Jolokia Ghost Peppers (All Spice Cafe Product Review)

When John from All Spice Cafe offered to send us some products to sample, I was definitely game. We eat really spice food, so the chile sauces, salsas and other products from this wonderful company seemed right up our alley. Honestly, I think I was a bit arrogant in thinking that nobody made food spicy enough for the likes of my father-in-law, who makes habanero sauce by the liter and finishes it faster than you can imagine.
Full Recipe...

Masoor Ki Daal Recipe

Among the Indian  lentil dishes I've learned from my husband's late grandmother, this "dry" daal dish, called "masoor ki daal", is by far the easiest and fastest to prepare for the family. No soaking is needed and it cooks in no time. The only trick to this dish is not to overcook the lentils because they will get mushy very quickly if you don't keep an eye on them.

The coral-colored, skinless lentils are sautéed with ginger garlic paste and chiles. Once masoor dal is cooked, the lentils turn a pretty yellow color. The last step is pairing the lentil dish with homemade roti (Indian flat bread) for a complete, nutritious meal.

 

Full Recipe...

Chile Fish with Yuzu Paste

You may have noticed that I eat (and thus am posting) a lot more fish than before. That's because I just found a new seafood market right on Tully road, in San Jose. The fishmonger always surprises me with his freshest catch. My most recent purchase was a couple of beautiful halibut steaks. Halibut is a very delicate fish so I had to use ingredients that accentuate without overpowering. First, I cleaned and rinsed the fish in lemony, salted water. The marinade time was fairly brief and contained the bare minimum: chile, onion and yuzu paste.

I pan-fried the halibut steaks, to which I added fried chiles and onions as garnish. It’s always nice to give hints of what flavors are in the dish. The reason I used a generous amount of jalapeno chile is to prevent the fish from being tanh ("fishy" in Vietnamese). Maman used to say that there are two rules for making a good seafood dish: the fresher the product, the better it will taste and chile can be used to mask any unpleasant odor.

Full Recipe...

Pumpkin Fritter Recipe

I've been feeding my husband Lulu very healthy food since the beginning of the year. I was thinking he couldn’t take much anymore, so when he came home I decided to give him a reprieve of sorts. I had already steamed some pumpkin that I intended to add to a low cal, healthy canh (Vietnamese soup). As a treat, I took some of the extra diced pumpkin and created dumplings that I deep-fried.

My trick for making fluffy fritters is to replace the standard combination of ice water, flour and baking powder with just cold beer and flour. It gives a nice aroma to the appetizer and pairs well with pumpkin. I also garnished the dish with slices of fried chiles for color.

Full Recipe...

Habanero Chile Garlic Sauce Recipe

Everyone who likes spicy food and has tasted this sauce says it would sell very quickly. If you've followed our family's culinary adventures, you may know how much Daddy (my father-in-law) loves anything spicy. My husband Lulu planted Habanero chiles in planters last summer and Daddy made several jars so we could enjoy the chiles all the way through the winter. Daddy came up with a very easy but flavorful recipe for chile garlic sauce. Simply combine the same proportion of fresh garlic and Habanero chiles and complete with white vinegar, a touch of salt and sugar.

You can enjoy it as a condiment on the side like Daddy does, or I've also added half a teaspoon of the spicy mixture in sauces, dressings and marinades. It adds a pleasant, spicy zing to just about any dish.

Full Recipe...