Fishy take on a beef Thai dish
Ever bought a condiment for a particular recipe and been left with half a bottle of something that you have no idea what to do with? This happened to me recently. I made a khao soi and was left with bottles of shrimp paste and fish sauce.
Both ingredients are a quick way to give vegetable stir-fries a rich, salty, seafood flavour (an excellent way to jazz up the usual soy sauce stir-fry) but for those who have no idea where to start, here’s a take on the classic Thai dish pad ka-prao (basil stir-fry). Instead of holy basil, I used spinach since it is more widely available and I try to pack every meal with leafy greens. Thai inspired stir-fry
3 Star Tested Rice: 1 cup (250 mL) water 1/2 cup (125 mL) white or brown
long-grain rice Stir fry: 2 tsp (10 mL) canola oil 1 small white onion, sliced thinly 2 cloves garlic, minced 2 tsp (10 mL) shrimp paste 2 tsp (10 mL) fish sauce 1/4 lb. (125 g) lean ground beef or
pork 2 cups (500 mL) spinach leaves, roughly chopped
1 tsp (5 mL) sesame oil Salt and pepper, to taste Chili flakes (optional) 1 egg 1/4 cup (60 mL) green onions, chopped (optional)
1 tsp (5 mL) curly leaf parsley, chopped (optional) In a saucepan, bring water to a boil over medium-high heat. Add rice. Lower heat. Cover. Let simmer 20 to 25 minutes until liquid has evaporated and rice is tender. Turn off heat. Let sit for 5 minutes to steam. Fluff with a fork and set aside.
In a medium-sized skillet at medium heat pour 1 tsp of canola oil. Add onions. Sauté until translucent, 6 to 8 minutes. Add garlic, shrimp paste, fish sauce and meat. Stir, breaking up beef with spatula. Cook until beef is browned and no longer pink, about 8 to 10 minutes.
Add spinach. Cook until leaves wilt, about 3 to 5 minutes. Drizzle with sesame oil and season with salt, pepper and chili flakes to taste. Transfer to serving plate with cooked rice.
In same skillet over medium heat, add remaining canola oil. Turn heat to medium-high, add egg. Fry until whites are set but yolk is runny, about 1 minute. Place egg on top of rice. Garnish with green onions and parsley if desired. Serve right away.
Makes 1. Kitchen hack How to properly fry an egg: Use a mild-tasting oil that can handle high heat such as canola or vegetable. Olive oil will smoke under high heat, and despite glowing reviews from my paleo-friends, coconut oil and eggs taste awful. Skillet must be hot enough so egg whites begin to solidify as soon as they hit the pan. Once whites are opaque, egg is ready, about one minute. Make a big batch of rice on Sundays: Having pre-cooked rice in the fridge ready to be reheated saves a lot of time for weeknight meals and packed lunches. Portion about 1/2 cup (125 mL) uncooked rice per serving and instead of 1 cup (250 mL) of water, try adding broth for extra flavour. Leftover rice is good for making stir-fries and fried rice as the grains are drier and able to absorb more flavour from sauces without getting mushy. Any chef will tell you day-old rice is best. Cook with this! Shrimp paste: This wonderfully potent paste made from ground shrimp fermented in the sun is a base for many Southeast Asian dishes. The salt level is fairly high, but a teaspoon is enough for a whole pan. Use it to flavour broths; pan-fry with shrimp, tofu and Chinese greens (or broccoli), or toss with thick noodles. Karon.liu@gmail.com