Oct, 2021

Cambodian Samlar Machu

SpiceBreeze

Samlar Machu is a popular Cambodian dish, both as a stew and a soup. The flavor base is the traditional Cambodian kroeung spice blend that includes lemongrass, galangal, and makrut lime leaves. The combination of tamarind, lime, and fish sauce creates a slightly sour-salty note. Adapt the recipe to your taste with chicken, fish, or tofu, and vegetables of your choice.

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hands-on time 30

Course Main Course

Cuisine Cambodian

Servings

Ingredients

Protein

1 lbs chicken breast or thighs cut into 1/2-inch pieces (see notes)

Fresh Produce

4 cups chopped vegetables Bok choy, mushrooms, eggplant, bamboo shoots, baby kale, and/ or bell peppers
2 shallots finely chopped
4 cloves garlic finely chopped or grated
1 lime or lemon for juice

Packaged Goods/Staples

2-4 cups chicken or vegetable broth
2 tbsp soy sauce
oil
salt & pepper

Samlar Machu Culinary Spice Kit

Lemongrass, tamarind, galangal, turmeric, chili, makrut lime

Optional

fish sauce or anchovy paste to taste
fresh chili pepper thinly sliced

Suggested Sides

3 cups steamed or boiled rice

Instructions

In a POT, heat 2 tbsp oil over medium heat.
Stir fry shallots until translucent.
Add garlic, chicken, and Samlar Machu spices. Stir for about 3 minutes.
Add 2 cups of broth, soy sauce, and salt and pepper to taste.
If you prefer a soup, add the remaining broth as well.
Optionally, add fresh chili, and fish sauce or anchovy paste.
Bring to a boil.
Turn heat to medium-low and cook for 10 minutes.
Add vegetables.
Continue to cook for about 10 minutes until all ingredients are tender.
Adjust seasoning to taste with lime juice and salt and pepper.
Serve soup and rice in separate bowls.
Enjoy!

Notes

Instead of chicken, add cubed firm tofu or fish fillets (e. g. snapper, cod, or tilapia, cut into 1-inch strips) together with the vegetables.

Marceline Reid-Jaques

2022-12-14

Karen Jones

2022-12-05

Wonderful, flavorful meals using readily available ingredients!

ann davis

2022-11-29

My daughter gave me a subscription as a Christmas present while our families were quarantining together. It was so much fun! It introduced us to several cuisines that were totally new to us. The recipes were easy to follow and the spices were transformative - fresh and pungent and delicious.

Jessica Brown

2022-05-22

The best way to try new dishes!

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Sep, 2021

Quiche – A Classic French Pie

Quiche - A Classic French Pie

A Hearty Traditional Meal with a Long History

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A classic French dish, the quiche Lorraine is a favorite to many. This French tart is now known for its delicious filling with cheese. However, originally, the dish contained no cheese at all.

Birthplace of The Quiche Lorraine

Lorraine, a region in northeastern France, was the birthplace of the famous quiche Lorraine. This region shares a border with Belgium, Luxembourg, and Germany. There are many historical sites in the area from both war and industry. Mixed into the historical sites are beautiful natural wonders.

Scenic prairies with rolling hills, lakes, and rivers cover the landscape of Lorraine. Within the old capital, Nancy, there are renowned 18th-century baroque buildings and squares. Lorraine is also home to the charming Vosges Mountains, famed for their natural warm water springs.

In addition, the cuisine boasts classic French dishes like Macarons de Nancy, Potée Lorraine, and Pâté Lorrain.

Rich French Cheeses

The authentic quiche was made with cream, eggs, and pork fat. It wasn’t until later on, that cheese became a staple ingredient in any quiche.

With 1,200 varieties of cheese in today’s France, the country is known for its traditional cheeses.

The French enjoy cheese boards in restaurants and cheese with wine, making cheese a staple in the French diet. A few popular ones are Camembert, Brie, and Bleu d’Auvergne. The French cheeses are also categorized into 7 different families: Fresh cheese, Blue-Veined, Hard, Semi-Hard, Processed Cheese, Soft-Ripened, and Chevre.

In every region of France, a unique type of cheese is produced and consumed. Due to the abundance of cheeses, many French dishes require cheese in their recipe.

Delicious Cheese & Flaky Crust

Common fillings of the original quiche Lorraine include bacon, gruyere cheese, onion, and nutmeg. The dish ties all of these ingredients together into a deliciously flaky pie.

From the ingredients, it is no wonder why the quiche Lorraine is the most popular quiche dish. Try our SpiceBreeze recipe for Quiche Lorraine! It contains many options to adapt it to your taste or to make it every time a bit different: add zucchini, pumpkin, spinach, or kale, different kinds of ham or bacon, and, of course, different kind of cheese (mild to sharp). There are so many possibilities!

Nutmeg can be found as a common ingredient in quiche recipes. Our SpiceBreeze Quiche Lorraine recipe introduces you to a precious alternative: Mace is a bit finer than nutmeg and not as sweet.

Nutmeg's Sister Spice

Mace is a sister spice of nutmeg as they come from the seed of the Nutmeg tree. Nutmeg is the actual seed from the tree, while mace is the aril, the red lacy coating around the seed.

Mace is a popular ingredient in Northern European dishes and often used in Indian curry.

This mace has no relation to the pepper spray of the same name.

Homemade Almond Crust

Lovers of the quiche Lorraine boast of its creamy and buttery taste. The flaky crust plays an essential role.

We suggest to try a homemade crust. It tastes so much better than prepackaged pies. And it sounds harder than it is. Our recipe is foolproof and doesn’t require a rolling pin or mixer.

The homemade crust from gluten free almond flour can be adapted for sweet pies as well.

A Taste of French Cuisine

Fines herbes refers to a set of herbs, most importantly chervil, chives, parsley, and tarragon.

Chives add a mild onion-like taste making the dish taste a bit stronger. Chervil, also known as French parsley, adds mild, anise-like flavor. Finally, tarragon is a leafy herb (image on the side) that has a slight licorice-like taste to it.

This combination is especially popular in French cuisine where it is added to poultry or egg dishes, and fresh salads.

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Aug, 2021

Italian Pesce Spada alla Griglia

SpiceBreeze

This Italian summer specialty is perfect for your grill if you love fish and have easily access to swordfish. Garlic, herbs, and lemon are the dominant flavors. The little heat from mustard and chili pepper immerges with the firm fish flesh and the roasted potatoes.

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hands-on time 30

Course Main Course

Cuisine Italian

Servings