A Complex Curry Taste
Good with Dumplings and Stir-Fries
Belachan, Shrimp Paste
his Filipino style Curry Paste is good with a lot of things, including Dumplings and stir-fry dishes, as well as blander presentations of Fish, Chicken and Shrimp. This recipe Continue reading
Essential Korean Dish
Hundreds of Varieties
Celery Cabbage
Kimchi, Korean style pickled vegetables, are an essential to any Korean meal. Cabbage Kimchi is probably the most popular. There are said to be more than 200 ways of making it, but that may be an understatement!
Here’s a simple way to Continue reading
Indo-Japanese Fusion Dish
Tomatoes
There are so many ways to make Chicken Curry. This version was adapted from a Japanese acquaintance who was interested in South Asian spices and food preparation and researched cooking techniques of South Asia, adapting them to the Japanese kitchen. Continue reading
A Vietnamese Fusion Dish
Memories of Old Saigon
Fish Sauce
Beef and Shrimp Balls, or Cha Cio, are a classic of Vietnamese cuisine, with a variety of recipes and versions.
The Beef may be a part of the Northern heritage in Vietnamese cuisine, as Beef appears rather frequently as an ingredient in the country’s cooking.
Beef and Shrimp Balls in Lettuce Cups
Cha Gio
Vietnamese Fusion
Ingredients:
2 ounces Mung Bean Noodles (Cellophane Noodles)
½ pound Ground Beef
¼ pound raw Shrimp, ground
2 teaspoons Ginger, freshly grated
1 tablespoon Chinese Shao Xing Wine or Dry Sherry
2 teaspoons minced Garlic
1 teaspoon Vegetable Oil
½ teaspoon Sugar
For the Sauce:
3 tablespoons Nam Pla, Fish Sauce
3 tablespoons Water
Juice of half a Lime
1 tablespoons Sugar
1 clove Garlic, finely minced
½ teaspoon dried hot Red Pepper Flakes
Salt and freshly ground Black Pepper to taste
For the Garnish:
12 Boston Lettuce leaves
12 Coriander leaves
12 fresh Mint leaves
12 Green Onion pieces, each 2 inches long
Method:
Garlic
First, soak the Mung Bean Noodles in warm Water for 30 seconds and then drain them thoroughly. Chop them into small pieces and put them in a large bowl. Add the Pork, Shrimp, Ginger, Wine, Garlic, Vegetable Oil, Salt and Pepper. Mix well to combine.
Divide this mixture into 12 portions and shape them into oval sausage-like pieces about an inch thick and set aside.
To make the Sauce, mix all the ingredients. Ladle into four small serving dishes to ber used for dipping.
To prepare the dish, cook the Beef/Shrimp Balls in a hot broiler or over white-hot charcoal grill. If you use charcoal, they should be 6 inches from the charcoal, and turn them until they are thoroughly cooked, about 10 minutes.
To serve, use one Lettuce leaf for each ball. Top with Coriander leaf, a Mint leaf and Green Onion piece in the center of the Lettuce Leaf. Add one meat ball, wrap the Lettuce leaf to enclose the fillings. Dip the end of the fitted leaf into the dipping sauce and enjoy them. You may dip as often as you like in the sauce.
The recipe makes appetizers for four to six persons. Soaking time is about half an hour, and preparation would take about 20 minutes. The dish cooks rather quickly, say another 10 minutes once everything is ready.
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Ampalaya Meets Eggplant
Christmas in Pampanga
Bitter Melon (Ampalaya) Salad
Bitter Melon Salad is a classic Philippine recipe. This one is from a friend from the island of Pampanga, where the dish is very popular. The dish makes use of the affinity between Bitter Melon and Eggplant, two vegetables Continue reading
Hawaiian Fish Salad
Low in Calories, Higher in Salt
Poke is the Hawaiian name for a Fish Salad, normally made with raw Fish, and so a bit like Japanese Sashimi or Chirashi Sushi. It is usually more highly seasoned however.
Poke is rather low in calories, but due to the Continue reading
A Filipino Favorite
A Purely Vegetarian Dish
Bitter Melon
Bitter Melon are popular in Philippines cuisine, where they are commonly known by their local name Ampalaya.
Here’s a recipe for a salad based on Bitter Melon that’s very good when chilled overnight. It’s purely vegetarian, and comes from an acquaintance who hails from the island of Pampanga, where this is a typical preparation.
Buddha Meditating, India 12th c.
Fish Curry From Bananas
Halva From Meat
“It is possible to eat what you believe to be a fish curry only to learn it was made from unripe bananas, or to taste a sweet halva and find it was made not of fruit or vegetables but meat.” — Attia Hosain and Sita Pasricha
An Ancient People and Cuisine: The Indian civilization is one of the oldest and most important in Continue reading