This is a basic preparation with lots of flavor. Simply caramelize onions over the stove and combine with cream cheese, mayonnaise, and fresh herbs. Serve with crackers or bread.
Ingredients
1 8 oz container of whipped cream cheese
1 tablespoon mayonnaise
1 white or yellow onion (sliced)
1 clove of garlic (minced)
1 teaspoon plain sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
handful of parsley (chopped)
1 green onion (chopped)
Method
Slice onions and toss with sugar and salt. Over medium-high heat, fry onions in 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil. Continue to cook, tossing in between, until onions have browned and caramelized. Just before onions have finished cooking add minced garlic and toss for about a minute. Then remove from pan and set aside. In a medium-sized bowl, combine cream cheese and mayo. Fold in the caramelized onions, parsley, and green onions, and serve.
This dish incorporates your typical Thai ingredients: ginger, fish sauce, lime juice, and chilies. Most Thai cooking centers around the balance of three flavors: salty, tangy, and sweet. Cashew Shrimp is a flavorful and healthy dish, intensified by red curry paste. Serve it with jasmine or fried rice.
Ingredients
About 25-28 colossal or large shrimp (tails removed)
1/4 cup raw cashews
2 dried red chilies
2 teaspoons red curry paste
3 cloves garlic (minced)
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
chopped cilantro for garnish
Ingredients for Sauce
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/8 cup lime juice
1/4 cup chicken stock
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1/2 tablespoon chili garlic sauce
2 teaspoons fish sauce
Method
To prepare sauce, combine all ingredients and mix well. Set aside. Remove tails from shrimp, season with salt and pepper and set aside.
In a large wok, add 3-4 tablespoons of vegetable oil. Over medium-high heat, fry cashew nuts and dried chilies, as well as a dash of crushed red chili flakes. Once cashews have browned, add garlic, ginger, and red curry paste, and fry for thirty seconds. Then add shrimp and continuously toss to cook. After about 1-2 minutes, add prepared sauce and let simmer. Once shrimp as cooked, garnish with a handful of chopped cilantro and serve.
For centuries, salt has been a requisite in cooking and consumption. In olden days, it was said to have been more valuable than gold. Not only was it used for preservation purposes, but it had this uncanny ability to flavor food. Scientifically speaking, adding NaCl to foods can increase the volatility of chemical compounds, resulting in a rapid release of molecules into the air. Aroma makes up nearly half of the tasting experience after-all. Salt charges foods, making them taste more like themselves, or rather, how they SHOULD taste. The biggest mistake that home cooks can make is to under-season their food. Americans seem to have an aversion to salt; maybe they’re afraid of hypertension. Regardless of the health risks, it is essential to a well-flavored, well-seasoned meal. You don’t have to eat like this everyday; I’m not your physician. But next time you taste something unbelievable at a restaurant, and you claim that you’ve never had anything like it before, ask yourself why.
Tip: For health conscious people, use sea salt instead of table salt.
