2 carrots, sliced into thin pieces
1/2 bell pepper (red)
1/2 bell pepper (orange)
1/2 bell pepper (green)
1/4 small yellow onion, diced
10 small mushrooms, sliced
1/2 small cucumber, sliced thin (slices halved)
4 cloves garlic, diced
1/2 tbsp red pepper flakes
1/8 c fish sauce
1/4 c soy sauce
2 c sake (rice wine)
1/2 c water
2 tbsp sesame oil (or olive)

Carrots should be sliced (not lengthwise) into small thin circles. They cook better that way. Slice bell peppers into thin strips then cut to about 1-2" length. Dice onion and garlic into as fine pieces as you have the patience for. Slice and halve the cucumbers, thinly slice the mushrooms.

Combine oil, garlic, onion and red pepper flakes in teflon pan, cook on high, stirring constantly. After a couple minutes, add carrot slices and a small amount of rice wine (about 1/4 c). Stir and cook about 5 minutes or until the carrots start to become tender. If the mix starts to get dry, add some water and keep cooking. Then add the bell pepper slices and another 1/4 c of rice wine. Stir, cook. After a few more minutes, add the mushrooms and another 1/2 c of rice wine. Stirr, cook. After about 5 min, add all remaining ingredients and stir, cook, stir until it's done.

mildly spicy, weird, and good...

Enjoy!

Simpler is better I think. Here is a simple but tasty recipe I whipped up for pork stew. Prep + cooking time is about 20 minutes total. Start the rice ahead of time.

1/2 serrano chili pepper, diced very fine
2 large cloves fresh garlic, peeled, diced very fine
1-2 potatoes
3-5 carrots
1-2 c thin sliced pork (or chicken, etc.) cut in bite sized pieces
2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup white wine (any type)
1 c water

Combine meat, olive oil, pepper and garlic in frying pan (or pot). Cook until meat begins to brown, then add wine and cook down until meat is fully cooked. I cook on high, and stir continuously. Add carrots and water. Boil the mix for about 5 minutes, then add potatoes. Cook down to reduce water content until it becomes a stew.

Serve over brown rice.

Yum!

1lb chicken, skin, bone, and fat removed
1 1/2 c sliced carrots (or more)
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp red pepper flakes
1 1/2 c rice wine
3 c water (or vegetable broth)
21-spice top secret seasoning mix (Trader Joe's 21 seasoning salute)
1/4 c Yoshida's gourmet sauce (or just soy sauce and 1 tsp sugar)
1/8 c sesame oil

Combine all ingredients in deep pan and cook on high heat until all liquid has evaporated and chicken is cooked and golden brown. Stir almost continuously. Serve with rice. Chicken frozen? no problem... just add another cup of water.

NOTE: Kids WILL eat this! (at least my picky 5-year-old will...)

Today I made some Swiss Pancakes, just like my mother made me when I was a boy, and like her mother made for her when she was a girl.

They are not "pancakes" in the conventional [buttermilk] sense, they are more like crepes. But, the French already have a copyright on that I think. They are pancakes in the sense that they are cooked in a hot pan. They are very thin, and we would always just put a thin layer of jam or jelly on the inside and sort of roll them up to eat them. Pretty good stuff! Here's the recipe, enjoy!

Swiss Pancakes

• 2 cups flour
• 2 eggs
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 1/8 tsp salt [optional]

Mix liquid ingredients, and sprinkle in flour while stirring, a bit at a time so it doesn't get too lumpy. A few little lumps are OK.

Heat pan on medium heat and spray on some olive oil or canola oil - just a small amount. The pan doesn't have to be really really hot, medium heat works best.

Use a ladle to scoop up some batter and drop it in the middle of the pan. Using a spatula, spread the mix out starting from the center, and try to keep it in a mostly circular pattern. Keep spreading the batter out from the edges until there isn't any more batter to spread. Let it cook for a few seconds to a minute, then turn it over and cook it for a minute on the other side.

Serve warm, with jam or jelly. Makes enough for 3 hungry pancake eaters.

Down the elevator, down the hall, down the steps, and out the door, I hung a left. Block and a half down (watch out for those left turn people who would just as soon run over a pedestrian as take the extra effort to look at one), and under the catwalk from the ferry terminal. Then it hits me. That first whiff of the unmistakeable scent. It makes the whole neighborhood swoon. I make my way to the little place next to and underneath the southbound Cherry onramp  to highway 99. You may know the place... smokey, hot, packed, literally a hole in the wall, and the line out the door and down the block. And inside, modified chaos. Five cooks in a kitchen too small for three, and two waitresses trying not to bump in to each other in the 150 square feet of restaurant space with a total of 18 customer seats. Don't get in the way now, or you'll get run over - really. Wait your turn, place your order, and be prompt with the money. Everything is the same price. Don't bother with the tacky charge card for six bux, just pay cash. And use the exact change. If not, she'll hand you a pre-packaged and pre-counted fold of 4 one-dollar bills, and you'll get a smirk and a look. Remember, time is money and she doesn't have the time to spare for your antics. Then, step BACK and get out of the way. Stand around (outside)[patiently], make that phone call, cause it will be a few minutes. They don't bother with names on the orders, because she remembers each person and what they ordered. If you're outside and she can't see you, then she'll holler for you on the mic in thainglish, and if you don't come running in about six seconds, she'll come looking for you. So be prompt. If you get your food to go, get to your favorite spot with a view (I like dodging the seagulls and watching the baby harbor seal eating on the metal mesh tables at Ivar's) and enjoy the best Thai food in Seattle.

The restaurant is Mae Phim, visit soon, and visit often.