Fish in sweet tomato sauce with Fresh Mango Salad

You will need:

2 pds of Mackerel fillets(skin on)
2 T. of chopped shallot
3 garlic cloves minced
3 cups of rough chopped tomato
1/2 cup of pineapple juice
1/2 cup of young coconut juice or soda(no pulp and NO COCONUT MILK)
1 T. of good oyster sauce
1 tsp of sweet soy sauce
1 T of sugar
2 tsp of fish sauce
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp of black pepper(or 2-3 fresh or dried whole chili if you like it spicy)
olive oil for pan
1/2 T of cornstarch plus 1/2 T of water(Don't add this in until the last 10 min. of cooking time)

If you are a fish lover, then you absolutely have to try this dish! This is one of my mother in laws  fav fish dish to eat. What makes this one so different from others, is the fact that I let it cook in a tomato sauce that is simmered in a slightly sweet and slightly tangy pineapple and coconut juice concoction.  My family loves to eat it along side my fresh and spicy mango salad. It's also good when eaten with Asian pickled mustard greens(which I also have a recipe for if you scroll down). I make this dish more in the summer time then in  any other time of the year because of it's simplicity and let's face it, even SUPER MOMS have lazy days too. :)

1. Clean your fish fillets by soaking them in some water, vinegar, and salt to help reduce some of the smell that fish gives while cooking. I usually get in there and start rubbing and massaging it like I love it. :) Let the fish sit in the vinegar water for a quick minute, remove, and pat completely dry.
2. On medium high heat, add a little oil into your skillet. Add in your chopped shallots and then chopped garlic. Once your garlic starts to slightly brown, throw in your chopped tomatoes. Let the tomatoes cook down for a minute or two then proceed to add the salt, black pepper, sugar, sweet soy sauce, oyster sauce, and fish sauce. Stir to combine.
3. Add in your pineapple juice and coconut juice, stir, then add in your fish fillets. Continue to cook on medium heat for 15 minutes, and carefully turn the fish a few times to make sure all that yummy sauce gets soaked up by the fish.
4. After 15 minutes, turn heat up to medium high heat to quickly reduce some of the sauce. Add in the cornstarch and water mixture and continue to cook until sauce has reduced to your liking. I like more sauce in mine because my kids love it on rice.
5. Remove from heat and serve with a side of mango salad. Yum!!! 

Notes: This dish tastes best with a tad bit of heat to it, so if you are using fresh or dried whole chili peppers, then add those in after you add in your fish fillets to the pan. While the fish is simmering, it's also best to use a spoon to coat some of the sauce mixture onto the fish fillets to get an optimum boost of flavor. This technique is good if you are afraid of the fish coming apart while flipping over one too many times.

Spicy Summer Mango Salad

Mango salad is just perfect for a nice and sunny day like today... but then again, ANYTHING over 50 degrees is NICE here in Washington. Birds are chirping, the sun is shining, and if you drive down to the Tacoma Waterfront, you can catch a glimpse of women in tight booty shorts, sporting sunglasses with a G logo on them(G for GUESS not GUCCI), pushing their strollers, on a man hunt for perspective baby daddies. Ah, yes, that's when you know...SUMMER HAS ALMOST ARRIVED.

I know some people like to make mango salad the same way that you would make papaya salad, but come on now, if I wanted papaya salad then I would MAKE PAPAYA SALAD, right? This side dish is easy, breezy, and tastes wonderful on a hot day cause it's so fresh and definitely satisfying.

You will need:

2 pds of green mango sliced julienne( I used 3 green mangos for this recipe)

2 carrots sliced julienne 

2-3 cloves of garlic

1/3 cup of chopped green onion(more for garnish)
Chopped fresh chili to taste( I used 4 of them cause I like it spicy)

1/4 cup of chives cut into 1-1/2 inch strips

1 1/2 T of fish sauce

1/2 tsp of salt

1 T of sugar

2 T of water

Mix all ingredients in a large bowl and refrigerate for 1 hr. Taste check and see if it's to your liking. I actually ended up adding a few more pinches of sugar but that's my own personal preference. Tastes great with most fish dishes like the recipe I posted on here or with baked/fried fish. I like to eat it plain sometimes with just rice and it's still good! Also feel free to add fresh herbs if you have it like cilantro, parsley, or mint. 

Notes: You can find most julienne peelers at some supermarkets and Asian markets. My julienne peeler is stainless steel and is manufactured by Kuhn Rikon which I purchased from Amazon.com.

Asian bbq baked chicken

You will need:

3 pounds of chicken wings or you may use short ribs instead
1 tsp of black pepper
1 tsp of onion powder
1 and 1/4 tsp of garlic powder
2 1/2 T of fish sauce(preferably Three Crabs Brand) http://www.amazon.com/Three-Crabs-Brand-Fish-Sauce/dp/B0000CNU54
3 T of oyster sauce(preferably Koon Chun brand)http://www.amazon.com/Koon-Chun-Hoisin-Sauce-jar/dp/B000EIP6MA
3 T of hoisen sauce

Wash your chicken or beef short ribs and pat COMPLETELY dry before you marinade them. YOU MUST MARINADE OVERNIGHT.  If you have the time, you can also keep them for up to 2 days in your fridge before you bake or grill them. Bake chicken@425 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until deep golden brown. If you are baking a lot of chicken at once, you may need to bake them for longer. Also if you like them more charred, you can switch the oven to broil for a few minutes, just make sure that you watch them closely.

If you are using beef short ribs, grill them on medium to medium high heat for a few minutes on each side. You can also grill them in a large frying pan just remember to add a little bit of olive oil before you fry them.

NOTES: Obviously, if you have an Asian market near you, make sure you purchase your fish sauce and oyster sauce there. Some American food chains do carry the preferred items I listed above, but they are suuuuuuper expensive! Also when washing beef short ribs, please be thorough because when butchers are slicing the beef, shards of bone fragment get left on the meat. Nothing ruins your eating experience more then having to spit out tiny pieces of bone while chowing down. Unfortunately, I too, have been guilty of not washing them thoroughly...I'm so ashamed. :(