Stir Fry Morning Glory (Char Trokoun)

Stir Fry Morning Glory (Char Trokoun)

This recipe is easy and cheap, all you need is water spinach which is what it is call in America, it has long stem with pointed green leaves. In Asia it grows in the lake pond and any place that has water.

20 stems of water spinach or Trokoun cut to 1 inch long about 4 to 5 cups (keep stems separate from the leaves.
8 oz of minced pork, shrimp, chicken or tofu whatever you like
2 T of oyster sauce
2 T of fish sauce or soy sauce
1 T of sugar more or less up to you
1 to 2 T of Fermented soy bean
3 garlic cloves minced
2 T of vegetable oil

In hot wok heat oil add garlic stir fry until brown
Add pork, shrimp, or whatever you like to it cook until no longer pink
Add water spinach stems part only, cook until tender if needed add a bit of water
Now add soy sauce or fish sauce, sugar, oyster sauce, and soy bean, mix well,
(Make sure you add a T of everything at a time in case it is salty)
Now add the leaves and stir fry quickly, Water spinach cook very fast so be careful don’t overcook.
Taste and adjust turn the heat off.

Serve with cooked rice

Enjoy!

Lemongrass Fish (trout, tilapia, or any white fish)

Lemongrass Fish (trout, tilapia, or any white fish)

Lemongrass is one of the most flavorful herb and medicine use in Asia country. Lemongrass work for any kind of meat, fish or fresh salad, I use lemongrass for many of fish curry dish or just grill fish, and the flavor is very good with any kind of fresh pickle or salad.

1to 2 trout clean, cut shallow, diagonal slits on both side for the marinate to get inside the fish.

1 to 2 stalk of lemongrass thinly sliced, white part only,
3 cloves of garlic
3 shallots
1 to 2 Thai chilies for spicy (optional)
1 thumb size galangal, thinly sliced
3 lime leaves thinly sliced
1 T of sugar
1 to 2 T of fish sauce

In a mortar and pestle pound the lemongrass, garlic, shallots, galangal, chilies, lime leaves to paste

In a large bowl marinade the fish with the lemongrass paste add sugar fish sauce and marinated for few hours.

Grill or fry the fish until golden brown take it out let cool
Serve with Khmer Jrouk Spey, green mango salad, green tomato salad and so on…with rice
Enjoy

Curry Noodle (Somlor Kari Num Banh Chok)

Curry Noodle (Somlor Kari Num Banh Chok)

For Curry noodle you can make any kind of curry to go along with the rice noodle, but for Khmer curry noodle is a bit different, we use fresh curry paste mix with some red or yellow curry paste or only fresh curry paste. I often mix with Thai red curry paste.

For the Kroeung Curry paste,

2 stalk or lemongrass white part only thinly sliced
2 to 3 big pieces of galangals thinly sliced
7 Kaffir lime leaves thinly sliced
1 T of salt
7 cloves of garlic
5 shallots
1 big red dried Mexican pepper soaked wash thinly sliced
1/2 t turmeric
1 T of shrimp paste

In a food processor or mortar and pestle pound everything to paste add shrimp paste last and set aside .

To make chicken curry for the noodle

1 can of coconut milk or cream
1/4 cup of homemade curry paste (you can add more if you like)
3 T of red curry paste
5 star aniseeds
Half of chicken cut to bite size (you can use any kind of chicken, but bone in chicken taste better)
2 T of vegetable oil
3 Potatoes cut to bite size
3 to 4 carrots to bites size
1 onion sliced
Sugar to your taste
Fish sauce to your taste
Water as needed
Note: if you like you can use bamboo shoots and long beans instead of potatoes and carrots all up to you.

In a big pot add oil turn to medium heat until oil is hot then add curry paste both homemade and store bought fry until fragrant then add star aniseeds half can of coconut milk stir until all mix and bubble
Now add the chicken stir and cook for 15 minutes add water enough to cover the meat and cook until the meat is tender

Add Potatoes and carrots, the rest of the coconut milk and more water to your desire enough to cover the potatoes and carrots cook until the chicken and carrots is soft add onion cook till the flavor come together.
Taste and adjust the flavor with sugar and fish sauce. Curry can take about 1 hour to cook for the best flavor.


For the vegetables,
As for any khmer Num Banch Chok you can add any vegetable you like
The best vegetables are
Cucumber
Long bean
Bean sprouts
Thai basils
Cabbage
Thai chilies
Banana blossom and so on

For the noodle you can use rice noodle for Num Banch Chock or sometime I use top ramen just boil the noodle drain and don’t use any of the seasoning packages.

To serve Curry noodle

Put the noodle in a large bowl
Spoon the curry soup on top then add the vegetables, chili, lime juice salt and sugar as desire.

Enjoy!

Banana Muffin Cake

Banana Muffin Cake

1 box of yellow cake mix
3 eggs
1/3 cup of vegetable oil
5 ripe bananas
1/4 cup of milk

Mix everything until smooth spoon in muffin pan (line with paper cup)
Bake at 350 for 15 to 20 minutes or until done

You can make any cream to go on top up to you.

Shepherd Pie

Shepherd Pie

I made Shepherd Pie all the time, but sometime I made it a bit different from most of the recipes. I use cream of chicken or cream of mushroom to cook the mixture for the pie; it gives creamy taste to the pie.

1 lb of ground beef
1 small can of cream of mushroom, or chicken, or celery.
1/2 minced yellow onion
1/2 cup of minced carrot or red pepper whatever you like for color
1/2 cup of frozen corn
1/2 cup of frozen pea
1/2 cup of chopped green onion or chive will give you a good flavor
3 T of butter
1 cup of shredded cheese (you can use any cheese you like) topping
Dash of salt and pepper to your taste
1 t of hot sauce (optional)
3 to 4 cup of mash potato (I cook fresh mash potato with some milk for flavor)

Cook ground beef set aside.

In a fry pan on medium heat melt the butter and sauté the yellow onion, carrot, or pepper, until tender then
Add corn, pea, green onion or chive to it

Add ground beef and cream of mushroom stir until well combined, season with salt, pepper and hot sauce turn the heat off. If the mixture is too thick you can add a bit of broth, water or milk to thin it down.

Spoon the mixture into deep pie baking dish or square baking pan, add mash potato spread it evenly on top then sprinkle with shredded cheese. Bake in the oven at 350 for 25 minutes or until the pie is hot and cheese all melted. If you have fry bacon top it with the cheese it will give the pie crispy flavor.

Enjoy!

Easy Coconut Egg Custard

Easy  Coconut Egg Custard

11/2 cup of milk
1 cup of coconut flake
4 eggs
1 t vanilla
1/2 cup of flour
4 T of melted butter
1 cup of sugar
1 t nutmeg to sprinkle on top

Mix everything except nutmeg in a large bowl for 3 minutes until smooth
Pour the mixture in a deep pie dish sprinkle with nutmeg on top
Bake at 350 for 50 minutes or until the custard firm
Take out let cool before serve

Enjoy!

Steam Rice Noodle with Egg (Khmer Mee Kalar)

Steam Rice Noodle with Egg (Khmer Mee Kalar)

This recipe is not stir fry noodle it is steam with combination of dressing and veggies. Not many region in Cambodia know how to make this recipe because it has too many steps to it and it is came from Battambang nearby Bor Pylen province which many khmer Thai live there. Good dressing is the main part of this recipe.

For the Noodle
2 packs of fresh Pho noodle soak for 1 hour wash, and color with thick soy sauce or mushroom soy sauce, then steam the noodle in the steamer for 5 minutes until it is soft and cook through. Mix with scallion oil right away so the noodle  won’t stick when it cool down. Set aside.

For the meat (you can use any meat you like even shrimp, but recipe call for pork and eggs)

1 lb of thinly slice pork
2 T of oyster sauce
1 t of sugar
1 T of chopped garlic or shallots
1 white onion sliced
2 T of oil for stir fry the meat
In a hot wok add oil until hot
Now add garlic or shallot stir fry until brown
Add pork and stir fry until no longer pink
Now add onion and oyster sauce, sugar, to it
Mix them all together and stir fry until the pork is done.
Let it cool down and set aside,

For the scallion oil
4 green onions chopped
1/2 cup of olive oil
Heat oil in a sauce pan until hot add green chopped green onion cooked for 1 minutes then turn the heat off let cool.

For the dressing, do adjust to your taste (Tuk Trey)
Boiling Water or 1 can of Coco Rico Soda (12oz)
Vinegar or lime juice (1/4 cup)
Fish sauce (1/2 cup)
Sugar (6 T spoon more or less up to you)
2 Shallots minced
2 Thai chilies minced
Mix everything taste and set aside, it is best to do the dressing a day before for flavor.

6 hard boil eggs cut to quarter or half, set aside

For the topping
cooked Pork skin thinly slice (sell at the Asian market ready to use)
1/2 cup of dried baby shrimps soak wash and pound to powder set aside
1/2 cup of crush roasted peanut
Bean sprouts
Cucumber sliced thin
Thai Chili sauce
All kind of herbs like Thai Basil, Vietnamese mints, mints, cilantro ect….

To serve the noodle
In a serving plate or a large bowl
Put the amount of steam noodle you like then top with 1 T each of stir fry meat, cooked pork skin, crush peanut, dried shrimp, few slice of hard boil eggs, then add bean sprouts, cucumber, and herbs to it, drizzle with dressing and squeeze of lime juice and chili sauce.

Enjoy!

Stir Fry Curry Crabs

Stir Fry Curry Crabs

3 cooked or raw Dungeness clean cut crack the shells, set aside

Stir fry sauce
1/2 can of coconut milk, (if you like coconut milk you can add a bit more for the sauce)
2 T of red curry paste
2 T of sugar
2 T of oyster sauce
2 T of fish sauce
1/2 t of Chinese 5 spices
Mix everything in a bowl set aside

1/2 white onion slice
2 green onions cut to 1 inch
1/4 cup of thinly sliced ginger
1 Jalapeño slice
2 garlic cloves mince
2 shallots mince
3 T of vegetable oil for stir fry

Heat 3 T of oil in a wok until hot
Add minced garlic and shallots, ginger and Jalapeño stir fry until aroma
Add crabs if it is cooked crab it won’t take long but if you use raw crabs do add some water a bit to steam the crabs cooked until the raw crab turn pink,
Now Add stir fry sauce and you have to toss or stir it few times to make sure the sauce and crabs is all mix together (this is why you have to crack the shell so the flavor will go inside) taste and adjust the spice.
Add white onion and green onion mix well, turn the heat off,

Serve stir fry curry crabs with rice.

Enjoy!

Nacho or Taco Pie

Nacho or Taco Pie

In the picture I put Nacho Cheese on top before baking (optional).

1 bag of chip
1 lb of ground pork cooked with taco seasoning set aside
1 package of taco seasoning
1 roasted onion
1 roasted red bell or green bell pepper
2 roasted jalapeño pepper (more or less up to you)
1 cup of chopped olive
1/2 cup of chopped green onion
2 chopped tomatoes
1/2 cup of chopped cilantro
2 cup of Mexican cheese (more or less up to you)
Sour cream to serve with

Spray 9x13 baking dish, lay half of chip on it
Lay half Taco meat on it then sprinkle
With half of roasted onion, bell pepper, jalapeno, olive, green onions, and tomato
Sprinkle 1 cup of cheese on it (this is first layer) you can stop here or do the second layer the same
Start the second layer by add chip, meat and so on like the first layer.
On the top add the 1 last cup of cheese and sprinkle with cilantro
Bake in the oven at 350 for 15 to 20 minutes until the cheese melted

When ready to serve you can add sour cream on top or serve it as Nacho by drizzle with Nacho Cheese.

Enjoy!

Khmer Num Krok (Cambodian rice cake)

Khmer Num Krok (Cambodian rice cake)

This recipe is often made and sells on the street of Cambodia and Thailand. In order to make this cake you need to have the right cake pan don’t use muffin baking pan it will not work well. I bought mine in a kitchen store somewhere I can’t remember. Thai food import on line also sell this cake pan in cast iron is one of the best. I have 2 recipes for you.

Recipe I
31/2 cup of coconut milk
1/2 cup of water (do add water little by little in case the batter is too thin)
1/2 cup of coconut flake grind to powder
3 T of uncooked rice, grind to powder
2 cup of rice flour
1 t of salt
1/3 cup thinly sliced green onion or chives

Mix all the batter ingredients in a large bowl set aside.

For the coconut topping
1 ¾ cup of coconut cream
1/4 cup of sugar
2 T of tapioca starch
Mix them all together in a small bowl set aside

Recipe II
2 1/2 cups of coconut milk
1/4 cup of 2% milk (milk is to thin the batter)
1 cup of rice flour
1 cup of Glutinous rice flour
1/2 cup of cooked cold rice (left over rice work well)
3 to 6 T of sugar (if you like sweet add up to 6 and it is just like sweet cake)
1/4 t salt
2 green onions chopped
 Mix everything together until smooth then add the rice last. If the batter is too thick add a bit more of milk, but be careful if the batter too thin it  will take long time to cook. You don't need coconut cream on top for this recipe.

Coconut sauce for the cake (this is for 2 serving)
3 T of fish sauce
2 T of sugar (more or less up to you)
3 T of boiling water
2 to 3 T of lime juice
1 clove of garlic
1 Thai chili mince
1 to 2 T of coconut cream
mix everything in a bowl set aside until ready to serve

Heat the cake pan on medium heat until hot, brush with oil each time you put the batter in, spoon the batter mixture into each hole cover and cook until the cake is almost thicken then drizzle the sweet coconut cream on the top let it cook a bit longer until the batter is thicken, flip it over and cook the other side cook until the batter and cream is done. Take it out let it cool on a serving platter.

Note: If the pan is too hot the cake will cook fast on the outside but the inside batter is raw so make sure the heat is on low all the way after few round of cooking the cake batter.



Serve Num Krok or Khmer hot cake with coconut sauce above.

Vietnamese Steam Rice Cakes

Vietnamese Steam Rice Cakes

This is Vietnamese recipe of steam rice cakes, you can do it 2 ways, to steam it or cook it in hot cake pan (Thai KaNum Krok pan) in Vietnam this recipe is steamed on a large steamer with many tiny bowls inside the steamer. I did it a bit different because I don’t have tiny bowls to steam. I mix everything according to the package then I use Num Krok pan to cook it, it works well.

To make the filling
1/3 cup of dried shrimps (you can also use fresh shrimps) soaks wash set aside
1/2 cup of yellow monk bean soak for few hours then steam until it is cooked
1/4 cup of minced preserved turnip
2 minced shallots
2 minced green onions or chives
Dash of sugar and msg up to you
2 T of oil



To make the sweet fish sauce (1 to 2 serving)
3 T of fish sauce
2 T of sugar (more or less up to you)
2 to 3 T of lime juice
3 T of water
1 garlic clove, minced
1 Thai chili minced
Mix and adjust the flavor to your taste.


Heat oil on medium heat until hot; add shallots stir fry until golden color
Add dried shrimps, and turnip, stir fry until hot
Add green onion, monk bean, sugar, msg mix well turn the heat off
Take the filling mixture out and set aside


For the batter
You need 1 bag of Bot Banch Beo Vietnamese rice cake and mix with 4 cup of water (direction is on the package) what I did with my recipe is I used 3 cup of water and 1 cup of coconut milk.

Heat up the Num Krok cake pan on medium heat until hot brush with oil inside each hole. Spoon the cake batter into the holes cover and cook for 2 minutes or until the batter is a bit thicker,

Now add 1 t of filling to each batter and drizzle 1 t of cake batter on top so the filling will stick with the cake, continue to cook until the batter is done. Take each cake out put them on a serving platter. Repeat the remaining batter and filling.

To serve the rice steam cake all you have to do is drizzle the sweet fish sauce on the top of the cake and enjoy!

Stir fry Dried Wheat Noodle

Stir fry Dried Wheat Noodle

You need to find dried Mi Chay brand noodle sell at the Asian grocery store.

4 small bundle of Mi Chay dried noodle (boil in water according to the package direction)
Drain set aside
1 cup of minced pork or small shrimps
Half red bell pepper
2 cup of bean sprouts
2 green onion or ½ cup of chopped chives
1 t black pepper if you like spicy noodle
3 cloves of minced garlic or shallots
3 T of oil for stir fry
You can use any vegetable you like

Stir fry sauce
3 T of soy sauce
2 T of fish sauce
1 T of oyster sauce
1 T of dark soy sauce or Mushroom soy sauce
1 T of sugar (more or less up to you)


In hot wok heat oil until hot add garlic stir fry until brown but not burn
Add ground pork or shrimps stir fry until the meat is done and shrimp turn pink
Add red bell pepper stir fry until tender
Now add noodle and sauce stir fry until the noodle is hot turn the heat off
Add black pepper
Add bean sprouts and green onion mix it well

Serve hot with lime juice and chili sauce.

Enjoy!

Salted Fish with Minced Pork Steam Trey Prama Sach Jrouk

Salted Fish with Minced Pork
Steam Trey Prama with Ground Pork

For this recipe you need trey Prama or Trey Bra. Because these kinds of fish are hard to mince I steam it first then minced it with ground pork. You can steam or fry trey Prama.

1/3 cup of minced trey Prama
1/2 cup of ground pork
1 to 2 eggs scramble
4 garlic cloves mince (or 2 garlic 2 shallots)
Thai chilies as much as you like
1 t of sugar (more or less up to you)
1/2 t of msg (up to you)


On a clean cutting board mince all the ingredients together (except the eggs) to tiny pieces.
Put it in a bowl now adds crumble eggs to it, mix it well.

Steam the mixture until it is done.
If you fry it put 3 T of oil in a fry pan then form a flat mixture of trey Prama put in hot oil fry each side until golden and the ground pork is cooked.

Serve Trey Prama with any Thai crunchy vegetables or steam broccoli with a squeeze of lime juice on it.

Enjoy!

BBQ Chicken

BBQ Chicken

I made this BBQ chicken with half store bought spice and half homemade BBQ sauce, it turns out pretty good. It is very simple recipe.

2 ½ lbs of chicken drumsticks
1 pgk hickory bbq seasoning mix from the store (1.6 oz McCormick brand)
Mix and marinate the chicken with the seasoning package for few hours, I did it over night.

Homemade BBQ sauce
2 cups ketchup
1 cup of brown sugar
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
1/8 cup of liquid smoke

Put all the ingredients in the sauce pan and stir on simmer for 15 minutes, turn the heat off let cool. Keep left over in the refrigerator for a month or longer. This BBQ sauce taste much better than sweet baby ray because it is not too sweet.

Grill or bake your chicken until it is done, if you bake it at 350 for 30 minutes or so.
When the chicken is done brush with homemade bbq sauce and serves with any side dish.

Deep Fried Wonton

Deep Fried Wonton

1 pkg of Wonton wrapper

1/2 lb of ground Pork
1/2 lb of minced shrimp
1 T of soy sauce
1 T of oyster sauce
1 T of minced ginger
2 T of minced bamboo shoots
2 T of minced onion
1 T minced garlic or shallots
1 t of sesame oil
1 t of sugar (optional)
2 green onions minced
1 T of cornstarch

Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl set aside
Take one piece of wonton skin lay on a flat surface
Spoon one teaspoon of the meat put in the middle seal edge with water
Then fold it into triangle shape, repeat the remaining

Heat 3 cups of vegetable or canola oil on medium heat in a wok until hot then drop few pieces of wonton into hot oil deep fry until golden brown take it out and drain. Make sure the oil is not too hot or else it will burn the outside of the wonton skin and the meat won’t cook.

Serve warm with Thai sweet and chili sauce.

Enjoy!

Alfredo Veggie and Hot Dog Pizza

Alfredo Veggie and Hot Dog Pizza

When I don’t have sausage or meat at home all I have is hot dog to create this pizza with my left over Alfredo sauce.

Half can of Alfredo sauce
1/2 cup of broccoli floret
1/2 cup of red bell pepper slice
1/2 cup of mushroom slice
1/2 cup of white onion slice
1/2 cup of chopped hot dog
1/2 cup of 4 cheeses
Green onion for topping (optional)
Pizza dough of your choice, I bought it from Winco

Get the dough flat ready to lay sauce and topping
Spread few spoonful of sauce on pizza
Lay the veggies all over the pizza
Then hot dog and sprinkle cheese on the top

Bake in the oven at 425 degree for 18 minutes or until crush is done

Enjoy!

Vietnamese Chicken Salad with Lime Dressing

Vietnamese Chicken Salad with Lime Dressing

This is very simple and quick for leftover chicken all you have to do is mix with lime dressing and toss to serve.

2 full cups of leftover roasted chicken (you can boil 2 breasts if you don’t have left over) shredded

1/3 cup of sliced red or white onion
1/3 cup of shredded carrot
1/3 cup of julienne red bell pepper


Dressing (do adjust to your taste)
4 T of fish sauce
1 ½ lime juice
1 T of sugar
1 T of minced shallots
1 t of minced garlic
2 T of minced Thai Chilies
Mix the dressing in a bowl for half an hour for flavor.

Herbs
1/4 cup of chopped mints
1/4 cup of cilantro
1/4 cup of basil
1 to 2 T of Roasted peanut divide

When ready to serve mix chicken with dressing and onion, carrot, bell pepper, mix well
Then add 1 T roasted peanut and herbs toss to combine, spoon on to serving dish if needed drizzle a bit more dressing on top and garnish with the rest of the peanut.

Enjoy!

Stir fry Sugar or Snap Pea with Chives

Stir fry Sugar or Snap Pea with Chives

8oz of sliced pork
2 cups sugar pea or snap pea
2/3 cup of chopped chives
2 Thai chilies for spicy (optional)
3 cloves of minced garlic
3 T of oil for stir fry

Stir fry Sauce
2 T of oyster sauce
1 T of soy sauce
1 T of fish sauce
1 t of sugar
1/3 cup of chicken broth
1/2 t of black pepper
Mix everything in a bowl set aside

In a hot wok add oil until hot then add garlic stir fry until brown
Add pork stir fry until the meat no longer pink
Now add sugar pea stir fry for a minute then add stir fry sauce stir fry until sugar pea is tender then add chives, mix well turn the heat off.

Serve hot with cooked rice

Enjoy!

Easy Beef or Pork Broccoli Stir fry

Easy Beef or Pork Broccoli Stir fry

There are many kinds of stir fry beef and broccoli, in Chinese restaurant they deep fry the beef first then stir fry so the meat taste crunchy. When I don’t have time I do it the easy way all I have to do is add the broccoli and call it good. Pork tastes as good as beef for stir fry broccoli.

1 lb of good sliced beef or Pork marinate with
2 T of Chinese Rice wine or any cooking wine
2 to 3 T of oyster sauce
1 T of sugar
2 T of soy sauce
2 T of low sodium beef or chicken broth

Marinate the meat at least 2 to 3 hours for flavor.

3 cloves of minced garlic
2 T of oil for stir fry
4 cups of broccoli
2/3 cup of chicken broth mix with 1 t of corn starch if you like your stir fry juice thicken

Heat oil in a wok on high heat until hot
Add garlic fry until brown
Add meat and cook until no longer pink
Add broccoli and chicken broth, if needed you can add more broth.
Stir fry the broccoli until tender and meat is cooked according to your liking
Turn the heat off.

Serve hot with rice

Enjoy!

Peanut Sesame Noodle Salad

Peanut Sesame Noodle Salad

This recipe is very easy you can use store bought dressing or you can make it your own. Winco sell Kraft Asian toasted Sesame dressing that you can use with this kind of salad or any Peanut dressing will do all you have to do is add toasted sesame seeds or sesame oil to it. I did not measuring exact amount of everything, but you can mix and taste.

You need small box of spaghetti cooked according to package direction
1 cup of Napa Cabbage
1/2 cup of red bell pepper
1/2 cup of red onion
1/2 cup of cilantro
1/2 cup of mints

Store bought dressing (because store dressing is so sweet I add a bit more soy and lime to it)
1/2 cup Kraft Asian toasted Sesame dressing mix with
1 T of soy sauce
1 T of lime juice
1 T of toasted Sesame seeds
Mix the ingredients together set aside

Homemade Sesame dressing
3 T of rice vinegar
2 T of brown sugar
3 T of soy sauce
3 T of hoisin sauce
5 T of olive oil
1 t of sesame oil
1 t of minced ginger
1 t of garlic
1to 2 T of smooth peanut butter (more or less up to you)
Mix everything together half an hour ahead of time for flavor

Mix spaghetti with the dressing (add and taste as you mix) and vegetables
Toss with herbs mix well and Serve.

Happy Asian Noodle Salad

Enjoy!