dinner – Page 12 – morestomach

many many (and many) years
ago
i lived in thailand.
it was during my
formative years
so please know
i will not be able to provide
any kind of reference for
the best street food
but i can tell you that
they really are the
land of smiles.

we have plans to honeymoon
there
with the goal of
this
until then, i console myself
with this salad

this really simple thai salad
can be prepared ahead of time
be served hot
or at room temp
any ground meat will do
and other than the random
cleaning of herbs
very simple to put together

what’s your favorite thai dish?

lamb larb

1 lb organic ground lamb
1/4 white onion (red would be better) thinly sliced
1/4 cup water
2 stalks of green scallions/onions, diced
handful of kale, washed & rough chopped (sooooo optional, omit if authenticity is your thing)
3 TBL lime juice
3 TBL fish sauce
dried red pepper flakes
1 thai chili
cilantro leaves and mint, washed & dried, amount according to preference
1/8 cup of toasted rice powder (recipe/instructions follow)

toasted rice powder

1/8 cup of rice or gluttonous rice

dry roast in pan over medium heat until turns a light brown. grind in spice grinder until powder-ized.

cook ground lamb in skillet with no oil, with a wooden spoon be sure to separate the big chunks. go for medium heat, if you go too high it’ll caramelize the meat and that’s not the goal. cook through. at this point, i usually strain the meat of any excess oil/fat. the dish is supposed to be juicy so i add water, it’s up to you. return the meat back to the pan, add in the green onions and kale (this is just *my* addition because i had an excess of the stuff in the fridge, this is very optional) and cook until wilted.

take off heat, add in the onion slices, mix it through. allow to cool and then season with lime juice and fish sauce. season according to taste, i went with 3 TBL of each but you can certainly add more or less. i also added a dash of red pepper flakes and diced thai chili for pretty color. right before serving i add in the mint and cilantro leaves and top with rice powder.

this dish can be served at room temp or hot, with lettuce leaves or sticky rice.

others who’ve made this:
shesimmers
wandering chopsticks

i received an email from a dear blog friend recently.
the usual words:
catching up
swooning
lamentations
a song

and she ended the note with colors:
Mint green, coral, raspberry describe my days…
how lovely

lately, my days have been burnt yellow:
bright
warm
promising

it’s been a mild spring,
some days venture below the 50s
i made this curry some weeks ago,
when summer was just a tease,
winter was still fresh
and i needed some
burnt yellow

what color would you describe your days right now?

Portuguese Chicken Curry with Chorizo + Olives
loosely adapted from Tasting Table’s Chef’s Recipe, which was adapted from Abraham Conlon, Fat Rice, Chicago

1 lb package of chicken, breast or thighs, though i recommend thighs as it’s got more flavor
kosher salt/black pepper
3 TBL cornstarch
3 TBL olive oil, divided
1 large onion, halved and thinly sliced
1 1″ piece of ginger, finely minced
1 TBL curry powder
1 tsp cayenne pepper
2 cans coconut milk
handful of baby red potatoes, scrubbed cleaned. if you want, peel but i kept the skins on (be sure they’re organic)
handful or two of dried tomatoes (original recipe calls for fresh cherry tomatoes, sliced)
4 ounces chorizo, sliced
12 oil-cured kalamata olives, pitted (original recipe calls for black morroccan olives)
1 small bunch flat-leaf parsley, stems removed and leaves roughly chopped
steamed white rice, for serving

on a plate or cutting board, season chicken pieces with salt/pepper. sprinkle with cornstarch on both side, coat evenly. in a large pot or dutch oven set over med-high heat, add in a bit of oil and brown chicken. do this in batches. once you place the chicken in the oil, try not to move it until it’s ready to be flipped. transfer pieces back to plate or cutting board.

in the same pot or dutch oven, add the rest of the oil, onion + ginger, sauteeing until onion is soft and translucent. add in the curry powder and cayenne pepper, stirring often. pour in the coconut milk, add the potatoes & browned chicken pieces. bring liquid to a simmer. reduce heat to low & cover. continue to cook until chicken and potatoes are cooked through, and the sauce has thickened, 45 min – 1 hour.

remove lid, throw in the dried tomatoes, chorizo and olives. cook until warmed through. garnish with chopped parsley, serve with steamed white rice.