Chicken Satay with Peanut Sauce and Cucumber Sauce

Ingredients & Cooking Directions for Chicken Satay with Peanut Sauce and Cucumber Sauce

Estimated Servings: 20 chicken skewers

Step 1: Marinate the chicken

2 pounds chicken breast strips

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

2 tablespoons fish sauce

2 tablespoons minced garlic

1 tablespoon soy sauce

2 tablespoons sugar

¼ teaspoon pepper

½ teaspoon turmeric powder

½ teaspoon crushed coriander

¼ teaspoon ground cayenne pepper

1 tablespoon massaman curry paste

¼ cup coconut milk

Add all of the ingredients into a large bowl except for the chicken, and mix well. Then add the chicken to the marinade making sure that all of the chicken pieces are completely coated with the marinade. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and allow the chicken to marinate for 30 minutes or more in the refrigerator.

Step 2: Make peanut sauce

1 teaspoon massaman curry paste

2 tablespoons fish sauce

3 tablespoons tamarind juice

3 tablespoons creamy peanut butter

2 tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon paprika powder

½ teaspoon garlic powder

1 cup coconut milk

Crushed peanuts

Turn your stove on medium heat and add all of the ingredients in this step into a small pot. Stir everything together until well combined and smooth. Transfer the sauce to a serving bowl and top it with crushed peanuts.

Step 3: Prepare cucumber sauce

½ cup vinegar

½ cup sugar

Chopped Thai chilies

Diced cucumbers

Diced red onions

Turn your stove on medium low and add the vinegar and sugar into a small pot or pan. Stir everything around until the sugar dissolves in the vinegar. Then pour the vinegar mixture into a container and add the onions, chili and cumbers. Mix everything well and transfer into a serving bowl.

Step 4: Cook the chicken

Water to soak skewers

Soak the skewer in some water for about 30 minutes. Then thread the marinated chicken strips onto your soaked skewers. Make sure to add oil or cooking spray on your cooking surface. Cook the chicken on a grill or grill pan on medium high heat for about 2-3 minutes on each side making sure you brush some additional marinade as you are turning them. The chicken satay should have grill marks on the outside and are completely cooked on the inside. Serve the chicken satay with the sauces made earlier.

How to make Steamed Rice Cakes – COW CAKE (Bánh Bò)

Ingredients & Cooking Directions for Bánh Bò - Cow Cakes

Kitchen Equipment used in this Video

Steamer: http://amzn.to/2mHaRl5  

Portable gas cooker: http://amzn.to/2ox0xLQ  

Clear bowls: http://amzn.to/2nAy4Um  

Whisk: http://amzn.to/2oSVZRu

Glass food storage: http://amzn.to/2oe4Ajh

Stainless steel pot:  http://amzn.to/2p4NIeC

Measuring cup: http://amzn.to/2niHwi5  

Small white bowls: http://amzn.to/2p5ydCv  

Rectangle plate: http://amzn.to/2oSW1Jt

Estimated Servings: 30 small cakes

Step 1: Prepare flour mix

2 cups rice flour

¼ cup tapioca flour

1 ¼ cups water

½ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon active dry yeast

1 ½ teaspoons baking powder

When making steamed rice cakes start off with by pouring all of the ingredients into a bowl and mix them together. Then cover the mixture and set it aside to let it rest for 1-2 hours.

Step 2: Make sweet cream

¾ cup coconut cream

1 ½ cups sugar

¼ cup water

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Add all your ingredients in a small pot and turn your stove on medium low. Then stir all of the ingredients together until the sugar completely dissolves. Remove the mixture from the heat when it is warm but not boiling. Finally allow it to cool off completely at room temperature.

Step 3: Color the cows

Your favorite food colors

Pour the sweet cream into the flour mixture and mix it up. Then divide the mixture into however many colors you would like your cow cakes to be. Add your food colors into the different containers and stir them up. Finally allow them to rest for 1 hour before steaming.

Step 4: Steam the cakes

Water for steaming

Make sure to fill the bottom compartment of your steamer with water ¾ of the way up. Place the top compartment over the bottom compartment and add the small bowls or a muffin tin on the top compartment of your steamer. Cover your steamer with a lid and turn your stove on high. When the water comes to a boil and steams up, pour the colorful mixture in the bowls or muffin tin. Cover the steamer with a lid and steam the cakes for about 10-15 minutes or until they are spongy, fluffy and the tops erupt.

***IMPORTANT: Make sure to wipe the water off your steamer lid every 2-3 minutes of steaming to prevent it from falling into your cakes or tie a kitchen towel on the inside of your lid to absorb the water. This will prevent your cakes from being too wet and having the wrong consistency.

Enjoy!

Vietnamese Iced Coffee Bubble Tea (Cà Phê Sữa Đá)

Ingredients & Cooking Directions for Vietnamese Coffee - Bubble Tea - Ca Phe Sua Da

Step 1: Make the syrup

1 cup water

½ cup brown sugar

½ cup granulated sugar

1 tablespoon honey

To make the syrup, pour the water in a small pot or pan and turn the heat on medium high. Then add in all your sugars and honey stirring everything together until the sugars completely dissolve. Cook the syrup for about five minutes on medium high heat and then allow it to cool down for about 30 minutes.

Step 2: Prepare the tapioca

4 cups of water

½ cup tapioca pearls

Turn the stove on high heat and bring the water to a boil.  When the water comes to a boil, add in the tapioca pearls and allow them to cook for about 15 minutes or until they float on top of the boiling water. Then  turn off the stove, put a lid on the pot and allow the pearls to sit in the hot water for another 15 minutes or until they are plump and soft. Next, drain the pearls and rinse them under cold running water. Finally add the pearls in the syrup that was made earlier to preserve and sweeten them.

Step 3: Brew the coffee

2 tablespoons Vietnamese ground coffee

½ cup boiling water

2 tablespoons condensed milk

Pour condensed milk into a glass. Then add the ground coffee in the Vietnamese coffee press and screw the top of the press tightly. Place the coffee press on top of the glass of condensed milk, pour the hot water in the press and allow the coffee to drip into the glass.

Step 4: Assemble the drink

1 tablespoon sugar

Ice

Pour the sugar in the brewed coffee and mix everything well. Then add in the tapioca pearls and ice and serve it with a large bubble tea straw.

**You can purchase ground Vietnamese coffee and coffee press (filter) online or at an Asian supermarket

Pad Thai

Ingredients & Cooking Directions for Pad Thai

Estimated Servings: 4

Step 1: Prepare the noodles

1 package of rice noodles
8 cups warm water

Soak the noodles in warm water for about 15-20 minutes or until the noodles are soft.

Step 2: Make the sauce

½ cup tamarind liquid
3 tablespoons water
3 tablespoons fish sauce
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
½ cup palm sugar
1 tablespoon garlic chili sauce

Turn your stove on medium heat and add the palm sugar and water into a small pot or pan. Carefully stir the sugar around to break it up and allow it to complete dissolve in the water. Once the sugar has dissolved, pour in the tamarind liquid, oyster sauce, and fish sauce mixing everything well. Cook the sauce until slightly thickened, remove it from the heat and strain out all of crystallized sugar pieces. Finally stir the garlic chili sauce and set everything aside.

Step 3: Cook Pad Thai

4 tablespoons cooking oil
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
1 tablespoon chopped shallot
½ cup cubed firm tofu 
¼ cup small dried shrimp
1/3 pound cubed chicken breast
1/3 pound shrimp, peeled & deveined
1/3 cup water
2 large eggs
½ cup chopped garlic chives
½ cup bean sprouts

Put the dried shrimp in a food processor and chop it up into a fine consistency. Then turn your stove on high heat and add in 2 tablespoons of oil, shallots, garlic, dried shrimp, tofu and chicken into a large wok or pan. Stir fry the tofu and chicken for about 3-4 minutes or until the chicken is fully cooked and the tofu is lightly golden brown. Then add in the shrimp and cook it for about 2-3 minutes or until cooked all the way through. Now pour everything into a bowl and set it aside. Next turn your stove on high heat and add in 2 tablespoons of oil to the same pan you cooked the tofu and meats in. Add the noodles to the pan and pour in half of the sauce you prepared earlier. Stir fry the noodles until they are coated with the sauce. Now add in some water 1 tablespoon at a time to the noodles until they are your desired consistency. Push the noodles to the side of the pan and crack your eggs in the center of the pan. Then scramble the eggs and mix them up with the noodles. Next, add in the cooked shrimp, chicken, tofu and the other half of the sauce to the noodles and toss everything until well combined. Finally add the chives and bean sprouts at the very last minute and toss it with the noodles.

Step 4: Assemble the dish

½ cup bean sprouts 
½ cup chopped garlic chives
½ cup chopped roasted peanuts
Lime wedges

Arrange the noodles on a serving plate and top it off with some chives, bean sprouts, and peanuts. Before eating, squeeze in some lime juice.