This is a Thai inspired recipe, but it’s Americanized for sure! The addition of crispy fried chicken is a dead giveaway. If I had intended to make Pad Krapow Gai (Thai Basil Chicken), I would have used chicken thighs and the chicken would have been chopped into small pieces and pan fried, along with onion, garlic, and chilies. I also used Vietnamese flat wheat noodles instead of white rice.
Anyone who knows me knows that I blend food cultures to suit my taste and this example is no exception. I relied on estimating the volume of ingredients, rather than using precise measurements.
Okay, let’s build a dinner…
Preparation is key. Once the wok is hot, you want to have everything ready. Chop and slice everything in advance and set aside.
I followed the instructions on the package of noodles and soaked them in cold water for 20 to 30 minutes. I pulled the noodles out and heated the water to a boil and added the noodles back in for about 10 minutes, until they just became tender. I set the noodles aside.
While the noodles were soaking, I cut chicken breast meat into bite sized pieces and added them to a mixture of flour and cornstarch (about 4 to 1 ratio, flour to cornstarch). I tossed the chicken pieces until they were fully coated.
I double-fried the chicken in the wok, which is to say, I fried the chicken and then pulled it out for a minute and then put it back into the wok to finish with a crisp fry. I set the chicken aside and removed all but about 2 tablespoons of oil.
Now that the noodles and chicken were ready, I heated the wok and I added the julienned onions and stirred for a minute, then I added the mashed garlic and stirred another minute, and finally add the Thai chilies. After a minute more of stirring I removed the onion, garlic, and chilies and set aside.
I prepared a sauce by combining chicken stock, dark soy sauce, soy sauce, oyster sauce, sugar, and vinegar. As I mentioned previously, I estimated the amounts, but this is probably close…
1 cup chicken stock
2 Tbs. dark soy sauce
2 Tbs. soy sauce
2 Tbs. oyster sauce
1 tsp. sugar
1 tsp white vinegar
I added the prepared sauce and simmered it at medium heat for a minute and then added the cooked noodles and swirled them in the wok for a minute so that the noodles could absorb some of the sauce, and then I removed the noodles and set them aside.
I pulled out a bit of the sauce from the wok and added some cornstarch to make a slurry. I added the slurry back into the work and whisked for a minute, until the sauce thickened a little.
I added the enoki mushrooms and simmered for a minute.
I added the Thai basil and cilantro and turned the heat off. The basil should wilt, not cook.
I added the noodles to a serving bowl and topped it with the cooked chicken. I poured the contents of wok over the serving bowl and dinner was served.
The whole process took about 3 hours, but I was taking my time and having fun. This could have been accomplished in less than two hours, including prep time and cooking time.
I have to say that I wanted more Thai basil. The sauce was delicious, full of umami flavor, but the Thai basil played a supporting role, and I really wanted it to be more prominent. Next time I will add more basil!
Sometimes I conceive a meal by following my instincts,
rather than following a recipe. It makes
me feel like I am creating something brand new.
On this particular weeknight, I allowed my taste buds to tell
me what I wanted to make and my mind followed.
I knew I wanted to include shrimp, because I’ve been craving shrimp. I knew I wanted to use Cambodian rice
noodles, because I have had some in my pantry for a few months. From that launching point, my mind quickly assembled
the rest of the items that would bring the dish together. Pork, vegetables, sesame oil, peanuts, fish
sauce, garlic, green onions and so on.
I resisted the urge to look up recipes on the internet. I’m not saying that looking up recipes on the
internet is cheating but I sometimes find that internet searches just affirm
what I already know. Once a person has
made several stir-fry dishes, the process becomes instinctive and
intuitive. Deciding what to include in a
stir-fry is only limited by the imagination of the cook. My imagination and creativity runs deep and I
have learned not to think about “success” or “failure”, when cooking. Maybe that’s because I have become more comfortable
in the kitchen over the years, or maybe it’s because I pretend to be fearless when
I am creating something. It could be a little of both.
I approach stir-frying like I approach painting, in an
abstract style.
When I paint an abstract painting I usually follow this thought
process:
What is my state of
mind? How do I want to convey my
thoughts and emotions?
That leads to, what
colors would be best to get my point across?
What sort of shapes do I see?
What will be the focus of the painting, or will there be a main focus? Etcetera.
The thinking process goes on as long as I need it to and then my hands
start working quickly.
Mix the paint on the pallet.
Lay out my brushes. Act
quickly. Act without thinking. Let the creative part of my mind dictate my
actions but allow the reasonable part of my mind to make critical
decisions.
Is the finished work a masterpiece? That’s not for me to decide. The real question I ask is, “does this satisfy me?”
The same goes with cooking, especially stir-fry
cooking.
How am I feeling
today? What kind of meal would complete
this day in a meaningful way?
I decide what flavors I want to use. I decide what meats, vegetables and starches
will achieve what I want to convey my thoughts.
I decide how I want the finished dish to look, when it is presented.
Is the finished work a masterpiece? That’s not for me to decide. The real question I ask is, “does this satisfy me?”
Anyone who eats a meal or sees a painting leaves with their
own memories, thoughts and feelings. The
intention of the cook or the painter is irrelevant. I don’t know why that makes me so happy, but
it does!
Ingredients:
1 garlic clove, smashed
7 roots of green onion
1 Tbs sesame oil
1 lb lean pork, shaved thin
12 medium sized shrimp, peeled and de-veined
1 tsp sesame oil
5 oz thin Cambodian rice noodles
For the marinade:
¼ cup dark soy sauce
¼ soy sauce
¼ cup Vietnamese chili garlic paste (Sambal Olek works
nicely, too)
¼ cup Vietnamese fish sauce (smells funky, tastes great)
For the stir-fry:
2 carrots
7 green onions (just the greens)
¼ head of cabbage, sliced thin
2 Tbs ginger, sliced very thin
2 jalapeños, sliced
1 lime, quartered
For the peanut sauce:
¼ cup soy sauce
1 ½ Tbs Hoisin sauce
1 Tbs peanut butter
1 Tbs brown sugar
½ cup roasted peanuts, crushed
Directions:
Prepare the
vegetables:
Slice the garlic, ginger, cabbage, carrots, and jalapeños
and green onions. Arrange separately on
a large plate until needed.
Add 1 tablespoon oil to the wok and add the roots of the
green onion roots and garlic. Simmer at
low heat. Turn off heat after 1
minute. Continue to allow the onion and
garlic to flavor the oil.
Prepare the marinade:
Combine dark soy sauce, soy sauce, chili garlic paste and
fish sauce in a bowl.
Prepare the pork and
shrimp.
Remove the fatty edges of the pork and reserve.
Use the pork fat to flavor the oil
Slice the pork thinly and store in a bowl.
Peel and de-vein the shrimp.
Store in the bowl that contains the pork.
Add the marinade to the pork and shrimp. Store in the refrigerator until needed.
Add pork fat to the wok. Turn up heat and cook while stirring. Remove the onions, garlic and pork fat after they char (just a few minutes). Discard the garlic, onions and pork. Leave the flavored oil in the wok.
Use pork fat to flavor the oil
Discard after charring
Prepare the peanut sauce:
Add one tablespoon of peanut butter…not in photo.
Crush the peanuts with the broad side of a knife.
Combine soy sauce, Hoisin sauce, peanut butter, brown sugar and crushed roasted peanuts in a bowl. Transfer to a hot skillet and stir to combine for a minute. Set aside cooked sauce.
Quarter the lime and reserve until serving time.
Prepare the noodles:
Prepare the rice noodles, according to the instructions on
the package. In this case, I soaked the
rice noodles in cold water for about 5 minutes until they became soft, but not
mushy. Strain out the water and set the
noodles aside, until needed.
Time to stir-fry!
All of the prep work is essential. Make sure to have everything prepped before you crank up the wok. Seriously…there’s nothing worse than going full force into stir frying and realizing that you have forgotten to cut some vegetable or meat or realizing that you haven’t prepared a sauce. Take a moment to review all of the items that you are going to include in the stir-fry and make sure that they are ready to go! Take the marinated meat out of refrigerator and keep it close, on hand. Keep some oil near the wok. Make sure to have your serving plate ready to receive the finished food.
Now, go!
Add 1 tablespoon of sesame oil to the wok. Cook the shrimp and pork at high heat. Stir constantly until the shrimp and pork are cooked. This should only take a minute, or so. Remove to a bowl and store in a warm place.
Add a tablespoon of oil to the hot wok and add the sliced ginger and a little bit of green onion. Stir for a moment and then add the carrots and jalapeños. Stir for a minute, to allow the carrots to soften.
Add the cabbage and stir constantly. Once the cabbage has wilted and softened a little, remove all of the vegetables to a large bowl. Don’t remove the liquid from the wok.
Add the noodles and stir constantly. Once the noodles have absorbed some of the liquid in the wok, add the peanut sauce. Stir to incorporate.
Return the vegetables and shrimp and pork to the wok. Stir with the noodles and turn out to a large serving platter. Top with green diced green onion and lime slices.
Toothpick Tales 