still yet another version of cajun stew ...

i have been making this concoction since 1985. and if i am not producing it for consumption in a restaurant or venue where it needs to be consistently the same every time, IT ISN'T! that is what i like about it most, it is totally convertible to whatever my mood may be, what i have on hand, or what is available (but really try your best to get the okra in there, it makes a big difference to the viscosity of the dish).

sometimes i moisten it up with stock and cream and then shuck oysters and clams into and eat it like a soup with a big chunk of garlic bread. at other times i put it on pasta or rice, and then at other times i use it for a sauce to garnish blackened fish or meat, preferably baby lamb chops (topped with a nice soft chevre and jalapeno chili jelly). and many times i simply stuff a big baked potato with it.

sometimes i dice everything very small, and other times i cut the pieces very large, and still at other times i puree it. sometimes i will flambe the veggies with pernod before adding the tomatoes and other wet ingredients, and, as i said before, i like to lighten it up with heavy cream. a good dollop of pesto is nice to finish it off, or simply a fresh grating of a good parmesan or grana cheese. cheddar will suffice if that is all i have.

the bottom line - this stuff is bullet proof, all purpose, all weather, anything goes cuisine. i think the only thing i have not put it on is breakfast cereal.

here is a slide show of me making a huge batch that i latter bagged up and froze (note the very handy thai style funnel shown in the last pictures - awesome gadget if you can find it). on this particular day i used chicken thigh meat and chorizo sausages. i think that no matter what is used, poultry, meat or seafood - you gots to have a good sausage in there to impart its special character to the mix.

like many tomato based foods this stew does well in the deep freeze, and it actually improves if not left for too long to hang out waiting to be defrosted and consumed.

following the slide show is the recipe for the cajun spice that i season it with.

this spice is also good for blackening ANYTHING, and also makes a great dash to put on some fresh popcorn along with a sprinkling of parmesan cheese. right, fusion popcorn. note: have a lot of napkins handy.

you will notice in the slide show a picture of the spices used that day. the bag of taco seasoning contains many of the same spices and so i used it that day in lieu of the full compliment shown in the recipe below. whatever you choose to do, i am sure it will be just fine if you have most of the spices and herbs listed. experiment and come up with your own blend. i have recently gotten into adding chicken masala spice to do a sort of quick tikka with it. i blacken the meat or fish with the cajun/masala combo and then use a prepared curry sauce to moisten the dish.

as promised here is the spice and dry herb proportions to prepare a massive amount of cajun spice blend. i use this stuff for everything, so i make a lot at one time. i usually prepare the list in the right column, the one on the left is for when i am working in a restaurant. this is a great item to bag or bottle up and give to friends, i have met few people who do not like it.

Cajun Spice Blend

Onion Powder	50	Grams	25
Garlic Powder	50	Grams	25
Paprika Powder	50	Grams	25
USA Chili Powder	100	Grams	50
White Pepper	35	Grams	17
Black Pepper	20	Grams	10
Cayenne Pepper	30	Grams	15
Salt	20	Grams	10
Basil Leaf	10	Grams	5
Thyme Leaf	10	Grams	5
Mustard Powder	10	Grams	5
Cumin Powder	25	Grams	12

store it in air tight containers or tightly sealed plastic bags.

KEEP IT DRY!

shopping in a store when the power goes is not my idea of fun ...

i had to go to the grocery store today to stock up a kitchen that had nothing in it, something that can actually be fun, but today ... not!

my market of choice was the one on the 5th floor of the emporium mall, 622 sukhumvit rd. phromphong station on the bts skytrain. it is actually the smaller and older sister to the paragon i wrote about yesterday.


when i arrived the power was out for a few square block radius, seems egat (the electric generating authority of thailand) was having a major problem in the area. i spoke to the staff hanging around and they said it had already been an hour so i figured it would probably be not too long before the power came back on ... not! but not knowing this at the time i trekked up the 5 long flights of escalator to where the grocery was. one thing about the 5ht floor when this happens, there is so much refrigeration that they dedicate a good percentage of their back-up emergency power to that area, not the concessions - their area :-)

so i started to pick-up all the things that any kitchen would need, and i also got everything i would need for lunch. today's menu was going to be chicken thighs and livers in a mushroom and sherry sauce, mashed potatoes, and the all-time-stand-by-favorite, green peas.

simplicity is elegance! lmao

so as i was touring around the aisles, and picking out all that i needed from my lists ,i started to get a bit anxious. no power coming back on. not too bad for the actual shopping, but a real bummer when i want to leave and go the 5 flights back down to the street level. normally no big deal, but today i will have more than usual in order to set up this new kitchen and its larder.

i know they have a "luuk-nawng" ลูกน้อง, helper/assistant who can take some of the load, but still, i am not relishing the thought. just as i am about to ask the kid at checkout to assist, the power came back up, a cheer was heard 'round the store, air-con units started to hum and we all thought it was gonna be ok ... not! i figure so many appliances and machines were still set to on that they instantly had a localized brown out in the store. groans and grunts were now emanating from the aisles. 2 more minutes went by, up came the power, and it remained on at least until i was able to get my ass into the elevator and down to the street where i caught a taxi back home.

one funny thing, when we got into the lift there was no light in the cab. as the doors shut all the thai girls that were in there started to get all spooky like they do. so me, being the arse that i am, did what my older brothers used to do to me when they would babysit me as a youngster - i started to make creepy sounds like it was a halloween house of horrors. one girl truly freaked! so i stopped. all the others laughed and gave her a hard time. boy i love it here, so much fun everyday :o)

so i arrive at home, trek up-stairs, settle down to work, and also start the prep for lunch. now i am jumping back-and-forth between the kitchen and my office doing computer work and cooking all at the same time. so please pardon the fact that i did not get a full compliment of pictures, but i do have a few good ones of the stages i was able to snap.

i am cooking for 4 adults, 3 of whom will almost always consume as much food as i will put in front of them, regardless of the portion size. i chopped up 2 medium spanish onions, one bermuda onion (they be in season and i am loving these things everyday), one stalk of a good sized japanese leek (whites with a bit of the green thrown in for good measure), 6 huge cloves of garlic, sliced, some fresh straw mushrooms, "het fang" เห็ดฟาง (if you can not get fresh - never use the canned ones, use button mushrooms instead - canned straw mushrooms are a scam and they suck big time). these are the shrooms that you also see in "thom yum goong", ต้มยำ, spicy and piquant thai shrimp soup and some "het nang lom" เห็ดหนังลม or oyster mushrooms.

i then take the very nice and good sized boneless chicken thighs and cut them in half, season them with some delicatesse paprika, not the shite that most stores have and you sprinkle on deviled eggs thinking you have decorated them, some dried thyme leaf and some fresh ground seasalt and black pepper. i toss the pieces into a recycled plastic grocery bag, add in some all purpose flour, close the bag and do the ol' shake and bake maneuver, remove the pieces from the bag and lay them out on a plate to let the coating set and congeal with the moisture from the chicken.

i am going to garnish this dish with some sauteed chicken livers, so i take those from their bag and put them int a plastic strainer that is more like a basket with large holes. this allows the blood to drain off, the livers to dry ever so slightly, and that way the will sear well when i cook them.

next my good sturdy 12" fry pan, add some good olive oil, bring it up to high temp and add the prepped veggies. as the veggies are sweating, i prepare the quick and easy knorr brand demi-glace mix, a half liter, by putting it directly into the water bottle, replacing the cap, and shaking the living sh*t out of it. when the onions and leek are translucent i pour in about a half cup of majesty thai sherry (i have said this before - do not drink it, only cook with it!), and then add the demi-glace mix (be sure there are no large lumps in it, really feks up the sauce). i let that all come up to temp, throw in some very nice fresh sage leaves i have cut not to small, and a half cup or so of the always-required-chopped-parsley and simmer it all for about 5 minutes. i see it is a bit too thick so i add another cup +/- of water.

notes:

1. typically paprika in grocery stores is dry, old and not flavorless, but skanky smelling, avoid it at all costs. pay a bit more for good paprika and savor the aroma and taste, and you do not have to use so much. any paprika from hungary is tops!
   
2. dry thyme, leaf only, never powder. make sure it is not to old for the same reason you avoid the paprika. when it gets old, it smells like month old laundry.
3. be aware that any knorr product, or similar, contains salt and food additives so be careful not to over salt your food as you will be adding salt with these mixes. also, if you are to simmer or braise the food in such a product, never add salt until you are done, and always add more water than the directions call for. this way you will not have hard meats from the salt, too much salt taste and not to thick a finished gravy.
4. i use the sherry to help cut the packaged taste of the sauce mix and to also impart a wine flavor.
5. fresh herbs can improve, or save almost any dish, or help any pre-packaged convenience additive (like the demi-galce mix) to mellow out. sage is one of my favorites, but do not use too much, or that is all you will taste. it is really good with calves liver and bacon that you de-glaze with balsamic vinegar. (did you know the american indians smoke sage in their "peace" pipes? hmmmmmmm :-p )
   

i only have a one burner contrivance so i must now put the sauce to the side and sear the chicken pieces. the pot that i have, the only one large enough for the finished batch, is a very basic, very thin, very alu-min-i-um thai pot that's 30 cm in diameter. if you ever leave these things unattended you will regret it. anything (even water) will stick in a minute, burn in to 2. i put about a cup of good olive oil and bring it up to a high temp and then i very careful, with thongs, place - not throw, not drop, not put - but place the pieces into the pot skin side down.

i start the process by placing one of the pieces on the far outer edge and continue around and circle into the center. that way the first pieces will not be burning by the time i get the last ones in, and the temperature will have balanced out nicely across the surface of the pots bottom. i let them sear - untouched, do not poke, do not nudge - until they release themselves from the bottom of the pot.

then i gently grab them with the tongs and turn them, once again placing them carefully so as not to spatter the oil and burn myself. notice that they have contracted and shrunk a bit in sieze and they now fit perfectly across the bottom which allows for every piece to evenly brown and crust up. this will make a very big difference in your final product and the final texture, which we all know affects the final taste.

• note: when turning with tongs remember these are boneless chicken thighs and if you handle them nonchalantly, they will break up int small pieces. this will not effect the taste, but it sure does effect the final serving and presentation of the dish.

when the chicken is properly seared on both sides i then carefully pour the sauce over the chicken pieces. i do not stir it, poke or shake it, i wait. i have not removed the olive oil or any of the rendered chicken fat either, to do so would be sacrilege and diminish the final taste immensely.

when i see that the sauce has come back up to temp i turn the flame down to a simmer, and after a minute or 2, i then carefully grab both handles of the pot using protection (i love using folded dry washcloths for this) and gently with a swirling motion, move the pot until i see that the chicken is no longer cleaved to the bottom and the sauce is mixing in and under. i place the lid on top and let it ride for about 5 or 10 minutes, no more. i then remove the lid and check the product. all looks good so i put it aside, grab a small saute pan, add some olive oil, and bring it up to temp.

i then carefully add the livers to that pan, let them sit while they sear, and then carefully start to swirl the pan so they will get cooked on all sides. i like my liver medium rare to medium, so this only takes about 4 to 5 minutes. when the livers are done at most, i set the pan to the side and make sure it is canted on an angle. this way any blood will collect to the side. when i see the yare drained i remove them from the pan and set them aside in a dish.

during all of this i have been running back and forth to my office, doing my daily work load, and peeling potatoes and defrosting the peas. i cut the potatoes and boil them in - water with a good amount of the sea salt, drain them when they are done - leaving a few tablespoons of water in the bottom. i have 6 large russets, so i add about 4 tablespoons of unsalted butter and about 2 tablespoons of olive oil margarine, fresh ground black pepper and i begin to mash. when that is complete i taste and correct with a tad more sea salt, and put them aside. i have had the peas steeping in hot water so they do not even need to be put to the fire.

i am now ready to deliver upstairs and plate on site as it were.

i first place the tates on the plate, make a small well for some sauce, arrange the chicken and livers as i like them, and then i carefully ladle sauce onto them. the final step is to add the peas to the plate (they are naked, they need nothing) and i we are ready to eat.

yes? no? maybe?
just like mama never made?

TGIF, didn't cook for anyone, ate out twice ...

once or twice a week i do not cook lunch for myself or the the others, and we order in or i pick something up. today i went out to the street vendors and picked up some "khao man gai", khao = rice, man = fat and gai = chicken, basically it is chicken and rice thai style.

the chickens are boiled or steamed in water with very little added, usually just some winter melon, but not much else. the rice is twice cooked in a special preparation making it very tasty and glossy. the chicken is boneless breast meat, smacked with the broad side of a knife and then thinly sliced. the broth is served on the side, and the "nam chin" or sauce, is a "siew", or soya based sauce with chili added. it is not a fiery hot chili, but a mellow tasty one.

one true testament to the popularity and the simplicity and elegance of this dish is how many links i discovered when i was searching for stuff to tie into this article. here are four good reasons why this is such a popular dish:

1. http://www.bangkokrecorder.com/magazine/bangkok-life/cheap-eats---khao-man-gai-487.html
2. http://www.thailandmusings.com/thai-food-recipes/khao-man-gai-thai-chicken-and-rice/
3. http://www.simply-thai.com/thai-food-recipes-khao-man-gai.htm
4. http://importfood.com/recipes/tchickenandrice.html

i picked up mine on pridi soi 3 in the phra khanong district, an awesome street for true thai tastes. phra khanong being a middle or working-class neighborhood has an abundance of good, cheap thai food of every variety. there are a few random vendors during the day, but as the afternoon shifts into evening, they come up and line the street for blocks in 4 directions. 'n' the bes' thang is, they are open until early morning in order to cater to the night workers who drift back into the neighborhood after all the entertainment venues shut down around 2 am.

khao man gai.
usually for just 30 thai baht/$1 usd
this is an order that was made "pee-set", special.
it contains 50% more chicken and double on the broth.
and, the rice is simply "khao suay", steamed, i'm trying to cut down on the fat.
i paid 40 thb/$1.30 usd - right, 30% more cost, yet 50% more food.

we also get off work a tad early on friday's, so after i had enjoyed a few beers with a good friend i was feeling a bit hungry again. so i trapsed on over to sukhumvit soi3/1 and had a bite a sherazade, an egyptian restaurant that i think ranks so high on my list, that none other actually comes close. and that is regardless of cuisine, meal time, service, ambiance, or any other factor you would care to apply. if you told me i could only eat in one restaurant for the rest of my life, it would be sherazade.

tonight i had a fantastically moist bar-b-qued leg of lamb, specifically it was the rear shank or lower leg portion. some perfectly prepared garlicky babaganoush, and a plate of egyptian feta cheese. what sets the cheese apart form other fetas available in bkk is the fact that it has the texture of marscapone, it is not too salty, and it is packed in a uht type paper and wax-coated box. not a tin or plastic. i think that, in and of itself, helps this cheese be all that it can be. i swiped all of the lamb from the bone and the cheese and the 'noush with my fingers and 2 light-as-air chapatis that were made to order.

again, simplicty and elegance, and all for just a little over $12 usd.

sorry, i was in such a rush to eat this delicacy i started before i thought to take the pic.
check out the texture of the cheese.
granted i added a tablespoon of olive oil to it, but still, creeeeeeeee-mee!
note the pocket in the chapati, perfection. nothing beats fresh bread with any meal.

the all important fire.
anything cooked over this pit that burns locally pressed charcoal is dee-lish.
the tikka and kofta are also highly recommended here.