Braised Ginger Chicken

From Facebook, VCG, Kat Nghi

Ga Kho Gung

2 lbs chicken thigh(cut into bite size)
1.5 cup coconut juice(fresh or can)
1/3 cup ginger(fine julienne)
1 tbsp Shallot
1 tbsp Garlic
1 tbsp Soy sauce
1 tbsp Oyster sauce 
1 tbsp Nuoc Mau (sugar+water)
1 tbsp sugar 
1 tsp Black ground pepper 
Optional: Red pepper+scallions

Clean chicken > brown chicken w/ oil over high heat, after chicken is brown add in coconut juice simmer for 20 mins over medium heat>then add all the ingredients in over medium-low heat for 15 mins.

Baked Mac N Cheese

Recipe from Facebook, Katie T. La

Mac n cheese

Cook 3-4 cup macaroni w 1 tsp salt till al dente (remove and drain right before it's edibly soft. Do not rinse)

Melt 1/2 a stick of salted butter 

Add 4 TBSP all purpose flour

Whisk constantly about 5 mins to make a roux

Add 2 cans (20 oz) evaporated milk

2-3 tsp dry mustard

Stir well

Whisk 2 large eggs in a separate bowl

Remove about 1/4 c of the milk mix and slowly pour into eggs while constantly whisking to not cook eggs

Whisk till eggs reach room temperature, then stir gently into pot until smooth

Add 20 ounces of assorted freshly grated cheese (mild cheddar, sharp cheddar, Colby, gruyere, etc)

Reserve about 1/4 c for topping

Stir to melt cheese

Add 3/4 tsp seasoned salt and 1/2 tsp of kosher salt (start with 1/4 tsp at a time and add more to taste. Don't undersalt. Once you add the macaroni, it'll reduce the saltiness level)

Add ground black pepper to taste

Add macaroni and stir

Pour into baking dish

Top with remaining cheese

Bake 15-20 minutes 

Optional: add fresh bacon bits and chopped scallions 
Optional: Add seasoned toasted breadcrumbs (2 TBSP butter, melted on stovetop, 1/2 Panko breadcrumbs, toast till golden)
Bake another 5 minutes

Lin's Spicy Pickled Radish

The ratio for the pickled water is 1:2:2

1 cup of sugar
2 cups of warm water
2 cups of distilled white vinegar

Mixed the water and sugar together to dissolve the sugar, add in vinegar. You can adjust the sweetness and sourness based on how you like it 

Select the veggies you want to use, cabbage, radish, carrots, cucumbers( cut some of the seeds out) jalapeños, etc, sliced it to bite size and sprinkle some salt on it, let it sit for about 30 mins so the water can come out from the veggies, this process helps to make the veggies more crunchy, then rinse the veggies a couple of times to get all the salt out

Put the veggies in a jar or bucket and add in a couple slices of ginger then pour the vinegar mixture over it, let it cool down then store pickled veggies in refrigerator for 1-2 days and it will be ready to eat.

Pickled Green Papaya and Red Cabbage

Light and crunchy, this pickle makes a refreshing side for Cambodian-style beef skewers, or for any grilled meat. The recipe is from Nite Yun, chef-owner of Nyum Bai restaurant in Oakland. True green papayas are only available at Asian markets (for more info, see note). If you can’t get one, use unpeeled Persian cucumber, cut into matchsticks rather than shredded (and skip the cabbage; it’ll make the cucumber look murky).

1 ½ lbs green (unripe) papaya, peeled and seeded

2 tbsp plus 1 tsp. kosher salt

¾ cup sugar

1 ½ cups rice vinegar

2 minced fresh red or green Thai chiles (optional)

¼ red cabbage, halved

Shred papaya into ribbons, ideally using a julienne peeler or a spiralizer* for long, crunchy strands. Alternatively, cut into matchsticks. In a colander, mix papaya with 2 tbsp. salt and let drain in sink 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, make brine: In a medium bowl, mix remaining 1 tsp. salt with the sugar and vinegar until dissolved.

Rinse and drain papaya, then squeeze out as much water as possible and add to brine. Stir in chiles, if using, and push cabbage into brine. Cover and chill overnight.

Remove cabbage and stir papaya to disperse color. Thinly slice cabbage and mix back in.

*How to Shred Green Papaya: Crunchy and delicately tart, green papayas are rock-hard, with dark green skin and bright white flesh; find them at Asian markets. For salads like the one here, they’re most easily shredded with light strokes of an inexpensive Asian-style julienne peeler. Bonus: the peeler works on carrots, beets, and more.

Cambodian Spice Paste (Kroeung)

From Sunset Magazine, Nite Yun

This beloved, essential seasoning is key for making Cambodian-style beef skewers, but adds zest to Western foods, too: Mix into ground pork for meatballs, sauté with greens, stir into raw rice before cooking, and use to marinate firm white fish. You can find lime leaves (aka kaffir or makrut lime leaves), turmeric, and galangal (a crisp, peppery rhizome) at Southeast Asian markets or on amazon.com, or use the alternatives here for a different yet delicious paste. Note: If you’re using the kroeung for the beef skewers, increase the amount of lime leaves to 30 (or use 1/2 cup lime zest plus 3 tbsp. lemon zest).

1 ½ oz shallot

½ cup peeled garlic cloves

16 lemongrass stalks

1 piece fresh turmeric (or 2 tsp. powdered turmeric)

1 piece galangal (or 3 garlic cloves)

7 whole (double-segment) lime leaves (or use 4 tbsp. lime zest plus 2 ½ tsp. lemon zest)

Chop shallot and garlic. Remove root end, leafy top, and 3 to 4 fibrous outer layers of lemongrass stalks. Thinly slice enough lemongrass to make 1 1/4 cups, then mince in a food processor with shallot and garlic.

Peel fresh turmeric and galangal; coarsely chop both. Remove central stems from lime leaves and coarsely chop leaves. Add turmeric, galangal, and lime leaves to processor and whirl into a very fine paste with 2 to 3 tbsp. water, about 7 minutes.

Lemongrass Beef Skewers

From Sunset Magazine, Nite Yun.

Ingredients:

2 lbs well-marbled beef (sirloin, flank, or boned New York strip)

⅔ cup firmly packed Cambodian Spice Paste

1 tbsp honey

3 tbsp Shaoxing wine (Chinese rice wine)* or dry sherry

1 tbsp plus 1 tsp. Thai or Vietnamese fish sauce

¼ cup canola oil

1 ½ tbsp kosher salt

¼ cup firmly packed light brown sugar

Put beef in freezer to firm up, 1 to 3 hours. Cut beef into 1/2-in.-thick slices across the grain, then into small pieces about 2 in. long by 3/4 in. wide.

In a large bowl, combine remaining ingredients, including Cambodian Spice Paste. Add beef and mix to coat. Chill at least 1 day and up to 3.

Soak 8 (10-in.) wooden skewers in water at least 20 minutes (or use metal skewers). Heat a grill to high (500° to 550°) and oil grates well. Thread beef pieces lengthwise onto skewers, bunching tightly. Grill (covered on gas), turning every couple of minutes, until lightly charred but still pink in center, 6 to 8 minutes. Sprinkle lightly with salt.

Black Pepper Beef (Lok Lak) by Nite Yun

Ingredients

1/3 cup oyster sauce 
1/4 cup crushed garlic (about 8 garlic cloves) 
3 tablespoons cooking rice wine 
2 3/4 tablespoons raw sugar 
2 tablespoons soy seasoning sauce (such as Golden Mountain) 
2 tablespoons dark soy sauce 
2 1/2 teaspoons crushed plus 1 teaspoon coarsely ground black peppercorns, divided 
2 tablespoons cornstarch 
2 tablespoons water 
2 pounds flank steak, cut into 3/4-inch cubes 
2 tablespoons olive oil 
2 cups thinly sliced red onion (from 1 medium onion) 
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice (from 1 lime) 
1 teaspoon coarse sea salt 
8 butter lettuce leaves 
1 unripe red tomato, cut into 8 wedges

Stir together oyster sauce, garlic, rice wine, sugar, soy seasoning sauce, dark soy sauce, and crushed Kampot peppercorns in a small bowl.

Stir together cornstarch and 2 tablespoons water in a medium bowl until cornstarch is dissolved; add beef, and toss to coat. Add 1/4 cup of the oyster sauce mixture; cover and refrigerate 8 hours or overnight. Cover remaining oyster sauce mixture, and set aside.
    
Heat oil in a wok over high. Carefully add beef mixture to wok, and cook, shaking wok often, until beef has a brown sear, 4 to 5 minutes. Add red onion and remaining oyster sauce mixture, and cook, shaking wok often, 2 more minutes.
    
Stir together lime juice, sea salt, and coarsely ground Kampot peppercorns. Place beef, lettuce leaves, and tomatoes on a platter, and serve with lime sauce.

Cambodian Chicken salad

Recipe from SF Chronicle, by Nyum Bai

Recipe: Nyum Bai’s Neorm Sach Moan (Cambodian Chicken Salad)

This vibrant salad is full of color, texture and tang — and simple to make, as adapted from “We Are La Cocina,” by Leticia Landa and Caleb Zigas (Chronicle Books). The book recommends boiling whole chickens and saving the broth for another use, but you could just as well use a rotisserie chicken from a grocery store.

Serves 2 to 4

2 tablespoons granulated sugar

2 tablespoons fish sauce

2 tablespoons rice vinegar

1 garlic clove, thinly sliced

1 bird’s-eye chile, Thai chile or serrano chile, chopped with seeds

½ small red cabbage, thinly sliced (about 2 cups)

1 small red bell pepper, thinly sliced (about 1 cup)

½ cup Persian cucumber slices

2 cups cooked chicken, cut or pulled into large chunks

2 cups loose greens, such as mizuna or arugula

1 cup loosely packed Thai basil leaves (or regular basil)

¾ cup loosely packed mint leaves

¼ cup peanuts, roasted and chopped

Instructions: Combine the sugar with ½ cup warm water in a medium bowl and whisk to dissolve the sugar. Whisk in the fish sauce, vinegar, garlic and chile.

In a separate bowl, combine the cabbage, bell pepper, cucumber and chicken. Add half the dressing and toss to combine. Add the loose greens, basil leaves and mint and toss again. Divide evenly among serving plates, drizzle the remaining dressing over each plate and top with chopped peanuts. Any remaining dressing can be refrigerated for another use.

Macaroni Beef Stir Fry (Nui Xao Bo Luc Lac )

Recipe from Instagram, Valerie N

Really simple recipe with intensely bold flavors.

Note: measurements are estimated as I usually eyeball my cooking. Adjust to taste!

Marinade
⚪ 1 Tbsp Sugar (Rounded spoon)
⚪ 1.5 Tbsp Oyster Sauce
⚪ 1 Tbsp Shallots
⚪ 1 Tbsp Garlic
⚪ 1 Tbsp Regular Soy Sauce
⚪ 1 Tbsp Fish Sauce
⚪ 1 tsp Thick Soy Sauce (important)
⚪ 1 tsp Sesame Oil
⚪ 1 tsp Black Pepper

Ingredients
⚪ 1 lb steak - 1" cubed (prefer ribeye or ny, I cut my steaks smaller b/c my son likes them bite sized)
⚪ Elbow mac or other noodle
⚪ 1/2 red onion, chopped
⚪ 1 Tbsp Ketchup
⚪ 1 Tbsp Cooking oil

Instructions
1. Mix all ingredients for marinade together until combined.

2. Marinate the steak with marinade for at least 30 min

3. Meanwhile, boil macaroni until al dente. Drain and set aside.

4. In a wok on high heat, add chopped onions and saute until fragrant.

5. Making sure wok is HOT, add steak to wok, reserving any excess marinade. Cook using "shaking" motion. DO NOT OVERCROWD. Cook in batches if necessary.

6. Once the steak is cooked to desired doneness, add remaining sauce to thicken.

7. Add in the macaroni and ketchup and stir fry until noodles and sauce are incorporated. Noodles should've absorbed all the sauce and shouldn't be too wet.

8. Adjust to taste by adding more oyster sauce, fish sauce, ketchup, etc.

9. Remove from heat and Enjoy!

*** Find your favorite Bo Luc Lac recipe, cook as usual on HIGH. Throw in the cooked mac and add 1 T of each butter, oyster sauce, ketchup and add fish sauce and pepper to taste. I think the secret recipe to the beef marinade is thick soy sauce. It gives it the color and umami! You only need 1t per lb of beef.