Asian Cuisine

Teriyaki Glaze
From a marinade bottle that I received at my bridal shower. It's cool because it already has the measurements marked on the side. There are 3 other marinade recipes on this bottle, but this one is our favorite. I use it on chicken.

1/2t pepper
1/2t salt
1T garlic powder
1T sugar
1T grated ginger
4oz white wine
4oz soy sauce

Put raw meat and marinade in a large gallon ziploc, and let set for at least 15 minutes before grilling. One time I left this in the refrigerator for 24 hours - that was REALLY good. Usually, however, Adrian decides he wants to grill without giving me 24 hour notice ;)

Quick Sesame Green Beans
From allrecipes.com. This is a good side for the chicken above. I'm not so exact with the spice measurements, and I often end up making this WAY too garlicy.

8oz fresh green beans, trimmed
4 cloves garlic
2T soy sauce
1T sesame seeds
1/2T red pepper flakes (I keep a small jar of these saved from when we have pizza)
1/2T miso paste (optional - I don't use this)
1t grated fresh ginger root (I use dried ginger powder)

1. Steam green beans for 5 minutes or until soft, then transfer to a serving bowl.
2. Mix together all other ingredients, and pour over the beans.

Beef Pho
This is a Vietnamese soup that I first had at a local restaurant. That is the weirdest restaurant, they are almost always closed. Given that they haven't gone out of business yet, I'm beginning to wonder if they are a front for a criminal ring of some kind. Anyway, then Adrian wanted to make it at home, and we found this recipe online. The trick is to use fresh herbs.

225g broad rice noodles (Banh Pho - I found these at WalMart)
100g rump steak, finely shredded (I use whatever kind of beef steak I have)
1 onion, peeled and chopped into rings
1 lemon, juiced
1 pkg fresh bean sprouts
4T fresh coriander, chopped (coriander=cilantro)
4T fresh mint, finely chopped
3-4 hot red or green chili peppers cut into rings (optional - I think I used jalapenos)
90 mL Nuoc Mam sauce (see next recipe)
3 cups beef broth (or water+boullion)

Nuoc Mam Sauce
1 part lime/lemon juice or vineager
1 part fish sauce (I learned that "fish sauce" is made from, among other things, fermented anchovy juice. The mere thought turns my stomach, so I substitute soy sauce and that seems to work just fine.)
1 part sugar
2 parts water

1. Soak noodles for 30 minutes in warm water, until just soft
2. Drain and keep warm. Soak onion rings in lemon juice for 20 minutes.
3. Arrange coriander, mint sprouts, and lemon or lime wedges on different plats and place on the table.
4. First add noodles to the soup bowles, then follow with herbs, then onion and chiles if desired.Add meat, placing it in a single layer over the whole.
5. Pour the stock over the paper-thin meat, turning it from raw to rare and releasing the scnets and flavors of the coriander, mint and chili.
6. Add the Nuoc Mam sauce, a squeeze of lemon or lime, and slurp away.

...Now, I actually boil the meat a little first, out of hygiene concerns. I also add everything to one bowl, and don't both with separate plates of herbs. However, the soup is tough to serve. Maybe I should be cutting up the noodles a bit first?