Sweet Chili Sauce

I bought a Thai chili pepper plant at the Farmer's Market recently. No chilis are ready yet (but they're there!), but it's made me crave sweet chili sauce while I'm waiting for them to mature... There are lots of recipes for sweet chili sauce with similar but slightly varied ingredients, but here's a good basic recipe to use as a spring board for personalizing the flavor. Great as a dipping or finishing sauce for lots of Southeast Asian dishes.

Ingredients

1 red bell pepper

1-2 cloves garlic

½ C sugar (I like using brown sugar, but white is more traditional)

1/3 C vinegar -- distilled white or apple cider

2 t sriracha or sambal oelek (use more if you like more spice!)

½ t salt

1 t fish sauce or oyster sauce

Directions

Remove stem and seeds from bell pepper; coarsely chop. Pulse pepper and garlic in food processor or blender until finely chopped.

In small saucepan, combine pepper & garlic with ½ C water, sugar, vinegar, sriracha/sambal oelek, and salt. Bring to boil; reduce heat to simmer and continue cooking about 10 minutes until reduced and slightly thickened.

In small bowl, create a slurry with cornstarch and fish or oyster sauce.  Add to mixture in saucepan, stirring constantly for about a minute until sauce thickens.

Cauliflower 'Tots'

1  medium head cauliflower

2  eggs

1 C shredded cheddar

1 C shredded parmesan

2 T fresh chopped herbs*

2/3 C panko breadcrumbs

½ t salt

¼ t pepper

* To try out the recipe, I just used a pre-blended Italian herb mix (2 tsp, dried), but you could play around with any flavor combination here!

Core cauliflower and chop into 1 - 1½ " inch floret pieces. Steam until tender. Drain thoroughly and transfer to a large bowl. Mash cauliflower using a pastry blender or potato masher (or, use a food processor...) in to very fine pieces.

Add eggs, cheeses, panko, herbs, and salt & pepper (more or less to taste). Mix until well combined.

Shape 1-2 tablespoons of cauliflower mixture into balls or 'tot-like' shapes with your hands. Arrange tots in a single laer on a parchment lined baking sheet, or in the basket of an air fryer. Cook at 375° until golden -- for 10-12 minutes in an air fryer, or approximately 20-25 minutes in conventional oven,

Serve with your choice of dipping sauce(s).

Namasu - Pickled Carrot & Daikon Salad

Asian flavors (and pickles) are both foods I like. If you don't, this probably isn't for you. A little serving of this on the side of any Asian dish adds a bright, zingy bite to the meal.

Ingredients

1 lg daikon, julienned (1/8 x 1/8 x 2 inches)*

     -- about 3½ cups

1 lg (3 medium) carrots, julienned*

2 tsp kosher salt

3 T rice vinegar

1 T sugar

1 T lime juice

1-2 T orange juice

Optional garnish: toasted sesame seeds

* I bought carrots that were pre-cut, and used a mandolin to prep the daikon. If you don't have a mandolin or a food processor to slice the veggies, you could shred them on the largest section of a hand-held grater. The texture isn't going to be quite the same, but it could save you a LOT of prep time! (and knife work, if you're not that efficient with practice)

Directions

Toss together the daikon and carrots; sprinkle with salt and gently toss again. Let sit (room temp) about 20 minutes. Veggies will soften a bit and release some water.

While veggies are resting, whisk together vinegar, sugar, lime and orange juices* until sugar is dissolved. (Ideally the lime and orange juices should be replaced with yuzu juice; it's not that hard to find but I rarely have it on hand and I usually have lime and orange which are a pretty good substitution.)

Drain liquid from carrot & daikon mixture.  Drizzle vinegar dressing over vegetables and toss to coat; let stand at least 15 minutes.

Serve at room temp or chilled, garnished with toasted sesame seeds.

Shoyu-Miso Tare (ramen bowl flavor base)

I'll try to remember to take my OWN photo, but so far all I've done is mix up the Shoyu-Miso Tare itself, which is a concentrated flavor base for ramen bowls. Just add hot broth, ramen noodles and whatever veg or proteins you fancy! (...all pre-cooked, of course!)

Shoyu-Miso Tare

¼ C tamari/soy sauce

2 T mirin

2 T sake

2 T white miso

1 tsp Sriracha, or a pinch of red pepper flakes

Whisk it all together and get ready throw together a ramen bowl!

To add extra flavor, add a couple spoonfulls of this on top of your ramen bowl:

Scallion-Ginger Sauce

4 thinly sliced scallions

1-2 T minced fresh ginger*

1 tsp tamari/soy sauce

pinch of red pepper flakes

¼ C sesame oil

In a small bowl, combine scallions, ginger, soy sauce and red pepper flakes.

Heat sesame oil in a small sauce pan until is shimmers (about 1 minute, just before smoking). Pour hot oil over scallion-ginger mixture and let steep at least 10 minutes before serving.

* I buy this in pre-prepared squeeze tubes at the grocery store.

Egg 'Waffles' -- ("Chaffles"???)

Apparently calling them "chaffles" is a thing (something+waffle??? -- I truly have no idea! Egg is the main ingredient). But...whatever!  It's a fun alternative to scrambled eggs with 'add ins'.

The 2-egg recipe amounts below were perfect for one serving in my 8" waffle iron. Easy to double (or quadruple), but this is a great single serving size...my students would have fun mixing up their own individual creations!

Ingredients

2 eggs

2 T flour

¼ tsp baking powder

pinch each salt & pepper

Optional: 1/3 C shredded cheese, bacon crumbles, diced ham, crumbled breakfast sausage, chopped scallions, minced chives, minced garlic, small diced peppers or onions, minced herbs...   You get the idea!

Directions

Whisk eggs until fluffy. Whisk in flour, baking powder, salt & pepper.

Add in shredded cheese(s) and other add-ins if desired (they can also be used as toppers to garnish the finished egg-waffle).

Heat waffle iron; pour egg mixture onto waffle iron and cook about 3 minutes until set and beginning to brown. Serve immediately while still very fluffy...they do tend to deflate a little. 

I topped mine with sour cream with a little bacon jam mixed in, and some roasted cherry tomatoes and chopped scallions (both of which I also mixed into the egg batter).

Miso+Ginger(+Maple)...2 versions

While I don't typically want my whole meal to have the same flavor profile, if it's a combo I really like, it definitely makes the prep easier when you're utilizing a lot of the same ingredients. With only slight differences ingredients, both of these glazes deliver with something sweet, something sour/acidic, something salty, a little fermented funk, and a little kick of heat all balanced to brighten up a protein or veggie...

Miso-Glazed Salmon with Sushi Rice (original recipe from Epicurious)

I didn't have sushi rice, but brown rice was fine here. It's the glaze the really carries the flavor...

Combine the ingredients, heat and reduce slightly to thicken, use it to baste the salmon. It would also be good on pork, chicken, but salmon's a real treat.

3 T sugar

¼ C each: rice vinegar, miso paste, maple syrup, tamari/soy sauce

½ tsp red pepper flakes

Ginger-Miso Glazed Broccoli (original recipe from EatingWell)

Again, this would work with other veggies too -- asparagus, Brussels sprouts, bok choy, etc. It's the flavors in the glaze here, very similar to the recipe above. 

2 T white miso*

1 T grated fresh ginger

1 tsp maple syrup (or honey)

1 tsp sesame oil*

½ tsp tamari/soy sauce

½ tsp rice vinegar

pinch white pepper

* A darker miso would also work, but tends to have a stronger flavor (and usually saltier) and could overpower the other ingredients; but you could reduce the amount to taste. An easy swap with this recipe would be to use peanut oil, and chopped peanuts instead of the seasame seeds as a topper/garnish.

Chicken-Cabbage Salad with Pineapple & Apple

This recipe, from Better Homes & Gardens (along with the photo at right), was the inspiration for my lunch today. I used canned pineapple, and made my own sesame, ginger & peanut butter dressing, but all the flavors were basically the same. Just linking it here so it'll pop up when I search my own blog for ideas!

Bourbon Chicken

Yum! Largely inspired by Cook's Country's recipe published Aug/Sept 2021.

Ingredients

1 lb boneless, skinless chicken cut into bite-sized pieces

1-2 T cornstarch

¼ C soy (or tamari or amino acids)

¼ C brown sugar

2 T bourbon

1 t toasted sesame oil, plus more for cooking

      (or use vegetable oil for cooking)

½ t Sriracha or a pinch of red pepper flakes

1 lg clove garlic

1 t grated or fine minced fresh ginger

1-2 t apple cider vinegar

1 T butter

Optional for serving/garnishing: toasted sesame seeds, sliced scallions, rice...

Directions

Whisk together soy, brown sugar, bourbon, 1 t sesame oil and Sriracha/pepper flakes in a small bowl. Heat, as needed, to dissolve sugar.

Toss the chicken pieces with cornstarch. Preheat skillet over medium-high heat; add 1 T sesame (or vegetable) oil to coat; add chicken. Cook, stirring and turning as needed, until browned and cooked through. (10 minutes, more or less, depending on the size of your chicken pieces)

Add garlic, ginger and sauce. Bring to a boil; cook, stirring occasionally, until sauce is thickened to a syrupy consistency (6-8 minutes). Remove from heat and stir in cider vinegar and butter.

Serve ...over rice, garnished with sliced scallions and/or sesame seeds.

Tempura - light & crispy, with whipped egg whites

Most really light and fluffy tempuras, in my experience, have relied on carbonation. This version uses whipped egg whites for a slightly more stable batter...and some added protein, too!

(Note: The photo is not my own. I'll try to remember and take one next time around; every time I make tempura, by the time I've fried everything, I'm hungry and ready to eat while it's still hot and crispy!)

Ingredients

½ C flour

¼ C + 2 T cornstarch, divided
¼ t cayenne

¼ t garlic powder

½ t salt

2 T sesame oil

2 large egg whites, room temp

sliced vegetables or shrimp (or whatever you want to prepare with the tempura)

oil for frying -- vegetable oil, peanut oil, sesame oil...

sauce for dipping (plenty of options, including store bought varieties)

Directions

Combine flour, ¼ C cornstarch, cayenne, garlic powder and salt in a medium bowl. Stir in 2 T sesame oil, and 2/3 C cold water until batter is smooth. Refrigerate until well chilled (about an hour).

Slice and prepare vegetables, shrimp, etc. Toss with remaining 2 T cornstarch.

Heat frying oil in a large, wide pot to 375° F.

Beat egg whites until soft peaks form. Gently fold in chilled batter in a wide, shallow bowl. A few at a time, drop vegetables (shrimp, etc.) into tempura batter; transfer to hot oil. Cook until golden brown, turning as needed. Using tongs, remove from oil onto paper towel lined plate. Season with salt, if needed.

Serve with dipping sauce.

Rhubarb Salsa

This is a pretty pickle-y, vinegary salsa...a little more relish-like. But since I love pickles, I like it!! I had it over a sautéed chicken thigh with some extra lime-honey pan sauce, but it would also be good on pork or fish, or used as a relish on sandwhiches or burgers too. Personally, I choose to leave out the cilantro (I'm not a fan!) and use a very small jalapeno.

Ingredients

1 T honey

1 t olive oil

1 lime

1 C rhubarb

½ red bell pepper

2 T red onion

salt & pepper to taste

optional: 1 small jalapeno, 1 T fresh chopped cilantro

Directions

In a medium bowl, whisk together the honey, oil and the juice and zest of the lime.

Small dice (¼ inch - or smaller) the rhubarb, bell pepper and onion (and jalapeno, if using; and chop cilantro, if using). Add to honey-lime mixture, stirring to combine. Season with salt & pepper.

Funnel Cakes

It's fair week in the PNW...so here's a recipe for some traditional "fair food" that you can make at home in case you missed it at your local county fair!

Ingredients (makes 6-8 funnel cakes, 8-10 inches)

1½ C AP flour

2 T sugar

2 t baking powder

pinch salt

1 egg

½ C milk

½ C water

½ t vanilla extract

oil for frying

powdered sugar

Directions

Combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt until evenly blended. In a separate bowl, whisk together egg, milk, water and vanilla. Beat liquid mixture into flour until smooth.

In an electric frying pan or deep skillet, heat about 1½ - 2 inches of oil to 375°F. (I heat the oil to nearer 400°F; as soon as you add the batter, the temperature drops significantly. If it drops below about 350°F, your batter is soaking up oil before it cooks.)

From a few inches above the oil, drizzle batter* (about 1/3 C) in circular, spiral pattern into the hot oil. Fry until golden brown -- about 2 minutes each side. Use tongs to remove from oil onto paper towel lined plate or pan to drain.

* Using a funnel is traditional (though not necessary): Cover the spout/bottom of the funnel with your finger; load the funnel with 1/3 C of the batter --  or a little more since some will remain coating the sides the funnel. Release your finger holding the funnel a few inches over the oil, drizzling in a circular, spiral pattern...

Dust with powdered sugar to serve.

        ...or go all out and drizzle with your favorite syrup or top with ice cream!

'Churro Cake' with Spiced Chocolate Sauce

I've made this 'churro cake' before (recipe courtesy of Food Network). Just now I'm playing with some of my recipes--reducing the ingredient amounts and adjusting the baking times so my Baking & Pastry students can get baking experience without making full-sized cakes and pies every day...both for health and budgetary reasons! 😁

The cakes are brushed with melted butter, sprinkled with sugar-cinnamon, and drizzled or served with a spiced chocolate sauce. I like the flavors, but I'm not wild about how the sugar-cinnamon adds a 'gritty' texture into the sauce. Personally, I'd just throw a little extra cinnamon into the cake; there's already plenty of sugar and sweetness. But, it IS very churro-like to have the sugar-cinnamon coating.

Just a note: The mini-bundt pans we have in the student kitchens do NOT have a hole in the center, just an indentation; I have not completely filled a center-hole with chocolate sauce. (Not that that would be bad, of course...!)