Saturday April 4th
5:00 pm CST via ZOOM
RSVP at – [email protected]
Join the experience here – https://us04web.zoom.us/j/821312167

Our first LDC virtual experience was a hit as we took a trip to Italy where we welcomed two Italian chefs. One who was live from Chicago and the other live from Positano Italy.

Next, via LA, we’re taking the Crew’s taste buds to Southeast Asia where food is diverse, representing both Chinese cuisine and flavors from Indian herbs and spices. Southeast Asian dishes can be sweet, sour, salty, spicy and bitter all in the same bite.

Taking us on this culinary journey is personal Chef Rebecca Fisher. Based in the beach cities of Los Angeles, she is self-taught and has traveled to more than 20 countries to study their gastronomy and indulged in cuisine such as Thai, Vietnamese, Australian, Italian, French, and Mexican, but her favorite culinary inspiration comes from Southeast Asia, Bali.

Many know Chef Rebecca as “The Flying Gourmet,” as she has maintained a career as a professional flight attendant and purser with United Airlines for over 24 years and has brought home hand selected spices from all corners of the world. Besides preparing delicious recipes for her husband Keven and 4.5- year-old son Kai, she has graced her cooking skills for numerous high profile clients and their families such as MLB Hall of Famer Tommy Lasorda, NFL player Wes Welker, and current MLB baseball star Kurt Suzuki.

Below you will find the menu along with recipes. Feel free to substitute any protein you like for any of the dishes! This menu is designed to be flexible so you can use what you have available since grocery shopping is limited.  Just do what you can and you can create something Asian inspired.. which is when the magic happens! Be creative and we can’t wait to see what you’ve created!

Please download and print the LDC menu here.

MOCKTAIL

Jungle Bird Splash

INGREDIENTS

• Pineapple Juice
• Lime Juice or Fresh Squeezed Limes (1-2 depending on size)
• Simple Syrup (optional)
• Club Soda or Sparkling Water
• Red Cherries (optional)
• Ice Cubes

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Pour pineapple juice into a glass filling ita little less than half.
2. Pour in a1 oz of lime juice or squeezein fresh juice using limes.
3. Add a 1 oz of simple syrup
4. Add ice and then stir contents.
5. Top off with a splash of club soda or sparkling water
6. Garnish with a cherry

GARLIC SESAME EDAMAME

INGREDIENTS

• 2 cups frozen edamame, un-shelled
• 1 tbsp toasted sesame oil
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tbsp Everything but the Bagel seasoning blend (or any sesame seed blend, or plain sesame seed)
• Sea salt

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Bring 1 c water to a boil and add edamame to steam until bright green, and steaming.
2. Drain and set aside.
3. In a separate skillet, heat oil until shimmering, add garlic for a few minutes until fragrant.
4. Add in edamame and sprinkle sesame seed blend.
5. (First taste then Sprinkle w sea salt to taste)

NASI GORENG (Balinese Fried Rice)

INGREDIENTS

• 2 cups rice (either day old rice or frozen rice)
• 2 tbsp oil, (choose an oil that can withstand higher temperatures- vegetable oil, peanut oil, coconut oil)
• 1 shallot, thinly sliced
• 1 small onion, very finely chopped
• 1 -3 red or green chilie, seeded and cut into thin rounds (optional-avoid if you prefer mild)
• 1 tsp finely chopped fresh ginger
• 1 tsp finely chopped garlic
• 2 tbsp chopped cilantro
• 2 eggs, scrambled
• 2 cups vegetables of choice, finely chopped
• (carrots, cabbage, mushrooms, green beans or whatever you have on hand or prefer)
• 1 c protein (short cut: shred chicken off of a Rotisserie Chicken, or if you prefer diced seared tofu, or chopped cooked meat or 1 c steamed shrimp)
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 lime
• 1/4 c bean sprouts(optional)
• 1/4 c sliced cucumber

SAUCE

• 1 tbsp Kecapmanis (Indonesian style ketchup), sweet dark soy sauce (available at ethnic grocery dept or stores)
• 1 tbsp Oyster sauce
• 1 tsp fish sauce (or to taste)
• Chile garlic sauce (to taste /optional)

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Heat 1/2 tbsp oil in large skillet/wok, medium heat. Scramble eggs and put aside.
2. Fry up sliced shallot. Add 1 tbsp oil to skillet/wok, Add chopped onions, garlic and ginger, Chile (optional) and stir-fry for 30 seconds until fragrant. Add veggies with longer cooking times first (I.e. carrots)
3. Stir fry for about 4 minutes. Add in oyster sauce, sweet dark soy sauce/kecapmanis,tomato paste, fish sauce.
4. Add in shredded chicken or protein of choice. Stir in frozen or day-old rice. Stir fry until heated through. Squeeze lime juice over the top,
5. Sprinkle paprika, cilantro and bean sprouts.
6. Serve with scrambled eggs, sliced cucumber and Chile Garlic Sauce on the side, as desired.

WANT TO MAKE YOUR OWN KECAPMANIS? (INDONESIAN SWEET SOY SAUCE)

WHAT YOU NEED:

• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 1/4 cup + 1/8 cup (i.e. one half of a quarter cup) brown sugar
• Instead of brown sugar, palm sugar can be substituted

INSTRUCTIONS

1. In small pot, add brown sugar and soy sauce.
2. Boil the sauce over low to medium flame until thickens resembling maple syrup. If the mixture starts to boil vigorously and looks like it is going to over boil, move the pot away from the flame until the boiling has calmed down and continue to boil over low heat. You have to keep a watchful eye while the mixture is cooking to avoid over boiling. As the mixture cools down, it will further thicken.

GYOZA (Dumplings)

(If you prefer not to make the Dumplings, you can purchase these frozen and cook according to package instructions)

INGREDIENTS

• FILLING
• 1 1/2 cups green cabbage, very finely chopped
• 1 tsp salt, separated
• 1 lb. ground pork (minced, the fattier the better) or substitute with chopped cooked shrimp, chicken or more chopped veggies (carrot, red bell pepper, kale/bok choy)
• 1 cup garlic chives, or green part of a green onion, finely chopped
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• 1 tsp ginger, grated
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 1 tbsp cornstarch / corn flour
• 2 tsp soy sauce

GYOZA

• 1 tsp cornflour (cornstarch) – for tray40 – 45
• 2 pkgs round wonton (gyoza) wrappers
• 3 tbsp vegetable oil (or other cooking oil)

DIPPING SAUCE
Equal parts: 2 tbsp each of

• Soy sauce
• Sweet chili sauce
• Rice wine vinegar
• Chili oil (Rayu is Japanese chili oil)- to taste

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Combine cabbage and 1/2 tsp salt in a small bowl, then set aside for 20 minutes to allow the cabbage to wilt slightly.
2. Place remaining filling ingredients (including remaining 1/2 tsp salt) in a large bowl. Squeeze out any excess water from the cabbage and add to the bowl.Useyour hands to mix the filling.
3. Sprinkle a baking tray with 1 tsp of cornstarch/cornflour.
4. Place 1 gyoza wrapper on your palm (left hand for right-handed people). Dip your finger in water and run it around the edge of half the gyoza wrapper (to seal).
5. Place 1 slightly heaped tbsp of filling on the wrapper. Fold wrapper over and use your right hand assisted by your leftthumb to create 4 pleats. Press to seal and place on the tray. Repeat with remaining wrappers. (See video on YouTube for demo)

TO COOK

1. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a large skillet (that has a lid) over medium high heat.
2. Place about 12 gyoza in rows, slightly overlapping each other. Cook until the underside is light golden, then pour 1/3 cup of water around the gyoza and place the lid on.
3. Cook until the water has completely evaporated (so the golden underside is not wet and soggy) and the wrapper is slightly translucent on top – about 3 to 4 minutes.
4. Serve with Dipping Sauce.

DIPPING SAUCE

• Serve each ingredient separately so people can mix according to their taste. Use about equal portions of soy sauce and vinegar with a generous splash of chili oil.

TOFU OR CHICKEN& GREENS STIR FRY

INGREDIENTS

• 2 (14-ounce) packages extra-firm tofu — do not use firm, silken or anything other than extra-firmor (skinless chicken breast, cut across the grain into 1/4-inch-thick by 1/2-inch-wide pieces)
• 1 tablespoon canola oil or grapeseed oil*
• 3 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce — divided, plus additional to taste
• 3 large garlic cloves — minced (about 1 heaping tablespoon)
• 1 small bunch green onions — finely chopped, divided
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
• 1–2 teaspoons fresh chili paste (sambal oelek) — or 1/4–1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
• 10 ounces baby spinach or chopped greens of choice, (kale, chard, or an alternate green vegetable- broccoli, green beans…
• 2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds
• 2 teaspoons sesame oil

SERVING WITH:

• Prepared brown, white or fried rice
• Cauliflower rice
• Soba or rice noodles
• Quinoa

INSTRUCTIONS (TOFU)

• Drain the tofu. Wrap each block in a double layer of paper towels and pat dry, pressing down on the tofu lightly to squeeze out excess moisture. Cut the tofu into 3/4-inch cubes.
• In a large nonstick skillet or wok, heat the canola oil over medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot but not smoking, add the tofu (be careful, as the oil will splatter a little bit) and drizzle with 1 tablespoon soy sauce.
• Sauté, stirring every minute or so until the tofu is nicely colored on all sides and the moisture has cooked off, about 8 to 10 minutes. (Don’t feel that you need to stir constantly. Sitting for a while on one side is what will allow the tofu to brown.)
• Add the garlic, roughly two-thirds of the green onion, ginger, chili paste, and the remaining 2 tablespoons soy sauce. Stir and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
• Add several large handfuls of spinach, stirring as you go so that it wilts and you can fit more in the pan. Once the first addition has wilted, continue to add the spinach by handfuls, until all of the spinach is added. It will seem like a ridiculous amount at first but will cook down considerably.
• Stir in the sesame seeds. Stir in the sesame oil. Remove from the heat.
• Sprinkle the reserved green onions over the top.
• Serve hot, with brown rice, noodles, or whatever you like, along with a few dashes of additional soy sauce and chili paste or flakes to taste.

(For chicken, cook in separate skillet and then add to vegetables when done)

NOTE:

Press out as much of the tofu liquid as you can. The less liquid, the crispier the tofu will be. To do this, place a stack of paper towels on a plate. Wrap the tofu block in more paper towels, then place a second plate on top. Add several heavy items on top to weight the tofu down (canned food is perfect). Let sit 5 to 10 minutes while you prep the rest of the recipe.

Add the soy sauce in increments as you cook to build flavor. Food should be seasoned throughout the entire cooking process. Each addition changes and deepens the flavor in a unique way that will give you better results than if you just add it all at once at the end.

Save the sesame oil to drizzle on at the end to preserve its flavor. It’s so robust, toasty, and nutty that a few teaspoons give the illusion that this tofu stir fry recipe is much more complicated to make than it is.

MOCHI (Green Tea or Mango)

Pick up in your local grocery store.