spiciness

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Ahhh, the refreshing, liberating, exciting, sinus-clearing effect of eating a dish as spicy as one can handle.
The key here is –
“as spicy as one can handle” ! (Hot as hell in my case)
To season something beyond a level of spiciness which is comfortable and enjoyable would not make sense – but to stay just below, on a level that hurts but feels good at the same time can be very addictive. While not all the food I eat at home is spicy, once in a while I need the rush which comes from a healthy dose of chili.
If you plan to re-create this dish, simply and sensibly adjust the amount of chili you use to your personal preference.
Like I said on other occasions concerning spicy food –
“It should kick like a lady, not like a mule” 🙂
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Bon Appétit ! Life is Good !
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Pork, Cabbage & Chili Noodles

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Preparation :
To read instructions, hover over pictures
To enlarge pictures and read instructions, click on pictures
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: prepare a sauce of 1/2 cup soy sauce, 1/4 cup bean sauce, 1/4 cup hoi sin sauce and 1 tblsp sesame oil

: season 1 lb ground pork with chili paste, kosher salt and granulated garlic to taste, add 2 tblsp peanut oil

: mix well

: stir fry in 2 tblsp peanut oil until pork starts to brown, add 1 medium sliced red onion

: stir fry until onion is translucent

: add 1 lb diced white cabbage

: add the sauce and 1 cup water

: simmer until cabbage starts to wilt, check/adjust seasoning

: meanwhile, cook and drain 1 lb Chinese egg noodles, add 2 tblsp sesame oil and 3 tblsp peanut oil, mix

: plate noodles on serving dish

: top with the pork / cabbage stew, sprinkle with scallions and pickled chilies

: Pork, Cabbage & Chili Noodles

: Pork, Cabbage & Chili Noodles

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It is my firm believe that leftovers should be as good as the original dish it derived from. Yesterday I prepared this sandwich and I am convinced that not only is it the best left-over turkey sandwich, but also one of the best turkey dishes overall, period 🙂
I usually prepare other dishes from leftover turkey since most turkey sandwiches I ever came across are boring and tasteless at best and at my house during times past the only leftover turkey would be white meat, which I can live without.
So, yesterday I had a nearly insatiable graving for a good sandwich, because on the previous evening I made the mistake of buying two “Vietnamese” sandwiches at a newly opened place, “546 bánh mì café” at 6461 Stirling Road, Davie. I was looking forward to a good sandwich but was bitterly disappointed. I had 3 different sandwiches with different meat fillings, all three were completely tasteless. The clerk asked me if I wanted chillies and of course I said yes. When I got home, I found one !!! thin slice of chili in one of the three sandwiches. The meat was mostly tasteless and their contribution to Vietnamese food was the addition of a few spritz of maggi seasoning. (Which I am fond of). But the most disappointing thing was the portion size. Although the bread was of a nice size and of great texture, the amount of filling was laughable small. Granted, the sandwiches are very reasonably priced, but I’d rather pay a bit more and have a decent sized sandwich.
Fazit: Once is enough 😦

But back to the sandwich at hand : After I ate my three sandwiches (shared with Bella), I was still hungry and started to fantasize about eating a “real” sandwich the next day. The featured sandwich is what I came up with. I loved it so much that I will add them to my favorite dishes 🙂
Of course, you can substitute the turkey with chicken, beef, shrimp or any other protein you fancy and happen to have at hand, but the turkey leg meat was just perfect. Also, I had a bottle of “salsa de aji amarillo” in my larder which added that special touch of flavor and spiciness.
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Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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P.S.
If you don’t have “salsa de aji amarilo”, make a substitute by blending mayo, yellow peppers, salt, garlic, scotch bonnet peppers and turmeric (for the bright yellow color). For hot dishes, replace the mayo with heavy cream. Few folks will be able to tell the difference from the original, especially the bottled stuff.

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