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)
~~

Yuzu, Ponzu and Binchyou too - Sesame Seared Albacore with Ponzu Miso-Damari

Ponzu is a simple yet flavorful sauce. The Sauce usually served at your favorite sushi restaurant upon ordering the Seared Albacore. It is perfectly salty and tangy without being overpowering yet rich in Umami to add savoriness to any dish.

There is one problem though, Ponzu is made with Yuzu, an Asian citrus reminiscent of grapefruit with hints of orange sweetness but the acidity of a key lime or lemon. Extremely fragrant with floral notes, this fruit is seldom seen in the United States. Thus is my obstacle with making it at home. I am attempting to at least get close to Yuzu by mixing Grapefruit, Orange, and Key Lime juices for flavor with Meyer Lemon Zest and Makrut Lime Leaves for fragrance.

Yes, is would be a WHOLE lot easier if I could just find the fruit. LOL

Ponzu Miso-Damari and Ponzu Shoyu are the quick versions of this Japanese Sauce. True Ponzo is made with Mirin (Sweet Rice Wine) and steeped for 24-48 hours with the Bonito and Konbu. But in the essence of time constraints I have decided to make what is technically Ponzu "Soy sauce". Although, I have chosen to use Tamari instead of Shoyu (soy sauce) mainly because of current "brewing" practices. I am allergic to soy products, unless they have been fermented as with true Miso or Black Bean Paste (although I have recently discovered that manufacturers are cheating on the black bean paste as well).

Tamari is simply the liquid run-off collected during the pressing and fermentation of the soybeans while making Miso. Most soy sauce (shoyu) is made from Hydrolyzed Soy Protein instead of brewed from natural bacterial and fungal cultures. If the bottle says "Carmel Color", it's fake. This is the sort of thing I am allergic to -- Soy Protein Isolates & TVP being on the list as well.

There is a secondary issue, not so much for me, but I know for others. True Tamari is a wheat free product, thus a good choice for those who are eliminating gluten from their diets. Soy sauce contains wheat, even the fake stuff has wheat in it. If you see Tamari brewed with wheat listed on the label, then it is not real Tamari, but 'poser' Soy Sauce. This may or may not be intentional, there was a name brand of soy sauce called Tamari, thus where the confusion begins as the names have become somewhat synonymous with each other, but let me assure you they are VERY different products. Tamari is thicker and has a richer much more refined and subtle flavor, withough being overly salty like Soy sauce.

Ponzu Miso-Damari

1/4 cup Tamari (as opposed to Shoyu or Soy Sauce)
4 tsp Orange Juice
4 tsp Key Lime Juice
4 tsp Grapefruit Juice
1/2 tsp Meyer Lemon Zest
1 Makrut Lime Leaf (both lobes); Chiffonade
2 TB Rice Vinegar; Unseasoned
optional - 1 3 inch piece of Konbu (Kombu - Sea kelp)
optional - 1 1/2 tsp Bonito flakes (dried, flaked Yellow Fin Tuna; AKA Katsuobushi)

Before we get started, lets talk Makrut Lime leaves. The Makrut (Kaffir or Thai) Lime has a double lobed leaf.

First, these should be separated.

Fold the leaf over

and run your knife down the length of the stem to remove it. (cause you REALLY don't want that part)

Then lay the leaves in a stack and

slice as thinly as possible.

OK, Back to the recipe....

In a glass jar or measuring cup, combine all ingredients

and stir or shake gently.

Store covered in a cool dark place for 1 hour if using the bonito flakes.
If you skipped the Bonito, go ahead and refrigerate for 1 hour to let the flavors meld, then proceed.

Strain the sauce through a fine mesh sieve or cheesecloth, discarding any citrus pulp solids and bonito flakes.

Store for 2 months in refrigerator.

Bring to room temperature before using it on.........

Sesame Black Pepper Seared Albacore (Binchyou)

This is not really a recipe... just a method. And yes, in case you were wondering about the title of this post, Binchyou is Japanese for Albacore Tuna. ;)

Albacore Steaks
Black Sesame Seeds
White Sesame Seeds
Cracked Black Pepper
Kosher Salt
Sesame Oil (for Rubbing and Searing)

First, dry the tuna with paper towels.

Fill a shallow dish with sesame seeds.

Rub with a little bit of Sesame oil.

Hit it with salt and cracked pepper.

Place, salt and pepper side down, into the sesame seeds; then rub the facing side with more sesame oil.

Hit it with salt and cracked pepper again.

Lift the Tuna steak and add more sesame seeds, then place the uncoated side down.

Add a little sesame oil to a skillet set over Medium heat.

Add the tuna and sear for about 2 minutes.

Flip and sear the other side for 2 more minutes (This really depends on teh thickness of your steak, mine was about 1 inch thick.)

Remove from pan and slice.
Arrange slices on a plate with Ponzu Miso-Damari and sprinkle with thinly sliced scallions if desired.

Mangia!!
~~