The Global Kitchen

Now before you wonder what I've been smoking, let me say there is no Springbok or monkey in this recipe. It's not like I can get that easily in Phoenix.  I got this recipe from Steven Raichlen's Planet Barbecue!: 309 Recipes, 60 CountriesPlanet. Which is one of my new favorite cookbooks.

The original recipe does call for springbok but the only place in town that would have ordered it for me is too far away. Raichlen suggests veal or pork so I went with the pork. But seeing as the springbok kinda looks like a deer, maybe venison would work too.

Monkey Gland Sauce is just a traditional South African sweet and hot sauce. Probably named for shock value.

This was really good. I suggest making the sauce ahead of time so all you have to do is thread your kebabs and prepare your sides before dinner time. I also have quite a bit of sauce left over so you may want to halve it.

Another tip is to use dry vermouth whenever a recipe calls for dry white wine. It has the same effect and is much cheaper. Also a bottle will last longer as it doesn't have to be used right up after opening.

I paid about $4.00 for Noilly Prat at BevMo. It is the brand that was highly recommended.


Recipe for South African Springbok Kebabs with Monkey Gland Sauce  HERE

I love rhubarb but don't buy it much out here because it can be expensive. And by expensive I mean more than the free rhubarb I used to pick at home.

Out of 10 stars Jim rated this an 8 1/2 because he likes his pork overcooked and dry. But he did go back for seconds. I cooked it to temp (recommended since mine took longer than the 15-17 minutes) and I thought it was perfect. 

Roast Pork with Sweet Onion-Rhubarb Sauce

Ingredients

• 4 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground coriander
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 1-1 1/4 pounds pork tenderloin, trimmed
• 1 large sweet onion, sliced
• 2-4 tablespoons water
• 2 cups diced rhubarb
• 1/4 cup red-wine vinegar
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup minced fresh chives

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 450°F.
2. Mix 1 teaspoon oil, coriander, 1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper in a small bowl. Rub the mixture into pork. Heat 1 teaspoon oil in a large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Add the pork and cook, turning occasionally, until brown on all sides, 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer the pan to the oven and roast the pork until an instant-read thermometer registers 145°F, 15 to 17 minutes. Let rest 5 minutes before slicing.
3. Meanwhile, heat the remaining 2 teaspoons oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add onion and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt; cook, stirring occasionally, until browned, 7 to 8 minutes. Add 2 tablespoons water; continue cooking, stirring often, until the onion is soft, 5 to 7 minutes more, adding water a tablespoon at a time if necessary to prevent burning. Stir in rhubarb, vinegar and brown sugar and cook, stirring often, until the rhubarb has broken down, about 5 minutes. Spoon the sauce over the sliced pork and sprinkle with chives.

Nutrition

I watch a lot of cooking shows and read all the cooking magazines and have noticed chefs and foodies drooling over pork belly.

I've had bacon, which comes from pork belly, but never the cut of meat itself. So I bought a pound ($2.00!) and found this recipe in The Revolutionary Chinese Cookbook.

This was Mao Zedongs favorite pork dish and in Hunan it is believed to increase the intellect and make ladies more beautiful. Ummm OK.

I had most of the ingredients on hand. I didn't have star anise so I skipped it since I'm not an anise fan. I also used jarred chopped ginger. I had bought Shaoxing wine on my last trip to the Asian grocery store. I found it in the wine section and it was only $4.00. The book describes it as a cooking and drinking wine but I took a sip and blechhh. I'll stick to cooking with shaoxing wine that's for sure!

The bottle I got looks like this:



The result: As much as I dislike anise I think the recipe really needs it. It was not spicy at all with the dried chiles. I also like pork belly. As fatty as it is it's something I wouldn't eat often though. There are some interesting variations on this recipe in the book that I'll definitely try.



Chairman Mao's Red Braised Pork
Mao shi hong shao rou

1 lb pork belly
2 tbs peanut oil
2 tbs white sugar
1 tbs Shaoxing wine
3/4 inch piece ginger smashed with skin on
1 star anise
2 dried red chiles
small piece of cassia bark or cinnamon stick
Light soy sauce, salt and sugar
scallion greens

Plunge pork belly in boiling water for 3-4 minutes to partially cook.

When pork belly is cool enough to touch cut it into bite sized pieces

Heat the oil and sugar over med heat until sugar melts. Raise heat and stir until sugar turns a caramel brown color.

Add pork and wine and stir.

Add ginger, anise, cinnamon, chiles and enough water to cover pork and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 40-50 minutes.

Towards the end of the cooking time, increase the heat to reduce the sauce. Add the soy sauce, sugar and salt to taste. Serve sprinkled with scallion greens over rice.

I'm starting to get my cooking mojo back now that summer has almost come to an end.

It's still pretty hot out so I'd rather grill than heat up my oven. And my house. but I'll be getting back to the international recipes soon.

I loved these burgers but instead of serving them wrap style I served them on a bed of romaine lettuce and veggies and ate it with a fork. It made convenient leftovers too.



Asian Pork and Mushroom Burger Wraps

Bon Appetit July 2008

2 tablespoons canola oil or peanut oil
2 tablespoons minced lemongrass (from bottom 3 inches of about 4 stalks)
2 garlic cloves, minced
4 ounces fresh shiitake mushrooms, stemmed, caps chopped
1 teaspoon coarse kosher salt, divided
1 3/4 pounds ground pork shoulder (Boston butt)
2 tablespoons soy sauce, divided
3 teaspoons Asian sesame oil, divided
3/4 teaspoon cracked black pepper
1/2 cup hoisin sauce*
1 tablespoon minced peeled fresh ginger
1 tablespoon unseasoned rice vinegar
1 teaspoon hot chili sauce (such as sriracha)*
Nonstick vegetable oil spray
2 heads of Bibb lettuce, cored, leaves separated
1 cup matchstick-size strips red bell pepper
1 cup matchstick-size strips peeled carrot
1/3 cup fresh cilantro leaves
Preparation

Heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add lemongrass and garlic; sauté 2 minutes. Add mushrooms. Sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt; sauté until mushrooms are tender, about 4 minutes. Remove from heat; cool in skillet.

Place pork in large bowl. Mix in 1 tablespoon soy sauce, 1 teaspoon sesame oil, cracked pepper, and 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt, then fold in mushroom mixture. Using 2 generous tablespoonfuls for each, shape into 18 patties, each about 2 1/4 inches in diameter; arrange on plastic-lined baking sheet.

Whisk hoisin sauce, ginger, vinegar, chili sauce, and remaining 1 tablespoon soy sauce and 2 teaspoons sesame oil in small bowl for sauce. DO AHEAD: Burgers and sauce can be made 6 hours ahead. Cover separately; chill.

Spray grill rack with nonstick spray. Prepare barbecue (medium-high heat ). Grill burgers until cooked through, about 3 minutes per side. Arrange burgers on platter; set out sauce. Place lettuce, bell pepper, carrot, and cilantro in separate bowls. Serve, allowing guests to wrap burgers in lettuce and add sauce and vegetables as desired

I'm cooking Thai again. This recipe is from Hot Sour Salty Sweet: A Culinary Journey Through South East Asia by Jeffrey Alford and Naomi Duguid.

One of my favorite Thai dishes is Larb(also known as Laab)so I was happy to see I had all the ingredients for the Shan (NE Thailand) style on hand.

This is spicy hot and instead of poaching the meat, as in other larb recipes, the meat is stir fried with a paste and herbs

Normally the meat is minced or ground but I left mine in bigger chunks.

The end result was fantastic. I loved the flavors.

Aromatic Minced Pork-Shan Style (Laab Moo Tai Yai)

Paste:
6-8 cloves of garlic, skins on
3 TBS minced lemongrass
1 TBS minced galangal
6 dried Thai red chiles
1 tsp salt
1 TBS toasted sesame seeds

Put the garlic cloves in a dry pan over high heat and roast until the skins are mostly blackened.

When cool remove skins and chop.

Now you can do this in your mortar and pestle but I used my mini-chopper.

Finely chop garlic with salt then add remaining ingredients and process one by one until a paste is formed.

Laab

2 TBS peanut or vegetable oil
1/2 cup chopped shallots
3/4 lb ground pork
1/2 cup chopped scallion greens
1/2 cup rough chopped coriander
1/4 cup chopped mint

Heat a large wok over high heat and add the oil. Add the shallots, lower the heat to medium and cook till browned about 4 minutes. Add the paste and break up with a spoon. Add the pork and cook till browned on all sides then an additional 2 minutes. Add the scallion greens, coriander and half the chopped mint. Remove from heat and mound on plates. Sprinkle with remaining mint. Serve with rice(I used jasmine) and vegetables.




Shot with Canon PowerShot A510 at 2007-08-02

Welcome to my blog!

I'm still trying to figure out the settings on my digital camera so these pictures aren't so great.

This blog is going to take us on a trip around the world through international cookbooks. The list to the left will be updated. I'll also throw in some recipes from other sources.

Friday night's journey started in Northern Thailand. This recipe is from Hot Sour Salty Sweet: a Culinary Journey Through Southeast Asia by Jeffrey Alford and Naomi Duguid. If you don't already have this book, I highly recommend buying it. It's part travelogue part cookbook. The photography and narrative are excellent.

I chose Jungle Curry (page 246) partly because I like the sound of Jungle Curry and because we're in monsoon so it seemed like an appropriate dish on a hot balmy night.

Like most Asian recipes most of the time is spent prepping and setting up the mis-en-place. Once that's done it's smooth sailing.

This was also my first experience with shrimp paste. I had been warned of the smell but boy oh boy was I taken aback when I broke the wax seal! I was actually a little worried about the flavor it would give to the curry but from what I understand it works as an enhancer,like fish sauce. No trace of the stink in the final product.

I absolutely loved this dish! It was descibed as "hot" in the book but mine just had a little kick to it. I may increase the chiles when I make it again. I also discovered Jungle Curry is just as good the next day.

Ingredients for the Jungle Curry Paste


1/4 cup chopped shallots

1 tbs chopped garlic

1/2 tsp salt

1 tbs minced galangal

1 heaping tbs minced lemongrass(approximately one stalk)

8 dried red chilis stemmed and minced

1 tbs coriander roots(I couldn't find them so I used stems)

2 wild lime leaves deveined and minced

1 tbs shrimp paste

(the recipe also calls for 1 optional tbs minced krachai. I couldn't find it so I left it out)

Put the shallots and garlic in a large mortar and pound to a paste. Add each ingredient one by one pounding and grinding to a coarse paste.

You can also use a blender but I like my mortar and pestle.


Ingredients for the dish:


1 lb boneless pork cut into small pieces(I used butt)
2 tbs vegetable oil
2 tbs minced garlic chopped
3 round Thai eggplants quartered
1/2 lb yard beans or green beans cut into 1 inch sections
3 tbs Thai fish sauce(I like Golden Boy)
4 wild lime leaves coarsely torn
1 cup Asian basil leaves
salt to taste
(the recipe also calls for an optional 1/4 cup thinly sliced krachai to be added with the eggplants. I couldn't find it so I left it out)

Heat a large wok over high heat. Add oil and swirl to coat. Add garlic and stir until it begins to golden. Add curry paste and stir fry for 30 seconds pressing into the side of the wok. Add the pork and stir-fry until it begins to borwn on all sides 2-3 minutes. Add the broth and bring to a boil. Add the eggplants, beans, fish sauce and half the lime leaves and cook for 8 minutes. Add the remaining lime leaves and simmer for another 15 seconds.

Remove from heat and stir in the basil leaves. Salt to taste. Serve with sticky rice.

I had my Jungle Curry with a glass of Hirsch Veltliner. It was recommended as a "wine that goes with everything" by the woman in the wine shop. It's a thirst quencher of a wine. I'd describe it as citrusy and crisp. And affordable.

I know the quality of this photo sucks.
But it was a drab looking but fab tasting dish!