Adventures in Babysitting

Wow, I am tired. I just got home from teaching my second ever teens cooking class for a group foster home. When I volunteered to do this I had grand visions of grateful girls crowding around me, pleading to learn more about organic japanese eggplant and taking notes on the best way to julienne daikon radish.

My parents, both 30+ year schoolteachers, are laughing right now.

Let's just say there was a bit more angst, drama, and hormones than I was counting on, but we had a good time and I think at least a few of them learned a thing or two. For example, on the post-class survey we had the following comments:

The thing I learned most about was "that oyster sauce is nasty"

The thing I learned most about was "cooking is too much work and I will go to McDonalds"

My favorite part of the class was "the other people did the dishes"

My least favorite part of the class was "when that lady told us not to throw the knives"

The best thing we cooked was "I like eating the extra peanuts"

Duly noted. Well, here is the menu that we cooked. I was going for an intro to Thai/Asian fusion kind of thing, and tested a lot of recipes before deciding on these. They are really good and I highly recommend all of them. Or you can just eat the peanut garnish, apparently that is good and a lot less fuss.

Thai Cucumber Relish

serves 12

4 Tbsp peanuts or cashews
1 cup rice vinegar
4 Tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 bunch cilantro, chopped
4 Tbsp shallots, minced
4 scallions, minced
2 English cucumbers, thinly sliced
4 thai bird chiles, chopped
1 red bell pepper, minced

-Crush nuts by placing them in a plastic bag and smacking them with the back of a skillet or other heavy object.
-Toast nuts by cooking them in a dry skillet on medium heat for 4 minutes, stirring constantly
-Stir together vinegar, sugar and salt
-Slowly pour oil into vinegar mixture while whisking to combine
-Combine oil-vinegar mixture with the rest of ingredients and toss

Pad See Ew
serves 12

4 Tbsp sweet soy sauce (kecap manis)
4 Tbsp rice vinegar
4 T oyster sauce
2 tsp sesame oil
2 1/2 lbs boneless skinless chicken, cut into 1/2 inch cubes

-Place everything in a large ziploc bag, seal, and squish to combine.
-Let marinate for at least 15 minutes, or up to 2 hrs.

2 packages (14 oz each) rice noodles
2 cups water, boiling
2 cups water, room temp

-Put noodles in a bowl and pour boiling and room temp water over them.
-Let sit for 15 minutes, then drain. They need to be bendable but not mushy.

2 cups chinese broccoli or bok choy, chopped, with leaves and stems separated
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbsp sweet soy sauce (kecap manis)
4 Tbsp vegetable oil
3 eggs, lightly beaten

-Heat 1 Tbsp oil, add 1 tsp garlic and veggie stems
-Saute for 2-3 minutes or until they start to soften
-Add veggie leaves, saute 1 minute more, remove to a plate
-Heat 1 Tbsp oil, add noodles and 2 tbsp sweet soy sauce, remove to a plate
-Heat 2 tbsp oil, add chicken and marinade juices, cook 5-6 minutes or until browned
-Add in veggies and noodles and toss with tongs until everything is combined
-Garnish with scallions and sesame seeds, if desired

Thai Style Dumplings

makes 60

1 Tbsp oil
4 scallions, minced
4 shallots, minced
2 Tbsp minced ginger
2/3 cup shredded napa cabbage
1 red bell pepper, minced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 lb ground pork or turkey
1 tsp sesame oil
1 Tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp salt
1 Tbsp sugar
2 Tbsp cilantro, chopped (1/3 bunch)
1 egg, beaten
60 round shao mai wrappers

-Saute scallions, shallots, ginger, cabbage, red bell, and garlic for 2 minutes on medium heat
-Add meat and keep cooking until no longer pink
-Add sesame oil, soy, sugar, salt and cilantro, cook another 2 minutes and remove from heat
-Pour into a bowl and add 1 beaten egg
-To fill, place 1 tsp of meat mixture on a wrapper, moisten the edge and pinch edges together with your fingers
-Place in bamboo steamer lined with wax paper and steam for 5 minutes, rotating steam baskets halfway through