Char Kway Teow (Malaysia)

Char Kway Teow can be found as street food in Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia. It's so good! Pretty easy to make as well. The base of the stir fry is a sauce called Kecap Manis, or sweet soy sauce. Asian food stores carry it under a number of different brands and it has a sweet flavor that is different from similar dishes like Pad see ew, or Pad Thai which look very similar. In my version, I added sweet Thai basil and a little cilantro for flavor. Once the ingredients are laid out its really easy to make and kids love it.

Ingredients

3-5 prawns, peeled raw
1 T minced garlic
1 shallot sliced thin
1 small package of rice noodles, following the pkg. instructions
1 cup bean sprouts
1/2 bunch green onions, chopped
3-4 Thai basil leaves, chopped
3-4 Cilantro leaves, chopped
1 egg
1 T Canola oil
Pinch of salt
Sriracha (chili sauce) to taste

Sauce

3 T Kecap Manis
1 T soy sauce

Heat the wok with the oil and add the garlic and shallots on medium heat. Put the prawns in after a few seconds and stir fry them to flavor the oil. Add the noodles and stir fry together for 30 seconds to 1 minute on high heat. Add the egg and blend it in with the noodles. Part of the charm of this dish is when the egg adheres to the noodles to build flavor.
Add the Kecap Manis and soy sauce and blend for 1 minute.
Add the bean sprouts and green onions and stir fry an additional minute on high heat and serve

Amazing...

Larb (Laab in Thai)

Thailand's second favorite dish and a perfect "10" on my "can't wait to eat it" foods list! 2 of the ingredients can be made ahead of time and well worth the effort, but this is an easy dish to make once you have the ingredients and you're ready to impress your guests. Larb can be made up of ground pork, ground chicken or ground beef, but my favorite is the ground pork! It's very good for you and involves lots of herbs. It has the sweet, salty, sour and savory all in one dish. You can eat it like lettuce wraps or top some rice with it.

Ingredients:

1lb. Ground pork, chicken or beef
3 T rice powder*
1 teaspoon roasted chili powder*
3 T fish sauce
Juice of 1 lemon
1/2 cup red onion
3 green onions, chopped
1/2 bunch Cilantro
1/4 cup Mint leaves
1/2 bunch fresh parsley or Thai basil

Serve over chopped iceberg or romaine lettuce
or use cabbage leaves to use as wraps

*Rice powder can be easily made and stored ahead of time. Just pour in 2 cups of any type of rice into a large dry skillet and on medium heat stir until the rice turns golden brown. Then grind it in a grinder until it's almost powder, but still gritty.
The dish requires 3 Tablespoons per serving. It really makes a difference!

*Roasted chili powder is make the same way as the Rice powder above. Just add red Thai chili's to a large, dry skillet and roast them on medium heat until they are almost blackened. Then grind them up and store them next to the Rice powder in it's own container. Then you're always ready to eat your favorite dish!

Tom Yum Koong (Shrimp)

This is my favorite soup of all. I learned in Thailand that Larb and Tom Yum soup are the country's favorite dishes and with good reason. Tom Yum soup is a chili paste based broth that is perfect for the colder days of winter. It will warm you up in no time and if it's toned down a bit, even kids will love it. Once you have the ingredients it's very simple to make. You will probably have to make a trip to an Asian food market to find the lemongrass, thai ginger and Tom Yum paste, but it's well worth the trip!

Ingredients:

2 quarts water
2T Tom Yum paste
3-4 green onions, chopped finely
1T garlic
1 stalk of lemongrass chopped finely
1T sugar
Juice of 3 limes
2T salt
1 can of mushrooms (I like to add enoki mushrooms as well)
1/2 lb. shrimp (heads on, heads off, your preference)
4 chopped shallots
1T fish sauce
2 T Galangal (thai ginger) or substitute with regular ginger
1 cup bean sprouts
Lime leaves (optional)

To make this soup it's as simple as adding everything to the water (except the bean sprouts) and bringing it to a quick boil. Then turn the heat down to low and simmer for an hour. I would recommend adding the shrimp a few minutes before serving and returning the soup to a boil for 2 minutes. That way the shrimp won't toughen up so much and they are easier to eat. If you plan to freeze the soup, don't add the shrimp at all. Just add the raw shrimp to each serving bowl and then pour the almost boiling soup over them and let them set for a moment or two. The soup cannot be frozen unless the shrimp are omitted and used for servings at the table.

Times have changed....

Myths:
1. Buying food at the store and preparing it at home is more expensive than getting take-out food.
2. Kids want simple foods like corn dogs, macaroni and cheese, and spahetti-o's.
3. No one has time to prepare food anymore in our fast-paced society.

All of the above are simply not true. With minimal training and some forethought, anyone can make a meal that is both healthy and satisfying, for very little money.

During a normal work day I get home from work, throw my jacket on the entry room table, be ignored by my kids, and prepare our family dinner. I've never been a "Top Chef," but cooking for my family is one of the most rewarding and relaxing things that I do. My kids may humor me with a friendly approval, but they are my harshest critics.
"I don't like it, Daddy!"
"It's too salty!"
"When are you cooking burgers?"
"What's for dessert?"

I love the Food Network and watching chefs prepare food. By using their ingredients and their passion for food, my aspiration is to expose great recipes to families and show that there are other practical solutions as compared to just buying takeout every night. A couple of my recipes actually use packet mixes, which to most families is fine, as long as the finished product is taken to a new level and leftovers are turned into meals that rival their original intention.
As I have spent the last few years exploring and testing the foods that make my kids happy. I have made many mistakes, but when I get it right they certainly let me know. I have a few recipes that take a mere 10 minutes to prepare.....plus, all is ready in the time it takes for me to take a shower and change for the evening in.

To save money, I imagine the dinner, the reaction from my kids, and even how I will use it to make leftovers. I buy meat when it's on sale, or reduced for "quick sale" and freeze it until I take it out in the morning for that night's dinner. It's a process and the process works....especially for the working Dad.

Cooking is relatively easy. Anyone can follow a simple recipe, but there are many things that are learned with practice and experience. Again, I have made many mistakes but it has only made me better and more comfortable around the kitchen.

To me, food is family, it brings us together and puts us all in a good mood. In my current lifestyle I spend much of my weekend watching my daughter play softball for a traveling team and because of that I like to call myself a "sideline chef." I pack the rolling cooler with foods that will survive on ice, or locked up safely in foil and I enjoy the challenge of coming up with something good each week that my family will like. There are thousands of families across America that attend community sporting events, tailgate in coliseum parking lots, or travel like I do to softball, baseball, soccer, football or lacrosse tournaments. I have learned to love cooking, to build flavor, try new things and never be afraid to fail. It has only brought us all closer together.

Marinated Beef Strips (Korea)

The good thing about this dish is that the meat you use is not the most expensive in the store.  In fact, you can use many different kinds since the marinade will do all the work.  I cook this dish on the kitchen counter on a portable gas stove along with a Korean cast iron "reverse wok."  This grill pan is dome shaped and lets the juices run down for an easy pour-off from a spout so you can do a reduction for a nice sauce for pouring over the rice.  It is 10 1/2" in diameter and can be used over any gas burner, or even over hot coals.  With the portable gas stove you can take it on picnics or even tailgating, which was my original intention.  The ridges give the meat the nice grill marks and it's fun to use for many different occasions.  This dish can be cooked on many different frying pans, but I would recommend cast iron if you have it.

Marinade:

3/4 cup rice vinegar
1/2 cup soy sauce
4T crushed garlic
1T minced ginger
1/2 cup minced white onion
1T white miso
3T olive oil for frying

Preparation:

Mix the marinade thoroughly and place the meat strips in a plastic container with a lid.  Refrigerate for at least two hours or even overnight.  When the pan is very hot, add the oil to the grill surface. Cook until the meat is medium-rare and sprinkle with sesame seeds.  Use any leftover meat for salads or noodle dishes.

Nasi Goreng (Malaysia)

A staple dish of Malaysia and Indonesia, Nasi Goreng means fried rice and it doesn't get much better than this.  I have been working on the perfect recipe to remind me of what I enjoyed so much in Kuala Lumpur that I just had to harness those flavors once and for all.  It is really very simple to make and the payoff is incredible!  Malaysians enjoy this dish so much that they even eat it for breakfast.

Ingredients:

2 cups long-grain rice, cooked
1/4 cup celery, sliced
1 red pepper, diced
1 onion, diced
1 carrot, boiled or steamed and then diced (or you can buy pre-frozen)
1/4 cup frozen green peas
1/4 cup frozen corn kernels
1 clove garlic, minced
1 cup chicken stock
1 t  chili powder
1T soy sauce
pepper to taste
oil for frying

Preparation:

In a wok, or deep frying pan, heat the oil on medium low. Saute garlic and onions until slightly brown. Add ground chili and fry for 2 minutes.  Add chicken stock and all the vegetables, and cook for about 5 minutes. Stir in rice and mix thoroughly. Add  the soy sauce (that will take care of the saltiness) and pepper to taste and mix it in. Cook for another 5-7 minutes then transfer to a serving dish.

Terong (Indonesia)

Another Indonesian favorite of mine, this side dish goes well with beef or chicken as a main course. "Terong" means cooked eggplant and the flavors really work well together.  Terong looks as good as it tastes...I just wish I could find it here in America without going too far, but to me it tastes better homemade anyway...

Ingredients:

2 lg. Eggplants (long and narrow work best)

2T crushed garlic
1/4 cup Onion, chopped
1 1/2 cups Tomatoes (fresh), ripe
1 t Sugar
1 t Salt
2 t Red hot chili peppers, (optional)
1/2 cup Water
2 T Vegetable oil

Preparation:

Cut the eggplant into long quarter-round strips. Bake them at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes, or until they are soft but not mushy.

Meanwhile, in a bowl, mix the onion, garlic, tomatoes, salt, sugar, peppers and water and mash with a wooden spoon until it forms a coarse paste.
Fry the tomato paste in the oil until the liquid is reduced (about 10 minutes). Pour the sauce over the eggplant and serve immediately.