Six In Seoul
  • Our Life in Seoul Take 3
  • Our Life in Seoul, Take 2
  • 2015 Project 365
  • Project 365
  • Moving to Korea?
  • Six in the Hood
  • Seoul, 4/2008 - 4/2010
    • Flower Arrangements
    • Our second month here.....
    • Our first month here, 4/08
    • Flat Stanley
  • The Whole 30

Tom Kha Kai (Chicken in Coconut Milk)

2/4/2010

1 Comment

 
I've always liked Thai food, but since going to Thailand twice now, I have a new found appreciation for it.  Thai food ranks right up there as one of my favorite cuisines.  (I have a three way tie going between, Thai, Vietnamese & Mexican.)

This is the first Thai dish I tried cooking on my own, and I must say, it wasn't too shabby.    One thing I learn while at cooking school in Thailand is not to substitute ginger for galangal even though they are in the same family.  If you can't get fresh galangal, but dried, buy NEVER, NEVER use ginger.  The chef at Phuket's Thai Cookery School said if you have to use ginger, you should just go out to dinner instead.  Another thing I learn about ingredients is you should never leave out the kaffir lime leaves.  You can buy them dried if you can't find any fresh.  You can use 'regular' lime juice if you can't find a kaffir lime.
Picture
TOM KHA KAI

serves 2

1 3/4 cup coconut cream
2 shallots peeled and crushed
6 bird's eye chilies (crushed - use more or less depending on how spicy you like it.)
1 inch piece of fresh galangal sliced or 5 slices of dried
1 stalk of lemongrass cut diagonally
2 1/2 cups straw mushrooms, if you can't find straw mushrooms use a mushroom you really like. (cut into quarters)
3 cherry tomatoes
3 kaffir lime leaves, torn
3/4 cup chicken breast, sliced thin

2 tsp fish sauce
1 TBL lime juice
1 tsp palm sugar (if you can't find palm sugar, you can use honey)
1 stalk of spring onion (for garnish)
1 tsp cilantro leaves (for garnish)
1 tsp chili oil - for topping


Put coconut milk in a pan and bring to a boil.  Add shallots, chilies, galangal, lemon grass, tomatoes and kaffir lime leaves and simmer till fragrant, about 1- 2minutes. 
Add chicken and cook for 1 minute then season with fish sauce, sugar, lime juice simmer for another minute or till chicken is completely cooked.  Serve sprinkled with chili oil, cilantro leaves and spring onion.
1 Comment

Potato Soup

1/30/2010

2 Comments

 
The first time my friend Teri invited us to her house back in our Ft. Knox, Kentucky days she made this potato soup for us.  I knew from the first bite that Teri and I would be friends forever.  Teri and I have been through a lot together, and I look forward to being her neighbor again in the near future.

Teri did not give me exact measurements on this, and normally I don't measure when making this soup either, but I did try to pay attention so I could give you approximate measurements.....

Potato Soup

5 pound bag of potatoes, peeled and dice
small bag of baby carrots, chopped fine
small onion, dice
3 celery stalks chopped fine
3 quarts chicken broth (I use chicken base - you can find it by the chicken bullion cubes)
1 cup heavy cream
1TBL butter
2 TBL flour

Picture
Combine chicken broth & veggies (but not potatoes) till soft - maybe 15 minutes or so.
Add potatoes, boil till soft, maybe 15-20 more minutes
Turn heat down
Add heavy cream

In small bowl melt butter, then combine butter & flour together to form a paste, add about 1/2 cup of broth from soup to paste, mix well (till all lumps are gone), then add to butter/flour combo to soup. Let simmer for a couple of minutes

Top with cheddar cheese, chives, bacon bits, sour cream.....


Picture
2 Comments

Chicken and Dumplings

12/11/2009

4 Comments

 
Tis the season for warm things for dinner!  And chicken and dumplings is just what Boy 2 ordered!   When ever I make chicken and dumplings Boy 2 always wants me to make extra so he can have leftovers for his lunch the next day!
Picture
I tried getting this recipe from my mom because she made the best chicken and dumplings EVER, but she is the type of person that throws a little of this and a little of that in and I could never mimic her recipe.  So one day when I was at a friends house and she was throwing out a ton of cookbooks, I noticed this cookbook ~ Old Fashioned Country Cooking and it has the "Cracker Barrel" name and logo on it, so I saved it from being sent to the dump (she really wasn't throwing them in the trash, she was taking them to the thrift store or somewhere like that).  I adapted the recipe a little and it is pretty close to how my mom used to make them!

Old-Fashioned Chicken and Dumplings

1 3-pound chicken
2 quarts of water 
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
3 TBL shortening
3/4 cup buttermilk

salt and pepper to taste

Boil chicken in 2 quarts of water.  Once boiling reduce heat and simmer for about 1 hour, our till tender and chicken is easily coming off the bone. Remove chicken from broth to cool, de-bone chicken and cut or shred into bite size pieces. Put chicken back in the broth, and bring broth to a boil. 

While waiting for broth to boil, combine flour, baking soda & salt.  Cut in the shortening.  Add buttermilk and stir with a fork until moistened.  Knead the dough 4 or 5 times then flatten till about 1/2 inch thick.  Pinch off dough into 1 1/2-inch pieces and drop into boiling broth.  Reduce to medium heat and cook for about 8-10 minutes.  Stir occasionally.  Add salt and pepper to taste.

Picture
4 Comments

Chicken Tortilla Soup

1/21/2009

5 Comments

 

Oh baby, this is good!  This recipe comes from my friend Lara at Feed Your Kids.  I have changed it just a little to accommodate our family & so we can have a little left over for lunch the next day!  The original recipe is here. 

4-6 boneless skinless chicken breast
9 cups chicken stock
about 1 Tbsp oil (canola or olive)
6 cloves garlic, peeled and run through a garlic press
3/4 cup finely chopped white onion
4 Tbsp. chili powder
½ tsp of ground cumin
2 tsp dried oregano leaves
½ tsp of pimenton (smoked paprika)
2 cups tomato sauce
1 (15oz) can corn
1 (15oz) canned black beans, drained and rinsed
½  cup masa harina flour (check the hispanic foods aisle at your supermarket)
½ bunch of finely chopped cilantro
one small can of chopped green chiles


For garnish:

Corn tortilla chips, I make my own, but you can buy the bag if you would like.  J
Grated cheese (a blend of jack and cheddar, or whatever you have on hand)
guacamole

sour cream
cilantro

Boil chicken breast in 9 cups chicken broth. (I don’t know how long this takes…maybe 30 minutes?  Just check them…..) Remove chicken breast when done, reserving chicken broth.  Dice chicken into bite size pieces

Heat the oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the onions and garlic and sauté until softened and translucent. Add 8 cups of the chicken stock, tomato sauce and spices and bring to a gentle boil. Lower heat and simmer while adding c chopped chicken. Let simmer for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove about 1 cup of the broth and place in a bowl with the masa, whisking or stirring to blend completely. Pour masa-broth mixture back into the simmering soup and allow to simmer for a few more minutes stirring occasionally, until soup is beginning to reach desired (slightly thickened) consistency. Add more broth, if necessary. Add beans, corn, chiles and cilantro. Stir gently until beans & corn are warmed and all ingredients are well incorporated and then serve!

When serving the soup, top with some grated cheese, cilantro, crumbled tortilla chips and a dollop of guacamole and or sour cream.



5 Comments

Fisherman's Stew

11/6/2008

3 Comments

 

Many years ago I visited my friend Randy when she lived in Florida; while we were there they made a fisherman's stew for dinner one night.  Well, I must tell you, I have not been able to get that stew out of my head.  So, now that we live by this fabulous fish market, I had to try to recreate the stew that has been ingrained in my mind for so many years.  This is what I came up with.   Everyone in our house loved this dish! 

This recipe is adapted from a recipe from Good Housekeeping.

1 TBL olive oil
1 medium red pepper, finely chopped
1 medium red onion, finely chopped
3-4 cloves garlic, ran through a garlic press
A few shakes of crushed red pepper (if you like more spice add more – I did)
1 bottle good dry white wine, reserve ½ cup for the stew
2 cans 14.5 oz diced tomatoes
Salt to taste
Halibut, I used a whole, small halibut, maybe 2 pounds worth
1 pound mussels (scrubbed and beards removed)
1 pound shrimp
½ pound oysters (shucked)
½ pound clams (shucked)
¼ cup fresh chopped basil

Pour yourself a glass of the white wine. 

In a nonstick 5-6 quart pot, heat oil over medium-high heat until very hot.  Add chopped peppers and onion and cook 6-8 minutes or till tender, stirring occasionally.  Add garlic and crushed red pepper, cook 1 more minute stirring.  Add ½ cup wine and heat to boiling, boil 2 minutes.

Stir in tomatoes, salt and ½ cup water; heat to boiling over medium-high heat.  Add all your seafood, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer covered 8-9 minutes or until your shrimp have turned pink throughout and your mussels shells are open.  Remove from heat, sprinkle with fresh basil and serve immediately.  (I like to put the stew in a bowl, and then add the basil to individual bowls)

Pour yourself another glass of wine.

Serve with big crusty bread.


3 Comments

    Author

    Proud Army wife and mother to 4 wonderful children.  I love to cook, travel, work out and scrapbook life’s adventures when I find the time.  We just got orders & are heading back to the states in March 2010.  I'm bummed that our time has been cut short, but proud of Hubby for the reason why.

    RSS Feed

    Archives

    April 2010
    March 2010
    February 2010
    January 2010
    December 2009
    November 2009
    October 2009
    September 2009
    August 2009
    July 2009
    June 2009
    May 2009
    April 2009
    March 2009
    February 2009
    January 2009
    December 2008
    November 2008
    October 2008
    September 2008
    August 2008
    July 2008
    June 2008

    Categories

    All
    Appetizers
    Breakfast
    Cake
    Cakes
    Car Wash
    Cookies
    Cooking Tips
    Daily Life
    Desserts
    Drinks
    Entrees
    Hiking
    Modeling
    Moving To Yongsan
    Nightlife
    Not Quite Right
    Recipes
    Restaurants
    Salads
    Sandwiches
    Seafood
    Shopping
    Side Dishes
    Sightseeing
    Soups
    Spices
    Street Food
    Vacation
    Vegetarian

    Friends, Family and Fun reading:


    FeedYourKids
    GreatinGreece
    CookieMadness
    RomaninRoundRock
    Heather, Heath, Hayden & John
    EggsonSunday

    Five in Boise
    PioneerWoman
    Just The Four of US 
    SteamyKitchen
    All About Korean Food

    KissMyKimchi
    EatingOutLoud
    TheThrashClan
    Yossislost

Proudly powered by Weebly