How to make Spicy & Tasty Pasta With Fried Lemons and Chile Flakes

Spicy & Tasty Pasta With Fried Lemons and Chile Flakes

INGREDIENTS

• 4 lemons
• 1 pound linguine or spaghetti
• 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, more for drizzling
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt, more as needed
•  Pinch of sugar
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• ¾ teaspoon chile flakes, more to taste
• ⅔ cup Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, more to taste
•  Black pepper, as needed
• ½ cup celery leaves, coarsely chopped (optional)
• ⅓ cup parsley, coarsely chopped (optional)
•  Flaky sea salt, for garnish

PREPARATION

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Finely zest 2 of the lemons and set aside. Trim the tops and bottoms off the other 2 lemons and cut lengthwise into quarters; remove seeds. Thinly slice the quarters crosswise into triangles. Blanch the lemon pieces in the boiling water for 2 minutes, then transfer with a slotted spoon to a dish towel. Blot dry.
2. In the boiling water, add pasta and cook until just barely al dente. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup of the pasta cooking water.
3. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil over high heat. Add the dried lemon pieces and season with a pinch each of salt and sugar. Cook until the lemons are caramelized and browned at the edges, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer to a plate.
4. Melt the butter with the remaining oil in the pan over medium heat. Add the chile flakes and zest of both lemons; cook until fragrant. Whisk in the reserved pasta water.
5. Toss in pasta, juice of 1 lemon, cheese, pepper and the remaining salt. Cook until pasta is well coated with sauce. Toss in the caramelized lemon and the celery leaves and parsley if using. Taste and add lemon juice if needed. Serve, topped with a drizzle of oil, more cheese if you like, and a sprinkle of sea salt.

Read more

How to Cook Crab Fried Rice

How to Cook Crab Fried Rice

 

Crab Fried Rice is a classic and much beloved Thai dish, characterized by its delicate flavors. The crab is really the star of the show here, so a light touch is used when it comes to soy sauce, fish sauce, and the shaoxing wine. The cilantro, scallion, and lime combo adds the perfect fresh flavor.
The first time I had this rice was at a Japanese restaurant in Philadelphia. My professor was paying for lunch for a group of students, which means, hey–SPRINGING for the $15 crab fried rice. At first I wasn’t really impressed by it. It was definitely good, but only later when I ate the leftovers with chili oil did I truly appreciate the flavors.
So, as we do with many dishes on this here blog, we definitely recommend liberal amounts of chili oil on the side. You need just enough so it’s spicy and zingy, but the crab remains, well…crabby. And well at the forefront.
Ingredients

• 3-4 tablespoons oil
• 2 tablespoons minced ginger
• 2 large cloves minced garlic
• 4 cups cooked white rice
• 1/4 teaspoon white pepper
• 3 tablespoons fish sauce
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine, optional
• salt, to taste
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1 cup cooked lump crab meat (half of a 16 oz. can)
• 2 scallions, chopped
• 1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
• Lime wedges

First, prep all of your ingredients, including your aromatics–ginger, garlic, cilantro, and scallion. Prep the beaten eggs as well and set them aside. Only when you have all the ingredients prepared and ready to go should you start cooking.
Heat the cooking oil in a wok over medium-high heat. Add the ginger first, stirring for 30 seconds. Then add the garlic.

When the garlic is just cooked (before it starts to turn golden), add the cooked rice to the wok, and turn up the heat to high. Stir fry the rice for 3 minutes or so until it’s thoroughly combined with the ginger/garlic mixture and/or warmed through if you’re using leftover rice.
Now for the flavorings: add the white pepper, fish sauce, soy sauce, and shaoxing wine to the rice. If it’s not quite salty enough for you or if you know you won’t be eating it with added hot sauce, now is the time to add salt to taste. Stir-fry to combine. Using your spatula, spread the rice out into an even layer along the surface of the wok. Pour the beaten egg evenly over the rice.

Stir the rice until all of the egg is cooked and incorporated. The egg coats the rice and makes for a most excellent savory experience. Much better than broken up bits/huge chunks of scrambled egg throughout.
Before adding the crab, use your spatula to once more spread the rice evenly in the wok. Add the crab to the rice and stir fry thoroughly.

 When the crab is warmed through, add the scallion and cilantro and stir-fry briefly until the herbs are just wilted.

 Serve and finish with a squeeze of lime and your favorite chili oil!

 

Crab Fried Rice

• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 10 minutes
• Total Time: 25 minutes

• Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

3-4 tablespoons oil

2 tablespoons minced ginger

2 large cloves minced garlic

4 cups cooked white rice

1/4 teaspoon white pepper

3 tablespoons fish sauce

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine, optional

salt, to taste

2 eggs, beaten

1 cup cooked lump crab meat (half of a 16 oz. can)

2 scallions, chopped

1/4 cup cilantro, chopped

Lime wedges

First, prep all of your ingredients, including your aromatics--ginger, garlic, cilantro, and scallion. Prep the beaten eggs as well and set them aside. Only when you have all the ingredients prepared and ready to go should you start cooking.

Heat the cooking oil in a wok over medium-high heat. Add the ginger first, stirring for 30 seconds. Then add the garlic. When the garlic is just cooked (before it starts to turn golden), add the cooked rice to the wok, and turn up the heat to high. Stir fry the rice for 3 minutes or so until it's thoroughly combined with the ginger/garlic mixture and/or warmed through if you're using leftover rice.

Now for the flavorings: add the white pepper, fish sauce, soy sauce, and shaoxing wine to the rice. If it's not quite salty enough for you or if you know you won't be eating it with added hot sauce, now is the time to add salt to taste. Stir-fry to combine.

Using your spatula, spread the rice out into an even layer along the surface of the wok. Pour the beaten egg evenly over the rice. Stir the rice until all of the egg is cooked and incorporated. The egg coats the rice and makes for a most excellent savory experience. Much better than broken up bits/huge chunks of scrambled egg throughout.

Before adding the crab, use your spatula to once more spread the rice evenly in the wok. Add the crab to the rice and stir fry thoroughly. When the crab is warmed through, add the scallion and cilantro and stir-fry briefly until the herbs are just wilted. Serve and finish with a squeeze of lime and your favorite chili oil!

Read more