Dan Dan Mein

 I had a little of ground turkey breast leftover  and  a hankering for something spicy. I decided to use it to make some Dan Dan noodles. Dan Dan noodles are usually made with pork but with all the spices the sauce contains, I'm sure the turkey would work fine as long as I got it to the right consistency . Then, I couldn't find my recipe, one of the few that I have hand written. None of my cookbooks had one that sounded right.
 A quick web search brought up dozens of recipes , no two alike.  I found one from Jamie Oliver that sounded a little simpler but close in flavor to the one I usually make . His called for beef , included vegetables and didn't have peanut or sesame paste .  I used my turkey, added some peanut butter and since I had some Chinese cabbage and pea pods on hand , I added them in.  I make my own chili oil and also one called Mala Oil that is infused with Sichuan peppercorns,  so I used those in place of the chili oil he calls for. It may not have been authentic but it was the best bowl of Dan Dan I've ever had .  It wasn't until the last bite that I realized I hadn't taken a picture . I will be making it again ... soon !  So here I am, committing my changes online lest I forget . And next time I'll  remember to take a photo.


1 T chicken stock base
1/4 lb ground turkey breast
2 T  honey
12 oz  Chinese egg noodles or wheat noodles
1 1/2 cups shredded Chinese cabbage
1/2 cup pea pods cut into thin slivers
4 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely chopped
3 tbsp Black soy sauce
3 T natural peanut butter or sesame paste
1/4 tsp freshly ground Sichuan pepper
2-5 tbsp good-quality chili oil(I used  my own very potent homemade oils  only using  about 3 T of mala and chili combined so taste as you go
2 spring onions, trimmed and finely sliced on a deep diagonal
1 lime, quartered, to serve
Disolve  the stock base into a large pan of water and bring to a boil.  Saute turkey over medium high heat breaking it apart with a wooden spoon until it is cooked through and broken into a fine crumble.. Set aside off  heat and pour honey over,   then return to heat briefly just until  the honey has coated every bit .
Stir your noodles into the boiling stock, stir occasionally so they don't clump up.   When you have about 30 second left to cooking noodles toss in the shredded cabbage and pea pods. Stir then drain  in a colander, reserving a little of the of the cooking water. Put noodles  with veges into a warm bowl.
Combine  garlic, soy sauce peanut butter , Sichuan pepper and chili oil, thin with a little of the hot water and stir until a nice consistency is reached then pour over noodles mix with tongs until noodles are evenly coated  Pour the  turkey on top of noodles then sprinkle green onions on top   Serve each dish with a lime quarter to squeeze over. Serves 3-4

Squaw bread recipe

• 2 cups water
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1/4 cup raisins
• 5 tablespoons brown sugar
• 2 (.25 ounce) packages active dry yeast
• 1/4 cup warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
• 2 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 3 cups whole wheat flour
• 1 1/2 cups rye flour
• 1/2 cup dry milk powder
• 2 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1/4 cup cornmeal

1. Combine water, oil, honey, raisins and 4 tablespoons brown sugar in blender. Liquefy.
2. Soften yeast in warm water with remaining 1 tablespoon brown sugar.
3. In large bowl sift together 1 cup all purpose flour, 2 cups wheat flour, 1 cup rye flour, powdered milk, and salt. Add honey and yeast mixtures. Beat at medium speed until smooth (2 minutes). Gradually stir in enough of the remaining flours to make soft dough that pulls away from the sides of the bowl. Turn out onto floured surface and knead until smooth and satiny (10-12 minutes). Place dough in lightly greased bowl and turn to grease surface. Cover and let rise until double (about 1-1/2 hours).
4. Punch down and let rest 10 minutes. Divide into 2 round loaves and place on parchment squares sprinkled w/cornmeal. Cover and let rise in warm place until doubled (1 hour).
5. Bake on a stone in a preheated 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) oven for 30-35 minutes. Cool on wire rack 1 hour before cutting 

Quinoa with roasted vegetables and Moroccan spices

Quinoa with roasted vegetables and Moroccan spices
Originally uploaded by Saltygal.

1 15-ounce can garbanzo beans (chickpeas), drained
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
3 garlic cloves, peeled
2 teaspoons cumin seeds
2 teaspoon turmeric, divided
1.5 teaspoon smoked paprika,* divided
2 cups water
1 cup quinoa (about 6 ounces) rinsed well, drained
1 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
3 medium zucchini quartered lengthwise
1 medium Spanish onion cut pole to pole into eights
1 red , yellow or orange bell pepper cut into large dice
2 teaspoons ground cumin
4 green onions, thinly sliced
1/4 cup chopped cilantro

1.Combine garbanzo beans and lemon juice in large bowl. Add 3 tablespoons oil; press in garlic and stir to combine. Let marinate at room temp1 hour to 2 hours.

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add cumin seeds, 1 teaspoon turmeric, and 1 teaspoon paprika; stir until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add quinoa, and stir for another minute or two to toast slightly . Add water and salt; bring to simmer, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to medium-low. Cover and simmer until all water is absorbed, about 16 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare barbecue (medium high heat). Place zucchini, onion and bell pepper in large bowl and add 1T oil , ground cumin, 1 teaspoon turmeric, and 1/2 teaspoon paprika. Toss to coat evenly.

Place Vegetables on grill; sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Grill until tender and browned on all sides, 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer to work surface. Cut zucchini crosswise into 1/2-inch pieces. Put quinoa ,zucchini, onions ,bell pepper, green onions, and cilantro in a large bowl and mix gently , then add marinated garbanzo mixture Toss to blend. Season with additional lemon juice and salt and pepper serve hot or at room temperature

Squaw Bread

Squaw Bread
Originally uploaded by Saltygal.

When I was a child we took at least one trip a year up to the mountains, to Bishop, California. Before we returned home we would go to a local bakery there and load up on  their specialty, Squaw bread, an absolutely delicious whole grain bread sweetened with raisins and molasses. Then, when I moved to Hawaii , there was a French baker Jacques, who made a similar bread for the restaurant  I worked at . It's been some years since I've had either bread but when I saw a recipe for Squaw bread on line I thought I'd give it a tryI actually found 3 different recipes, all quite different , I knew the bread I grew up with and loved  contained wheat and rye flours and was sweetened with ground raisins and molasses so I took 3 different recipes and combined them. The bread came out very close to what I remembered , I think  the orginal also contained some corn, so I'm going to add some on the next try .
I usually have a 1 hour rule ( no cutting bread until it's cooled for at least an hour but this loaf didn't even sit for 15 minutes before I had to try a piece, ,  it was half gone in minutes.

Chicken tsukune

Chicken tsukune
Originally uploaded by Saltygal.

I had purchased some ground chicken to make the chicken onigri from Everyday Harumi but decided to try the recipe for these little meat patties instead.
They would make great little sliders or appetizers for a party.

I adjusted the recipe for the ingredients I had on hand .
1 lb ground chicken
2 stalks celery finely diced
1 small round onion finely diced
1 large egg
4 T unbleached all purpose flour
salt and pepper to taste
2 T chopped cilantro
Combine all ingredients and shape into small patties 2' across
set aside on parchment lined baking sheet and chill while making Teriyaki sauce.
1/2 c mirin
1/2 c soy sauce ( I use kikoman low sodium)
4 T lt brown sugar
1 t ginger juice ( grate ginger , squeeze juice out of the pulp, discard pulp)
combine all ingredients in small sauce pan and bring to boil over med high heat , reduce heat to low and simmer 15 to 20 min until sauce is reduced and syrupy
Cut 2 green onions on a sharp diagonal and set aside.
heat a large non stick fry pan over med high heat and when hot add enough oil to glaze the bottom of the pan put patties in the pan without crowding , fry patties until bottom is golden then turn over and cover fro 2 minutes remove cover and continue cooking until patties are browned and cooked through.
Place teriyaki sauce in shallow bowl and add patties turning to coat , thread on skewers and garnish with green onions.

Super good banana bread

Super good banana bread
Originally uploaded by Saltygal.

1/2 c unsalted butter softened
1 c sugar ( I like to use lt brown or 1/2 lt brown and 1/2 white)
2 eggs
1 c mashed bananas
2 c flour sifted
1 t baking powder
1/2 t baking soda
1/2 t salt
1/4 c buttermilk or sour milk
optional
1/2 c chopped walnuts or almonds or mini chocolate chips
Cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffly
Beat in eggs one at a time
Add bananas and mix well.
In another bowl sift flour,salt soda and baking powder stir in nuts or chips
Next, alternately add flour mixture and buttermilk to banana mixture beginning and ending with flour and mixing well after each addition. . Pour into a greased and floured 9x5" loaf pan Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 60 -75 minutes, allow to cool in pan on rack 5 minutes then remove from pan and continue cooling on rack
I highly recommend doubling the recipe because it's so good fresh out of the oven but also delicious the next day

Sourdough Annadamna

Sourdough Annadamna
Originally uploaded by Saltygal.

I'm trying to get a little variety into my baking but I love the sourdough so I was happy when I found this recipe for a sourdough Annadamna bread.