This Isn't a Thanksgiving Recipe

TRANSCRIPT Ep 25 

Welcome to The Simmering Chef.

Cooking with a smidgen of anger, a pinch of crass, a dollop of irreverence, a sprinkling of science, and a handful of spice.

Hello and welcome to all my new and old subscribers, followers, and listeners!

Before we dive into today’s episode, let me tell you something special. I was shocked to find out that this episode is my 25th podcast. I just read that ninety percent of the people who do these things give up after the third podcast. If you can make it to twenty-one podcast episodes, you are more than likely to continue. Whew! That means I am extremely thankful for all of you who inspire me to keep doing this. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Thanksgiving is just six days away, and people are planning, shopping, prepping, and cooking like dervishes in their kitchens. In case you didn’t know, this is a big holiday in the good, ol’ U.S. of A. Personally, I’ve overcommitted, but what chef doesn’t? You want a full turkey dinner for how many? Forty-five? I CAN DO THAT!

So many of my cheffing compatriots on Substack and other sites are sharing all their delicious Thanksgiving recipes. There are so many that your email inbox is full of something about how to cook turkeys, cook this side or that, or make “my mother’s best apple, pecan, maple, pumpkin bar, cookie, pie, cake, cobbler!”

Honestly, Thanksgiving is so fat-and-cream heavy with turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, eleven side dishes, and four desserts of yumminess that I’ve learned not to compete because no one makes it like momma did. I simply won’t compare with a memory. So, unlike everyone else, I’m not sharing one Thanksgiving recipe.

For this episode dropping the week before Thanksgiving, I decided to go in a completely different, simple, and flavorful direction. “Why?” You ask. Sometimes, you need something loaded with spice that has absolutely nothing to do with holiday food. My Thai-Inspired Stir Fried Pork with Green Beans is a welcome respite to all that tradition. It has a delicious and fragrant hit of heat, and the green beans make it healthy. This dish is virtue in a bowl—well, almost. I use a fair amount of avocado oil while cooking. 

This stir fry is a relatively easy to make. Really, the most challenging part of this is cooking and steaming the rice. Because of the rice, you can have this ready to eat in under an hour. If not, it should be ready in less than twenty minutes, depending on how fast you prep. 

If you choose to make rice, then spend the twenty-five minutes it takes to cook having a bath and/or sipping some Singha. (That’s a well-known Thai beer.) Think of this particular dinner as a mini vacation away from the rigors of all that holiday feasting. Of course, the recipe is below this episode’s transcript. I hope you like it.

I am off until December 1st because I have orders to prepare, turkeys to baste, and laughter to share. I’ll see you then.

As always, fail brilliantly and eat well. Thank you for listening. Please know that I wish each of you the kind of Thanksgiving you best enjoy.

 This is Janet, The Simmering Chef

Today's podcast is brought to you from the Atelier Rorschach Culinary Studios in beautiful College Park. Music is “Alehouse Tale" by Venn. Content is all my fault. Feel free to complain to the management.

THAI-INSPIRED STIR FRIED PORK WITH GREEN BEANS

INGREDIENTS

• 1 pound pork loin, no bone, cut into bite-sized pieces.

• 2 teaspoons fish sauce, for marinating the pork

• 3 Tablespoons neutral oil, such as avocado

• 2 Tablespoons red curry paste, or more, if you like it spicier

• 2 Tabelspoons brown sugar

• 1 - 3 Tablespoons fish sauce, for the stir fry

• ½ cup water

• 1½ cups green beans, cleaned, stems removed (I use the already prepped packages from Trader Joe’s)

• Brown Jasmine Rice (Plan on a ¼ cup per person eating. The ratio of water to rice is 4:1. ¼ cup of rice would use 1 cup of water.)

METHOD

1. If making the rice, wash it in cold water. Add it to a pot with a tight-fitting lid. Cover with the water. Add a pinch of salt. Let the rice sit on the stove without heat so it soaks for 15 minutes, Turn the heat on high. Bring the water to a boil. Place a lid on top and reduce the heat to a simmer. Let the rice cook for 25 minutes. When the 25 minutes is up, turn off the heat. DO NOT PEEK OR REMOVE THE LID! Let the rice steam for 15 minutes. It should be ready to fluff and serve once the 15 minutes is up.

2. Toss the pork pieces with the 2 Tablespoons of fish sauce. Let this marinate while you prep the green beans. You can marinate the pork for as long as it takes to cook the rice, too.

3. In a wok or large pan, add just enough oil to coat the bottom of the pan and heat it over high heat. You want this to be very hot.

4. Sear half the pork in a single layer. Do not crowd the pan. This will help you get some browning on the meat. Cook the meat three-quarters of the way through.

5. Remove the pork to a heat-proof bowl. Cook the other half the same way and add it to the bowl with the other pork.

6. Turn the heat off and let the pan cool down a bit.

7. Add a little more oil, then add the curry paste.

8. Turn the heat back on to medium.

9. Stir the paste constantly until it blooms and becomes aromatic.

10. Stir in the sugar, fish sauce, and water.

11. Keep stirring until the sugar is melted.

12. You have now created a sauce. If it looks too thick, feel free to add a bit more water.

13. Add the pork into the pan and toss to coat the pieces.

14. Add the green beans and cook until they become bright green and the pork is fully cooked. The sauce should coat everything nicely without being sludgy or soupy.

15. Remove from the heat and transfer to a plate.

16. Serve with the rice (if you are using it) and enjoy.