Thai Mango Salad

Have you ever found yourself stressing about what to make for summer parties or potlucks? You want to make something exotic and memorable that keeps everyone talking about your dish long after the food has been consumed - something different from your regular garden salad, pasta salad or coleslaw. But then, thinking of the word "exotic" alone, you start to wonder if you can find the required ingredients in your local grocery store.

BBQ season doesn't officially begin until the long weekend of May. However, with the unusually warm weather that we have had, it is not surprising that my neighbourhood is filled with lingering and intoxicating smells of barbecue. My blog partner's sister, G, happened to visit Toronto last week and I decided to throw a Thai-themed dinner and made Thai Mango Salad as a starter and the verdict from my guests: absolutely must be featured on this blog! 

Traditionally, Thai Mango Salad is made with half-ripened mangoes for tanginess and crunch. Ingredients such as shallots, Thai hot peppers and lemongrass are pounded in a mortar with dashes of fish sauce. But because I had limited time to prepare this appetizer, I decided to take a short-cut! I flavoured the mango salad with Thai sauces I have on hand. I complimented my ripened mangoes with Granny Smith apples for a balance of sweet and sour. Let me assure you that this quick and easy recipe still has its authentic flavour.

All ingredients required in this recipe can be found easily in most grocery stores (Canadian Superstore, Loblaws, etc.) and Chinese groceries.

Skill Level: Easy 

Serves: 8 - 10

INGREDIENTS: 

• 6 mangoes
• 2 Granny Smith apples
• 1 red bell pepper
• 8 shallots or 1/2 red onions
• a handful of mint and cilantro, each
• 1 cup roasted cashew nuts, unsalted
• 3/4 cup Thai sweet chili sauce
• 5 tbsp fish sauce

 METHOD: 

1. Cut mangoes and apples into julienned strips
2. Similarly, cut red bell peppers into thin julienned strips
3. Slice thinly red onions or shallots
4. Finely chop mint and cilantro
5. In a big salad bowl, mix all ingredients and sauces together
6. Add in cashew nuts
7. Serve right away or fridge for an hour

Sambal Sotong (Spicy Squid)

Ahh....squids...how I hated them when I was young. The minute my mom mentioned we would be having squids for dinner, we knew we were in trouble ... meaning we all had to clean the squids. No work, no dinner! It was not a so-great memory but now, I am thanking my mom for teaching us the skills. Luckily, I no longer have to suffer as I can easily find already-cleaned frozen squids in grocery stores. Yahoo!

One of great ways to enjoy squids is cooking it in a savoury hot sauce. Sambal sotong or spicy squids can be found in every street restaurant in Indonesia and Malaysia. It is spicy yet sweet with a kick of sourness from tamarind. To those of you who love spicy food, this is definitely a must try! 

Skill Level: Easy 

Serves: 4-5

INGREDIENTS: 

• 1 lb already-cleaned frozen squids
• 6 shallots, sliced
• 1 tbsp tamarind paste 
• 3 tbsp brown sugar 
• 4 tbsp all-purpose chili paste (click for recipe)
• 1/4 cup cooking oil
• Salt to taste 

 METHOD: 

1. In a deep frying pan, cook squids for 7 to 8 minutes. At this time, they will release all the moisture and start curling up 
2. Remove from pan and drain all the liquid. Set aside
3. In the same pan, add in cooking oil and sauté shallots until fragrant and golden brown
4. Stir in all-purpose chili paste and cook with slow heat for 10 minutes. Cover with a glass lid to prevent splatter
5. Add in tamarind paste, and brown sugar. Cook until the sauce turns deep red
6. Lastly, add in squids and cook for another 5 minutes. Season with salt to your taste 

All-Purpose Sambal (Hot Sauce)

Whenever I wanted to have spicy Indonesian-Malaysian food, I dreaded the troublesome that I had to take to make hot sauce prior to cooking. My mom happened to visit me last Fall and suggested that I should make a big batch and freeze the hot sauce. Wait...why didn't I even think of that? So I managed to buy a bag of red hot chilis from farmer's market and made this hot sauce. I have to agree with mom that now I can whip up authentic Indonesian-Malaysian dishes in minutes. A big thank you to mom! This sauce can be used in soups, noodles, stir-fry dishes and many more! Stay tune to check out more recipes with my all-purpose sambal!

Skill Level: Easy

INGREDIENTS:

• 250 g fresh red hot chilis
• 8 shallots, peeled
• 3 garlic cloves, peeled
• 1 tomato 
• Water
• 1 tbsp salt 
• 5 tbsp cooking oil

METHOD:

1. In a saucepan, cover all ingredients with water and boil for 20 minutes, covered
2. Drain the water and put all ingredients in a food processor, blend for 10 to 15 seconds
3. In a cooking pan, heat up cooking oil and add in the chili paste 
4. Saute under low heat for 5 minutes, add salt 
5. Cook for another 10 minutes and store in freezer

A Perfect -10 Chinese Fried Rice!

Ever wonder why the fried rice that you cook is mushy while the one that you get from Chinese take-out across the street is so light and fluffy? Well, look no further because I have a Perfect-10 Chinese Fried Rice recipe. My recipe gives a light, fluffy and flavourful rice that I am confident you and your guests will go for a second helping without being shy. Let me share some secrets of making the perfect fried rice:

• You must use overnight cooked long grain rice (preferably Thai Jasmine). I repeat: overnight cooked rice is a MUST. So, if you think you want to have a plate of fried rice right away to satisfy your craving...I'm afraid that will not happen unless if you happen to have leftover cooked rice in your fridge
• If you want to add eggs in this dish, you need to make sure that you scramble the eggs until well done before you add in the rice. Adding in rice while your eggs are not fully cooked will give you mushy rice. PATIENCE is the key
• You must use enough cooking oil for fried rice. This will glisten your fried rice without burning them
• Lastly, you need to make sure your pan is really really hot when you cook fried rice. This will give you light and toasty fried rice. If you are not comfortable cooking with high heat, I recommend that you prepare all ingredients ahead and lay them out on your kitchen counter

Skill Level: Easy 

Serves: 4-5

INGREDIENTS: 

• 5 cups cooked Thai jasmine rice, overnight in fridge 
• 1 Chinese sausage (optional) 
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten 
• 1 cup frozen mixed vegetables (peas, carrots, corn, green beans, lima beans) 
• 2 tbsp fish sauce 
• 1 tbsp dark soy sauce 
• 1.5 tbsp light soy sauce 
• 6 tbsp cooking oil
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced 
• 2 dashes of white or black pepper

METHODS: 

1. In a wok or cooking pan, add in cooking oil and Chinese sausages and cook under high heat
2. Once hot, add in garlic and saute until fragrant 
3. Pour in the eggs, let sit for 3 to 4 minutes. Stir until cooked and dry 
4. Add in the frozen vegetables and cook for another 3 minutes
5. Pour in the cooked rice, stir 
6. Add in fish sauce, light soy sauce and dark soy sauce. Stir until rice is uniformly coated with the wet ingredients
7. If you like it hot, you can add in Sriracha hot sauce, black/white peppers
8. Cook for another 5 minutes or until you hear some "toasted popping" sounds from your pan. That tells you that your rice is toasted and it's time to turn off the pan 
9. Serves hot with cucumbers if you like