Fried Spicy Noodles

Dave DeWitt Leave a Comment

I like the way the cooks at Ruen Pair prepare their Khii Mao or “drunkard’s noodles.” It is less elaborate than some, but I prefer its simplicity. This is a typical bar food dish in Thailand, intended to be washed down with buckets of Singha beer. Don’t be afraid to make it as spicy as you can stand—it will certainly be true to the original. Stir-frying noodles isn’t hard, but it does require a lot of oil. To minimize the amount of oil used, add a little at a time as you cook the noodles.

Ingredients

  • 1 pound chicken breast

  • 4 tablespoons oil

  • 3 garlic cloves, crushed

  • 1 pound fresh wide, flat rice noodles (Sen Yai)

  • 2 tablespoons soy sauce

  • 2 tablespoons fish sauce

  • 2 to 8 Thai chiles, chopped coarsely

  • 1 small bunch Thai basil

  • White or black pepper to taste

Instructions

Slice the chicken breast into strips 1/4-inch wide. Heat the oil in a wok and add garlic. As soon as the garlic begins to cook, add the chicken and cook for a few minutes. Remove from heat and set aside, saving the oil. Stir fry the noodles in the oil with the soy sauce until cooked, then add the chicken breast. Mix together and add fish sauce, chiles, and basil leaves. Toss in a wok, remove from heat and add pepper. Serve with vast quantities of Thai beer.

Madras Mango Chutney

Dave DeWitt Leave a Comment

Thanks to Arthur Pais for this recipe. Arthur, born and raised in Madras, India, knows his region and certainly knows his food. Madras is known for its fiery food and excellent cuisine, and Arthur says that every home has at least two varieties of chile preserves in the pantry at all times. “Over many front doors hang a string of green chiles to ward off the evil eye,” he noted. This is an excellent accompaniment to grilled salmon.

Ingredients

  • 6 serrano chiles, stems and seeds removed, minced

  • 3 large ripe mangoes, peeled and diced

  • 1/2 onion, minced

  • 1 teaspoon fenugreek seeds

  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

  • 1 tablespoon mustard seeds

  • 1 teaspoon turmeric powder

  • Salt to taste

Instructions

In a bowl, combine the chiles, mangoes, and onion. Crush the fenugreek seeds into a coarse powder and add it to the mango mixture.

Heat the oil in a skillet and add the mustard seeds. When they begin to pop, remove them from the heat and transfer to a bowl. Add the turmeric, salt and the chile-mango mixture. Mix well and serve with grilled salmon.

Khaz Bay Salmon with Soba Noodles and Ginger Sauce

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Developed by Tara Zuluaga, the Home Shore’s kayak charter chef, this recipe graces Alaska salmon, soba noodles, and sautéed vegetables with a creamy ginger-garlic sauce. Although this version of the recipe calls for grilled salmon, baking the fish also produces excellent results.

Ingredients

The Marinade:

  • 1/2 cup honey

  • 1/2 cup lime juice

  • 1/2 cup soy sauce

  • 3 teaspoons brown sugar

  • Salmon:

  • 2 pounds skin-on Alaska salmon fillets (chinook, coho, or king), about 1 inch thick

  • Vegetable oil

The Sauce:

  • 3/4 cup dry white wine

  • 1 tablespoon fresh garlic, minced

  • 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, minced

  • 1/2 cup cream

  • 1/2 teaspoon salt

  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

  • 1/2 cup butter, cut into small pieces

  • 2 tablespoons lime juice

  • Vegetables and Noodles:

  • 1 8-ounce package of chucka soba or yaki soba noodles

  • 2 tablespoons hot sesame oil

  • 1 small onion, thinly sliced

  • 1 1/2 cup thinly sliced mushrooms

  • 1 1/2 cup sugar snap peas

  • 1 tablespoon soy sauce

The Garnish:

  • 1 tablespoon sesame seeds

  • 2 tablespoons thinly sliced green onions

  • 1/2 cup thinly sliced red bell peppers

Instructions

Whisk the marinade ingredients in small (1 quart) mixing bowl until well combined. Place the salmon in a casserole dish, coat it with the marinade, and refrigerate it for one hour.

Meanwhile, begin working on the sauce. In a medium (2- to 3-quart) saucepan, bring the wine to a boil over high heat. Add the ginger and garlic and boil for 1 minute. Reduce the heat medium-low and simmer the mixture until it is reduced by half. Add the cream and continue to simmer the mixture over medium-low heat (do not allow it to boil) until it is again reduced by half. Stir in the salt and pepper. Add the butter gradually, stirring in one piece at a time with a wooden spoon, until it is fully incorporated. Reduce the heat to low until the salmon is ready. Whisk in the lime juice just before serving the sauce.

After the salmon has marinated for one hour, pour off the marinade and set aside. Brush the meat side of the fillet with vegetable oil using a pastry brush, and grill it over hot coals, meat side down, until it is slightly browned about 3 to 4 minutes). Turn the fillet, skin side down, and brush it with the reserved marinade. Grill the fillet over low heat for 5 minutes. Check for doneness by gently breaking open the fillet its thickest part with a fork. If the meat is barely opaque, remove the fillet from the grill. If the fillet is still translucent in the center, grill it for 1 minute and re-check for doneness. Continue this process until the fillet is just opaque at its thickest part.

Meanwhile, soak the chucka soba or yaki soba noodles in a large (3- to 4- quart) saucepan filled with warm (not hot) water for 2 minutes. Drain the noodles and set aside. Preheat a wok or a medium (2- to 3-quart) skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon of the sesame oil to the preheated wok or skillet and wait for 1 minute. Stir in the onion, mushrooms, and snap peas.

Sauté the vegetables over medium-high heat for 2 to 3 minutes, or until they are tender but still crisp. Set the vegetables aside. Add the drained soba noodles to the wok or skillet and coat them with the soy sauce and the remaining sesame oil. Add the vegetables to the wok or skillet and mix them into the noodles until they are well combined. Serve the salmon over the vegetable- noodle mixture and top the combination with warm ginger sauce.

Sprinkle the dish with the garnishes as desired.

 

Penang Curry

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It may seem like cheating, but I like to use canned curry paste for this dish since it avoids the work of chopping and pounding that homemade curry paste involves. This dish takes its name from the northern Malaysian port city, but in Thailand the sauce is creamier and richer than the dry dark curries popular there.

Ingredients

  • 3 cups coconut milk

  • 2 tablespoons coconut cream

  • 1 tablespoon cooking oil

  • 1/4 cup Penang curry paste

  • 1 pound lean beef sliced across the grain into strips approximately 1/4-inch wide

  • 4 kaffir lime leaves, sliced into thin strips

  • 3 to 8 Thai chiles (bird’s eye), sliced thinly

Instructions

To separate the coconut milk and cream, open a can of coconut milk, scoop the cream off the top and reserve.

Heat the oil in a wok or small saucepan over high heat. Add the curry paste and fry for one minute. Add 1/2 cup of the coconut milk and boil for another four minutes or until thickened. Add beef strips and cook until nearly done, then add the remaining coconut milk. Boil together until thickened slightly. Before serving, swirl coconut cream into the curry and garnish with lime leaves and sliced chiles. Serve with fresh white rice.

Chicken with Basil

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“Holy” basil is widely available in Thai stores. The stems are purple and the leaves are pointed, distinguishing it from regular sweet basil. I actually prefer the flavor to “regular” basil—it’s slightly more bitter and fragrant, with a unique aroma. The basil doesn’t require much cooking, as too much heat makes it bitter and destroys the delicate flavor.

Ingredients

  • 3 tablespoons oil

  • 2 garlic cloves, crushed

  • 1/2 pound chicken breast, chopped coarsely

  • 1 tablespoon fish sauce

  • 4 fresh red chiles, sliced lengthwise

  • 1 large bunch of Thai “holy” basil

Instructions

Heat the oil in a wok and fry the garlic until fragrant. Add the chicken breast, and cook over high heat for a few minutes. Add fish sauce and chiles and cook for a few minutes more. Add the basil and toss together until cooked.