shakshuka, flatbreads, and iceberg wedges

An elaborate 3 course weeknight dinner that took 3 hours to prepare! I should have started prepping at 2 p.m. but with a heat index of 106 degrees this afternoon, I didn’t have the courage to go near the kitchen with its sunny south-facing window. This is my third attempt at making shakshuka, a dish that I have wanted to try ever since I first saw the Tel Aviv episode of “Somebody Feed Phil” on Netflix. To go with the shakshuka, I made Yotam Ottolenghi’s iceberg wedges with eggplant cream, and pita bread. The pita bread was a fail so I was forced to settle for flatbread. They were soft, slightly puffy, and chewy. So good for mopping up tomato sauce and runny egg yolk.

Overnight Flatbread aka Pita Bread (America’s Test Kitchen)

Yield: 8

Time: 24 hours 30 minutes

416g bread flour

2 1/4 teaspoons instant yeast

310ml ice water

4 teaspoons honey

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 1/4 teaspoons table salt

Fill a pitcher with ice and water. Set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, mix flour and yeast. Measure the ice water into a measuring cup. Add the ice water, honey, and olive oil to the flour mixture. Combine on low speed, Level 1-2, until the dry ingredients are moistened. Let rest 10 minutes to autolyse.

Add the salt and mix on medium speed, Level 4-5, 6-8 minutes or until the dough forms a ball.

Lightly grease the work surface with some vegetable oil. Shape the dough into a ball. Weigh dough and divide it equally into 8 pieces by weight. Take one piece and fold the edged towards the center. Flip it over, seam side down, and roll it around and around to make a smooth taut ball. Make sure the bottom doesn’t have a dimple or the pita might not puff. Place on a lightly greased baking sheet. Continue shaping the other seven balls. Lightly spray the tops with oil and cover tightly with greased plastic wrap. Refrigerate at least 24 hours but not more than 36 hours.

On baking day, heat oven to 425˚F/225˚C with a pizza stone that’s been heated for at least one hour. If you don’t have a pizza stone, use an upturned rimmed baking sheet.

Remove the dough balls from the refrigerator. Generously flour the work surface and prepare a medium bowl of flour at hand. Remove a dough ball and dip the top in the bowl of flour. Turn it over and dust the bottom. Take the ball out of the flour and put it topside up on the floured countertop. Press it out with your fingertips into a 5-inch circle. Brush off the excess flour. Make another. Put both on a pizza peel and carefully transfer them to the pizza stone. Bake until puffy and slightly browned in spots 1-3 minutes. Flip and bake 1 minute more. Remove from oven to a wire cooling rack and cover them with a kitchen towel. Repeat process until all the balls are used up.

Baker’s Note: My dough was very wet and the dough balls flattened and spread in the refrigerator overnight. No doubt it was due to the differences between the flour used in the recipe creation and the flour available in Thailand. Even though I didn’t get pita bread, I did get some very delicious tender flatbread!

Shakshuka with Spicy Sausage

Yield: 4 servings

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 large onion, halved and thinly sliced

1 large red sweet pepper, seeded and thinly sliced

3 large garlic cloves, thinly sliced

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon paprika

2-4 tablespoons gochujang (can use harissa or chili-garlic sauce)

3 cups/700g fresh tomatoes, coarsely chopped*

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

4 large eggs

500g spicy Italian sausage, casings removed, crumbled and cooked

*1x28oz can Italian plum tomatoes

Heat oven 375˚F/190˚C.

In an 8-inch oven-proof skillet, heat oil over medium-low. Add onion and sweet pepper. Cook until softened and onions become caramelized, about 20 minutes. Add the garlic and cook 1-2 minutes more. Stir in cumin, paprika, and gochujang to taste. Cook 1 minute more. Add tomatoes and simmer until tomato sauce has thickened, 10 minutes. If using fresh tomatoes, cook 10-15 minutes longer. Add cooked sausage. Taste and adjust seasoning. Remove from heat.

Make 4 shallow wells in the sauce. So you don’t get eggshell in the sauce, gently crack egg into a small ramekin then pour the egg into the well. Repeat. Transfer skillet to oven. If your skillet has a silicone handle cover, be sure to remove it. Bake until eggs are set: 7 minutes for runny yolks and up to 10 minutes for jammy yolks.

Cook’s Note: You can make the sauce ahead to save time. Heat it up on the stovetop until bubbling, then add the eggs and bake.

Iceberg Wedges with Smoky Eggplant Cream (adapted from Yotam Ottolenghi)

Yield: 4 servings

Smoky Eggplant Cream

2 medium eggplants (200g after roasting)

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 large garlic clove, coarsely chopped

3 tablespoons Greek-style yogurt

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

1/4 cup/60ml olive oil

1/2 teaspoon fine salt

Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Heat oven to 475˚F/230˚C. Halve eggplants lengthwise and cut crosswise into the flesh without piercing the skin. Rub with a little olive oil and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet, cut-side up. Roast until browned on top, 40-45 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl, cover with a plate and let soften 20 minutes. Scoop the flesh out into another bowl, discarding skin, stems, and any liquid.

Transfer eggplant to a food processor with lemon juice, garlic, yogurt, mustard, olive oil, salt, and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Process until smooth. Taste and adjust seasoning. I added a teaspoon sugar, a dash of lemon juice, and 1/2 teaspoon of red pepper flakes. Refrigerate until needed.

Crunchy Bits

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

1/2 cup/60g cashews, coarsely chopped

3 1/2 oz/100g sourdough bread, crusts removed (can use 60g panko)

1/3 cup/50g pumpkin seeds

Salt and pepper to taste

Process the bread to get 3/4 cup/60g bread crumbs. Set aside. Heat oil in a skillet over medium-high heat, then add the cashews and cook, stirring often for 2 minutes until browned and crisp. Add the breadcrumbs, pumpkin seeds, and salt and pepper to taste. Transfer to a plate to cool.

Salad

Half a head of iceberg lettuce cut into 4 wedges

2 tablespoons olive oil

Salt and pepper

1 oz/25g Parmesan cheese, grated

1 1/2 oz/45g rainbow breakfast radishes, optional

1 avocado, optional

1 stalk scallion, sliced on bias, optional

Arrange the iceberg lettuce on a platter. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Spoon over eggplant cream, then sprinkle Parmesan. Add radishes, avocado, and scallion, if using. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and remainder of the olive oil. Scatter over the crunchy bits.

Cook’s Note: We don’t have breakfast radishes here but we do have avocados. However, they are expensive and not always good quality. I’ll have to find local substitutes, and experiment. I’m thinking of trying things like corn, jicama (มันแก), and carrots.

6 steps to sunday dinner: gluten-free sticky rice buns with salmon cakes, ube, carrots, and corn on the cob

Sticky rice is a surprising chameleon. My favourite pork burger is Mos Burger’s pork patty between two sticky rice buns. I love khao neo ข้าวเหนียว (sticky rice) that comes with roast chicken at our favourite Isaan restaurant in Bangkok, Sabaijai, in Soi Ekamai. It comes to the table in the traditional lidded basket, al dente and chewy. You pull off a ball of rice and dip it in papaya salad to cool off–not from the summer heat, the chili heat! For breakfast, if there were any leftovers, I would make a sticky rice bun out of the leftover khao neo, top the bun with a poached egg and perhaps some strips of koh moo yang คอหมูย่าง (grilled pork neck). Love it. So, for Sunday dinner, I divided the meal’s recipes into 6 steps from cooking the rice to plating and eating the meal. It is light and not at all heavy. Or if you simply wish, go gluten-free instead of serving the salmon cake with a wheat flour bun.

Step 1: Cook the rice. This recipe is adapted from Epicurious.

2 cups Japanese or sushi rice

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon rice wine vinegar

1/4 cup scallions, chopped fine

2 tablespoons sesame seeds, lightly toasted and cooled

Sesame oil for brushing

Special equipment: 3 or 4-inch ring mould, 1/3 cup or 1/2 cup measuring cup

Put unrinsed rice in a medium saucepan with the salt, vinegar, and 3 cups water. Stir and bring to a boil uncovered. Reduce heat to low and cover. Cook until all the water has evaporated and the rice has cooked, about 20 minutes. Don’t uncover the pot. Let the rice sit 30 minutes or until it is cool enough to handle, about 45 minutes. I scraped out the rice onto a wet baking tray then folded in the scallions and sesame seeds with a rice paddle. The trick to handling sticky rice is damp hands and damp equipment, so keep a small bowl of water nearby.

Scoop up 1/3 cup (or 1/2 cup if you want a larger bun) with damp hands and squeeze into a firm ball. The rice will stick to a dry ring mould so dunk it in water first and shake off the excess. Put the rice ball inside the ring mould (use 4-inch for larger buns) and press down to flatten. Some ring moulds come with a press so wet it too. Tip: if you haven’t got a ring mould, use a ramekin.

Put the rice cake on a piece of plastic, fold the edges over it, gather the ends and twist tie. Repeat. You’ll get about 8 4-inch buns or 10 3-inch ones. Set aside. DO AHEAD one day and keep refrigerated in an airtight container.

Step 2: Cook the vegetables. The carrots and ube or purple yam if cut up into 2 inch chunks cook up in 15-20 minutes just covered in water. I cook them separately because the ube stains. The corn on the cob takes just 7 minutes. Drain. Sprinkle vegetables lightly with seasoning salt. Keep warm, covered.

Step 3: Make the salmon cakes. This recipe is adapted from America’s Test Kitchen

3 tablespoons plus 3/4 cup bread crumbs (I use fine crumbs but you can use panko)

2 tablespoons cilantro, minced (can use parsley)

2 tablespoons mayonnaise

4 teaspoons lime juice (juice of 2 small limes)

1 medium scallion, thinly sliced

1 small shallot, minced fine

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Pinch of chili flakes

240g skinless salmon fillets, chopped into 1/4-inch chunks (or pulsed in food processor)

2 tablespoons rice bran oil or other vegetable oil such as canola

In a large bowl, combine 3 tablespoons of bread crumbs, cilantro, mayo, lime juice, scallion, shallot, mustard, salt, pepper and chili. Add the chopped salmon and mix well to combine. This batch will make 4 3-inch salmon cakes. Refrigerate salmon while you fry up the sticky rice buns.

Step 4: Fry sticky rice buns.

Heat a griddle or a 12-inch skillet over medium high heat. Brush one side of a rice bun with sesame oil and put it, oiled-side down, on the hot griddle. Brush the top with oil. Cook 6 minutes on one side or until lightly browned, then flip over and cook 5 minutes more. I fried 4 buns for tonight’s dinner, and put up the rest. If wrapped airtight, they will keep a few days in the refrigerator and several weeks in the freezer. Defrost in the refrigerator for 4-6 hours before frying. Keep fried buns warm while you fry the salmon cakes.

Step 5: Fry salmon cakes.

Pour 3/4 cup bread crumbs into a pie plate and dip the salmon cakes in the bread crumbs coating the tops and sides as well.

Heat 2 tablespoons rice bran oil in a 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat. I do the chopstick test: I hold a wooden chopstick in the hot oil. If bubbles gather around the tip, it is hot enough. Carefully place each salmon cake in the oil and fry 2-3 minutes on each side until golden brown. Drain on a paper towel lined plate.

Step 6: At last. Plate and eat! Serve with Sriracha sauce, for a little spice.

spicy buckwheat noodles with dumplings

This recipe is adapted from Food 52. Instead of using wheat noodles, I used buckwheat noodles which are lower on the glycemic index. The dumplings themselves are adapted from an America’s Test Kitchen potsticker recipe which I lightened by adding minced chicken. Make the dumplings first and freeze the extra–there is no way to make a smaller amount just for this recipe. So go ahead and make the extra dumplings and freeze them for later use. Noodles, dumplings, fresh made spicy sauce, plus baby bok choy and bean sprouts to take the edge off–this is a light dinner for two!

Spicy Buckwheat Noodles with Dumplings

Dumplings

3 cups shredded napa cabbage

3/4 teaspoon salt

200g ground pork

150g ground chicken breast (sub chopped shrimp)

4 teaspoons soy sauce

1 teaspoon white pepper

1 1/2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger

1 large egg white

4 scallions, minced

1 large clove garlic, minced

50-60 gyoza wrappers

Toss cabbage with salt and drain in a colander, 15 minutes. Squeeze out any remaining water. In a medium bowl, put cabbage, pork, chicken, soy sauce, white pepper, ginger, egg white, scallions, and garlic. Put a half-tablespoon pork mixture in the middle of a wrapper. Lightly wet the edges and press to seal. Put on a baking tray and cover with a damp cloth. Continue wrapping dumplings until all the filling is used up. This recipe makes 50-60 dumplings but you will only use 8 for this recipe. Freeze the rest individually, then pack in a zipper lock bag to use as needed.

Spicy Sauce

1 1/2 tablespoons oyster sauce

1 tablespoon soy sauce

2 teaspoons white vinegar

1 teaspoon chili bean paste (I used gochujang)

1/2 teaspoon toasted sesame oil

1/3 cup scallions, minced fine

1/3 cup cilantro, minced fine

1-2 large cloves garlic, minced fine.

Mix all the sauce ingredients together in a medium bowl. Set aside.

Noodles

6 oz buckwheat noodles (can use wheat noodles or ramen)

4-6 baby bok choy, cut into 1-inch pieces

2 cups fresh bean sprouts

Chopped cilantro for garnish, optional

Boil a quart of water in a large pot. Cook the noodles according to the manufacturer’s directions. You can boil the dumplings with the noodles–they will need 4-8 minutes to cook. About 30 seconds before noodles and dumplings are cooked, add the bok choy. Portion the noodles, dumplings, bok choy into two bowls. Drain the hot water over the bean sprouts to slightly soften them, then share them between the two bowls. Spoon spicy sauce generously over the top of each bowl, mix, then garnish with cilantro, if desired. Serve at once.

on making hamburger buns from scratch

I have learned there’s nothing mysterious about baking with yeast. Nevertheless it’s a magical ingredient responsible for delicious buns, loaves, and rolls.  That’s my take-away from this Year of Baking Bread which began in February 2019 with America’s Test Kitchen’s recipe for multigrain bread. I continued my education, digressing into focaccia, pizza dough, Jamaican hard dough bread, and Chinese steamed rolls called bao.  But out of sheer spite,  I often returned to the multigrain recipe, and that is where I learned to learn from the dough, and to engage in a sadistic bread kneading technique called slap-and-fold. I’m still not a proficient by any means; pizza dough is probably the last frontier. Recipes with yeast could be so frustrating, many of them infuriatingly incomplete for assuming a level of expertise that I didn’t possess. Few of them offered the clarity and the advice I needed as a beginning baker. So much depended on trial and error.  So I decided to rewrite this recipe for neophytes like me; it is the culmination of a year’s worth of sweat over the mixing bowl. 

Beautiful Burger Buns (recipe adapted and rewritten from King Arthur Flour)
Yield: 8 buns
Time: 2 hours 12 minutes

3 1/2 cups/13 3/4 oz all-purpose flour
1/4 cup/1 3/4 oz sugar
1 tablespoon instant yeast
1 teaspoon salt
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 tablespoons/1 oz unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup/8oz water
1 egg yolk, beaten with 1 tablespoon water, for brushing the buns
1 tablespoon white sesame seeds for sprinkling, optional

In a large bowl, using your hands or a large wooden spoon, mix together flour, water and yeast. Add salt and combine. Add lightly beaten egg and stir. Cut in the butter. Pour about 1/2 cup of the water into the flour mixture and squeeze the dough with your hands in a scissors motion all over. This distributes the water throughout. Gradually add the rest of the water, a tablespoon at a time, working it into the dough, until the dough becomes a wet, shaggy mess. Cover the bowl with a kitchen towel and let the dough rest 10-20 minutes. Resting allows the dough to hydrate, to absorb the water. After resting, the dough will appear lumpy, tacky to the touch, and will have absorbed the water.

Smear a teaspoon of oil on the work surface, about 12 inches in diameter. Rub oil on your hands and on a plastic dough scraper. Knead the dough in the bowl a few times then scrape it out onto the oiled work surface. Continue kneading the dough, using the dough scraper to scrape up any dough stuck to the surface. Knead until the dough becomes smooth and elastic. Do the windowpane test. Cut off a walnut size piece of dough and stretch it. It shouldn’t break. It will be thin and translucent when held up to the light. This means the dough is well-kneaded. Smooth the dough and round it between your hands into a ball.

Lightly oil a large bowl and put the dough ball in it. Cover the bowl with a sheet of plastic wrap. Let it rise in a warm draft-free place (e.g. the microwave oven, off, of course) for 1 hour until doubled in size.

Line a baking tray with parchment or a silicone baking mat. Set aside. Heat oven to 190˚C/375˚F

Lightly oil the work surface. Weigh the risen dough and portion it out into 8 pieces of equal weight. Taking each piece, fold the edges towards the center, turning the dough until it becomes a ball. Pinch the seam closed. Put it on the work surface seam side down and cup your hands around it as you turn and shape it into a taut ball. Put it on the prepared baking tray. Repeat. Put the dough balls on the tray 2 inches apart. Cover tray with a kitchen towel and let rise 30-40 minutes until the buns are about 4 inches in diameter.

Brush the tops with the egg wash and lightly sprinkle with sesame seeds, if using. Bake buns 12-15 minutes or until deep golden brown. Remove from the oven and cool on a wire cooling rack. Split buns in half for burgers or sandwiches. Store extra buns wrapped airtight in plastic wrap and aluminum foil in a zipper lock bag. May be kept at room temperature 2 days, refrigerated 5 days, or frozen for up to 1 month. Defrost buns in refrigerator overnight. Warm gently in a low oven to refresh.

Bacon Burger with Tyler Florence’s Goop and Baked Sweet Potato Fries