Thai Fusion Lasagna
Tonight we’re eating a fusion lasagna: layers of wonton wrappers, thinly sliced zucchini and yellow squash seasoned with curry powder, and ground turkey browned and simmered with a mirapois in a thai panang curry sauce then tossed with fresh basil.
A: so this is actually what we ate last night…it got late and we unfortunately didn’t have time for the dialogue
T: nope. sometimes sleep calls and there is little that can be done.
A: if only we didn’t have to wake up in the morning! anyway, if this meal was tops perhaps we would have been more motivated to blog it (rather than watching american idol!)
T: haha, yeah. It was a good meal, just not quite orgasmic. my favorite part was the spicyness. it provided a nice tingling sensation.
A: yeah, it was so far removed from my original vision that i had when i was purchasing the ingredients while i was delirious from no real sleep in a 24+ hour period.
T: man that’s terrible how little sleep you get. 🙁
A: i know, but at least if i stay up i can accompish things… AND get to see you! (and blog!)
T: it’s a terrible, terrible schedule you have. 🙁
A: aw….:-$ it’ll get better, i swear! … so many things were not as they should have been with this meal. I didn’t get to make the panang sauce to serve with it… it was over cooked and the veggies were mushy… it was a touch on the salty side… 🙁
T: yeah, it seemed like you had lost your way along the way with this one. fortunately you have a good sense of direction. It was a hair on the salty side, though.
A: i have a problem working with curry paste some times… i forget how high the salt content is in those things, then i go and add silly things like fish sauce (really salty) and soy sauce… i didn’t find it to be overwhelmingly salty, but still, i aim for as close to perfection as possible… it was what it was, you know?
T: i didn’t think it was overwhelmingly salty either. yeah, hey, folks have done worse than this meal. no doubt.
A: 🙂 thanks T! well i gave this meal a 3.7/5. I seemed to enjoy it whilst I was eating it, but it was certainly not impressive or worthy of a 4/5 in my book.
T: so any ideas about what we will eat this weekend on your birthday?
A: I dunno yet! that’s on my list of things to do tonight… figure out what new restaurant i want to visit. it will be nice, most likely.
T: that should be fun!
A: woo hoo!!! a b-day good time!
Kwaherini mabibi na mabwana!
Love your site! Beautiful food, beautiful picture and a beautiful chef 🙂
You are simply too nice, LM! i don’t know if you were trying to get an invite to dinner with that compliment but you’ve got it! if you’re ever in the san diego area, join us for a meal!
Too bad!! I live in Hong Kong 🙂 Hey- I have a question, I have 2 jars of Salsa at home about to expire next month. Instead of using it as a dip, any suggestions to use it for cooking? Thanks 🙂
Do you have the recipe for the Thai Lasagna? What could be added to make it truly ‘orgasmic? It sounds great!
LM, don’t worry, i didn’t forget about you! I’m still thinking on some really great ideas for the salsa (and i’m sure i’ll come up with some in way less than a month). Just check back to this post… or if i get time i’ll leave a comment on your site with the ideas!
Frank, we’ve been moving for the past couple weeks (okay, we’ve been packing/moving/unpacking…you know what’s involved) and we just haven’t been able to crunch in the WWE time lately, but i swear that i will give you recipe in like a week… okay… i don’t want to set time contraints but, i will get one to you! When i had initially imagined the lasagna, my mind pictured a lightish meal. Imagine with me, a white plate with a square of lasagna sitting in a pool of light red panang curry sauce. The lasagna would be layers of crispy stir fried veggies, curry sauce, basil, al dente noodles, and curried ground turkey with a basil sprig on top. mmm. it still sounds better in my mind than this turned out (mainly due to pushing dinner later and later that night). When I write the recipe, i will make the changes that i think will improve it.
Thanks guys 🙂 the 2 jars of salsa is still sitting on my shelf!! Anyway hope your move went well and that everything’s all settled in 🙂
LM – i’ve been thinking on this a little (okay, not as much as i should have been) but the main thing i think i would try to do with the salsa, in my current food state of mind, is:
take some chicken, brown it and remove it from the pan. Slice up some onions and peppers and saute them for a few minutes…maybe add some spices like cumin and a pinch of cinnamon for the last thirty seconds of sauteing, then add a couple cups of salsa and like… half a cup of chicken stock, add the chicken back to the pan and allow the chicken to poach at a simmer for 15-25 minutes depending on how thick the chicken pieces are (for poaching i usually recommend dark meat but if you want to use white – that’s cool too). Stir in some freshly chopped cilantro at the end, taste and season as necessary with salt and pepper. Serve over rice and garnish with cilantro. Voila! a one dish meal.
Thank you 🙂 I’ll try it and let you know! For my side of the brain storming, I was thinking of making pasta salad! saute veggies and mix with spiral macaroni and salsa!
I just stumbled upon this blog, which talks about fusion cuisine and I want to introduce you to Chitalian cuisine, which is becoming popular these days as it mixes Eastern and Western flavors with cooking techniques, creating new, wonderful and healthy dishes that are sure to bring your dining experience to greater heights.
If you want to make Chitalian dishes at home, you can grab the recipes from http://www.vito-wong-chinese-italian-food.com.