Think beefy broth. A hint of lemongrass. Beef. Star anise. Rice noodles. And some bun bo Hue spice to fire it all up. That’s what this beef Vietnamese inspired noodle soup is all about. I love Vietnamese noodle soups. I’m actually crazy for them. Seriously. I have a problem. If you are like me, I’m guessing this is one you’ll like. A lot. It’s not a famous dish. Not even a dish really....
If you are looking for a quick ramen fix this one can be on the table 30 minutes after you walk into the kitchen. It’s rich, salty goodness in a bowl. And it’s dead easy. 30 minute curry ramen. Crazy delicious. Weeknight effort. I have a thing for Japanese food. Something about the simple perfection that is Japanese food just totally does it for me. I still remember the first time I tried the curry....
Layering flavours is the key to making awesome turkey gravy. Quality, concentrated turkey stock is the key to ensuring stellar results every time. There are only four ingredients in a great holiday turkey gravy. Fat, flour, turkey drippings and stock are the variables you have to play with and you can’t do anything about the flour other than make sure you don’t make lumps. Fat is easy – use some of the turkey fat in the pan....
Char siu ribs. Chinese sticky ribs. I don’t know which name is better. What I do know these ribs are seriously delicious. A little bit salty. A little bit sweet. Sticky. Loaded with umami. And porky rib goodness. There is just nothing here not to love. Chinese takeout flavour at home I like ribs. Correction. I love ribs. I’m always looking for ways to feed my rib addiction. Char siu ribs deliver....
Braised chicken with Calabrian chilies. Delicious. And the skin stays crispy. That’s the great thing about this recipe. Tender chicken. Crispy skin. Braising is a great way to cook. With chicken, though, the price you pay is flabby skin. Keeping the skin above the surface of the liquid keeps it from softening. Braised flavour with crunch. Delicious. Perfectly cooked, tender chicken basted in that luscious sauce. It’s the kind of thing that can only come from delicately simmering chicken in a rich stock....
Chipotle in adobo is an easy way to bottle instant flavour. Seriously. Chipotle has become a marketing ingredient. For a limited time get the super chipotle bacon burger! This month only – the chipotle pulled pork sandwich. It’s too bad though. It really is a wonderful flavour. Smoky, spicy and complex.You can use it all over the place. Roast pork with a chipotle gravy. Chipotle braised beef ribs. Bean dishes. Soups....
I like my big green egg. I’m not a fanatic like some, mind you. But I do like it. It does a lot of stuff pretty well. Kamodos are the Swiss army knife of charcoal grills. They do everything pretty well. But they do one thing better than any other grill I know. The big green egg as a wood oven. That’s it’s wheelhouse. And nobody knows this. I don’t know why....
Gobi manchurian. The ultimate cauliflower wings. Been around forever. Indian spiced cauliflower with attitude. Seriously good eating. Never heard of Gobi Manchurian? Not surprising. Not sure why but it’s a well kept secret. Gobi is Hindi for cauliflower. Manchuria is a region in China. India meets China. You can’t go three hops on the internet without bumping into buffalo cauliflower wings. But no gobi manchurian. Time for that to change....
Korean ramen. It has to happen. Japanese ramen with big, bold, spicy Korean flavours. There’s nothing here not to love. Someday this is going to be everywhere. It had to happen on this blog anyway. I love ramen. I really love ramen. And I love Korean food. It was just a matter of time. I had to try it. And I’m glad I did. I could open a food truck on this alone....
Mulligatawny soup. Savoury lentils. Chicken. Indian spices. Ginger. Garlic. And lemon. How can you go wrong? Make this when you want something different. Comforting. Deeply satisfying. And so tasty. If you like dal, you are going to love mulligatawny soup. It can be what’s for dinner. With a paratha or naan. Little green salad on the side. It’s that satisfying. Soup that eats like a meal. Leave the chicken out and you have a nice “cream of” style soup without the cream....
If you have the tomatillo salsa on hand, roasted pork with tomatillo sauce is a quick and easy meal. The salsa darkens as it cooks in the rendered pork fat. The sauce picks up the flavours of the meat to really come together nicely. I used pork tenderloin because I was jammed for time but you could do it with a small pork loin as well. Just up the amount of tomatillo salsa you use to line up with the amount of meat you are preparing....
I’ve mentioned before that you really should dig out the rotisserie that came with your BBQ. It’s worth it for no other reason than to make rotisserie chickens. Indirect heat, a bit of smoke and 45 minutes and you are digging into succulent chicken with wonderfully crispy skin. Who doesn’t love crispy chicken skin? Board sauce is a super easy way to add that little bit extra goodness. Adam Perry Lang goes into it in detail in his Charred and Scruffed cookbook (well worth seeking out, BTW) but at it’s simplest you simply collect those juices that wind up on the cutting board and mix in some complementary flavours to create a few spoonfuls that really amp up the meal....
This tandoori marinade is loaded with big Indian flavours. If you can grill, you can make better tandoori chicken than you can buy. I don’t know why it is but the tandoori chicken in restaurants in North America is just not good. Maybe it’s marinated too long. Maybe it’s overcooked. Maybe they use mass produced tandoori paste. For sure is nowhere as good as it could be. Which is too bad because it’s one of the great chicken dishes of all time....
Bun thit nuong is one of the great Vietnamese noodle salads. Lemongrass marinated pork. Fresh herbs. Cool rice noodles. And a big drizzle of hot, sour, sweet and salty nuoc cham dipping sauce. Contrasting flavours that come together together in a big bowl of delicious. The smoky, super flavourful pork. Red chili adds bite. Mint and cilantro brighten everything. The crunch of a good spring roll for contrasting texture. And a great sauce to tie it all together....
Sometimes I do blog posts just for me. This is one of those times. This is my go to coleslaw. Posted so I have always have it handy. This isn’t even my recipe. It’s from The New York Cookbook by Molly O’Neill. That book has about a million recipes in it. I have no idea how I found this one. But I did. About 300 years ago. And I’ve been making it ever since....
If you want the biggest flavours for dinner tonight make naga chicken tikka curry – Indian hotel style. This is not one for the korma or butter chicken crowd. It’s for those chasing maximum taste. Those that aren’t scared of a little fire. It doesn’t have to be super spicy. But nobody will ever call it bland either. Try to imagine. Chicken tikka. Little tandoori chicken bites. The haunting aroma of naga chili....
Nihari gosht is seriously tasty beef stew Indian style. Beef in spicy gravy. Big bold Indian flavours. Seriously beefy. It’s a classic for a reason. Nihari dates back to the 18th century. And it’s still wildly popular in India and Pakistan. Tradition says it’s a beef curry. But you can make it with lamb. Or goat. I’ve even seen it done with chicken. I like it best with beef. Some will say it has to be beef....
Thai sesame noodles. Think pad Thai with a big boost of sesame flavour. That’s what this is. Sesame sauce. Rice noodles. Chicken. Or shrimp. Or both. Egg. Delicious. It’s a tasty weeknight dinner that’s good enough to serve friends. Like takeout. But better. Because you made it yourself. Sesame noodles mania Funny thing where I live. Pad Thai has become Thai sesame noodles. I don’t know what’s going on. But lots of restaurants have jumped on the bandwagon....
Sometimes simple is best. This is one of those times. Simple chicken curry. Like your mom makes. Well maybe not your mom. But my mom. My mom could cook. It’s the kind of stuff that everyone who grew up Indian knows. What they remember. What I remember. Comfort food. Family food. It’s not complicated. Pretty straight forward in fact. And it’s a great intro into the techniques you need to get good at cooking Indian....
Delicious on a Tuesday. Worthy of a casual dinner with friends. And easy. Thai turkey burgers. A real crowd pleaser. In a healthy sort of way. Any night of the week. Nothing not to love here. Some green chilies. A little shallot. Garlic. Cilantro. And fish sauce. There has to be fish sauce. On a bun. With a spicy kewpie mayo burger sauce. A little lettuce. Some tomato. A few strands of red onions....
