Bitter Melon soup

How to make bitter melon soup

Bitter melon soup is another traditional Cambodian dish.  Not a lot of young folks like the taste of the bitter melon, in fact they stick to eating the meat only and the soup leaving the parents to eat the bitter vegetable.  I actually liked eating the bitter melon! this dish is actually one of my favorite soups and it is so simple to make. 

For this recipe all you need is two bitter melon cut into fours, ground beef mixture which consists of (black mushroom, garlic, carrots, bean thread noodles, minced onion) to see the recipe for the ground beef mixture please read the post with the stuffed chicken wings.  the stuffing is practically the same just add the black mushrooms for this dish. 2 stalk of green onions, 1/2 cup of fish sauce, 2 1/2 tbsp of chicken bouillon, 1 tbsp of MSG, 3 tsp of sugar, 2 tsp of salt, and 4 cloves of garlic. 

Start by bringing a medium sized pot filled with water 75% of the way with garlic added to a boil. 

Prepare your ingredients while waiting for the water to boil. Cut the bitter melon into fours just like the above picture. 

Remove the seeds on the inside of the bitter melon using a long spoon and set aside for stuffing. 

Once the seeds are all removed, with the same spoon scoop a good portion of the stuffing and stuff the insides of the melon using your thumb to push and pack the melon. 

This is how it should look after being stuffed.  Once the water comes to a boil add 2 tsp of salt.  

Add the stuffed bitter melon into the boiling water. 

Add 1/2 cup of fish sauce. 

Add 2 1/2 tbsp of chicken bouillon, 3 tsp of sugar and 1 tbsp of MSG.  Adjust the seasoning to your liking. Simmer on medium heat for 45 min. 

Add the chopped green onion to garnish the soup, and serve with rice, and spicy fish sauce. 

Ingredients: 

1 lb of ground beef mixture w/ black mushroom added to the mixture. (Recipe found in stuffed chicken recipe blog) 

2 whole bitter melon cut into fours

2 stalk of green onions

1/2 cup of fish sauce

2 1/2 tbsp of chicken bouillon

1 tbsp of MSG

3 tsp of sugar

2 tsp of salt

4 cloves of garlic

Directions:

1. Start by bringing a medium sized pot filled with water 75% of the way with garlic added to a boil. 

2. Prepare your ingredients while waiting for the water to boil. Cut the bitter melon into fours. 

3. Remove the seeds on the inside of the bitter melon using a long spoon and set aside for stuffing. 

4. Once the seeds are all removed, with the same spoon scoop a good portion of the stuffing and stuff the insides of the melon using your thumb to push and pack the melon. 

5. Once the water boils add 2 tsp of salt, and add the stuffed bitter melon into the boiling water. 

6. Add 1/2 cup of fish sauce, add 2 1/2 tbsp of chicken bouillon, 3 tsp of sugar and 1 tbsp of MSG.  Adjust the seasoning to your liking. 

7. Simmer on medium heat for 45 min, turning down the heat to low if the water is over boiling. 

8. Remove from pot and into a bowl, garnish with chopped green onions. 

Hope you will enjoy this recipe! 

Papaya Salad

How to make Papaya Salad 

I'm sure all of you are familiar with papaya salad.  Very popular in the khmer, Lao, and Thai cultures.  This is a dish that is made very often during Cambodian new year as well.  salads are usually tossed together, but as for papaya salad it is pounded with a pestle in a mortar.

What you will need is a pestle and a mortar, 1 half of a papaya seeded, 3 tomatoes sliced into fours, 1/2 cup of dried shrimp, 8 cloves of garlic, 8 frozen or fresh siracha chillies, 4 limes halved

1/4 cup of fish sauce, 2 tbsp of shrimp paste, 2 1/2 tbsp of mud fish sauce, 1 tbsp of chicken bouillon, 1 tbsp of MSG, 1/2 tbsp of sugar. 

Start off by pounding the dried shrimp until it's broken into small pieces.  Remove from mortar and set aside. 

Add the garlic and siracha Chillies into the mortar and pound until broken into fine pieces. 

Add the shredded papaya, and tomatoes to the mortar. 

Add the fish sauce, mud fish sauce, MSG, chicken bouillon, shrimp paste, and sugar. Once added pound with pestle to incorporate the ingredients. 

Add the limes, and the dried shrimp. You do not need to use all four of the limes, just enough to adjust your liking.  Pound to incorporate remaining ingredients. 

Remove from mortar and serve as a side dish with rice and another main course, like stuffed chicken wings, or beef on a stick, or even fried chicken! 

Ingredients: 

1 half of a Papaya 

1/2 cup of dried shrimp

3 tomatoes cut into fours

8 cloves of garlic

4 limes halved (do not need to use all of the limes) 

8 frozen or fresh siracha chillies

1/4 cup of fish sauce

1 tbsp of MSG 

1 tbsp of chicken bouillon 

1/2 tsp of sugar

2 tbsp of shrimp paste

2 1/2 tbsp of mud fish sauce 

Directions: 

1. start off by pounding the dried shrimp inside of the mortar with the pestle until broken into small pieces.  Remove from mortar and set aside. 

2. Add the garlic, and chillies and pound until broken into pieces. 

3. Add the shredded papaya, tomatoes, fish sauce, mud fish sauce, MSG, sugar, chicken bouillon, and shrimp paste.  Pound until all ingredients are well incorporated. 

4. Add limes, and the broken up dried shrimp. you do not need to use all four limes just use as much lime to adjust to your liking. Pound until remaining ingredients are well incorporated. 

5. Remove from mortar and serve as a side dish. 

Hope you'll Enjoy this recipe!!! 

Stuffed chicken wings

How to make Stuffed Chicken Wings

Stuffed chicken wings is a popular dish during Cambodian new year.  The stuffing is pretty much what we put in our egg rolls as well, just without the bean sprouts.  Here are the ingredients you will need. 

1 lb of ground pork, 2 lbs of large chicken wings, 2 cups of bean thread noodles, 1 cup shredded carrots, 1 whole onion minced, and 4 cloves of garlic minced. 

In a mixing bowl, add the ground pork, bean thread noodles, onion, garlic, carrots, 3 tbsp of fish sauce, 1 tbsp of chicken bouillon, 1 tbsp of MSG, 2 tsp of sugar, and 2 tsp of black pepper. mix it all together until well incorporated. 

Just like this... Now after you got your stuffing ready, let's move on to the preparation of the chicken wings. 

Start at the end of the wing towards the drumlet portion. Start cutting the meat off the bone, make sure when cutting it's closest to the bone, folding down the meat every time you slice the meat off the bone.  Only de-bone the drumlet portion, keep the bones on the winglet portion. Be careful, it should be able to be stuffed once the bone is removed. 

So this is how it should look after the bone is removed.  Set them aside and once all the wings are de-bone marinate the chicken wings with 1 tbsp of chicken boullion, and 1 tbsp of MSG. Start stuffing the pocket of the drumlet using your thumb to push in the stuffing. 

Pre- heat oven to 350 degrees. Once all the chicken wings are stuffed, spray non stick grease onto a baking sheet and place chicken wings onto the baking sheet. cook wings for 30 minutes on one side, and another 30-45 min. On the other side. 

Pull out of oven and serve with rice and another side dish.  I love to pair this with Papaya salad and it makes a great dish. 

Hope you'll enjoy this recipe!! 

Ingredients

For the stuffing mix:

1 lb of ground pork

2 lbs of large chicken wings 

2 cups of bean thread noodles 

1 cup of shredded carrots

1 whole onion minced

4 cloves of garlic minced

3 tbsp of fish sauce

1 tbsp of chicken bouillon 

1 tbsp of MSG 

2 tsp of sugar

2 tsp of black pepper 

For marinating the chicken wings:

1 tbsp of chicken bouillon 

1 tbsp of MSG

Directions: 

1. In a mixing bowl, add the ground pork, bean thread noodles, onion, garlic, carrots, 3 tbsp of fish sauce, 1 tbsp of chicken bouillon, 1 tbsp of MSG, 2 tsp of sugar, and 2 tsp of black pepper. mix it all together until well incorporated. 

2. De-bone the drumlet portion of the wings. 

3. Stuff the pocket of the drumlet portion with the stuffing mix.

4. Pre- heat oven to 350 degrees 

5. Grease a sqare baking sheet and place the stuffed chicken wings on the sheet. 

6. Bake the wings 30 minutes on one side, and 30-45 minutes on the other.  Watch carefully to avoid burning. 

7. Remove from oven and serve with rice and another side dish.  I prefer papaya salad.  Check out my papaya salad post for the recipe!!!! 

Hope you enjoy this recipe. 

Fettucinne Alfredo with shrimp

How to make Fettucinne Alfredo with shrimp

I know that you are all familiar with Alfredo.  It's an Italian dish that is made with heavy cream, and Parmesan cheese served over either linguine, or Fettucinne, and any type of meat you like.  I made this dish using shrimp, since I love olive gardens version.  Here's what you'll need. 

Let's prepare and cook the shrimp first.

You'll need 1/2 lb of shrimp perferably the size 31/50 or 40/50.  This just means there is 31-50 pieces of shrimp in a lb.  make sure the shrimp is peeled deveined and has the tail on.  

In a heated skillet add 3 tbsp of butter to cook the shrimp. 

    Add the shrimp into the pan, and salt and pepper both sides. 

    Cook until pink like the above picture, remove from pan and set aside. 

You'll need 1 box of Fettucinne pasta, cooked according to the box. Add salt to make the water boil quicker, and add olive oil to keep it from sticking together. 

Drain out the noodles, and run through cold water, and set aside until needed. 

    Wash and chopped parsley and use as garnish once pasta is plated. 

Mince 4 cloves of garlic, and set aside. 

Now in a sauce pan melt 1 stick of butter

 and add the minced garlic, cook for 1 minute. 

Now add 2 cups of heavy cream turn down heat to low. 

    Slowly add 1 1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese, stir frequently, heat will remain in low. 

    Add 1/2 tsp of Salt and 1/2 tsp of pepper, and a pinch of chicken boullion.  

    Add the cooked shrimp into the sauce once it thickens, continue to simmer on Low. 

   

Add the pasta into the sauce.

   Using a tong toss pasta making sure not to break the noodle, and making sure the pasta is all covered and thick.  Not too thick though. 

Plate the pasta and serve with bread sticks or rolls. 

ingredients: 

2 cups heavy cream

1 1/2 cup of fresh grated Parmesan cheese

1 box fettuccine pasta

4 cloves garlic

1 stick butter and 3 tbsp butter to cook shrimp

1/2 lb of shrimp peeled and deveined

1/2 bunch of parsley

1/2 tsp salt 

1/2 tsp pepper

A pinch chicken boullion 

Directions: 

1. Preparing the shrimp, get a skillet and heat 3 tbsp of butter.

2. Add the 1/2 lb shrimp and salt and pepper both sides.  Cook until pink on both sides. 

3. Remove shrimp and set aside until needed. 

4. in a sauce pan heat 1 stick of butter.

5. Add the 4 cloves of chopped garlic. Cook for 1 minute.

6. Add 2 cups of heavy cream, simmer on low heat.

7. Slowly Add 1 1/2 cup of parmesan cheese. Continue to simmer on low heat.

8. Once sauce is thicken, add the cook shrimp, once again simmer until thicken. 

9. Add the pasta and toss with tongs carefully not to break the noodles.  Make sure all of the pasta is covered in the sauce. 

10. Plate the pasta and garnish with parsley.  

11. Serve with bread sticks or rolls. 

Done!! Sorry it too so long for me to post up the step by step recipe. I've been working 5 days a week, 8 hours a day get kinda tired when I get home.