Asian

Laab

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Some people claim, “I do not care for Asian food.” That’s plain absurd. When I hear that asinine statement, I find eye-rolling to be the best evasive tactic for knocking sense into the commenter with a wok. Simply put: if you don’t like Asian food, I don’t like you (and I think you might kick babies for fun). Asian food hits the mark on nearly every check list: flavorful, cheap, filling, comfort, exotic, depth and complexity of flavors, healthful, vegetable filled, quick cooking, and so on and so on. Most importantly – nearly every ingredient in most Asian dishes (minus meat and noodles/rice) is a CANCER FIGHTER. Good food that fights all the bad shit carcinogens that we cannot help but stuff our faces with in the West? In!

Rant over, for now. Laab is a dish that fulfils all the aforementioned criteria of why Asian food is awesome. Laab is a Loatian dish (Thailand has a version as well) that is nothing short of a damn miracle on a plate. Traditionally, it is made with some animal variety (bawk, quack, oink) – minced or ground – cooked with traditional Asian ingredients. I’m partial to making a huge batch and using it in different applications or freezing it (because I have leftovers so often). I like to make lettuce wraps with lots of crunchy veg on top and serve it with a generous variety of toppings and sauces. You can use whatever meat you desire: pork is most flavorful but least healthful (pork actually has very little nutritional quality), chicken or turkey will be most waist-and-other-diet friendly. I believe I used ground turkey and ground chicken thighs and I did not hear any complaints. The beauty of this meal is that you can indulge and feel damn healthy doing it.

I typically add yellow squash and zucchini to up the nutrition factor. The combo you are trying to achieve is a salty-sweet-spicy-acidic combo that perfectly blends each element yielding a balanced bite that offers depth of flavor. Use your palate and add more sugar if you added too much fish sauce, take down the heat with less jalapeños (I personally prefer to use very little jalapeños in lieu of Sriracha) or give it some extra acidity.

Laab

Serves 4-8

Larb

Two pounds ground pork, chicken or turkey (or a combo or these)

Three Garlic Cloves, finely minced

Two shallots, finely minced

One Yellow Squash, halved and sliced

One Zucchini Squash, halved and sliced 

One Jalapeño, seeded and minced (reserve one quarter unminced for garnish)

Two tablespoons Fish Sauce 

One tablespoon Hoison Sauce 

Good pinch of brown sugar

Juice of one lime (lemon can work as well)

Decent squirt of Sriracha 

One tablespoon vegetable oil (hot chili, sesame and grapeseed oil also work)

Half-cup chopped cilantro

Half-cup chopped mint

Half-cup chopped basil

Salt and freshly ground pepper

One head of lettuce (Boston, Romaine or Butter are my favorite), separated into leave

Garnish 

Veg: Paper thin Radishes, Julienned Carrots and Julienned Cucumbers

Herbs: Mint, Basil, Cilantro

Sauce: Hoison, Soy, Sriracha 

Chopped Peanuts

Crispy Shallots 

Lime Wedges 

Jalapeños sliced very thin

In a bowl, mix the ground meat, garlic, shallots and minced jalapeño. In another bowl, combine a lime juice, fish sauce, hoison sauce, brown sugar and Sriracha and mix well. Heat the oil to medium heat in a large skillet and add squash (if using), lightly salting them. Let them cook about three minutes and remove from skillet. If more oil is needed, add and let heat. Once hot, add the meat mixture and brown over a high heat – stirring to break the mass up. Cook about five minutes or until there is no longer any pink remaining in the meat. Turn heat off, and add the the liquid mixture, the squash and zucchini and herbs to the pan. Mix well then let it all soak in for a few minutes – adjust any seasoning as you wish (and add salt and pepper).  Let stand for 5 minutes. Transfer the meat to a bowl; stir in the herbs. Season with salt and pepper. Prepare the garnish platter of lime wedges, hoison, Sriracha, soy sauce, sliced radishes, julienned carrots and cucumbers, fresh mint, basil, and cilantro, crispy shallots, Jalapeños and peanuts. Serve with lettuce as a build your own lettuce wrap.

Somen with Ginger Scallion Sauce

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This past Saturday I had made plans to go to my friend Susanna’s for dinner. This small feeding experience quickly turned into a 10 person dinner party. This expansion was a) totally predictable and b) fervently welcomed (I heart my friends)! Most of you undoubtedly know that it IS HATCH GREEN CHILE SEASON (!!!!!!) and I have been getting requests, and cravings,  for hatch green chile mac and cheese and hatch green chili pulled pork.  Susanna and I planned, in the wee hours of the morning, to make that for dinner. So when I woke up at two in the afternoon, at which time I  grouchily reprimanded her for keeping me up chatting until the wee hours of the morning, I was forced to ask what the backup plan for dinner was because pulled pork was not happening until three am the next day (at the earliest).  Luckily,  Susanna had a request for Larb (or Laab depending on your region) from Big Jimmy, so the plan was to do an Asian menu: Larb as the appetizer; veggie stir fry, Somen noodles, and marinated flank steak. As the day wore on I added General Tso’s chicken to that list due to the insatiably strong resistance of a craving I could not keep at bay. The menu changed again when J and K Bear, fresh off the plane from Alaska, brought over 20 pounds of fresh salmon. I have to say this was the best menu addition! The salmon was fresh and delicious and complimented the meal perfectly. The flank steak was abandoned in the fridge to be enjoyed later in the week.

The main reason I was excited about Asian, apart from it’s generally being awesome sauce, was because I got to re-browse through Momofuku. It is a Greek tragedy, but Momofuku has been accumulating dust since I have run out of cookbook browse time (well free time is one issue, the reading of the Hunger Games, 50 Shades, and Millennium Trilogies really sucked up most of my cookbook browse time). Travesty, I know. The book inspired me to make the somen as a separate dish from either the stir fry or protein. Somen with Ginger Scallion Sauce. The result, though adapted to utilize available ingredients, was delicious and easy peasy. As the book states, the sauce can top anything from noodles to meats and can be used for a few days. If serving with noodles, remember to serve with side accoutrement of sriracha, somen dipping sauce or soy, and hoison as the sauce is not liquid heavy – and because those ingredients are just plan tasty.

Note: you can use homemade crispy shallots or the store-bought brand Lars Crispy Onions. Additionally, you need to use a neutral oil – such as grapeseed – so that the other flavors are not overpowered. I did not have grapeseed and used peanut and olive oil. It’s  fine, just expect the oil to carry the more predominant flavors of the oil than with grapeseed oil.

Somen with Ginger Scallion Sauce

Serves 8-10

Somen, three bunches
Dried shallots
Light soy sauce
Hoison
Sriracha
Ginger Scallion Sauce

Ginger Scallion Sauce
Adapted very slightly from Momofuku

Two bunches green onions, thinly sliced
Large knob of fresh ginger (finely minced it should be about a half cup)
One and one half teaspoon light soy sauce
Three Fourths Teaspoon Sherry Vinegar ( I used a half teaspoon Sherry Wine and a fourth teaspoon rice wine vinegar
Three fourths teaspoon salt, adjusted to taste
One fourth cupgrapeseed oil (I used half peanut, half olive)

Boil water for noodles as instructed. The noodles should take a maximum of three minutes to cook, so make sure to cook them after you have prepared the sauce.

In a medium bowl, combine the green onions, ginger, soy sauce, vinegar, and oil and mix well. Add salt slowly and taste before adding more. Adjust flavors according to taste (for example I used a bit more ginger and added some soy sauce). Reserve and allow to sit for at least 30 minutes so that the flavors can hang out and get all awesome. When the noodles have been cooked, top them with the sauce and LIGHTLY Drizzle Soy sauce around the sides of the serving bowl and mix together well. Top with the crispy onions and serve with soy (or favorite noodle base), sriracha, and hoison so that everyone can customize their noodle bowl!

Miso-Garlic Sweet Potatoes

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Miso-Garlic Sweet Potatoes

Ever so slowly, I’m beginning to incorporate sweet potatoes into meals. I am fully aware of the loaded nutrient punch that sweet potatoes throw; however, eating potatoes is very hard for me. Being the daughter of an Englishman is wonderful on many levels. Travel opportunities abound and all your friends love your dad’s accent and it’s Britain, and Britain is amazing. However, one of the negative side effects is that I ate more potatoes than an enthusiastic Idaho resident in the midst of marathon training. A side effect from the thousands of potatoes consumed during my formative years: a general aversion to potatoes of all kinds with the exception of Purple Peruvian Potatoes. Purple potatoes make the cut for three reasons: 1) the awesome alliteration; 2) they are purple and I love purple things; and, 3) In Costa Rica, I was lucky enough to have the world’s best Purple potatoes from my awesome chicken lady and I tend to recreate them and relish the memories and the food. The side effects of the side effects are also my justification for not liking French fries until fairly recently.

So long story long, sweet potatoes are full of beneficial nutrients and a good source of carbs for those with an active work-out regimen. I will not touch sweet preparations of sweet potatoes, but this savory preparation compliments the natural sweetness of the orange starch whilst delivering a savory bite with an umami finish. Miso paste is a good source of umami and a breeze to make into a sauce. I roasted these with some miso and garlic paste and then made additional sauce to pour over the hot potatoes (oh how cliché) after removing them from the oven. The result is a triumph of texture that is given a lovely silky texture from the sauce and rendered slightly crispy with a soft center from the roasting. By all means, if you want to throw some rendered duck fat into the pan feel free.   I ended up throwing what I had leftover into some quinoa a couple days later. You could also make a mash with these same ingredients and a different preparation.

Note: I used roasted garlic that I had from the chicken that I was roasting immediately prior to roasting the sweet potatoes. You can use fresh garlic that has been made into a paste or  even powdered garlic if you have no other options. Whole Foods sells pre-roasted garlic, so you can always skip all the prep work on roasting it (simple as the process is we all have our days) and pick it up.

Miso Garlic Sweet Potatoes

Two medium sweet potatoes, washed and cut into half-inch cubes
Six roasted garlic cloves (more or less to taste)
Four tablespoons Miso Paste
One tablespoon Sriracha (optional or to taste)
One tablespoon Mirin
Salt and Pepper
Two tablespoons Toasted Sesame Oil or Garlic Olive Oil

Optional Garnish

Two tablespoons toasted sesame seeds
Chopped Chives or Scallions

On a large baking sheet, toss the cut sweet potatoes with two tablespoons oil (using more if necessary to coat), two tablespoons miso paste, and a couple god pinches of salt and black pepper. Roast on 375 degrees for about 50 minutes, removing halfway through to stir the potatoes. Test with your eyes and a fork – the outside should be crispy and nicely browned and the inside should be tender. Shortly before removing the potatoes, mix the remaining Miso paste (using more at your discretion), garlic cloves, sriracha, and mirin very well mashing the softened garlic cloves. To achieve a more liquidy consistency or to subdue the miso, you may need to add more Mirin. Remove the potatoes and put into a serving vessel. Pour the sauce on top and stir to coat gently. Garnish with sesame seeds that have been toasted for a few minutes in a dry pan on the stove and scallions if desired.

Blueberry and Artic Char Tartare

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The dog days of Texas’ summer are rough. Texans are now virtually either confined to our air conditioned houses or a body of water for the next six to seven months.  In my kitchen, I am noticing a trend towards raw, cold, crunchy dishes to offset the sweat I worked up walking from my car to the front door. Apart from the eggs the kiddos are cooking on the concrete, I really do not have much of a desire to be near my stove or oven for very long. This Tartare uses Arctic Char,  quite similar to salmon boasting a nice firm texture and is a bit more mild salmon taste. It also generally comes with a cheaper price Fresh Wild Coho Salmon (which is the only Salmon you should buy in stores). I picked some up because it was beautiful and the Coho was a little less than stellar that day. I needed to use up some fruit, green onion, and avocado. Given my love of all things raw, it really is not shocking that I threw fruit together with fish (particularly since I routinely eat salmon with apples and kale). This salad is light, refreshing, healthy, full of antioxidants, and – most importantly – stove-free.  I served this with Kale Avocado Salad and was a supremely happy and sweat-free girl.

Blueberry and Artic Char Tartare 

Serves One (or two smaller portions)

Four ounces Fresh Arctic Char, skinned and cut into dice
Half cup blueberries
One cup papaya, cut into small dice
One quarter avocado, cut into dice
Two green onions, diced
Two tablespoons Lars Crispy Onions
One tablespoon Ginger People Ginger Lime Sauce
Juice of One-Half Lime or Lemon
Pinch of Salt

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix well. Adjust sauce and seasoning according to taste preference and serve immediately.

Faux Porky Pho

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Homemade Faux Porky Pho

Any mention of “Pho” and my mouth waters. I mean serious droolage. I dubbed this “pho” faux because I veered from the traditional ingredients and pho making method and also because Faux is the incorrect pronunciation of Pho. The correct pronunciation sounds like “fuh.”  “Porky” made it to the title because I used multiple versions of porky goodness. Many thanks to James and Sus who smoked two pork butts for a housewarming party recently; I am definitely a butt girl. I have raved about these in my Bacon Wasabi  Slaw post previously so I will spare you a second emphatic accolade – though these fine specimen’s of God’s Meat deserve at least a second mention.

If you were actually making pho at home, you would likely have more ingredients and a longer cooking time. Because I was using up stuff that I had made previously, I did not need to roast bones, simmer meat, and infuse broth with the flavors of onion and other ingredients so my cooking time was much less. I  used shredded pork butt  as my meat versus meatball or shaved beef. I used some non-traditional toppings, including  Bacon Wasabi Slaw in place of bean sprouts. The broth was a combination of homemade chicken stock, pork juice and jelly, and some purchased Beef Pho base (Pacific Kitchen brand) along with most of the traditional pho seasonings (I left out fennel because I did not have any and added turmeric because it is good for you). I also subbed soba noodles for rice vermicelli to eliminate soaking them. Fauxness aside, this homemade pho was faux-king DELICIOUS. The broth was rich with intriguing depth and layers of flavor. It managed to satiate the perpetual pho craving I cannot seem to kick.  Seriously, there should be pho rehab.  I imagine this soup would be the gateway drug….and I am a full-blown addict.

As with most everything I make, I have no idea how much of what I threw in, so operate on the usual “guestimate” theory and adjust spices according to your personal preferences. Oh, and I am drooling.

Faux Porky Pho

Serves 2-3, with leftovers

Two Cups Chicken Stock (homemade preferably)
Two Cups Beef Pho Base (substitute chicken or beef stock and add more seasoning)
Half-Cup Pork Jelly (or the gelatin of some other earthly animal)
Juice from half a lime
Two cups pulled pork butt
One tablespoon crushed red pepper
One tablespoon fish sauce
Two to Three tablespoons Hoisin sauce
A good pinch cane sugar
Three tablespoons minced ginger
Sriracha to taste
Five cloves
Half-Tablespoon ground coriander
One cinnamon stick
Two to three star anise pods, whole
One cardamom pod
Half-Tablespoon ground turmeric
Buckwheat Soba Noodles, cooked to package instructions

Toppings
Bacon Wasabi Slaw
Thinly Sliced Jalapeno
Chopped Green Onion
Thinly sliced radishes
Fresh Cilantro, roughly chopped
Lime wedges
Extra Hoisin, Sriracha, and Fish sauce for serving

Combine pork juice, jelly, stock, pho base in a large stock. Bring to a simmer and add the ginger, crushed red pepper, sugar, fish sauce, hoisin, coriander, cardamom, cloves, cinnamon, star anise and turmeric. Let simmer for 30 minutes to an hour and then add the pulled pork. Meanwhile, cook the noodles according to instructions and then add them to the broth. Squeeze in the lime juice and adjust seasoning according to taste. Serve with suggested toppings.

Pad See Ew

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Pad See Ew, literally stir-fired soy sauce, is a common Thai dish of rice noodles, Chinese broccoli, meat stir-fried in a soy sauce broth. I have a hard time refraining from ordering this in Thai restaurants (along with Tom Kha and Gaeng Mussaman) in the interest of broadening my culinary horizons. Last night was the first night I have made homemade Pad See Ew, and apart from needing a touch more sugar, I was thrilled with the outcome! This may have to be a regular in the rotation…Additional perks are that the dish is simple, quick, economical, and fairly healthy (if you are not tracking your sodium intake and use white meat chicken).  You can use any meat you would like, I opted for white meat chicken.

Most recipes will call for both dark soy and light soy. If you have a Chinese market near you, this will not be a problem. Dark soy is less salty and much thicker than light soy. You can use regular soy if you like and overlook this, but it is not a bad idea to have some on hand. Oyster sauce can now be bought at most grocery stores (in the ethnic aisle). Same goes for fish sauce (although an Asian market can provide better quality and good recommendations). All these ingredients keep for ages. If you can find fresh flat noodles (again Asian market), use those – and allow them to sit on the pan for several seconds to impart a nice texture – if not, boxed rice noodles are fine. When cooking rice noodles, you need to soak them for about thirty minutes in boiling hot water. After pouring the water over the noodles make sure to separate the noodles to avoid sticking.

Pad See Ew

Serves 3-4

For Marinade

One Chicken Breast
Five tablespoons Soy Sauce
One tablespoon Hoisin Sauce
Five tablespoons Mirin
Pinch Brown Sugar
Half Tablespoon (more to taste) Chinese Five Spice Powder

Mix all together and cover chicken, marinate for 20 minutes on each side, remove and cut into pieces. Reserve.

For Stir Fry

Three tablespoons dark soy sauce
One Tablespoon soy sauce
One tablespoon Oyster Sauce (one tablespoon or less)
One tablespoon Brown Sugar
Dash of Rice Wine Vinegar (or Mirin or Sherry Vinegar)
One large egg
One bunch Chinese Broccoli (aka baby broccoli or broccoli rabe)
Six garlic cloves, chopped
Three tablespoons Sriracha (more or less to heat preference)
One half small white onion (not traditional – just needed to use it)
Two shredded carrots
Squeeze of fresh lime juice (optional)
Eight ounces flat rice noodles
Two tablespoons Peanut Oil

Tip: this is easier if you have everything ready to throw in the wok. Before you start, make sure you have allowed adequate time for the noodles to soften (20-30 minutes); Chicken to marinate (can be skipped if desired otherwise up to an hour) and be sliced or cut; sauce made; and all veggies chopped. I like to do an assembly line that goes: oil, garlic, chicken, veggies, egg, sauce, noodle, garnish.

Make a sauce by mixing the oyster sauce, both sauces, sugar, sriracha and vinegar; reserve.  Heat peanut oil in a wok over a high heat, add garlic and onions and stir fry for a couple of minutes. Add the chicken slices or pieces and continue to stir fry for about four minutes. Add the broccoli and carrots and continue stir frying (de-glaze with some broth if necessary). Make a small well in the wok and crack the egg into the center, immediately begin to scramble it. Add sauce and continue to stir fry very briefly. Make a large well and add the noodles to the pan. Allow to rest for about 30 seconds then mix all ingredients very well (now is a good time to check and see if you need more sauce, more sugar, chili sauce or lime juice). Garnish with fresh cilantro and green onions and serve immediately.

Tom Kha Gai

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Last night, D and I had Thai night. I was happy he agreed because I was dead set on having Tom Kha (but did not want to go all the way north to Titaya’s to get it). Tom Kha Gai  is not a joking matter. If a Thai place has lackluster Tom Kha, I will never again eat there and you better hope you did not recommend it to me. This is hands down my favorite soup to eat and I would eat it everyday if I had my 18-year old body back  (pho, roasted tomato and traditional ramen/udon are close behind). I really hope, and think I rightfully suspect, that Heaven boasts a never-ending bowl of Tom Kha. My homemade Tom Kha, while close, is not quite on par with Titaya’s (FYI best Thai in Austin) – but it is a damn good comparison. The only real difference is that mine is a bit healthier: I use low fat coconut milk and only about three-quarters of a cup of regular fat to save about 400 calories.  This switch does affect the soup slightly – it will not be quite as thick and creamy and will be a tad less sweet, but really – it tastes pretty awesome!

The shopping: there are not a ton of ingredients in this, but some can be hard to track down (if you can buy large quantities and store appropriately for a pantry meal). Whole Foods, Central Market and specialty Thai stores will have the ingredients you need. If possible, try to get your Kaffir Limes either from your own plant or from a Thai store (who will generally have their own tree) because they have better and more potent flavor than store bought ones.  You can buy several extra stocks of lemon grass, cut into three-inch pieces, and store in a freezer bag for months. Do not sub dried lemon grass for fresh, it is far inferior. Coriander is cilantro; ergo coriander root is the root of the cilantro bunch you pick up at the store. I have never found this fresh in a non-Asian market – you can sub ground coriander or coriander seed with fresh cilantro. Additionally, try to find fresh galangal (it is also jarred in some specialty stores); if you cannot, sub ginger.

If you have a well-stocked pantry, this soup is a super quick way to have a delicious, flavorful, health fortifying meal (the ingredients are used in Asian countries to heal the body and stave off illness). The flavors are surprisingly complex. You can use chicken or shrimp, or leave them out altogether if you do not have any on hand.

Note:  I have been making this soup (I also use a smaller portion for sauce) for years. It may not come out right every time, but have patience, eventually you will learn the flavors and how to tweak them. Too sour or spicy: Add a bit of sugar. Too acidic: add some more coconut milk. Too Sweet: add some acid and fish sauce. Many times the outcome of the soup will be the victim of sub-par and commercialized ingredients (which is why if you can find an Asian market, it will be your best bet). All that said, you most likely will never have a terrible outcome and it sure is fun getting it just right!

Tom Kha Gai

Serves Three

One Can Light Coconut Milk, Plus a quarter to a half can Regular Coconut Milk
Two cups Good Chicken Stock (preferably homemade sub boxed if necessary), use more if needed
One teaspoon of brown sugar (or palm sugar), using more as necessary
Five lemongrass stalks, cut into three-inch pieces and brusied slightly (use more if the potency is a bit off)
One white onion, quartered and roughly chopped
Four cloves garlic, crushed
Two pieces coriander root (or good pinch seeds/powder with a decent handful of cilantro)
Five Thai chili peppers – can sub Habaneros (use less according to heat preference)
Two inch chuck of galanga or ginger
Ten Kaffir Lime Leaves
Sriracha, to taste
Pre-cooked chicken, cut into bite size pieces
Ten Cremini Mushrooms, quartered
Two tablespoons fish sauce
Fresh Lime Juice, to taste

Garnish

Chopped Basil (not traditional, I just needed to use it up)
Chopped Green Onion
Chopped Cilantro

Heat a small bit of oil in a large stock pan, add onions, garlic, peppers, galanga/ginger, lemongrass, sugar, salt, and coriander (root/seed/or powder) and saute until slightly fragrant. Add coconut milk and broth, bring to a boil, then simmer for twenty minutes or so. Strain solids and broth, then return to pan and taste the soup and add ingredients as necessary/desired. I usually add additional lemongrass stalks and kaffir lime leaves (in addition to the amount listed in ingredients) to the soup – this is sometimes not necessary depending on the quality of ingredient, but I always leave it as an option. Feel free to add some onions back into the soup. Add sriracha and allow to cook for about ten minutes, then add mushrooms and some fresh cilantro. After about five minutes, add chopped chicken and lime juice to taste. Laddle into bowls over steamed basmati rice and garnish with freshly chopped basil, cilantro, and green onion. Serve Hot.

Bonus: even better the next day!!

 

 

Scallops in a Lemongrass-Coconut Broth

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I love lemongrass. Recently, I found Lemongrass Mint Vanilla Water (with no calories) and am still over the moon…I am also drinking one right now.  Yesterday, around lunchtime, I managed to find time to get to Whole foods for my weekly shopping trip. I was dying for scallops and new that I wanted to make a lemongrass sauce for them. Alas, WF was out of lemongrass and my frozen supply was out as well. However, I am happy to say that I feel back into my old supermarket addiction yesterday because when I went back for something lemongrass had been stocked! With my previous disappointment assuaged, I went home hoping that D would not mind that Piccata would no longer be on the menu. He went with it and I got my lemongrass infused sauce. My apologies for the lack of picture, I was too hungry and tired to clean the dishes and arrange the food and photograph it. Similarly, I was also too tired to actually cut the fresh herbs to top this – though I did have the fresh basil, cilantro and green onions out. If you add them, it will certainly heighten the flavor (even though I still licked my plate).  I suggest serving this in a bowl – rice on bottom, protein on top, sauce poured over to make an sort of semi-soup.  You can use any kind of protein you want. A nice, thick white fish, scallops or mussels work best. D had a Thai-crusted chicken breast (that I completely burned on one side…oops).

Lemongrass – Coconut Broth

One cup shallot or onion, diced
Three garlic cloves, minced
Two inch knob of ginger, peeled and sliced into large discs
Six lemon grass stalks (bottom 4 or 5 inches only), Bruised
One can of Lite Coconut Milk, separated (1/2 cup for rice and rest for sauce)
One cup White Wine
One cup Chicken Broth
One tablespoon red curry paste
One teaspoon Saffron, toasted
Squeeze of a half-lime (or you can use Kaffir Lime leaves frozen or fresh)
Sriracha to taste

Heat some oil in a large skillet. Combine the shallots, garlic, ginger, and chiles (is using) and allow to sweat for a few minutes. Add in white wine and chicken broth and reduce slightly to cook out the alcohol. Add curry paste and coconut milk and let simmer for a few minutes. Check for seasoning and then season according to taste. Finally, add Sriracha to taste and the juice of the lime. Strain and reserve sauce.

Scallops (for two)

Four U-10 Scallops (U-10 indicating how many per pound)
Salt and Pepper

Dry scallops thoroughly, but gently to prevent breaking. Sprinkle each side with salt and pepper. In a small fry pan heat a good amount of oil over a medium high heat. Once hot, place the scallops gently into the pan and allow to cook, without moving, for two minutes on each side to achieve a nice sear. Remove from pan, pat dry and serve on top of Coconut Rice made with one part water, one part coconut milk.  Pour reserved sauce over both components and then garnish with your choice of fried shallots, cilantro, basil, green onions, or mint.