Hot and sour and so tasty.

When I lived in the north end of Toronto, I used to frequent a restaurant called Peking Man for lunch. They served the best Hot and Sour soup. Since moving south, I’ve been searching for an equal alternative with very little success.

The missus gave me a Thai cook book for my birthday “Thai Cooking: The Food and the Lifestyle” (ISBN 978-1-4075-4923-1)  and the Hot and Sour soup recipe had the right flavor but lacked the right texture.  Then I picked up another book “Thai & Asian” from a Costco in Vegas which introduced some great elements but lacked the right taste.

What follows is an amalgamation of the two recipes. It’s awesome.

• 6 dried shiitake mushrooms
• 4-6 fresh green chili’s, seeded and finely chopped
• 6 tbsp rice wine vinegar
• 4 ounce pork fillet, cut into fine strips
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 3 tbsp corn starch
• 6 cups good quality stock (I use chicken, but any will do)
• 2 lemon grass stalks, cut in half
• 4 ounces canned water chestnuts
• 6 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp of brown sugar
• juice of 1 lime
• 5 ounces fresh firm tofu
• 1 tbsp oil (any will do)

Preparation

The first few times I attempted this dish I used a semi-thick aluminum wok (medium sized). Then I picked up a large mild steel thin wok and the dish seemed to suddenly turn out much better. Keep that in mind.

1. Place the dried mushrooms in a large bowl. Boil some water (or use a kettle) and pour over the mushrooms just to cover. Hint: use something to weight down the mushrooms while they soak. Soak until the mushrooms are fully hydrated, about 1 hour.
2. Combine the chili’s and vinegar and soak.
3. Drain the mushrooms (keep the water) and slice thinly.
4. Dust the strips of pork with some of the corn starch.
5. Mix the remainder of the corn starch with 2/3 cup of the water used to soak the mushrooms.
6. Heat the oil in the wok and fry the onion until soft over medium heat.
7. Increase the heat and fry the pork until it changes colour.
8. Add the stock, mushrooms, lemon grass, water chestnuts, soy sauce, lime juice, and sugar.
9. Bring to a boil then simmer for 15 minutes.
10. Add the chili and vinegar mixture.
11. Stir in the corn flour mixture to thicken.
12. Add the tofu and cook for 1-2 minutes.

Steaming butter chicken on a bed of basmati rice

Butter chicken has to be my absolute favorite Indian dish in the restaurant. It took several recipe attempts, but I think I have found one that has to be as good as the restaurant and maybe even better!

• 1 ½ lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp red chili powder
• salt
• 1/2 cup plain unsweetened yogurt
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 1″ piece of fresh ginger
• 2 tsp tandoori masala
• 1 ½ tbsp butter
• 1 tsp garam masala
• 4 cardamom pods (green)
• 1″ piece of cinnamon stick
• 1 bay leaf
• 3 large tomatoes, pureed
• 1 tsp sugar
• 2-3 green chili’s, finely chopped
• 1 cup heavy cream (whipping cream)

Preparation

Whenever a recipe calls for tomatoes and sugar, the sugar is usually intended to counter the acidity of the tomatoes. The amount of sugar needed is often relative to the awesomeness of your tomatoes. If you plucked the tomatoes from the vine in the middle of summer, you might not even need any sugar. If you buy tomatoes from the grocers in the middle of winter, you might need a lot more sugar. What it comes down to is taste. Add the base sugar amount and taste. Then adjust accordingly.

1. Smash the ginger and garlic into a paste using a mortar and pestle.
2. Wash the chicken pieces well and cut into bite size pieces.
3. In a mixing bowl combine the lemon juice, 2 tsp of the ginger and garlic paste, tandoori masala, red chili powder, pinch of salt and yogurt.
4. Add the chicken pieces, cover and marinade in the fridge for at least 2 hours (ideally over night).
5. Place the chicken pieces on a baking sheet and cook under the broiler (top rack) for 5-7 minutes per side.  Time may vary depending on broiler intensity, distance to rack, and size of chicken pieces.
6. In a medium size sauce pan, melt the butter over medium heat (careful not to burn the butter).
7. Add the cardmom, bay leaf, and cinnamon.  Fry for about a minute.
8. Add 2 tsp of the garlic and ginger paste and fry for about 30 seconds.
9. Add the tomatoes and green chili’s and mix well.  Bring the mixture to a boil then simmer on low for about 10 minutes until the tomatoes have reduced almost to the desired consistency.
10. Add the sugar and mix well.
11. Add the chicken pieces and cream.  Mix and bring to boil.
12. If the consistency is good, take it off the heat and serve. Otherwise, reduce until the desired consistency is reached.