Cooking Thai Food In American Kitchens

Italian Bake Pasta

Ingredients:

Tomato paste

Diced tomatoes (you can fresh or can one)

Olive oil

Green onion, use only the white part

Garlic, chopped

Onion, minced

Bay leaf

Italian parsley

Basil, chopped (optional)

Red ground pepper (optional)

Salt & pepper to taste

Penny pasta (cook according to direction on the box)

Ground beef

                                                                              Mozzarella cheese

                                                                              Parmesan cheese

Directions:

Note: you can use ready made pasta sauce to shorten the cooking time.

(posted on 12/29/08)

Easy Bread 

Ingredients:

Direction:

• Measure carefully, placing all ingredients except egg yolk and cold water in bread machine pan in the order recommended by the manufacturer.

• Select Dough/Manual cycle. Do not use Delay cycle.

• Remove dough from pan, using lightly floured hands. Cover and let rest 10 minutes on lightly floured surface.

• Grease large cookie sheet. Divide dough into thirds. Roll each third into 13-inch rope. Place ropes side by side; braid ropes gently and loosely, starting at the middle. Pinch ends to seal; tuck ends under braid. Place on cookie sheet. Cover and let rise in warm place about 45 minutes or until double. (Dough is ready if indentation remains when touched.)

• Heat oven to 375ºF. Mix egg yolk and cold water; brush over loaf. Bake about 25 minutes or until golden brown.

Please note:

• If you don't have a bread machine, you simply mix all the ingredients together and knead it well. Rest the dough for 1 1/2 hours and then follow that last step.
• For hand knead, please use 1 cup and 1 tbsp water instead.
• If you don't have butter or margarine, any oil can be replaced.

(Posted on 01/05/09 and updated on 02/19/09)

Mahshi

Ingredients:

2 tbsps oil

2 tbsps butter

1 medium onion, chopped

Half green bell pepper, chopped

1 can tomato sauce

3 cups rice

Coriander, chopped

Parsley, chopped

Ground dry mints

Drill (optional)

Salt, black pepper, cumin, and paprika to taste

Grape / wine leaves

Chicken broth

Directions:

• In large pot, melt oil and butter. Then add onion and cook until the onion gets soft and add pepper. Stir well

• After onion and pepper are cooked, pour tomato sauce into the pot and stir. Then add rice and cook for a couple minutes

• Add the rest of the ingredients except the grape leaves and chicken broth. Stir occasionally and let it cook for 5 minutes or until all the liquids are dry out. Remove from the heat and let it cool

• In a separate pot, bring water to boil and put the leaves to cook for about 10 minutes or less to soften the leaves. Drain and let it cool

• Put 1-2 tsp rice mixture on the grape leaf. Wrap it and close both end. Arrange filled grape leaf in a separate medium pot. Redo it until finish the mixture

• Fill the pot with chicken broth just a bit above the filled grape leaves. Cover and cook at medium high heat until the broth boils and lower the heat to medium for 5 minutes. After than lower the heat to low until the liquid is gone. Let them cool

• Arrange on the plate and serve warm

Please note: one leaf can make up to 2-3 rolls

(Posted on 03/09/09) 

Lentil Pasta

Ingredients:

Tomato paste

Diced tomatoes (you can use fresh or can ones)

Oil

Garlic, minced

Onion, chopped

Italian parsley

Basil, chopped (optional)

Red ground chili pepper (optional)

Cardamom & cumin, pitch each  

Salt & black pepper to taste

Spaghetti noodle (cook according to direction on the box)

Grilled chicken (optional)

Chicken broth / water

Lentils

Directions:

• In large sauce pan, add oil and then onion. Stir

• Add garlic after the onions become soft. Continue stir for 1 minute

• Add tomato paste and diced tomatoes. Stir for a while and then add parsley, basil, red chili cardamom, cumin, salt, and black pepper. Stir well

• Add lentils and broth or water to the sauce pan.  Cook at medium high until the sauce is boiling then put it to a medium low heat.

• Cook until the lentils are soft. Remove from the heat

• Meanwhile cook spaghetti according to its direction

• In large bowl, pour pasta and top lentil sauce.

• Serve warm  

(posted on 10/21/09)