Recipes--Your Specialty

[RAGER]

I've been trying to locate this one herb that is used in Northern Thai Laap spices mix for like 2 years. Found an authentic spice blend and tried to buy some but it kept getting hung up in customs for some reason. I pretty much have everything except this one elusive herb. It keeps me up nights.

So I made my own mix without. Turned out good but no idea what that herb tastes like.  Dammit.

Gather all your spices. There's also dried Thai chilis too.



Roast a little in a pan.



Then start pounding



Now that that's done I'll make actual Laap soon. But I came across this different use. 

I marinated some thighs in this epic mix with fish sauce and soy sauce. I steamed them until done put them on a rack to cool, poured vodka on the skin to help dry. Then air dried in fridge uncovered overnight.



Shallow fry until golden crispy.



Hack up with your handmade Laap knife



Stir fry some veggies in garlic and my 4 ingredient fry sauce. Serve with rice and naam phrik pao.

[Muffin Man]

very nice, chef. glad you bring these dishes here for viewing pleasure. these are great,  stimulates the creative juices whether for in the kitchen or ideas for traveling or to adventure.

[RAGER]

Thank you. Think I'll do something interesting tomorrow.

[RAGER]

Soy braised pork riblets with flat noodles, yu choy, mushrooms and pork cracklins. Side of pao cai and Szechuan chili oil.

[RAGER]

Spagoots with Sunday gravy and meatballs. Toasty garlic Italian como.

Spread the pork out on the bottom of a dish and season like that so you can see what's what. Yep that's sour cream too. Kinda like using ricotta.




Ballz


Sauce








Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Muffin Man]

Nice deep color on that gravy and that bread.

[mortlock]

Nice deep color on that gravy and that bread.

please note the absence of sourdough.

[Muffin Man]

Nice deep color on that gravy and that bread.

please note the absence of sourdough.

Surely an oversight. I'll keep it in mind for the next spagoots dish

[RAGER]

Rigatoots




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[RAGER]

I made a video of one of my specialties lately. Oyakodon but with shrimp and oysters. The oysters are Goose Pointe but I called them goose bay as I was also thinking about about Willapa Bay.

Check it.

[Muffin Man]

Nice, very enjoyable! I'll do some shopping and try that. Thanks, chef!

[RAGER]

You can buy dried dashi packets and just add water. I'd bet if you sprinkled some katsuo furikake, like maybe start with a tablespoon, in some water you could come to close proximity to dashi stock. Haven't tried it but seems feasible. The rest is easy. Once you've prepped everything it's quick. I think the video is 6 min.

Maybe I'll do omurice next. That's a quick one too.

[RAGER]

 Ebi katsu curry udon with aburaage and shrooms. Super yum.

[Muffin Man]

very nice. I picked up some silken tofu yesterday but need to try that aburaage some day. Store was out of ebi or I would'a tried to mimic. Actually, I looked at the udon but didn't go for it...should'a!

keep 'em coming!, Chef.

[RAGER]

Right on. Thanks! 

A few years back I got into making my own buckwheat soba. I have the knife and spacing block and stuff. The noodles you buy usually have some wheat flour but I was trying with 100% buckwheat only. Very delicate. I was trying for something less lower on the glycemic index.

I've never made udon though so I'd like to try that. It's super simple but it's a process of course.

[RAGER]

So doenjang and butter is great sautéed with mushrooms and pasta. And then add some sour cream. Dang.

[RAGER]

You can make a killer dressing out of all this. Mix the oils and vinegar as you would a vinaigrette then add the other things in whatever quantities you like. You can pan roast the white and black sesames before and grind a little or don't. Add some Kewpie to make creamy or don't. Add some Rooster sauce or don't.

It even makes cardboard taste great.

[Muffin Man]

Oooh, great to have that recipe. I'm on the hunt for that tahini, I like that brand, hopefully we have it.

[RAGER]

I've been watching these vids of this Abuela in Oaxaca cooking everything outside on her comal. Lots of inspiration like this dish I did yesterday.

Started the beans in the morning so they were long done. Next I started a mole'. Guajillos, ancho-pasillas, morita and a couple random dried chilies from my garden last year. Toasted sesame and pepitas, cumin, allspice (pimente grande), couple cloves, crushed chips, onion, garlic, pork fat and pork shoulder.

Did the mole ahead also so when I made the rice I could pull off some of the red fat to fry the raw rinsed and dried rice. Then I added just a touch of tomato paste and some mole' for flavor and color.

Add some peas, carrots, green beans, corn, diced onion and garlic to the rice. Frying the rice dry first gives a nice texture and keeps the grains separated.



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[RAGER]

On the side I just sliced some cucumbers and snow peas from the garden,  drenched in lime juice and Tajin.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[RAGER]

Another great thing to do with makrut leaves.

Thua Thawt smun phrai. One of my favorite kap klaem.

Fried peanuts with chopped garlic, makrut leaves, dried chilies, dried shrimp and sea salt.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Pissy]

That looks good.

[RAGER]

Very addictive until you're not paying attention and get one of those chilis. That slows you down.

[Muffin Man]

Speaking of chilis I tossed together a batch of chili crisp oil. This first batch was just tossed together but eventually I'll have a house specialty of sorts. I read the instructions after mixing everything and learned that the oil needed to be brought to its smoke-point first. And the flakes need to be warmed seperately, dry in the pan. I did that all backwards by mixing everything first, so a little re-work. I panned heated it all together in one go - didn't quite smoke it though, but hot. Worth it to have that aroma which was was quite inviting - a deep spicyness rather than lung-bursting. This stuff will go on almost everything!

From Mala:
Frangrant hot Thai chili flakes
Sichuan peppercorn (ground in morter & pestle)
Sichuan fermented black beans
Roasted Rapeseed oil (Caizaiyou)

Also:
Roasted Sesame oil
5-spice powder
Sichaun peppercorn powder (different brand)
Sesame seeds

Didn't put in any garlic or peanuts etc in this batch. But man this stuff is already doing the trick. I tumbled some crispy tater-tots in the pan to soak up the leftover. What a nice flavor.





black beans in there



ps. thanks to Rager for the various/previous tips. That morter and pestle is sure worth its weight! 

[RAGER]

Oh man!!  That looks delicious. Good job on leaving out the nuts and seeds. Those can be adorned later. I'd a put the garlic though. And a total yes on the caiziyou. Makes a huge difference.