Asian Food Night

It was a food festival of mammoth proportions. Or maybe that was just the Sumo wrestler cutout I had everyone pose with. We came, we ate, we left feeling as fat as Sumo wrestlers! It was wonderful. The table is set with items from Amanda's husband Robert's mission in Korea.

Table setting with Korean masks, drums, and shot glasses

Sumo Wrestler Bonnie S

Sumo Wrestler Madelynne

Sumo Wrestler Janna - now that is an intimidating glare

Sumo Wrestler Amanda

Sumo Wrestler Lyra

Sumo Wrestler Linda - love the crazy eyes!

Our plates were overflowing with Asian goodness

Egg rolls & sauce by Madelynne

Thai Egg Rolls / Poa Pee

* 3 black mushrooms (these come dried at the Asian food store. I really like the flavor these have, so I use about 6 instead of 3.)
*3 1/2 ounces (1/2 package) rice noodles of cellophane wrapped noodles
*1 egg
*1/2 pound ground pork
*1/2 pound ground beef
*1 cup peeled and shredded carrots
*1 cup bean sprouts of 1 cup shredded Napa cabbage ( I do 1/2 C of each)
*1/2 medium onion, chopped (This is on recipe that I don't just throw the rest of the onion in. It is a little overhwelming.)
*1 Tablespoon fish sauce
*1/4 tablespoon pepper
*1/2 clove garlic, finely chopped
*1 teaspoon sugar
*1 1-lb package lumpia(large), fresh or thawed (about 25 wrappers),
*vegetable oil

In a small bowl, soak black mushrooms in hot water for 15 minutes. Drain well in a colander and shred, discarding stems. Soak noodles in hot water according to package directions. (I usually put mine in the microwave about 5 minutes.) When soft, drain and cut into 2-inch lengths with scissors.
There are 2 ways to make this. I precook the pork and beef, sauting in a pan and breaking it up into small pieces with my spatula. That allows for the shorter cooking time of the egg rolls. If you decide not to precook your meat, you will need to cook each roll about 10 minutes per side.
In a large bowl, beat egg well. Add black mushrooms, noodles, pork, beef, carrots, bean sprouts, onion, fish sauce, pepper, garlic and sugar. Mix well.
Place one wrapper on a flat surface. Keep remaining wrappers covered so they don't dry out. Place about 1/4 cup of filling mixture just below center. Fold in 2 opposite edges. Fold bottom edge over filling and roll up like a burrito. Use a small amount of water to seal the end. Repeat until filling is gone.
In a large skillet or wok, heat oil over medium heat. Carefully place rolls in oil, leaving enough room so that they don't touch each other and fry slowly for about 8 minutes or until golden brown. Turn and fry other side about 4 minutes. Keep fried rolls warm in a 200°F oven. Cut each roll into 4 pieces and serve warm with Nam Pla Prig.

Nam Pla Prig

* 2 cloves crushed garlic
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
4 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons fresh lemon or lime juice or 4 tablespoons white vinegar
4 tablespoons fish sauce
2 tablespoons water

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl. Stir to dissolve sugar. Serve at room temperature in individual bowls.

Beef Bulgogi made by Amanda Thorn
**This is one of my husband's favorite dishes from Korea. If you go to an Asian food store you can buy ready made Bulgogi sauce. However, the homemade is delicious and not that difficult to make. I suggest asking your butcher to slice the meat for you. That will help you save some time.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 pounds beef top sirloin, thinly sliced
• 2 tablespoons white grape juice
• 1 cup pear juice
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon white sugar
• 2 tablespoons Asian (toasted) sesame oil
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 2 tablespoons chopped green onion
• 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
• 1/2 pound fresh mushrooms, halved (optional)
• 1/2 onion, chopped (optional)

Directions

1. Place the beef in a bowl, and pour in the cooking wine, pear juice, and black pepper. Stir to combine, and allow to marinate for 30 minutes. Stir in the soy sauce, sugar, sesame oil, garlic, green onion, and sesame seeds, and marinate in refrigerator at least 2 hours or overnight.
2. Preheat an outdoor grill for medium-high heat.
3. Remove the beef from the marinade, and discard the marinade. Place a sheet of aluminum foil on the heated grill, and lay the beef slices separately on the foil. Place the mushrooms and onion on another part of the foil. Cook the beef slices until they are evenly brown, 3 to 5 minutes per side. Serve with cooked mushrooms and onion.

Korean Cucumber Salad by Amanda Thorn

 Ingredients

• 1/2 cup white vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
• 1/4 cup sesame seeds
• 2 cucumber, thinly sliced
• 1 green onion, sliced
• 1 carrot, julienne

1. In a medium bowl, stir together vinegar, black pepper, and red pepper flakes.
2. Heat oil in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir in sesame seeds, and reduce heat to medium. Cook until seeds are brown, about 5 minutes. Remove seeds with a slotted spoon, and stir into vinegar mixture. Mix in cucumber, green onions, and carrot. Cover, and refrigerate at least 5 minutes.

Pho (Vietnamese beef soup) by Bonnie Elton

Napa Cabbage Slaw by Bonnie Stewart

Seven Vegetable Coconut Curry by Linda Prince

This recipe was created by Miriam Barton for her cookbook Meatless Meals for Meat Eaters, which my company published. I added about 1-pound cubed cooked chicken to the vegetables before simmering.

1 yam, peeled and cut into chunks

½ bell pepper (any color), diced

1 cup broccoli florets

1 cup sliced mushrooms

2 cups shredded cabbage

¼ onion, sliced

2 garlic cloves, minced

3 tablespoons sesame or olive oil

1½ cups coconut milk*

¼ cup unsweetened shredded coconut

2 bay leaves

¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper

1 teaspoon sea salt

¼ teaspoon cracked pepper

1 teaspoon red curry powder

In a small pot, boil the yam chunks in water until they are soft but not mushy.

In a large skillet over medium heat, sauté the vegetables in the oil for about 5 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients, then cover and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

*If you are using canned coconut milk, my favorite brands are Thai Kitchen and Whole Foods 365.

Makes 5 to 6 servings.

Lemon chicken by Lyra Hollinger