Friday, December 20, 2013

Khao Poon Nam Phik (Spicy Coconut Noodle Soup)

I Heart noodles... really. I could eat noodles at every meal. Okay, I lied. I need rice too!

This is no way an authentic recipe but it works for me and my husband approves and
loves it too...

INGREDIENTS:

·        3 chicken breasts (with bones) OR 1 whole chicken

·        5-6 cloves of garlic (slightly pounded to release flavor)

·        5-6 slices of ginger or galangal - See pic below

·        2 cans coconut milk (you can add more for a more creamier broth) - See pic below

·        1 can red curry paste (try ½ first if you cannot handle spicy) - See pic below

·        2 stalks lemon grass (slightly pounded to release flavor)

·        5-6 kaffir lime leaves - See pic below

·        2 cans bamboo shoots (more or less depending on how much you want) - See pic below

·        2 tbsp garlic salt

·        2 tbsp fish sauce - See pic below

·        1/3 bottle oyster sauce - See pic below

·        Chicken broth (if needed)

·        Fresh ground pepper to taste

·        Rice vermicelli noodles (I like the thin ones – I’ve tried the pho noodles but it was too thin for the thick soup) - See pic below

·        Herbs:

o   Bean sprouts

o   Thai Basil

o   Green onions

o   Cilantro

o   Lime

o   JalapeƱos

o   Shredded cabbage

o   Mint (if you like mint)
 
 

DIRECTIONS:


1) SOUP: Put water in an 8 quart pot and bring to boil. You can choose to use raw chicken (1A) or precooked chicken (1B)

1A) RAW CHICKEN - (use enough water in pot so it doesn’t over flow when you put chicken in)

§  Add chicken, garlic & ginger/galangal

§  Boil for 20-25 mins on Med heat (longer for whole chicken)

§  Remove chicken, garlic & ginger

§  Shred chicken
 
1B) COSTCO (pre cooked) CHICKEN (shredded) – Fill pot 2/3 full

§  Add 1 heaping tablespoon of Chicken Bullion powder (or to taste)

§  Add garlic & ginger/galangal & bring to boil

2)  Add coconut milk, curry paste, garlic salt, fish sauce, pepper, oyster sauce, lemon grass, kaffir leaves

3)  Stir – Add additional seasonings to taste

4)  Add Shredded chicken & bamboo shoots

5)    Bring soup to boil & then down to simmer while you cook noodles…

6)  NOODLES: Boil water: add noodle & cook according to package, drain and rinse with cold water – add broth, herbs, peppers, etc and enjoy!

 As you can tell from my pictures, I add pepper oil, chili peppers, sriracha, hoisin sauce too. J


Some of my FAVORITE hot sauces... Did I mention I LOVE spicy foods?? haha I also love to add fried garlic!



Some Ingredients you'll need to get from the local Asian Market.

Galanga
Coconut Milk
Kaffir Lime Leaves
Red Curry Paste




Rice Noodle
Shredded Bamboo Shoots
Fish Sauce
 
 



Oyster Sauce

Spicy Chicken Noodle Salad


This recipe is one of my favorites because I love that it's simple and it always seems to please the crowd (a plus!)

A good friend of mine gave me this recipe but of course, I tweaked it to my liking. 

This is for a "potluck serving size" so if you want to make 1 package of pasta, just cut the ingredients in half.

INGREDIENTS:

Salad:
- 2 lbs of angel hair pasta
- Shredded Rotisserie chicken breasts from a whole chicken (I buy mine already cooked at the market)
- 1/2 cup shredded carrots 
- 2 bunches of chopped green onions 

Dressing:
- 1/3 cup Rice Vinegar
- 1/3 cup Soy Sauce
- 1/3 cup Sesame Oil
- 2/3 cup Olive Oil
- Pepper Flakes (to taste- about 1 tsp)


DIRECTIONS:

1) Cook pasta according to package. Drain, rinse and let dry (if you don't wait for it to dry, your pasta will be watery).

2) Combine dressing ingredients & mix well. 

3) Add dressing to dry pasta and toss/mix/stir (just get it coated)

4) Add Chicken, green onions & carrots

I LOVE spicy foods so I always have extra pepper flakes to sprinkle on my plate. I try not to put too much in the dressing. It's easy to add more heat but you can't take it away!!! 

Enjoy!





Thursday, December 19, 2013

French Toast Bake




It's the holidays and there's lots of potlucks to cook for... Now that I have little ones running around, I need something quick and easy.

I've made this before and really enjoyed it. I haven't made it lately because it's got sugar & butter & more sugar... oh it's GOOD but not the healthiest... & I LOVE French toast.

I found the recipe when I first signed up with Pinterest... I pretty much followed Rach's tweaks except I didn't cut the edges of the bread.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup melted butter (1 stick)
1 cup brown sugar
1 loaf Texas toast (thick slices)
4 eggs
1.5 cups milk
1 teaspoon Vanilla
1 tablespoon powdered sugar
Cinnamon powder for sprinkling
Powdered sugar for sprinkling
White sugar for sprinkling

Directions:
1) Melt butter in microwave & add brown sugar. Mix well.
2) Pour butter/sugar mixture & layer onto bottom of a 9x13 pan
3) Beat eggs, powdered sugar, milk & vanilla
4) Lay single layer of Texas Toast on top of butter/sugar mix
5) Pour (or ladle) half of egg mixture on top (as evenly as possible)
6) Sprinkle brown sugar & cinnamon on top of bread
7) Add another layer of bread
8) Pour (or ladle) other half of egg mixture on top
9) Add thin layer of butter (if desired per Rach's instructions)
10) Sprinkle with white sugar & cinnamon

Cover and refrigerate overnight
Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes
Sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve!

INGREDIENTS:



Melt 1/2 cup (1 stick) Butter:


Add 1 cup brown sugar & stir well.


Beat 4 eggs, 1 tbsp powdered sugar, 1.5 cup milk & 1 tsp vanilla (ignore that i'm using a 1/2 tsp spoon):


Stir, Stir, STIR! (Or use a mixer if you have one hehe)


Pour all the butter/sugar mixture in a 9x13 pan and spread evenly:



Layer bread (6) and pour half of the egg mixture as evenly as possible (go slow, let it soak):


Sprinkle brown sugar & cinnamon before second layer:


Add another layer of (6) bread:


Brush a thin layer of melted butter, about 2 tbsp (optional so this was not on ingredient list):





Pour other half (remaining) of egg mixture:


Sprinkle white sugar & cinnamon on top:



Refrigerate overnight:



Preheat oven 350 degrees. Bake uncovered for 45 minutes.


Serve & enjoy! 

(I forgot to sprinkle it with powdered sugar as I was already running late for the holiday party! Everyone still LOVED it!)