Addicted to Sriracha

Sriracha is one of those sauces you either love or hate. Anyone who doesn't like the spice will not like Sriracha. If you DO like spicy food though how can you not fall in love with that spicy salty garlicy treat known as Sriracha. Sriracha is quite easy to make and you can experiment to make the ideal flavor to suite your personal taste. I have made it using green jalapeno peppers although traditionally this is a red sauce. You can experiment with different kinds of chiles, salt levels and I have even used anchovy in place of the fish sauce. 


Here is a traditional Sriracha Sauce:

• 1 pound red jalapenos or cayenne chiles
• 5 fresh Thai chiles
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt
• 2 teaspoons fish sauce
• 1/3 cup rice vinegar
• Water, as needed
• 
  
• Cut the stems from the chiles but leave the crown, and roughly chop the chiles.
• In a food processor, combine chopped chiles, garlic, salt, fish sauce and rice vinegar for 1 to 2 minutes until mixture is a rough puré.
• Transfer the chile mixture to a glass bowl or jar. Cover with plastic wrap, and leave at room temperature for a few days, specifically until small bubbles have formed under the surface. If fuzzy mold forms on the top of the chile mixture, remove with a spoon and discard.
• Over high heat, bring mixture to a boil, then lower the heat. Simmer for a few minutes before removing from heat to cool.
• Transfer chile mixture to a food processor, blending until smooth, about 2 to 3 minutes. Add water, if necessary, to mixture if it's too thick.
• If desired, put the sauce through a strainer to remove seeds from chile sauce.
• Mixture will keep in the fridge for one month.

http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2010/04/homemade-scriracha-sauce-recipe.html

TV Shows

I have been watching some of the new fall line up and there have been some interesting shows. I am talking FoodTV, not the evening lineups.

Heat Seekers: 2 guys travel around the country looking for the spiciest food. Though not the most entertaining show it is ok. Of the 2 hosts Aaron Sanchez and Roger Mooking, I have grown tolerant of Sanchez. Mooking is still, in my opinion, an amateur. I like spicy food but some of the stuff these 2 eat looks ridiculous.

Crave: Hosted by Troy Johnson, who the hell is this guy and why is he on TV? He was a writer for music publications and eventually a food writer but again WHY did he land a sweet gig on TV??? The show is interesting enough but I dont know, will just have to see how it pans out. He too travels around to find the best foods for his taste and combines the ingredients and styles to create his perfect version of the topic of the show.

Eat Street: Not new new but there was an intersting episode the other day with some uncommon ingredients and combinations I need to try. They include:

1. Bacon Jam....say WHAT? Yeah, bacon jam, more like a pate...gotta find me a recipe
2. Donuts with peanut butter glaze and sriracha (thai hot sauce)

Wow its been a while....

My apologies for not updating. There has been a lot going on around here and I just haven't had the motivation. Things are better now and I hope to be on here a little more often. My annual extended holiday is quickly approaching and I hope to jump in here feet first once again. Thanks for the support.

Restaurant Review - The mongrillian

Only part way through the work week but last night we decided to go out for dinner. We have been here before but the last couple times we tried it has been closed (we were either too late in the evening, or on a Sunday).

While The Mongrillian is a fairly new venture, the restaurant has been on and off for several years (used to be called the Thunder Grill). Located at Berkeys Corners, right across from Bob’s Restaurant, it is on the site of the original Berkey’s Garage. A Totem (I believe) gas bar still stands but The Mongrillian has now shut down the pumps and expanding their restaurant business.

The atmosphere is quaint and friendly. Asian decorations are a little kitsch, with plastic plants and paper lanterns but I can easily overlook that, hell I have eaten in some of the tackiest tiki lounges in Hawaii. The owners are wonderful people, coming out front to greet old and new friends alike.

The first time we went here I was blown away by the “Garlic Pork Salad Rolls” $7.25 and I had to have it again last night. The menu describes this as Garlic pork sliced up, lettuce, cucumber and crispy pastry wrap rolled up in thin rice paper served with fish sauce.

The Garlic pork was the best I have ever had, enough garlic to last a couple hours, maybe longer. The addition of crispy wonton wrapper to the inside of the rice paper roll is brilliant and the fish sauce is probably the perfect accompaniment to this wrap.

As a main course I had the Combination A . It consisted of Almond Chicken, Sweet and Sour Pork, Chop Suey and Chow Mein Noodles.

The value was there at $10.95. The serving was huge and if I hadn’t been such a pig there would have been enough left for lunch today, instead I am stuck with a leftover pork chop sandwich with homemade mustard ;)

The almond chicken was all while breast meat, pounded very thing. The batter had the perfect crispiness to it, but unfortunately I didn’t get that almond taste I was craving. The Sweet and Sour Pork was good but I found it just a touch gummy. I would recommend a little less cornstarch in the sauce and maybe just a touch less vinegar as well. The Chop Suey was as good as any I have had before and the chow mein noodles were cooked perfectly.

My wife had the signature meal which is the Mongolian Stir Fry. I cannot comment on the taste as I didn’t try it, I am not a big fan of stir fry but I will comment on the items and price.

The price is reasonable at $2.49 per 100 grams. My wife had a huge stir fry and it was around $16. What you do is go to the counter with your own bowl and fill it with the proteins and vegetables you want (all raw). You then decide on a sauce and noodles or rice. The chef cooks it all for you to order. Some of the items to choose from included:

Chicken meat (white or dark), Prawns, Beef, Pork

Clery, Onion, Peas, Cabbage, Sprouts,Carrot

Sauces: Garlic, Teryaki, Black Bean, Oyster

And lots lots more. I will definitely be back. Score : 7.5/10

http://mongrillian.com/index.html

The Ultimate Pasta Sauce

I eat way too much pasta. I can’t help it, it’s a love I developed as a small child. I spent years though trying to find the perfect red sauce for pasta and I now have it. This is the standard sauce I use for lasagne, spaghetti, rigatoni etc etc. I make big batches and can it. This is so much better than any store bought sauce. Any vegetarians can leave the meat out I suppose, I have never tried that….I am a meatitarian.

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound meaty pork bones or loin chops
1 pound veal, veal chops or beef
1 pound Italian sausage (whatever you prefer, I like sweet fennel)

4 cloves garlic

1 Large onion (optional)
1/4 cup tomato paste
3 cans (28- to 35 ounce size) Italian tomatoes
2 cups water
Salt and pepper to taste
6 fresh basil leaves

Heat the oil in a large heavy pot over medium heat. Pat the meat dry and put the pieces in the pot. Cook, turning occasionally, for about 15 minutes, or until nicely browned on all sides. Transfer the meat to a plate.

Drain off most of the fat from the pot. Add the garlic and onion (if using) and cook for about two minutes or until golden. Remove and discard the garlic (if you like, I leave it in). Stir in the tomato paste and cook for 1 minute.

Add the tomatoes, with their juice, into the pot. Add the water and salt and pepper to taste. Return the meat to the sauce and basil and bring the sauce to a simmer. Partially cover the pot and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, for 2 hours. If the sauce becomes too thick, add a little more water.

After 2 hours remove the sausage, leave the rest of the meat in the sauce (remove any bones). Take a stick blender (Braun etc) and blend all the meat and sauce together until you get the consistancy/chunkiness factor you like. Your sauce is now done.

I take the sausage out for the sole reason of making sausage sandwiches. If you want to blend the sausage into your sauce as well, go for it.

Kitchen Product Review - Banana Bag

In my experience most guys are gadget guys. I am no different, I love gadgets, it's just that most of mine are kitchen gadgets. Most end up in a drawer or closet but this one is a MUST have item.

My mother-in-law bought me this item a few months ago and I love it. It couldn't be any simpler. All it appears to be is a nylon bag with a layer of bubble wrap between the nylon walls and a drawstring to keep it closed.

Don't ask me the principles behind how this thing works, I don't have a clue, but it DOES work.

You simply let your bananas ripen to the desired ripeness you like, then throw them into the Banana Bag, close the drawstring and store them in your fridge. They will maintain the same level of ripeness for up to 10 days. The skin of the banana does go brown but inside the banana is still perfect. I love this Banana Bag.

A quicky before bed.....

Mustard....so good and simple to make. I will never buy mustard again, god only knows what is in the store bought stuff. Try this instead, once you have the basics down, experiment with different vinegar's and spices:

2 TBSP yellow mustard seed
2 TBSP brown mustard seed
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup water
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp salt

mix ingredients together (I use a mason jar) and leave to marinate in the fridge overnight. Next day blend them in a blender or use a stick blender to get the consistency you like. That's all there is to it. You will never get a fine consistency like that neon yellow crap from the store but then I like a bit of texture.