Panang Cucumber Curry

This has been such a hard two weeks.  Two weeks ago my cat Crookers had to be put to sleep.  Then last Sunday my youngest cat, Little Kitty started getting sick.  It began with her throwing up and I took her into the animal hospital because it wouldn't stop.  Then she got a very bad respiratory infection last Wed and stopped eating and drinking.  Thursday I went to 5 different stores buying things to try to get her to eat and drink.  I turned the bathroom into a sauna a few times a day to make her feel better.  It has been nuts.  I guess that this is what it is like to have a sick child, I am just looking forward to getting her back to normal.  She is starting to eat and drink again, luckily, and hopefully the infection will go away in a day or two.  

One of my favorite recipes is my stir-fried cucumbers and I wanted to try to make another cucumber recipe where the cucumbers were cooked because I have a hard time digesting raw cucumbers.  This recipe looked interesting but a bit scary-- curry and cucumbers?  However, the two unlikely ingredients work together well and it definitely makes a meal that you haven't had before!

Panang Cucumber Curry

Adapted from Vegetarian Times

Ingredients

I Tbs of olive oil

1 4 oz can panang curry paste (I couldn't find any, so I used red curry paste instead)

1 13 oz can of light coconut milk 

1 1/2 tsp grated lime zest

2 tsp soy sauce

1 large english cucumber, seeded, peeled and cut into small cubes

1 red pepper cut into strips

1 small onion

1/3 cup of thai basil leaves

1 container of tofu

2 tsp lime juice

Wrap the tofu in a few paper towels.  Put on a plate and put a plate on top of it to press.  Wait 30 minutes then pat dry.  Cut into cubes.

Put oil in pan and heat on medium-low.  Add curry paste and cook for 4 minutes, stirring often, until it gets fragrant.  Add coconut milk, lime zest, and soy sauce.  Simmer for 5 minutes until it begins to thicken.  

Add cucumber, pepper and onion.  Cook 10 - 12 minutes until cucumbers are crisp tender.  Add in basil and tofu and then cook for around 4 more minutes.  Add lime juice and serve.  

Grilled Asian Noodle Salad

I just finished making around 5 pounds of fudge (I'll post them up later). We are going to my husband's bar's holiday party tonight (yes, it is in the middle of January--after the holiday craziness has stopped). As owners we have to put together the celebration and I spent 6 hours this week wrapping presents. I am so sick of presents! We play a game at the party, which came from his family. We wrap good and funny gifts- for example you could get a shamwow or an ipod, a box of noodles with a $50 gift certificate taped to the outside or one without one, a microwave or a box with a pillow pet. In the game you have two dice. You roll the dice and if you get doubles you get to pick a present. If you open the present, you are out of the game, but if you keep playing you can accumulate more presents. The problem is, if someone else rolls doubles, they can steal your present from you. This year there are soooo many presents so I'll be glad when it is done (2 hours and counting until I have to leave and try to put the presents in 2 cars).

So last week was my week of trying to clear out my fridge. I had random ingredients that my husband and I had bought and wanted to make sure that I could use them up before they went bad. I was able to make two different fresh dishes with what I had in the fridge, so I was happy. It was also the first time that I had used the small eggplants, they are really cute!

Grilled Asian Noodle Salad

Adapted from Bon Appetit

Ingredients

6 small eggplants (unpeeled, cut on diagonal into 1/3 inch thick slices)

2 containers of fresh shiitake mushrooms (stemmed)

2 bunches of green onions (trimmed so you have green and white)

1 15 oz box of asian rice noodles

2 cups of sugar snap peas (trimmed)

1/4 cup of sesame oil

3/4 cup of hoisin sauce

1/2 cup of fresh lime juice

3 tsp of grated lime peel

3 Tbs of minced fresh ginger

3 Tbs of toasted sesame seeds

Salt and pepper to taste

Place eggplants, mushrooms and onions in a bowl. Add sesame oil and toss to coat. Add salt and pepper. Grill vegetables (I used a grill pan) turning often until the vegetables are tender. Cut mushrooms and onions if you would like.

Boil a pot of water. Drop in sugar snap peas and cook for 1 minute. Take out and place in a bowl of ice water. Use the water to cook the rice noodles. Put into a serving bowl and add in vegetables.

Whisk hoisin sauce, lime juice, lime peel and ginger together. Add to noodles and toss. Add toasted sesame seeds and serve.