Gingered Noodle Salad

Zach and Drew at Delta Ponds



The Silver Fox

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...We've had a wonderful day. Our final destination was a place called Delta Ponds, which is a habitat that's been created adjacent to a stretch of the Willamette River here in town. The ponds are teeming with life at this time of year. So are our grandsons. They needed to burn a little excess energy, so we hiked about five miles of the river trail to get there. They were good, though tired, sports when they realized we could have driven to the ponds directly and they had been tricked. They'll sleep well tonight. So will I. Tucked into the picnic hamper were the remains of the noodle salad I talked about earlier in the week and promised to share with you today. This is very easy to make and uses ingredients that can be found in any major supermarket. If you are unable to find seasoned rice wine vinegar, combine three parts rice wine or cider vinegar with one part of sugar and a big pinch of salt and you'll be fine. If you are unable to find a mango, substitute thin slices of fresh pineapple. The pineapple is not traditional, but it's PDG and works well in this salad. The salad can be held for a day or two before it becomes unappetizing. It works really well as a base for the Chicken Rissoles we featured yesterday. As you skim through the ingredient list, you see that this gorgeous salad is low in fat and calories, as well as being delicious. It is, however, a bit more sour than most salads of this type. I hope you'll give this recipe a try. Paired with a small portion of meat or poultry it makes for a wonderful light summer meal. Here's the recipe.

Gingered Noodle Salad...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite inspired by Gourmet magazine

Ingredients:
Vinaigrette
6 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1-1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1-1/2 to 3 teaspoons chopped peeled fresh ginger
1 teaspoon minced fresh jalapeño chile, including seeds, or to taste
2 teaspoons chopped garlic
Noodles
8 ounces bean thread (cellophane) noodles
1 English cucumber, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced diagonally
1 bunch scallions, thinly sliced diagonally (1 cup)
1 firm-ripe mango, peeled, pitted, and thinly sliced
2 thin carrots, very thinly sliced diagonally
1 cup fresh cilantro sprigs

Directions:
1) To make vinaigrette: Blend all vinaigrette ingredients in a blender until smooth.
2) To make noodles: Soak noodles in cold water in a bowl until pliable, about 15 minutes, then drain in a colander. Cut noodles in half with scissors. Cook noodles in a 4-quart pot of boiling salted water, stirring occasionally, until just tender, about 2 minutes. Drain noodles in colander and rinse under cold water to stop cooking. Drain noodles again well, then spread out on paper towels and blot excess liquid.
3) To assemble salad: Toss noodles with dressing in a bowl. Add cucumber, scallions, mango, and carrots and gently toss until just combined. Serve topped with cilantro sprigs. Yield: 6 servings.

You might also enjoy these recipes:
Long Life Noodles with Pickled Cucumbers - One Perfect Bite
Thai Sweet Chili Noodles - One Perfect Bite
Garlic and Cashew Noodle Salad - Bitchin' Camero
Asian Noodle Salad - Gourmet Traveller
Sesame Soba Noodle Salad - Herbivoracious
Ramen Noodle Salad - Chaos in the Kitchen
Lynne Rossetto Kasper's Rice Noodle Salad - The Wednesday Chef
Moosewood's Soba Noodle Salad - Table and Spoon

Thai Tuna Salad

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...If you've had enough tuna salad to last several lifetimes, I'd like to propose you try this variation. The recipe is similar to one served in Thailand, but it requires no exotic ingredients and can be on the table in about 10 minutes. While standard tuna salads tend to cloy, this one awakens taste buds with the hot, sweet, sour and salty flavors we've come to associate with Thai food. I serve this beautiful salad in lettuce cups but it would also work well with pita bread or flour tortillas. Here's the recipe for a quick Lenten lunch or a simple go-to supper on those nights when you're too tired to cook.

Thai Tuna Salad...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite, adapted from a recipe by Nancie McDermott

Ingredients:
2 (7-oz.) cans chunk tuna, drained
3 tablespoons Thai fish sauce
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon light brown sugar
2 tablespoons thinly sliced shallots or red onion
2 green onions thinly sliced crosswise
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
1 tablespoon coarsely chopped roasted, salted peanuts
1/2 to 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro + cilantro for garnish

Directions:
Combine tuna, fish sauce, lime juice, sugar, shallots, green onions, ginger, peanuts, pepper flakes and 2 tablespoons cilantro in a medium bowl. Toss gently to season tuna. Let stand for 10 to 15 minutes or chill for up to 2 days. Served chilled or at room temperature with lettuce leaves, pita bread or flour tortillas. Yield: 4 servings.

You might also enjoy these recipes:

Swedish West Coast Salad - One Perfect Bite
Margarita Shrimp Salad - One Perfect Bite
Camarones a la Mexicana - One Perfect Bite

Thai-Style Catfish - Plah Toht Kamin

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...I'm told that plah toht kamin is a native Thai dish. I can't speak to the veracity of that because each time I've had the dish it was made by a French chef who was plying his trade in Southeast Asia. Thailand, Cambodia, Laos and, to a lesser degree, Vietnam seem to be magnets for French chefs. I suspect there are more of them in Southeast Asia than there are in France. The fusion of wonderful native cuisine with French technique and talent makes for some fascinating meals, and what native and French chefs are able to do with fish is really amazing. While most of the food we had in Asia was wonderful, our best meals in China were vegetarian and our best meals in Southeast Asia were fish or shellfish. I stopped by the fish market today to see what was available and found some gorgeous looking catfish fillets at bargain prices. I was determined to sidestep my usual blackened preparation and come up with something that, for us, would be new. I remembered the turmeric fried catfish we had in Thailand and Laos and set out to reproduce it. We had a lovely meal this evening. Fish prepared in this manner is really easy to make and can be on the table in about 30 minutes. The only remotely exotic ingredients are turmeric and fish sauce and they can be found in most large supermarkets. Bob really enjoyed this, so it will make an encore performance at the table in the next few weeks. I served the fillets with a Thai cucumber relish and sticky rice. I hope you'll try this. It is remarkably good. Here's the recipe.

Thai-Style Catfish - Plah Toht Kamin...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons chopped garlic
1 tablespoon chopped shallot or scallion
2 teaspoons ground turmeric
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons fish sauce
3 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided use
1-1/4 pounds catfish fillets
Flour for dredging fish
Optional: Thai chili-lime sauce dipping sauce

Directions:
1) Place garlic, shallots, turmeric, sugar, pepper, salt, fish sauce and 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in the bowl of a small food processor. Process to a fairly smooth paste, using a small amount of water if necessary to bring ingredients together. Combine fish fillets and turmeric paste in medium bowl or baking dish, turning fillets to coat evenly with marinade. Let sit for 15 to 20 minutes at room temperature. The fillets can be marinated for up to 24 hours if covered and refrigerated.
2) Place about 1 cup of flour in a pie plate or cake pan. Dredge fillets in flour, shaking off excess. Heat reserved 2 tablespoons oil in a large frying pan set over medium-high heat. When a drop of water sizzles in pan, add fillets and cook, turning once, for 5 to 7 minutes depending on thickness of fillets. Be careful when turning. Transfer to a serving plate and serve with a Thai dipping sauce if desired. Yield: 4 servings.

Chili-Lime Sauce:

Ingredients:
1/4 cup fish sauce
3 tablespoons lime juice
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon finely chopped garlic
1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh hot green chilies
1 teaspoon finely chopped cilantro

Directions:
Combine fish sauce, lime juice, sugar and garlic in a small bowl, stirring until sugar dissolves. Sprinkle with chilies and cilantro. Set aside. Best served at room temperature.

You might also enjoy these recipes:

Thai Fish Cakes with Cucumber Relish from One Perfect Bite
Thai Cucumber Relish from One Perfect Bite
Thai Fresh Pea Soup with Green Curry from One Perfect Bite

Salted Chinese Olive Fried Rice

Chinese olives taste different than Western olives. There is a hint of five spice and very little of the Mediterranean flavor tones. The olives come in two forms, canned with pits and dry packed. Not to be obvious, but if you get the canned ones, you will have to pit it yourself before you cook with them. The dry packed ones look more like a paste than individual olives. This combination of salted olives and rice is lovely marriage, the dry packed olives which is not as salty, more liquorice like complement the bland rice very well.




Ingredients:

1/3 lb. small fresh shrimp, shelled and diced
2 eggs
10 Chinese salted black olives - chopped
4 garlic - chopped
1/2 lb. ground pork
2 tsp. fish sauce
4 cups long grain cooked rice - preferably leftover
6-8 Thai chillies, cut into very thin rounds
1/3 cup vegetable oil
Cilantro sprigs

Method:

Heat the oil in a wok until it is hot, add the shrimp and stir fry until the color has become pink and cooked through. Remove from wok, leaving behind the oil and set aside.

Toss in the ground pork and garlic and stir-fry, breaking the pork into little bits as it cooks. When most of the pork has changed color, add the eggs and stir to combine. When eggs are set add in the chopped salted olives.

Loosen the grains of the leftover rice before tossing into the wok. Stir-fry for several minutes until the rice is well heated through and well mixed with the pork and olives. Add in the cooked shrimps and adjust the taste with fish sauce.

Garnish rice with cilantro sprigs and cut chillies.


Serves

Thai Green Curry

This Green Curry recipe features chicken but could also be prepared with beef, pork or fish. If sweet basil leaves are not available, you may substitute European basil, or leave it out altogether. I have included the recipe for the Green Curry Paste but the ready-mixed paste is just as good. I like the brand - Mae Ploy.



Ingredients:

For the Curry Paste:
4-6 jalapeno or 1/2 cup of thai green chillies
2 tbsp. chopped shallots
2 tsp. grated galangal
1 tsp. zest of one lime
2 tsp. chopped garlic
2 tbsp. chopped ginger
2 tbsp. grated lemongrass
1/2 tsp. cumin seeds - toasted
1/2 tsp. coriander seeds - toasted
1/2 tsp Salt
Ingredients for the curry:
2 cups sliced vegetables (eggplant, potato, broccoli, green or red peppers, etc.)
3/4 cup sliced Onion
1/2 lb chicken pieces - bite-sizes
1 tsp brown/palm sugar
2 tbsp. fish sauce
6 kaffir lime Leaves
4 stems of thai basil
1 can 400 ml coconut milk - Savoy brand
1 cup of water

Method:

If you wish to pound in the traditionally way, put Curry Paste ingredients in mortar. Pound with pestle until everything is mixed and ground thoroughly. Make sure there are no seeds left uncrushed. I do not own a mortar and pestle so i use the food processor, but if you have to use the blender, add in 1/2 cup oil to fasilitate movement for blending.

Green Curry:

Pour coconut milk into saucepan/wok and turn on medium heat. Stir until oil appears on the top.

Add green curry paste and chicken and stir until almost done.

Add vegetables, fish sauce, water, sugar and turn heat up and stir a little.

When everything is cooked, put in thai basil and kaffir lime leaves.

Serve with Jasmine Rice or Sticky Rice

Serves

Chicken Feet Salad

Although eating chicken feet is an acquired taste, those who love to eat chicken feet will swear by it. It is a delicacy in its own right. Chicken feet can be cooked in many ways. Popular ways of cooking chicken feet are deep frying it and then stew, most people prefer these fried chicken feet cos if well done, the bones can be removed from the skin easily at a monthful. However, I would like to share another not so common but healthy chicken feet dish. This is a popular delicacy and although it looks complicated, it can be prepared quite easily at home. It is an appetizer and is eaten cold. This dish need boneless chicken feet of which one has to be skillful to take out the bones from the feet but ready deboned chicken feet is available in the asian stores.





Ingredients:

300 gm boneless chicken feet

100 gm big onion (cut strips)

4 shallots (cut slices)

Seasoning

3 tbsp lime juice

2 tbsp sugar

2 tbsp fish sauce

6 chilli padi (chopped)

Garnishing

1 stalk of cilantro (cut finely)

cucumber (cut into strips)

2 red chillies (cut into strips)

Method:

Scald the chicken feet with boiling water, cool with cold water, then soak in ice water for 20 mins.

Drain off water, add in big onion, shallots and seasonings.

Mix well, Garnish with cilantro, cucumber & chilli strips.

Note:

To have your own chicken feet boned, get whole chicken feet that are fat and plump.

Clean them well and chop off the tips and claws.

Use a small sharp knife to ease out the skin. Do it slowly to prevent any breakage of the skin.

Steep deboned chicken feet with 1 tbsp kan sui in the fridge overnight.
Wash and drain well
Blanch the feet into a pot of boiling water for a few minutes.
Drain and plunge them straight into a big basin of ice-cold water.

Chicken In Pandan Leaves

In Malaysia, almost every kitchen garden which is the backyard, the ground by the road which is across the house or where ever there is soil, boasts a pandanus plant. The leaves of which are used in both savoury and sweet dishes. The flavor of Pandan is wholly unique and the taste is almost indescribable.The leaves impart a perfume flavor to the foods they contact and it does give this chicken dish it's signature.

BEFORE FRYING

AFTER FRYING

Ingredients:

1 lb diced chicken meat (i prefer chicken thighs)
Oil for deep-frying
40-50 pcs big pandan leaves, washed and wiped dried

Seasoning:
60 g shallots, chopped
30 g garlic, chopped
1 tablespoon lemongrass (white part only), grated

1 tablespoon galanga, grated(the original recipe calls for coriander roots)
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons fish gravy
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon tumeric powder
2 tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon black soy sauce

Method:

Marinate diced chicken meat with seasoning for 2-3 hours.

Wrap up chicken meat neatly with pandan leaves (refer below)

Heat up the oil for deep-frying, deep-fry the chicken till golden brown.

Dish and drain.

Serve hot and enjoy the aroma and flavor.

Note: Pandan chicken can also be wrapped and keep in the fridge. Deep-fry in hot oil before serving. It can also be baked for a more healthy way of cooking.

How to wrap:

Ground Pork and Holy Basil Paste

My friend Tahai from Thailand got me hooked on Holy Basil. She sent me a packet of Holy Basil chilly Paste and it was so good with Chicken. I was so happy that i found bottled ones and gave it a try with ground pork. Yes, this dish is delicious and easy.

Ingredients:

1 pound ground pork

1 bottle of Lee's Chilli Paste With Holy Basil

Method:

Heat oil and add in ground pork to brown.

Add in the chilli paste with holy basil and fry until well combined.

Serve with white rice

Serves