Tag: main course
Peking Duck
Peking Duck
Duck has been roasted in China since the beginning of time. The preparation for Peking Duck can be traced back to the Ming Dynasty; being the main course on imperial court menus. The first time a restaurant in Beijing offered Peking Duck to the general public was in 1416. It grew in popularity, being considered food for the upper class. By the mid 20th century Peking Duck became an international symbol of Chinese cuisine, becoming the favorite dish of many world politicians such as Richard Nixon, Fidel Castro, Helmut Kohl, to name a few.Today, Peking Duck can easily be made at home for a relatively inexpensive cost. The duck gets rubbed, stuffed with whole green onions, and left to dry out for up to 24 hours. It then steamed for about 90 minutes to loosen up the fat from the skin. It is then roasted for about a half hour until it is browned. It is then basted with a soy sauce/honey mixture then roasted at 500 degrees, turning almost red in color. The skin becomes extra crispy with the fat rendered out. Traditionally, Peking Duck is served in 3 parts. First, the crispy duck skin is served with a sweet bean sauce. Second, the duck breast is sliced and served in thin Chinese pancakes with duck sauce and spring onions. Third, the rest of the duck can be eaten as is. You can also just quarter the duck and serve it much like a roast chicken with duck sauce, steamed rice, and vegetables.
Ingredients
- 5 lb whole duck tail and wing tips clipped; giblets removed
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ground ginger
- 1/4 tsp white pepper
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg
- 1/8 tsp ground cloves
- 3 tbsp light soy sauce
- 1 tbsp honey
- 2 green onions
- 1 orange sliced
Duck Sauce
- 1/2 cup plum jam
- 1 1/2 tsp sugar
- 1 1/2 tsp white vinegar
Instructions
- Mix together the cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, white pepper and cloves.
- Season the inside of the duck with 1 tsp of the spice mix. Stuff the whole green onion inside the cavity as well. Mix 1 tbsp of the soy sauce with the rest of the spice mix and rub the outside of the duck. Let dry out in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight.
- Place the duck on a rack and steam for 90 minutes.
- Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Poke holes with a knife all over the skin of the duck. Place the duck on a rack and roast for 25-30 minutes.
- Mix together the remaining soy sauce and honey and brush the entire duck. Turn up the heat to 500 degrees and roast for 5 more minutes.
- While the duck is roasting, mix together the duck sauce ingredients.
- Let the duck rest for 10 minutes before serving.
Massaman Curry Burger
Massaman Curry Burger
Massaman curry is a beef, potato, and peanut curry. It’s one of my favorite Thai curries. So why not turn it into a burger? After pontificating during a ritual smoke session, the Lord Cheeba bestowed this recipe upon me to deliver to you.Massaman curry paste is pretty much red curry paste with cumin, coriander, cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, and nutmeg. You can make your own curry paste or buy some that is all ready made up. There’s nothing wrong with store bought curry paste. There’s many of good quality. But if you have time, I recommend making it homemade. The curry sauce is the paste simmered with coconut milk, brown sugar, fish sauce, tamarind concentrate, and peanuts. This is all ready in 5 minutes. The burger patties are seasoned with grated onions, fish sauce, and black pepper. You can either pan fry or grill them. It’s currently -30 below in MN right now, so I think I’ll pan fry. Once they are cooked to your liking, dip the patties in the curry sauce. To continue with the massaman fusion theme, I placed the burgers on a toasted potato bun, topped with fried potato slices and caramelized onions. And if you haven’t had enough potatoes, serve the burger with a side of fries.
Servings: 2
Ingredients
Massaman Curry Sauce
- 4 tbsp red curry paste
- 1/2 tsp ground cumin
- 1/2 tsp ground coriander
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/8 tsp ground cloves
- 1/8 tsp ground cardamom
- 1 pinch nutmeg
- 1/2 cup coconut milk
- 1/2 tbsp brown sugar
- 1/2 tbsp tamarind concentrate
- 2 tsp fish sauce
- 3 tbsp peanuts chopped
Burger Patty
- 1 lb 85% ground beef
- 3 tbsp onion grated
- 1 tbsp fish sauce
- 1 tsp black pepper
Burger Toppings
- 2 potato buns toasted
- 1/4 medium white onion thinly sliced
- 1 small russet potato sliced 1/8” thick
- vegetable oil for frying
Instructions
Massaman Curry Sauce
- Mix together the red curry paste with cumin, coriander, cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, and nutmeg.
- Mix together the curry paste, coconut milk, brown sugar, tamarind concentrate, and fish sauce in a small pot over medium heat.
- Simmer for 5 minutes. Turn off the heat. Stir in the peanuts. Set aside.
Burger Toppings
- Sauté the onion in 1 tbsp of vegetable oil over medium high heat for 5 minutes. Set aside.
- Heat up 2 tbsp of vegetable oil in the same pan. Add in the potato slices.
- Fry for 3 minutes a side until crispy. Set aside.
Burger Patty
- Season the ground beef with grated onions, fish sauce, and black pepper. Form into patties.
- Heat up a sauté pan or griddle over medium high heat. Add the patties to the pan.
- Pan fry the burgers for 5 minutes a side.
Burger Assembly
- Toss each of the burger patties in the massaman curry sauce.
- Place the burger on top of a toasted potato bun. Give it another scoop of the curry sauce.
- Top the burger with the fried potato slices and caramelized onions.
Pineapple Fried Rice
Pineapple Fried Rice
If you really want to impress guests over for dinner, I recommend cooking up a Thai feast and offering pineapple fried rice as one of the courses. Not only is it tasty as hell, but the presentation of the rice stuffed in a whole pineapple bowl makes it look fancy. There’s quite a few steps in the process, but they are all pretty easy to do.
Ingredients
Shrimp
- 8 16/20 ct. shrimp peeled and deveined
- 2 tsp light soy sauce
- 1/8 tsp white pepper
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
Sauce
- 2 tsp fish sauce
- 2 tsp oyster sauce
- 2 tsp palm sugar finely chopped
- 1/4 tsp curry powder
Pineapple Fried Rice
- 4 tbsp vegetable oil
- 2 large eggs beaten
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 2 tbsp ginger minced
- 2 Thai chilies finely chopped
- 1/4 cup carrots cut into small cubes
- 2 green onions chopped
- 1/4 cup cashews
- 1 cup pineapple cut into small cubes
- 2 cups day old cooked jasmine rice
- 1/4 cup Thai basil chopped
Instructions
Hollowing Out A Pineapple (optional)
- Cut 1/3 of the side off of a pineapple.
- Score the inside of the pineapple with a sharp knife, making sure to not cut through the skin.
- Scoop out the inside.
Pineapple Fried Rice
- Mix together all of the sauce ingredients. Set aside.
- Marinate the shrimp for 30 minutes with soy sauce and white pepper.
- Heat up cooking oil in a large sauté pan over high heat. Add the shrimp to the pan.
- Sauté the shrimp for 2 minutes a side. Remove from the pan and set aside.
- Turn the heat to medium high. Add 1 tbsp of vegetable oil into the pan. Pour the beaten eggs into the pan.
- Scramble the eggs. Cook for a minute. Remove from the pan and set aside.
- Heat up the rest of the cooking oil. Sauté the garlic, ginger, and Thai chilies for 1 minute.
- Add in the carrots, cashews, and green onions. Sauté for 2 minutes.
- Add in the day old rice, making sure to break up all of the clumps. Fry for 2 minutes. Pour in the sauce and cook for 2 more minutes.
- Add in the shrimp, eggs, and pineapple. Cook for 1 more minute.
- Turn off the heat. Stir in the basil.
