Posts Tagged ‘soy sauce’

Episode 145 – “Your Pad Thai or Mine”

Posted: October 8, 2020 in Season 9
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Pad Thai

They say that every Thai cook has his/her own version of Pad Thai, leading to countless recipes and variations. In reading the online reviews of Alton’s Pad Thai recipe, some reviewers are critical of his recipe, questioning its authenticity. I am not personally enough of a Pad Thai expert to evaluate the authenticity of Alton’s version, but I sure can give my opinion on how much I did/did not like it. Many of the ingredients in this recipe are not available in a regular supermarket, so a trip to an Asian grocery store is most likely necessary. 

The night before you plan to eat your Pad Thai, you will want to begin prepping some tofu. To do this, slice 12 ounces of extra firm tofu into four slices. Line a baking pan with a tea towel, placing the tofu slices on top of the towel. Fold the towel over the tofu and place a second baking pan on top. Place a five pound weight on top of the second baking dish and place the tofu in the refrigerator overnight.

The following day, a half hour before you are going to cook, unwrap your tofu and soak it for 30 minutes in a mixture of 1 1/2 C soy sauce with 1 t Chinese five spice powder.

While your tofu marinates, pour 3/4 C boiling water over an ounce of seedless tamarind paste and set it aside; I accidentally got tamarind concentrate instead of tamarind paste (paste is much thicker).

  • Tamarind concentrate.
  • Tamarind concentrate combined with hot water.

Remove half of the tofu from the marinade and thinly slice it.

  • Tofu after marinating.
  • Sliced tofu.

Next, to make the sauce, combine in a bowl:  2 T palm sugar, 2 T fish sauce, and 1 T rice wine vinegar. Strain the tamarind paste into this bowl, pressing on the solids to extract all liquid. Discard the solids.

  • Palm sugar.
  • Palm sugar with rice wine vinegar and fish sauce.
  • Tamarind liquid combined with the palm sugar mixture.

In a separate large bowl, place 4 ounces of fine rice stick noodles and cover them with hot water for 10 minutes.

Fine rice stick noodles soaking in hot water for 10 minutes.

Before cooking you will want to also prep the following ingredients:  2 scallions cut on the bias, 2 t minced garlic, 2 whisked eggs, 2 t salted cabbage (comes in a jar), 1 T chopped dried shrimp, 3 oz bean sprouts, 1/2 C chopped salted peanuts, 6-8 dried red chilies ground to a powder, and 1 lime cut in wedges.

If you want to stir-fry Alton’s way, you’ll want to use your wok on a charcoal grill; you can purchase a wok ring to hold your wok. I don’t have a charcoal grill or a wok ring, so I just went with the good ol’ stovetop. Heat 1 T peanut oil in a wok over high heat and add your sliced marinated tofu. Cook the tofu until it is golden around the edges, and then remove the tofu from the pan.

Add some more peanut oil to the wok, along with 2/3 of the scallions and all of the garlic. Next, pour in your whisked eggs, scrambling them once they start to solidify.

  • Garlic and 2/3 of scallions added to wok after removing cooked tofu.
  • Eggs added to wok.

Once the eggs have been scrambled, add your drained rice noodles and the sauce.

Soaked/drained noodles and sauce added to wok.

Add 2/3 of the bean sprouts, 2/3 of the peanuts, all of the cabbage, and all of the shrimp. Toss everything together until heated through.

2/3 of sprouts, 2/3 of peanuts, salted cabbage, and shrimp added to the pan.

To finish, add the tofu back to the pan and toss again until the tofu is heated through.

  • Tofu added back to the pan to heat through.
  • After mixing in tofu.

Transfer the Pad Thai to a large serving plate and garnish it with the remaining sprouts, scallions, and peanuts. Sprinkle the top with the powdered chiles and serve with lime wedges.

Alton’s Pad Thai.

As I said before, I’m not a Pad Thai pro, but I really enjoyed making and eating this dinner. It was fun to utilize some new-to-me ingredients and the method of stir-frying is always kind of fun. I actually prepped this dinner for us two nights in a row since the recipe yields enough marinated tofu to double the recipe; the tofu was really very salty the second day, so I would not marinate the tofu for longer than the recipe states. We also did both find that the dried shrimp overpowered the dish, as they have a very strong seafood-like flavor. Personally, I would decrease or omit the dried shrimp, but that’s just me. Otherwise, it’s easy to see why Pad Thai is such a popular Thai dish because it has such a wide variety of textures and flavors. I will absolutely be making this again, especially now that we have all of the Asian ingredients in our pantry.

Episode 80 – “Salad Daze II: The Long Arm of the Slaw”

Posted: May 25, 2017 in Season 6
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It is always fun in this project when I get to watch an episode of Good Eats that I have not previously seen; episode 80 was one I had definitely not seen before. The premise of this episode is that Alton goes on a local, schlocky morning show to discuss coleslaw. When the other scheduled guest fails to show, Alton becomes the main attraction, continuing on with recipes for other types of slaw. Now, I’ll be honest that I don’t get too overly excited about slaw, but Alton did make some slaws in this episode that looked pretty tasty. So, how did they turn out?

Coleslaw

A classic coleslaw was first in this episode. This recipe requires some forethought because the prep needs to begin a couple hours in advance. Start by combining 1/2 a head of green cabbage, 1/2 a head of red cabbage, and lots of Kosher salt in a colander. Leave the cabbage for a couple hours to drain any excess moisture.

Half a head each of red and green cabbage.
Half a head of green cabbage, sliced.
Half a head of red cabbage, sliced.
Cabbage, tossed with lots of Kosher salt, and left to drain for a couple hours.

For the dressing, combine 1/2 C buttermilk, 2 fluid oz mayo, 2 fluid oz plain yogurt, and 1 T pickle juice.

For the dressing: buttermilk, plain yogurt, mayo (I used homemade), and pickle juice.
Mayo and yogurt for dressing.
Pickle juice added to buttermilk, mayo, and yogurt.

Whisk the dressing thoroughly, adding 1 t dry mustard and 1 T chopped chives.

Dry mustard.
Dry mustard added to dressing.
Dry mustard and chopped chives added to dressing.

When the cabbage has drained, rinse it very well with cold water and give it a few whirls in a salad spinner.

Cabbage after draining for 2 hours.
Cabbage, rinsed and ready to spin in the salad spinner.

Add the cabbage to the prepared dressing, along with one sliced carrot, and toss to coat.

A sliced carrot to add to the dressing.
The cabbage, along with a sliced carrot, added to the dressing.

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A bowl of Alton’s coleslaw.

This coleslaw was good, but not exciting. I did like how the powdered mustard contributed a slight kick of heat, while the pickle juice added some tang. Otherwise, though, it was really just a classic coleslaw that you could buy in any deli. It would, however, make a nice condiment for a pulled pork sandwich.

Beet Slaw

After watching the episode, I was most excited about Alton’s beet slaw because I love anything with beets… and Asian pears… and goat cheese. Yep, this one appeared to be right up my alley. Before you do anything else in this recipe, you will want to steam a few beets until they are tender (it took about 15 minutes for my beets to be tender).

Beets, ready to be be steamed.
Beets, after steaming for about 15 minutes.

To make the dressing, combine in a large bowl 1/4 C red wine vinegar, 2 T lemon juice, 2 T honey, 1/4 t Kosher salt, and 1/2 t pepper.

Dressing ingredients: red wine vinegar, lemon juice, honey, Kosher salt, pepper, and olive oil.
Red wine vinegar, lemon juice, honey, Kosher salt, and pepper.

Whisk in 1/4 C olive oil until emulsified.

Olive oil, whisked into dressing.

To the dressing, add 2 C of jicama, peeled and cut into matchsticks.

Jicama.
Jicama, peeled and cut into matchsticks.
Jicama, added to dressing.

Next, thinly slice 3 C of fennel; this is easiest on a mandolin. Add the fennel to the slaw, along with 1/4 C of grated onion.

Fennel
Sliced fennel and grated onion added to slaw.

Again with the mandolin, if you have one, thinly slice one Asian pear and add it to the mix.

Asian pear.
Asian pear, sliced on mandolin.

Finally, peel and spiralize your beets until you have 4 C. Add the spiralized beets to the bowl.

Beet, peeled and ready to be spiralized.
Spiralized beets added to bowl.

Toss all of the vegetables with the dressing and crumble in 6 ounces of goat cheese to finish.

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Goat cheese added to slaw.

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Beet slaw.

I happened to make this slaw when my brother was visiting, and he declared that he really liked this slaw despite not typically liking beets. Ted and I thought this was great also. This recipe is a fantastic marriage of flavors and textures. The jicama, fennel, and Asian pear are light and crispy, while the beets and onion are tender, and the goat cheese adds a lovely creaminess. Flavorwise, the earthy sweetness of the beets was great with the sweet Asian pear, nutty jicama, and spicy onion. The fennel added subtle anise hints. The dressing was tangy with a hint of sweetness, and the goat cheese gave a creamy tartness. All-in-all I was really happy with this one and will make it again. I will say that it is most aesthetically pleasing the day it is made, as the beets turn everything purple as the slaw sits.

Marinated Slaw

I actually started this blog a couple days ago, but am only just now finishing it. As I type, I am sandwiched between our two Coonhounds. Brixie, our beloved little “dogter,” had a rough day today, having a lump removed from her paw that could potentially be malignant. We’re all crossing our fingers and paws that we get a good biopsy report in the next few days. Now, back to the food.

If you are looking for a make-ahead slaw, Alton’s marinated slaw may be the one for you. Essentially, this is a pickled slaw that develops flavor for three days before you eat it. I don’t know about you, but I love anything pickled. For this slaw, grate 1/2 a head of Napa cabbage, and julienne 2 red bell peppers and 2 green bell peppers (I used yellow peppers, instead of green). Alton tells you to drain the vegetables in a colander for two hours, though this is really quite pointless without adding salt to the vegetables, as nothing drains away.

Napa cabbage.
Shredded Napa cabbage.
Shredded Napa cabbage, along with bell peppers, set aside to drain.

Once your vegetables are prepped, bring to a boil 3/4 C cider vinegar, 1 C sugar, 2 T Kosher salt, 1 t celery seeds, and 1 T mustard seeds; I found that this recipe did not yield enough marinade, so I had to make a second batch of marinade.

Cider vinegar, sugar, Kosher salt, celery seeds, and mustard seeds being heated for the brine.
The marinade, coming to a boil.

Pack your vegetables tightly in a mason jar (as tightly as possible, or they will float to the top), and pour in the hot marinade. Refrigerate the slaw for three days before eating.

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Hot marinade poured over slaw.

I made this slaw before leaving town for a few days, and it was ready just when I returned home.

IMG_6380

Alton’s marinated slaw.

The flavor of this slaw reminds me of bread and butter pickles, as the marinade is both sweet and tangy. The mustard seeds add some great pops of crunch and zest, and the peppers retain a lot of their crispy texture. This is a bright slaw that would be a good addition for a barbecue or picnic, or just as a side dish to dinner.

Asian Slaw

After making a coleslaw, a beet slaw, and a marinated slaw, what other type of slaw could you possibly make? Asian slaw is the final recipe from this episode, and it piqued my interest the most (along with the beet slaw) when I watched the episode. Alton also happened to mention that this Asian slaw is a favorite of his.

IMG_6347

Dressing ingredients: soy sauce, lime juice, sesame oil, rice wine vinegar, and peanut butter.

In a large bowl, whisk together 1 T soy sauce, the juice of a lime, 2 T sesame oil, 1/2 C rice wine vinegar, and 1/2 C peanut butter.

Soy sauce
Soy sauce plus the juice of a lime.
Soy sauce plus the juice of a lime (and a cat cameo).
Soy sauce, the juice of a lime, and sesame oil.
Soy sauce, the juice of a lime, sesame oil, rice wine vinegar, and peanut butter.
The dressing for Alton’s Asian slaw.

With tongs, add the following items to the dressing, tossing to coat:  2 T minced ginger, 2 minced serrano peppers, 1 shaved carrot (use a vegetable peeler), 1 julienned red bell pepper, 1 julienned yellow bell pepper, 2 T chopped mint, 2 T cilantro, 3 chopped green onions, 1 head of shredded Napa cabbage, and 1/2 t pepper.

Minced ginger.
Serrano pepper.
Minced serrano pepper.
Shaved carrot.
Red and yellow bell peppers.
Chopped mint.
Cilantro.
Green onions.
Napa cabbage.
Napa cabbage and pepper, added to the bowl.

Toss everything together until well-coated.

IMG_6377

Asian slaw, tossed to coat.

We both liked this slaw a lot, and it had fantastic Asian flavor from the ginger, sesame oil, lime, and peanut butter.

IMG_6379

Alton’s Asian slaw.

We ate this only as a side dish, but I would like to make it again, taking Alton’s suggestion of serving it as an entree; for a vegetarian entree, this slaw could be served with noodles or tofu, while you could serve it with flank steak for meat lovers. Personally, I can totally picture us eating this with steak as a summer entree on the deck.

Alton did a good job in this episode of demonstrating the diversity within the realm of slaw. Most of us probably see the word “slaw” and think of one thing:  coleslaw. For me, the standouts in this episode were the beet slaw and the Asian slaw.

 

Episode 68 – “Tuna: The Other Red Meat”

Posted: October 18, 2016 in Season 6
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Chimney Tuna Loin

After I watched episode 68, I realized I was going to have to do some serious hunting to find high-quality tuna loin to sear. We live inland, so it can be challenging (and sometimes expensive) to find certain ingredients. I decided to ask the resident ceviche expert of my town where I could purchase sushi grade tuna; his expression told me all I needed to know, and I realized I would have to give in and order some fish online. A few days later, a cooler arrived at my door with a pound of fresh tuna from California.

I was struck by one thing when I first looked at this recipe online – this recipe gets great reviews. Ideally, when preparing tuna, you want to eat it the day it is purchased, but you can store it for a day or so by wrapping it in plastic and placing it on crushed ice in a perforated tub; place the perforated tub inside a second tub to catch any draining liquid, and change the ice 1-2x per day.

To sear your tuna, you will need natural chunk hardwood charcoal and a chimney starter. Fill your chimney starter to the brim with charcoal and spritz some newspaper with canola oil, placing the newspaper under the chimney starter; the oil will slow the burning of the paper. Light the newspaper with a lighter and let the fire build until it is very hot and the coals have gone down about 50%.

Chimney starter, filled to the brim with hardwood.
Fire building.
Fire, ready to cook.

While your fire is heating up, trim your tuna into blocks that are about 4x4x2 inches, removing any bloodline.

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My tuna, cut into two blocks for searing.

For a marinade, combine 1/2 C soy sauce, 1/2 C honey, and 1/4 C wasabi powder, reserving 4 ounces of the marinade for a dipping sauce later.

Soy sauce, honey, and wasabi powder for the marinade/dipping sauce.
Soy sauce, honey, and wasabi powder for the marinade/dipping sauce.
The combined marinade.

Place the fish into the marinade for 1-4 hours. Alton marinated his fish for an hour in the show, so that is what I did. When ready to cook, drain the marinade from the fish and roll the fish in sesame seeds, coating four sides.

Tuna in marinade for 1-4 hours.
Marinated tuna, rolled in sesame seeds.

Place an oiled grill grate over the top of your chimney starter and add your fish. You will want to sear your fish for approximately 30 seconds per side, scraping any burnt sesame seeds off the grate each time you turn the fish.

Tuna searing on oiled grate for ~30 seconds/side.

Place the fish on a clean plate and tightly cover it with plastic wrap for 3 minutes. You can serve the fish immediately, or you can wrap it in fresh plastic and refrigerate for up to three days.

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Seared tuna, covered in plastic for 3 minutes.

Slice the fish thinly just prior to serving, and eat with the reserved marinade as a dipping sauce.

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Seared tuna, thinly sliced.

This was kind of a special dinner for us since we paid more than we normally would for fish. My fish appeared to be cut as more of a steak, rather than as a center cut of loin, so it was tricky to cut the fish into a uniform block for even cooking. If anything, my fire was possibly a little too hot, as my sesame seeds were really burning, so I would maybe let my fire go a little longer next time before commencing cooking. The marinade/dipping sauce was really zippy, packing quite a punch of heat from the wasabi.

Seared tuna served with reserved marinade as a dipping sauce.
Hopeful faces.

I was happy with the quality of the fish I purchased, as it had zero fishy flavor and a nice red interior. This is one I would really like to try again, but it would probably be reserved for special occasions since the main ingredient is expensive and difficult to find where I live. However, if you happen to live where you can easily find fresh tuna, I would definitely suggest trying Alton’s seared tuna. No matter what, it was fun to try!