1 ½ tablespoons concentrated chicken base or 4 bouillon cubes
1 tablespoon fish sauce
1 eight-ounce boneless, skinless chicken breast, very thinly sliced
1 tablespoon minced ginger
1/2 large onion diced
3 garlic cloves minced
Toppings:
1 scallion, finely chopped for garnish
2 to 3 round slices lemon, each cut in half to squeeze on top when serving
Minced Garlic fried to golden brown for topping
Hardboiled Eggs sliced for topping
Directions
If using Instant pot, add ingredients to instant pot. Cook on porridge setting. if not using instant pot cook in covered stock pot on stove for 1 hour. Serve with lemon squeezed over and crispy fried garlic sprinkled on top. Add additional toppings as desired.
I decided to make this because we love going to the Vietnamese Pho restaurants for Bun Bo Hue, but I wanted to see how a homemade recipe comes out. I researched it, went through a bunch of recipes, took out what I liked, and WOW it is great. It has many levels of complexity that I only noticed when I went to the really expensive places where they make their own Pho from scratch. I was surprised I could achieve this level of flavor on my my first try.
Update: I went back to the expensive Pho restaurants and either they weren’t as good as I remember or went downhill. This one was way better.
Ingredients
Meat
2 lbs of Flank steak sliced in 1/4″ slices across the grain
2 lbs of short rib sliced in about 1/2 inch cubes
Broth
1/2 of a large onion or 1 small one
1 tsp of ground coriander seeds
1 tsp pepper corns
1 cinnamon stick
1/2 tsp coriander seeds
3 star anise
2 cardamom pods
1 tbsp finely minced ginger
5 tbsp fish sauce
4 whole garlic cloves
Water fill 6 qt instant pot to just below max fill line after broth ingredient added (Soak thick rice noodle for 30 mins before cooking)
1 tbsp salt
2 lbs of Flank steak sliced in 1/4″ slices across the grain
Chili Oil
8 spicy chrushed cayenne peppers
1 tbsp chopped garlic
1 tbsp of annatto seeds
1/3 cup of canola oil
Noodles:
Water enough to cover when soaking and at least 2 qts to cook noodles
16 oz of thick rice noodles
Toppings/Garnish:
Chopped green onion as a topping
Sliced yellow onion as garnish
Chopped cilantro
Lime wedges
Thai Basil
Bean Sprouts
Chili paste (to add more heat)
Directions:
Put 1st 8 broth ingredients on a cookie sheet lined with aluminum foil and toast with torch or put on aluminum foil on gril to toast (it enhances flavor but not absolutely needed), do not burn. Add into instant pot along with rest of broth ingredients and pressure cook on high for 20 minutes. While broth cooks brown short ribs in a frying pan then set aside. When broth is finished, strain into pour into pan or bowl and set aside. Remove flank steak from strained ingredients and put into instant pot. Add in browned short ribs into instant pot with flank steak and cook on high pressure for 25 minutes with natural pressure release then keep warm until rest of ingredients ready. Add oil into pan and heat for about 3 minutes on low and then add rest of chili oil ingredients and increase heat to medium and cook for about 6-10 minutes, do not burn the garlic and remove from heat. Cook pre-soaked noodle for about 10 -20 mins till done then drain and rinse. Chop and slice toppings. For serving add noodles, then broth, some of the chili oil, then top with your choice of toppings. Eat and enjoy.
Making fresh noodles takes some work, especially because you have to make twice the amount since everyone will want to eat much more than if they were dried noodles, but the result is always worth it. I often make them and yes they disappear quickly.
Ingredients
2 cups of all purpose flour
3 eggs
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp olive oil
Directions
On a large cutting board, pour flour into a pile and use your fingers to poke down in the center and form a crater, so it looks like a volcano. Break eggs one at a time in the crater you formed and use a fork to start mixing the flour with the egg until the flour absorbs the egg and don’t break the side of the flour pile or the egg will run out. After you mixed in the first egg put in the second until all 3 eggs are incorporated. then knead the dough for about 5 minutes until well mixed. Wrap in saran wrap and put in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to rest. If you have a pasta roller (like HomeStart HST5018 Pasta Maker) you can use this to roll the dough.
With Pasta roller: Start at the thickest setting. Cut the dough into thirds and roll one piece through fold and roll through again 4 times. Go down one setting and fold and roll through the pasta maker. Do this 3 more times. Now go down 1 setting at a time folding over before rolling dough but only go through 1 time now till you are down to the thickness you want. Now flour both sides of the pasta sheet and run through the cutter onto a dish and toss in flour.
Without Pasta roller: Separate the dough into thirds. Use a rolling pin to roll the dough out into a sheet on a floured cutting board. Fold over and repeat 7 times. Now roll to thickness you want. Add a lot of flour to the pasta sheet and roll up. Now with a sharp knife cut the end of the roll into the width noodle you want and repeat until the roll is cut. Unroll and toss in flour.
Then cook for 3 – 5 minutes in boiling water. Serve as spaghetti, or in soups, etc.
I have made my own vegetable broth numerous times and after my first few attempts at making it and doing some research, I found out one of the secrets to making the stock is that when you first fry the vegetables briefly you can then add the water and it extracts the goodness from the vegetables much better. This may be a simple thing and makes sense but I still see recipes that just call for simmering without first frying the veggies.
Ingredients
1 onion sliced
2 to 3 stalks celery sliced crosswise
2 to 3 carrots sliced
1 tomato sliced
5 mushrooms sliced
2 cloves garlic sliced
2 to 3 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp salt
1/2 tap pepper fresh ground
1.5 qt water
Directions
Fry vegetables and salt in olive oil for about 10 mins. Then add water and pepper and heat almost to a boil and reduce heat and simmer for about 30 mins to 1 hour. Stain Vegetables from broth and use or freeze.
Recipe From: gastronomy.ddns.net
I always cook this when we go camping, usually on the campfire but I have started cooking this at home too since it is such a big hit. Very simple, but really good. Here is the recipe.
Ingredients
3 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts or 4 thighs cut into about 1/2 inch cubes
4 small to medium size potatoes cut into 1/2 inch cubes
juice from 1 medium size lemon or 2 limes
6 cloves of garlic
2 large jalapenos sliced
5 tblsp olive oil
1 tsp course ground pepper
1 tsp salt (Can add more later if needed)
1 medium size onion chopped into 1/2 squares
Directions
Pour olive oil in 9×13 pan. Then add all ingredients and toss in oil to cover. Cover with aluminum foil and cook at 450 degrees for 10 minutes. Remove foil cook for another 20-30 minutes till chicken is done and the top is browned. Serve and enjoy.
These are very easy and quick to make and taste great. The cheese is melted, the bun is slightly crunchy on the outside, the onion gives a punch, and the tomato gives freshness. I have made two types one with Ham and one with Roast Beef and both were great. You can experiment with adding a little mustard with the ham or other add ins. Here is the recipe.
Ingredients
Ham or Roast Beef sliced lunch meat 1 to 4 slices per slices per sandwich depending on thickness.
Sliced Cheddar Cheese, I used sharp.
Thinly sliced onion
Sliced Tomato
Mayonnaise
Hamburger buns (1 per sandwich)
Directions
Spread a layer of mayonnaise on the inside of the top bun, then put the thinly sliced onion then the cheese, followed by the lunch meat and then the tomato and the bottom half of the bun. Now wrap the sandwich in foil and put into a 350 degree oven for about 10-15 minutes until the cheese is melted in the middle of the sandwich. Serve wrapped in foil to be unwrapped hot and and enjoyed.
I like to experiment with different hot sauce recipes. I have a few favorite recipes and this one has good balanced flavor and not just heat. You can experiment with the balance of flavor and heat by adding more or less Habanero peppers.
Ingredients
1/2 Red Bell Pepper Seeded
4 whole Habenaro peppers
1 whole Fresno pepper
1/2 Med size onion
1 Carrot pealed, cut into about 6-8 pieces
4 cloves garlic
1 small bunch of celantro (about equiv 1 tablespoon chopped)
1 tablespoon salt
2 tablespoons white vinegar
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon oregano
Directions
Boil onion, peppers, celantro, carrot, garlic for 20 minutes in enough water to cover in a small pan. Remove the ingredients from the boiling water and add to food processor along with salt, vinegar, cumin, and oregano. Grind into a paste. Then add in enough of the boiling water to make to the desired consistency. Bottle and use.
This is really a great tasting soup. I first tasted a soup similar to this at China Town in LA. I fell in love with the rich complex flavor so with help, I was able to figure out the recipe and to put my own spin on it. It really shines when you make your own fresh noodles, cooked in a separate pot of water and add in right when serving.
Ingedients
1.5 quarts of beef stock
1.5 – 3 lbs sirloin steak sliced or chopped into 1/2 – 1″ cubes
Noodles (Can be Chinese egg noodles or make your own fresh)
Add ins: baby bok choy, spinach, green leaf lettuce, fried tofu
Toppings: green onion, cilantro
Directions
Brown the sirloin steak on all sides. Now add all the other ingredients and bring almost to a boil then simmer on med low for 1 -3 hours (depending on how tender the meat is and if the flavors have melded). Remove the orange peal after 20 minutes if it starts to taste a little bitter (if bitter you will need to add some sugar to compensate). If you don’t have any of the white part of the orange peel this won’t happen. Remove from heat and strain broth. Add some of the meat, vegetables, some broth and cooked noodles (fresh are best) along with toppings to each bowl and serve.
Add ins: pieces of Bok Choy or Spinich. Top with chopped green onions and chopped cilantro.
Note: Bok Choy and Spinach need to cook in broth till soft.
This pizza sauce tastes better than the bottled or canned sauces at the supermarket and it takes only about 5 minutes to make. If you have fresh herbs use them instead.
Ingredients
1 28 oz can manzeneo tomatoes
5 cloves of garlic chopped
2 tblsp olive oil
1/2 onion chopped
1 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tsp dried Oregano
1 tsp basil
1 tblsp tomato paste
Directions
Saute onions and garlic in olive oil for about 3-4 minutes till translucent, add red pepper flakes for the last 2 minutes of frying. Add 1/2 can of tomatoes, garlic, onion, red pepper and all other ingredients to a food processor and grind until garlic and onion are chopped finely. Add rest of tomatoes and pulse a few times to leave tomatoes a little chunky. It is ready to use on a pizza or whatever you want to use it in. It can be stored in the fridge for up to a week.
Add all ingredients to a bowl and mix with a spoon until well mixed. Put in refrigerator an let set for about 30 minutes or more to let flavors meld. Serve on the side with Mediterranean or Indian food.
) you can use this to roll the dough.
