Read The Cook's Illustrated Cookbook Online
Authors: The Editors at America's Test Kitchen
Tags: #Cooking
The Cook's Illustrated Cookbook (71 page)
WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS
With well-seasoned grains of rice, crunchy fried shallots, and egg, Indonesian-style fried rice offers plenty of complexity in terms of both texture and flavor. Chile paste, a combination of shallots, garlic, and fresh Thai chiles, which gives the dish heady flavor, was easy to make in the food processor. Fish sauce plus shrimp, which we sautéed with the chile paste, worked well in lieu of shrimp paste, and adding dark brown sugar and molasses to regular soy sauce stood in for the specialty soy sauce typically used. Stir-frying freshly cooked rice results in mushy clumps, but we didn’t want to mess with cooking rice a day ahead. Cooking rinsed rice in less water than our standard 3:2 ratio of water to rice, then chilling it for 20 minutes, got us very close to our goal, and coating the grains with oil before adding the water to the pan further guarded against mushy results. Scallions, lime, and slices of egg, which we cooked omelet-style was all we needed to finish the dish.
SERVES 4 TO 6
If fresh Thai chiles are unavailable, substitute 2 serranos or 1 medium jalapeño. Adjust the spiciness of this dish by removing the ribs and seeds from the chiles. This dish progresses very quickly beginning with step 5; it’s imperative that your ingredients are in place and ready to go. This dish is traditionally served with sliced cucumbers and tomato wedges.
2 | tablespoons plus ¹⁄ |
2 | cups jasmine or long-grain white rice, rinsed |
2²⁄ | cups water |
5 | green or red Thai chiles, stemmed |
7 | large shallots, peeled |
4 | large garlic cloves, peeled |
2 | tablespoons dark brown sugar |
2 | tablespoons light or mild molasses |
2 | tablespoons soy sauce |
2 | tablespoons fish sauce |
Salt | |
4 | large eggs |
12 | ounces extra-large shrimp (21 to 25 per pound), peeled, deveined, tails removed, and cut crosswise into thirds |
4 | large scallions, sliced thin |
Lime wedges |
1.
Heat 2 tablespoons oil in large saucepan over medium heat until shimmering. Add rice and stir to coat grains with oil, about 30 seconds. Add water, increase heat to high, and bring to boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer until all liquid is absorbed, about 18 minutes. Off heat, remove lid and place clean kitchen towel folded in half over saucepan; replace lid. Let stand until rice is just tender, about 8 minutes. Spread cooked rice onto rimmed baking sheet, set on wire rack, and cool for 10 minutes. Transfer to refrigerator and chill for 20 minutes.
2.
While rice is chilling, pulse chiles, 4 shallots, and garlic in food processor until coarse paste is formed, about 15 pulses, scraping down sides of bowl as necessary. Transfer mixture to small bowl and set aside. In second small bowl, stir together brown sugar, molasses, soy sauce, fish sauce, and 1¹⁄
4
teaspoons salt. Whisk eggs and ¹⁄
4
teaspoon salt together in medium bowl.
3.
Thinly slice remaining 3 shallots (you should have about 1 cup sliced shallots) and place in 12-inch nonstick skillet with remaining ¹⁄
2
cup oil. Heat over medium heat, stirring constantly, until shallots are golden and crisp, 6 to 10 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer shallots to paper towel–lined plate and season with salt to taste. Pour off oil and reserve. Wipe out skillet with paper towels
4.
Heat 1 teaspoon reserved oil in now-empty skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add half of eggs to skillet, gently tilting pan to evenly coat bottom. Cover and cook until bottom of omelet is spotty golden brown and top is just set, about 1¹⁄
2
minutes. Slide omelet onto cutting board and gently roll up into tight log. Using sharp knife, cut log crosswise into 1-inch segments (leaving segments rolled). Repeat with 1 teaspoon reserved oil and remaining eggs.
5.
Remove rice from refrigerator and break up any large clumps with fingers. Heat 3 tablespoons reserved oil in now-empty skillet over medium heat until just shimmering. Add chile mixture and cook until mixture turns golden, 3 to 5 minutes. Add shrimp, increase heat to medium-high, and cook, stirring constantly, until exterior of shrimp is just opaque, about 2 minutes. Push shrimp to sides of skillet to clear center; stir molasses mixture to recombine and pour into center of skillet. When molasses mixture bubbles, add rice and cook, stirring and folding constantly, until shrimp is cooked, rice is heated through, and mixture is evenly coated, about 3 minutes. Stir in scallions, remove from heat, and transfer to serving platter. Garnish with egg segments, fried shallots, and lime wedges; serve immediately.
WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS
To avoid the pitfalls of most sesame noodle recipes—gummy noodles and bland, pasty sauce—we rinsed the cooked noodles to rid them of excess starch. Chunky peanut butter processed with toasted sesame seeds worked surprisingly well for the sauce’s base. Garlic, ginger, soy sauce, rice vinegar, hot sauce, and brown sugar rounded out the flavors, and thinning the sauce with water achieved the best texture to coat the noodles without being gloppy. All that was needed was moist shreds of chicken, which we cooked quickly in the broiler.
SERVES 4 TO 6
We prefer the flavor and texture of chunky peanut butter in the sauce. We like conventional chunky peanut butter here; it tends to be sweeter than natural or old-fashioned versions.
SAUCE
¹⁄ | cup sesame seeds, toasted |
¹⁄ | cup chunky peanut butter |
5 | tablespoons soy sauce |
2 | tablespoons rice vinegar |
2 | tablespoons light brown sugar |
1 | tablespoon grated fresh ginger |
2 | garlic cloves, minced |
1 | teaspoon hot sauce |
5 | tablespoons hot water |
CHICKEN AND NOODLES
1¹⁄ | pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed |
1 | pound fresh Chinese noodles or 12 ounces dried spaghetti |
1 | tablespoon salt |
2 | tablespoons toasted sesame oil |
4 | scallions, sliced thin on bias |
1 | carrot, grated |
1. FOR THE SAUCE:
Puree 3 tablespoons sesame seeds, peanut butter, soy sauce, vinegar, sugar, ginger, garlic, and hot sauce in blender or food processor, about 30 seconds. With machine running, add hot water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until sauce has consistency of heavy cream.
2. FOR THE CHICKEN AND NOODLES:
Bring 6 quarts water to boil in large pot. Position oven rack 6 inches from broiler element and heat broiler. Spray broiler pan top with vegetable oil spray, place chicken breasts on top, and broil until lightly browned, 4 to 8 minutes. Flip chicken over and continue to broil until meat registers 160 to 165 degrees, 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer to cutting board and let rest 5 minutes. Shred chicken into bite-size pieces and set aside.
3.
Add noodles and salt to boiling water and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 4 minutes for fresh or 10 minutes for dried. Drain, then rinse under cold water until cool. Drain again, transfer to large bowl, add sesame oil, and toss to coat. Add shredded chicken, scallions, carrot, and sauce and toss to combine. Divide among bowls, sprinkle with remaining 1 tablespoon sesame seeds, and serve.
Omit chicken. Add 1 red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and sliced into ¹⁄
4
inch-thick strips and 1 cucumber, peeled, halved lengthwise, seeded, and cut crosswise into ¹⁄
8
-inch-thick slices, to noodles with sauce. Sprinkle servings with 1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro along with sesame seeds.
WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS
This popular Chinese street food (known as
dan dan mian
) tops noodles with a rich, savory sauce of ground pork, ginger, garlic, soy sauce, and Asian sesame paste, and, of course, spicy chiles. An authentic-tasting sauce was simple to put together using pantry staples. We used peanut butter in lieu of the sesame paste, though we recommend using the Asian sesame paste if you can find it, as it lends an unusual smoky, earthy flavor to the sauce. Red pepper flakes lend the heat of chiles. While dried or fresh Chinese noodles work best here, linguine are fine in a pinch.
SERVES 4
If you cannot find Asian noodles, linguine may be substituted. If you are using natural peanut butter or Asian sesame paste that has a pourable rather than spreadable consistency, use only 1 cup of chicken broth. Also note that the amount of sauce will coat 1 pound of fresh noodles but only 12 ounces of dried noodles, which bulk up during boiling.
8 | ounces ground pork |
3 | tablespoons soy sauce |
2 | tablespoons Chinese rice cooking wine |
Ground white pepper | |
2 | tablespoons oyster sauce |
¹⁄ | cup peanut butter or Asian sesame paste |
1 | tablespoon rice vinegar |
1–1¹⁄ | cups low-sodium chicken broth |
1 | tablespoon vegetable oil |
6 | garlic cloves, minced |
1 | tablespoon grated fresh ginger |
³⁄ | teaspoon red pepper flakes |
1 | tablespoon toasted sesame oil |
12 | ounces dried Asian noodles or 1 pound fresh Asian noodles (width between linguine and fettuccine) or 12 ounces linguine |
3 | medium scallions, sliced thin |
4 | ounces bean sprouts (2 cups) (optional) |
1 | tablespoon Sichuan peppercorns, toasted and ground (optional) |
1.
Combine pork, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, wine, and pinch white pepper in small bowl. Stir well and set aside. Whisk together oyster sauce, remaining 2 tablespoons soy sauce, peanut butter, vinegar, and pinch white pepper in medium bowl. Whisk in chicken broth and set aside.
2.
Bring 4 quarts water to boil in large pot over high heat. Meanwhile, heat 12-inch skillet over high heat, add vegetable oil and swirl to coat. Add pork and cook, breaking meat into small pieces, until well browned, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic, ginger, and pepper flakes and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add peanut butter mixture and bring to boil, whisking to combine, then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer to blend flavors, stirring occasionally, about 3 minutes. Stir in sesame oil.
3.
While sauce simmers, add noodles to boiling water and cook until tender. Drain noodles and divide among bowls. Ladle sauce over noodles, sprinkle with scallions and bean sprouts and ground Sichuan peppercorns, if using. Serve immediately.
Soak 8 small dried shiitake mushrooms in 1 cup boiling water until softened, 15 to 20 minutes, then drain, reserving ¹⁄
2
cup soaking liquid. Trim and discard stems, cut mushrooms into ¹⁄
4
-inch slices, and set aside. Substitute reserved mushroom liquid for equal amount of chicken stock and stir sliced mushrooms into sauce along with sesame oil.
