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Meatballs in Panaeng Curry Sauce

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups unsweetened coconut milk

1 lb. ground beef

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons panaeng curry paste or red curry paste

1/2 cup water

1 tablespoon fish sauce

1 tablespoon palm sugar or brown sugar

6 wild lime leave (optional)

1. Heat the coconut milk in a medium saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until it thickens a little and becomes smooth and fragrant, about 5 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, season the ground beef with salt and shape it into meatballs. Use about 1 tablespoon for each one, and place them on a plate.

3. Add the curry paste to the saucepan and cook about 3 minutes more, mashing and stirring to dissolve the paste into the coconut milk. Add the meatballs and cook, turning gently to coat, 1 to 2 minutes.

4. Increase the heat to medium-high, bring to a gentle boil, and add the water, fish sauce, and palm sugar. Crush the lime leaves, if using, in your hand and stir them in. Simmer, stirring gently now and then, until the meatballs are cooked through and the sauce is smooth, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat, transfer to a serving bowl, and serve hot or warm. Makes 2 - 3 dozen meatballs.

Spicy Fish Cakes with Green Beans & Wild Lime Leaves

Ingredients:

1 lb. firm fish fillets, such as tilapia, catfish, rockfish, snapper, black bass, or salmon

1 egg

2 tablespoons red curry paste

1 tablespoon fish sauce

1/2 teaspoon sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

3 to 4 raw green beans or 2 green onions, very thinly sliced crosswise (about 1/4 cup)

8 wild lime leaves, very thinly sliced crosswise or minced (optional)

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

Tangy cucumber pickles

1. Cut the fish fillets into big chunks, and then pulse them to a coarse paste in a food processor, stopping often to scrape the bowl, grinding the fish coarse, but fairly evenly without reducing it to a smooth paste.

To use a blender, pulse the fish to a coarse paste in 3 or 4 batches, stopping often to scrape down the sides.

Transfer the fish to a medium bowl and add the egg, curry paste, fish sauce, sugar, salt, green beans, and lime leaves, if using. Use your hands to combine everything well. Shape into plump cakes, 2 - 3 inches in diameter, and set aside.

2. Heat the oil in a large, deep skillet or wok over medium-high heat until a bit of the fish mixture sizzles at once. Add half the cakes to the oil and fry for 3 to 5 minutes, until golden brown and cooked through, turning once. Drain well on paper towels, and then repeat with remaining cakes. Serve hot or warm with tangy cucumber pickles. Makes about 4 large or 8 small cakes.

Thai Crab Cakes

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon chopped garlic

1 tablespoon plus a handful of chopped fresh cilantro

2 tablespoons water

1 tablespoon fish sauce

1 teaspoon soy sauce

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground pepper

3/4 lb cooked lump crabmeat

1/2 lb ground pork

1/2 cup bread crumbs or mashed potatoes

1 egg, beaten

All-purpose flour for dredging

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1. In a small food processor blender, combine garlic, 1 tablespoon cilantro, water, fish sauce, soy sauce, salt, pepper and blend well until fairly smooth. In a medium bowl, combine garlic-cilantro mixture with the crabmeat, pork, bread crumbs, remaining cilantro, egg and mix gently. Shape the crabmeat mixture into 8 plump cakes, each about 3 inches in diameter. Put the flour on a dinner plate, dip each crab cake in the flour to coat it lightly, and place it on a platter by the stove.

2. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat for about 1 minute, until a pinch of flour sizzles at once. Add 4 cakes to the oil and fry, turning once, until golden brown and cooked through, 5 to 7 minutes. Drain well on paper towels. and then repeat with remaining cakes. transfer the cakes to a serving platter and serve hot or warm. Makes about 8 crab cakes.

Northern-Style Dipping Sauce with Ground Pork & Tomatoes

Ingredients:

3 Tablespoons vegetable oil

2 tablespoons garlic, finely chopped

2 tablespoons shallots, chopped

1 tablespoon red curry paste

1/2 lb. ground pork

20 cherry tomatoes or 5 plum tomatoes, coarsely chopped

1/2 cup water

3 tablespoons fish sauce

1 tablespoon brown sugar

Optional Accompaniments:

1 1/2 cups cucumbers, peeled & slice into thick ovals

1 1/2 cups green beans, trimmed to 2 inch lengths

2 wedges cabbage, 2 inches across at widest part

Sticky Rice

Crisp fried pork rinds

1. In a medium skillet or wok, heat the oil over medium heat and then add the garlic and shallots. Cook, tossing now and then, 1 to 2 minutes, until they are shiny and fragrant. Add the curry paste and cook, mashing and stirring well to soften, about 1 minute longer.

2. Add the pork and toss well. Stir in the tomatoes, water, fish sauce, brown sugar and bring to a gentle boil. Cook 5 to 7 minutes, stirring now and then. Remove from heat and transfer to a small serving bowl. Serve warm or at room temperature, with one or more of the optional accompaniments, or with rice. Serves 4 to 6.

Crispy Pork Spareribs with Black Pepper & Garlic

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons garlic, coarsely chopped

2 tablespoons plus a handful of chopped fresh cilantro

1 teaspoon ground pepper

2 or 3 tablespoons water

3 tablespoons fish sauce

1 teaspoon sugar

2 lbs. pork spareribs

vegetable oil, for deep frying

1. Grind the garlic,2 tablespoons cilantro, pepper, and water into a fairly smooth paste, using a small food processor or a blender (or use a fork to mash them on a cutting board along with the sugar). Scrape the seasoning paste into a medium bowl and stir in the fish sauce and sugar. Add the ribs and toss to coat well. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for 30 minutes to 1 hour.

2. Add about 3 inches of vegetable oil to a deep frying pan or a wok. Over medium heat, bring the oil to frying temperature, 350 to 375 degrees F. Meanwhile, set a plate lined with paper towels or a brown paper bag by the stove, for draining the cooked rib. Also set out a long handled wire mesh scoop or slotted spoon for transferring the cooked ribs to the plate.

3. When the oil is hot enough to make a bit of garlic sizzle at once, add about a third of the ribs. Gently separate them as they sizzle and foam in the oil. Fry, turning them occasionally, until they are evenly browned and cooked through, 4 to 6 minutes. Scoop the ribs out and place them in a single layer on the prepared plate. Cook the remaining two batches the same way.

4. Pile the ribs o a serving platter, garnish with a small bouquet of cilantro leaves on the side, and serve warm, along with a bowl for the leftover bones. Serves 4 to 6.

Chicken Satay with Spicy Peanut Sauce

Marinade for Chicken Ingredients:

1/2 cup unsweetened coconut milk

1 teaspoon fish sauce

1 teaspoon brown sugar

1 teaspoon curry powder

1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken, thighs or breasts

Spicy Peanut Sauce Ingredients:

3/4 cups unsweetened coconut milk

1 tablespoon red curry paste

2 teaspoons roasted chili paste

1/2 cup chicken broth or water

1 tablespoon fish sauce

1 tablespoon palm sugar or brown sugar

1/4 cup chunky peanut butter or very finely ground peanuts

1 tablespoon fresh lime juice or tamarind liquid

60 bamboo skewers, soaked in water for 30 minutes

Tangy cucumber pickles

1. Combine the coconut milk, fish sauce, brown sugar, and curry powder in a large mixing bowl and stir well. Cut the chicken thighs into generous, bite--sized chunks, and cut breast meat lengthwise into 1/2 inch strips. Add the meat to the marinade and mix well. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 or as long as overnight.

2. To prepare the peanut sauce, bring the coconut milk to a gentle boil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the curry paste and roasted chili paste then cook 4 to 5 minutes, mashing and stirring occasionally to dissolve them. Add the chicken broth, fish sauce, palm sugar, peanut butter, lime juice and cook 1 minute more, stirring well to make a smooth sauce. Remove from heat, transfer to a small serving bowl, set aside to cool. The sauce can be served warm or at room temperature, or cover and refrigerate, reheating gently just before serving time.

3. Thread meat onto tips of bamboo skewers, and cook on a lightly oiled, hot grill or under a broiler, turning often, until browned and cooked through, 4 to 6 minutes. Serve t once with the peanut sauce and tangy cucumber pickles. Serves 6 to 8.