Thai Cuisine: Stir Fry de porc, ardei si lemongrass (Stir Fried Pork with Peppers and Lemongrass)

   
        E timpul pentru o noua reteta din bucataria thailandeza, de care eu m-am indragostit cumplit!!! de data aceasta am ales sa folosesc si lemongrass, o planta cu aroma de lamaie ce creste in Filipine si care este des folosita in mancarurile asiatice; eu am folosit lemongrass proaspat, dar se poate folosi si uscat sub forma de pudra. Carnea de porc cu ardei si lemongrass are un gust absolut superb iar pranzul nostru e gata in maxim 10 minute, ca de altfel toate mancarurile asiatice :)
       It's time for a new Thai recipe, a cuisine I'm totally in love with btw!!! this time I chose to use Lemongrass, a herb with a subtle citrus flavor that grows in Philippines and which is often used in Asian cuisine; I used it fresh, but it can also be used dried and powdered. Lunch is ready in 10 minutes and it's super tasty, like all Asian recipes for that matter :) Enjoy!

Ingrediente/Ingredients:  

 350 g carne de porc/350 g pork
 2 linguri sos de soia/2 tablespoons with soy sauce
 1 lingura zahar brun/1 tablespoon w brown sugar
 1/2 lingura pasta de ansoa/1/2 tablespoon w anchovy paste (fish sauce)
 1 lingurita amidon/1 teaspoon cornstarch
 1/2 lingurita sare/1/2 teaspoon w salt

 1/2 ceapa rosie/1/2 red onion
 2 catei de usturoi/2 garlic cloves
 2 ardei colorati/2 colored peppers
 1 tulpina lemongrass/1 lemongrass stalk
 2 fire ceapa verde/2 green onions

Cum se face/How it's made:


Mai intai facem marinada pentru carne. Intr-un vas mic punem sosul de soia, zaharul brun, pasta de ansoa, amidonul si sarea si amestecam foarte bine. Carnea o taiem fasii subtiri, o amestecam cu sosul si o dam la frigider pt 1 ora.
We first make the marinade for the meat. In a small bowl we combine soy sauce, brown sugar, anchovy paste, cornstarch and salt. We cut the pork in thin strips and we mix them well with the sauce. We marinate them for 1 hour in the fridge.

Curatam si tocam ceapa si usturoiul iar ardeiul il taiem fasii subtiri. Curatam lemongrass-ul si tocam marunt partea alba din mijloc.(il vedeti cum arata in imaginea cu ingredientele)
We peel and chop the onion and garlic and we cut the pepper in thin strips. We peel the lemongrass and we chop the middle part of the white part.(you can see it in the ingredients picture)

Incalzim wok-ul sau o tigaie mare si punem in o lingura de ulei ceapa si usturoiul tocat si le prajim la temperatura ridicata pt 1 minut.(stir fry)
We heat up 1 tablespoon with vegetable oil in a wok or a big skillet and we stir fry the onion with the garlic for 1 minute.

Adaugam ardei si lemongrass si continuam sa prajim pt alte 2 minute, amestecand mereu.
We add the pepper and lemongrass and we stir fry them together for 2 minutes.      

Adaugam carnea de porc marinata si prajim totul pana cand carnea e facuta, amestecand continuu.
We add the marinated meat and we stir fry everything until the meat is done. 

Cand carnea e gata, adaugam si ceapa verde tocata marunt, potrivim de sare si piper si mai prajim pt 2 minute.
When the meat is done we add the chopped green onion, we sprinkle salt and pepper if needed and we stir fry for another 2 minutes.

Servim cu garnitura de orez sau taitei de orez. Bon appetit!
We serve with rice as a side dish or rice noodles. Bon appetit!            

Super bun si se poate face si cu pui sau vita daca preferati!
Super tasty and it can also be made with chicken or beef if you like!

Mai de aproape.../Closer...

Thai Winter Rolls

Thai Spring Rolls are refreshing bundles of vegetables. As the name suggests I feel these are best enjoyed in the Spring, when we can relish in the glorious new veggies nature has in store for us. But, what shall we do when there is snow on the ground and Spring seems months away... Thai Winter Rolls.

The innards of the Thai Winter Roll is a simple salad that I created years ago as a lil' node to the Raw Food Movement, Winter veggies and one of my favorite vegetable juice combinations: Beets, Ginger, Garlic, Orange, and sometimes carrots. I am also a huge fan of raw Sweet Potatoes-- often prefer them over carrot sticks.

To shred up my Raw Beets and Sweet Potatoes I use a food processor, but I have also used a simple handheld or box grater when making small batches. Feel free to make the Beet & Sweet Potato Slaw without the Rice Papers, as it is one of my favorite side dishes. I only decided to bundle up this slaw when I was asked to cater an event at Golden's Urban Escape Day Spa in January. These little guys were a smash hit!

Please let me know your experience with making these rolls.... and if you come up with any other creative ways to pack up a Thai Roll, please let me know too!

Sweet Potato & Beet Slaw

(aka... the "salad filling")

Serves 4-6

1 sweet potato, peeled

1 beet, peeled

1 orange, zest and juice

1 clove garlic, minced

1 inch ginger, grated/minced

3 tbls olive oil

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp coriander

1 tsp salt and pepper

½ cup cilantro, leaves picked from the stems & left whole

Shred the sweet potatoes and beets with a box grater or cut them into large chunks and grate in a food processor (quick & easy!). Make a dressing with the orange juice and zest, garlic, ginger, and whisk in the olive oil. Add the cumin, coriander, salt and pepper to your desired taste. Set aside to allow the flavors to meld. Add in the shredded vegetables. Toss until well coated.

To Make the Rolls, you will need:

1 package of Sping Rolls Skins- about 15-20 (found in the Asian Section of many grocery stores)

shallow bowl (big enough to hold the wrapper) full of warm water

2 dinner plates (if you have an assistant!)

After the salad is prepared, place a Rice Wrapper in the shallow bowl of warm water for about 2-6 seconds, until it becomes flexible. Lay the wrapper down on the dinner plate and place 2-5 pieces of the cilantro in the center. With a fork, scoop up about 1/2 cup of the salad filling-- the fork will allow excess dressing to drip off.

Next fold the two edges until they almost meet in the center.















Bring the bottom of the wrap up and tuck in the salad filling, tucking the edge insde. Continue to roll in the same direction, until the roll looks like.....















This-- Tada! You now have created a Thai Winter Roll














Please let me know if you have any other favorite variations on the Spring Roll!

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Peanut Sauce-- Quick & Easy

Peanut Sauce can be used to dip raw veggies, drizzled on a salad, or added to a saute of colorful vegetables. The ease of making peanut sauce is soooo simple and it lasts at least a week or more also. This is also an excellant dipping sauce for my Thai Winter Rolls.

Let me know your favorite way to use peanut sauce!

Peanut Sauce

1/2 cup peanut butter

½ cup coconut milkor try coconut juice

1 tbls soy sauce (wheat free if avoiding gluten)

1 tbls rice wine vinegar

2 tsp fresh minced ginger

1 garlic cloves, minced

2 tbls sweet pepper sauce (optional- if you like it spicier)

2 tbls cilantro, minced

Whisk together all of the ingredients. Adjust the seasonings to your prefered taste and add more peanut butter or coconut milk/juice depending on how thick you like it.

Enjoy!