Halo! Welcome to southeast Asia and the country of Indonesia. Elizabeth and I love Asian food, but we haven't had too many great experiences with this particular cuisine. Our only familiarity with it is the sticky sweet and spicy sauce found in some wing restaurants, and with that particular flavor profile, our reaction has not be favorable. In fact, we think it's pretty gross. Too syrupy, too sweet, and too over-powering. So, going into this evening, Elizabeth was hesitant to get excited about this dinner. I was bound and determined to make sure this one at least met our (very low) expectations...
Coconut Curry Turkey
2 pounds turkey (thawed)
5 tablespoons peanut oil
1 jalapeno
1 tablespoon red pepper flakes
2 teaspoons coriander
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon tumeric
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 cup raw cashews
2 inches ginger, peeled and sliced
3 cloves garlic, peeled
1 cup chicken broth
2 table spoons ground cinnamon
1 package of lemon ginger tea (this should be 2 stalks lemongrass)
1 can coconut milk
To start, I made a paste by putting the coriander, cumin, tumeric, cloves, garlic, cashews, pepper flakes, and jalapeno into a food processor.
After this, I heated the oil in a skillet The recipe called for stalks of lemongrass, but here's where I used my ingenuity (read that as "panicked search through the pantry and spice rack"). I used a lemon ginger tea bag that had a very similar taste to lemon grass, and opened it up into the oil. I cooked this with the ground cinnamon for a minute.
I added the paste to the skillet and mixed it with the oil. I cooked for another 2 minutes, and then added the chopped turkey. I mixed thoroughly to make sure that the turkey was coated in the mixture.
I then added half of the can of coconut milk and the cup of chicken stock. I stirred well, and then brought everything to a simmer. I let it go for about 20 minutes.
5 minutes before serving, I added the remaining coconut milk. I then stirred well and served it over basmati rice with red quiona.
Stir-Fried Cabbage
1/2 head cabbage, chopped
2 tablespoons spicy sesame oil
1 onion, chopped
1 glove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 eggs
To prep, I chopped the onion and heated the oil. I cooked the onion, garlic, and chilies until they were soft. Next, I chopped the cabbage into inch wide pieces.
I added the cabbage to the wok and tossed it in the oil and onion/garlic/chili mixture. I let it cook for about 15 minutes.
2 minutes before I served it, I whisked the two eggs and added them to the wok. I stirred until the eggs cooked.
The result...
...was wonderful! Elizabeth and I really liked the flavors of the turkey dish, though we did think it was a little spicy and it could have been cut with actual lemongrass better (so much for my attempt at substitution). This was another use of the turkey that I cooked at the beginning of the month, and you couldn't tell the difference (Elizabeth kept referring to it as "coconut chicken," which I think is a great sign).
What was most surprising to us was the cabbage dish. It was savory, yet had a sweetness to it as well. It didn't taste too oily, with the cabbage still retaining some of it's crunch. It also made the dish, which was already colorful with the turkey dish, even more so. Plus, it all smelled great. I think it's safe to say that after a dinner like this, the days of crappy stops on the tour are behind us.
I think that I succeeded in my mission tonight of showcasing some Indonesian cuisine that was heads and shoulders above the sticky sweet experience that Elizabeth and I have had. I can see the cabbage dish in particular making an appearance in Asian nights at our home in the future. Dishes like this would make me want to come back to this country again after the month's over.
2 pounds turkey (thawed)
5 tablespoons peanut oil
1 jalapeno
1 tablespoon red pepper flakes
2 teaspoons coriander
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon tumeric
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 cup raw cashews
2 inches ginger, peeled and sliced
3 cloves garlic, peeled
1 cup chicken broth
2 table spoons ground cinnamon
1 package of lemon ginger tea (this should be 2 stalks lemongrass)
1 can coconut milk
To start, I made a paste by putting the coriander, cumin, tumeric, cloves, garlic, cashews, pepper flakes, and jalapeno into a food processor.
After this, I heated the oil in a skillet The recipe called for stalks of lemongrass, but here's where I used my ingenuity (read that as "panicked search through the pantry and spice rack"). I used a lemon ginger tea bag that had a very similar taste to lemon grass, and opened it up into the oil. I cooked this with the ground cinnamon for a minute.
I added the paste to the skillet and mixed it with the oil. I cooked for another 2 minutes, and then added the chopped turkey. I mixed thoroughly to make sure that the turkey was coated in the mixture.
I then added half of the can of coconut milk and the cup of chicken stock. I stirred well, and then brought everything to a simmer. I let it go for about 20 minutes.
5 minutes before serving, I added the remaining coconut milk. I then stirred well and served it over basmati rice with red quiona.
Stir-Fried Cabbage
1/2 head cabbage, chopped
2 tablespoons spicy sesame oil
1 onion, chopped
1 glove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 eggs
To prep, I chopped the onion and heated the oil. I cooked the onion, garlic, and chilies until they were soft. Next, I chopped the cabbage into inch wide pieces.
I added the cabbage to the wok and tossed it in the oil and onion/garlic/chili mixture. I let it cook for about 15 minutes.
2 minutes before I served it, I whisked the two eggs and added them to the wok. I stirred until the eggs cooked.
The result...
...was wonderful! Elizabeth and I really liked the flavors of the turkey dish, though we did think it was a little spicy and it could have been cut with actual lemongrass better (so much for my attempt at substitution). This was another use of the turkey that I cooked at the beginning of the month, and you couldn't tell the difference (Elizabeth kept referring to it as "coconut chicken," which I think is a great sign).
What was most surprising to us was the cabbage dish. It was savory, yet had a sweetness to it as well. It didn't taste too oily, with the cabbage still retaining some of it's crunch. It also made the dish, which was already colorful with the turkey dish, even more so. Plus, it all smelled great. I think it's safe to say that after a dinner like this, the days of crappy stops on the tour are behind us.
I think that I succeeded in my mission tonight of showcasing some Indonesian cuisine that was heads and shoulders above the sticky sweet experience that Elizabeth and I have had. I can see the cabbage dish in particular making an appearance in Asian nights at our home in the future. Dishes like this would make me want to come back to this country again after the month's over.
No comments:
Post a Comment