This is one of our dad’s favorite dishes to order when we go out for Vietnamese food, and I’ve spent a few years trying to get even remotely close to how good it is at Rice and Noodles (should you find yourself in Lancaster, PA, do yourself a favor and go there). This is my white-girl, 50% legit, satisfying attempt….enjoy.

Ingredients for the salad: (serves 4 as a main dish)

• 2 large chicken breasts
• 1/2 large head of white cabbage
• 3 cups shredded carrots
• 1/2 red onion
• 1 red pepper
• 1/2 cup chopped basil
• 1/2 cup chopped cilantro
• 1/2 cup chopped mint
• 2 shallots
• Vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup roasted peanuts (salted or unsalted)

Ingredients for the sauce:

• 1/4 cup fish sauce
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 teaspoon red chili flakes
• 2 teaspoons rice vinegar
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1/2 cup water
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

Preparation:

Make the sauce: First…

At first glance there doesn’t seem to be much to this recipe and in truth, there isn’t.It’s basically just a recipe for seasoned shrimp. Officially labeled Spicy Portuguese Shrimp with Garlic, I think this dish is a highly versatile base for any number of recipes. In the magazine they recommend serving it as is, with toast, which I feel is an outstanding appetizer option, but lacks in the entrée department. In the end I opted to serve it over brown rice, but alsotried a couple of the shrimp crostini style, much to my satisfaction. As I said, a great appetizer. If served over rice or noodles this recipe could use some vegetables. I haven’t done that yet, butfeel it would be a great opportunity to cater to your tastes. Options include…

This one really surprised me, coming out much better than anticipated. In the end, it’s a fairly simple recipe with a lot of good flavor. We ate it as an entree, but I see how it would work as a side too.

Ingredients (Serves 3)

• 2 pints grape or cherry tomatoes, halved*
• Kosher salt
• 4 ears of corn, husked
• 4 tablespoons salted butter, halved
• 2 medium shallots, minced
• 1 habanero chili, seeded and minced
• 12 ounces campanelle pasta
• ½ cup fresh basil, sliced.
• Ground black pepper

Preparation

In a bowl, halve 2 pints of grape and or cherry tomatoes and stir in ½ teaspoon salt. Set aside.

Using the large holes on your grater, grate the corn off the 4 corncobs into a separate bowl. Reserve the cobs.

Bring enough water to accommodate the reserved corncobs to boil in a large pot. Add the cobs and 1 tablespoon salt to…

I love a good rice bowl. I think half the recipes on this blog are rice bowls at this point. Well, here’s another one……..EXCEPT THIS ONE HAS SALMON.

This is unexpectedly delicious, and just as flexible and adaptable as you need it to be, with whatever suits your fancy. Would make good leftover lunches as well.

Ingredients:(serves 2-3)

For bowls:

• Fresh salmon, 1 lb
• Brown rice, 1 cup
• 1/4 of a red cabbage, thinly sliced/chopped
• 1 avocado
• Cilantro (for garnish)
• Scallions (for garnish)
• Black or white toasted sesame seeds (for garnish)

For miso peanut dressing:

• 1/4 cup roasted peanuts (or if you must, peanut butter)
• 1 tablespoon white miso paste
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• 3 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 1 teaspoon tamari or soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon grated ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon red chili flakes
• 1/4 cup water

For pickled cucumbers:

• 1 English cucumber or ~4 persian cucumbers, thinly sliced
• 1.5…

We have all experienced it. You place the food in your mouth; you like the taste and it isn’t too spicy; you swallow it and take another bite; the heat begins to build… and build … suddenly you are regretting your choices. A deep regret that a glass of water will do nothing to placate. Your mouth is on fire.

The flavour profiles of chilli peppers is one of their most interesting traits.  Some chillies are like an explosion of fire that is rapidly extinguished and then you are fine, some warm slowly to an uncomfortably hot level before reducing to a more manageable experience and then there are the slow burners. These hit you in the back half of your mouth. They start with nothing and rapidly grow in spiciness – the ghost pepper (bhut jolokia) takes almost 30 seconds to start heating your mouth to a level which…