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The first hint that my move to Cairns was a good one was the feeling I got stepping off the plane: humidity! (something I hadn't felt in a while) Although it was 8pm upon arrival, it was comfortably warm, with a faint scent of sea water permeating the air. Nnnnnnice.
After a speedy pick up from my hostel's shuttle boy (was he really old enough to be driving that van??!!), and a quick drop off at the hostel itself, my Irish business colleauge Aoife ("Eeee-ffah") headed immediately down to The Esplanade in search of food and drink. The Esplanade is Cairns' main street lining the mud flats (NOT a beach) off the coast. It's heavy on three things: (1) tourists, (2) backpackers and (3) restaurants / bars. Most of these restaurants, not surprisingly, cater to these visitors' appetites for local dishes. For me, that meant one thing:
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I was warned about 3 things before coming down to Cairns: 1) Bluebottle jellyfish after September, 2) humidity and (3) salt-water crocodiles. There are several rivers and lots of wetlands surrounding Cairns (in fact, Cairns itself used to be little more than swamp land before being colonized and developed, similar to Disney World), providing perfect breeding and feeding grounds for crocs. It's not unusual to have "croc sighting" warnings heard on the news, alerting residents to wandering reptiles.
Thankfully my first croc-sighting was served with a healthy portion of veggies and a side of rice, all washed down with a lime margarita to boot.
The only other time I've had crocodile meat was during a business trip to pre-hurricane New Orleans a few years ago. This thai-influenced take on croc was more enjoyable than New Orleans' battered and deep-friend version. Having said that, however, my stir-fry above wasn't all that great and was arguably over-price (welcome to Cairns). The recipe below is an improvement. You too can serve simple, $30+ dishes in your home kitchen ...
Note: Crocodile meat can indeed be substituted with chicken. As the saying goes, croc meat actually does "taste like chicken".
Ingredients
6 to 8 / 1/2 ounce shiitake mushrooms
2 onions
2 tablespoons packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons fish sauce
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
4 to 6 teaspoons vegetable oil, divided
1 1/2 pounds boneless skinless crocodile meat (or chicken breast), cut into 1/2-inch strips
2 - 3 red, green and / or yellow peppers
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh ginger
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 large carrot, julienned
4 green onions, cut into 1-inch pieces
1/4 cup slivered fresh mint leaves
1) Clean mushrooms - slice caps into thin strips.
2) Combine brown sugar, fish sauce and vinegar in small bowl; stir until sugar is dissolved. Heat wok or large skillet over high heat. Add 2 teaspoons oil and swirl to coat surface. Add 1/3 of crocodile; stir-fry 3 minutes, stirring occasionally, until meat is no longer pink in center. Transfer to bowl. Repeat with remaining crocodile, adding 1 teaspoon oil with each batch to prevent sticking if necessary.
3) Add remaining 2 teaspoons oil to wok. Add peppers, ginger and garlic; stir-fry 1 to 2 minutes or until fragrant but not browned.
4) Add fish sauce mixture to wok; boil until reduced by half. Return crocodile to wok. Add mushrooms, carrots, peppers and green onions; stir-fry 2 to 3 minutes or until heated through. Stir in mint. Transfer to serving platter. Serve with rice and garnish, if desired.
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