3591. SHRIMP and BACON RAMEN STIR FRY

serves two


2 instant ramen packages, seasonings discarded
1 teaspoon sesame seed oil
2 teaspoons fish sauce
1 tablespoon chili garlic sauce, or to taste
3 pieces bacon, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1/2 medium onion, sliced
1/4 pound bay shrimp
1 egg
1/4 cup chopped fresh herbs (Thai basil, mint, cilantro, etc...)

Cook the ramen noodles according to manufacturer instructions. Drain, rinse, and set aside. In a bowl combine the sesame seed oil, fish sauce, and chili garlic sauce. Set aside. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the bacon until nearly golden brown, 3-5 minutes. Stir in the onions and shrimp and cook until the shrimp is cooked through and the onions are softened, about 2 minutes. Stir in the egg and cook until the egg is fully cooked, about 1 minute. Toss the drained ramen noodles with the bacon/shrimp mixture. Stir in the sesame seed-fish sauce-chili garlic sauce mixture until the noodles are coated and heated through. Remove from heat, add the fresh herbs and serve warm.


bacon recipe source: Todd Porter & Diane Cu, White on Rice Couple (@WhiteOnRice), September 2014

3447. BARBECUED OYSTERS with BACON-CHILI-TAMARIND SAUCE

serves 8-10 people

230 grams (½ lb.) bacon rashers

80 grams (3 oz.) tamarind pulp, soaked in ¾ cup hot water for 30 minutes

160 grams (5.5 oz.) light palm sugar, crushed  

1 tablespoons fish sauce  

5 small red chillies, crushed in a mortar and pestle  

24 unopened oysters  

3 golden shallots, thinly sliced, to serve 

½ bunch Thai basil leaves, to serve To serve: lime halves

 

Remove rind from bacon and cook rind in a frying pan over medium-high heat until fat renders (5-10 minutes). Remove crackling from pan (it can be discarded or eaten by the cook). Finely chop remaining bacon, add to pan, stir occasionally until crisp and golden (10-15 minutes), then set aside on absorbent paper to drain.

 

Meanwhile, pass tamarind liquid through a sieve into a bowl (discard solids), add palm sugar and stir to dissolve. Add fish sauce and chilli and set aside.

 

Preheat barbecue to high heat, add oysters and barbecue until they pop open (3-5 minutes). Separate oyster lids from bases with a knife, top oysters with a little bacon, a drizzle of tamarind sauce, a scattering of shallot and a few Thai basil leaves and serve with lime halves.

 

 

bacon recipe source: Lisa Featherby, Gourmet Traveler (Sydney, NSW 2001 Australia), November 2013

3019. CRISPY OYSTER and PAD THAI with BACON

serves four


1 pound Pad Thai noodles
1 cup Pad Thai sauce, (recipe follows)
vegetable oil for deep frying plus a little extra for stir frying
dozen shucked oysters
rice flour for dusting
1 Thai chile, thinly sliced
1 bunch scallions, green part only, cut into 2 inch lengths
1 thinly sliced red onion
1/2 cup bacon lardons, cooked until crispy
1/2 cup julienned carrots
1/2 cup bean sprouts
¼ cup preserved radish
2 tablespoons roughly chopped peanuts
2 large eggs, beaten lightly
cilantro leaves, basil leaves (preferably Thai basil), and lime wedges for garnish

Pad Thai Sauce
1 tablespoon minced garlic
2 tablespoons minced shallots
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 tablespoon finely minced lemongrass
1/2 cup water
½ cup sherry vinegar
2 cups fish sauce
1 cup sugar
1 tablespoon sriracha
1 cup tamarind concentrate
1 tablespoon paprika
2 kaffir lime leaves

In a large saucepan cook the garlic and shallot in the oil over low heat, stirring occasionally until translucent. Add the lemongrass and cook until aromatic. Add remaining ingredients, bring to a boil and simmer for 20 minutes. Strain and reserve. Note: This is a huge batch. You will only need 1 cup for the recipe, so keep the rest in the fridge for future recipes.

Put the noodles in a large bowl, cover them with cold water. Cover and chill them overnight. Make the Pad Thai sauce.

Heat 2 inches oil in a deep saucepan over moderately high heat until 365 F. When the oil is hot, coat the oysters in the rice flour, shaking off the excess. Add them to the oil carefully and fry until very crispy. Transfer with a slotted spoon to a paper towel to drain and sprinkle lightly with salt.

Combine the chile, scallions, onion, bacon, carrots, bean sprouts, preserved radish and peanuts in one bowl.

In a wok or large skillet heat a little vegetable oil over high heat. Add the eggs and stir constantly until they are almost scrambled about 30 seconds. Add the bowl of ingredients and stir fry 1 minute. Add Pad Thai noodles and stir fry until soft and wilted. Add Pad Thai sauce and toss. Add cilantro and basil and stir to combine well. Remove from wok and spoon into bowls. Garnish with lime.


bacon recipe courtesy of: Sara Moulton, Sara's Weeknight Meals, Episode 305, Season 3; January 30, 2013

2416. PAN-ROASTED PINK SNAPPER with GINGER and BACON BOK CHOY and LEMONGRASS KAFFIR LIME BROTH

makes 2-4 servings


pink or red snapper fillets; skin-on
4-6 medium bok choy
4-5 slices of bacon
2 slices of ginger slivers (for sauté only)
4 cloves of minced garlic
3-4 tablespoons of shredded lemongrass stems
1 large leek
Salt & pepper

For Lemongrass & Kaffir Lime Broth
4 cups of water
4-5 soup spoons of Vietnamese fish sauce
2 small lumps of yellow rock sugar
3 cloves of whole garlic
2 slices of ginger
15 – 2″ pieces of lemongrass stalks (more if you’re a lemongrass enthusiast)
Kaffir lime leaves (shredded lime leaves work faster)
Bunch of Thai basil leaves
1-2 thai chilis or 2 red jalapeños
Salt

Marinate the fish in olive oil, salt & pepper, garlic and the shredded lemongrass stems. Marinate for at least 2 hours, no more than a day.

Start making the lemongrass and kaffir lime broth. Add the water, garlic, ginger and lemongrass stalks into a pot and bring to a boil. Once it comes to a boil, lower the heat so you can start doing the taste-testing. Add fish sauce and dissolve 1 small lump of rock sugar first, adding the other lump if needed. Once you have a nice balance of fish sauce, sweetness and aroma from the lemongrass, it’s time to add the kaffir lime leaves to achieve a flavor that resembles a very mild tom yum soup. Add 4 pinches of shredded lime leaves (3-4 leaves) to taste. Then add a few Thai basil leaves at a time to extract the aroma. Add chopped Thai chiles or red jalapeno slices for a little spice kick. Once the broth is complete, turn the heat on low and remove the Thai basil leaves – they will make the soup bitter if you leave it in.

Prepare bok choy by cleaning them properly and cutting off the stem so that the leaves are detached. On high heat, sauté the garlic, ginger slivers and Nueske bacon (for flavor) and salt & pepper to taste. Make sure these are sautéed 50% through as you’ll want them to have some crunch upon service. They will also be sitting in broth and will eventually soften. Set these aside or begin plating.

Optional: Cut 1/8″ diagonal “coins” from the leek stem. Pan fry these on medium heat in oil till they are nice and brown on both sides. It should have a nice crispness to it. Set aside when finished.

Turn oven to 450 degrees. Add salt & pepper on all sides of the snapper fillet. Sear the snapper fillets skin-side down on medium heat with your oil of choice for about 4-5 mintues. Make sure that you get a nice crust on the skin as the snapper skin is a bit more rubbery like chicken skin. Carefully flip the fillets over without ruining the skin and put the skillet in the oven for another 5-7 minutes, depending on your cuts. Take fillets out and set aside.

Bring the lemongrass and kaffir lime broth to a boil and make sure the broth is seasoned well and has not become salty from water loss. Place fish on top of the bed of bok choy and add the broth around the fish, careful not to get the fillets wet. Garnish with leek “coins” and thinly-sliced red jalapeños or Thai chiles. Optional: Put the whole plated dish back into the oven for a good 5 minutes to ensure a super hot plate – it tastes better that way.


bacon recipe courtesy of: Dylan, Eat, Drink + Be Merry., Los Angeles, March 28, 2011