Branching out in the flavour department last night, I made a new recipe from the Rebar* Cookbook. I made a vegetable stock with what was on hand, and it turned out pretty good. I kept the solids from making the stock, and plan to puree them to 'thicken' a future soup using the remaining stock. Even with making the veggie stock from scratch, this soup was ready in under 2 hours, which is pretty good for Rebar recipes (they tend to be a bit labour-intensive). The flavours were great, rich and full, and out of the ordinary for my standard spice rack. I had to make several substitutions, which I don't like to do the first time I try a recipe, but was having trouble finding some of the ingredients. For instance, palm sugar and kaffir lime leaves. I'm sure there are specialty markets somewhere around here that carry things like this, but none of my local grocery stores do, and I wasn't about to make special trips all over town. So I made do, and guessed as to what kind of flavour they would bring to the mix. I'm going to post the recipe, as written, with my changes in [brackets] behind. The recipe has suggested additions, and I indicated which ones I used in [brackets] as well. I'm also going to post the recipes for the Asian and vegetable stocks at the bottom, in case you want to try them. Thai Dragon bowl
Ingredients:
8 c. Asian or vegetable stock
3 lemongrass stalks, trimmed and minced (use bottom 4" of stalk, cut off root end of stalk, peel away outer layer, smash with side of knife, like garlic, then mince)
3 Tbsp minced ginger or galangal [I used jarred minced garlic, not fresh]
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp. red curry paste [I ended up adding much more, about 1 Tbsp- but do it gradually, to taste]
1 oz palm sugar [I used about a tsp of brown sugar]
3 Tbsp soy sauce
1/4 c. fish sauce
1 c. coconut milk (optional) [I used light]
juice of 1 lime [didn't have lime on hand, used about 1 Tbsp Key Lime juice]
1/3 lb rice noodles, medium width
1/2 block x-firm tofu, cut into small cubes
4 kaffir lime leaves, stems removed & finely shredded [I used a handful of my lemon verbena leaves...]
6 oz. snow peas, trimmed
1 bunch scallions (green onions), minced
4 tomatoes, diced [I used canned tomatoes, left over from another recipe, drained]
1/4 c. minced cilantro
1/2 c. Thai basil leaves, torn [I used 1/2 mint, 1/2 regular basil- couldn't find Thai basil]
Dragon Bowl additions (probably not recommended to try all at once):
~ replace Thai basil with fresh mint [yes, see above]
~ add chopped bok choy or baby bok choy leaves [yes]
~ top with a stack of bean sprouts [will do next time]
~ replace red with home-made green curry paste [recipe available upon request :-) ]
~ sprinkle with finely sliced Thai bird chile rounds
~ add sliced oyster or shiitake mushrooms
~ garnish with fried shallots, garlic or lotus root rounds
~ add whole prawns (shrimp) or scallops [yes, tiger prawns]
Directions:
1) Heat the stock to a simmer and add the minced lemongrass, ginger, and garlic; simmer 15 minutes. Strain the stock through a sieve to remove the solids and return the liquid to the pot.
2) Stir curry paste, sugar, soy and fish sauces into the broth and simmer 5 minutes. Add coconut milk, if using, and lime juice. Taste and correct the seasoning to your liking [here's where I added more curry paste].
3) While the broth is simmering, add the rice noodles, tofu and baby bok choy [optional] kaffir lime leaves; cook until the noodles are tender, about 5 minutes. Halfway through this time, add the snow peas and prawns (if using raw). When the noodles are cooked, add all of remaining ingredients (and prawns, if using pre-cooked). Serve immediately in large bowls with lime wedges, sambal oelek, fish and soy sauce on the side.
Basic Vegetable Stock:
Ingredients:
1 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 yellow onion
2 leeks, greens only
1 garlic bulb
4 carrots
4 celery sticks [leaves included]
1-2 apples
4 bay leaves
1 Tbsp whole black peppercorns
1 Tbsp coriander seeds
1 Tbsp coarse salt
few sprigs fresh thyme, parsley and/or sage
20 c. cold water
Directions:
1) Peel and rough chop the onions, leeks, carrots and celery. Separate the garlic bulb and smash the cloves with the flat of your knife. quarter the apple(s).
2) heat oil in large stock pot and add the onions, leeks, carrots, celery, salt and bay leaves. Saute for 5 minutes, stirring often. Add all the remaining ingredients, including the water, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer gently for 45 minutes. Strain and cool if not using immediately. Store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days, or in the freezer for up to 2 months.
Asian soup stock:
Ingredients:
1 yellow onion
1 leek
4 celery sticks
4 carrots
1/2 bunch scallions
1 garlic bulb
2 stalks lemongrass
1 Tbsp coarse salt
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
1/2 bunch cilantro
1 1/2 oz dried shiitake mushrooms
2 tsp whole black peppercorns
2 tsp whole Szechuan peppercorns
20 c. cold fresh water
2" piece of ginger, peeled and sliced
Directions:
1) Roughly chop the onion, leek, carrot, celery, and scallions. Separate the garlic cloves. Cut off the top half of the lemongrass stalk, remove outer layer and discard. Chop remaining stalk in to 3" long pieces. Use the flat of knife to smash the garlic and lemongrass.
2) Heat oil in stop pot and add chopped veggies and salt. Stir to coat and cook for 5 minutes. Add remaining ingredients, except the ginger slices, and set to boil over high heat. Reduce heat to ow and simmer for 45 minutes, adding ginger halfway through.
3) Strain and use stock immediately, or cool and refrigerate up to 3 days or 2 months in freezer.
* Rebar: Modern Food Cookbook by Audrey Alsterberg and Wanda Urbanowicz, 2001.
