Pad Thai

 Pad thai (ผัดไทย) is probably the most famous Thai dish around the world but it is also one of the least traditional dishes in Thai cuisine.

Ingredients

• 4 oz. Thai rice noodles (sen lek or เส้นเล็ก)
• 1 cup bean sprouts
• 6 Chinese chives (or scallions)
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 tablespoons tamarind concentrate
• 2 tablespoons palm sugar
• 1 shallot , finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon pickled turnip (optional)
• ½ cup extra firm tofu
• ½ lime
• 2 tablespoons crushed peanut
• 4 shrimps
• ½ teaspoon crushed chili
• 3 cloves garlic , minced
• 4 teaspoons fish sauce (namh pla or น้ำปลา)
• 1 egg
• Black pepper

Instructions

• Start by soaking the dry noodles in water at room temperature while preparing the other ingredients, about 30 minutes.
• The noodles should end up being soft but not mushy.
• Roast the peanuts in a pan without oil for a few minutes.
• Cut tofu into thin 1-inch (2,5cm) strips.
• Fry the tofu separately in a pan with a little oil until golden brown.
• Cut Chinese chives into 1-inch strips (2,5cm) diagonally.
• Set aside a few pieces of fresh chive for garnish.
• Rinse bean sprouts and keep half for garnish.
• Heat cast iron skillet or heavy bottomed pan over high heat and add vegetable oil.
• Add shallot, pickled turnip (optional), garlic and tofu and stir until they begin to brown.
• Drain noodles and add to the skillet. Stir quickly to prevent the noodles from sticking.
• Add the tamarind concentrate, palm sugar, fish sauce and chili. Stir.
• Keep on high heat so that the liquid evaporates.
• Make room for the egg by pushing the noodles to the sides of the pan.
• Break the egg in the middle of the pan and stir until it is almost cooked.
• Stir the egg in the noodles. The noodles should be soft and tender.
• If the noodles are too hard and undercooked, add a little water.
• Add shrimps and stir. Sprinkle with pepper.
• Add the bean sprouts and chives and stir.
• Pour the mixture on a serving platter and sprinkle with crushed chili and peanuts.
• Serve hot with a wedge of lime on the side, and fresh Chinese chives and bean sprouts on top.
• Add Sambal or crushed chili to spice it up.

Kofta Curry

 Kofta curry is a recipe for deliciously spiced traditional Pakistani meatballs, that are served in a creamy sauce and saffron rice.

Ingredients

For the koftas

• 1½ lb ground beef
• 3 small onions , chopped (about 2 cups/400g)
• 2 teaspoons garam masala
• 2 teaspoons ground ginger
• 1½ teaspoon chili powder
• 1 bunch cilantro
• 1 fresh hot pepper , finely chopped (optional)
• Salt
• Pepper

For the sauce

• 3 onions , chopped
• 5 cloves garlic , chopped
• 1 (2-inch) piece ginger , chopped
• 2½ teaspoons turmeric
• 2½ teaspoons ground cumin
• 2½ teaspoons Cayenne pepper
• 3½ teaspoons garam masala
• 1 hot pepper , finely chopped (optional)
• 2 cups tomato sauce
• 1½ lb tomatoes , peeled, seeded and crushed
• 1¼ cup yogurt
• Vegetable oil
• Salt
• Pepper

For the saffron rice

• 2 cups basmati rice
• 2 onions , chopped
• 7 tablespoons vegetable oil
• ¼ teaspoon saffron (or ground saffron)
• 2½ teaspoons cumin seeds
• Salt
• Pepper

Instructions

Kofta curry

• Mix all the kofta ingredients in a bowl.
• Form small meatballs the size of a walnut and place on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Place in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
• Sweat the onion in a pan with hot oil over medium heat. Add garlic, ginger, chili and spices and sauté for 5 minutes, stirring constantly.
• Add the meatballs and sauté them so that they are golden on all sides.
• Add the tomato sauce and the crushed tomatoes, season with salt and pepper and cook over medium heat for about 30 minutes.
• Add the yogurt and continue cooking on low heat for about 15 minutes.
• Serve the meatballs, topped with the sauce. Sprinkle with chopped fresh cilantro. Serve saffron rice on the side (recipe below)

Saffron rice

• Rinse the rice and drain well.
• Sweat the chopped onion over medium heat in a pan with hot oil. When translucent, add saffron and cumin seeds and mix for one minute.
• Add the rice and mix for 5 minutes until the rice soaks the oil and turns yellow.
• Add 3 cups (750 ml) of boiling water, and add salt.
• Bring to a boil then reduce heat to low. Cover as tightly as possible and cook for about 20 minutes.

Kimchi Fried Rice

 

Kimchi fried rice or kimchi-bokkeum-bap (김치 볶음밥) is a variety of bokkeum-bap (fried rice) popular in Korea. Fried rice with kimchi is mainly composed of kimchi and rice, as well as other ingredients, such as diced vegetables or meat such as spam.

Ingredients

• 4 oz. spam bacon or diced ham
• 8 oz. kimchi 
• 4 tablespoons kimchi juice
• ½ small onion diced
• 2 scallions chopped
• 1 small carrot finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon gochujang (hot pepper paste)
• 2 cups short-grain rice steamed
• ½ tablespoon sesame oil
• Salt
• Pepper
• 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
• 2 fried eggs hot
• 1 sheet roasted gim (dried seaweed)
• Vegetable oil

Instructions

• Add 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil in a large pan over medium heat.
• Add the pieces of spam, bacon or ham.
• Brown until the pieces are lightly golden.
• Add the onion and 1 scallion and brown quickly over high heat.
• Add the kimchi, carrot, kimchi juice, soy sauce and gochujang. Stir and sauté for 4 minutes.
• Add a tablespoon of vegetable oil and mix.
• Add the rice and reduce over medium-low heat. Stir until everything is well mixed and cook for 4 minutes. Once the rice is evenly coated with seasoning, increase the heat and continue to fry the rice, stirring occasionally.
• Season with salt and pepper to taste.
• Add the sesame oil and half the sesame seeds.
• Serve and garnish with a fried egg, the rest of the sesame seeds, strips of dried seaweed and the rest of the scallion.

Notes

It is best to use a well-fermented kimchi for the rich, robust flavor it develops.

Miso Ramen

Ingredients

• 80-100g/2.8-3.5oz fresh egg noodles (note 1)
• 400ml/13.5oz Home-made Ramen Broth (boiling hot, note 2)
• 2½ tbsp Miso Flavouring Base

Miso Flavouring Base (makes about 150ml)

• 1 tbsp sake
• ½ tbsp mirin
• ½ tbsp soy sauce
• 120g/4.2oz miso (brown)
• ½ tbsp sugar
• ½ tbsp ground white sesame seeds
• 1 tsp garlic , grated
• ½ tsp ginger , grated
• ½ tsp chilli bean paste (note 3)

Moyashi Ramen Toppings

• 1 tbsp oil
• 1 tsp ginger finely chopped
• 80g/2.8oz pork mince
• 3 tbsp shallots/scallions , finely chopped
• 1½ cups bean sprouts
• 1 tsp Miso Flavouring Base diluted in 2 tsp water
• ½ tsp soy sauce

Sapporo Ramen Topping

• 2  slices  Yakibuta (Braised Pork)
• 1 ½ tbsp dried wakame seaweed pieces , rehydrated
• 5 strips of menma (seasoned bamboo shoots, note 4)
• 3 tbsp sweet corn kernels (boiled fresh corn, canned or frozen - defrosted)
• 2  tbsp  finely julienned shallots/scallions , curled in iced water

Instructions

Miso Flavouring Base

1. Place a small saucepan with sake and mirin in it over low heat. 

2. When it starts boiling, add the remaining Miso Flavouring Base ingredients and mix well. The miso mixture becomes pasty and when small bubbles start appearing, turn the heat off.

3. If you are not in a hurry, transfer the miso paste to an air-tight container and store in the fridge overnight before using to allow development of good flavour.

Moyashi Miso Ramen

1. Place 2½ tablespoons of Miso Flavouring Base in a serving bowl.

2. Boil water in a saucepan and cook noodles as per the instructions and drain.

3. While boiling the water in the saucepan, heat a frying pan with oil in it over medium high heat.

4. Add ginger and pork mince and cook for 1 to 1½ minutes, breaking the mince but keeping some larger chunks.

5. When the mince is cooked through, add ⅔ of copped shallots, bean sprouts and stir-fry for 30 seconds.

6. Add the miso flavouring and soy sauce and stir for another 30 seconds. Turn the heat off.

7. Add a small amount of Ramen Broth to the bowl with miso, mix and dilute the miso base. 

8. Add the remaining Ramen Broth keeping about 50ml and taste test. Adjust the saltiness with remaining Ramen Broth.

9. Add the noodles topped with the bean sprouts stir-fry. Sprinkle the remaining chopped shallots over and serve immediately.

Sapporo Miso Ramen

1. Place 2½ tablespoons of Miso Flavouring Base in a serving bowl.

2. Boil water in a sauce pan and cook noodles as per the instructions and drain.

3. Add a small amount of Ramen Broth to the bowl with miso, mix and dilute the miso base. 

4. Add the remaining Ramen Broth keeping about 50ml and taste test. Adjust the saltiness with remaining Ramen Broth.

5. Add the noodles. Place Yakibuta slices, menma strips, wakame seaweed and sweet corn, topped with julienned shallots, in the middle.

Recipe Notes

1. Time to cook noodles varies depending on the type of noodles as well as your preference. Follow the instructions on the pack as a guideline.

2. Please visit my post, Home-made Ramen Broth Recipe.

3. Chilli bean paste is called doubanjiang or toban-djan (豆板醤). You can buy a bottle of doubanjian at Asian grocery stores.

4. Menma is fermented and seasoned bamboo shoots strips. See the photo below.

Menma is a must-have topping of the simple ramen which consists of just a couple of slices of pork and shopped shallots/scallions.

They are sold either in a glass bottle or in a vacuumed plastic bag. You can buy menma at Japanese/some Asian stores.

5. Miso flavouring base can be kept in the fridge for a week or so. It can also be frozen.