Author: cia

Coconut Milk Rice

Adapted from a coconut milk rice recipe without all the other ingredients

Ingredients:
3 cups of basmati rice
1 can of coconut milk
4 cloves garlic
2 Thai chilis, seeds removed
1 medium red onion, finely chopped
a small knob of ginger, crushed
a handful of cilantro leaves, finely chopped
1 cinnamon stick
6 whole cloves
a handful of black peppercorns
a handful of pine nuts
some lime juice
salt, pepper, oil

1. In a large skillet with hot oil, sauté garlic until light brown and cook onions until translucent. Toast the pine nuts with the cloves for a minute or two. Add chilis, ginger and peppercorns. Stir until fragrant.
2. Add the coconut milk and bring to a simmer. Add lime juice, salt and pepper to taste.
3. Add rice and cinnamon and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and cook for about 15 minutes, or until rice is cooked and all water has been absorbed. Fluff rice with a fork and sprinkle with cilantro.

Natural Tofu

34 West 32nd Street between Broadway and Fifth, 2nd floor
212/564-8200
about $100 for two, with two drinks, without tip

Their business card says Seoul Garden Restaurant but you might know it as Natural Tofu. People come here for the tofu chigaes, boiling hot woks of spicy broths with seafood or pork, all with tofu and bean sprouts.

Meant to be shared between at least two people, it’s the ultimate food for those who are just winding down their night of drinking.

What I come to Natural Tofu for, however, is their gae jang, raw crabs stewed in a hot soy sauce. I get into these moods where all I want is raw seafood and if I don’t mean sushi, I go for crabs Korean style.

Cauliflower Pilaf

Adapted from delicious. Magazine

Ingredients:
cauliflower, cut into florets
3 cups of basmati rice
4 tbsps of curry powder
3 cups of vegetable stock
1 onion, finely chopped
2 bay leaves
1 cinnamon stick
a handful of cilantro leaves, finely chopped
oil

1. Heat oil in a large skillet. Cook onions until soft. Add cauliflower and rice and cook, while stirring, for 5 minutes. Add curry powder and cook for another minute. Add stock, bay leaves and cinnamon and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and cook for about 15 minutes, or until rice is cooked and all water has been absorbed.
2. Fluff rice with a fork and sprinkle with cilantro.

Salmon and Scallop Boudin on Green Papaya Matchsticks

Adapted from delicious. Magazine

Ingredients:
4 skinless salmon fillets
6 scallops
1 red chili, seeded and finely chopped
1 garlic clove
lime zest
1 bunch of cilantro leaves, finely chopped
1 tbsp fish sauce
1 eggwhite, lightly beaten
the top layer of coconut milk in a can, chilled

For the green papaya salad:
1 green papaya,peeled and cut into thin matchsticks
12 cherry tomatoes, roughly chopped
a handful of cilantro leaves
1 tbsp fish sauce
2 tbsp lime juice
1 tbsp brown sugar

1. Make the sausages. Process salmon and scallops in a food processor until smooth. Add chili, garlic, lime zest, half of the cilantro and fish sauce and process. Slowly add eggwhite and coconut milk and purée. Scoop some mixture on aluminum foil lined with saran wrap. Roll into fat sausages and twist ends until tight and bouncy. Chill overnight.
2. Make the salad. Combine papaya, tomatoes and cilantro in a bowl. In a small screw-top jar, shake fish sauce, lime juice and sugar. Pour over salad before serving.
3. When ready to serve, poach wrapped sausages in simmering water for about 10 minutes. Let stand for another 10. Unwrap and slice and serve on top of the papaya salad.

Note: The green papaya photo above does not include tomatoes.

Tomato Bruschetta

Adapted from delicious. Magazine

Ingredients:
8 sourdough bread slices
2 garlic cloves, halved
4 small vine-riped tomatoes, sliced thinly
16 anchovy fillets
shredded basil leaves
salt
olive oil

1. Toast the bread for a few minutes until golden brown. While the bread is still hot, top on one side with garlic and brush with olive oil. Top each with tomato, anchovy and drizzle with some more olive oil. Season with salt and serve with basil leaves.