Impress your guests with a delicious Asian Fusion menu.
All recipes serve four.
Cucumber Saketini
10 oz. dry sake
4 oz. vodka
1 cucumber, sliced thin
Mix sake and vodka with ice in a shaker. Strain into four martini glasses, garnish each with a thin slice of cucumber.
San Chow Bao (Chinese Lettuce Wraps)
4 Tbsp. hoisin sauce
2 tsp. chopped garlic
2 jalapeños, sliced or 1 tsp. hot sauce
1 Tbsp. vegetable oil
2 lbs. beef skirt, hangar or flank steak (may substitute chicken, lamb or pork)
To Serve:
12 large iceberg or romaine lettuce leaves in shape of a cup
1/2 cup hoisin sauce
6 scallions, sliced thin
1/2 cup chopped cilantro (optional)
1/2 cup sliced jalapeño peppers or 1 tsp. hot sauce
1/2 cup peanuts or other chopped nuts
Pickled carrots (recipe follows)
Mix the first four ingredients in a medium bowl. Place the beef in the bowl and coat well with the sauce; marinate for 15 minutes or more in the refrigerator. Grill or broil the meat for 3-5 minutes on each side or until cooked medium rare; let meat rest 5 minutes. Slice thinly, against the grain.
To serve, place the lettuce cups in the center of a serving platter. Surround the lettuce with hoisin sauce in a small bowl and piles of scallions, cilantro, peppers, nuts, and pickled carrots.
To assemble, place a small amount of hoisin sauce in a lettuce leaf, then add meat and top with desired options and roll closed to make a lettuce wrap.
Liang Mian (Szechuan Cold Noodles)
1 lb. spaghetti noodles
2 Tbsp. oil Sauce:
½ cup peanut butter (or almond butter)
2 Tbsp. chopped garlic
2 Tbsp. minced ginger
½ tsp. red pepper flakes (may substitute chili oil or hot sauce)
¼ cup soy sauce
3-4 Tbsp. rice or white vinegar
2 Tbsp. sesame oil
1 Tbsp. sugar or honey
Salt and pepper to taste
Toppings:
2 Tbsp. sesame seeds or ½ cup peanuts or other chopped nuts
Scallions, sliced thin*
1 tsp. hot sauce or chili oil
Cook the pasta al dente. Drain, rinse with cool water and then drain again. Mix with 2 tablespoons of oil. Set aside. Whisk together the sauce ingredients in a large bowl. Add the cooked noodles and toss them gently to coat with the sauce. If the sauce is thicker than desired, add one tablespoon of water at a time until the sauce is at the desired consistency.
Sprinkle with the nuts or seeds and scallions. Drizzle with hot sauce or oil and serve at room temperature.
*In addition to scallions, add any other raw vegetables such as shredded carrots, sugar snap peas, chopped zucchini, cabbage, bell pepper, diced cucumber, or lightly cooked vegetables, such as asparagus, green beans, broccoli, or cauliflower.
By Lori Ross, Southern Boating August 2017