Monday, April 26, 2010

Lao Noodle Soup



Ingredients:

Plain noodles- Thick (Uncooked Udon or noodle from scratch)
Water- 2 Liters
Onion- Cut in two halves or leave it whole
Chicken breasts- two larger breasts
Salt- 1 teaspoon
Pepper- A dash
Chicken Bouillon- two cubes
Dried Shallots- 1 tablespoon
Garlic- 5 cloves halved
Ginger- small i inch piece, sliced very thin
Fish Sauce- 2 tablespoon (more can be added into the individual bowls later)
Sugar- 1/2 teaspoon
Scallions- 4 whole, sliced very thin and used to sprinkle into the bowl when finished
Cilantro- a handful, chopped very small to garnish and sprinkle into the bowl when finished. I aslo like to toss about a handful into the soup just to get the flavor.

Instructions:

In a bowl cut the noodles into three inch pieces and set aside until the broth is finish. In a large stock pot boil the water and the chicken. You can use frozen chicken as well. Boil the chicken for about 30 min and then remove it and set aside to cool. While the chicken cools, season the stock by combining all the above ingredients and add the noodles. Add the noodles and let it cook in medium heat for about 10 minutes. You can boil the noodles in a separate pot but I like to combine it with the stock to get a thicker broth. Shred the chicken and mix it back into the stock pot with the noodles and let it simmer for about 5 minutes. The noodle soup is served in a bowl and garnished with scallions, cilantro and dried garlic and shallots. You can also add more fish sauce and hot chili garlic oil. The noodle soup makes a great breakfast or lunch. My two year old is a picky eater but will eat it everytime I give it to him.

Thursday, April 1, 2010

Lemongrass Pork Chops

Ingredients:

6-8 Pork Chops: Thin cuts
Lemongrass: Only the bottom 4 inches sliced very thin
Garlic: 4-5 Cloves, Finely chopped
Scallions: 3 Stalks, cut into 2 inch lengths
Thai Chilli, red or green: seeded and sliced
Salt: Pinch
Pepper: A dash
Sugar: 1 teaspoon
Fish sauce: 2 tablespoons
Soy Sauce: 4 tablespoons
Oyster Sauce: 2 tablespoons
Curry: 1 teaspoon (optional- it gives it more flavor)

Instructions: In a large pan or bowl, combine all the ingredients above and let it marinate for a couple of hours. Tastes best if marinated overnight. Place porkchops on the grill for about 10 minutes on each side. Cook it longer if the porkchop is thick.

The porkchops can also be broiled in the oven for about 15-20 minutes.

This recipe is also great with chicken. You can also skewer them as Kabobs or Satay.