Co Mai's Vietnamese Yogurt

Prep time: 40 minutes
Cook time: 8 hours (3 days)
Makes 10 servings

YOU WILL NEED:

• Electric yogurt maker (warmer) - Alternative: oven and glass oven dish
• Stove
• Pot
• Strainer
• Fine strainer or cheesecloth
• Large mixing bowl

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 cup plain yogurt
• 1/2 can sweetened condensed milk
• 1 liter milk (whole or 2%)

STEPS:

1. Pour 1 liter of milk and condensed milk (1/2 can) into a large pot
   
2. Warm on medium heat on the stove until the condensed milk is melted and the mixture is lukewarm (NOT boiling)
3. Take off the heat and let it cool to room temperature
4. Mix in 1 cup of plain yogurt to the cooled mixture (if warm, it will kill the yeast)
5. Using the large strainer, strain the mixture into a large bowl. Repeat a second time with the fine strainer (or a cheesecloth in the large strainer).
   
6. Pour into containers and place into the yogurt maker for 8 hours. If you do not have an electric yogurt maker, you can place them into a glass oven dish filled with warm water into the oven.
   
   
7. After 8 hours, place the yogurt into the fridge for 2 days.

Co Mai's Buon Suong (Shrimp Paste / Fake Palm Tree Worm)

Prep time: 45 minutes
Cook time: 45 minutes

YOU WILL NEED:

• 2 large pots
• Basket
• Food processor
• Soup strainer

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 lbs pork spare ribs (from Asian market), cut small
• 2 lbs frozen peeled deveined headless shrimp (small shrimp are cheaper), to be ground
• Vinegar
• Salt and pepper
• 1/3 cup fish sauce
• Potato starch
• Baking power
• Tamarind cooking concentrate
• Oil
• 1 bunch green onions
• Oil color
• One package dried bun (noodle)

STEPS:

1. Spare ribs 2lbs - clean and wash and boil with 2 tbsp of vinegar and half a tbsp of salt (to clean). After it boils for 1-2 minutes, strain and wash the bones.
2. Fill a large pot 2/3 full of water. Add 1/3 cup of fish sauce to the water. Megachef is our family's preferred brand. Add one heaping tsp of MSg (can substitute another sweetener, or eliminate if preferred.). Cover and bring to a boil.
3. Add the strained pork spare ribs back to the boiling pot. Strain out the foam on top of the soup. Simmer at medium heat uncovered for 1 hour to get the sweetness out of the bones for the soup base. Keep straining the scrum.
4. Defrost shrimp and put in food processor. Add 1 bunch chopped green onion, 2 tsp of potato starch/flour, 1/2 tsp of calumet baking powder, 1/2 tsp of salt, and 3-4 tsp of oil and grind, black pepper. Add oil color (if desired).
5. Bring a pot of water to boil. Add and boil bun noodles. Wait till soft but not mushy (5-7 minutes). Shock and Strain.
6. Add three small ladels of tamarind cooking concentrate to the pork bone broth at a boil. Add one small ladel of fish sauce to taste. Should taste sour and salty.
7. Take oil on hands and one spoon of shrimp paste and roll into long logs and put into soup. Leave to boil uncovered for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally and flipping the logs.
8. Take out and leave aside until serving, when you put on top of bun and ladel in soup. Serve with cabbage or salad.

Co Mai's Apple Roses

Prep time: 45 minutes
Cook time: 45 minutes

YOU WILL NEED:

• 2 small bowls
• Rolling Pin
• Knife
• Oven

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 lemon
• Nutmeg
• Cinnamon
• 2 apples
• Phyllo dough / puff pastry (flaky, not frozen)
• Fruit preserve (we used apricot)

STEPS:

1. Half and core apples. Slice thinly and add to cold water and lemon bath. This prevents the apples from browning. These are the "rose petals".
2. Mix three tablespoons apricot preserve and 2 tbsp water in a small bowl. Add a pinch of nutmeg and cinnamon.
   
3. Flour a hard  work surface to roll the phyllo dough out on. Cut into thirds and layer the apple slices over each other along one end. Fold other end back over to seal it and roll it up. Add to muffin tins or ramekins with parchment paper.
4. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place tins in oven and bake for 45 minutes.

Sheila's Eggplant Bhurtha

Prep time: 30 minutes
Cook time: 1 hour, 20 minutes
Makes enough for 2-3 people.

YOU WILL NEED:

• Oven
• Sauce pan
• Tongs
• Metal bowl
• Foil

INGREDIENTS:

• 2-3 large eggplant
• 5 medium tomatoes or 6 roma tomatoes
• Two bunches green onions
• 2 tbsp of oil
• Salt
• Tumeric
• Jalapeno and coriander/cilantro (ground)
• Coriander/cilantro seeds and cumin seeds mixed and ground

STEPS:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Clean three small or two medium eggplants and pierce with fork. Wrap in foil. Roast for one hour or more, until soft to the touch.
2. Wash and thinly slice 5 medium tomatoes or 6 Roma tomatoes. Set aside in bowl. These will simmer down into the sauce.
   
   
3. Wash and chop green onions (one bunch per one medium eggplant). Cut off tips and roots.
4. Once eggplants are done, take off foil and plop into a heat-safe bowl. Take off skin and tops. Use tongs, it will help. Water will come out. Leave the eggplant in its own water. Run the tongs/knife thru them to start pulling apart the eggplant.
5. Large saucepan. Medium-high heat. When pan is hot, add 2 tbls of oil. Fry green onions until slightly browned. Add one tomatoes. Add 1/2 tsp of ground coriander cumin mix. (Make this with seeds of each and process in coffee grinder.). Add ground jalapeño and coriander. Stir till reduced a little.
6. Add all tomatoes. Add 1/2 tsp turmeric. Add 1/2 tsp of salt. Let Simmer and cook down. Add eggplant when tomatoes cook/boil and stir and mush.
7. Reduce heat and cover. Stir occasionally so it doesn't stick to pan. Cook for 10-15 mins stirring every 2-3 mins. Salt to taste - if can taste individual ingredients need more salt. About 1.5 teaspoons. Serve with toasted naan or roti or over lentil rice.

Sheila's Channa Masala

Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 30 minutes

YOU WILL NEED:

• Large pot

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 cans of chickpeas
• Roma tomatoes
• 1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds
• Curry leaves
• 1-2 Jalapenos

STEPS:

1. In a large pot, start with a few teaspoons of oil and heat, and add a bit (like a half tsp) of mustard seeds, a few curry leaves. simmer.
2. Split 1-2 jalapenos in half (depending how spicy you want it) and clean out seeds. add to the simmer. keep it simmering on medium heat for about one minute.
3. Lightly fry it. it can burn fast so it's like just on the heat for 30 sec to a minute max
4. Add in crushed/chopped/food processed tomatoes (blending them is easiest)
5. Add in cans of strained chickpeas
   
6. Let it sit on the heat for 15 minutes, salt to taste (at least a teaspoon)
7. Enjoy with naan or over rice

  

Co Mui's Rack of Lamb

Prep time: 1 hour
Cook time: 1 hour

YOU WILL NEED:

• Simmer pan
• Mixing bowl
• Baking pan

INGREDIENTS:

• 4 Racks of Lamb
• 2 cups Panko Bread Crumbs
• 4 cloves Garlic (minced)
• 2 tablespoons Fresh Thyme (finely chopped) OR 2 teaspoons Dried Thyme (finely chopped)
• 3 Springs of Fresh Thyme OR 1/2 teaspoon Dried Thyme
• 2 tablespoons Fresh Mint (finely chopped) OR 2 teaspoons Dried Mint (finely chopped)
• Zest of a Lemon or Orange
• 1/3 cup Olive Oil
• 1/3 cup Balsamic Vinegar
• 1 cup Currants (chopped)
• Water
• 1 can Beef Broth
• Salt
• Pepper

STEPS:

1. Place currants in a bowl, add water and let soak for 15 minutes. Drain currents to save the water but remove the scum at the bottom of the bowl.
2. Trim excess fat and meat between the bones of the lamb. Save trimmings for sauce.
3. Season the lamb racks with salt and pepper. On medium heat, sear the each rack until browned. Place seared lamb racks on cookie sheet or baking pan, 2 racks per pan.
4. Clean the pan with a paper towel to remove the fat. Pan fry the trimmings of meat and render the fat. Drain the fat out of the pan.
5. Add currants, currant water, springs of thyme (or 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme) and simmer pan until liquid has reduced to half.
6. Add 1/2 can of beef broth and simmer until reduced to half. Add remaining ½ can of beef broth and bring to a boil. Once boiling turn off the stove.
7. Combine the bread crumbs, garlic, thyme, mint and zest in a mixing bowl.
8. Add olive oil and balsamic vinegar to bread crumb mixture and let sit for 5 minutes before dressing lamb.
9. Preheat over at 350°F.
10. Spray lamb racks with Olive Oil or PAM spray. Dress lamb with bread crumb mixture to cover meat. Place additional bread crumb mixture in pan to bake until crispy.
11. Place lamb in 350°F oven for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, rotate baking pans and bake for an additional 10 minutes.
12. Remove from oven and let lamb rest for 10 minutes before serving.

Co Mai's Soy-Sauce Baked Tofu

Prep time: 20 minutes (+ 6 hours inactive prep time)
Cook time: 3 hours

YOU WILL NEED:

• Baking pan
• Saran wrap

INGREDIENTS:

• Medium firm or firm tofu
• 2/3 cup light sodium soy sauce
• 2/3 cup cooking oil (olive oil is best)
• 1 dash of five star powder
• 1 tsp seasoning mushroom
• 2/3 cup water
• 1/8 tsp black pepper

STEPS:

1. Blanch tofu for 1 minute and drain. (Blanching = plunge into boiling water, remove after a short time interval, and plunge into iced water or placed under cold running water to halt the cooking process)
2. Slice and layer on bottom of baking pan.
3. Mix soy sauce, oil, five star, mushroom, water, and pepper.
4. Pour water mixture over the tofu and allow it to soak at least 6 hours in the fridge. Cover it with saran wrap. The longer you allow it to soak, the better. Make sure the tofu is submerged or keep basting.
5. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Bake the tofu until all the liquid has evaporated. Keep flipping the tofu so that it does not harden or yellow. Make sure both sides are even. (about 3 hours)

The Chewy

From Alton Brown

Makes 2 dozen cookies
Prep time: 20 minutes (+ 1 hour inactive prep time)
Cook time: 30 minutes

YOU WILL NEED:

• Large mixing bowl
• 2 quart saucepan
• Standing mixer
• Paper plate
• Sifter
• Cookie sheets
• Parchment paper

INGREDIENTS:

• 8 ounces unsalted butter (2 sticks)
• 12 ounces bread flour (2 1/4 cup)
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 ounces granulated sugar (1/4 cup)
• 8 ounces light brown sugar (1 1/14 cup)
• 1 large egg
• 1 large egg yolk
• 1 ounce whole milk (2 tablespoons)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 12 ounces semisweet chocolate chips

STEPS:

1. Melt the butter in a 2-quart saucepan over low heat. Set aside to cool slightly.
2. Sift together the flour, salt, and baking soda onto a paper plate. Pour the butter into your stand mixer's work bowl. Add the sugar and brown sugar and beat with the paddle attachment on medium speed for 2 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, whisk together the whole egg, the egg yolk, milk, and vanilla extract in a measuring cup. Reduce the mixer speed and slowly add the egg mixture. Mix until thoroughly combined, about 30 seconds.
4. Using the paper plate as a slide, gradually integrate the dry ingredients, stopping a couple of times to scrape down the sides of the bowl. Once the flour is worked in, drop the speed to "stir" and add the chocolate chips. Chill the dough for 1 hour.
5. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F and place racks in the top third and bottom third of the oven.
6. Scoop the dough into 1 1/2-ounce portions onto parchment lined half sheet pans, 6 cookies per sheet. Bake 2 sheets at a time for 15 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through. Remove from the oven, slide the parchment with the cookies onto a cooking rack and wait at least 5 minutes before devouring.

Homemade Dill Pickles

From the Kosher Pickle Factory

Makes 1-2 servings (3-4 pickles)
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 2-3 days

YOU WILL NEED:

• Deli container or other tall container

INGREDIENTS:

• Water
• 2 oz kosher salt
• 2 oz pickling spices (you can get these at any supermarket)
• 3 cloves peeled garlic
• 3-4 Persian cucumbers
• Sprig of dill

STEPS:

1. Fill 16 oz water in a deli container or other tall container.
2. Add 2 oz kosher salt and swirl to dissolve.
3. Add 2 oz pickling spices. (Include only one hot pepper maximum)
4. Add 3 cloves of peeled garlic to the water and swirl.
5. Add 3-4 Persion cucumbers.
6. Put a sprig of dill on top.
7. Leave out uncapped for 24 hours in rom temperature. Check to see if it is pickled enough. If not, leave out for another 1-2 days. If you will be gone, put the container into the fridge uncapped to stall pickling. Will last up to two weeks.