Thai-Inspired Chicken Meatball Soup

Thai-Inspired Chicken Meatball Soup

(From the New York Times)

Yield: 4 to 6 servings
Time: 30 minutes

INGREDIENTS:

1 (4-inch) piece fresh ginger, peeled
6 garlic cloves, peeled
1 jalapeno
2 pounds ground chicken
1 large bunch cilantro, leaves and stems finely chopped, a few whole leaves reserved for serving
3 tablespoons fish sauce
Kosher salt
2 tablespoons vegetable oil, plus more as needed
2 cups chicken broth
1 (14-ounce) can full-fat coconut milk
1/2 teaspoon granulated sugar
5 ounces baby spinach
1 tablespoon lime juice, plus lime wedges for serving
Steam white rice for serving

STEP 1: Using the small holes of a box grater, or a microplane, grate the ginger and jalapeño (or finely chop them by hand or even use a small food processor). Transfer half to a large bowl and set the rest aside. To the large bowl, add the chicken, finely chopped cilantro, 2 tablespoons fish sauce and 1 teaspoon salt. Use your hands or a fork to fully combine but do not overmix.

STEP 2: Use your hands or an ice cream scoop to form 2-inch meatballs (about 2 ounces each). In a large dutch oven or pot, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Working in batches, add the meatballs in a single layer and cook, flipping halfway through, until golden brown on two sides, 5 to 8 minutes. Transfer to a plate and repeat, adding oil as needed.

STEP 3: Once all the meatballs are browned and out of the pot, if the oil is burned, wipe it out and add a bit more to the pot. Reduce the heat to medium, add the reserved ginger mixture and sauce until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the chicken broth, coconut milk, sugar, and the remaining 1 tablespoon of fish sauce, and bring to a simmer. Add the meatballs and any juices from plate, and simmer until the flavors come together and the meatballs are cooked through, 5 to 8 minutes.

STEP 4: Remove from heat, and stir in the spinach and lime juice. Divide rice among bowls, then top with meatballs, broth, and cilantro. Serve with lime wedges.


Notes:

• Meatballs might fall apart. Some note to add a bit of panko and egg to the meatballs to hold them together.
• Could bake the meatballs on parchment in the oven at 425 for 20 minutes.
• Some say to double to jalapeño.
• Add some lemongrass to the broth.

Crispy Rice Salad

NAM KHAO TOD

Total time: 20 minutes, plus chilling and drying time for the rice | Serves 4

Note: Adapted from a recipe from Kris Yenbamroong of Night + Market. Thacan be found in local Thai markets or well-stocked Asian markets. Fermented Thai sausage is uncooked, which is how Yenbamroong uses it. As with uncooked eggs, the U.S. Department of Agriculture recommends that you cook all meat products.

About 2½ cups cooked jasmine rice, preferably day-old

1 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 to 2 tablespoons red curry paste (nam prik kang ped)

About ½ cup rice flour

Vegetable oil for deep frying

1 heaping tablespoon chile jam (nam prik pao)

1 tablespoon sugar

6 tablespoons fish sauce

2 heaping tablespoons red chile flakes

1 1/2 to 2 teaspoons chopped Thai bird’s eye chiles

1 cup slivered red onion

1 cup roughly chopped green onion

1 cup roughly chopped cilantro, plus more for garnish

Juice of 1½ limes

About ¼ cup Thai fermented sausage (naem), crumbled

1/2 cup roasted peanuts

1/2 cup julienned ginger

1. Fluff the rice and spread it out on a baking sheet. Chill the rice, uncovered, until ready to fry, at least 1 hour.

2. Remove the rice and season it with salt and red curry paste, mixing it in by hand to separate the rice into individual grains. Taste and adjust the seasoning if desired.

3. Sprinkle a few tablespoons of rice flour over the seasoned rice and continue working by hand, gently rubbing the rice to separate it into individual grains. Add more rice flour a little at a time as necessary. When you are done, the rice should feel very dry and separate. Return it to the refrigerator for 30 minutes to finish drying.

4. Meanwhile, add enough vegetable oil to a deep pot so it goes halfway up the sides. Heat the oil until a thermometer inserted reaches 355 degrees.

5. Rain in the rice, a handful at a time, to the oil. The oil will bubble profusely and slowly settle down as the rice fries to a light golden color. When the bubbles have subsided, about 45 seconds, remove the rice, using a fine mesh strainer, to a paper towel-lined tray to drain. Repeat with the remaining rice.

6. In a large bowl, combine the chile jam, sugar and fish sauce, stirring or whisking until combined to form a sauce. Stir in the red chile flakes, Thai chiles, red onion, green onion, cilantro and lime juice. Fold in the sausage, peanuts and ginger, then the rice, tossing quickly to mix. Divide the mixture into servings, and garnish each with a little more chopped cilantro. Serve immediately.

Spicy Glass Noodles with Crispy Pork (Yum Woon Sen)

Spicy Glass Noodles with Crispy Pork (Yum Woon Sen)

Serves 4 to 6 as a side dish

1/2 pound ground pork
1 6-ounce package glass noodles (also called bean threads or saifun)
3 green onions, sliced into thin rounds
2 tablespoons roughly chopped cilantro
1 bird's eye chili, ribs and seeds removed, minced (substitute 1/4 teaspoon dried chili flakes)
2 tablespoons peanuts, roughly chopped
2 tablespoon soy sauce
2 tablespoons fish sauce
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons lime juice (from 1 lime)
Extra chopped peanuts for garnishing

Warm a teaspoon of canola oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the pork and cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently to break the pork into tiny crumbles. Cook for another 3 to 5 minutes, stirring less frequently, until the pork turns deeply golden and crispy. Set aside.

While the pork is cooking, set the noodles in a bowl and cover them with hot water to soak. Let them sit until softened, about 10 minutes or until the pork has finished cooking.

Bring a pot of water to a boil. Drop in the noodles and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, until the noodles are stretchy and tender. Drain and rinse under cool water. Use a pair of kitchen shears to cut the mass of noodles 3 or 4 times — this makes the long noodles easier to eat.

Combine the noodles, pork, green onions, cilantro, chili, and peanuts in a large bowl. Whisk together the soy sauce, fish sauce, sugar, and lime juice in a small bowl. Taste and add more of any of the ingredients to suit your tastes, then pour the sauce over the noodles. Use tongs or clean hands to lift the noodles, fold them over, and gradually work the ingredients into the noodles. Let stand at least 15 minutes before serving or refrigerate until serving. Garnish each dish with extra peanuts.

This dish is best on the day that it's made. For serving leftovers, make an extra batch of the sauce and add it to the noodles a few teaspoons a time, stirring the noodles until they loosen and become slippery again.

Spicy Glass Noodles with Crispy Pork (Yum Woon Sen)

Spicy Glass Noodles with Crispy Pork (Yum Woon Sen)

Serves 4 to 6 as a side dish

1/2 pound ground pork
1 6-ounce package glass noodles (bean threads/saifun)
3 green onions, sliced into thin rounds
2 tablespoons roughly chopped cilantro
1 bird's eye chili, ribs and seeds removed, minced (substitute 1/4 teaspoon dried chili flakes)
2 tablespoons peanuts, roughly chopped
2 tablespoon soy sauce
2 tablespoons fish sauce
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons lime juice (from 1 lime)
Extra chopped peanuts for garnishing

Warm a teaspoon of canola oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the pork and cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently to break the pork into tiny crumbles. Cook for another 3-5 minutes, stirring less frequently, until the pork turns deeply golden and crispy. Set aside.

While the pork is cooking, set the noodles in a bowl and cover them with hot water to soak. Let them sit until softened, about 10 minutes or until the pork has finished cooking.

Bring a pot of water to a boil. Drop in the noodles and cook for 1-2 minutes, until the noodles are stretchy and tender. Drain and rinse under cool water. Use a pair of kitchen shears to cut the mass of noodles 3 or 4 times: this makes the long noodles easier to eat.

Combine the noodles, pork, green onions, cilantro, chili, and peanuts in a large bowl. Whisk together the soy sauce, fish sauce, sugar, and lime juice in a small bowl. Taste and add more of any of the ingredients to suit your tastes, then pour the sauce over the noodles. Use tongs or clean hands to lift the noodles, fold them over, and gradually work the ingredients into the noodles. Let stand at least 15 minutes before serving or refrigerate until serving. Garnish each dish with extra peanuts.

This dish is best on the day that it's made. For serving leftovers, make an extra batch of the sauce and add it toåç the noodles a few teaspoons a time, stirring the noodles until they loosen and become slippery again.

Thai-Style Pork Ribs

Thai-Style Pork Ribs

Sii Khrong Muu Yaang

Yields: 3 to 4 servings as a main dish, 6 as an appetizer

Ingredients:

• 6 tablespoons honey, a dark amber one is what I used
• 2 tablespoon regular soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons Shaoxing rice wine or dry sherry
• 1 tablespoon finely grated ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
• 1/4 teaspoon white pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• A pinch of grated nutmeg
• 2 pounds (1 kg) pork spareribs, cut across the bone into 2-inch-wide strips (ask the butcher for an assist)
• 1/2 cup (120 ml) Jaew dipping sauce

Instructions

1. In a bowl, whisk together 2 tablespoons of honey with the soy sauce, rice wine, ginger, sesame oil, pepper, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Taste and tweak, if needed, for a salty-sweet flavor. Set the marinade aside briefly.
2. Put the ribs in a large zip-top plastic bag and pour over the marinade. Close the bag, expelling excess air. Rub on the bag to coat the ribs well. Set the bag flat in a baking or casserole type dish so the ribs are well exposed to the marinade. Refrigerate for 2 hours or as long as overnight. Return to room temperature before cooking.
3. Before cooking the ribs, stir together the remaining 4 tablespoons of honey with 2 tablespoons of hot water. This will glaze the ribs during cooking.
4. Preheat the oven to 250F (120C / gas mark 1/2) and line a rimmed baking sheet with foil. Put a rack on the baking sheet.
5. Put the ribs on the rack and roast for 2 hours, turning midway and rotating the baking sheet if your oven is uneven. Increase the heat to 300F (150C / gas mark 2) and continue to cooking for 45 to 60 minutes, brushing on the honey every 15 minutes and flipping the ribs. When done the meat will have pulled away from the bones a bit, and be chewy-tender.
6. Cool for about 10 minutes before cutting between the bones. Pile onto a plate and serve with the sauce.

Adapted from Pok Pok by Andy Ricker and J J Goode

Shrimp Pad Thai

Recipe: Shrimp Pad Thai
Serves 4

You’ll need:
8 oz. Pad Thai noodles 
3 tbsp. canola oil 
1 lb. frozen peeled, tail-on shrimp 
1 bunch green onions, chopped 
4 cloves garlic, minced 
1/4 cup peanuts, chopped 
2-4 eggs, whisked 
1/4 cup chicken stock 
2 tbsp. brown sugar 
3 tbsp. fish sauce 
1 tbsp. soy sauce 
2 tbsp. tamarind paste (optional) 
1 limes

Place noodles in a large bowl and pour 6 cups of boiling water over the noodles. Give the noodles a stir and then let them sit in the hot water for about 5 to 8 minutes. This will be enough time to get them softened but not soggy. Drain and set aside. (I usually toss the noodles with about 1 tbsp. of oil to keep them from sticking.)

While waiting for the noodles, defrost shrimp in a bowl of lukewarm water. Drain them after 15 to 20 minutes and dry with some paper towels.

Meanwhile get your the other ingredients ready: chop green onions, keeping green and white parts separate; mince garlic; chop peanuts, and whisk eggs.

Next mix together the sauce. Combine stock, sugar, fish and soy sauces, tamarind paste and minced garlic. Marinate shrimp in about 2 to 3 tablespoons of the sauce.

Now it’s time to put all the ingredients together. Heat a wok over medium-high heat. Add 1 tbsp. oil and then shrimp to heated oil. Be careful to drop the shrimp in as close as you can to the wok to prevent spattering. Sear shrimp for about 2 to 3 minutes on both sides until you get a beautiful caramelization. Remove shrimp from pan and set aside.

Return wok back to medium-high heat and add remaining tbsp. of oil. Add in the chopped white parts of the green onion with a dash of salt. Pour in whisked eggs and scramble lightly for about 30 seconds. Push them to the side of the wok and then add noodles. Pour in remainder of the sauce and toss your noodles with tongs and get them completely coated in your sauce. Once the noodles have absorbed all the sauce, add the shrimp back along with the green parts of the green onions and juice from half a lime. 

Toss everything together and then taste! If it needs more sweetness, add more brown sugar; if it needs more salt, add fish or soy sauce; if it needs more tanginess, add more tamarind paste. Once you get it exactly to your liking, serve piping hot with chopped peanuts and extra lime wedges.