Kitchen Call
Tue Sep 29, 2009
September offers second chances at new beginnings. School bells peal again. Everything, from haircuts to backpacks to sneakers, is fresh and shiny. While the kids resist return to routine, adults experience twinges of envy — or maybe nostalgia.
In that vein, this week I got a call from a group of Cambridge actors who wanted cooking lessons. They very specifically requested Asian recipes, as they enjoy eating in the many Thai, Cambodia, Vietnamese and Indian restaurants near where they live and work.
Asian cooking requires learning some basic knife skills such as cutting in matchstick slivers of vegetables. It also involves exotic ingredients added to the larder and refrigerator such as fish sauce, fresh ginger, lemon grass and sesame seeds. A quick look at a recipe may be intimidating, because ingredients lists are longer than Western recipes, but the techniques are not difficult and the cooking time usually shorter.
Besides the obvious requests like pad thai, I suggested some quicker dishes that might fit into daily schedules or when cooking for friends. Shrimp toast, a familiar Chinese takeout item, is an easy dish to make at home. A quick and easy Cambodian chicken dish may be in tune with an actor’s lifestyle and doesn’t require hard-to-find exotic ingredients. It pairs perfectly with any kind of rice.
And there’s nothing like bahn mi, the Vietnamese vegetable and meat sandwich that also includes French baguettes and mayonnaise.
So the acting troupe is planning to bring their best knives and their appetites and no agents.
SHRIMP TOAST
Makes about 24
* 1 loaf day-old French baguette
* 2 cloves garlic
* 4 shallots
* 1/2 teaspoon peeled and grated fresh ginger
* 1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined
* 1/2 teaspoon sugar
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
* 1 tablespoon cornstarch
* 1/4 cup sesame seeds
* Peanut or vegetable oil
* Fish sauce and lime juice dipping sauce
1. Cut bread on the diagonal into half-inch-thick slices. Set aside.
2. Process garlic, shallots and ginger until finely minced. Add shrimp, sugar, salt, pepper and cornstarch; process until finely chopped, NOT pureed.
3. Spread 1 tablespoon shrimp mixture over each slice of bread. Sprinkle tops evenly with sesame seeds, pressing lightly into the shrimp paste. Place on a baking sheet; cover with plastic wrap until ready to cook.
4. In a deep skillet, warm the oil. Carefully add the bread slices, shrimp side down; fry until golden brown, about 2 minutes. Turn over and cook until golden brown, about 1 minute. Remove with a slotted spoon; drain on paper towels.
5. Arrange on a serving plate. Serve warm with dipping sauce.
LEMON CHICKEN
6 servings
* 3 pounds, skinless, boneless chicken breast
* Grated zest of 1 lemon
* 3 scallions, chopped
* 1 onion, sliced
* 1/4 cup soy sauce
* 1 teaspoon sugar
* 1/4 cup sherry
* 3 tablespoons peanut or canola oil
* Hot cooked rice (for serving)
1. Cut the chicken into 2-inch cubes; place in a bowl; set aside.
2. Combine lemon zest, scallions, onion, soy sauce, sugar, sherry and oil. Whisk together. Reserve 1/2 cup of the mixture. Pour remainder over chicken pieces. Cover; refrigerate 2 hours to overnight.
3. Soak 12 bamboo skewers in water for at least 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 300F. Drain chicken, discarding marinade.
4. Thread chicken onto skewers. Place on a baking sheet; bake 20 to 25 minutes, turning and basting once or twice with reserved marinade. Serve over rice.
BANH MI
4 servings
* 1/2 cup sugar
* 1/2 cup distilled white vinegar
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 1 seedless cucumber, peeled, cut into matchsticks
* 1 carrot, peeled, cut into matchsticks
* 1 small red onion, thinly sliced
* 2 baguettes, cut into 6-inch lengths, hollowed out
* 1/2 cup mayonnaise
* 1 pound cooked pork, thinly sliced
* 12 sprigs fresh cilantro
* 2 jalapeno or other hot peppers, thinly sliced
* Soy sauce, to taste
1. In a large bowl, combine the sugar, vinegar and salt. Stir until the sugar dissolves. Add the cucumber, carrot and onion. Set aside at room temperature, 30 minutes. Drain mixture into a colander.
2. Lightly toast the cut side of the baguettes. Spread mayonnaise on one half and top with pork. Garnish with cucumber mixture, cilantro sprigs and chili peppers. Sprinkle with soy sauce. Close sandwiches; press down on top slightly.
Linda Bassett, author of “From Apple Pie to Pad Thai,” teaches American regional cooking and international cuisine at North Shore Community College. Reach her by e-mail at KitchenCall@aol.com.
In that vein, this week I got a call from a group of Cambridge actors who wanted cooking lessons. They very specifically requested Asian recipes, as they enjoy eating in the many Thai, Cambodia, Vietnamese and Indian restaurants near where they live and work.
Asian cooking requires learning some basic knife skills such as cutting in matchstick slivers of vegetables. It also involves exotic ingredients added to the larder and refrigerator such as fish sauce, fresh ginger, lemon grass and sesame seeds. A quick look at a recipe may be intimidating, because ingredients lists are longer than Western recipes, but the techniques are not difficult and the cooking time usually shorter.
Besides the obvious requests like pad thai, I suggested some quicker dishes that might fit into daily schedules or when cooking for friends. Shrimp toast, a familiar Chinese takeout item, is an easy dish to make at home. A quick and easy Cambodian chicken dish may be in tune with an actor’s lifestyle and doesn’t require hard-to-find exotic ingredients. It pairs perfectly with any kind of rice.
And there’s nothing like bahn mi, the Vietnamese vegetable and meat sandwich that also includes French baguettes and mayonnaise.
So the acting troupe is planning to bring their best knives and their appetites and no agents.
SHRIMP TOAST
Makes about 24
* 1 loaf day-old French baguette
* 2 cloves garlic
* 4 shallots
* 1/2 teaspoon peeled and grated fresh ginger
* 1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined
* 1/2 teaspoon sugar
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
* 1 tablespoon cornstarch
* 1/4 cup sesame seeds
* Peanut or vegetable oil
* Fish sauce and lime juice dipping sauce
1. Cut bread on the diagonal into half-inch-thick slices. Set aside.
2. Process garlic, shallots and ginger until finely minced. Add shrimp, sugar, salt, pepper and cornstarch; process until finely chopped, NOT pureed.
3. Spread 1 tablespoon shrimp mixture over each slice of bread. Sprinkle tops evenly with sesame seeds, pressing lightly into the shrimp paste. Place on a baking sheet; cover with plastic wrap until ready to cook.
4. In a deep skillet, warm the oil. Carefully add the bread slices, shrimp side down; fry until golden brown, about 2 minutes. Turn over and cook until golden brown, about 1 minute. Remove with a slotted spoon; drain on paper towels.
5. Arrange on a serving plate. Serve warm with dipping sauce.
LEMON CHICKEN
6 servings
* 3 pounds, skinless, boneless chicken breast
* Grated zest of 1 lemon
* 3 scallions, chopped
* 1 onion, sliced
* 1/4 cup soy sauce
* 1 teaspoon sugar
* 1/4 cup sherry
* 3 tablespoons peanut or canola oil
* Hot cooked rice (for serving)
1. Cut the chicken into 2-inch cubes; place in a bowl; set aside.
2. Combine lemon zest, scallions, onion, soy sauce, sugar, sherry and oil. Whisk together. Reserve 1/2 cup of the mixture. Pour remainder over chicken pieces. Cover; refrigerate 2 hours to overnight.
3. Soak 12 bamboo skewers in water for at least 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 300F. Drain chicken, discarding marinade.
4. Thread chicken onto skewers. Place on a baking sheet; bake 20 to 25 minutes, turning and basting once or twice with reserved marinade. Serve over rice.
BANH MI
4 servings
* 1/2 cup sugar
* 1/2 cup distilled white vinegar
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 1 seedless cucumber, peeled, cut into matchsticks
* 1 carrot, peeled, cut into matchsticks
* 1 small red onion, thinly sliced
* 2 baguettes, cut into 6-inch lengths, hollowed out
* 1/2 cup mayonnaise
* 1 pound cooked pork, thinly sliced
* 12 sprigs fresh cilantro
* 2 jalapeno or other hot peppers, thinly sliced
* Soy sauce, to taste
1. In a large bowl, combine the sugar, vinegar and salt. Stir until the sugar dissolves. Add the cucumber, carrot and onion. Set aside at room temperature, 30 minutes. Drain mixture into a colander.
2. Lightly toast the cut side of the baguettes. Spread mayonnaise on one half and top with pork. Garnish with cucumber mixture, cilantro sprigs and chili peppers. Sprinkle with soy sauce. Close sandwiches; press down on top slightly.
Linda Bassett, author of “From Apple Pie to Pad Thai,” teaches American regional cooking and international cuisine at North Shore Community College. Reach her by e-mail at KitchenCall@aol.com.
No comments:
Post a Comment