Recipes

Sri Lankan Pork Curry with Yellow Rice

July 2, 2012 by The Partial Ingredients

Sri Lankan curries are delicious because they use a number of Indian spices along with fresh ingredients like tamarind, lemongrass, and coconut milk. As for the curry, I decided to use a Sri Lankan blend of cumin, fennel, coriander, fenugreek, cardamom, cloves, curry leaves and cinnamon. I reserved 1 tsp of the curry powder for the yellow rice. The key step in using any curry powder is to toast it beforehand. It’s a step that can be forgotten easily but it results in much more fragrant flavors. While the pork was roasting in the oven, I prepared the base for the curry which wasn’t too hard to throw together. After letting the meat rest the pork was shredded and mixed in to the curry sauce. I loved the flavors of this dish! I really enjoyed the slightly sour flavor of the tamarind and the creaminess of the coconut milk. The pork curry with the yellow rice were great together as well.

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Kaha Bath (Sri Lankan Yellow Rice)

July 1, 2012 by The Partial Ingredients

Kaha Bath is a simple Sri Lankan rice dish made with turmeric and coconut milk. The dish isn’t sweet, but savory with flavors of turmeric, cardamom, and cloves. The coconut milk provides a nice creaminess to the rice and I loved how the turmeric dyed the rice bright yellow. The great thing about this rice is that the flavors of curry aren’t overpowering and you can serve it alongside another curry dish. It would also work as the main course if you mixed a protein like egg, chicken or tofu into the rice.

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Margherita Pizza alla Vodka (Vodka Sauce Pizza)

June 30, 2012 by The Partial Ingredients

I bet everyone since the coming of the internet has thought of a great idea, searched for it and realized a lot of people had the same idea. This pizza was practically an epiphany for me: “…a vodka sauce pizza?” The recipe for the sauce makes enough for the pizza plus a little extra for any future pasta nights. I chose the margherita style pizza because I thought it would work best with the vodka sauce and not mask the flavor of it. The fresh mozzarella, thin crust, and basil leaves were the perfect accompaniments to the vodka sauce. After I had finished enjoying the pizza I couldn’t wait to make a post about it. It turns out other people thought the same thing! I don’t mind though..sometimes good ideas start from all over.

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Steak Tacos with Chipotle Cherry Salsa and Caramelized Onions

June 24, 2012 by The Partial Ingredients

What better way to try out a tasty new salsa than to serve it with tacos? I picked out a skirt steak for these tacos because you can get a great sear on the outside and I figured it would go well with the salsa. I went simple and just seasoned the steak with a little cumin and smoked paprika. The salsa, steak and onions went really nicely together. The recipe for the salsa can be found here. Caramelized onions are so good on tacos so I add them in whenever possible. I caramelized the onions in the leftover adobo sauce which added a smokiness that wasn’t too sweet. Then for a little texture and crunch I added some red cabbage on top. A little crumbled queso fresco added creaminess (sour cream would probably work fine too.) All together, this was a really delicious taco and I look forward to having it again sometime.

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Chipotle Cherry Salsa

June 23, 2012 by The Partial Ingredients

I recently came across a recipe for chipotle cherry salsa and I was automatically intrigued. The combination of sweet, spicy and smoky made me so excited to give it a try! The only time consuming part was removing the pits from four cups of cherries. It turned out to be well worth it as the salsa was everything I thought it would be: smoky/spicy from the chipotle and sweet and fruity from the cherries. There’s also a hint of balsamic vinegar that adds another dimension to the salsa. It was a combination that worked out great for the Steak Tacos.

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Pulled Chicken Sandwich with Kimchi and Gochujang Mayo

June 18, 2012 by The Partial Ingredients

Ever since I first made kimchi and gochujang I have been infatuated with those ingredients. Kimchi reminds me a little of sauerkraut so I had the idea of making a Korean inspired grilled cheese sandwich. Instead of grilling the chicken breasts, I decided to boil them which resulted in nicely shredded chicken. Then I tossed the shredded chicken in a simple Korean marinade of gochujang, soy sauce, ginger, and honey. The chicken was layered with kimchi, sharp cheddar cheese, and gochujang mayo. The result was a delicious, melty chicken sandwich that was spicy and sweet. All the flavors were perfectly balanced with each other and came together so well!

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Vietnamese Lemongrass Chicken Pizza with Cashew Butter Sauce

June 16, 2012 by The Partial Ingredients

The grilled lemongrass chicken was so good that I wanted to have those flavors again. Instead of repeating that same meal, I used an entirely different format for those flavors–a pizza! I decided to make the cashew butter dip as the sauce for the pizza along with an assortment of tasty toppings. I tried something new and added roasted red peppers for color and flavor. The grilled chicken was great with the red peppers and cashew sauce. I topped the pizza with fresh mozzarella, jalapenos, cilantro, and bean sprouts which added a nice freshness and crunch. The cashew sauce is rich so it only needs a thin layer of sauce on the bottom. All the flavors worked great together and it was fun to eat the same dish in a whole new way!

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Roasted Eggplant Linguine with Prosciutto and Sun-Dried Tomatoes

June 10, 2012 by The Partial Ingredients

After making several batches of eggplant panini sandwiches I had some leftover eggplant that needed to be used up. First, I roasted the eggplant in the oven, and then cooked it in red wine with the prosciutto and tomatoes. The eggplant browned a bit in the oven and absorbed the flavors of the wine in the pan. It was pretty easy to throw together and doesn’t take long to prepare. The wine, eggplant, and prosciutto all complimented each other really well. I topped the pasta with a little fresh basil and feta cheese.

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Grilled Lemongrass Chicken with Vietnamese Rice Noodle Salad

June 3, 2012 by The Partial Ingredients

When making Vietnamese Pho I noticed that the condiments and garnishes play a big roll in the way you eat the dish. With pho, the condiments are added methodically (usually one at a time) as you eat the soup. This salad applies that rule as well, with the platter of condiments on the side of the plate. Carrots, fresh mint, bean sprouts, red chilies, lime slices, and basil wait to be mixed in with the noodles or dipped into two bowls of dipping sauces. If any of you “played with your food” as a kid you might enjoy the process of mixing and dipping involved with this dish.

One way I would describe this dish is clean and refreshing. It really is a perfect spring or summer meal just due to the freshness of the ingredients. The grilled chicken is marinated in lemongrass paste, garlic, ginger and red chilies. The chicken was so good and the flavors were sweet and a little spicy. I loved the way all the condiments blended together with the rice noodles and chicken. I dipped the chicken in the Nuoc Cham and Cashew Butter sauces. I was generous with the sauces and poured them over the noodles and condiments which tasted great as well. I will be making this dish again soon!

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Nuoc Cham (Vietnamese Dipping Sauce)

June 2, 2012 by The Partial Ingredients

Before making this recipe, I questioned using fish sauce in a way that didn’t involve heating it up before eating. I had never eaten fish sauce “raw” but I thought I would give this recipe a shot. Nuoc Cham is a simple dipping sauce made with chilis, garlic, lime juice and of course fish sauce. When all of those ingredients combine it results in a surprisingly mild sauce (and no food poisoning!). It was perfect for the grilled lemongrass chicken and I bet it would be great with spring rolls too.

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