Tag: main course
Stir Fried Chili Lemongrass Frogs
Stir Fried Chili Lemongrass Frogs
I know what you’re thinking. Eating frogs? The amphibians happen to be a delicacy all over the world; mostly eaten in France, China, Vietnam, Indonesia, Thailand, Italy, and in the southern U.S. About 3 billion frogs are consumed worldwide annually. Frogs are high in protein, vitamin A, Omega 3 fatty acids, and potassium. As far as flavor and texture goes, they’re really similar to chicken. You can find fresh and frozen frogs in most Asian markets for relatively cheap. Whole frogs come skinned and headless. They quarter just like a chicken. If you buy the legs, they will come still together. They will need to be split down the middle with a cleaver or large chef’s knife. They really just look like a skinless chicken wing.You can make this simple stir fry in under 15 minutes. Brown the frog. Pour the sauce over the legs and simmer. Add in the lemongrass and green onions. That’s it. The frog can be eaten as an appetizer or served as a main coarse with steamed rice.Ribbit.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 lbs frog legs or 3 whole frogs
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 3 tbsp vegetable oil
- 3 stalks lemongrass peeled and finely chopped
- 1 1/2 tbsp sugar
- 3 tbsp fish sauce
- 6 garlic cloves minced
- 3 Thai chilies finely chopped
- 1/4 cup green onions chopped
Instructions
- Mix together sugar, fish sauce, garlic, and Thai chilies. Make sure sugar is completely dissolved. Set aside.
- Split the frog legs in half down the middle with a cleaver.
- Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.
- Heat up 1 tbsp of cooking oil in a large sauté pan over medium high heat. Add in the lemongrass.
- Sauté until it is browned and caramelized, about 3 minutes. Set aside.
- Add 2 more tbsp of vegetable oil to the same sauté pan over medium high heat. Add in the frog legs. Stir fry for 4 minutes.
- Pour in the garlic chili fish sauce mix. Continue cooking for 3 minutes.
- Add in the fried lemongrass, making sure the frog is completely coated. Cook for 2 more minutes.
- Turn off the heat and stir in the green onions.
Eat as an appetizer or serve as a main course with steamed rice.
Korean Short Ribs (LA Galbi)
Korean Short Ribs (LA Galbi)
LA Galbi gets it‘s name from the city where Korean immigrants settled into and used this cut of beef ribs. Koreatown in Los Angeles just happens to be my favorite place to get the best Korean food in the U.S. Bulgogi Hut in Koreatown has great all you can eat beef short ribs that you can grill yourself table side.There are 2 different cuts of short ribs; flanken and English cut. English cut are cut into large single bone chunks and are best for slow cooking. Flanken cut short ribs are thinly cross cut across the whole 3-4 bone short rib. 1/3”-1/2” is the ideal thickness for grilling and broiling the ribs. Unless you have a bandsaw in your kitchen, you will have to ask your local butcher to cut them for you like this. Fortunately, just about every Asian market will already have the short ribs cut this way, prepackaged and ready to go.Making the marinade is really simple. If you aren’t able to find asian pears, you can substitute a green apple. The short ribs will need to marinate for at least 8 hours. Overnight is even better and will give more flavor to your short ribs. There are 2 options in cooking your short ribs. Typically, the short ribs are grilled over a charcoal grill. If you don’t have a grill, they can be broiled in the oven. Regardless of how you cook them, they will take 4-5 minutes a side, depending on the thickness. Once they are finished cooking, garnish them with toasted sesame seeds.
Equipment
- charcoal grill
- chimney starter
- charcoal
Ingredients
- 3 lbs beef short ribs 1/2” thick, flanken cut
- 1/2 cup soy sauce
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup rice wine
- 2 tbsp honey
- 2 tbsp sesame oil
- 1/2 Asian pear grated
- 1/2 medium onion grated
- 6 garlic cloves minced
- 1 tbsp ginger grated
- 1 tsp black pepper
Garnish
- sesame seeds
Instructions
- Mix all of the marinade ingredients together.
- Marinate the short ribs in a gallon sized freezer bag for 8 hours, preferably overnight.
- Let your charcoal get gray in your chimney starter. Pour into the grill in a single layer and place on the grate. Place the short ribs directly over the charcoal.
- Grill for 4-5 minutes a side.
Papaya Salad
Papaya Salad
Papaya salad originated from Laos, but is eaten in many Southeast Asian countries such as Cambodia, Thailand, and Vietnam. Each country has their own variation of the recipe; some containing crab, Thai eggplant, mango, unripened banana, apples, cucumbers to name a few. Papaya salad is always served with sticky glutinous rice.I first had papaya salad in high school in my Chinese class. A classmate of mine brought it in. I believe this was the first Thai food that I had eaten at the time. Sweet and spicy with a sort of funk to the flavor; that coming from the fish sauce and shrimp paste. You can adjust the heat levels to your liking by adding more or less Thai chilies.You can usually find fresh green papaya already shredded at most Asian markets. They sell it at mine for only $3.99lb. If you can’t find it already shredded, you’re going to have to do that at home. I happen to have a grating attachment on my food processor, so it took a whole 15 seconds to grate to whole papaya. You can also use a regular grater if you don’t have a food processor. The goal is to have the papaya simulate noodles. The long beans add a nice crunch to the salad.
Ingredients
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 3 Thai chilies finely chopped
- 3 tbsp palm sugar
- 3 tbsp fish sauce
- 3/4 tsp shrimp paste
- 1/4 cup dried shrimp chopped
- 1 lime juiced
- 1 lb green papaya shredded
- 4 oz long beans cut into 2” pieces
- 4 oz cherry or grape tomatoes halved
- 3 tbsp peanuts chopped
Instructions
- Mix together the garlic, chilies, fish sauce, palm sugar, shrimp paste, dried shrimp, and lime juice. Make sure the palm sugar is completely dissolved.
- Add in the shredded green papaya and long beans. Toss in the dressing.
- Add in the tomatoes and peanuts, tossing in the salad.
