Louisiana Seafood & Sausage Gumbo by Hollie

Recipe from Facebook, Hollie Phuong-Hong Nguyen

Louisiana Seafood & Sausage Gumbo. I always cheated, using pre-made roux (specific Louisiana brand only) when making this. Roux from scratch just never suits my palate 😃. I stock up on specific brand of roux and andouille sausages when I get a chance to go back to NOLA. They are a must for this dish for me 😃.

Update with recipe:

Savoie’s roux (light) (see picture)
Tony Chachere’s Creole Seasoning (see picture)
Homemade chicken or turkey neck stock
Gumbo filé
Frozen cut okras
Onions, chopped
Green onions, chopped
Celery, chopped
Louisiana crawfish tails
Shrimp, peeled
Richard’s Andouille sausage (see picture), cut lengthwise and sliced into 1/4” thick pieces.
Crabmeat
Scallops
Butter or cooking oil

Amount of ingredients use will depend on your servings, so use accordingly.

Follow instructions on the roux jar to add the amount of roux into your stock pot.

Since the roux is thick, you may want to dissolve it with some hot water or hot stock before adding it into the stock pot. That way, there are no lumps.

Season with the Creole seasoning.

Bring the stock to light boil.

Add the celeries, onions, and okras. People add green bell peppers, too but since I don’t like to eat them, I don’t put them in my gumbo.

In a skillet, add some butter or cooking oil (personal preference. I used butter). Sauté the crawfish tails. Add them to the pot.

In the same skillet, add some butter and sauté the sausage. Add the sausage to the pot. Cook on simmering low heat.

Add some gumbo file (about a tsp) if you want to thicken it more. But I find that to thicken your gumbo, add lots of okras. That’ll do it.

Taste your gumbo and see if more seasoning is needed.

Let it cook on low heat until all the veggies are soften and the seasoning is sipping through.

Add shrimp, crabmeat, and scallops just 5 minutes before serving. I sometimes add oysters, too if I can get some good ones. Basically, add your favorite seafood.

Add the green onions and serve with white rice.

Chicken Karaage

Recipe from Facebook,  A Taste Of Vietnamese Home Cooking, ‎Kieu Shafai‎

The secret to crispy and juicy chicken is to triple fry as mentioned in my recipe.

I combined 3 recipes to get it perfect for them. Thumbs up for sure!

Chicken Karaage recipe:

1 lb skin-on chicken thigh, cubed to 1 and 1/2”
1 Tbsp sake
1Tbsp mirin
1 tsp sugar
2 Tbsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp ginger, grated
4 clove garlic, grated
1 egg, beaten
Black pepper
potato starch
cooking oil, for frying

Combine sake, mirin, soy sauce, and sugar. Blend well until sugar is dissolved. Add ground black pepper, grated ginger and garlic. Mix well. Add chicken cubes. Mix well and let it marinate in the fridge for 30 mins.

When ready to fry, blend egg and add to the marinated chicken. Mix well. Place plenty of potato starch in a shallow container. Coat chicken cubes both sides and place them in a baking tray. Let it sit for 5 mins.

When oil is ready, add chicken and deep fry for 1 minute then remove the chicken to a rack and rest for 30 seconds. Return the chicken back to the oil and fry for 30 seconds, and then rest on a rack again for 30 seconds. Transfer the chicken back into the oil for one last 30 seconds.

Hawaiian Shoyu chicken

Shoyu Chicken #1

(by Marilyn Morikawa, page 61, who notes this recipe is used to feed hungry volunteers at Makawao's Hongwanji Mission Buddhist Temple.)

1 cup Kikkoman shoyu (soy sauce)
½ cup water
1 cup sugar
1 piece ginger, peeled and crushed
2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
1 tablespoon oyster sauce (optional)
1 tablespoon Mirin (optional)
5 lbs. chicken thighs

Peel and crush ginger and garlic. Combine with all other sauce ingredients in a large pot. Add chicken. Bring to a boil. Lower heat to medium and continue cooking for 30 minutes or until done.

Shoyu Chicken #2
(by Leslie Frankel of The Pukalani Club House, page 62)

6 chicken thighs, bone in
1 cup shoyu (soy sauce, any brand)
1 cup sugar
1 cup water
1 tsp. sesame seeds
1 green onion stalk, chopped

Add shoyu, sugar and water together in a large pot. Add chicken to mixture. Bring to a boil on stove top, then reduce to simmer for 15 minutes. Remove from heat. Remove chicken from pot. Return pot to simmer and reduce remaining liquid for 10 minutes. Pour mixture over chicken; garnish with sesame seeds and green onions.

Adapted from Facebook, Bonnie Clyde

Shoyu (soy sauce. The best one is Aloha Shoyu, if you can find it. I found it in Tokyo Central and some 99 Ranch markets)

Sugar. Brown or white, both work. Mix it up 1/2 and 1/2 if Danger is your middle name and adventurous.

Mirin (Japanese rice cooking wine) You can substitute sherry for mirin.

Water.

2 Crushed gloves of garlic

I don’t know how to measure. You don’t want the Shoyu to overpower the marinade. It should taste lightly of Shoyu and sweet.

I’ve looked over some shoyu chicken recipes online and most of them...aren’t local style shoyu chicken.

Look for the ones from the state of Hawaii, not like AllRecipes.

You can marinate it for a couple of hours and throw it into a pan. I use the skin on, bone in thighs. Best flavor, hands down.

You can do this in a crockpot or oven but I find cooking it down in the skillet is the best way. You want to reduce the sauce so that it’s thick and bubbly but careful because it’ll burn quick.

Pro local Hawaii girl tip - make sure you spoon in that sauce on some rice.

INSTANT POT PORK SINIGANG

INGREDIENTS
2-3 pounds All Natural Boneless Chops and/or Boneless Loin Filet cut into 2 inch cubes
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 TBL Olive Oil
1 packet of sinigang soup mix (found in Asian stores, Amazon, Walmart or Walmart.com)
32 oz of chicken broth or chicken stock
Approximately 32 oz of water
Spinach (1-2 bags or 4 if you are like my family and love it)
3 tomatoes (sliced)
1 large onion coarsely chopped
package of radishes (Taro Root or Gabi is traditionally used instead of radishes.)
2 TBL patis (fish sauce that can be found in the international foods aisle)
Juice from 1 lemon
salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS

Using Saute function, add the olive oil to your Instant Pot. Add pork,salt, pepper, and garlic. Brown the pork to lock in the juices.

Press cancel to cancel saute function.

Next, pour in the chicken stock.

Seal Instant Pot and cook on MANUAL for 15 minutes.

Allow the pressure to naturally release for 5 minutes then quick release (move the knob to “vent”.) Make sure you stand back so that the steam doesn’t burn you.  let it naturally release for 5-10 minutes. (IP display will read "L 00:05"

Add the onion, radishes, tomatoes, half of the seasoning packet, fish sauce, and water. Do not overfill pot.

Reseal and manually cook for 5 minutes.

After timer goes off, allow pressure to release for five minutes. Then quick release.

Remove the lid.

Put Instant Pot back on Saute.

Add the lemon juice, rest of the seasoning mix, and the spinach. Allow to cook until spinach is slightly wilted.

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.