Slow Cooker Pho Ba (Beef Vietnamese Noodle Soup)

Pho is my FAVOURITE meal in the whole world - really. If I ever have a chance to go eat out by myself, I alway choose Pho, Indian is a very close second.

Last week I went for a lovely Pho lunch with a friend. She suggested that I post my homemade version, so I dug out the recipe I got from a Hoi An cooking school and made some updates so I could make it from things available here (with some searching), so here you are!

Pho is a labour of love and takes some time...so plan ahead! 

Pho Ba (Beef Vietnamese Noodle Soup)

3 lbs Marrow and Knuckle Soup Bones*

2 Onions, cut in half - leave skin on

1 fresh Ginger Root, about 4-5" long, cut in large pieces

5-6 Star Anise

1-2 Cinnamon Sticks

6 Whole Cloves

2 Whole Cardamom Pods

1-2 large chunks Rock Sugar** (to taste)

2-4 Tbsp Fish Sauce (to taste)

Sriracha or chili paste (optional)

Salt (to taste)

To get a nice clear broth, parboil soup bones. In a large pot, cover soup bones with water, bring to a boil and boil for 5 minutes. Remove bones and rinse with water. 

Add rinsed bones to the base of a large slow cooker and fill with water (about 8-10 cups) and cook on low for 8 hours. Skim off any impurities that float to the top.

While broth is starting to cook in slow cooker, place onion halves & ginger pieces on a baking sheet, skin side up. Broil in oven for 15 minutes, flipping halfway through until all sides are charred black. Remove outer charred skins and smash ginger flat to help release the flavour. Add ginger & onion to broth.

Combine anise, cinnamon, cloves, cardamom & rock sugar in a cheesecloth square. Tie in a little bundle and add to the stock. Add fish sauce, hot sauce and salt to desired taste.

Once stock has finished cooking, remove bones and seasoning pack. Strain broth through a fine strainer to remove any remaining impurities.

Serve piping hot over bowls filled with your favourite Pho ingredients:

Rice Noodles

Rare Beef (sliced thin will cook in the hot broth)

Bean Sprouts

Thai Basil

Cilantro

Lemon Wedges

Hoisin Sauce

Sriracha

Fish Sauce

This broth recipe freezes well.

Yum. I think I'm going to go make another bowl...all this writing is making me salivate!

~Adel~

* The marrow and tendons in these bones make the specific flavour of pho, regular soup bones don't seem to taste as good. Ask your butcher!

**Rock sugar is hard to find, I found mine at an asian market. You could just add regular sugar to taste instead, but it's not quite the same flavour.

Creamy Pumpkin Coconut Soup

Looking for something to do with those Thanksgiving/Halloween Pumpkins?

 I'm a huge fan of Indian food and this lovely soup is a great way to use up pumpkins (or just buy the canned pumpkin if you don't have one handy). 

Creamy Pumpkin Coconut Soup

1/4 cup Coconut Oil

1 Onion, diced

2 cloves Garlic, minced

1 tsp Curry Powder

1/2 tsp Salt

1/4 tsp Mango Powder*

1/4 tsp ground Coriander

3 cups Vegetable or Chicken Broth

2 cups Chunks of Fresh Pumpkin or canned Pumpkin Puree (NOT pumpkin pie filling) 

1 cup Coconut Milk 

In a large saucepan, heat coconut oil. Add onion and garlic and cook until onion becomes soft and translucent and starts to brown. Add spices and cook until it starts to become fragrant (about 30 seconds). Add broth and pumpkin puree and bring to a boil (if you are adding fresh pumpkin chunks you can boil them until they are soft). Remove from heat and add coconut milk. Carefully blend hot soup using a hand blender or a stand blender. Serve with coconut milk and fresh cilantro if desired.

I think of Indian Autumn when I eat this soup and how wonderful it must be, but I really don't know what that's like because I've only been there in the absolute blistering heat of July! 

~Adel~

*Mango Powder can be hard to find if you don't have an indian market nearby. It can be omitted if you can't find it. I have also used Epicure's Mango Curry seasoning to make this.

Moroccan Chicken Stew

Delicious, sweet, and full of wonderful spices, this dish is a great alternative to your regular rainy day comfort food.

Moroccan Chicken Stew

2 Tbsp Olive Oil or Coconut Oil

4 Chicken Breasts, large cubes

1 Eggplant, 1" pieces

4 cups Yams or Sweet Potatoes or Butternut Squash or a combination, 1" pieces

4 large Carrots, 1" pieces

2 Onions, diced

6 cloves Garlic, minced

1 tsp Ginger, fresh grated

1/2 cup Golden Raisins

3/4 cup Dried Apricots, chopped

1/2 cup Chicken Broth

2 Tbsp Tomato Paste

2 Tbsp Lemon Juice

1 1/2 tsp Ground Cumin

1 tsp Cinnamon

1/2 tsp Fresh Ground Black Pepper

1/2 tsp Cayenne (optional)

1/2 cup Almonds (any kind)

1 Tbsp Honey (Optional for a sweeter dish)

Freezer Instructions: In a saucepan brown chicken in oil, add onions, garlic and ginger and cook until onions start to brown. Add Chicken mixture to freezer bag and remaining ingredients. Freeze. To use, defrost for 24 hours.

Slow Cooker Instructions: Brown chicken and onions. Pour into a slow cooker and add eggplant, yams, carrots and onion with garlic, ginger, raisins, and apricots. Combine broth, tomato paste, lemon juice, cumin, cinnamon and pepper in a bowl and pour over vegetables. Top with almonds and cook for 3 hours on high or 5 hours on low. Add cornstarch (mix with a little water) if the sauce is too thin when serving.

If you happen to be lucky enough to own a real tagine, use it instead of the slow cooker - I can only dream!

Serve with couscous, rice, pasta or pita or eat on it's own for a clean meal!

Yum, a little taste of North Africa to brighten up a cool rainy day.

~Adel~

Slow Cooker Beef Bulgogi (Korean Beef)

Daddy Ladybug and I went to North Korea (DPRK) last summer with Koryo Tours (ya, you really can go to North Korea, it was perfectly safe!). As many of you know, my favourite part of travel is food - surprised?! The food wasn't very good there for the most part as they have such heavy sanctions that things we take for granted like spices and variety of food are not available to them. They are an extremely poor country and eat a very basic diet of rice, meat, and vegetables - only things they can grow. Everything comes from their country, it's hard to imagine that coming from a place where I can get anything I want from any country in the world. It was an eye opening trip for me to see the suffering, pride, ingenuity, and determination of a people who live in total self-sufficiency. I'm so thankful for the opportunity to meet North Koreans and to seem them as real people and not just the image we are given in our western media or by our governments.

We did have a few interesting meals along the way...Dog Soup...yup, we had to try that one. An Emperor's Meal with 12 different tiny dishes and rice served in bronze bowls (delicious and interesting), a make-your-own Hot Pot (yummmmm), a Korean BBQ, and Bulgogi. 

I've been trying to re-create the flavours of the Bulgogi we had and I think if my taste memory serves me right, I've done pretty good, it's great, my family loves it, and best of all, it's slow cooker friendly!

Slow Cooker Beef Bulgogi (Korean Beef) 

Serves 6

1.5 lb Beef Steak (sirloin or flank are good choices, but any thick cut will do)

1/2 cup Brown Sugar

1/4 cup Low Sodium Soy Sauce or tamari
1/4 cup Beef Broth

1 Tbsp Sesame Oil

1 tsp Sriracha (chili sauce or 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes also work)

4 cloves Garlic, minced

1 tsp Fresh Ginger, Minced

Salt & Pepper (to taste)

2 Tbsp Cornstarch + a little water to make a paste

4 stalks Green Onion, diced

Sesame Seeds

Slice meat in thin strips & place in the bottom of the slow cooker. In a Separate Bowl, combine brown sugar, soy sauce, sesame oil, sriracha, garlic, ginger and salt & pepper. Pour over meat and stir. Cover and cook on high for 4 hours or low for 8 hours.  Add Cornstarch mixed with a little water for the last 1/2 hour of cooking. Top with green onions and sesame seeds and serve with rice.

Freezer Instructions: Combine all ingredients except cornstarch, green onions and sesame seeds in a freezer bag and freeze. To use, defrost in a fridge for 24 hours. Empty contents of bag and cook as directed above.

Yum. A little taste of my travels on a cool rainy day.

~Adel~

Slow Cooker Chicken Pad Thai

I've been experimenting with new meals lately. Some aren't working out so well, but every once in a while I come across something that really works. Daddy Ladybug loves Pad Thai, so I've been working on a twist on the traditional recipe that works for the slow cooker. 

Slow Cooker Chicken Pad Thai

2 Tsp Tamarind Paste*

1/4 cup Fish Sauce

2 Tbsp Chili Sauce (I used sriracha) 

2 Tbsp Lime Juice

3/4 cup Chicken Broth

4 cloves Garlic, minced

1 Onion, sliced thin

4 Chicken Breasts, cubed

1/2 cup Crunchy Peanut Butter

2 Tbsp Cornstarch + water

Cilantro

Green Onions

Bean Sprouts

Hot Thai Chili Peppers

Lime wedges

Cooked Rice Noodles

*Tamarind paste can be found in the asian section of your supermarket or at asian/indian stores, sometimes also called Tamarind Concentrate, in a pinch, substitute low sodium soy sauce (you probably will need to add more to get the flavour of concentrated Tamarind).

Combine tamarind paste, fish sauce, chili sauce, lime juice,  & chicken broth together in a bowl and mix well to dissolve tamarind. Add chicken, garlic, onion and sauce together in slow cooker. Cook on low for 5 hours or high for 3 hours.

About 1/2 hour before serving, add peanut butter and a mixture of cornstarch and enough water to dissolve the cornstarch. Stir well and replace the lid. Cook for another 1/2 hour then add cooked noodles. Toss to coat noodles and serve with cilantro, green onions, bean sprouts, hot peppers, and lime. Best served immediately.

Enjoying a little taste of Thailand straight out of the slow cooker...

~Adel~

Corn Tortillas

My mom made these lovely tortillas for our taco nights growing up. I loved them and just made them for my family this week instead of my usual flour ones, a nice change and they were a hit!

2 cups Flour

1 cup Cornmeal

1 tsp Salt

2 Eggs

2 1/2 cup water

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and beat together until smooth. Spread thinly in a circle on a hot frying pan (hot pan is important or it will stick badly!). Turn over when the edges start to curl and turns golden brown, but soft.

I find these easier to make than the flour tortillas, so if I'm whipping up a quick taco meal, I make these. They are great with Salsa Chicken Tacos or Salsa Verde Tacos. Make your own Taco Seasoning too!

Happy Taco Tuesday!

~Adel~

Simba Stew

I'm always looking for new flavours and travel has been a great way to discover new spice combinations. 

New isn't always easy when you've got kids, but I can usually get my kids to eat something new or different if I call it something cool, even if it's not the prettiest looking meal.

Simba would probably love this African inspired dish!

Simba Stew

2 lbs Steak, cut in thin strips

5 cloves, Garlic, minced

1 Onion, sliced thin
4 Potatoes, cubed (optional)*
3 Carrots, 1 inch chunks (optional)*

1 & 1/2 tsp Cumin

1/4 tsp Allspice

1/4 tsp Salt

1/4 tsp Pepper

796 ml can Diced Tomatoes (28 oz)

2 Tbsp Greek Yogurt

*I usually make this dish with just the shredded or cubed meat on rice with chapati, but if you add the potatoes & carrots, it becomes a stew, good both ways.

Slow Cooker Instructions: Combine all ingredients except greek yogurt in a slow cooker and cook on low for 7-8 hours or high for 3-4 hours. Stir in greek yogurt before serving. 

Serve with rice or your favourite flatbread. 

Freezer instructions: Combine meat, garlic, onion, spices and tomatoes in a freezer bag and freeze. To use, place in the fridge 24 hours before cooking to defrost. Add contents of bag to slow cooker and follow cooking instructions above.

Another great summer slow cooker option.

~Adel~

Grilled Pineapple Ginger Steak

I love the combination of the sweet tangy pineapple and ginger with beef. Perfect for the BBQ, but also delicious in the slow cooker.

Grilled Pineapple Ginger Steak

2 lbs Beef Steaks

1 can Pineapple & juice

2 Tbsp Soy Sauce

2 Tbsp Cooking Oil

4 cloves Garlic, minced

1 Tbsp Fresh Ginger, minced

Grilling Instructions: Place meat in a marinating dish. Combine Pineapple, juice, soy sauce, oil, garlic and ginger in a bowl and pour over steak. Cover and marinate for at least 2 hours (more is better). Grill on medium heat as desired. Serve with rice or chow mein noodles. 

Freezer Instructions: Combine all ingredients in a freezer bag and freeze. To use, defrost in a fridge for at least 24 hours.

Slow Cooker Instructions: Combine all ingredients in a slow cooker and cook on high for 3 hours or low for 4 hours. Slice meat thin and serve over rice.

Yum. Happy Grilling!

~Adel~

Slow Cooker Thai Red Curry

Cooking school in Thailand is one of my favourite travel experiences and this is a variation of one of the meals we learned - of course adapted for the slow cooker and an attempt to add measurements (my hastily jotted down notes are just a list of ingredients). I've also replaced peppers with carrots and potatoes because that's the way my favourite Thai place makes it!

Thai Red Curry

2 Chicken Breasts, cut in thin strips

1 Tbsp Red Curry Paste*

1/2 cup Chicken Broth

1 Tbsp Fish Sauce*

1/4 cup Lime Juice

2 Kaffir Lime Leaves (optional) *

1 Onion, sliced thin

2 Potatoes, peeled and sliced thin

3 Carrots, peeled & sliced

10 Mushrooms, quartered

1 can Bamboo Shoots (optional)

Thai Red Chilies (optional for heat)*

1 can Coconut Milk

Cooked Rice

Lime

Basil

Combine chicken, curry paste, broth, fish sauce, lime juice, lime leaves, onion, potato, carrots, mushroom, and bamboo shoots in a slow cooker. Cook on low for 4 hours or high for 2. Add coconut milk, replace the lid, and cook for another 1/2 hour. Stir well before serving. Serve with rice, and add lime and basil to taste.

Freezing Instructions: Combine chicken, red curry, broth, fish sauce, lime juice, lime leaves and onion in a freezer bag and freeze. To use, defrost for 24 hours in a fridge and empty contents of the bag into a slow cooker. Add potatoes, carrots, mushrooms, and bamboo shoots and follow cooking & serving instructions above.

A little taste of Thailand from the slow cooker.

~Adel~

* May be hard to find in your local grocery store, but usually found in the Asian foods isle with Thai or Vietnamese ingredients. If you can't find them, try an Asian Grocer. Kaffir lime leaves are difficult to find here, I can usually only find them at an Asian grocery store and they only have them frozen (so check the freezers).

Slow Cooker Chicken Shawarma & Garlic Sauce

I remember my first Shawarma and it's something I'll never forget! It was a Shawarma (shaved, slow roasted meat) on a bun with delicious white sauce and veggies in a little place in Cairo, I didn't know food could be that good! I haven't had one like it, they're usually served in pitas or on rice around here (still very very good).

So, of course I'm gonna try my hand at making a slow cooker version - knowing full well that it will never taste as good as something slow roasted on a spit but I'm sure gonna try!

Slow Cooker Chicken Shawarma

8-12 Skinless Boneless Chicken Thighs, cut in thin strips

3 cloves Garlic, minced

1 onion, sliced thin

1/4 cup Lemon Juice

1/4 cup Olive Oil

1 tsp Salt

2 tsp Curry Powder (I have also used Epicure's Mango Curry Seasoning)

1 cup Greek Yogurt

In a slow cooker, combine chicken, garlic, onion, lemon juice, olive oil, salt & curry powder. Cook on high for 3 hours. Add greek yogurt and serve on rice or in a bun with tomatoes, cucumber, garlic sauce, and hot sauce (optional).

Freezer Instructions: Combine all ingredients except yogurt in a freezer bag and freeze. To use, thaw for 24 hours in a fridge and empty contents of bag into a slow cooker. Follow instructions above.

If you would like a more authentic crispy chicken, try removing the chicken from the slow cooker once it is done (before adding the yogurt) and pan frying the meat in butter, olive oil, and a few scoops of the remaining sauce until the chicken browns. Add the yogurt just before serving. It tastes almost real, plus the juices left in the pan are amazing on your rice or for dipping bread or pita!

Garlic Sauce (for the top)

3/4 cup Greek Yogurt

1/4 cup Mayonnaise

6 cloves Garlic, minced

1/4 tsp Salt

1/4 tsp Dried Mint

2 Tbsp Lemon Juice

Combine ingredients in a bowl and let sit for about an hour before serving. Spread as a condiment on both sides of the bun or pita before adding the chicken and veggies in a Shawarma Sandwich or pour on top for an amazing flavour kick. (Just don't plan to get close to anyone else for the rest of the day!!!)

So good, I think I might make it again for dinner tomorrow!

~Adel~

The Best Butter Chicken Ever

Mmmm...Butter Chicken.

I am seriously addicted. Every time I make this dish I think that it is the best I've ever made. I could eat Indian food every day of my life and be perfectly happy. Bug loves this meal so much he has 3 helpings and Daddy Ladybug swears it's better than anything we had in India.

The Best Butter Chicken Ever

3-4 Chicken Breasts, cubed

2 Tbsp Tandoori Masala*

2 Tbsp Flour

2 Tbsp Vegetable Oil

1 cup Butter, melted

1 Onion, diced

3 cloves Garlic, minced

680 ml (23 oz) can Tomato Sauce

3 cups Cream (half & half makes it lighter, but still thick)

2 tsp. Salt

1 1/2 tsp. Garam Masala*

1/2 tsp. Tandoori Masala*

Cayenne pepper (optional if you want some heat)

*Tandoori Masala and Garam Masala can be found in your "ethnic" or asian isles at your grocery store. I use Hanif's Garam Masala Powder & Tandoori Masala. I find mine at the little Indian Market down the street (plentiful here, but perhaps not in every community!).

Cube chicken breasts and toss with 2 Tbsp Tandoori Masala, Flour & Vegetable Oil in a bag. Shake until coated. 

Stovetop Instructions: In a large skillet, cook coated chicken and onions until chicken is fully cooked, then add garlic and cook for 30 seconds more. Add butter, tomato sauce, half & half, and remaining spices. Bring to a simmer, then cover and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Slow Cooker Instructions: Add floured chicken to the slow cooker. Combine melted butter, onion, garlic, tomato sauce, and spices/seasonings together in a bowl. Pour on top of the chicken and stir well. Cook on high for 3 hours or low for 7 hours. Add cream, stir and cook for another 1/2 hour before serving.

Freezer Instructions: Coat chicken in flour mixture, add remaining ingredients EXCEPT cream to a freezer bag and freeze. to use, defrost in fridge for at least 24 hours and empty contents of bag into a slow cooker. Follow slow cooker instructions above.

I serve this with Basmati Rice made with whole cumin & peas, and Grilled Naan Bread.

YUMMMMMMM.

~Adel~

Disclaimer: this recipe is based on an amazing recipe I found online at allrecipes.com called Easy Butter Chicken. I've done some changes to make it the teeniest bit healthier, adjusted for my family's tastes and my process is slightly different (I think easier), but I have to give credit to such a great recipe for the inspiration. If you want to try the original version please do...it's amazing too!