I don't know about you, but Wednesdays in quarantine have been hard! I can keep a good attitude for the first few days of work, and by Wednesday, it seems the technology challenges and inefficiencies and frustrations of remote life just stack up. This week, Wednesday was just fine. I'm glad for that!
I'm also glad for successful kitchen experiments! Tonight, I adventured through a combo of Pad See Ew and Drunken Noodles, using sticky rice cakes that I found at the Vietnamese Grocery. I was looking for the flat, chewy rice noodles that are more traditional for those dishes, but didn't come across any. So for technique, I had to do a little research on how to cook the sticky rice cakes.
It turned out really well--sweet, spicy, and chewy, with Thai basil--and definitely hit the spot!
Sticky Rice Cakes with Beef and Thai Basil
The two recipes I drew from were from the wonderful Woks of Life: Pad See Ew and Nian Gao. The Drunken Noodle inspiration came in the veggies: onion, red bell pepper, Thai bird chili and Thai basil.
8 oz beef steak, thinly sliced
1 tsp dark sweet soy sauce
1 tsp cornstarch
1 tsp vegetable oil
Mix together, and set aside while you prepare the other ingredients. If you don't have dark sweet soy, add a big pinch of brown sugar to regular soy.
2 Thai bird chili, sliced in half, seeds removed
4 large scallions, chopped
1/3 red onion, 1" dice
1 red bell pepper, 1" dice
3 cloves garlic, minced
Prepare, and set aside in one bowl/on one plate.
1 Tbsp dark sweet soy sauce
1 Tbsp low sodium soy sauce
1 Tbsp Shaoxing cooking wine
1 Tbsp oyster sauce
1 Tbsp rice vinegar
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp blackstrap molasses
1/8 tsp white pepper
Mix sauce in a small bowl, set aside. The molasses is used to approximate Thai black soy sauce, which we don't have. You could also use brown sugar.
~30 leaves Thai basil, rinsed
1 lb rice cake noodles, rinsed and drained
1. Heat a pan to high heat, adding 1 Tbsp vegetable oil. Sear marinaded steak, then remove to a bowl.
2. Add veggies and a bit more oil to the hot pan. I used a little of my beer to deglaze the pan, and then stir fried until the red bell pepper was tender-firm.
3. Add rice cakes, stirring to cover, about 1 minute. I added a bit more vegetable oil to keep it from sticking. Put the lid on the pan and cook, undisturbed, for 1 minute. Remove lid, and add steak and collected juices, and the sauce. Stir to mix and coat the noodles, and cook until the noodles are soft, but chewy. Add the Thai basil, and cook until wilted. Remove from heat, fish out the Thai chilis, and serve!
I was very bummed to accidentally delete the nicely plated picture. But here are the leftovers!
Black Sesame Balls in Ginger Syrup
I picked this one up from the freezer section of Good Fortune, on a whim. They were delicious! The package included both Thai and Chinese characters... turns out that while this dish is available in Thailand, it's mostly seen in fancy Chinese restaurants. Fusion!
I'm also glad for successful kitchen experiments! Tonight, I adventured through a combo of Pad See Ew and Drunken Noodles, using sticky rice cakes that I found at the Vietnamese Grocery. I was looking for the flat, chewy rice noodles that are more traditional for those dishes, but didn't come across any. So for technique, I had to do a little research on how to cook the sticky rice cakes.
It turned out really well--sweet, spicy, and chewy, with Thai basil--and definitely hit the spot!
Sticky Rice Cakes with Beef and Thai Basil
The two recipes I drew from were from the wonderful Woks of Life: Pad See Ew and Nian Gao. The Drunken Noodle inspiration came in the veggies: onion, red bell pepper, Thai bird chili and Thai basil.
8 oz beef steak, thinly sliced
1 tsp dark sweet soy sauce
1 tsp cornstarch
1 tsp vegetable oil
Mix together, and set aside while you prepare the other ingredients. If you don't have dark sweet soy, add a big pinch of brown sugar to regular soy.
2 Thai bird chili, sliced in half, seeds removed
4 large scallions, chopped
1/3 red onion, 1" dice
1 red bell pepper, 1" dice
3 cloves garlic, minced
Prepare, and set aside in one bowl/on one plate.
1 Tbsp dark sweet soy sauce
1 Tbsp low sodium soy sauce
1 Tbsp Shaoxing cooking wine
1 Tbsp oyster sauce
1 Tbsp rice vinegar
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp blackstrap molasses
1/8 tsp white pepper
Mix sauce in a small bowl, set aside. The molasses is used to approximate Thai black soy sauce, which we don't have. You could also use brown sugar.
~30 leaves Thai basil, rinsed
1 lb rice cake noodles, rinsed and drained
1. Heat a pan to high heat, adding 1 Tbsp vegetable oil. Sear marinaded steak, then remove to a bowl.
2. Add veggies and a bit more oil to the hot pan. I used a little of my beer to deglaze the pan, and then stir fried until the red bell pepper was tender-firm.
3. Add rice cakes, stirring to cover, about 1 minute. I added a bit more vegetable oil to keep it from sticking. Put the lid on the pan and cook, undisturbed, for 1 minute. Remove lid, and add steak and collected juices, and the sauce. Stir to mix and coat the noodles, and cook until the noodles are soft, but chewy. Add the Thai basil, and cook until wilted. Remove from heat, fish out the Thai chilis, and serve!
I was very bummed to accidentally delete the nicely plated picture. But here are the leftovers!
Black Sesame Balls in Ginger Syrup
I picked this one up from the freezer section of Good Fortune, on a whim. They were delicious! The package included both Thai and Chinese characters... turns out that while this dish is available in Thailand, it's mostly seen in fancy Chinese restaurants. Fusion!
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