Thai Basil Tomato Salad

Caprese salad, the classic Italian combination of tomatoes, basil and mozzarella dressed with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. It's a summer standard at my house. The salad, as is, makes a great a light lunch on a hot day. Sometimes I leave out the mozzarella and serve it alongside grilled fish. Or I throw in some minced garlic and we pile it on top of toasted bread. Recently I even blended the basil into a pesto and tossed the cheese and tomatoes with pasta to make a Caprese pasta salad.

But one thing I hadn't done was change the basic flavors of the salad. Then I came across a recipe for Thai basil crostini. The concept was simple, but brilliant. Take the elements of a Caprese salad, then swap in Asian ingredients. It went like this:

Caprese Salad                         Thai Basil Tomato Salad

tomatoes                                 tomatoes

Italian basil                              Thai basil

garlic                                       shallots

balsamic vinegar                      rice vinegar

olive oil                                   sesame oil

The substitutions were simple and straightforward. But the change was remarkable. It was still a tomato salad. But on an Asian adventure.

Start with cherry or grape tomatoes. I found these beauties at a farmer's market.

Halve tomatoes and place in a bowl.

Add shallot, sesame oil, rice vinegar, salt and pepper.

Stir and let the tomatoes sit for 15 minutes.

Stir in Thai basil and serve!

Thai Basil Tomato Salad

Recipe adapted from Bon Appetit

2 cups cherry or grape tomatoes, halved

1 small shallot, minced

1 Tbsp toasted sesame oil

1 tsp unseasoned rice vinegar

salt

pepper

1/2 cup thinly sliced Thai basil leaves

1.    In a bowl, combine tomatoes, shallot, sesame oil and rice vinegar. Season with salt and pepper. Let sit for 15 minutes to let flavors meld.

2.    Mix in Thai basil.

3.    Serve.

Makes 2 cups

Kimchi Fried Rice

Lately there have been more and more days when I look at the clock and realize I've got less than 30 minutes to get dinner on the table. There's a lot you can do in 30 minutes if you've planned things out ahead of time. But it's harder if you haven't.

This is a dish that doesn't require much planning. And it's a good way to use up leftover rice. I tend to have  leftover rice in my fridge pretty often because I'm terrible at estimating how much we're going to eat at any given meal.

Kimchi

In addition to the rice, all you need are some eggs and a jar of kimchi.

Kimchi is a Korean condiment of pickled vegetables. It’s usually made with cabbage, but you’ll find kimchi made with radish, cucumbers, or other vegetables. The basic formula is the main vegetable along with garlic, salt, vinegar and chili peppers.

Kimchi is high in fiber, has lots of vitamins, and like yogurt (another fermented food), is full of healthy bacteria.

You can make kimchi yourself, but you can also buy it. It’ll almost definitely be in your Asian grocery store (probably the refrigerated section). I’ve even found it at Stop and Shop. And even though it looks fiery hot, it isn’t always. The jar I bought at the grocery store was pretty mild.

If you’ve ever eaten at a Korean restaurant, you’ve undoubtedly had a dish of kimchi placed on your table. It’s a ubiquitous condiment in Korea, something that’s eaten with everything.

In this recipe, the kimchi gives the rice both flavor and texture. Even after you sauté it, the tender cabbage holds on to a little crunch.

The fried rice is delicious and substantial on its own. But I think it’s even better topped with a fried egg. I love piercing the yolk and watching it run down in a thick, golden river, flavoring the rice underneath it.

Just imagine a bite of flavorful rice and tangy kimchi, laced with puddles of rich egg yolk and bits of salty, crispy egg white.

You’ll quickly become a kimchi convert, like me.

Chop up the kimchi into small pieces.

Saute kimchi in hot oil until all the liquid evaporates and the kimchi starts to brown in spots.

Add the rice. Cook until the rice and kimchi are thoroughly mixed and the rice is hot.

In the meantime, fry up your eggs. Season with salt and pepper. Leave the yolks a little runny so you can mix them up into the rice later.

When the rice is hot, stir in the butter and sesame oil.

To serve, put some rice in a bowl. Top with a fried egg and garnish with scallions and sesame seeds. Pierce the egg yolk with your fork and inhale deeply as the yolk starts to run into the rice. Enjoy!

Kimchi Fried Rice

Adapted from a recipe by Orangette

Use leftover cooked rice for this recipe.

1 Tbsp canola oil

2 cups Napa cabbage kimchi, diced
4 cups leftover, cooked rice
1 Tbsp unsalted butter, plus more for frying eggs
2 tsp sesame oil
Salt
Sesame seeds, for garnish
Sliced scallions
Eggs

1.    Heat the oil in a pan over medium heat. Add the kimchi, and cook for several minutes, until the liquid evaporates and the kimchee begins to brown in spots.

2.    When the kimchi looks right, raise the heat to high, and add the rice, stirring well. Cook, stirring occasionally, for several minutes, until the rice is hot and beginning to brown.

3.    Meanwhile, in another skillet, fry as many eggs as you’d like. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

4.    When the rice is ready, stir in the butter and sesame oil, and season with salt to taste.

5.    Divide between two or three bowls, and top each with a fried egg or two. Garnish with sesame seeds and scallions.

Serves 2 to 3

Char Siu Bao

Our Daring Cooks’ December 2012 hostess is Sara from Belly Rumbles! Sara chose awesome Char Sui Bao as our challenge, where we made the buns, Char Sui, and filling from scratch – delicious!

Dim sum is one of my favorite ways to eat out. For one thing, it's essentially a never-ending series of appetizers (always my favorite part of a meal). I love watching cart after cart roll by, ordering whatever appeals at that moment.

Of course, there are downsides too. I once spent an hour waiting for the lady with the sesame bean paste balls and finally ended up trailing her around the gigantic dining room until she noticed me.

At this point, I've got my definite favorites. In addition to those sesame bean balls, I'm a big fan of anything with seafood. My husband and son, though, are fans of Chinese pork. BBQ pork buns, in particular.

So they were thrilled with this month's Daring Cooks'Challenge -- Char Siu Bao. Char Siu Bao are steamed, spongy buns filled with a sweet/savory filling of chopped pork.

The pork filling is pretty straightforward. You marinate the pork, grill it, then chop it up and stir fry it with some additional flavorings.

The buns, on the other hand, are quite time-consuming. They require kneading, rising, rolling, filling, resting, then steaming. Honestly, even though they came out great, I don't think I'd ever go through all that effort again. Especially considering how little they charge for them at Hei La Moon.

First, the pork. Assemble the ingredients for the marinade. It's a long list, but it results in a tasty sauce.

Combine the marinade ingredients.

Marinate the pork in the marinade and leave the pork in the fridge overnight to soak up all the flavors.

Grill the pork until it's cooked through (you can also bake it if you don't have access to a grill). The recipe said it would take about 15 minutes to cook through. Mine took a lot longer, possibly because it was freezing outside the day I grilled my pork!

Let it rest, then chop it up into tiny pieces.

Heat the shallots in some oil, then add the chopped pork.

Stir in the oyster sauce, dark soy sauce and sesame oil.

Then add the cornstarch/stock mixture. At first it will look liquidy, but it will help to thicken up the mixture. Set the pork mixture aside and let it cool.

Now the buns, or bao. The buns start out with a surprising ingredient (at least, I was surprised) -- milk. You scald the milk, which basically means you heat it to just below boiling.

Then stir in sugar, oil, and salt and let it cool to lukewarm. Letting it cool to lukewarm is a critical step. Once it's lukewarm, you're going to add the yeast. If you add the yeast before the milk has cooled enough, the yeast will die and your buns won't rise. So, once the milk is lukewarm, sprinkle the yeast into the milk. At first nothing will happen.

Over the next 10 to 15 minutes, though, you'll notice some slight bubbling. Soon the surface of the milk will be frothy. This means the yeast has been activated.

Sift the flour into a bowl. Once the milk/yeast mixture is ready, add it to the flour.

Bring the dough together with your fingers.

Then knead it on a lightly floured surface for a few minutes until it's smooth and feels nice and elastic.

Place the dough in a covered bowl for an hour or two until it doubles in size.

Pull off a piece of dough, roll it into a ball in your hands, then roll it with a rolling pin into a 3-inch circle.

Place some of the pork filling into the center of the circle.

Then gather up the edges of the dough at the top.

Place each bun on a small square of parchment paper. Then cover with a damp towel and let the dough rise again for about 20 minutes.

Finally, the buns are ready to cook! Set up a steamer on your stovetop. Pinch the tops of the buns together again (they will probably have come apart a bit while they were resting). This helps the pork filling to stay nice and moist as the buns steam. Leave some room between the buns so they have room to expand.

Steam the buns for about 12 minutes, until the dough is cooked.

Enjoy your homemade dim sum!

Steamed Char Siu Bao

Char Siu (Cantonese BBQ Pork)

1 1.5-pound pork tenderloin

4 large cloves of garlic, crushed

1 tsp ginger, grated

1 Tbsp vegetable oil

1 ½ Tbsp maltose (you can substitute honey)

1 ½ Tbsp honey

2 Tbsp hoisin sauce

1 Tbsp light soy sauce

1 Tbsp dark soy sauce

1 tsp oyster sauce

1 Tbsp shaoxing cooking wine (or dry sherry)

½ tsp black pepper

pinch of salt

½ tsp five spice powder

½ tsp sesame oil

½ tsp red food coloring (optional)

1.      Trim the pork loin to remove fat and tendon and slice lengthways so you have two long pieces, then cut in half. By cutting the pork in to smaller pieces to marinate you will end up with more flavorsome char siu. Place in container that you will be marinating them in.

2.      Combine all the other ingredients in a bowl and mix well to combine.

3.      Cover pork well with ⅔ of the marinade mixture. Marinate for at least 4 hours, or overnight. Place the reserved ⅓ portion of the marinade covered in the fridge. You will use this to baste when cooking the pork.

4.      Place marinated pork loin on the grill of your BBQ.

5.      Cook on a medium heat for 15 to 30 minutes, until cooked through, basting occasionally with the reserved marinade.

Char Siu Bao Pork Filling

3/4 pound char sui (finely diced)

2 green onions/spring onions (finely sliced)

1 Tbsp hoisin sauce

1 Tbsp dark soy sauce

1 tsp sesame oil

¼ cup chicken stock

1 tsp cornstarch

½ Tbsp vegetable oil

1.      Heat the vegetable oil in a wok or pan.

2.      Add diced char sui to the wok/pan and stir then add spring onions, cook for 1 minute.

3.      Add hoisin, dark soy sauce and sesame oil to the pork mixture, stir fry for one minute.

4.      Mix cornstarch and stock together and then add to the pork mixture.

5.      Stir well and keep cooking until the mixture thickens, 1 or 2 minutes.

6.      Remove mixture from wok/pan and place in a bowl to cool. Set aside until ready to use.

Char Siu Bao

1 cup whole milk

¼ cup sugar

1 Tbsp vegetable oil

¼ tsp salt

2½ tsp dried yeast

3 cups all purpose flour

1.      Scald milk. Stir in sugar, oil and salt, then leave to cool until it is lukewarm.

2.      Once it is the right temperature add yeast. Leave until yeast is activated and it becomes frothy, about 10 to 15 minutes.

3.      Sift flour into a large bowl.

4.      Add milk/yeast mixture to the flour. Bring the flour mixture together with your hands.

5.      Place dough on a lightly floured surface and knead for a couple of minutes. The dough should be smooth and slightly elastic.

6.      Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl and cover with a damp cloth. Leave to rise until it is double in size. This will take from 1 to 2 hours.

7.      Punch down dough and divide in to 20 equal portions.

8.      Roll each dough portion in to a 3-inch round.

9.      Place 1 tablespoon of pork filling in the center of the round. Gather the edges together at the top and place on a 3-inch square of baking paper. Repeat until all dough has been used.

10.  Cover with a damp towel and let rise for 20 minutes.

11.  Place a few buns at a time in a steamer, leaving space between the buns.

12.  Heat water in the bottom of the steamer until it is simmering and place steamer on the pan.

13.  Place lid on top of steamer and steam for approximately 12 minutes.

Makes 24 buns.

  

Gingered Veggie Noodle Soup

It was a rookie mistake, going to the grocery store before breakfast. But it was raining, I was already out for school drop off, and I didn't feel like making an extra trip.

So there I was, wandering the aisles. Starving. Before I knew it, there was a bag of Cool Ranch Doritos in my cart.

Sometime around mid-morning, it started calling to me. At first I tried to fight it. It was only another hour until lunch. I could grab a banana instead. Or some yogurt. But it was a losing battle. The Doritos were in my hand. And then they were in my mouth. Not just a chip. Or two. More than I care to admit.

Then the inevitable. The guilt. And disgust. Don't get me wrong. I'm not a health nut. I'm not a person who feels guilty after eating one M&M. But this was just over the top.

All day I tried to get over that feeling of blah. I had a light lunch. I drank green tea in an effort to detox. No luck.

So I decided to make a redemptive dinner. Something light, healthy and nutritious. And, since it was cold and rainy, something warm. Soup. Asian soup. Something with ginger. Something that would placate my disgruntled stomach.

I went to the cupboard first, to make sure I had the basics. Luckily I'd bought a carton of chicken stock last week. There were some thin egg noodles in there too. Next I checked the fridge. Three zucchini and half a bag of baby spinach. And, thank goodness, a big knob of ginger. 

The soup was light and cleansing. Just what I'd wanted. And the rest of those Doritos? Let's just say they won't be tempting me again anytime soon.

Bring the stock and water to a simmer over medium heat. Add sliced ginger and simmer for a few minutes until it's fragrant.

Julienne your zucchini. You can also cut it into small cubes, but I wanted the zucchini to be the same shape as the pasta.

Add the zucchini to the stock, then add the pasta.

After a few minutes, add the baby spinach.

Simmer until the zucchini and pasta are tender, and the spinach is wilted. Taste for salt and pepper. 

Ladle the soup into bowls. Sprinkle with a few drops of sesame oil. If you like it spicy, add some Sriracha or chili garlic sauce. Enjoy!

Gingered Veggie Noodle Soup

Recipe by The Garlic Press

4 cups chicken or vegetable broth

2 cups water

2-inch piece of ginger, cut into 1/2-inch thick disks

2-3 small zucchini, julienned or cut into small cubes

4 to 6 ounces thin egg noodles or other pasta

6 ounces baby spinach, roughly chopped

Salt

Pepper

Sesame oil

1.      Put the chicken or vegetable stock and water in a pot and bring to a simmer over medium heat.

2.      Add the ginger and simmer for about 10 minutes, until the ginger is fragrant.

3.      Add the zucchini, pasta, and baby spinach. Simmer until the pasta is tender.

4.      Taste for salt and pepper.

5.      Ladle the soup into bowls. Drizzle with a few drops of sesame oil.

Note: You can easily make this soup vegetarian by using vegetable broth in place of the chicken broth and substituting a different pasta for the egg noodles.  

Serves 4

Deviled Chinese Tea Eggs with Spicy Mayo

Sarah from Simply Cooked was our November Daring Cooks’ hostess and she challenged us to create something truly unique in both taste and technique! We learned how to cook using tea with recipes from Tea Cookbook by Tonia George and The New Tea Book by Sara Perry.

This summer, as usual, I didn't get my act together to book a proper vacation. It was late July by the time I started looking into vacation rentals and of course by then all the good options were taken. We decided to make the best of it and take a staycation. We do live just outside Boston, after all, and there's no lack of things to see and do here, especially in the summer.

So one August day we hopped on the T and headed downtown. We had plans to walk around Faneuil Hall, visit the Aquarium, and walk part of the Freedom Trail. I'd made lunch reservations and even thought about where to grab a snack (no longer a no-brainer ever since Beard Papa's shut down).

Chinese tea eggs

On our way to Faneuil Hall, I spotted the food trucks, right there in City Hall Plaza. And not just any old foods trucks. There was the Bon Me food truck, winner of the 2010 Boston Food Truck competition! Of course I had to have a taste.

We tried to be reasonable, since it was pretty close to lunch time. So we ordered the Deviled Tea Eggs. Oh my goodness. I love a good deviled egg any time. But top it with spicy mayo, scallions and aleppo pepper and you've just taken me over the top.

So when I saw that this month's Daring Cook's challenge was to cook with tea, I knew exactly what I was going to make.

Chinese tea eggshell

Chinese tea eggs are a common snack in China. The eggs are first boiled until cooked. You remove the eggs from the water and gently tap them to create small cracks all over the shells. Then you simmer them in a spiced tea liquid. I used regular Tetley black tea for my eggs. The spice came from Chinese five-spice powder, a blend of ground cinnamon, star anise, fennel seeds, cloves, and Schezuan peppercorns.

Making Chinese tea eggs is easier than you'd think, given their beautiful, marbled appearance. The tea doesn't make a huge impact in terms of flavor. But the presentation is spectacular.

Slice and eat them with a little salt and a sprinkle of sesame seeds. Or take them a step further, like I did, and transform them into the most beautiful deviled eggs you'll ever eat.

Put your eggs in a large pot and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil over medium heat and simmer for twelve minutes.

Remove the eggs with a slotted spoon and keep the cooking water simmering. With a spoon, tap the eggs all over until they are covered with small cracks. (Or you can tap and roll the eggs very gently on the counter.)

Add the tea leaves or bags, Chinese five spice powder, and salt to the simmering water.

Gently place the eggs back in the water. Cover the pot and simmer for one hour, over gentle heat. Then turn off the heat and let the eggs cool down in the liquid for 30 minutes.

Remove the eggs from the liquid. Peel the eggs. Marvel at the beautiful pattern on the eggs and on the inside of the shells. Allow the eggs to cool fully. You can simply slice the eggs and serve them with a sprinkle of salt and toasted sesame seeds.

 If you'd like to turn the eggs into deviled eggs, slice eggs in half, lengthwise.

Carefully scoop out the yolks, place them in a bowl, and mash them up.

Combine mayonnaise, butter, mustard, cayenne pepper, and salt and black pepper in a separate bowl.

Add the mashed yolks to the mayonnaise mixture. Mix to combine. Taste and adjust seasonings.

In a separate bowl, add the ingredients for the spicy mayo: mayonnaise, Sriracha, and salt.

Mix until combined.

To assemble the deviled eggs, take a small spoon and scoop up the egg yolk mixture. Carefully place it into the hollows of the cooked egg whites. (For a nicer presentation, you can put the egg-yolk mixture into a pastry bag or plastic bag with a corner cut off and pipe the yolks into the eggs.) Top each egg with a small dollop of spicy mayo. Sprinkle with chopped scallions, toasted sesame seeds, and some cayenne.

Serve!

Deviled Chinese Tea Eggs with Spicy Mayo

6 Chinese tea eggs, fully cooled (see recipe, below)

3 Tbsp mayonnaise

1 Tbsp unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 1/2 tsp Dijon mustard

Pinch of cayenne pepper

Salt and pepper to taste

1/4 cup spicy mayo (see recipe, below)

chopped scallions, for garnish

toasted sesame seeds, for garnish

1.      Slice eggs in half, lengthwise. Carefully scoop out the yolks and place them in a bowl. Arrange the whites on a plate.

2.      Finely mash the egg yolks. Add mayonnaise, butter, mustard, cayenne pepper, and salt and black pepper. Mix to combine. Taste and adjust seasonings.

3.      With a small spoon, scoop up egg yolk mixture and place it into the hollows of the cooked egg whites. For a nicer presentation, you can put the egg-yolk mixture into a pastry bag or plastic bag with a corner cut off and pipe the yolks into the eggs.

4.      Top each egg with a small dollop of spicy mayo.

5.      Sprinkle with chopped scallions and toasted sesame seeds.

Makes 12 deviled eggs.

Chinese Tea Eggs

6 eggs (any size)

2 Tbsp black tea leaves or 4 tea bags

2 tsp Chinese five spice powder

1 Tbsp coarse grain salt

toasted sesame seeds, to garnish

1.      In a large enough pot to avoid overcrowding, cover the eggs with cold water. Bring to a boil over medium heat and simmer for twelve minutes.

2.      Remove the eggs with a slotted spoon and keep the cooking water.

3.      With a spoon, tap the eggs all over until they are covered with small cracks. This can also be done by tapping and rolling the eggs very gently on the counter.

4.      Return the eggs to the pan and add the tea leaves or bags, Chinese five spice powder, and salt. Cover the pan.

5.      Heat gently and simmer, covered, for one hour.

6.      Remove the pan from the heat and let the eggs cool down in the liquid for 30 minutes.

7.      Remove the eggs from the liquid. Peel one egg to check how dark it is; the others can be returned to the liquid if you wish to have the web-like pattern darker. Allow the eggs to cool fully.

8.      To serve, peel and slice the eggs in halves or quarters. Sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds.

Makes 6 eggs

Spicy Mayo

1/4 cup mayonnaise

1 tsp Sriracha

salt, to taste

1.      Place ingredients in a bowl. Mix well to combine.

Makes 1/4 cup