What experienced home cooks all know is that having a well stocked pantry and the right basic equipment are the most essential "ingredients" you need to increase the likelihood of trying out some fantastic recipe you saw online somewhere or throw together a quick meal when you get home from work exhausted. Without certain basics at your fingertips, you'll probably be forced to order in, go out, or throw on a pot of water for yet another bowl of ramen for lack of a better alternative.
Which is why I love the state of my current pantry. I never lack for the following:
Fridge
-garlic
-scallions
-lemon/lime
-whatever veggies are seasonal (currently: zucchini, eggplant, cucumbers)
-broccoli, carrots
-eggs
Freezer
-thai chilis
-habanero peppers
-basil (homegrown, stored in saran-wrapped rolls)
-sliced ginger
-chix breast
-(salmon, sometimes)
Condiments
-soy sauce
-fish sauce
-mirin
-sesame oil
-salt/sugar/peppercorns
-evergrowing collection of all manner of spices
With these, I can make feasts. Healthy, vegetable-based feasts. With a liiitle bit of protein. And I can further hone my Asian cooking skills since my pantry is so ideally stocked to make Chinese and Southeast Asian fare. I love these foods bc of the interplay bt sweet, salty, sour, hot in Southeast Asian cuisine. The flavors are vibrant and multidimensional, exciting the palate in surprising and complex ways.
So...I was about to make another boring (typical) Yang family chicken stirfry dish (albeit..quite delicious), when I realized I had everything on hand, except the string beans, to make one of my favorite Thai dishes, "Gai Pad Krapow," which consists of ground chicken stir fried in a ton of chopped garlic, chilis, ginger, seasoned with fish sauce, sugar, lime juice, and tons of basil. No way for that to not taste amazing.
Gai Pad Krapow (a very bastardized version, I'm sure. I need to find a real Thai mother/grandmother to teach me these things : )
-4 cloves garlic, minced
-2 thai chilis, thinly sliced
-1/2 inch chunk of ginger, minced
-2 scallions, thinly sliced
-1 bunch basil (I used frozen bc that's what I had on hand, ideally)
-2 boneless chix breast, ground
-1 Tb nam pla (fish sauce) + 1 Tb lime juice + 2 tsp sugar (add a bit more to taste if necessary)
Here, take a look at my
mise en place (minus the chicken):
Directions:
1) Heat oil in wok, on high. Throw in garlic/chilis/ginger til just getting a bit golden.
2) Add ground chicken + nam pla/lime/sugar. Break up meat with spatula.
3) I added 1 spoonful of cornstarch here bc there was way too much liquid bubbling up. Heresy? I don't know. But I liked how the cornstarch made the liquid go away and condense into a more reduced, glossy sauce to cling around the chicken.
4) Add scallions and basil til wilted.
5) Remove from heat.
Again, like I said, I have the shittiest most yellow dim lighting in my kitchen. This is as good as it's gonna get:
