in a large Dutch oven over medium. Add laksa paste, and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, 4 to 6 minutes. Whisk in stock and coconut milk; bring to a boil over high. Reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer, covered, 10 minutes. Remove from heat. Mix in fish sauce, and add more to taste, if desired.
  3. While stock mixture simmers, cook rice noodles according to package directions. Divide rice noodles evenly among 4 bowls. Arrange sliced chicken evenly on noodles. Ladle hot stock mixture evenly into bowls. Top evenly with bean sprouts, green onions, mint, cilantro, fried shallots, and lime wedges.