Panuchos

We had an amazing trip traveling around the Yucatan peninsula in 2009 right after graduating law school and I remember eating panuchos and salputes in Vallodolid.  The are sort of like a tostada except softer and with beans fried in a sort of tortilla shell.  It is all my favorite flavors or Mexico.

Panuchos

2 cups masa haraina
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/3 cups water
Mexican refried black beans (still searching for just the right recipe although this one is the next one I want to try - the one I used this time around was just so-so)
Oil for frying
Thinly sliced tomatoes
Thinly sliced avocados
Shredded lettuce
Cooked and shredded chicken (can just use a rotisserie chicken or Taco Chicken or Spicy Honey Chicken)
Cotija or queso fresco
Cilantro
Escabeche

Combine masa and salt in a bowl, adding a bit of water at a time and working it in with your hands until the masa is pliable but not sticky (about like the texture of playdough). Divide into 15 equal balls, set on a baking sheet, and cover with plastic wrap.

Heat a heavy griddle or skillet over medium heat until hot. Working with 1 masa ball at a time, place a heavy piece of plastic (a freezer bag cut in half works well) on the counter, then center masa ball on top and cover with another piece of plastic or parchment paper. Using a large plate, press down on masa ball to form a tortilla 4 to 5 inches wide.

Peel plastic from tortilla and put tortilla on hot griddle. When underside no longer sticks and is lightly speckled, about 1 minute, flip and cook 1 minute on other side. Flip again and with a folded clean kitchen towel, firmly press tortilla all over (this helps it puff). Cook until it puffs and the underside is light golden, 15 to 30 more seconds. Transfer tortilla to a work surface.

Slit hot tortilla carefully 1/2 inches from edge to make an opening about 2 inches long. Without tearing tortilla, slide a small metal spatula or just your finger inside to create a pocket. Let cool. Repeat for each tortilla.

Open up the pocket of a cooled tortilla with your finger, squeeze gently to hold it open, and smear a rounded spoonful of beans inside. Pat top of tortilla with your fingers to spread beans. Fill each panucho the same way.

Preheat oven to 250° and set a rimmed baking sheet inside. Heat a large skillet, preferably cast iron, over medium heat. Add 2 tbsp. oil and a single layer of panuchos. Cook until golden, turning once, 3 to 5 minutes total. Transfer panuchos to pan in oven. Repeat to cook remaining panuchos, adding more oil as needed.

Assemble panuchos by setting them on a platter and topping with lettuce, chicken, onion, sour cream, tomato, avocado and cheese.

Pad Thai

Pad Thai is one of our favorite takeout foods, but unfortunately good Pad Thai can be hard to come by.  Too often it is too greasy or heavy or bland.  So I decided to learn how to make it at home.  The first time I made this I combined a number of different recipes and got the balance of ingredients a little bit off - too many noodles, not enough eggs or sauce.  So I have made adjustments below to account for those shortcomings.  It looks intimidating and while there are quite a few steps, the biggest part of the meal is just getting everything cut ahead of time so that when it comes to actual cooking time things go fast and smooth.  I found the tamarind paste at my local Asian market but you could even just order it on Amazon if you are worried about tracking some down. 

Pad Thai

Sauce

1/4 cup boiling water
3 tablespoons tamarind paste
4 tablespoons fish sauce
4 1/2 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons peanut or vegetable oil
1 1/2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Noodles, Shrimp, and Garnish

8 ounces dried rice stick noodles, 1/8 to 1/4 inch wide
2 tablespoons peanut or vegetable oil
12 ounces medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
Table salt
1 medium shallot, minced
3 garlic cloves, minced
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
2 teaspoons water
2 tablespoons chopped Thai salted preserved radish (optional)
3 cups bean sprouts
1/2 cup unsalted roasted peanuts, coarsely chopped
1/4 cup thinly sliced purple cabbage (mostly just for the pop of color)
1/4 cup plus 2-3 tablespoons scallions, green parts only, sliced thin on the bias
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, coarsely chopped
Lime wedges, for serving

FOR THE SAUCE:  Combine the water and tamarind paste in a small bowl and let sit until the tamarind is softened and mushy, 10 to 30 minutes.  Mash the tamarind to break it up, then push it through a fine-mesh strainer into a medium bowl to remove the seeds and fibers and extract as much pulp as possible.  Stir in the remaining sauce ingredients and set aside.

FOR THE NOODLES, SHRIMP, AND GARNISH:  Bring 4 quarts water to a boil in a large pot.  Remove the boiling water from the heat, add the rice noodles, and let sit, stirring occasionally, until almost tender, about 10 minutes.  Drain the noodles and set aside.

Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over high heat until just smoking.  Add the shrimp, sprinkle with 1/8 teaspoon of salt, and cook without stirring until bright pink about 1 minute.  Stir the shrimp and continue to cook until cooked through, 15 to 30 seconds longer.  Transfer the shrimp to a clean bowl and cover with foil to keep warm.

Add the remaining oil to the skillet and return to medium heat until shimmering.  Add the shallot and garlic and cook, stirring constantly, until light golden brown, about 1 1/2 minutes.  Stir in the eggs and water and cook, stirring constantly, until scrambled and barely moist, about 20 seconds.

Add the noodles and the salted radish (if using) to the eggs and toss to combine.  Add the sauce, increase the heat to high, and cook, tossing constantly, until the noodles are evenly coated, about 1 minute.

Add the cooked shrimp, bean sprouts, 1/4 cup of peanuts, purple cabbage and all but 1/4 cup of the scallions and continue to cook, tossing constantly, until the noodles are tender, about 2 1/2 minutes.  (If not yet tender add 2 tablespoons water to the skillet and continue to cook until tender.)  Transfer the noodles to a serving platter, sprinkle with the remaining 1/4 cup peanuts, remaining 1/4 cup scallions, and cilantro an serve with lime wedges.

Sos Pwa Rouj (Haitian red beans and rice)

I served my mission in New Jersey from 2001-2003.  My favorite time of my mission was spent in my third area of Irvington, where many of the people I met and interacted with had recently emigrated from Haiti.  My companion and I ate some memorable meals with these wonderful people, but my very favorite was called Sos Pwa and the Haitians ate it all the time.  I asked a number of them how to make it but never got any clear recipe from any of them, although I understood that the basics of it was cooking the beans with some spices until they were soft, then pureeing a portion of them to create a sort of "gravy" or sauce which was added back to the whole beans and then poured over plates of white rice.  It might not look like much, and it is certainly simple food being just rice and beans but it is delicious.  On special occasions they would serve it with conch meat, but I prefer it with grilled shrimp.  Sos Pwa can be made with any type of bean, really - black, red, pink, or white - but red and pink were my favorites. 

Sos Pwa Rouj

2 cups dried red kidney beans (or pink beans)
1 tablespoon oil
1/4 red or green bell pepper, diced
1/2 onion, diced
3-4 garlic cloves, minced
1 shallot, minced
1 tablespoon tomato paste
2 teaspoons salt, or to taste
1/4 teaspoon black pepper, or to taste
1 thyme sprig

Rinse beans then bring to a boil in a large pot with 8 cups of water.  There is no need to soak beans beforehand.  Turn down heat and simmer beans, covered, adding water as needed. 

Heat oil in a pan over medium heat, then cook pepper, onion, cloves, shallot and tomato paste for about 5 minutes until onions soften.  Add to beans along with salt, pepper, and thyme. Cook for another 30 minutes to an hour, or until beans are tender. 

Drain and reserve the liquid from the beans.  You will need about 3 cups of liquid so if there is not enough left from cooking the beans then add some water.  Put 1/4 to 1/2 of the beans into a blender, along with the reserved liquid and blend until completely smooth to create a sort of sauce or "gravy" as my friends from Haiti called it.  Return the sauce and the remaining beans to the pot and stir to incorporate.  Serve over hot white rice.