A Thai Inspired Ragu By Foodie’s Markets Chef Laura Brennan
March 23, 2018
I make this dish a few times every autumn/winter and the recent nor’easter propelled me into the kitchen in lieu of shoveling. I used ground turkey instead of the more traditional ground pork and added greens to the finished dish - both of these changes improve the overall nutrition.
I thought it would be a good recipe to share and I was wondering what to name it for the column.
I wondered what Thai grandmothers call this dish? My Italian grandmother would have called it a ‘ragu’…..and so, it became “ A Thai-Inspired-Ragu”.
- Prep: 30 mins
- Cook: 30 mins
- Yields: 5 to 6
Ingredients
3-4 tablespoons vegetable oil, (or coconut oil), plus more as needed
1 Spanish onion, approximately 10-12 ounces, purchased weight (AP)
1 green bell pepper
1 red bell pepper
1 jalapeno pepper (approximately 1 to 1 ¼ ounce, AP)
I piece fresh gingerroot (approximately 1 ½ ounces, AP)
4 cloves garlic, peeled
½ head green cabbage, approximately 10 ounces (choose a small head)
1-pound fresh ground turkey (ground pork is more traditional)
14 oz canned, diced tomatoes, with juice
2 cups water or chicken stock
2 cans coconut milk
½ cup peanut butter (chunky or creamy)
2-3 teaspoons chili garlic sauce (sambal oelek), or more to taste
1 tablespoon soy sauce, plus more to your taste
1 tablespoon fish sauce, or more to taste
Squeeze fresh lime juice
4-5 ounces washed greens: baby spinach, baby kale, red chard, ‘sauté’ greens, etc.
Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper
1-pound cellophane rice noodles (I used type ‘M’, the thickness of dried linguini)
½ bunch scallions, washed and dried
½ cup dry roasted peanuts, (for garnish)
Optional: Thai basil or cilantro leaves for garnish
Directions
Prepare and organize your prep:
Peel and dice the Spanish onion into ¼ inch pieces.
Remove the stem, seeds and ribs from the 2 bell peppers. Cut into ¼ inch strips and then cut the strips into ¼ inch dice.
Cut the jalapeno in half. Remove seeds and membrane and cut into 1/8-inch dice. (Note: I wear gloves when I handle hot peppers…you can never tell with a jalapeno!)
Peel the gingerroot; using the edge of a spoon is a quick way to accomplish this task. Grate the ginger or thin slice and then chop into pieces.
Peel and finely mince the garlic.
Cut the cabbage in half and then into quarter pieces. Remove the core from each quarter piece. Peel a few leaves from one quarter piece and lay them flat on your board. Slice across the cabbage into 1/8-inch strips. Continue until you have about 2 cups of sliced cabbage. (Make fresh coleslaw with any remaining cabbage.)
Slice the scallions diagonally into thin pieces, both green and white parts.
Chop the peanuts.
In a Dutch oven, heat 2-3 tablespoons vegetable oil and let both the oil and the pot get hot. Add to the pot: the diced onion, the diced bell peppers and the diced jalapeno. Season with a small pinch of salt (you will be seasoning with soy sauce later on in the recipe.) After 3 or 4 minutes, add the sliced cabbage, the minced garlic and the chopped/grated gingerroot. Stir to combine. Turn heat to low. Cover the pot and let the vegetables ‘sweat’; that is soften and become translucent but not mushy.
Uncover the pot and add the ground turkey. Break up into pieces with a spoon while it is cooking. When just about cooked through, add the canned tomatoes and water or chicken stock. Let simmer for about 8 minutes. Add the 2 cans of coconut milk and stir to combine thoroughly. Let the ‘Ragu’ simmer for another 15 minutes. Keep heat low; cook at a simmer and stir frequently.
Add the flavorings. Add the peanut butter and stir to dissolve thoroughly. Add the chili garlic sauce, the soy and fish sauces. Taste and adjust. Add a couple of squeezes of fresh lime juice. Taste, add more of any or all the flavorings to your liking. I added fresh ground white pepper as it is a bit more pungent and more Asian-y, but, of course, fresh ground black pepper is fine.
Turn off the Ragu and stir the greens into the sauce. They will wilt in the hot sauce.
Cook the cellophane noodles according to the instructions on the package. (note: They will cook in less than half the time as Italian pasta.) When cooked, strain and place in a warmed bowl. Mix in some of the Ragu sauce and toss to coat the noodles. Then pile on the rest of the Ragu. Garnish with the chopped scallions, peanuts and cilantro or Thai basil, if using.
