Today’s dish, Bai Sach Chrouk, is nothing more than meat plus rice with sauce.  However, it IS different.  Let me explain.

The Marinade: I confess growing up that mom didn’t vary the spices that she put on the grill. She swears by The Cajun King, has ordered it forever and freaks out if she even comes close to running out, with good reason.  It’s delicious, is not at all bland, and packs a mini-punch.  Plus- so versatile- we ate it on chicken, fish, steak, pork…roasted, broiled, sautéed…it never failed. 

However, this is not a commercial for The Cajun King, but a round about way for me to tell you that I am always ready to try new marinades.  This is simple, but required enough “out of the box” ingredients that I needed to trek to The Spice House to get my Chinese 5-spice. Have you ever used that? No? Well, me either. Until now.

The Rice:  Sticky rice (or glutinous rice), to be exact.  I’ve used Sticky rice flour in a few things now, and I’m fascinated by it.  Sticky rice is grown mainly in Southeast and East Asia, and is sticky because…

WARNING! SCIENCE FORTHCOMING!

…it contains only trace amounts of the starch molecule amylose and is predominantly amylopectin.  You see, typical grains contain two types of two starch molecules: amylose and amylopectin.  Being the more water-soluble of the two starches, amylopectin — when added to hot water — begins to break apart. This breakdown is heat-dependent, so hot water is necessary. At this point, the rice starch molecules can break apart, causing the structure of the grain to become soft, mushy and sticky.  Hence, sticky rice.  Thank you, Food Republic, for the science lesson.

The Sauce:  No marinara here. Rather, the above two components are all tied together with a red chili sauce. Yes, another one.

While it technically is still easy enough to get out to my grill, I opted to broil these chops. With the rice in the cooker, the chops in the toaster oven and the sauce on the counter, this whole shebang took about 30 minutes. Rachel Ray would be proud.

It’s also traditionally served with some broth alongside. I did not do this. I did not have any broth, and frankly didn’t think it was going to add anything to my experience. However, if you like broth, and have some, eat it alongside.

I again cite my Asian upbringing as the reason why I cannot successfully make rice without a rice cooker. If you have some FAQs for that DIY, seek direction elsewhere.

Recipe adapted from Tevy’s Kitchen

Serves 2

Ingredients

For the pork:

2 pork chops, bone in

1/3 cup coconut milk

1-3 TB fish sauce

2 TB honey

1 TB Chinese five spice seasoning

Sticky rice, to serve

Chili sauce (recipe below)

For the chili sauce

1 TB shallot, minced

2 TB fish sauce

Lime juice, to taste

1 Thai Chili, minced

1 tsp sugar, or more to taste

Green onions, sliced, for garnish

Cilantro, chopped, for garnish

Directions

1.  Mix and marinate the meat for a few hours or overnight.

2.  Broil the chops, about 5-7 minutes per side, depending on their thickness.  Let stand for about 10 minutes to redistribute the juices before serving.

3.  Make the chili sauce by mixing all the ingredients together. Yup, that easy.

4.  Serve atop the rice and drizzled with the chili sauce

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Tea in Burma is a crazy big deal.  Tea shops in Burma act sort of like coffee shops do here:  places where people can mingle and mix and be.  Big Buddha was very particular about the way I made his tea, but I’ll talk more about that on another day.

According to this nifty site, the Burmese not only drink their tea, but eat the fermented leaves, use them as flavorings, and chew them for a stimulant effect.  Talk about being all MacGyver about it.

Laphet Thoke, or tea-leaf salad, is considered by many to the Burma’s national dish. Since I’m all about national dishes, I had to make it.  Plus, I ate some last fall at Burma Superstar in San Francisco and knew it was worth the effort.  Though I don’t remember ever eating it as a kid, Mama Buddha said that Auntie May used to make it all the time.  I imagine she brought the fermented tea leaves back from her travels back to the motherland since I’ve discovered in my shopping adventures that fermented tea leaves are near impossible to find (I’m guessing anywhere outside Burma in general, not just Chicago).

Not having a trip to Burma penciled in for the near future, and having failed in my attempts to secure tea leaves of any sort at the Asian grocer or elsewhere, I feared I’d have to chalk this national dish up as a loss. I tried one last ditch effort place to find them, and it was there that I had success.

Teavana is a specialty tea shop that just happens to be close to my job. I’d never been in before- I’m not really a tea snob, and personally prefer good ole Tetley’s British Blend black tea. However, I figured if ANYONE had a whole tea leaves, I’d be them. I was not disappointed, and as I was flipping through one of the cookbooks in the store, the very salad I was planning to make was actually in the  book- pointing me to the exact type of green tea that would make my recipe work.

Do you believe in fate? Deep question, and I really don’t, but if I did, I’d say that this tea and me were meant to be.

Like all of the dishes I’ve made so far whilst in Burma, this salad is not just leaves, but rather a hodgepodge of various random ingredients, textures and flavors, all of which meld perfectly to give a salad much more exciting than your average Cobb. The dressing is simple and to the point and actually optional. With all else that’s going on, you probably wouldn’t even miss it if you chose to leave it out.

Recipe from Burma: Rivers of Flavor

Ingredients

¾ cup organic, green tea leaves

2 TB toasted sesame seeds

2-3 TB roasted peanuts, coarsely chopped

2-3 TB roasted soybeans

½ cup thinly sliced tomato wedges or halved grape tomatoes

2 TB dried shrimp, soaked in water for 10 minutes and then drained (optional)

1 cup shredded kale, steamed to soften

Dressing

1-2 TB garlic oil** (directions below)

1-2 TB fresh lime juice

1 tsp fish sauce

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1.  About 6 hours before you’re ready to serve the salad, place the tea leaves in warm water and mash with your hands a little.  Drain and squeeze out.  Repeat, then add cold water and let stand for one hour (or as long as overnight).  Drain, squeeze thoroughly to remove excess water and discard any tough bits. Chop finely.

2.  Toss the rest of the ingredients together.

From (L) to (R)

sesame seeds, soybeans, peanuts and dried shrimp

3.  Mix together the dressing ingredients.  Cover the salad with the dressing.  Eat and be happy.

**  To make the about 1/3 cup garlic oil:  Add 1/3 cup thickly sliced garlic to about ½ cup peanut oil over medium high heat. Fry until golden, about five minutes.  Remove the garlic and viola! You have garlic oil.  Store for future use.**

200th POST! WOOOOOO!

It’s back to the streets for my last dish from the Thailand/Singapore region. Like the oyster omelet, I’m pulling inspiration for today’s dish, Char Kway Teow, from Singapore’s street hawkers.  Basically stir fried flat noodles, this dish is as quick and easy to make as traditional stir fry, if stir fry is something that you find easy to make. I don’t really. I just can’t seem to get it not soggy but still cooked, but I was ready to give this a go.

While I don’t particularly go for noodle dishes at any point (Moo shu pork all the way!), this reminded me, in theory, of one of my favorite dishes from my favorite UK noodle bar, Wagamama. If you’ve never been, try it next time you’re out and about in London. One of my faves.

Like the oyster omelet, it’s best to get all your ingredients prepped beforehand. This goes fast, and you don’t want anything to burn.

Recipe adapted from Taste.com.au

Serves 4

Ingredients

½ pound chicken thigh fillets, thinkly sliced

1 TB oyster sauce**

1 TB cornflour

2 TB peanut or coconut oil

1 fresh chili, seeded and diced

2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

1 tsp shrimp paste

10 tiger prawns

1 package flat fresh rice noodles, about 1 pound

1 cup mung bean sprouts

4 shallots, sliced

¼ cup oyster sauce

¼ cup soy sauce

1 lime, juiced

Directions

1. Combine chicken, 1 TB oyster sauce and cornflour on a large plate.

2.  Heat the oil in a wok over high heat until just smoking. Add chilli, garlic and shrimp paste, and stir-fry for 1 minute or until fragrant. Add the chicken mixture and stir-fry for 5 minutes or until brown and just cooked through. Add prawns and stir-fry for 2 minutes or until prawns curl and change color.

3.  Add the noodles and stir-fry for 5 minutes or until noodles are just tender. Add the bean sprouts, shallots, soy sauce and extra oyster sauce and stir-fry for 2 minutes or until heated through. Taste and season with salt and the lime juice.

4.  Serve immediately.

The lime juice was my addition. Growing up with a key lime tree in my backyard meant that citrus was the final touch to most dishes.

What did I think? It was okay, though to me it didn’t taste much different from the lo mein delivered by the local Chinese takeaway.  Still, not a bad way to add some variety to the week.

**My mom is totally a brand snob about certain things. One of them is oyster sauce. I have no idea why, but she will only use this kind. Problem is, no one sells it any where around me or her. We can find every other sort of sauce with this brand but not oyster. It’s odd. Anyway, here is her preferred brand. If you can buy this around you, let me know from where!**