This simple coleslaw is great as a side for a variety of summer meals, but as a topping on either pulled pork or pulled chicken it really shines.
2/3 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup dijon mustard
1 tsp celery seed
1 tsp sugar
juice of 1/2 lemon
salt & pepper to taste
Blend well, and keep tasting – should have a nice balance of sweet and tangy.
During the winter months I resort to using either my oven or my slow cooker for pulled pork …. mainly because we don’t have an outdoor space where we can use our electric smoker and still have it be under cover. Whenever the opportunity is available though, this is the way to go. When I am operating the smoker I like to make good use of that smoke and utilize the space, so I often do a pork roast as well as a chicken. After trial and error, this pulled pork is the best! Pile soft buns with the meat, some creamy cole slaw and a few pickled onions – serve with potato salad and green salad and this meal is a winner.
6-8 pound pork shoulder (or Boston Butt as it is known in some areas)
It is best to weigh the salt. Pickling salt, by ounce, is not as “salty” as a table salt by either weight or measuring cup.
Using a spice grinder (or mortar & pestle) finely grind the cumin, fennel and coriander seeds. Add the rest of the spice powders and blend well.
Heat ½ of the water, add molasses and salt. Simmer just until the salt has dissolved and stir in the rest of the water along with the chipotle chiles. When mixture has cooled, put in a container suitable to go into your fridge, add in the pork and make sure it is submerged in the liquid, adding more water if necessary in order to cover.
Brine at least 12 hours. Remove from liquid, rinse well and pat dry.
Using kitchen gloves (rub adheres best if you do) vigorously rub the pork with the spices.
Heat your smoker to 250, and place pork on a rack. Start testing the pork for temperature after 7 hours. Once it has reached 190 (yes, I know that seems high) it is done. Here is the key part – tightly bundle the whole thing in a tin foil pack, not allowing any steam to escape and let it sit for at least an hour. This will allow the moisture within the pork to redistribute and make for the most tender, flavourful pork ever!
A simple coleslaw recipe works best for piling on top of the pork – try Jean’s coleslaw on this site, and add a few pickled onions (also on this site).
I love the balance of flavours in this marinade, it just has the right amount of sweet, heat, sour and salt …. and caramelizes perfectly on the grill. I find it works really well on pork chops or chicken thighs but I’m sure it would be great on just about anything.
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 tbsp brown sugar
2 tbsp rice vinegar
1 tbsp minced ginger
1 tbsp Sriracha sauce
1 tbsp chile garlic paste
2 tsp sesame oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
zest & juice of 1 orange
juice of 1/2 lime
Make enough marinade for 8 pork chops or 12 chicken thighs.
Garnish: lime, roughly chopped cilantro and green onions.
Place all marinade ingredients in food processor and give it a good whiz. Pour half of it in a ziplock bag with meat and reserve the rest. Give the meat a massage and allow to marinade for 30 minutes at the least and up to 8 hours.
Put reserved marinade in a small sauce pan and cook over moderate heat until reduced and thickened.
Heat grill, and grill meat, brushing with the reduced marinade.
I’ve been working on this recipe for ages, trying to get the correct balance of flavours and I think this is it – finally nailed it. Every brand of these ingredients will be slightly different. Taste the marinade BEFORE adding raw chicken and make sure it tastes great – adjust as needed. Follow that plan with the sauce also, make sure each component of this dish tastes great before putting it all together.
Slightly spicy, slightly sticky and slightly sweet – a winning combination in this quick stir fry.
CHICKEN & MARINADE
2 #’s boneless skinless chicken thighs – cut into bite size pieces
6 tbsp sesame oil
2 1/2 tbsp raw sugar
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 heaped tbsp Sambal Oelek (chile paste)
1 tbsp each minced garlic and ginger
1 tbsp corn starch
Combine marinade ingredients in bowl, stir in chicken and allow to sit in fridge for an hour.
SAUCE
2 tbsp yellow miso
2 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tbsp Sambal Oelek (chile paste)
1 tbsp tomato paste
1 tbsp rice vinegar
1 tsp light brown sugar
Stir well, and set aside
STIR FRY
peanut oil
2 small hot chile peppers
1 clove garlic, peeled and lightly crushed – but left whole
1/2 medium white onion, cut into 1/2″ dice
1/2 cup roasted peanuts
1 tbsp Shaoshing rice wine (or sherry wine for cooking)
1/2 each red and yellow sweet pepper, cut into 1/2″ dice
4 scallions, chopped into 1″ pieces
GARNISH
Toasted sesame seeds
thinly sliced green onions
thinly sliced hot red peppers
Heat wok over high heat until it starts to smoke, add enough peanut oil to lightly coat bottom – quickly toss in onions, garlic and chile peppers. Stir for 1 minute and add chicken. Toss and stir fry until chicken is slightly opaque, add peanuts and 1 tbsp rice wine. Add reserved sauce, peppers and cook until peppers are cooked through. Stir in large pieces of green onion.
Garnish with the sesame seeds, green onions and red peppers.
Serve with sesame jasmine rice, which is super simple! Just toss finely sliced chives into cooked rice along with toasted sesame seeds and a little sesame oil.
These chicken wings hit all the notes: spicy, sticky, salty, sweet and tangy – grab the napkins and dig in!
Sweet, spicy, tangy, sticky – what’s not to love?
1/2 cup Thai sweet chili sauce
2 tbsp Spicy Hoisin sauce
1 tbsp honey
2 tbsp tamarind sauce
2 gloves garlic, minced
1 inch piece of ginger, grated
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp roasted sesame oil
zest and juice of 1 lime
1 tbsp red Thai curry paste
1 tbsp chile garlic sauce (sambal oelek)
3 tbsp peanut oil
2 tbsp toasted sesame seeds
Garnish: roughly chopped cilantro and green onions
Blend this all together and taste. TASTE – I can’t say this enough – every brand of seasoning is different, whether your garlic & ginger is fresh … everything leads to a different flavour profile. When you taste this sauce, you should want to keep dipping for another taste ……… if not – keep adjusting until you can’t stop.
1 – 2 pounds chicken wings
Put chicken wings into a ziplock bag, and add just enough sauce to coat. Reserve the rest. Marinate chicken wings for as long as you have available – works well whether you have 24 hours or just 1.
Roast chicken wings in hot oven (400 degrees) until cooked through – we like ours well done – around 35 minutes.
While chicken is cooking, reduce reserved marinade seasoning until thick and glossy.
When cooked through, toss cooked chicken wings in reduced marinade, add 2 tbsp toasted sesame seeds.
Return to oven and roast until crispy and glossy – along with super sticky and delicious!
Garnish with roughly chopped cilantro and green onions.
Check out my post for Thai Noodle Salad with Chicken and Peanut Lime Dressing …. leave out the chicken on that salad and serve this with with the Thai Chicken Wings …. perfection!
This refreshing salad is delicious! A total meal in a bowl, but you will also find this to be the perfect salad dressing or dipping – go crazy and try it with sate also!
This refreshing salad is a meal in a bowl, so delicious and complete with crunch, salad and protein.
Peanut Lime Salad Dressing
1/3 cup creamy peanut butter
2 tablespoons unseasoned rice vinegar
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
3 tablespoons peanut oil
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 -2 tablespoons Thai sweet chili sauce
2 tablespoons honey
1-1/2 tablespoons sugar
1 tsp roasted sesame oil
2 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
1-inch square piece fresh ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro leaves
In food processor – blend all ingredients, with the exception of the cilantro – taste and adjust for seasonings. I can’t say this enough – every brand of each ingredient is different, and will have a different profile. I start with the ingredient amounts listed above, and then continue to adjust as I taste. When smooth, creamy and you LOVE the taste, blend again with the cilantro. You want to see little bits of the cilantro.
SALAD
cooked, shredded chicken
spinach
red leaf lettuce
grated carrot
slivered coloured sweet peppers
slivered snow peas
cucumber – halved, seeds removed and sliced into half moons
bean sprouts
toasted cashews, peanuts and sesame seeds
Cooked, cooled noodles, either rice or wheat – (toss with a little sesame oil when cooled to prevent them sticking)
When cooking for a crowd, I like to place the salad in one bowl, shredded chicken in another, and the nuts, green onions and bean sprouts in separate bowls. Everybody can create their own, and drizzle the dressing over. If working with a smaller group, just blend it all and mix the dressing in.
Try serving this with my Thai Chicken Wings, and leave out the chicken from this recipe.
2 pounds chicken wings
1 tbsp. oil
1/3 cup sweet chili sauce
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 tbsp. smooth peanut butter
2 tbsp. lime juice
1 tsp tamarind concentrate
1 tbsp fish sauce
1 tbsp. sriracha sauce
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 ” piece of ginger, minced
Marinate chicken wings for as long as you have available – Remove from marinade (reserve marinade) then bake on a rack in preheated oven (400 or 425 convection) until golden brown and crispy – at least 30 minutes.
Heat the marinade in a small saucepan until it boils and reduces slightly.
When they are starting to get golden brown and crispy, toss them in the reduced marinade and put back on rack to get all crunchy.
Garnish with chopped peanuts and cilantro.
Last night I made a couple of beer can chickens with a smoky rub …. enough left over that I thought it would make a perfect Mexican Chicken Salad tonight! This would be a great vegetarian dinner, just leave out the chicken….
Dressing:
1/2 tsp Mexican Chile powder
1/2 tsp Chipotle Chile powder
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp dried mustard powder
1/4 tsp dried chile flakes
1 tsp salt
1 tsp freshly ground pepper
juice of 1/2 a lime
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
2 minced garlic cloves
Blend well and slowly drizzle in 1/2 cup grapeseed oil.
Taste it (with a sliver of lettuce) and adjust your seasonings to your preference.
Make a green salad packed with all your favorite ingredients, ours tonight included:
red leaf lettuce
roasted corn
garden peas (uncooked, and shelled)
roasted baby spring onions
cucumber
red and yellow peppers
toasted pumpkin seeds
toasted slivered almonds
(I wish we had avocado but there weren’t any available that were perfect..)
Garnish with:
shredded white cheese
cooked and shredded chicken
crushed tortilla chips
croutons
cooked and cooked Mexican rice
(Mexican rice is easily made substituting the liquid in your rice recipe with chicken stock, a bit of tomato paste, cumin, oregano, salt and pepper.
We love salads like this – arrange the toppings around the salad and everybody gets to build their own at the table.
All Thai dishes should have a balance of hot/sour/salty/sweet. Whatever recipe you use, keep tasting and adjusting until you get that balance just right. I do a lot of Thai cooking, and we love it all – but this is the first recipe that our Thai student Ping claimed was exactly like chicken he eats at home.
hot-sour-salty-sweet
Gotta get that balance in Thai cookery!
MARINADE:
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
2 tbsp asian fish sauce
1 1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper (white if you have it)
1 garlic clove, minced
juice of 1 lime
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp tamarind concentrate
Blend all ingredients together well – then add chicken.
This is enough to do 4 chicken breasts, or 8 chicken thighs. If using breasts I like to pound them lightly first – just enough to make them equal thickness which is easier to grill. Allow to marinate for whatever length of time you have – I have made this with only 1/2 an hour to marinate, and up to overnight.
Grill until cooked through – slice into strips and serve with dipping sauce.
DIPPING SAUCE
2 tbsp tamarind concentrate
1/4 cup asian fish sauce
2 tbsp freshly squeezed lime juice
1 tbsp rice vinegar
1 minced clove garlic
1 small Thai chile – seeded and minced
2 tsp sugar
1 tbsp water
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
Combine all ingredients except cilantro – TASTE!! Adjust to your preference, and if you like it really spicy, drizzle in a little chili oil. I have also drizzled on sesame oil to finish it. Once you have a good balance of flavour (which means you can’t stop yourself from continuing to taste) then stir in the cilantro.
This is easily one of the simplest noodle stir fry dishes I have made, and packs lots of taste in every bite. I think the secret is the spicy vinegar for the finishing touch!
¼ cup vegetable oil
½ red onion, julienned
1 sweet red pepper, julienned
2 cloves garlic, chopped
⅓ cup oyster sauce
⅓ cup water, mixed in with oyster sauce
2 tablespoons ginger, finely chopped
1 bunch green onion, chopped
Flavoured Vinegar
½ cup rice wine vinegar
2 teaspoons palm sugar (or natural sugar)
1-2 tablespoon chili oil
1 bunch chives, finely chopped
salt
Stir all vinegar ingredients together and set aside – really important to do this to your individual taste – SOME LIKE IT HOT …
Mix oyster sauce with water
Soften egg noodles according to package directions, but be careful not to overcook them.
Heat oil in wok, add onions and saute until softened and translucent, add ginger, garlic and red pepper. Stir fry until just softened.
Add some of the oyster sauce and stir until well combined – add most of the rest of the sauce and stir in the noodles. Stir fry until all the noodles are well coated and heated through – finish with the last drizzle of the oyster sauce.
Serve with chives to garnish. I served the vinegar on the side for everybody to add as they pleased, but it could easily be added as soon as the dish is finished.
This dish is really made for you to experiment with – go green instead of red and stir in chopped fresh spinach or sliced snow peas right before serving and garnish with cilantro, green onions and bean sprouts.
For a complete meal add some prawns or thinly sliced chicken – stir fry with the onion/pepper mixture before adding the noodles.
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