RECIPES:

Congee              1 cup uncooked long-grain Rice (Jasmin) ~ 1/2 cup glutinous Rice ~ 9 cups regular Chicken Broth with 2 Tb. Soy Sauce and 1 slice Ginger the size of a quarter   

Wash rice. Place in pot with Chinese chicken broth, or regular chicken broth to which soy and ginger has been added. Bring to a boil. When boiling, reduce heat to low. Cook for 2 hours, partially covered, stirring frequently. Soup is done when it reaches a porridge-like consistency. Remove ginger slice if you have added it. You can add chopped bok choy, or small slivers of chicken. Leftover turkey after a Thanksgiving meal is another great addition, and a turkey carcass can provide a nice broth instead of chicken soup. Note: Garnish with pickled ginger, green onions, (cooked chicken and/or beef and/or shrimps and/or pork), bok choy, hot peppers, cilantro, napa, peanuts etc.

Won Ton Soup with BBQ Pork and Noodles        8 oz. ground Pork ~ 8 oz. Shrimp (30 small) ~ 1 Tb. chopped Green Onion ~ 1/4 ts. finely chopped Ginger ~ 1 Tb. Soya Sauce ~ 1 Tb. Sesame Oil ~ 2 ts. Salt ~ 1 Tb. water ~ 1 ts. Chinese white Cooking Wine ~ 1 Egg ~ 6 cups Soup Stock (can be beef, chicken, pork, veggie, your choice) ~ 30 pieces Wonton Skins ~ Marinade for Shrimp: 1 teaspoon Cornstarch 1/2 ts. Salt

Marinate shrimp in a small mixing bowl. Place ground pork in a bowl, add egg, green onion, salt, sesame oil, soya sauce, wine, ginger. Stir with 1 tablespoon of cold water, mix until it thickens. Place 1/2 teaspoon of pork mixture in the center of each wonton wrapper, along with 1 shrimp. Wrap into won ton shape. Heat soup stock with 1/4 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of soya sauce until boiling. Sprinkle with some sesame oil. Drop won tons into a deep pot of boiling water, allow to boil for a few seconds, reduce to medium heat and allow to cook for 3 minutes. Drain won tons, then place them into the soup. Serve in individual bowls with diced blanched bok choy noodles, shredded carrot, BBQ pork and green onion.

Chicken Fried Rice Makes 3 to 4 Servings           4 Tb. Vegetable Oil ~ 1 cup purple Onion, sliced ~ 1 cup your favourite fresh or frozen vegetables, cut (carrots, peas) ~ 4 cup cooked Jasmine Rice (cooled at least 8 hour in refrigerator or refrigerated leftover rice) ~ 1 cup sliced Mushrooms ~ 1 /4 cup Soup Stock ~ 1/2 cup. of Oyster Sauce ~ 1 Tb. sugar ~ 1 to 2 Tb. Premium Fish Sauce ~ 1 ts. Water ~ 3 /4 cup cooked Chicken or bbq Pork or any other meat cooked and shredded or simply omitte ~ 1 /4 cup green onions, chopped ~ fresh cilantro and lime wedges

Heat oil in a wok or large skillet. Over medium heat, cook onion and vegetables until tender. Add rice, sugar, fish sauce and water. Stir-fry for 2 to 3 minutes until rice is cooked. Stir in chicken and green onions. Garnish: with cilantro and lime wedges as garnish Note: When refrigerated rice is used add 1/4 cup soup stock to soften rice during stirring. Note: After rice is added, use only medium ar medium-low heat to stir-fry so not to burn rice.

Chicken Rice Noodle Salad with Peanuts and Spicy Lime Vinaigrette Makes 4 to 6 Servings        4 oz. Egg Noodles (fresh spaghetti) or Rice Noodles (Rice Sticks) ~ 1 1/2 cups cooked Chicken, shredded ~ 1/4 cup purple Onion, slivered ~ 1/2 cup Cucumber, seeded, thinly sliced ~ 1/4 cup Carrots, julienne thinly sliced ~ 1/4 cup Cilantro, coarsely chopped ~ 4 Tb. Green Onions, chopped ~ 2 cups torn Butter Lettuce leaves or Baby Salad mix ~ 1/2 cup crushed Peanuts ~ Spicy Lime Vinaigrette Dressing ~ 1 Tb. dried Red Chili flakes ~ 1/2 ts. Salt ~ 1/2 cup Sugar ~ 1/4 cup Rice Vinegar ~ 6 cloves Garlic, minced ~ 3 Tb. Premium Fish Sauce ~ 1/4 cup fresh Lime Juice   

In a bowl, mix together dressing ingredients until sugar is dissolved. Let stand 30 minutes before serving. Can be made 1 day ahead. Store covered; refrigerated. Bring 8 cups of water to a boil. Cook rice noodles for 3 to 4 minutes or until soft. Drain; rinse with cold water to cool. Set aside. In a large bowl, toss all ingredients together with dressing.

Korean Grilled Beef        1 Lb. Beef Strip loin well trimmed and sliced very thin. ~ 3 each Green Onions, finely chopped ~ 4 Garlic cloves, crushed ~ 5 Tb. Soy Sauce ~ 2 Tb. Sesame Oil ~ 1 Tb. Sesame Seeds ~ 1/4 cup Sugar ~ 2 Tb. Sherry or Mirin (rice wine) ~ 1/8 ts. Black Pepper

Slice the steak diagonally against the grain into very thin strips. Score each piece lightly. (This prevents meat from curling as it is grilling). Combine remaining ingredients in bowl, mix well, then add meat. Allow marinating for several hours or overnight. To prevent overcooking, grill meat just until it turns color, then remove from heat. Remember, all meat continue to cook even when taken off heat. Serve with rice.

Pad Thai    Thai-style Fried Noodles       1 lb. Flat Rice Noodle ~ 2 ts. fresh Garlic, chopped ~ 2 ts. fresh Ginger, chopped ~ 1/2 ts. Chili flakes ~ 1 Carrot, julienned ~ 1 Bok Choy, julienned ~ 1/2 Red Bell Pepper, julienned ~ 2 Tb. chopped Shallots ~ 1/2 cup fresh Cooked Shrimp ~ 1/4 cup Fish Sauce ~ 1/4 cup regular Sugar (or crushed palm sugar but it doesn't make much difference) ~ 2 ts. Tamarind Concentrate mixed with 5 teaspoons water (this makes tamarind juice) ~ 1 medium Egg, beaten ~ 1/4 cup chopped Chives ~ 1/2 cup Roasted Peanuts, coarsely broken up ~ 1 cup Bean Sprouts ~ 1/2 cup Tofu that has been diced (1/2" cubes), marinated in Dark Sweet Soy. "Firm" Tofu works best ~ 1 cup (8 oz.) Bean Sprouts

Heat a little cooking oil in a wok and add the garlic and shallots, and briefly stir fry until they just shows signs of changing color. At this point one option is to add chicken meat and cook a bit longer, if you prefer chicken pad Thai. Add the remaining ingredients except the egg and the bean sprouts, and stir fry until the noodles soften (about 5 minutes). As you stir the noodles, periodically throw in 1-2 tablespoons of water, and after 2-3 minutes add 1 tablespoon of rinsed, salted radish (optional). Continuing to stir with one hand, slowly "drizzle" in the beaten egg to form a fine ribbon of cooked egg (if you don't feel confident with this make an egg crepe separately, and then roll it up and slice it into quarter inch wide pieces, which you add to the mix at this point). At this point, a very tasty but optional addition is a small handful of dried shrimps. Add the bean sprouts and cook for no more than another 30 seconds. Remove from the pan to a serving platter. Garnish Mix a tablespoon of lime juice with a tablespoon of tamarind juice and a tablespoon of fish sauce, and use this to marinade half a cup of uncooked bean sprouts, half a cup of chopped chives, and half a cup of very coarsely ground roasted peanuts. Sprinkle this mixture on the cooked pad Thai. Cut several limes into segments and also slice up some cucumber into rounds then halve the rounds. Put the lime segments and cucumber segments around the serving platter.

Bulgogi (Korean Beef Grilled on Skewers)       1 1/2 lb. boneless Sirloin Beef (or other good beef) ~ 1 Tb. toasted Sesame Seeds ~ 1-2 cloves crushed Garlic ~ 1/2 Tb. grated fresh Ginger ~ 3-4 Green Onions, finely chopped ~ 1/3 cup Soy Sauce ~ 2 Tb. dry Sherry ~ 2 Tb. Sesame Oil ~ 2 ts. Sugar ~ 1/2 ts. crushed Red Pepper flakes, to taste

Toast the sesame seeds in a frying pan over medium heat until brown, let them cool. Cut the beef in thin slices, freezing the meat slightly makes it easier to slice it thin. Mix all marinade ingredients together, add also the sesame seeds, and to this add the beef. Leave to marinate at least 30 minutes, a few hours is preferred. Thread the meat on wooden skewers, grill or barbecue a few minutes on each side, using the remaining marinade for basting. (Soak the wooden skewers in water for half an hour to prevent them burning.) Pork tenderloin works equally as well beef.

Chicken Satay (Satay Gai) Serves 2         This is one dish everyone agrees to share at a Thai restaurant. The effort to make it from scratch is really minimal -- it can marinate in the refrigerator overnight so you can impress your guests in a snap.

4 oz. Chicken Breast, slices (Beef or Pork) ~ 4 ts. Coconut Milk ~ 1 ts. yellow Curry Powder ~ 1 ts. Salt ~ 2 ts. Sugar ~ 1 ts. Soy Sauce ~ 1 ts. Turmeric Powder ~ 2 ts. Lemon Grass, finely minced ~ 6 bamboo skewers, 6-inch long ~ 4 ts. Coconut Milk (for grilling)

In a bowl, mix chicken with all ingredients. Marinate for 1/2 hour. Carefully skewer chicken onto each stick. Grill both sides of the chicken until cooked. Brush coconut milk over skewers while cooking. Serve with Peanut Satay Sauce and Cucumber Sauce.

Spring Rolls         1 cup shredded Pork Loin ~ 2 ts. each: Cornstarch, and cooking Wine ~ 1/4 ts. Salt ~ 4 cup each: Bean Sprout & Chinese Chives, cut to 1-inch sections ~ 1 cup shredded Carrot ~ 2 Tb. Sugar ~ 1Tb. Sesame Oil ~ 1 1/2 ts. Salt ~ 1/2 ts. Pepper ~ 32 Egg Roll Skins     Flour paste:   4 Tb. each: Flour, Water (mix) Oil

Filling: In a bowl, mix the pork with shredded pork loin, cornstarch, cooking wine and salt well. Heat the pan then add 4 T. oil; stir-fry the pork until it changes color. Remove. Blanch the bean sprouts, carrots, and Chinese chives in boiling water for 10 seconds. Remove them and plunge them into cold water to cool; drain. In a bowl, mix the pork, carrots, bean sprouts, Chinese chives, and shredded carrot, sugar, sesame oil, salt and pepper thoroughly. Divide the filling into 16 portions. 2. Dab some flour paste along one corner of the top half of the skin. Place a portion of filling in the center of the skin. Fold the lower third of the skin over the filling to one-third from the top corner. Fold in the two ends. Continue to wrap the skin to form a baton-like roll. Rolls should be about 4-inch long. Follow the same procedure for the other skins. 3. Heat the oil and deep-fry the egg rolls over medium heat for 4 minutes or until they are golden brown; remove and drain. Serve with soy sauce, ketchup or vinegar.

Pot Stickers serves 4      1 Tb. Olive Oil ~ 1/4 cup julienned Carrots ~ 1/2 cup shredded Napa Cabbage ~ 8 oz. ground lean Pork ~ 2 ts. minced Shallots ~ 1 ts. chopped Garlic ~ 1 Tb. sesame Oil optional ~ 1 Tb. Cilantro leaves ~ 1 Tb. chopped Peanuts ~ Salt and Pepper ~ 24 Wonton wrappers ~ 1 cup Ginger-Soy Butter Sauce ~ Long chives

In a sauté pan, heat the olive oil. When the oil is hot, add the carrots, cabbage and crawfish. Season with salt and pepper. Sauté the mixture for 2 minutes. Add the shallots and garlic and sauté for 1 minute. Remove from the heat and stir in the sesame oil, cilantro leaves, and peanuts. Bring a pot of salt water to a boil. Spoon a tablespoon of the filling in the center of each wonton wrapper. With water, slightly wet the edges of each wonton. Bring one corner of the wrapper to the other, forming a triangle, seal the edges tightly. Poach 1/2 of the wontons in the boiling water for 1 to 2 minutes, or until the wontons start to float. Remove from the water and drain. Bring the pot of water back to a boil and poach the remaining wontons. In a sauté pan, heat the 1 tablespoons of olive oil. When the oil is hot, carefully add 1/2 of the wontons, one at a time, and pan-fry the wontons for 1 minute and remove from the pan. Add the remaining oil and continue to pan-fry the remaining wontons. To assemble, spoon 1/4 cup of the sauce in the center of each plate. Arrange 6 wontons in the center of the sauce. Garnish with long chives.

Pork Shui Mai   Makes: 30 dumplings           1 Lb. ground Pork ~ 1 cup finely chopped Water Chestnuts ~ 1 Tb. Soy Sauce ~ 1 Tb. Rice Wine Vinegar ~ 1 Tb. Sesame Oil ~ 2 ts. Sugar ~ 2 ts. freshly grated Ginger ~ 2 Tb. Cornstarch ~ 1 ts. coarse Salt ~ 1/2 ts. finely ground Black Pepper ~ 30 Wonton wrappers

DIPPING SAUCE Yield: 2/3 cup            1/2 cup Soy Sauce ~ 2 Tb. Black Vinegar, or Rice Wine Vinegar ~ 1 ts. Oriental Red Chile Paste ~ 1/2 ts. Sugar ~ 1 Tb. minced Garlic

Combine the pork, water chestnuts, soy sauce, vinegar, oil, sugar, ginger, cornstarch, salt and pepper in a bowl and mix well to combine (hands work well for this). Place a dumpling wrapper in the palm of one hand and cup it loosely. Place a generous tablespoon of filling in the centre of the wrapper. With your free hand, gather the sides of the wrapper around the filling, letting the wrapper pleat naturally. Squeeze the middle gently and tap the dumpling to flatten the bottom so that it can stand upright. The meat filling will show a little at the top. Make the remaining dumplings in the same manner. *Arrange filled dumplings about 1/4 inch apart in two steamer trays that have been lined with wet cheesecloth. (At this point, you can refrigerate dumplings, covered, for 24 hours.) *When ready to steam, fill a wok or lower part of a steamer with water so that it comes within an inch of the steamer tray, and bring to a rolling boil. Stack the steamer trays in the wok or steamer, cover tightly, and steam dumplings for 25 minutes over high heat, reversing the trays after 10 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer dumplings to a platter and serve with Spicy Dipping Sauce.

Thai Rice Paper Rolls  #2          2 1/2 oz. thin Rice Vermicelli ~ 2 Tb. seasoned Rice Vinegar ~ 16 - 8-inch (20 cm) Rice Paper Wrappers ~ 16 leaves Green Leaf Lettuce ~ 16 uncooked Shrimp, peeled and deveined ~ 16 sprigs fresh Basil ~ 16 sprigs fresh Mint ~ 32 sprigs fresh Coriander       Optional ingredients:   Carrot Strips, Celery Strips, Daicon Strips, Kohlrabi Strips,       Dip:   1/3 cup Hoisin Sauce 3 Tb. Water

To prepare shrimp, bring pot of water to a boil. Boil shrimp for 1 minute, until pink. Drain. Slice lengthwise and reserve. Prepare a medium-sized bowl of very hot or boiling water. Soak rice vermicelli noodles in the hot water for 15 minutes. Drain well. Toss rice vermicelli with seasoned rice vinegar. Reserve. Prepare a large bowl of very warm water. Dip a rice paper in the hot water for 10 seconds. Lay on a damp towel. Place 1 lettuce leaf, 2 pieces of shrimp, and a heaping Tbsp rice vermicelli in a compact pile at one end of rice paper. Top with a sprig each of basil, mint and coriander. Roll up tightly to make a sausage. These rolls can be made up to 2 hours in advance. Cover well in plastic wrap until serving.

Thai Lettuce Wraps #1       This Thai recipe for lettuce wraps is quick and easy to make. It's also a fun dish to eat, either as an appetizer or as part of a main course. Serve the filling on a platter with whole iceberg lettuce leaves on the side, and let your friends and family wrap their own. They'll love the combination of crisp, cold lettuce with the warm, flavorful filling. And it's a low-calorie, low-fat treat that's also very nutritious. Lettuce wraps make a great party food!

1 head fresh Iceberg Lettuce (this type works best for this recipe) ~  3 cloves Garlic, minced ~ 1 thumb-size piece Galangal (or ginger), grated ~ 1 Red Chilli, de-seeded and finely sliced (omit altogether if you prefer very mild wraps) ~ 2 Shallots, sliced finely ~ 1/2 cup firm Tofu, cut into "matchsticks"; (OR 1/2 cup cooked Chicken or Pork, shredded, OR 1/2 cup cooked baby Shrimp) ~ 1 Carrot, grated or cut into thin strips ~ 4-5 Shiitake Mushrooms, thinly sliced ~ 1 Egg (optional if vegan) ~ 1/2 cup shredded Cabbage (red is very good, but any type will work) ~ 3 Spring Onions, sliced lengthwise into matchstick-like pieces, approx ~ 2 cups Bean Sprouts ~ 2 Tb. Lime juice ~ 2 Tb. Soy Sauce ~ 2 Tb Fish Sauce (if vegetarian, use vegetarian fish sauce) ~ 1 Tb. Oyster Sauce (if vegetarian, use vegetarian oyster sauce)                   TOPPING: 1 cup fresh Basil, roughly chopped if leaves are large ~ 1/2 cup dry Roasted Peanuts, roughly chopped ~ 2 Tb. Oil for stir-frying

Place oil in a wok or large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add garlic, galangal (or ginger), chilli, and shallots. Stir-fry one minute, or until fragrant. Stir-frying tip: add a Tbsp. water whenever the wok/pan gets too dry instead of more oil. Add tofu (or meat/shrimp), carrot, shiitake mushrooms, cabbage, and spring onions. As you stir-fry, add the lime juice, soy sauce, fish sauce, and oyster sauce. Stir-fry about 1 minute. Push ingredients to the side of the wok or pan, and crack in the egg. Stir-fry the egg quickly, breaking the yolk. Mix in with the other ingredients. Add the bean sprouts and stir-fry briefly (to mix). Remove from heat and do a taste test for salt, adding 1 Tbsp more fish sauce if not salty enough. Cut off the stem part of the iceberg lettuce so it's easier to separate the leaves. Now place the lettuce, the sir-fried filling, and the toppings on your table, allowing family or guests to make their own wraps. To assemble wraps, take a whole lettuce leaf and place 1-2 heaping tablespoons of filling in the centre. Top with a sprinkling of fresh basil and peanuts. Then wrap it up and eat. (For those who like it extra spicy, Thai chilli sauce can be added as another topping.)

Peanut dressing       2 Tb. Peanut Butter ~ 2 Tb. Soy Sauce ~ 2 Tb. Lime Juice ~ 1 Tb. Brown Sugar ~ 1 tb. Sesame Oil ~ 1 small clove Garlic (or less - to taste) ~ Dash hot Red Pepper flakes (optional)

In a blender or food processor, blend together all the ingredients for the peanut dressing until smooth and creamy.

Spicy Thai Peanut Sauce # 1          1 3/4 cup Coconut Milk (13.5 fl. oz.) ~ 1/3 cup Peanut Butter, creamy ~ 1 inch piece Ginger Root ~ 1 Garlic clove ~ 1 Tb. Maple Syrup ~ 1/8 ts. Chili powder ~ 1/4 ts. crushed Red Pepper ~ pinch Coriander ~ 1/8 ts. Sea Salt ~ 1/8 ts. Black Pepper

In a blender pour in the coconut milk and peanut butter, then blend. Next, take the 1 inch piece of ginger, peel the skin off with a knife and grate on a grater. Add to the blender. Take the clove of garlic and finely chop, then add to blender. Now add the maple syrup, chili powder, crushed red pepper, coriander, sea salt, and black pepper. Blend. Put a pan on the stove to medium heat and pour in the mixture. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to low/medium. Cook for 10 minutes while stirring. The sauce should thicken up a little and turn just slightly darker and then is ready to use.

Won Ton Baskets Supreme Appetizer        12 Wonton wrappers ~ 1 tablespoon Butter ~ 1/2 pound Mushrooms, finely chopped ~ 5 cloves Garlic, minced ~ Salt and Pepper, to taste ~ 1 cup Mozzarella and Cheddar Cheese ~ 1/4 cup (Red &Yellow &Green) Pepper minced ~ 3 Tb. chopped Cilantro

Trim won tons to 2-1/2-inch squares with scissors; brush lightly with oil and fit into a mini muffin tin. Bake at 375° for 7 minutes. They can be made 1 day ahead, covered and stored at room temperature. In a large skillet melt butter; sauté mushrooms, garlic, pepper, salt and pepper until all liquid evaporates. Spoon into prepared won ton baskets; put cheese on top of mushroom mixture. Broil until cheese melts. Remove from oven. Garnish with chopped Cilantro or parsley and serve.

Chicken Rice Paper Spring Rolls       2 oz. Thin Rice Noodles or Rice Vermicelli ~ 12 (8 ½-inch) round Rice Papers wrappers ~ 1 cup (1/2 lb.) cooked Chicken, shredded ~ 1/4 cup Carrots, julienne thin strips ~ 1 cup Cucumber julienne cut, peeled and seedless ~ 1/4 cup fresh Mint leaves ~ 12 pieces fresh Green Leaf Lettuce leaves (3 by 5 inches), cut along the rib, remove rib.

Bring 6 cups of water to a boil.      Cook rice noodles for 2 to 4 minutes or until soft. Drain; rinse with cold water to cool. Set aside. Spread a damp towel on a counter. Fill a pan with hot water. (Keep a bowl of hot water next to pan and towel, as you will need to occasionally refill the pan with water). Arrange all ingredients to be within reach. Dip one rice paper sheet in hot water to wet completely. Set on damp towel. The rice paper should become soft and pliable immediately. Arrange one-twelfth amount of the chicken in a horizontal line to the bottom third (2 ½ inches from the bottom and 1 inch from right hand side) of the rice paper wrapper. Place a small portion of rice noodles over chicken. Distribute some cucumber, carrots and 4 to 5 mint leaves over noodles. Place one lettuce leaf over mint leaves. Fold the bottom half of rice paper wrapper over filling, while using your fingers to press down on the ingredients. Fold the right hand side of the rice paper over to enclose the ingredients of the bottom of the roll. Pressing gently on the ingredients with your fingers, gently roll the rice paper tightly upwards to form a cylinder log. Repeat these steps to make the remaining spring rolls. Serve immediately with dipping sauce.

Dipping Sauce     1 /4 cup fresh Lime Juice ~ 4 Tb. Sugar ~ 4 Tb. Premium Fish Sauce ~ 1 clove Garlic, minced ~ 1 ts. Thai Chilies, minced (to preferred spice level, to taste), optional ~ 3 Tb. Carrots, finely shredded ~ 1 /4 cup warm water

In a bowl, whisk lime juice, sugar, fish sauce, garlic and chilies together until sugar is dissolved. Stir in carrots. Add warm water as needed to dilute concentration to desired taste level. Let stand 30 minutes before serving. Can be made 1 day ahead. Store covered; refrigerated. Spring rolls, if not covered tightly with plastic wrap or in a lid container, will harden when left out and exposed to air. Serve rolls whole or cut in half just before serving. Spring rolls can be made up to 1 day before serving. They must be covered tightly with plastic wrap or in a lid container and refrigerated.