Fish Poached in Coconut Cream

Healthy, rich, and delicious describes the coconut miracle in a new study. Asians use coconut in so many recipes from sweet to savory. Even though Asians consume a lot of coconut, they still maintain a thin looking figure because the fat in coconut contains the good, low saturated fat. I will introduce today’s recipe as a near mirror to the Brazilian coconut fish stew. However, I like to make it my way for my own taste. Coconut cream can be used to cook with meat as well. Coconut is a super food and should be included in to our daily or weekly meal.

Ingredients:
2 fillets of any white fish (about 6 oz. each)
Coconut cream poaching liquid ingredients:
One 14.5 oz. can coconut cream
1 medium white onion, sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tomatoes, chopped
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp cayenne
1/4 tsp paprika
Salt and black pepper
1 tbs coconut oil
Juice of one lemon
Vegetables:
Equal amounts of red, green and yellow bell peppers
1 jalapeno (for a little kick), chopped
Garnish with chopped green onions and cilantro
Serve with cooked rice or bread

Directions:
Cut fish into 2 inch pieces.
In a saucepan, heat coconut oil. Stir in white onions. Stir until onions are soft. Add garlic.

Cook for 2 minutes. Stir in paprika, cayenne, and tomatoes. Add 1 tsp sugar and salt (this is the trick to make tomatoes release its color).

Cook this mixture for 5 minutes and stir in the bell peppers and chopped jalapeno. Add coconut cream mixture. Bring to boil and simmer for 7 minutes.

Add fish. Simmer fish for 7 minutes or until flakes are easily removed with a fork. Add lemon juice and adjust the seasoning with salt and black pepper.

Sprinkle with green onions and cilantro. Serve with cooked rice or bread.

 

 

Shrimp and Chicken with Coconut Water

Coconut water or milk with shrimp is a dish that any Vietnamese family is quite familiar. This dish is from the far South of Vietnam, because coconut plants grow there and shrimp should be easy to catch too with all the rivers surrounding the South area. This dish when modernized, large or small shrimp may be used depending on the tastes of each family. Also, the heads and shells can be kept on the shrimp during the cooking process. This dish has its natural sweetness from coconut water, and, if using coconut milk instead, the dish has the creamier taste. When the memory of my younger years flashes back, I think about this dish. However, now I live some distance from the Vietnamese groceries, I create this recipe to use the ingredients that easy to find in American groceries. I add chicken to this recipe because of my family taste, but it can be omitted to make more traditional. I think this recipe is a very tasty and healthy dish with including coconut water or coconut milk statistically very good for our health. The combination of chicken, shrimp and coconut water should not lack for our family meals.

Ingredients;
1/2 to 1 lb. shrimp*
1 chicken breast, sliced
1 tsp fish sauce
Simmering sauce ingredients:
12 oz. coconut water
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbs soy sauce
1 tbs honey
Spices:
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 garlic clove, minced
1 shallot, chopped
1 tsp blackstrap molasses
2 green onions, cut into 2 inch lengths
1 tbs coconut oil

Directions:
In a separate bowl, place shrimp and sliced chicken. Divide the fish sauce and add to the shrimp and chicken. Let marinate for 1 hour.

Combine the simmering sauce. Mix well and set aside.
Heat oil in a sauté pan. Add chicken and cook for 5 minutes. Add shallot and garlic. Cook until fragrant.

Stir in shrimp. Slowly add coconut water and blackstrap molasses. Continue to add coconut water. Adjust the seasoning to your liking with more sugar or soy sauce.

Cook until all the coconut water added into the pan has evaporated.

Add the green onions and black pepper and turn the heat off.

 

 

Serve with hot cooked rice.

 

 

 

*I use Costco shrimp without the heads and shells. It is my taste, but the original recipe uses shrimp with the heads and shells on.

Easy Kale Chips

Kale is leafy green vegetable, that is very popular due to the nutrients that are contained in this green vegetable. Kale can make a healthy smoothie, stir-fried dishes, and soup, but there is a dish that I enjoy much as a snack instead of potato chips. Depending on the taste of each person, spice seasoning for this chip is as simple as a little oil and salt. Kale is a great snack for health. A whole bunch of kale turned into baked kale chips will disappear in minutes. Therefore, watch for kale on sale when planning to make kale chips.

Ingredients:
One bunch of kale
1/2 tsp seasoning salt
2 tbs melted coconut oil

Directions:
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Wash kale and remove the tough stem. Cut kale into bite-size pieces or larger but they should be as uniform as possible. It helps to bake in an even.

Toss kale, salt, and oil well in a bowl.
Place kale on the prepared baking sheet one piece of the time (avoid overlapping kale pieces).
Bake for 10 minutes and then turn over and bake for another 5 minutes.
Let cool and place in a Ziploc bag or glass jar.

Tip:
I baked the first batch using parchment paper and it took more than 15 minutes. The second batch I baked without the parchment paper and it baked in just about 10 minutes. Adjust your baking time but be careful because kale is easy to burn.
I also make my own seasoning salt by combining salt with garlic powder, paprika, and sugar. If you do not have seasoning salt, just use salt. Adjust the saltiness for your liking.

Vegetarian Pad Thai

Today is the beginning of the New Year, Tet Việt Nam. My family has a tradition of eating vegetables during the day for the beginning of the year. This New Year, I did not have the opportunity to visit family, but, I also want to keep my family's tradition. For that, I think about a dish that is simple and healthy with ingredients that are in my refrigerator. This dish is a Pad Thai and is very famous in Thailand and all over the world. I introduced Pad Thai to my blog so long ago, but today's is the first day of the year. I want to renew this dish with an easier method of cooking. I will use all kinds of vegetables that I have available. With this easy recipe, anyone can make delicious food for themselves. The vegetarian Pad Thai is very nutritious and does not use meat in the first day of the year, which also sends a positive message to all animal lovers.

Ingredients:
Pad Thai sauce ingredients:
1/3 cup to 1/2 cup homemade or store-bought*
Noodles ingredients:
6 oz. rice noodles
2 tbs oil
Vegetables ingredients:
Use about 2 oz. each of these fresh vegetables: carrots, cabbage, celery, Napa cabbage, baby bok choy, and bean sprouts (julienned)
1 shallot, sliced or 2 oz. white onions
1 garlic clove, mined
1 egg, beaten
2 scallions, white part
Garnish with fresh chopped basil and cilantro

Directions:
Soak the rice noodles for a few hours (if dried noodles), but if the noodles are fresh, soak in water for 30 minutes.

Mix the sauce ingredients in a bowl and set aside. The taste is sweet and salty your taste.
Heat 1 tbs of vegetable oil or peanut oil in a wok. Add egg and swirl to scramble the egg, do not overcook the egg. Remove from the wok.

Add the other half of the oil into the wok. Add shallot and garlic. Stir until fragrant (about 1 minute with high heat).

Start to cook the vegetables in order with the hard vegetables first. Carrots, cabbage, celery cook for 30 seconds.  Add Napa cabbage, bok choy and noodles.

Use two wooden spatulas to toss the noodles. Add sauce. Toss to mix well. Add green onions and bean sprouts. 

To serve:
Place noodles on a serving plate. Sprinkle with cilantro and basil. Slice some fresh hot Thai chili on top.
 

*To make Pad Thai sauce:
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup lemon juice or tarmarin juice

1/2 cup water
2 tbs sugar
1/4 cup honey
1 tsp salt
Mix all the ingredients well and store in a glass jar (can be refrigerated for a long time). Adjust the seasoning to your liking. I add 1 tsp mushroom seasoning to the sauce. If you do not have the mushroom seasoning, use vegetable broth to add more flavor.

Easy Fish Baked with Orange Sauce

I always stock up my kitchen pantry well, and it will make my cooking efficient. Lately, I am interested in preparing meals that are not just quick, but also provide nutrition well. Some people feel that they do not have time to cook or lack imagination to create a meal or reproduce an existing one. However, if they follow my blog, the excuse is over. This recipe will prove that.

Ingredients:
One 6 oz. salmon fillet or any of your choice of fish
 1/4 cup orange sauce (homemade or store-bought)
1/4 cup sliced white onions
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 tsp chopped fresh ginger
A few mushrooms (your choice and optional)
1 tsp olive oil

Directions;
Place salmon on a baking dish. Top with onions. Scatter the mushrooms around. Add the oil to the sauce and pour over the fish.

Bake in a preheated oven set to 350° for 10 to 15 minutes (the time will vary depending upon each oven).

*Homemade orange sauce ingredients and directions:
1/2 cup fresh orange juice
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup rice vinegar or apple cider vinegar
2 tbs honey
1 tbs sugar
2 tbs cornstarch
Whisk sauce ingredients well and pour in a jar with lid (if not using all immediately). Adjust the sweetness with sugar. I like to make this sauce not too sweet so I use honey instead of sugar). Other ingredients that can be used for this sauce are chili flakes and green onions.

Tofu and Eggplant Stew

This recipe is the healthiest and easiest to make.  Actually, it is a vegetarian meal, and contains all the protein needs for daily body functions. I am pleased to share this recipe in my blog to help people who like to eat healthy and prepare home-cooked meals.
Ingredients:
 12 oz. cubed fried tofu
3 Japanese eggplants or large eggplants
2 cups frozen pineapple
1 /2 cup white onions, finely diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tbs coconut oil
Stew sauce ingredients:
11.8 oz. coconut water
1 tbs honey
2 tsp blackstrap molasses
2 tsp sugar
1 tbs soy sauce
1 tbs vegetarian oyster sauce
1 tsp mushroom seasoning
Salt and black pepper to taste
Dried hot chili (your taste)
Other ingredients:
4 green onions, cut into 2 inch lengths
Directions:
Wash eggplants and cut into big bite pieces. Soak in salt-lemon water to prevent discoloring and to remove some bitter taste (your choice, I usually do not do this step).
Combine the stew sauce ingredients and mix well.
Heat coconut oil and add onions and garlic. Cook for 2 minutes or until fragrant. Add stew sauce and bring to boil.

Add tofu and cook for 5 to 7 minutes. Let the tofu absorb some of the sauce.

Add pineapple and cook the pineapple until almost wilted.
Stir in the eggplants. Mix well and cook until the eggplants are tender. Adjust the seasoning after the eggplants have cooked. Add more salt, black pepper, or sugar.

Stir in green onions. Serve with hot cooked rice.

Tips:
To save time – buy the deep-fried tofu in Asian supermarkets.
Use leek, the white part only, instead of white onions, and chop well, and omit the garlic if you are truly followers of Buddha.

Chicken Stew in Coconut Water (Gà Rôti)

Vietnam's cultural history is associated with the culture of France, either good or bad. French culture had a huge influence for a very long time, especially in cooking. I am talking about a dish that is very popular in France cuisine, known as poule roti. Even with the influence of Western dishes on the cuisine of Vietnam, the Vietnamese cooks change the recipes to create recipes with ideas to strengthening process to suit the taste for Vietnamese people. For that, the French poule roti becomes a Vietnamese chicken stew with coconut water and other recipes with the same principle.  One of the reasons I always liked this recipe is because the ingredients are always available to anyone and coconut water and coconut oil are now being considered as adequate supplies of medicinal substances necessary for the body.  For easy processing, I will share this recipe that uses chicken thighs and fresh coconut water that is now being sold everywhere on the market in US. I believe this dish will be present at the potluck meeting as well as the regular family dinner.
Ingredients:
4 chicken thighs
Marinade ingredients:
4 tbs chopped shallots
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp salt
1 tbs soy sauce
2 tsp five spice
1 tsp mushroom seasoning powder
Other ingredients:
2 cups coconut water
1 tbs blackstrap molasses
2 tbs honey
1 tbs fish sauce
3 tbs coconut oil

Garnish with green onions

Directions:
Wash chicken thighs and cut into big chunks (I cut chickens in half).

In a mixing bowl, combine the marinade ingredients and add chicken. Mix well. Marinate the chickens for a few hours or overnight.

In a large nonstick pan, add coconut oil. Seer the chicken skin side down (do not touch the chicken until the skin is brown). Turn the chicken and seer the other side.

Combine the coconut water with blackstrap molasses, fish sauce, and honey. Mix well. Pour onto the chicken and bring to boil. Cook partly covered for 30 minutes.

 Adjust the seasoning to your liking. Remove the lid completely for the sauce to thicken.

Add the green onions at the end (use the white part only about 4 green onions).

 

Serve with bread or hot cooked rice.