Khauj Piab (Hmong Rice Noodles and Chicken)

I love khauj piab. It is my all time favorite dish that I can never get tired of eating. However, I do get tired of making it from scratch. I remember the first time I had this dish. I was probably around 8 or 9 years old and my mother made this dish before my oldest sister moved to Wisconsin from Rhode Island. Back then I did not know how to add flavors to it so it was very plain, but I still loved it. A few years later, I asked my mother if she can make it again since she hadn't made any since. She taught me the next day and I have been making it from scratch ever since. It is a long process that requires patience and getting your hands dirty. I came from a big family so my mother taught me how to make big portions only, so I would have leftovers when I make this dish for me and my husband and it would sadden me to waste it. After having my son, I just had no time to make it from scratch anymore. Lucky for me, I found some rice sticks at a korean store that can be used to make this delicious dish. I still prefer having this dish from scratch, but it is tastey either way.

Korean rice cakes are used in their famous
tteokbokki recipes

1 bag (2 lbs) rice cakes, defrosted
1 cornish game hen without giblets, quartered
6 quart water
1/2 stalk lemon grass
green onions, thinly sliced
fish sauce
additional toppiings

thickening:
3 Tbsp Tapioca starch
l/4 cup water

First, boil a pot of water and cook the rice cakes until soft; stirring constantly. *The rice cakes will plump up and double in size so you can use half the bag. I suggest you quartered the rice cakes lengthwise before cooking it because quartering it after will be a slippery and sticky mess. *

My son loves eating cornish hen

Meanwhile, wash the quartered cornish hen, take off the skin (optional), and trim off the fat. Cook the cornish hen and lemon grass in the 6 quart water, skimming off any fat that floats to the top. Add salt to taste. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to simmer. *If broth reduces in size, add more water and possibly salt to taste.*

Once cornish hen is fully cooked, take it out and let it cool. After it cooled down, shred the meat with fingers. *You can keep some meat on the bones if you have a bone lover in your family*

Add the shredded chicken back to the broth along with the cooked rice cakes. *Add more water and salt if needed* Make the thickening agent and add to the broth mixture. *Add more thickening agent if you prefer it to be thicker* Bring to a boil until it thickens up. Serve and top with green onions and additional toppings.

Plain khauj piab with green onions and fish sauce.

I like my khauj piab with black pepper, fish sauce, green onions,
chili and garlic pepper, alittle bit of sugar, dark sweet soy sauce,
alittle bit of soy sauce, and lots of sriracha sauce.

Turkey Day 2011

 

Mango Glazed Stuffed Turkey

Thanksgiving this year was simple and small. Last year, we had so many leftovers that I didn't want to repeat it this year. Also, I didn't want to make everything from scratch since I started school on Thanksgiving day. My ginger glazed turkey for last year was a hit and my husband loved it. I loved it too, but wanted something sweeter this year. Living in Hawaii, I thought it'd be great to have a mango glazed turkey. It was a hit too! My husband loved it more than the ginger glazed and he's wasn't even fond of the idea. I thought it gave the turkey a nice little sweetness. Who doesn't love a savory and sweet meal?

Our turkey....the turkey neck is tucked underneath
the skin to keep it moist and not over cooked.
That's why it looks funny :)

As usaul, I stuffed the turkey with my mother-in-law's recipe of a noodle stuffing. Then I injected the turkey with a garlic butter sauce that will make the turkey stay moist while cooking. And lastly, I brushed it with my mango glazed. It's a combination of mango nectar, sugar, and some mango pineapple jam simmered on low heat until it has reduced to a glaze. Of course, add salt and black pepper.

My turkey plate for 2011...yummm

This year was simple. We also had celebrated the day before with friends and had lots of leftovers. I didn't want to make much so my husband made the sides while I took care of the turkey. He made regular herb stuffing and macaroni and cheese. It was easy, stress-free, and there weren't much leftovers. I preferred it this way. Also, he made a peanut sauce to go with his turkey as always. It's a tradition to have the peanut sauce every year. Reminds me of back home with my family.

My husband's birthday was the last day of the month. We were so busy that I didn't have time to make him a cake. Besides, he didn't want a cake. He had already gotten his birthday gifts 2 weeks before so all that was left was to celebrate it. He has been so busy at work that we couldn't find time so at the last minute, I made him a sweet potato pie/cake. I love sweet potato and had recently introduced him to sweet potato fries, which he now loves. I thought this would be a great way to celebrate his birthday while having sweet potato pie for Thanksgiving. The fruitloops were just for show. We took them off before baking it again. It's a pie with a touch of mommy and baby.



Simple Bread

I love breads, especially fresh out of the oven. Frankly, I should stay away from carbs, but breads go great with everything. I needed bread one late night for dinner and my husband took the car so I had to make it from scratch. It's not hard to make it from scratch, but it's a longer process to make. Advice: make it ahead of time before dinner. Waiting for the dough to rise and all took forever...atleast it felt that way. It was worth the wait...definitely. Nice, warm, soft, buttery dinner rolls for dinner...that's pretty much all I ate. Of course, everyone has their own simple bread recipe, it's not hard to make. This one happens to be mines, the perfect recipe for me. 

Fresh dinner rolls out of the over, brushed with melted butter

1/2 cup milk

3 Tbsp sugar

2 tsp salt

3 Tbsp butter

2 pkg active dry yeast

1 1/2 cups warm water

5-6 cups AP Flour

In a small pot, heat up milk, sugar, salt, and butter until butter melts and sugar is dissolved. Set aside and let cool slightly.

In a bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Add the warm milk mixture and about 4 1/2 cups of flour. Knead with hands until all ingredients are mixed. Add 1/2 cup of flour at a time while still kneading until dough comes cleanly off the sides of the bowl. You may not use all the flour, which is okay. Continue kneading dough on a flour surface until dough is smooth and elastic. Then place dough into a greased bowl and cover for about 1 hour. Punch dough down and divide evenly in half. Shape to desired sizes. Cover again and let rise for another hour. Bake at 400 for about 30 minutes or until goldne brown. Cool immediately on wire racks. **May brush tops with melted butter for extra flavor**

2nd Batch: no butter brushed on top...same delicious results