In this episode of our podcast, COOKING WITH BRUCE & MARK, we’ve got a one-minute cooking tip on how to make easy, cheesy dumplings for stews and chilis.
Then we head to the kitchen to make a tasty, spicy, pork dipping sauce for raw vegetables, inspired by a much more traditional Cambodian dish, but a fun, easy dinner as spring sets in and we find ourselves with one food in the world of deep, complex stews and another in the world of fresher, brighter flavors.
Finally, we’ll tell you what’s making us happy in food this week: satsuma oranges and old-school chicken soup.
Here’s the recipe for that crazy, tasty, comforting porkish ragu or dipping sauce:
Start out by making an aromatic paste in a small food processor, a mortar with a pestle, or a Nutribullet. Put all of these in and whir it up:
1/4 cup (60 milliliters) water, plus more as needed
3 dried guajillo chiles, soaked in hot water for 20 minutes, then stemmed, seeded, and chopped
3 fresh lemongrass stalks, only the tender middles, trimmed of hard outer leaves, and chopped
4 fresh or dried makrut leaves
4 peeled medium garlic cloves
One 1-inch (2 1/2-cm) piece of fresh peeled ginger
One 1-inch (2 1/2-cm) piece of fresh peeled turmeric
You may need to add more water, depending on how much was left in the lemongrass, ginger, and turmeric. You may need to add up to 1/4 cup (60 milliliters) more to create a thick paste.
Now head to the wok. Set it over medium-high heat for two minutes or so, then swirl in 3 tablespoons (45 ml) neutral-flavored oil, preferably refined peanut oil, but also canola or vegetable oil.
Crumble in 1 1/2 pounds (675 grams) lean ground pork. Stir-fry for 1 or 2 minutes, just until it loses its raw pink color.
Now add all of the following:
4 milder green chilis, such as Anaheims or Anchos, stemmed, seeded, and thinly sliced
2 tablespoons Thai or Cambodian shrimp paste
1 tablespoon fish sauce
1 tablespoon granulated white sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons dried chicken bouillon (powder or crumbled cube)
Stir-fry until aromatic, less than 1 minute. Then pour in 1 cup (240 milliliters or 240 grams) full-fat, well-shaken coconut milk. Stir until bubbling, then simmer, stirring often, until thickened to the consistency of a ragu, about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and serve with lots of raw vegetables to dip and drag through the sauce.