thai/vietnamese inspired fish stew

oh i just wanted some soup today. i paid for having a bit of delicious pizza from our fave pizza place and was crampy and had hearburn for hours after (i know this when i indulge but it is really that good). so soup seemed like a perfect cure...and it was.

i think i have mentioned i live in chinatown and often end up trying lots of new ingredients. so i knew i had fish in the freezer and coconut milk in the cupboards and some vietnamese pho bouillon cubes kicking around - good start...here's what i decided to use (and had on hand)...

400g (just under a lb, a lb is 454g) mahi mahi from frozen
3 vietnamese pho bouillon cubes
1 can coconut milk
dash all spice
1tsp frozen chopped lemongrass
1c frozen corn kernels
1/2c chopped green onion
1/2c chopped cilantro
6-7c water
1/8 package thai rice vermicelli noodles

optional to add to individual bowls - chili garlic

bouillon cubes and water first and stir once in a while until dissolved
add everything except the noodles and cilantro
simmer until mahi mahi is cooked and break apart into small pieces in the pot
add noodles - simmer 5 minutes
add cilantro - simmer 2 more minutes
then serve

this is where i add the chili garlic sauce (it's super spicy but i love spicy asian soups) - i tried it without and was great less spicy.

hilarious - my 3.5yr old was given a piece of leftover takeout pizza and asked to have the soup instead. soup trumps pizza...pretty amazing.

lemongrass meatballs and peanut sauce - thai inspired

top left is the peanut sauce (made a few meals at once)

 it's all about asian-inspired dishes this week. as i write this, i have several newly labelled containers in the freezer with a good 6 new meals stowed away for when i don't feel like cooking.

i have been in a lemongrass kind of mood of late, and a lot of ground beef in the freezer from a sale 2 weeks ago. hmmm...could the two work together?

apparently - yes!
i packed half of the meatballs away in the freezer along with a small container of the peanut sauce for dipping.

ingredients

lemongrass meatballs
1.25lbs lean ground beef
1 small onion very finely chopped
2 tbsp cornstarch
1.5 tbsp each of minced garlic, oyster sauce and frozen chopped lemongrass
1tsp each of salt and sugar (i used turbinado)
- all together in a bowl. i mix with my hands
- 350 oven for about 20 minutes
- makes 24 - 30 meatballs
...this works for those who love lemongrass. my 3.5yr old ate several of these plain. that is success to me. these went really well with the peanut butter dipping sauce i made.

peanut butter sauce (adjust and add more water if for noodles, less if for dipping)
1.5c peanut butter (i use unsweetened organic
2/3c coconut milk
2/3c water
1/4c lime juice
3tbsp low sodium soy sauce
2tbsp fish sauce
2tbsp sriracha sauce
1tbsp minced garlic
1/2c chopped cilantro
- everything in a saucepan except the cilantro on low, stir and reduce to desired consistency - add cilantro and continue on low for about 2min
...this is an easy, tasty sauce that freezes well

for a meal...just washed a few leaves of lettuce - peanut sauce, meatballs and topped with a bit of chopped green onion (the stems) and cilantro - DELICIOUS!

the bubs ate the meatballs plain, and dipped chicken breast strips in a bit of the peanut sauce.

the final result

slow cooker pulled beef and peanut sauce - asian flavours - many meals

mmm - lemongrass
this week, i decided to simply go with herbs and spices i love and see what happened.
it helped as well that cheap beef roasts were ready to go in my freezer.
this recipe ended up becoming 3 meals

lemongrass pulled beef in rice wrappers with peanut sauce

ingredients
2.5-3lb beef roast (mine was 1.99lb so a cheap cut)
1 pho bo bouillon cube
2.5c water
2tbsp soy sauce
2tbsp chopped lemongrass
1tbsp each of turmeric, cumin, minced garlic and lime juice
sugar to taste
...all in the slow cooker on low for 8hrs (pull at about 7hrs in)

wrap in rice paper wrappers with a bit of iceberg lettuce and shredded carrot

now...peanut sauce
1-1.5c water (for desired thickness)
1c peanut butter
1tbsp lime juice, fish sauce
2tbsp soy sauce
1/4c chopped onion
sugar to taste
...cook on low on the stovetop
...use as dipping sauce
i like to add sriracha sauce after it's plated (that way the peanut sauce isn't spicy so the bubs can eat it)

 DAY 2 of this recipe
pulled beef pho
omit the peanut sauce
there was enough left over liquid to use as a soup base
add one more pho bo bouillon cube
4-6c water
1c pulled beef
soy sauce to taste
1/2 pack of asian rice vermicelli noodles
...all together in a pot until the noodles are soft

 DAY 3 of this recipebeef pho with rice noodles
ingredients
1.5c pulled beef
1c water
1/2 pack of asian rice vermicelli noodles
peanut sauce (reheat) 
sriracha sauce to taste (optional) 
...cook noodles in a pot of water until soft - drain
add water and noodles to walk and pulled beef until well blended
...top with peanut sauce

 DAY 4 of this recipe (lunch)
salad with pulled beef and peanut sauce
can be served hot or cold
just add the beef and sauce over lettuce (with or without carrots, cucumber)

can you tell this recipe was a success?! there are still leftovers in the freezer.

thai-inspired fried rice

i know i have done this in the past as a rice noodle dish
but originally it was this - a rice dish
i love thai flavours
and when i was studying thai yoga massage and reflexology i often had very light, simple meals
so that my mind and body felt light and ready to soak all the new learning in.
this dish came out of those memories
i've tinkered with it
and now throw it together on a moment's notice
i made enough for 5-6 adult servings (i ate this as a main dish, not as a side one)

ingredients
2c uncooked jasmine rice or rice of your choice - prep as per package instructions
3tbsp of fish sauce and soy sauce
1 tbsp lime juice
1 tbsp minced garlic
2 tbsp water
1 tbsp oil (i just use olive oil - could use sesame if you want more of a chinese twist)
2 green onions chopped
1 hot pepper chopped (i bought this in chinatown and there was no translation)
1 tbsp sugar (i used demerara)
4 tbsp chopped cilantro - mine came from the garden

after the rice is cooked i heat up the oil in the wok and put everything in except the onion and cilantro. stir until blended for about 5min over medium heat and then add cilantro and onion for 2-3minutes, again stirring until blended.

oh, how i love this simple rice dish. so does everyone else in my family. and this rice is GREAT for leftovers. it holds up and tastes really good, even several days later.