Lad Na

Almost every Thai restaurant I have eaten in has a variation of this savory noodle dish. You may see it spelled many different ways ranging from Lard Na to Lad Nah, however it is spelled it is good eats. Lad Na is another Thai dish that echos the Chinese influence on their cuisine.

Protein and vegetables in a silky sauce merged with thick dumpling style rice noodles. The textures are important. Crisp vegetables, and stir-fried noodles that are crispy on the outside but succulent and chewy on the inside. The noodles should have a slightly smokey flavor complimenting the sweetness of the oyster flavored sauce. It is a good choice for people who fear the fiery side of Thai cooking.

As with many recipes there is much flexibility in ingredients. You can make the dish with almost any protein choice, including pre-fried extra firm tofu making it a dish vegetarians can eat. The same goes for the mushrooms, I have eaten it made with Shitake, Crimini, or common white button mushrooms.

Preparation is simple and the cooking time is short. Just remember to do your mise en place so you can cook the dish in a timely manner and not juggle preparing ingredients for you need to add quickly. Stir-frying is a very time sensitive technique, so good prep work is critical.

Ingredients:

• 1 Cup thick Rice Noodles (soaked in water)
• ½ Pound of your choice of Protein choice, Boneless Chicken, Beef, or Pork works best
• ¼ lb Sliced broccoli
• ¼ lb fresh mushrooms
• 1 Tablespoon Corn Starch
• 1 Teaspoons Oyster sauce
• 1 Teaspoon Thin soy sauce
• 1 Teaspoon Fish sauce
• 1½ Teaspoons Sugar
• 1 Teaspoon Minced garlic
• 4 Tablespoon Peanut oil
• ½ Cup Water
• ½Teaspoon Pickled chili for garnish

Mise En Place

1. Soak rice noodle in a warm water for 15 minutes. Drain. Set aside
2. Break the broccoli into individual branches and slice the broccoli stalks into thin pieces.
3. Soak them in cold water for 15 minutes
4. Slice the mushrooms thinly
5. Slice the protein thinly into 1" strips.
6. Combine the corn starch with the water and make a slurry, stir well to get rid of any lumps

Preparation

1. In a saucepan, heat 2 Tablespoon of oil and brown minced garlic to light brown.
2. Add soak rice noodle and stir-fry for 3 minutes. Remove and reserve them for later.
3. Heat the remaining amount of oil.
4. Add the sliced protein, broccoli and mushrooms.
5. Stir-fry for approximately 3 minutes.
6. Add cornstarch slurry and bring it to a gentle boil.
7. Add oyster sauce and fish sauce, sugar, stir until the sauce thickens.
8. Add the rice noodles and toss to warm and coat them in the sauce.
9. Transfer the Lad Na to a serving plate.
10. Garnish with the pickled chili. (optional)
11. Serve Immediately

Yields 2 servings

Cubano Sandwich

There are many variations on the Cubano Sandwich. A traditional Cubano does not be nave any mayonnaise, tomatoes, onions, bell peppers or lettuce on it. You can can use leftover meats for a Cubano, but I recommend using the freshest cuts you can find. When making a Cubano sandwich, the quality of the Roast Pork is what will make or break the sandwich.

Ingredients:

• 3 thin slices of ham
• 3 thin slices roast pork hot or cold
• 3 thin slices of Swiss cheese
• 3 or 4 slices of dill pickles
• mustard
• 1/3 cut Cuban hard crust bread or French baguette

Preparation

1. Slice the bread open face so that both halves are still barely connected.
2. Spread mustard on both halves of ther bread.
3. Add the slices of ham, and roasted pork.
4. Add the Swiss cheese.
5. Add the pickle slices.
6. Brush some softened butter on the outside of the bread.
7. Place the sandwich in a Cuban sandwich press
8. Press down until the cheese is melted and the bread is slightly hard to the touch.
9. When finished, slice the sandwich diagonally across the middle so that you have two triangle shaped wedges.

Notes

Never use a panini grill, they don't heat sandwiches evenly and a real Cubano doesn't have grill lines on it. For people without a press there is a simple fix. You can place the sandwich between 2 hot skillets weighted down with a heavy object, such as a foil-wrapped paving brick as the weight.

Some Thoughts on Brining

I have been busy recently doing some research into brining meats. This new mania started out with an experiment on brining wild game. Some of the most well known brined meats are corn beef and pastrami. For lean meats such as pork and venison it can add a lot of juiciness to the cut of meat.

Ok... So just what is the difference between brining and marinating? Both are a wet precooking process; each method has it's special usage. So I counted off the various items that are needed for each method. In the end it looks like a question of Ph whether you use an Acid or a Base.

Brines versus Marinades

Brining

Is the process of soaking meat in a saline solution. The brine solution permeates throughout the meat to enhance moisture. Other spices can be added to the saline solution to impart flavor. Whether or not the spices impart any significant flavor is debated by some. The primary ingredients used for a brine are water, salt, sugar, and spices.

Marinating

Is the process of soaking meat in an acidic solution, typically a vinegar and oil solution. Other spices are usually added to the solution to impart flavor. The meat is tenderized by the acid breaking down the cell structure of the meat. The primary ingredients used for a marinade are an acidic liquid, oil, sugar, and salt.

Brining Information Sites

• http://bbq.about.com/od/brinerecipes/
• http://www.bbq-porch.org/brining00.asp
• http://www.bbqlodge.com/brine/brine.htm
• http://www.moscowfood.coop/archive/brine.html

Thai Egg Rolls

Poh Piah Tod

Almost everyone loves egg rolls. Myself included. These luscious crispy golden treats that are a favorite start to a meal. Egg rolls are another example of the strong Chinese influence on Thai cuisine. This recipe makes quite a few egg rolls.

Ingredients

• 1 ounce Bean thread noodles
• ¼ Pound Ground pork
• 1 large Egg
• ¼ Pound Cabbage, finely sliced
• 1 Teaspoons Garlic, chopped
• 2 ounces Bean sprouts
• ¼ Teaspoon Ground white pepper
• 1 Teaspoons Light soy sauce
• 12 ounces Egg roll wrappers
• 3 Cups Cooking oil for deep frying
• 2¼ Cups Warm water
• 2 Tablespoon tapioca flour

Preparation

1. Mix 2 Tablespoon tapioca flour & ¼ Cup water.
2. Stir the paste over low heat till it thickens.
3. Soak noodles in water until soft and drain.
4. Cut noodles into 3-inches length.
5. Mix the ground pork, egg, cabbage, bean sprouts, pepper, & soy sauce.
6. In a wok, heat 3 Tablespoon of oil on medium heat
7. Stir in garlic until light brown.
8. Add in noodles and the pork mixture.
9. Stir fry to cook for 3 to 5 minutes. Set aside to cool.
10. Place a Teaspoonful of filling on an egg roll wrapper.
11. Fold the wrapper over the filling, roll about half a turn
12. Fold in the ends to close them, then roll up tightly
13. Seal the wrapper closed with the paste.
14. Heat the oil in a wok to around 350 degrees.
15. Deep fry the egg rolls until they are golden brown.

Serve with egg roll sauce and a sliced cucumber salad.

It is a great family fun dish if you can get enough eggroll helpers. Rolling your own egg rolls is easy to do and you can assemble them beforehand and then fry them at the last moment before serving. They make great finger food at parties or buffets.

Chicken Creole Cassoulet

For the beans:

1. In a 6 quart stock pot, combine all of the ingredients.
   • 2 pounds white beans (dry weight)
   • 2 ½ quarts chicken stock
   • 4 smoked ham hocks
   • 1 large yellow onion, diced
   • 4 large cloves garlic, minced, or about 1 tablespoon
   • 4 bay leaves
   • 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
2. Simmer until the beans are tender, approx. 1 ½ hrs (this will vary).
3. Drain the beans and reserve liquid.
4. Pick out the bay leaves.
5. When the ham hocks are cool to the touch, pick the meat off the bones,
6. roughly chop it and set aside.

For the garnish:

• 2 chickens, cut up
• Creole seasoning, recipe below
• 1 cup flour seasoned with 1 tablespoon Creole seasoning
• ½ cup olive oil
• 1 cup diced yellow onion
• ½ cup diced bell pepper
• ½ cup diced celery
• 1 tablespoon chopped garlic
• 1 pound smoked sausage
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• Reserved cooking liquid from the beans, still warm
• 1 cup tomatos diced
• Salt and pepper
• Bread crumb crust, recipe below

Preparations

1. Heat a 6 quart Dutch oven to medium high heat.
2. Season the chicken generously with creole seasoning
3. Dredge in the seasoned flour.
4. Add the olive oil to the pan and lightly brown the chicken.
5. Remove them from the pan and place them on paper towels.
6. Add the onion, bell pepper and celery to the pan.
7. Cook for 5 minutes, scraping the pan periodically.
8. Add the garlic and the smoked sausage and cook for 3 minutes.
9. Add ¼ cup of the seasoned flour and stir to form a roux.
10. Add additional flour as needed to form a stiff roux.
11. Cook the roux for 5 minutes, constantly stirring.
12. Cook until roux is the color of peanut butter.
13. Add the Worcestershire sauce to the roux & vegetables in the pan.
14. Slowly add the stock from the beans, stirring to dissolve the roux.
15. Cook for 10 minutes.
16. Add the tomatoes, the chicken, and reserved ham hock meat.
17. Take a taste and adjust the seasoning with some salt and pepper.
18. Add the beans to the pot and mixing all the ingredients well.
19. Top with breadcrumb mixture and bake in a 375 degree oven for 45 minutes, or until bubbly and crust is golden brown and crispy.

Creole Seasoning:

• 2 ½ tablespoons paprika
• 2 tablespoons salt
• 2 tablespoons garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon black pepper
• 1 tablespoon onion powder
• 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• 1 tablespoon dried thyme

Combine all ingredients thoroughly.

Yield: 2/3 cup

Bread crumb crust:

• 2 cups unseasoned bread crumbs
• ½ cup unsalted butter, melted
• ¼ cup Parmesan cheese
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 egg yolks

Combine all of the ingredients in a food processor and pulse for 30 seconds until combined.

Yield: 8 to 10 servings

Prep Time: 10 minutes Cooking Time: 2 hours 45 minutes