Thai Style Green Curry Pork

We love Thai food.  Seriously.  We have a giant Thai cookbook on our kitchen counter.  And we have galagal, kafir lime leaf, and ginger in our freezer along with fish sauce in our fridge and powdered lemongrass and fermented shrimp paste in our pantry.  Spring rolls are a staple in our diet.  Peanut sauce has morphed into a Thai peanut salad dressing in our house.And while we go out for Thai on occasion it's usually take-out and it's usually because we're lazy. 

So, since we also usually have a can of coconut milk in the pantry as well, little green curry paste was all that we needed to do up some Thai style Green Curry Pork with Quinoa.  Most of these things can be found at a large grocery store with a good Asian/Ethnic isle.  Fresh galangal may not be available to you but fresh ginger root can be substituted.  It won't taste quite the same as galangal has that floral aspect that ginger just doesn't posses.  Same goes for kafir lime leaf.  Lime zest can be subbed but it isn't quite as sweet or perfumed as kafir lime leaf.  We're fortunate enough to live in an area with a decent southeast Asian community and a Co-op that carries a lot of Central and Southeast Asian ingredients so I stock up on the good stuff when it's available.

So this curry sauce is classic Thai flavor and you can serve this with any steamed grain you like.  We went with quinoa because it's what we had in the cupboard.  Same goes for veggies.  Onions, carrots, pumpkin, and bell peppers are all traditional Southeast Asian curry ingredients but use what you have or what you like.  We tossed in some cauliflower and zucchini because we had it in the veggie drawer. Also, we didn't do much heat in this.  This is very mild as curries go so zip it up if you like.  Slice up a jalapeño or serrano and toss it in.

So, Guttermouth goes with Thai food, right?  And this was blasting in the car around the time I made this dish.  Love me some old, raw, hardcore Guttermouth.  Never got to see em live, though.

Thai Style Green Curry Pork
Time:  
Difficulty: Medium
Serves: 4-6

Ingredients:

• 4 tbsp canola oil
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 tsp ground black pepper
• 1 cup onion, sliced thinly
• 1 tbsp galangal root, grated (ginger root can be subbed if you can't find galagal)
• 2 tbsp green curry paste (in the Asian food isle of the grocery store)
• 1 Kafir lime leaf (1 tbsp of lime zest can be subbed if you can't find Kafir lime leaf)
• 1 cup red bell pepper, chopped into 1" pieces
• 1 cup zucchini, chopped into 1" pieces
• 2 cups cauliflower, chopped into 1" pieces
• 1 cup carrots, chopped into 1/2" rounds
• 1 cup acorn squash, chopped into 1/2 pieces
• 1 lb pork shoulder chopped into 1" cubes
• 1 tsp brown sugar
• 1 14 oz can coconut milk
• 1/4 cup water
• 2 tbsp fish sauce
• 1 cup frozen peas
• 3 tbsp fresh squeezed lime juice
• basil and/or cilantro chiffonade for garnish

Preheat oven to 450°F.  Toss cauliflower, carrot, and squash in 2 tbsp of the canola oil (set the remaining 2 tbsp aside for later), salt and pepper.  Spread evenly on a foil lined baking sheet and roast for 25 minutes. Remove and set aside.

Place a large skillet over medium-high heat.  When hot, add the remaining 2 tbsp of oil and the onion and cook for about 3 minutes, stirring often.   

When onion is translucent and fragrant, stir in the galangal, the kaffir lime leaf, and the green curry paste.  Cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring often until the aromas are strong and a paste is formed.

Stir in the red bell pepper, zucchini, and meat and stir to coat with the onions and spice paste.

Add the water, coconut milk, brown sugar, fish sauce, and bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer.  Simmer for 10-15 minutes, stirring every couple of minutes, until the meat is cooked through. 

Stir in the roasted veggies, lime juice, and taste for any final salt and pepper that may be needed.

Serve with rice, quinoa, or your preferred steamed grain and garnish with basil and/or cilantro.

Char Siu Pork Ribs (Chinese Barbecue Pork)

I was completely stoked with how the marinade came out for these pork ribs.  These are great as is, just served with a side dish or two.  But I was specifically making them so I could chop them up in the food processor and use them in spring rolls!  I'd happily use this recipe on chicken as well. 

Been listening to old AFI recently, when they were a little faster and a little grittier, so went with "Lower Your Head And Take It In The Body".  -jen

CHAR SIU PORK RIBS (CHINESE BARBECUE PORK)
Prep Time: 6-8 hours for marinating
Cook Time: about 30 minutes
Difficulty:  Easy

• 1/4 cup molasses
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1/4 cup hoisen sauce
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon fish sauce
• 3 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 2 teaspoons Sriracha sauce
• 2 teaspoons Chinese Five Spice powder
• 1/2 teaspoon dried ginger
• 2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
• 1.5 teaspoons red powdered food colouring
• 3/4 teaspoons orange powdered food colouring
• 1/4 cup peanut or vegetable oil
• 4-6 large boneless pork ribs (country-style ribs), about 3 pounds

In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together all ingredients except the pork ribs.  Microwave for 1 minute and whisk again.  Place pork ribs in a gallon sized Ziplock bag and add 2/3 of the char siu sauce to the bag.  Marinate in refrigerator for 6-8 hours.

Add 1/4 cup peanut or vegetable oil to the remaining char siu sauce, cover, and refrigerate.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

After marinating, place ribs on a large baking sheet (I recommend lining with foil to make clean up easy because the sugars will burn!)  Roast until rib temperature reaches 120 degrees F (about 20 minutes), turning and basting ribs with remaining sauce every 10 minutes.  When ribs reach 120 degrees internally, turn up heat to 425 degrees F and cook until ribs reach an internal temperature of 140 degrees F (about 10 minutes).  The higher heat at the end helps the charring, but if you're looking for even more of a candied char on the outside, stick 'em under your broiler until they're to your liking.

Asian Salad Dressing & Marinade

Asian Dressing with Chinese Chicken Salad

For years now, when we've wanted an Asian dressing, we've just thrown some crap together.  Some have been good, some have been not-so-good, but we never wrote down what we did.  So a little while ago, I decided I was going to get myself a solid recipe that I could make that would be consistently awesome every time.  Bam!  Here it is!  I love this dressing!  We use it for all kinds of things: green leaf salads with some cucumber, shredded carrot, green onions and cashews; marinade for chicken or pork (but only marinate it for a few hours or the vinegar and lime juice will "cook" the meat and make it kind of mealy); sometimes we'll toss some veggies like broccoli, onions, bell peppers and zucchini with it and then roast them; made a Thai-style 4-bean salad with it.  Very diverse.  Very yummy.

I was in an Elvis mood the other day (because I love Elvis)... but then I remembered U.S. Bombs' "Rocks in Memphis" and had to listen to it again.  You think Lisa Marie has even heard this song?  -jen

ASIAN SALAD DRESSING AND MARINADE
Time:  all of like... 5 minutes, maybe, if you measure slowly
Difficulty:  Easy
Makes:  1.5 cups

• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 1/4 cup rice vinegar
• 1 teaspoon fish sauce
• 2 tablespoons hoisen
• 2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
• juice and zest of 1 lime
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 tablespoon hot mustard (or any mustard)
• dash of sriracha (or more, if you want it spicy)
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1 teaspoon chopped ginger
• 1 cup canola (or vegetable) oil

Combine all ingredients together in a blender and blend for a few seconds!  You can store this in your refrigerator for a few weeks at least.  It should emulsify pretty well, so there shouldn't be much separation.  Just give it a quick shake before use!