Reliving My Youth

A couple of times when I was a teenager, mom shipped us to Thailand to spend summer break with the relatives and learn about our roots. The first time I was 13 and it was so exciting to travel alone. Except I had my 8 year old brother in tow, and that was annoying.

Since we stayed for 2 to 3 months at a time, we weren’t treated like tourists (that is, our relatives didn’t take time from work to show us around) and we were too young to venture out ourselves. The aunts and uncles worked during the day, so us kids mostly just hung out in the neighborhood. And because the adults had to leave 2 hours early to account for the horrendous Bangkok traffic, the cousins, brother and I had to procure our own breakfast, lunch and snacks. Every meal we ate came from one street vendor or another. No matter what else we’d eat during the day, we always made a trip to a particular vendor to get skewered, grilled fish balls brushed with a delicious sweet chili-garlic sauce. We’d wait patiently while the old man turned the perfectly round, skewered balls over a hibachi-type grill. I just could not get enough of these snacks. Even though I haven’t had them in years, I still remember how delicious they were.



I’ve tried to replicate that delicious street snack, minus the street, oppressive humidity and pesky baby brother. Maybe that’s why the version I made could never compare to the ones I ate every single day that summer long ago, but they turned out pretty good, if I do say so myself.

Cocktail shrimp balls with sweet chili-garlic sauce
Makes about 35 cocktail-sized shrimp balls

• 2 pounds shrimp, shelled and de-veined
• 3 tbs cornstarch
• 2 tbs fish sauce
• 2 eggs
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 5 kaffir lime leaves, minced
• Sweet chili garlic sauce (recipe follows)

In a food processor, add the shrimp, egg, garlic, lime leaves and fish sauce and process just until you get a paste. Add the cornstarch and process just until incorporated.

To make the shrimp balls, transfer the paste to a large bowl. It will be very sticky, so you’ll want another bowl of water next to you to wet your hands every so often. I made balls about the size of one tablespoon, but you are welcome to make them a little larger. As you’ll notice, they are hard to form in perfect balls. That’s okay; it’s rustic! For two pound of shrimp, you could get about 35 to 40 balls depending on how big you make them.

Not the prettiest picture, I know. I wanted to show what the paste should look like, just so no one freaks out when they see how sticky it is.

To steam the shrimp balls, I use my wok fitted with a bamboo steamer. Use whatever set up you want. Just be sure to line the bottom of the steaming basket with parchment to keep the paste from sticking to the basket. Once the water boils, they will take about 3 or 4 minutes to steam. You’ll have to steam in batches, unless you have an industrial sized steamer. Don’t crowd the balls; they puff up during steaming. They will deflate once they cool off. I like to remove the balls to a rack to cool.

After the shrimp balls are steamed, you have a few options. They can be served as they are, warm with the chili garlic sauce for dipping. This is the way to go if you are impatient or a health nut. If you are in the mood, you could skewer and grill them. If they are still warm or room temp, they won’t take very long at all. Brush a little sauce on them occasionally. Watch them though! The sauce can burn quite quickly due to the sugar content. Since I can’t be bothered to start up my Weber just for a few shrimp ball skewers, my second favorite way to enjoy them is sautéed in my wok, tossed in a little of the sauce. The sauce caramelizes nicely giving a deliciously ooey-gooey coating. Stick them with toothpicks or short skewers, and serve with some of the sauce for dipping. Your family and guests will love you.

If you don’t have a crowd of people to feed, the shrimp balls can be frozen after they are steamed. Freeze them in a single layer on a cookie sheet. Once they are frozen, throw them into a Ziploc bag, pressing out all the air. If you've got a food vacuum sealer, even better! Thaw the balls in the fridge overnight before heating.


This sweet chili sauce is so simple to make, you’ll never need to buy the commercial stuff again! It's just simple syrup spiked with a little vinegar (or lime juice or tamarind puree if you like), chili and garlic. Heck, you could put minced up ginger, green onions, diced white onions, diced cucumbers or even kaffir lime leaves in it too!

If you find this sauce is too sweet for your taste, just add a little more vinegar and/or fish sauce. Also, I cheat and use the Lee Kum Kee (LKK) chili garlic sauce. Despite its fiery appearance, the LKK sauce is not very spicy. Even Sonny can eat it when I use it in foods. If you want to do it the “authentic” way, add about 2 or 3 minced garlic cloves and as much red chili flakes or sambal oelek as you can stand. And don’t worry if the sauces is not as thick as the commercial stuff; it’ll still taste great.

Sweet Chili garlic Sauce

• ½ cup sugar
• ½ cup water
• ¼ cup rice vinegar
• 1 tbs fish sauce or more to taste
• 1 tbs chili garlic sauce (or 2 minced cloves garlic + as much chili flakes as you can stand)

In a small sauce pan, add the sugar, water and rice vinegar. Bring to a boil and continue to boil until it thickens a little, about 5 minutes after it comes to a boil. Take it off the heat and allow it to cool slightly. Throw in the garlic, chili and fish sauce. Stir and taste. Allow to cool to room temperature before serving. It will thicken a little more when cooled, although it will never be as thick as the commercial stuff.

If this recipe has piqued your interest, you may also like Thai fish cakes.

The Secret Ingredient

When most people think of Thai flavors, the first thing that comes to mind is probably fish sauce. Or maybe lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves and galangal. Rarely do people think cilantro roots. They're under-recognized by many, probably because they are rarely ever listed as an ingredient on menus in Thai restaurants. Funny because they're used in just about every Thai curry paste as well as in stir-fries and soups.

The best cilantro roots to use for a stir-fry are the thinner ones. They break down easiest. The fatter roots are good for soups, where they can be used mostly whole and easily fished out (like lemongrass).

I can't accurately describe the taste of cilantro roots. They're not as peppery as a parsnip or turnip. They've got a bit of the cilantro taste, but not the same level of freshness you'd get from the leaves or even stem. Maybe they taste a little like celeriac, but not quite. For sure the flavor they contribute is subtle- most people would be hard-pressed to identify it- but they add an extra level of complexity to the end result. The only way to appreciate the flavor is to use them!




Stir-fried Shrimp with Garlic and Cilantro Roots
Adapted from The Food of Thailand (see right side bar)
Feeds 3 to 4

• 1 pound medium to large shrimp, peeled, deveined and blotted with paper towels to remove excess moisture
• 6 to 8 cilantro roots (attached to about 1 inch of stem)
• 5 large cloves garlic
• 20 black peppercorns
• 2 red Thai chillies, dried or fresh is fine
• 2 tbs oyster sauce
• 2 tbs low sodium soy sauce (or 1 1/2 tbs regular soy sauce)
• 1/2 tsp sugar
• cilantro leaves, for garnish

Start by making the sauce. Combine the oyster sauce, soy sauce, sugar and 1 tbs water. Stir well to dissolve the sugar. Set aside until needed.

There are two ways to go about preparing the flavor base. My favorite is to make a paste, but this will require a little more elbow grease and patience (but it's not as bad as making curry paste). If you go this route, you must slice the cilantro roots as finely as possible. They are quite fibrous and if not sliced in advance, will take forever to pound down. Pound/grind the sliced cilantro roots, garlic, peppercorns and chillies in a mortar until you get a smooth paste.

Alternatively, you could make a rough paste if you aren't inclined to do all that pounding. The one advantage of a rough paste is being able to pick out the fibrous roots when you're eating. Start by splitting the roots in half lengthwise. Pound them in a mortar just to crush the fibers. Remove them from the mortar and add the peppercorns, garlic and chillies and pound them to a paste. Mix the garlic paste with the crushed roots.

Gather all your ingredients so that they are close by, because this stir-fry goes pretty quick.

Heat your wok over high heat until very (very) hot. Add about 2 to 3 tbs oil and when it's hot, add the flavor paste. Stir-fry for about 20 to 30 seconds, making sure not to let it burn. You'll start to smell the garlic and cilantro roots. Add the shrimp. Stir them around frequently (not constantly) until they are almost done. Add the soy sauce mixture, drizzling down the hottest side of your wok to get the sauce to caramelize a little. Toss the shrimp around to coat with the sauce. Taste and adjust flavor as needed with more soy (or water if it's too salty for you). Remove immediately from the wok and garnish with cilantro leaves. Serve immediately with steamed jasmine rice.

I'm submitting this recipe to Weekend Herb Blogging created by Kalyn from Kalyn's Kitchen. The host this week is Simona from Briciole. If you can't participate this time around but want to, click here to see who's hosting in the future.

Some Random Thoughts...

I hope everyone had a safe 4th! We hosted a potluck BBQ with lots of food, drink and screaming kids. Sweet chaos. I wanted to thank everyone for the wonderful food and company. For those of you who want the recipe for the Thai BBQ chicken, here it is. Enjoy!

Our holiday was generally safe, except for the bit where our neighbor almost killed us with her fireworks. It was one of those do-dads that had five bundled into one. The first one went straight up like it was supposed to, but with such force it flipped the bundle over. The next shot fired at the neighbor’s house across the street. No one was in the line of fire and those neighbors weren’t home. It was funny until we realized that the bundle had flipped again and was pointing directly at us. All I remember was parents grabbing kids and ducking for cover. It lasted all of 9 seconds but seemed like a minute. Funny now, but definitely NOT funny at the time.

Also, I wanted to point everyone to the Weekend Wokking round-up featuring potato recipes from all over the world. I’ll be hosting the next round-up and the theme ingredient this time is the tomato! Send your entries to me by midnight on the last day of the month. And if you want to host a future round-up email Wandering Chopsticks at wanderingchopsticks(at)gmail(dot)com.

Now for some random pictures since I didn't take any at our BBQ:

Sonny lost 2 teeth on the same day this last week. Doesn't it look like someone punched him in the mouth? He was eating cherries. If you have kids, you may think this is a cute, funny picture. If you don't, you're probably grossed out. Shortly after this picture was taken he lost the second tooth.

Notice how the teeth coming in are larger than the spaces they need to occupy? I think I see braces in his future.

My lilies started blooming this week too. Aren't they pretty?

The Humbling Potato

If there is one vegetable that can evoke the biggest sense of uselessness in me, it is the potato. I just don’t know what to do with the damned thing beyond the standard boiling or mashing. For the last couple of weeks, I’ve been trying to come up with a dish to submit for Weekend Wokking that would showcase the potato in all its glory. I thought maybe I could do them up Asian-style, but there really weren’t many recipes that inspired me. The one Thai dish that I would have loved to do was massaman curry, but I’ve already done that (and you should too, if you've never had it). There was a Korean dish with potatoes and pork loin that briefly piqued my interest. And of course Indian spiced potatoes would have fit the bill. Yet I couldn’t motivate myself for either of these.


The thing about potatoes is that they're humble, almost too humble. They're never the star of the show, but can certainly save a meal. Think about it, if the main attraction sucks, like an over cooked steak or a dry pork chop, at least the potatoes will be satisfying. So with that in mind, I decided on an easy potato salad with smoked trout and dill. The smoked trout gave it a complex flavor and the dill added that extra bit of freshness. It’s the type of potato salad that brings a bit of sophistication to the humble potato.

Note: For this dish, I used just your average, run of the mill potatoes. They work just fine, but for a little more interest, try using unpeeled fingerlings or small new potatoes. Red potatoes would be very pretty as well.

Fresh smoked trout is difficult to find. So here’s a secret: use the canned stuff. I know some people would balk at this, but it worked beautifully. I got mine at Trader Joe’s, but any respectable brand will do. Just make sure it’s drained well before using. Dab it with paper towels or a clean kitchen towel, if necessary, to remove the excess oil and liquid.

Potato Salad with Smoked Trout and Dill

• Approx 1. 5 to 2 pounds potatoes, peeled, boiled and cooled
• 3 oz smoked trout (hot smoked salmon works beautifully as well)
• 1 to 2 tbs finely chopped sweet (red or white) onion
• 2 to 3 tbs chopped fresh dill
• 1 tbs mayonnaise
• 2 tbs sour cream (crème fraiche or crema will also do the trick)
• lemon or lime juice, to taste
• salt and pepper, to taste

In a bowl, combine the mayonnaise, sour cream and lemon juice. Add salt to taste and set the dressing aside until needed.

Depending on how you like your potato salad, dice or coarsely mash the potatoes. In a large bowl, combine the potatoes with the onion and dill. Add about 2/3 of the dressing and some salt. Gently mix the salad until well combined. Taste and adjust seasoning by adding more dressing, salt or lemon juice and pepper. Serve chilled.

I’m still going to submit this dish to Weekend Wokking, which was created by Wandering Chopsticks. Despite the name of the event, the submissions don’t need to be Asian or cooked in a wok. They just have to showcase the (seasonal) theme ingredient, which happened to be the potato this month. If you want to participate in the next round, visit White on Rice Couple to see the round-up and what they’ll choose as the theme ingredient. Once they announce the ingredient, you can send your delicious submissions to me for the August round-up. To see who else is hosting in the future, click here.

Kickin' it Old School Style

I’m what some people might call a technology idiot old school. Hubby is exactly the opposite. It's like George Jetson married to Wilma Flintstone. We're constantly discussing the value of modern-day conveniences. In my opinion, these so-called conveniences are either a waste of money or end up being a big pain in the ass. Like the dumb "universal" remote control that only controls half of the TV accessories. Don't get me wrong, I love things like electricity and indoor plumbing, but why do I need a camera phone that can play MP3s? Why do I need a panini maker when I have a perfectly good cast iron grill pan and lid? Why do I need an espresso machine when the stove top brewer works perfectly fine?

The latest issue is whether we should get a gas grill. Hubby thinks gas would be swell, while I’m a die-hard charcoal fan. Food tastes better over coals and wood and there's no threat of freak explosions. But with the shitty spring weather we had here in Portland, I almost caved. It would be so easy to just turn on the gas and throw our hot dogs on 5 minutes later. We could grill every day this summer, even on the days we get home late from work. Heck, we could grill all year long, no matter the weather. It's such a tempting thought!

While I agonize over the issue, you should make this delicious Korean-style grilled pork I made this last weekend. I completely ripped this idea from was inspired by manggy, who posted about a mouthwatering Korean barbequed chicken. Do check out the post; his picture is enough to induce uncontrollable drooling. He did it as a stir-fry, but I decided to try it grilled. Oh man, was it good! Thanks to manggy for the inspiration!

Note: Scanning the ingredients, you may think this dish may be too spicy; it’s not. The heat from the gochujang is a subtle heat, not like the in-your-face heat of a birdseye chilli. My 5-year-old enjoyed this dish as much as Hubby and I did.

Korean-style Grilled Pork

• 4 to 5 tbs gochujang (Korean hot pepper paste)
• 3 tbs tamari (regular old Kikkoman is fine)
• 2 tbs rice vinegar
• 3 tbs browns sugar or honey
• 5 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tbs grated ginger
• 1 tbs sesame oil
• 2 pounds boneless pork loin chops (or tenderloin or even chicken, if you prefer)
• toasted sesame seeds for garnish (optional)
• green onions, thinly sliced on the diagonal for garnish (optional)

Make the marinade by combining all the ingredients, except the pork. Mix well to get a uniform mixture. Taste the mixture and adjust according to your preference. Keep in mind, it will be less spicy on the cooked pork.

Since the marinade is more like a barbeque sauce, I recommend giving the chops a couple of wacks with a meat mallet. Don’t annihilate the meat; just a couple of solid wacks to flatten them slightly. This breaks down the fibers of the meat a little and allows the marinade to penetrate better.

Marinate the meat for at least 4 hours in the fridge, but longer is better. I started it in the morning and let it go all day. Take the meat out of the fridge up to one hour before grilling to take the chill off.

Couple of things to keep in mind when grilling. Grill over direct heat, but the coals shouldn't be blazing hot. Watch carefully because the marinade will burn quite easily. It may only take a couple of minutes each side, depending on how thick your chops are. You definitely don’t want to overcook loin chops, unless you like dry-ass pork.

Before serving, garnish with the toasted sesame seeds and green onions. I served the pork with Japanese-style rice and a simple stir-fry of carrots, celery and ginger. A side of kimchi would also go great!