Okomiyaki !

 Made this with Matt.  Very delicious!

http://www.littlejapanmama.com/2011/10/okonomiyaki-recipe-with-endless.html

We actually made this one:

http://www.littlejapanmama.com/2012/02/shrimp-okonomiyaki-recipe-with-prawns.html 

Salmon Tikka

 Recipe here:  https://www.teaforturmeric.com/fish-tikka/#recipe

Quick to prep.  I used 1 tsp chili powder ... maybe halve that.  Maybe find a different marinate recipe? It had a nice bright flavor, but never got any char.

Did 8 min, turning the sheet pan around at 4 min.  The very thick pieces needed 1-2 more min each. 

Left over pho chicken -- Stir-fry with vermicelli noodle (Bun)

From the AI.  Good!!  I left out the onion but we had maybe 3-4 C chicken instead of the prescribed 2.  This is a little noodle heavy.  You could even go 1/2 to 2/3rds of the noodles for a more ingredient heavy version.

 Pho Chicken stir-fry with vermicelli noodles
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Category    Item    Quantity    Notes

Aromatic Chicken    Cooked Pho Chicken    2 cups    Shredded or thinly sliced

Noodles    Dried Rice Vermicelli Noodles    8 oz (half a standard package)    Thin white noodles

Vegetables    Onion    1/2 medium    Sliced
    Bell Pepper (any color)    1 medium    Sliced thinly
    Carrots    1 cup    Julienne (matchstick cut)
    Broccoli Florets    1 cup    Small florets
    Garlic    4 cloves    Minced

Stir-Fry Sauce    Soy Sauce    2 tbsp    Use Tamari for gluten-free
    Fish Sauce (Nuoc Mam)    1 tbsp    Essential for authentic flavor
    Brown Sugar (or Honey)    1 tsp    To balance the saltiness
    Water or Chicken Broth    1 tbsp    
    Sriracha or Chili Garlic Sauce    1 tsp (or to taste)    Optional, for heat

For Cooking    Vegetable Oil or Peanut Oil    2 tbsp    High heat oil

Garnish    Fresh Cilantro and Mint    To taste    Chopped
    Roasted Peanuts    2 tbsp    Chopped, for crunch
    Lime Wedges    For serving    

1. Prepare the Noodles

    Bring a medium pot of water to a boil.

    Add the vermicelli noodles and cook according to package directions (usually 3–5 minutes). They should be tender but still have a slight bite (al dente).

    Drain the noodles immediately and rinse them well under cold water to stop the cooking process and prevent sticking. Set aside in a serving bowl.

2. Prepare the Sauce

    In a small bowl, whisk together the Soy Sauce, Fish Sauce, Brown Sugar (or Honey), Water/Broth, and Sriracha (if using). Set aside.

3. Stir-Fry the Vegetables

    Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large wok or skillet over medium-high to high heat.

    Add the sliced onions and the hardier vegetables (carrots and broccoli). Stir-fry for 3–4 minutes until they start to soften but are still crisp.

    Add the bell pepper and minced garlic. Stir-fry for 1 more minute until fragrant.

4. Combine Chicken and Sauce

    Add the shredded pho chicken to the wok. Since it's already cooked, you are just reheating and coating it. Stir-fry for 1–2 minutes.

    Pour the prepared Stir-Fry Sauce over the chicken and vegetables. Toss quickly to coat everything evenly.

    Cook for just 30–60 seconds, allowing the sauce to thicken slightly and coat the ingredients. Do not overcook.

5. Serve and Garnish

    Spoon the hot chicken stir-fry mixture directly over the cold vermicelli noodles.

    Garnish generously with fresh cilantro, mint, and chopped peanuts.

    Serve immediately with a lime wedge on the side—a squeeze of fresh lime brightens the whole dish!

Enjoy your unique and flavorful meal!

Caribbean chicken + red beans & rice

 Caribbean Chicken recipe

This recipe came from the cooks Master of the Grill book (pg 20). No changes, delicious as is!

For the amount of red beans & rice that comes out of the next recipe, recommend doubling the chicken to be proportional. Harder to cut the rice in half since we're using whole cans of coconut milk & beans.

Ingredients

• 1.5 lb chicken thighs (halved)
• 2-3 TBSP olive oil
• 6 garlic cloves minced (pressed)
• 1/4 cup minced parsley
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1/2 tsp allspice
• 1/2 tsp ground pepper
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp salt

Directions

1. Mix Olive Oil, parsley, spices and salt together in a big dish with a lid.
2. Add in the chicken and mix until coated. Marinate for 3-24 hours.
3. Remove from marinade and grill.

Red beans & rice recipe

https://www.africanbites.com/caribbean-rice-and-beans

We made some alterations made to the recipe so noting below what we would do next time. This makes A LOT of red beans & rice so we've cut down the rice slightly and the liquid accordingly since we'd like a higher ratio of beans to rice. Added salt since we are omitting bouillon. 

Ingredients

• 1-2TB vegetable oil (or canola)
• 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
• ½ medium onion, diced
• 1 teaspoons Cajun seasoning
• 1.5 cups uncooked long grain rice
• 1 sprig fresh thyme (or 1 tsp dried) (we didn't have this and omitted but if I had it I would add it)
• 1 13.5-ounce can coconut milk (about 1¾ cups)
• 1 15.5-ounce can red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 cup chicken broth or water (we did half/half)

Instructions

• Wash rice until water runs clear. Drain water.
• Heat a saucepan with oil. Then add onions and sauté for a few minutes until softened. Add garlic and thyme and cook until fragrant. 
• Stir in rice to the pot, followed by beans, and cook for about 2 minutes. Then add coconut milk, bay leaf, salt, and cajun seasoning with 1 cup of broth/water, bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover with a lid, and simmer until rice is cooked, about 20 minutes (more or less). Stir occasionally from the sides to prevent burning. Add more water as needed.
• Discard bay leaves before serving. 
• Serve warm.

dal side veg

 I've started liking to make two side dishes with dal.

 cumin potato

Cube 1 large potato and boil it for 10-15 min in water with 1 tsp salt.

Add 1 Tbsp ghee or oil and 1 tsp cumin seeds to pan over medium high heat + 1 tsp mustard seeds.  Wait for mustard to pop.  Toss potato in spiced oil.

Optional:  toasted slivers of almond, etc.

Green bean poorial

Goodly amount of green beans cut into 1" lengths.

1 Tbsp ghee or oil with 1 tsp mustard seed and a few Tbsp of urud dal (for crunch and nutty flavor).  Toss green beans in there ... add 1 Tbsp or two of water to let the green beans steam.  Add in 1-2 Tbsp grated fresh coconut.  A few dried red chilies at the beginning might be good. 

Cabbage and chicken salad with Gochujang and Sesame

 In a large bowl, whisk together:

• 3 Tbsp gochujang
• 2 Tbsp neutral oil
• 1 Tbsp white sugar
• 1 Tbsp fresh grated ginger
• 2 tsp toasted sesame oil
• 1/4 cup unseasoned rice vinegar
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper 

Toss with 4 cups shredded/thinly-sliced cabbage.  3 cups shredded cooked chicken (we used a rotisserie chicken).  1 bunch scallions, thinly sliced.  We also added 1 full trader joe's package of edamame.  Top with toasted sesame seeds (we used maybe 3 Tbsp).

Dal Ghosht

 Modified from here.

Combined 2 Tbsp oil, 1.5 lbs. bone-in goat, 1 cup water, 2 med tomatoes roughly chopped, 2 med onion chopped, 1.5 tsp salt, 8 cloves garlic (smashed), 1/2 tsp turmeric, 1 tsp ground cumin, 2 tsp ground coriander.  Brought to simmer, and cooked on low, covered for 2 hours.

Meanwhile soaked 1 C chana dal for 20-30 minutes.  Drained and rinsed.  Cooked in pressure cooker on high pressure with 3 cups water, 1/2 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp tumeric for 30 minutes.

After 2 hours, took lid off meat and cooked on high for 15-20 minutes until all water had evaporated.  Need to stir frequently in the last 5-ish minutes.

Added dal + water to the meat, and simmered covered on low for 10 minutes while I made the tadka.

Tadka is: 2 Tbsp oil, 1/2 med onion thinly sliced (could have been 1 onion).  After onion turned light brown added 1 tsp chili flakes (could have been 1/2 tsp) and 1 heaping Tbsp cumin seeds.  Let those fry for another few minutes.

Then added tadka to meat and stirred.