asian | sel et sucre

Three Cup Chicken

Posted on June 27, 2012June 26, 2012 by Claire

three cup chicken

Here’s a follow-up to my post on Monday – another recipe that hinges on the unique flavor of Thai basil. This recipe, however, is a popular Taiwanese one. Similar to pound cake and 3-2-1 stir fry, the recipe is in the name here. Three cup chicken was traditionally made using a nearby tea cup to measure out equal amounts of soy sauce, shaoxing cooking wine, and sesame oil for the extremely flavorful sauce. Of course, it’s not just those ingredients that make this dish so tasty. You may notice the seemingly ridiculous amounts of garlic, ginger, and Thai basil called for here and be tempted to cut back.

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Thai Basil Stir Fry

Posted on June 25, 2012June 25, 2012 by Claire

thai basil stir fry

Can I tell you what I am most excited about in my garden this year? Thai basil. A sweet basil cultivar used not only in Thai cooking, but also in Vietnamese, Laotian, and Taiwanese cuisine, this variety has dark purple stems and a distinctive anise flavor. Here’s the very first dish I cooked using fresh Thai basil from my garden. A simple vegetable stir fry with zucchini, carrot, and mushrooms, finished off with a fistful of Thai basil leaves and a simple Thai sauce. Garlic, shallots, and bird’s eye chiles (which are quite spicy, by the way, so cut back if you don’t have a very high spice tolerance) help to round out the flavors in this addictive stir fry.

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Thai Corn Salad

Posted on May 25, 2012May 25, 2012 by Claire

thai corn salad

As we move into summer, I just don’t have the patience to spend a long time next to a hot stove or hot oven to cook. And I certainly don’t feel like eating anything too heavy or rich. So this easy Thai corn salad is perfect for a light lunch or as a side to a lazy summer dinner. A dressing of fresh Thai basil and cilantro along with lime, honey, and ginger perfectly complements the sweet corn that will soon flood our markets and makes this a lot more exciting than your usual corn salad. And since the salad tastes great cold, at room temperature, or even a little warm (and there’s no dairy to spoil), this is the perfect dish to bring along to a picnic.

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Kimchi Omelet

Posted on May 23, 2012May 23, 2012 by Claire

kimchi omelet

When I was younger, I could wake up and go hours without eating. In fact, the thought of eating right after waking up made me feel slightly queasy. Lately, however, this has changed drastically. These days, I often wake up to the sound of my stomach growling. I need to eat as quickly as possible so often opt for oatmeal (cooked the night before) or yogurt. But sometimes I need a change of pace, and this kimchi omelet was a perfect addition to my morning rotation. The eggs and zucchini make this wonderfully filling, while the kimchi’s flavor means spicing is effortless.

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Cucumber Sesame Salad

Posted on May 21, 2012May 27, 2012 by Claire

cucumber sesame salad

My life has been crazy lately, an absolute whirlwind of activity. All exciting events in various ways, but I’ve barely had a chance to catch my breath. As a matter of fact, I am writing this from an airport terminal as I wait to board a flight to Istanbul (where I’ll be presenting at a conference – and getting ideas for new cooking projects, of course). It can be hard, amidst a flurry of events, to keep cooking, to eat well (both in terms of health and taste). So that’s why I’m posting a simple recipe today, one you can throw together in a matter of minutes.

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Japanese Curry

Posted on May 16, 2012May 16, 2012 by Claire

japanese curry

Japanese curry is an interesting phenomenon – traditional Indian curries twisted their way through the British to Japan and beget this now widely popular dish. Usually served over rice (or sometimes noodles) and often called “curry rice” as a result, Japanese curry adds extra sweetness over its predecessors (from a grated apple in this recipe – sometimes raisins are also added) and is thickened with a flavorful roux. I can’t help but love every incarnation of curry, from Thai to Indian to British, and Japanese curry is no exception. Usually made with humble potatoes, carrots, and peas, I like to switch out the potatoes for cauliflower and add in mushrooms and chickpeas, resulting in a variety of flavors and textures, as well as quite a lot of food.

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Crab and Avocado Salad

Posted on April 27, 2012April 27, 2012 by Claire

crab and avocado salad

I’m constantly looking at new recipes. I keep a list of all the ones I hope to one day cook, and some recipes, I get to in a couple days or weeks. But some recipes linger on the list for months or even years. Recipes that I added even though they seemed complicated, recipes that I keep skipping over because they feel outside my skill range, some even that I’ve tried and failed in the past. My most satisfying cooking moments are always when I manage to successfully tackle one of those recipes (like my char siu bao). This crab and avocado salad has been sitting on my recipes list for three years.

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Stir-Fried Pork and Vegetables in Black Bean Sauce

Posted on April 18, 2012April 17, 2012 by Claire

stir-fried pork and vegetables in black bean sauce

Stir-frying is a really useful technique; it’s simple, fast, and yields delicious results. I especially love it for fresh vegetables where the high heat draws out their natural sweetness while keeping them nice and crisp. This type of preparation is my favorite for brussels sprouts which I think get a bad reputation due to often being overcooked. I like my brussels sprouts only slightly softened, still retaining a crisp nearly raw interior. Chinese long beans (which are very similar to green beans but a bit better suited to stir-frying as they stay crisper) are a great match here, while ground pork marinated in soy sauce, sesame oil, and Chinese five-spice helps to round out the flavors.

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Ginger Shiitake Salmon

Posted on March 28, 2012March 27, 2012 by Claire

ginger shiitake salmon

Growing up, I never liked salmon. Coming from a kid who loved lima beans and chicken liver, this probably seems really strange, and I can’t say exactly why I had bad associations with this classic fish. Perhaps I’d had it overcooked or under-seasoned, but whatever the reason for my previous dislike, I’ve since changed my mind. Salmon is a delicious and easy to prepare fish, and this particular method is no exception. The salmon is sprinkled with coriander (which seemed strange to me at first, but I quickly realized the lemony notes are the perfect pairing) and then broiled before being topped with a glaze including bell pepper, mushroom, ginger, and honey.

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Vietnamese Shrimp Salad

Posted on March 19, 2012March 18, 2012 by Claire

vietnamese shrimp salad

We’ve had an exceptionally mild winter in DC this year (which, as someone with a very low tolerance for cold, I’ve actually enjoyed). At the beginning of March, temperatures suddenly shot up in the sixties and seventies, and it’s been feeling like spring ever since. With trees bursting into bloom and tulips out in full force right outside my front door, I just can’t bring myself to keep eating the same hearty soups and stews I’ve been relying on all winter. So when the recipe for this Vietnamese shrimp salad found its way into my inbox, I immediately set about cooking it.

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