Verdant Victuals - Thai Green Curry (Gaeng Kiaw Wan)

No foray into Southeastern Asian cuisine would be complete without Thai Green Curry or, as it's known in Thailand, Gaeng Kiaw Wan. (Sweet Green Curry)  True, I tend to be a bit of a hot head when it comes to the spiciness of my food, and as a result I am usually more drawn to Thai Red Curry (Gaeng Phet), but I find Green Curry to be quite refreshing on occasion.

Green curry, unlike it's tawny and vermillion siblings (being both Yellow and Red curry pastes) is made with fresh green bird's eye chiles, instead of dried red ones.  This gives it a "fresh" flavor more befitting it's verdant countenance.  Green curry is considered to be a "sweet" curry, so I suggested that you remove the seeds and membranes from the chiles before giving them a serious pounding with your pestle.  If you REALLY want it to be hot, go ahead and leave them, just realize that you will loose some of the subtle nuances of the paste due to the increased heat.  (everything in balance)

Speaking of Pestles....  I highly recommend forgoing the use of a food processor in lieu of the more traditional mortar & pestle.  Food processors simply chop things up while a mortar and pestle grinds, smashes and crushes, releasing more flavor and yielding a far superior result.  Sadly, sometimes technology is a hindrance.

One a final note, I do not fry my Green Curry Paste (as I do with the Red) so I toast the Coriander Seed and Cumin Seed ahead of time.

Go forth and make awesome curry!

Thai Green Curry

(Gaeng Kiaw Wan)

15 fresh Green Bird's Eye Chiles
1 TB Coriander Seed, toasted
1 tsp Cumin Seed, toasted
5 White Peppercorns
1 tsp Kosher Salt (or Sea Salt)
1 bunch of Green Onions, chopped
1 bulb of Thai Garlic
2 TB freshly grated Galangal
1 stalk Lemongrass, sliced thin
1 tsp Kaffir Lime Zest
3 TB chopped Coriander (Cilantro) Stems

1 tsp Shrimp Paste

Cut the tops off the chiles and roll the chiles between your fingers and the membranes and seeds should fall out.

Place the Coriander Seed and Cumin Seed in a small skillet and toast them over low heat, until fragrant.

Toss them into your Mortar with the White Peppercorns and Kosher Salt; allow to cool.

Meanwhile, chop the Green Onion, peel the Garlic, grate the Galangal, slice the Lemongrass, zest the Kaffir Lime and chop the Coriander (Cilantro) Stems.

OK, you are now ready to proceed... but don't forget to place a towel under your Granite Mortar and Pestle to protect your counter tops.

Crush and grind the Coriander/Cumin/Salt into a fine powder, then remove from the mortar to a small bowl and set aside.

Place Lemongrass and Galangal in the mortar and pulverize it.

Once it is crushed well, add the Garlic cloves and grind and crush everything together.

Add the Chiles and pulverize them.

Add Green Onion, Lime Zest and Coriander Stems; continue beating, crushing and grinding to a fine paste.

Once you have achieved a nice paste (a little rustic looking is OK) mix in the ground Coriander/Cumin/Peppercorn/Salt mixture

Now work in the Shrimp Paste.

Spoon into a small bowl and wrap with Plastic wrap....

or store in a jar with a well sealing lid,

and store in your refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

Next up.....  Curried Chicken and Thai Eggplant.  YUM!

Mangia!!
~~

Gadgets We Take For Granite - Seasoning a Granite Mortar & Pestle

I won't lie, I am totally addicted to a new show after only 1 episode...  Revolution.  

For those who did not seen the premier on Monday, the show is based on the premise that all electricity goes out and doesn't come back on.  At first that doesn't seem like such a big deal.  After all, there are black outs and brown outs and various other interruptions in the grid every now and then.  Heck, I spent most of the winters of my childhood without power due to the east wind and ice storms.  Sure, no TV or lights seems pretty prosaic, just grab a portable radio and a flashlight, right?  Nope, when I say "all the electricity" goes out, I mean ALL the electricity goes out.  This means no batteries and no generators....  And it isn't ever going to come back on.

Electricity has become such a part of our lives that we don't really pause to think about it.   If the electricity quits flowing, there are no cars (Internal combustion requires an electric spark) and even if your car was running, you would not be able to fill the gas tank, because the gas pumps run on electricity and even if the gas pumps could be rigged for manual pumps, the gasoline would eventually run out because the refinery runs on electricity.

Imagine....  No wrist watches, no beard trimmers, no computers, and no cell phones.  Heck, no regular phones or telegraphs either, since they run on low voltage current.  (kind of like Gilligan's Island)

If you are in the country and on well water, your pump is not working....  I don't think there are any city municipal water systems that rely solely on gravity, so city dwellers have no water.

Now, this is not totally fatalistic.  It's also part of the reason that I am addicted to the show already, for I am curious to see where they are going to take the story line.  It's set 15 years after the "power goes out" and yet, no one seems to have figured out how to re-harness steam power. Where are the Steam-Punks when you need em?

The industrial revolution started on steam power.  Electricity is not necessary to creating steam, just a lot of greenhouse gas causing coal and wood.  But, even steam produced by coal, could be an issue since it will now have to be mined by hand.  But, as I said, I am curious about WHY this was not brought up in the very first episode. (I am also puzzled by the fact that the "bad guys" have resorted to black powder rifles.... You don't need electricity to refill empty bullet casings... I'm just sayin)

Anyway, this started me thinking about how many kitchen gadgets we take for granted?  I'm not even talking about the major appliances like Dishwashers, Refrigerators, Hot Water Heaters, Stoves and Ovens.  What about all the small appliances?  How many of these conveniences do you have in your kitchen....?  Stand Mixer, Hand Held Mixer, Food Processor, Blender, Deep Fryer, George Foreman Grill, Waffle Iron, Electric Griddle, Bread Machine, Salad Shooter, Submersion Blender, Coffee Maker, Coffee Grinder, Toaster, Inside the Egg Shell Egg Scrambler?

I know I would weep bitterly over the loss of Kitchen Aid and my Blender.  Though I guess without a freezer there wouldn't be much ice for me to make margaritas.  Hmmmm. Well, I guess I would only miss my Kitchen Aid Mixer.  :(   Luckily, one of my favorite kitchen "appliances", that I could never live without, is not electric.  My Granite Mortar & Pestle.

I met my first Granite Mortar & Pestle via Jamie Oliver back in the late 90's during his Naked Chef days....  Mine is 8 inches across, 5 1/2 inches high, holds 3 cups and weighs a whopping 16 pounds.  I think Jamie's was even bigger.  (No, I do not have Mortar and Pestle envy, 8 inches gets the job done)  ;)
It is truly an indispensable part of my kitchen.  It crushes, it grinds, it mashes, it smashes, it blends, it purees, and it mixes.  In fact, the only thing it doesn't do, is make Julienne Fries.

But best of all, in the event of a break in, I can always use it as a weapon.  I have a loaded mortar and pestle and I am not afraid to use it.  Bring it!

All kidding aside, I don't think any kitchen should be without one.  Though I must admit that I am a little bias. I am sort of a Mortar and Pestle freak.  All shapes, sizes and materials; from wood, ceramic and brass to marble, cast iron and lava rock.  There is a mortar and pestle designed for every job. (I usually use the granite for curry pastes) But if you only have one... Go with the granite.  It's non-porous and doesn't absorb odors like other materials can.  Granted, oil will be absorbed on some level and it WILL develop a patina over time. 

So if you purchase a Granite Mortar & Pestle, you will need to season it before first use, just like you would a Molcajete, though it's not nearly as involved.   Granite, being much tougher than lava rock, is not nearly as prone to graveling and sanding your food. So first, wash the Mortar and Pestle in warm water with a stiff brush, and allow it to air dry.

It will take about 3-6 hours (it's not nearly as porous as a Molcajete). Incidentally, I always place a towel under my Mortar and Pestle, it's heavy and rough on the bottom (it was hand carved), so I am protecting the finish on the granite counter.

Meanwhile, you can assemble your ingredients.

1 cup Jasmine Rice
1 stalk of Lemongrass
1 tsp Coriander Seed
1 tsp Cumin seed
1 tsp Kosher Salt
1 Garlic Bulb

OK, Just like the Molcajete, you are going to place 1/4 cup of Jasmine Rice in the Mortar..... then crush and grind it into rice flour, or at least rice meal.

The first 1/4 cup will turn grey with dust left over from carving; go ahead and dump it in the garbage.

Grind the remaining 3/4 cup rice in 1/4 cup increments...

You will notice that the rice remains white after grinding the last 1/4 cup.

Now the fun part.....
Toss in the Lemongrass, Coriander, Cumin, Salt and Garlic.

Crush this into a paste and leave it to sit in the mortar for 12 hours....  mmmmm The Scent of Thai food!

Remove the paste, rinse with warm water and allow it to dry.

Even though Granite is not very porous, it will still hold onto soap flavors; so, just like cast iron, use only Hot water and a brush... NO SOAP.

And there you go, nice and clean with a lovely seasoning...

Now, it the power ever decides to "go out and not come back on" you are totally ready.  Now if I could just figure out how to rig my Kitchen Aid to run on steam power.......

Mangia!!
~~

Put the Rice In the Coconut and Eat It All Up - Nasi Lemak (Coconut Rice)

OK, "technically" this is not a Thai dish.  Well, it is, but it isn't.  Coconut rice, in Thailand, is usually sweetened and served as a dessert.  This is really Malaysia's national dish; incorporating Jasmine Rice (a native of Thailand) cooked in Coconut Milk with Cinnamon, Lemongrass, Coriander seed and Pandan; baring a strong resemblance to Nasi Uduk from Indonesia.

I think it would be safe to state that everyone reading this knows what Jasmine Rice is, as well as Coconut Milk, Cinnamon and Coriander.  You probably have them in your pantry right now.  And while Lemongrass is more than likely not a staple of the western culinary pantry, it's usually available in the mega-marts.  But I can hear a lot of people out there scratching their heads and saying, "What the heck is Pandan?"

Pandan is a leaf, or rather a frond, harvested from a palm like plant in southern Asia.  It's used in Asian cuisine in the same way we Westerners use Vanilla... Pretty much in just about everything and especially in desserts. It doesn't taste like vanilla though.  To me, it more or less tastes the way Jasmine Rice smells, with a little verdant grass and toasted nuttiness thrown in for good measure.  Most importantly, the flavor pairs well with Coconut; which is most fortuitous since coconut tends to play a prominent roll in Southern Asian cuisine.

And, as Jennifer Yu at Use Real Butter can attest too, it makes pretty darned tasty ice cream as well.

Sadly, I must report that the Mega-Mart is not going to be stocking this in their freezer section.  You will have to find your Pandan in the freezer at an Asian Market, though there are "Extracts" available as well.  Personally, I think the extracts are a little more convenient, but I won't use them due to their Yellow 5 and Blue 1 content.   If you have no such reservations with artificial food dyes, then by all means, replace the Pandan leaf in this recipe with a few drops of extract (trust me, a little goes a loooooooooooooong way)

Nasi Lemak

(Malaysian Coconut Rice)

1 Pandan Leaf, tied in knots
1 stem Lemongrass, bruised
414ml (14 oz) (1 3/4 cups) Coconut Milk (Basically, 1 can)
295ml (10 oz) (1 1/4 cups) Water
1/2 tsp ground Coriander
1 Cinnamon Stick
Kosher Salt
385g (13.5 oz) (1 7/8 cups) Jasmine Rice
Coconut Oil
Sweet Onion, thinly sliced.

First you need to thaw your Pandan leaves, at least enough to separate 1 leaf from the bunch.

Tie it in several knots (this will ensure that it is easier to retrieve later and not stick to the bottom of the pan)

Peel and trim the Lemongrass stalk, then bruise it by smashing it with the flat of your knife (like you would garlic)

Combine Coconut Milk, Water, Coriander, Cinnamon, Lemongrass, Pandan and a pinch of Salt in a medium saucepan and place it over a medium flame.

Meanwhile, rinse the Jasmine Rice until the water runs clear.

When the water is boiling, add the rice and stir to prevent sticking and bring back to a boil.

Cover and reduce heat to the lowest possible setting and simmer the rice for 12-15 minutes.

In the meantime, heat some coconut oil in a skillet over medium flame.

Thinly slice some Sweet Onions (or Shallot).

When the oil is hot, fry the sliced onions until they are golden brown.

Drain on a paper towel and set aside.

After 15 minutes, you can remove the Lemongrass, Cinnamon Stick and Pandan from the rice.

Cover and continue to cook an additional 3-5 minutes.

Fluff with a fork.

You can either serve in 1 large bowl or dish up individual portions; either way, sprinkle the top with the fried onions and serve.

Mmmmmmmm...  Fluffy, yet creamy in texture....  Exotically scented and absolutely delicious!  I would even hazard to say that this just might be better than risotto.  And I LOVE risotto.

Maa Gin Khaao!!
(มากินข้าว)
~~

Yum! Yum! Tom Yum Kai - Thai Hot & Sour Soup with Quail Eggs

I have been suffering from an extreme lack of inspiration in cooking lately.

Oh, I have been cooking, but nothing really all that earth shakingly interesting to make it blog-worthy in my view... OK, the panko crusted Razor Clams I fried up last week may actually qualify as blog material, but I have not decided yet.  (it's a messy process)  In my defense, we had 2 weeks of insanely hot weather and I usually resort to a steady diet of salad during those times. (and there is another heat wave on the way even as I type this)

The primary reason for my lack of creativity has been my lack of computer usage.  It's summer and there have been a LOT of things going on. So, aside from the occasional check on email and checking my eBay listings for sales, I have not been engaged in a whole lot of "recreational computing", like social networking.  This presents somewhat of a cooking conundrum for me, as I always find inspiration with my Beeps (BakeSpace Peeps) over on the BakeSpace forums.

I have even been lax in reading my Beeps' Blogs... Not all my Beeps have Blogs, but a healthy chunk of them do...  All summer, I have been missing out on the culinary exploits of Heather at Girlichef, DeeDee at DDPie's Slice, Danielle at Cooking For My Peace of Mind, Cris at Hye Thyme Cafe, Bob at Cooking Stuff, Cathy at Dutch Baker's Daughter, Sheryle at Cookie Baker's Corner, and Dajana at Baker's Corner, just to name a few.....  (sigh)  I miss my Beeps.

Anyway...  With no culinary input whatsoever, I have found that my well of creativity has run dry.  Dry as a roasted bone.  Dry as the pages of the cookbooks to which I so desperately cleave.   Ahem.

That is until now.

I have discovered the joys of Thai food.  OK, I already knew about Thai food (as it's one of my favorites) but I don't really "cook" Thai food.  I tend to remain in my French, Italian, Scandinavian and Greek sphere with occasional forays into Eastern European and North African (mostly Moroccan) and save the Thai food for when I feel like going "out" to eat.

I avoid cooking in the Pan-Asian arena because it requires a completely different pantry than western cuisine. My pantry is only so big and there is only so much room.  I must say, however, that between the Tom Kha I made last year and this foray into Tom Yum, I think Thai food is going to have to start becoming a staple round here.  Time to find a bigger pantry.

Thai food just seems so vibrant and fresh.... Even more so than Chinese. Though I will admit that my knowledge of Chinese is pretty much limited to Sezchuan, Mandarin and Canton.  Just bear with me, I am taking baby steps out of my comfort zone here... LOL

Tom Yum is a delicious hot & sour soup that, unlike its Chinese cousin, contains no cornstarch or tapioca starch.  This makes it a little more "brothy" and less "clingy" in your mouth, giving it a "cleaner" finish. While it still contains rice wine vinegar, it's primary souring agent is lime juice.  Which makes me extremely happy, for I love all things of the lime persuasion.

Usually, Tom Yum contains some form of protein. Sadly, while I have seen Tom Yum made with Chicken and Pork, it usually boils down to some form of fried tofu.  EWW!  Tofu and I DO NOT get along....  As in "Hello, Emergency Room" as I swallow an entire box of Benedryl.  No To the Tofu!

Luckily, the Lily Market on Halsey had a solution for me (they are always so helpful there).  Canned Quail Eggs... Yep, little itty-bitty quail eggs that have been boiled, peeled and canned in water.  I was a little leery at first, for I had only purchased quail eggs in the raw at the Mitsuwa Marketplace in San Diego, but I gotta tell ya, they were perfect for my soup!    Turned out pretty darned tasty if ya ask me. 

Tom Yum Kai

(Thai Hot & Sour Soup with Quail Eggs)

3 fresh Red Birds Eye chiles, seeded and chopped (I actually use 4, but I like it hot)
6 TB Rice Vinegar
2 stalks of Lemongrass, cut into chunks (cause you will want to remove them later)
4 Scallions (Spring/Green Onions), sliced
1 small head of Bok Choy, shredded
1/2 cup worth of Cilantro Leaves (be sure and save the stems for Green Curry Paste)
5 cups Vegetable Stock
4 TB Tamari Soy Sauce
1 TB Coconut Palm Sugar (Jaggery) though you can sneak by with light brown
Juice of 1/2 a Lime
1 can Quail Eggs, packed in water (about 7 oz drain weight), drained
14 oz can Straw Mushrooms, drained

Seed and chop the Chiles.

Place them in a non-metallic bowl (cause they will even react with stainless steel) and add the rice vinegar, allowing them to soak for 1 hour (which gives you enough time to chop everything else)

Like peeling and chunking up the Lemongrass......

Slicing up the Scallions,

Shredding the Bok Choy,

and picking all the leaves off the Cilantro stems.
OK once that is all done, you probably still have about 40 minutes before the chiles are ready....
So, pour the 5 cups of Vegetable Stock into a large sauce pan and add the chunks of Lemongrass, Tamari, Palm Sugar and Lime Juice.

Bring this to a boil, then reduce the flame and simmer for 30 minutes.

While the stock is simmering with it's added flavor components....
Place the Bok Choy in a bowl, add 1/2 the Scallions and the Cilantro Leaves, then toss them together.... (You will add this mixture at the very end of cooking)

Take a short break while everything just kind of hangs out doin it's thing.... the Stock is simmering, the Chiles are soaking and the Bok Choy, Scallions and Cilantro are mingling together in the bowl.
Once an hour has passed and the chiles are finished soaking, go ahead and add them to the simmering stock.

Add the remaining Scallions, the Quail Eggs and the Straw mushrooms and simmer an additional 10 minutes.

Remove the soup from the flame and stir in the Bok Choy/Scallion/Cilantro mixture and stir gently until slightly wilted.

Serve.

Heaven in a bowl!  I kid you not.

And now it's time to tackle Green Curry Paste, for I have a massive amount of Cilantro stems.

Maa Gin Khaao!!
(มากินข้าว)
~~