In December of 2018, Jill, Dawson, and I took a big trip to Cambodia. Jill’s sister was living there at the time, and we took the opportunity visit their family, and travel with them around Cambodia. It was amazing! The sites, the brutal and beautiful history, and the food all made an impact.
My favorite foods there were Crab Fried Rice, Fish Amok, and Kep Fish. This mild Cambodian curry dish is a my combination of Fish Amok and Kep Fish, except that there is no fish. You choose what to serve it with – fish, shrimp, tofu, and chicken all work well. Serve over jasmine rice and you have a full one-dish meal!
Ingredients
3 tbsp Yellow Curry Paste
2 Cans, Coconut Milk
1 Sweet Onion, Diced
2 Red Bell Peppers, Diced
2 Green Bell Peppers, Diced
1 Bunch of Celery, Diced
1 tbsp Tamari or Fish Sauce*(Add more to bring out more umami taste)
Salt and Pepper
1 tbsp Corn Starch
4 Cloves, Garlic, Minced
2 cups Vegetable Broth
Directions
Sauté onions, garlic, and celery in a little vegetable or olive oil.
Add bell peppers, and sauté until a little softened.
In a separate pot, heat 1 Tbsp Olive Oil, mix in curry paste.
Mix in coconut milk with a whisk.
Taste for spice. You can add curry paste, red chili pepper flakes, or chili garlic sauce if you want more heat. Add vegetable broth and re-taste for heat.
In a separate bowl, mix a small amount of the curry with the cornstarch. Mix back into the curry to thicken.
Add vegetable mixture to curry sauce.
We love this recipe and the roasted garlic sauce one too. Sometimes for a larger crowd we will make both sauces and it feels like we’re at a restaurant, where our guests can choose one or the other.
The recipe is from the Hot Wok cookbook by Hugh Carpenter and Teri Sanderson. The crispy tofu comes from Honga Im Hopwood’s cookbook.
Ingredients
Sauce Ingedients
1 tsp Tangerine Zest (Orange works too!)
⅓ cup Tangerine or Orange Juice (Use the fruit you zested)
¼ cup Rice Wine (or dry sherry)
2 tbsp Oyster Sauce
1 tbsp Hoison Sauce
1 tbsp Sesame Oil
2 tsp Chile Garlic Sauce
2 tsp Cornstarch
1 tsp Ground Black Pepper
RIce
1 cup Rice
Protein and Veggies
0.50 lb Tofu, Chicken Breast, Meat (Leftovers are great here!)
2 Veggies of your choice (Carrots, Spinach, Broccoli, Cauliflower, Green Beans, Snap Peas, etc.)
Directions
Preparing the Sauce
Mix all of the sauce ingredients together. Set aside or refrigerate for 2-3 days
Cooking the Rice
Make the rice the way you make rice – Rice cooker, stove top, microwave – I don’t judge. I make rice on the stove top using the recipe for Sheri’s Spanish Rice. For Asian foods, I take out the taco sauce and keep the rest of the recipe the same.
Preparing the Veggies and Protein
If you’re making tofu – make it crisp. Take 3/4 cup cornstarch and mix in 2 Tbsp of Black Pepper. Cut the tofu into cubes, Dry with paper towels. Roll it in the cornstarch and sauté in vegetable/canola oil until crisp on all sides. It’s super tasty!
Otherwise, cook a chicken breast or sirloin steak and slice.
Rotisserie chicken is spectacular here.
Leftovers are awesome too!
Choose your veggies and sauté until you like them. I add 1/2 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp pepper (maybe more salt to taste).
Final Preparation
Prepare all of your ingredients – your sauce, your prepared protein, and your prepared veggies.
Add the sauce to a sauce pan, heat until serving temperature. Add the protein and veggies, stir to heat and coat.
Prepare a bowl/plate with the rice in it. Ladle your creation on top and serve!
Homemade dressings are a huge part of our eating at home experience. The two dressing we do actually purchase in a bottle, because they is easy and super tasty, is the Balsamic Fig Dressing from Stonewall Kitchen, and the Feast from the East Sesame dressing. Other than that, it’s all homemade.
This Green Goddess dressing is not only a spectacular dressing. It’s also a phenomenal dip for fresh cut veggies. It’s adapted from Ina Garten’s The Barefoot Contessa at Home. It just feels healthy, even as you’re making it.
Ingredients
¾ cup Mayonnaise
2 tsp Kosher Salt
2 tsp Black Pepper
4 Cloves Garlic, Pressed
1 Bunch Green Onions, Chopped
1 cup Basil Leaves, washed
¼ cup Lemon Juice (2 Lemons)
2.75 cups Sour Cream
Directions
Place the mayonnaise, scallions, basil, lemon juice, garlic, salt and pepper in a blender and blend until smooth.
Add the sour cream and process just until blended. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Every year, we go “glamping” (glamour camping) at El Capitan Canyon above Santa Barbara with four other families. Jill’s friend Shari and I love cooking for the group. Shari is an outstanding cook who carries a tackle box of cooking tools on every trip. It’s a good look. I’ve learned a lot from Shari over the years, and I’m happy to share one of her recipes here.
This Korean marinade is so easy, and it’s perfect with any beef, pork, or chicken. And I always reserve one half cup (at least) to spoon over the dishes as I serve them.
Ingredients
1 cup Soy Sauce
4 tsp Sesame Oil
4 tbsp Sugar
2 tsp Crushed Hot Red Peppers
2 tbsp Fresh Ginger, gratedI often don't have fresh ginger, so I'll use 2 tsp of ground ginger instead.
2 Bunch Green Onions, Chopped
Directions
Uh . . . Mix it Together!
I used to host Pasta Feeds before doing triathlons. (By “doing” I mean surviving. I didn’t care what place I finished but I did like that I could finish!) It was one of the only good reasons I had for doing triathlons! I usually finished in the top 10% in the swim, top half in the bike, and bottom 0.1% in the run. Oh well – At least I got to make Mom’s spaghetti sauce for my friends the night before.
I remember coming home from swim practice in high school and eating 4 helpings of this. Those were the days! This old fashioned hearty tomato sauce is simple to make. It can simmer all day and make the house smell wonderful. And it’s great with leftovers. Thanks Mom!
Ingredients
1 lb Ground BeefYou can also use Italian Sausage, or some combination of both.
1 Onion, chopped
1 Large Can Crushed Tomatoes (28 oz)
12 oz Tomato Paste
12 oz Water or Red Wine
6 Garlic Cloves, chopped
1 tsp Oregano
1 tsp Italian Seasoning
1 tsp Salt
1 tsp Black Pepper
2 tbsp Dried Parsley
0.50 tsp Fennel Seed (or pinch of ground fennel)*(You don't have to have this, but for me it's a really nice addition. Fennel is a key ingredient in most Italian sausages, and it blends in nicely to this sauce.)
Directions
Brown Ground Beef and onions together, adding garlic in the last two minutes. Drain, or for a little more flavor, just spoon out the excess fat.
Add everything together (Godfather style) and simmer for at least one hour.
