Thai Roast Duck Curry

Roast duck curry is a tangy, spicy dish made with a creamy coconut sauce and unique ingredients such as fresh pineapple. India has had a large influence on Thai cuisine, but Thai curries are unique to Indian curries through their use of different spices and aromatics. My mom was born and raised in Bangkok, Thailand. Roast duck curry was one of her favorite childhood dishes, and she’s now passed this delicious comfort food down to me.

Ingredients:

• ½ a roast duck (I get mine from Fubonn Shopping Center)
• ½ cup ½ inch pineapple chunks
• 1 can coconut milk (14 fl oz)
• ¼ cup Thai basil
• 1 can bamboo shoots (15 oz)
• 1 can quail eggs (15 oz)
• 1 tbsp red curry paste, add more if desired
• 5 oz cherry tomatoes
• 2 cups water
• Thai fish sauce and sugar to taste

Directions:

1. Heat the coconut milk in a large pot until it boils. Add red curry paste and stir.
2. Add the roast duck and bring to a boil.
3. Add the water and bring it to a boil.
4. Add the bamboo shoots, tomatoes, and Thai basil. Bring all contents to a boil before seasoning to taste. For a spicier flavor, add more curry paste or chili flakes.
5. Add quail eggs and allow to reach a boil.

Kale and Sunchoke Frittata

One of the best places to go on Saturday morning is the farmer’s market located on the Portland State University campus. My family and I have discovered so many fresh ingredients from local farmers. One of my personal favorites is sunchoke, which we buy from Gathering Together Farm. Sunchoke, also known as Jerusalem artichoke, is a root vegetable that is similar to a potato mixed with an artichoke.

Ingredients:

• 2 medium sunchokes, peeled and cut into ½ inch cubes
• 3 pork sausage links, cut into ½ inch segments
• 1 large carrot, peeled and cut into ½ inch cubes
• 6 cups kale
• ¼ cup shredded Italian cheese blend
• 5 eggs
• ½ cup half and half
• Seasonings of choice (I used Lawry’s Seasoned Salt, Lawry’s Total Seasoning, Kinder’s The Blend, and black pepper)

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 425°F.
2. In a cast iron pan, sauté the sausage in some olive oil. Once brown, remove and set aside.
3. Sauté sunchokes and carrots in the leftover oils. After a few minutes add the kale and let it cook down. Season to taste.
4. In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs and the half and half, and add seasonings of choice.
5. Once the vegetables are fully cooked, add the sausage back in and evenly pour the egg mixture over the vegetables and sausage. Sprinkle the Italian cheese blend on top.
6. Wait a couple of minutes then finish in the oven for 15-20 minutes. Oven time will vary depending on the pan size.

Scallion Pancakes

The scallion pancake is so ancient that the story of its origination is made up of myths and guesswork. Many theories point to Shanghai, China. This is because scallion pancakes are like a cross between an Indian flatbread called “paratha” and Chinese cuisine — Shanghai was a city with a high Indian population.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup all-purpose flour, plus extra for dusting
• ½ tsp salt
• 2 tbsp room temperature butter or shortening
• ¼ cup water
• 2 tbsp milk
• ½ cup thinly sliced green scallion rounds
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil

Directions:

1. In a bowl, mix flour and salt.
2. In a measuring cup, add water and milk and heat in the microwave for 1 minute. Pour into the flour mixture and mix. The dough will be flaky and dry.
3. Knead the dough until a soft ball is formed. Divide the dough evenly into two pieces and let them rest for 5 minutes under a thin towel that is barely damp.
4. Using more flour for dusting, roll out one of the balls into a flat circle. Spread the butter or shortening onto the dough, roll it into a log, and roll the log into a spiral. Let sit for 5 minutes under the towel and repeat for the other ball of dough.
5. Roll out a spiral of dough and spread more butter or shortening onto the dough. Evenly disperse half of the scallion rounds. Complete the same process as done in step 4, rolling it into a log and then a spiral, and letting it sit under the damp towel for another 5 minutes. Repeat with all spirals of dough.
6. Roll out the spirals of dough as thin as you can get them. Heat vegetable oil in a pan and fry on both sides. Once cooled, cut into triangles.

Crispy Smashed Potatoes

There are many delicious ways to prepare potatoes, but this is a lesser-known and underrated recipe. These potatoes are fluffy and soft on the inside, but incredibly crispy and flavorful on the outside.

Ingredients:

• Potatoes, the amount you would like to make (I find that Yukon Gold or any type of small golden potato works best)
• Salt, pepper, paprika, and garlic powder to taste

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 425°F.
2. Boil potatoes until you can easily stab a fork through them.
3. Gently smash each potato with your hand or with a pan. If you smash them too much, the potatoes will fall apart.
4. In a cast iron pan, pan fry the potatoes on both sides in olive oil until crispy. Season to taste.
5. Finish in the oven.

Tomatillo Salsa Verde

Tomatillos are native to Mexico, where they have been growing for thousands of years. Tomatillos are a sphere-shaped fruit with a greenish husk that holds a tomato-like green or greenish-purple fruit. They are tangy, tart, and citrusy, giving salsas an excellent kick.

Ingredients:

• 6 medium tomatillos, husked
• 4 jalapeno peppers
• 1 small, sweet onion, peeled and cut in half
• 5 cloves garlic still in their skins
• 3 cups fresh cilantro
• 1 dried árbol chili, add more if desired
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes
• salt, pepper, lime juice, and sugar to taste

Directions:

1. Broil tomatillos, onion, and jalapenos in the oven until browned or slightly blackened. Flip to broil the other side and add garlic cloves.
2. Once broil is complete, destem and deseed jalapenos. Peel the garlic.
3. Put all ingredients in a food processor and blend to desired consistency, adding seasonings to taste.