lime juice

  • Nuoc Cham Sauce (Vietnamese dipping sauce)

    Nuoc Cham Sauce a Vietnamese dipping sauce
    Nuoc Cham Sauce (Vietnamese dipping sauce)
    (Serves)

    2 tbsp sugar
    2 tbsp lime juice
    2 tbsp fish sauce
    2 tbsp water
    2 cloves garlic, minced
    2 Thai red chilies, thinly sliced


    NOTES: I like mine spicy! You may want to bump the heat down and only use 1 chili.
     

    Mix all the ingredients until the sugar is dissolved.

  • Peanut Sauce

    Peanut Sauce
    Peanut Sauce
    (Make @ 4 cups)

    2 cups peanut butter
    2 cloves finely minced garlic
    ¼ cup white wine vinegar
    ¼ cup lime juice
    ½ cup soy sauce
    ¼ cup sesame oil
    3 tblsp sugar
    1/8th tsp curry powder
    1/8 cup peanut oil
    ¾ tsp cayenne pepper
    8 tblsp coconut milk

    NOTES: I like to use chunky peanut butter, but most recipes use regular peanut butter.
     

    Using a food processor or blender combine all ingredients and puree. Taste and adjust consistency if necessary. If it's too thick add some more coconut milk, if it's too thin add a little more peanut butter.

    Delicious over chicken skewers and on thin pasta served at room temperature with green onions. Yum!

  • Pollo Asada Especial

    Pollo Asada Especial
    Pollo Asada Especial
    (Serves )

    2-3 lbs boneless/skinless chicken thighs
    4 California chili dried pods
    4 Guajillo chili dried pods
    ½ yellow onion
    4 cloves garlic
    juice of 1 orange
    juice of 1 lime
    1 tsp Mexican oregano
    2 tsp salt (maybe a little more)
    ½ tsp cumin
    ⅔ cup white wine vinegar
    ¼ cup liquid achiote, (1.75 oz) optional


    NOTES:You can use achiote seeds, powder or the paste, I used the paste and used one half of the 3.5 oz "paste" brick and added a ½ tblsp lemon juice and a sprinkle of water and mashed the paste with a fork to make it a thick liquid. If you use the seeds, you need to grind them into a powder and then add some lemon juice and water to make a thin paste. A brighter red color and additional hints of pepper using the achiote.

    Remove the stems and seeds from the dried chili pods, then add them to a pot of boiling water along with the ½ onion. Let simmer on low for 20 minutes, then drain and reserve the chilis and onion.

    In a blender add the chilis and onion, the juice of the lime and orange, the garlic cloves, the oregano, cumin, salt and the achiote liquid. Blend until smooth, 1 - 2 minutes.

    At this point taste the marinade for salt content. It should be slightly saltier then you would think.

    Let the marinade cool down before adding to the chicken thighs. Once cool, add enough of your marinade to the chicken thighs and make sure to mix the thighs and marinade well so all surfaces are coated, then cover with plastic wrap and put in the fridge for a minimum of 4 hours, up to 24 hours. Save any left over marinade, that did not touch the chicken, for future use.

    When you're ready to grill these pull them from the fridge 10-15 minutes before you grill them so they shake off their fridge chill. Grilling is best! 4-5 minutes each side depending on the size of the thigh. Slice for tacos or burritos or eat with a side of mashed potatoes, rice or corn. It's delicious any way you use it!

  • Tomato Jam

    Tomato Jam
    Tomato Jam
    (Serves 15-20)

    12 oz roma or off the vine tomatoes
    ¼ to ⅓ cup sugar, depending how sweet you want the final jam to be
    2 tblsp lime juice
    1 tblsp ginger, minced
    1 tsp cumin powder
    ¼ tsp cinnamon
    ⅛ cloves, ground
    1 tsp salt
    1 jalapeno, seeded and minced


    NOTES:

    In a sauce pan over medium heat, compine all the ingredients and bring to a boil stirring often. Reduce the heat to a simmer, stir occasionally until the mixture is like a thick jam, about 15 minutes.
    Taste and adjust the seasoning as needed. Let cool. Refrigerate covered, will keep about 1 week.