THAI PEANUT SAUCE

For me, peanut sauce served as a definitive gateway flavor into what would be come a lifelong addiction to Thai cuisine. Having grown up on a steady diet of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, it wasn’t until I first tasted the peanut sauce that accompanied my Mom’s chicken satay from the Thai spot in our mall food court that I came to realize that peanut butter could be used in savory dishes as well. To my young developing palate, peanut sauce was at once exotic and familiar.  Salty, sweet and rich with warm Thai spices, the run-of-the-mill skewered chicken soon became a vehicle for what I really wanted: the sauce.
I’ve made many versions of peanut sauce over the years and have come to recognize this rendition as my go-to, all-purpose recipe.  Used as a dip, tossed with rice noodles or as a condiment for jasmine rice, I’m sure you’ll find this sauce has many amazing applications.  While some recipes include everything from soy sauce and grated ginger to garlic and chili sauce, this particular version gets it’s nuance and depth from aromatic Thai curry paste.  Along with a few other simple yet flavorful ingredients, it’s the paste that takes this sauce to the next level and lend it that authentic taste.  It goes without saying that a fresh, homemade curry paste will render an exceptionally fragrant final sauce, but if you’re strapped for time, store-bought red curry paste from a jar makes a perfectly suitable alternative.

THAI PEANUT SAUCE

Adapted from Victor Sodsook’s, True Thai: The Modern Art of Thai Cooking
This is a simple and forgiving recipe with very few ingredients that comes together quite quickly.   It’s easy to adjust the final sauce to suit your own taste.  Some brands of peanut butter can already be a bit sweet, so feel free to scale back the amount of brown sugar called for in the recipe.  This recipe makes a rich, thick sauce that can easily be thinned out with warm water or more coconut milk if a lighter consistency is preferred.  I will also sometimes add a bit of lime juice along with the fish sauce to cut through the richness for certain applications.  Expect a lot of sauce, but don’t worry; it keeps well refrigerated for up to 3 weeks. Finally, too high of heat during the cooking process can break the sauce, separating the oil from the rest of the ingredients.  If this happens, don’t panic.  Simply lower the heat and whisk the sauce vigorously to reincorporate the oil.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 can (14-ounces) unsweetened coconut milk
• 6 tablespoons homemade panang, masaman or store-bought red curry paste
• 2/3 cup peanut butter (chunky or smooth)
• 7 tablespoons light or dark brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons fish sauce

METHOD:

1. Heat the coconut milk in a medium saucepan set over medium heat, stirring occasionally until it has reaches a gentle boil.
2. Add the curry paste and stir until well incorporated and fragrant, about 3 minutes.
3. Add in the peanut butter and cook, stirring constantly for about 1 minute.
4. Reduce the heat to low and add in the brown sugar, stirring until dissolved.
5. Remove the peanut sauce from the heat and stir in the fish sauce.  Thin with warm water if a lighter consistency is desired.
6. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Makes about 2 1/2 cups

PORK STIR-FRY WITH CASHEWS, LIME AND MINT

Learning to stir-fry properly has taken me a very long time. In fact, I still have a ways to go. What is seemingly the easiest and quickest way to cook is in fact quite difficult to do well.  We’ve all done it at one point or another: soggy, partially cooked vegetables, under-browned meat with no flavor and heavy, copious amounts of grease. No, stir-frying isn’t as easy as Martin Yan and Rachel Ray might have us believe after all. But if you can remember a few simple rules, you can see results on par with some of the best asian takeout spots in your neighborhood.
Simply put, you need to bring the heat. From the second the first item goes into your pan to last moment before it’s plated, you must have your wok or skillet on the largest burner cranked-up as high as it will go. While this might seem intimidating at first, keep in mind that this intense heat will render the most authentic end-product; it’s the closest we home cooks can get to the insane amount of heat created by a 300,000 BTU wok station at a Chinese restaurant.
This recipe is a great one to get your feet wet with high heat stir-frying. Once your prep work is done, this meal comes together in a matter of minutes. Delicious, crispy pork blends perfectly with the crunch of cashews and a floral hit of mint and basil. Salty fish sauce and the bright tang of lime juice and zest elevate the dish beyond your humdrum takeout order, adding a taste that is both pleasant and unique.

Pork Stir-Fry with Cashews, Lime and Mint

Adapted from Nigel Slater’s, Real Food
Remember to keep your pan HOT during the cooking of this dish. It is important to allow the oil in the pan to just reach the point where is begins to smoke before adding your pork. Also, it helps to have your prepped ingredients at room temperature as this will help keep the pan from losing too much heat with addition. Finally, don’t be afraid to brown the pork in two batches if your pan isn’t large enough to accommodate all of the meat. This will ensure that it caramelizes quickly without losing too much moisture in the process.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 lb pork tenderloin
  
• 6 tablespoons peanut oil
• 3 ounces cashew nuts or peanuts
• 4 spring onions, finely chopped
• 4 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely chopped
• 1 inch piece of ginger, peeled and finely grated
• 4 small, hot red chiles, finely chopped
• zest and juice of 2 big, juicy limes
• 2 tablespoons nam pla (thai fish sauce)
• a handful of mint leaves chopped
• a handful of basil leaves, torn into shreds

METHOD

Slice the pork tenderloin into pieces about as thick as your little finger, then cut them again into short strips. Get a wok or large sauté pan really hot over a high flame and pour 3 tablespoons of the oil into it. Once the oil is really hot — you will probably hear it crackle — add the pork and cook for three or four minutes, until it is golden brown in patches. Stir it from time to time, otherwise it will not brown properly.
Meanwhile, chop the nuts quite finely. When the meat is browned and sizzling, remove it to a warm plate with any cooking juices, return the wok to the heat and, when it is really hot and smoking, add the remaining oil.  As soon as it is hot, add the spring onions, garlic, ginger and chillies and fry, stirring almost constantly for a minute or two.
Add in the nuts and stir-fry for a minute or two, then return the meat and any juices to the pan. Stir in the lime zest and juice and the fish sauce and fry for two minutes, then stir in the herbs. Serve immediately.
Serves 2 very hungry people or 4 with other courses

FALAFEL WITH TAHINI SAUCE

Looking for good falafel in San Francisco can leave one feeling like Goldilocks.  In a town with so few options to choose from, compared to a city like New York, finding real, quality falafel around here can be hit or miss.  Oftentimes too dry, frequently too large and almost always too dense, my misadventures in the quest for the perfect fritter have lead me to create a recipe that produces perfectly light, moist and delicious falafel every time.  In Goldilocks’ words, these are just right.
Dehydrated chickpeas are soaked overnight and ground with onions, parsley and garlic then seasoned with aromatic spices before being fried to a rich, golden brown. Top with a drizzle of garlic and lemon spiked tahini sauce and you have a version that I’d bet rivals some of the best you’ve ever bought.

FALAFEL

I like to use a meat grinder set with the finest disk to process my garbanzo beans.  If you don’t have one yourself, don’t despair, as falafel made in the food processor will be equally delicious.  Whichever route you choose, make sure to season your mix well and taste it before frying — there is nothing worse than a bland falafel.  Another crucial aspect of producing tender, airy falafel comes from the rolling process.  No matter what you do, DO NOT press and compact the mixture into a tight ball.  Instead, take some of the mixture and apply just enough pressure to have it hold its shape.  It takes a bit of practice at first, but you will be rewarded with beautiful, light falafel in the end.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 lb dried chick peas (garbanzo beans), soaked in water overnight
• 2 red or Spanish onions, coarsely chopped
  
• 2 large garlic cloves, crushed
  
• 1/2 large bunch of parsley
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 2 teaspoons ground coriander
• 2 teaspoons sesame seeds
  
• Kosher salt & cayenne pepper to taste
  
• Canola or vegetable oil for frying
  

METHOD:

1. Drain the chick peas from their soaking liquid and pass them, along with the onion, garlic, parsley, through the finest holes of a meat grinder. Alternatively, place the same ingredients into the bowl of food processor and pulse until the texture is that of a coarse, moist meal.
2. Add the cumin, coriander, sesame seeds, cayenne and salt to the ground mixture. Stir to distribute the spice and allow the mixture to rest for at least a 1/2 hour at room temperature.  Taste a small amount for seasoning and adjust accordingly.
3. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.  With slightly moistened hands, take walnut-sized lumps (about 2 tablespoons) of the rested falafel mixture from the bowl and gently roll into flat, round shapes, about 1 1/2 inches in diameter.  Place the falafel on the lined sheet pan and repeat with the remaining mix.  Allow rolled falafel balls to rest at least another 15 minutes at room temperature before frying.
4. Pour oil into a 4-qt. Dutch oven to a depth of 2″ and heat over medium-high heat until a deep-fry thermometer registers 350˚. Working in batches, fry the falafel until they are a dark, rich brown color, about 4-5 minutes.  Remove from the oil and drain on paper towels.  Repeat with remaining falafel.
5. Serve the falafel warm or at room temperature along with tahini sauce for drizzling.

Makes about 2 dozen falafel

TAHINI SAUCE

Adapted from Claudia Roden’s A Book of Middle Eastern Food

INGREDIENTS:

• 1-3 cloves garlic, to taste
• Kosher salt, to taste
• Juice of 2 1/2 lemons, or more to taste
• 1/4 pint tahini paste
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
  

METHOD:

1. Crush the garlic with salt to for a paste. Mix it with a little of the lemon juice in a large bowl. Add the tahini paste and mix well.
2. Add the remaining lemon juice and enough cold water to achieve a thick, smooth cream, beating vigorously.
3. Season with salt and cumin; taste and add more lemon juice, garlic or salt until the flavor is fairly strong and tart. Add a few more drops water if too thick. It should be just pourable.