Easy Gluten-Free Pancakes

Easy Gluten-Free Pancakes - made August 30, 2019 from Mama Knows Gluten Free

Still trying to use up my remaining bag of gluten-free flour. I didn't want to try cookies again since, to my mind and taste buds, gluten-free versions just aren't as good as their gluten counterparts. But I did want to try pancakes again since the gluten-free pancakes I'd made before turned out so well.

And so did these. They were different from the other recipe in that the batter was pretty thick. If you don't want thick pancakes that are practically like baked cakes, you might want to use a little more milk. I made the recipe as is and loved the rise and thickness of each pancake. Plus the taste and texture were great. I had to use more maple syrup on these than the other recipe since the fluffiness just seemed to cry "blanket me with syrup" but that added to the flavor and taste, not detracted from it.

Unlike the other gluten-free pancakes though, it's hard to eat more than one before you get full, simply because the pancakes do cook so thick. I made three for the picture and ate a third of it to equal a whole pancake but couldn't finish it and had to eat it as leftovers throughout the day. It was worth it but let's not pretend that helped my diet.

2 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose gluten-free flour (use a blend with xanthan gum or if it doesn't have it, add 1/4 teaspoon xanthan gum)
1 tablespoon gluten-free baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup milk (1-2 tablespoons more if you want thinner pancakes)

1. Whisk together granulated sugar, oil, egg and vanilla extract. Add flour, baking powder and salt. Whisk in milk, 1/4 cup at a time, until smooth.
2. Heat frying pan or griddle and spray with nonstick cooking spray. Pour out 1/4 cup of batter and cook over medium low heat until bubbles form in the middle. Flip over and continue cooking for another 2-4 minutes. Repeat with remaining batter. Serve warm.

Authentic Classic Pad Thai

Authentic Classic Pad Thai - made August 31, 2019, modified from Hot Thai Kitchen

I took some liberties with the original recipe so this probably isn't as authentic as Hot Thai Kitchen intended. But it was more authentic than some of the other recipes I've found in that it uses palm sugar and tamarind concentrate rather than more Westernized ingredients like ketchup, brown sugar, etc. My modifications were more to make it how I customize pad thai when I order it in Thai restaurants.

No surprise, I omitted the bean spouts. Can't stand bean sprouts. They don't taste like anything but they interfere with the texture of the noodles while, when cooked, can look so much like noodles they co-mingle like little noodle imposters but have an annoying crunch I don't like. So no bean sprouts here.

I did genuinely look for tofu in the grocery store to include it but, not being a purchaser of tofu on any regular basis, I couldn't find them. And I didn't want to include them badly enough to track down a store employee to ask where the tofu was. So no tofu. The other ingredients like daikon, garlic chives and peanuts, I also excluded simply because I didn't want them in my version of pad thai. I figure as long as I got the sauce right, that would be good enough.

I did have to make a special trip to the Asian grocery store to find the palm sugar and the tamarind concentrate so if you don't have those handy, you will likely need to find some substitutions, e.g. brown sugar for the palm sugar and ketchup for the tamarind concentrate. Pad thai noodles are more widely available in mainstream grocery stores but I also bought these at the same Asian grocery store since I was already there anyway plus they're always cheaper at the Asian grocery store.

This actually did taste like "real" pad thai. Having the right noodles and the authentic sauce ingredients probably helped. Here's what I did wrong (you know there had to be something) and what I would do better next time: palm sugar doesn't melt like regular sugar in liquid. The palm sugar I bought came in a plastic container of palm sugar pellets that weighed 15 grams per pellet. When I whisked the sauce ingredients together, the pellets didn't dissolve with the addition of the tamarind concentrate, fish sauce or room temperature water. They did gradually shrink over time in the liquid but not nearly enough or fast enough. I would recommend using hot water in the sauce to help with melting the palm sugar.

Second, is I let the rice noodles soak in room temperature water for an hour. That was a good idea as that's one of the blog suggested to prevent the noodles from becoming like mush. After 45 minutes though, the noodles, while pliant, seemed a little coarse and tough to me so I decided it'd be a much more brilliant idea to soak the noodles in boiling hot water for awhile. Fifteen minutes later, you guessed it, pliant mush.

Despite all this though, I still liked how the pad thai turned out. The flavor might've been a little bland but I was okay with that. If you want more spice, add more chili flakes or Thai chilies. I want to try more pad thai recipes now that I (still) have tamarind concentrate and palm sugar to use up but for my first foray, this was pretty good.

Sauce
45 grams palm sugar
1/4 cup tamarind concentrate
2 tablespoons fish sauce
3 tablespoons water

Pad Thai
4 ounces dry rice noodles
8 - 10 shrimp, peeled and deveined
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon chili flakes
2 eggs, whisked together
3 green onions, green tops sliced into 1" lengths
1 lime

1. Soak the noodles in room temperature water for 1 hour, until the noodles are very pliable.
2. Whisk the sauce ingredients together; set aside.
3. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil over high heat in a wok or large frying pan. Sear the shrimp until just pink. Remove from heat and set aside.
4. In the same pan, add 1 - 2 tablespoons more oil and saute the garlic until brown. Add chili flakes.
5. Drain the noodles, add to the pan, add sauce and toss together over medium high heat until noodles have absorbed the sauce.
6. Once the noodles have absorbed the sauce, push to one side and add eggs to the empty space. Scramble the eggs gently until set halfway. Put the noodles on top of the eggs and let the eggs set another 10 - 15 seconds. Toss mixture together to break up the eggs. Add shrimp, green onions and lime juice; toss together. Serve immediately.

Chookie Brownies

Chookie Brownies - made August 29, 2019 from Extreme Brownies by Connie Weis

This looks like a very involved recipe but don't let the sheer length discourage you from trying it. Think of it as just making two layers and baking them together. The bottom layer is the chocolate chip layer and you make it as easily as any chocolate chip cookie dough. The original recipe has you separating out some of the dough to bake as individual mini cookies later and that's what I tried to do (we'll get to that). Then you bake the cookie layer for 25-ish minutes, take it out, let it cool then top it with the brownie batter to bake further.

I got a little creative and after the cookie layer had come out of the oven and cooled for a few minutes, I spread it with salted caramel sauce from Trader Joe's. I envisioned a nice separate layer of caramel between the baked chocolate chip cookie layer and the brownie layer. You know how I'm always chasing that separate caramel layer.

And it eluded me once again. I think I have to give up on Trader Joe's caramel sauce for that and stick to melting some Kraft caramels with milk (I keep saying that and not doing it). But I really thought, since the cookie layer was already baked, that the caramel sauce wouldn't seep to the bottom. I was wrong.

But I wasn't completely wrong to try it as the caramel layer did keep the cookie layer moist even though it ended up going back into the oven to bake the brownie layer atop it. The brownies took a little longer than 25 minutes in my oven and I worried that the cookie layer would be overbaked and dry. It wasn't, probably thanks to my errant caramel (non)layer.

I cheated on the semisweet chocolate glaze as I was running low on chocolate chips. So I frosted it with hazelnut spread (Kirkland brand which doesn't use palm oil). For the taste test picture, I did bake one of the "mini" chocolate chip cookies from the reserved cookie dough. Unfortunately, the cookie spread to not only bigger than the mini size I had in mind but it also spread thin. Bummer.

This was a cute concept but in practical reality, the size of the cookie topper makes for a very big piece. I made the dough balls pretty small but since they still spread, they should've been smaller. Or you can leave them out altogether and sprinkle the frosted top with toffee bits, nuts or chocolate chips. Or all three. Whatever it takes to fit your definition of "extreme brownies". Because I used a rich cocoa (Valrhona), the brownie layer was fudgy decadence. This is the kind of over-the-top brownies you want to cut small and let your recipients savor, rather than gorge. They'll thank you later for moderation.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Layer
1 1/2 sticks (6 ounces) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup (3.5 ounces) granulated sugar
1 packed cup (8 ounces) dark brown sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 tablespoon dark corn syrup
2 cups (9 ounces) all-purpose flour
1/2 cup (2 ounces) cake flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 12-ounce package chocolate chips

Brownie batter
1 1/2 sticks (6 ounces) unsalted butter
1 cup (6 ounces) 60% cacao bittersweet chocolate chips
3 large eggs
1 1/2 cups (10.5 ounces) granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup and 1 1/2 tablespoons (2.5 ounces) cake flour
1/2 cup and 1 tablespoon (2.1 ounces) Dutch-processed unsweetened cocoa powder

Semisweet chocolate glaze
2 1/2 tablespoons canola oil
1 10-ounce package semisweet chocolate chips

1. Chocolate chip cookie layer: using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter briefly on medium speed to soften. Gradually add the granulated sugar, dark brown sugar and salt; beat on medium speed until lighter in color and creamy, 3-4 minutes.
2. Increase the mixer speed to medium high and add the eggs, one at a time, beating to incorporate after each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
3. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the vanilla and corn syrup. Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat for 30 seconds.
4. Whisk together the all-purpose flour, cake flour and baking soda in a small bowl. Add to wet ingredients in 2 additions, mixing after each addition until just combined. Fold in the chocolate chips. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
5. Line a 9 x 13-inch baking pan with foil and spray lightly with nonstick cooking spray.
6. Remove 1 cup (9 ounces) of the cookie dough and set aside. Spread the remaining cookie dough evenly on the bottom of the foil-lined pan; smooth as much as possible with a small offset spatula. Cover and place the pan in the refrigerator to chill the dough for at least 1 hour.
7. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Bake for 25 minutes, until the top is nicely browned and firm. Transfer the pan to a wire cooling rack. Maintain the oven temperature at 350 degrees F.
8. While the cookie base is baking, line a half-sheet pan with parchment paper. Using a 1 1/4-inch scoop, form the remaining cookie dough into about 22 dough balls. Stagger them on the lined sheet pan and bake for 7 minutes, turn the pan and bake for an additional 4 to 5 minutes, until the cookies are lightly browned. Transfer the cookies to a wire cooling rack.
9. Make the brownies: melt the butter and chocolate chips in the top half of a double boiler set over hot water, whisking until smooth and combined.
10. In a separate bowl, lightly beat the eggs. Whisk sugar and salt into eggs just until incorporated. Briefly whisk the warm chocolate mixture then gradually whisk into the egg mixture until just combined. Briefly whisk in the vanilla.
11. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour and cocoa powder. Sift into the batter and stir until just combined. Pour the batter over the cooled cookie layer and spread evenly with a small offset spatula. Bake for 25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs. Transfer the pan to a cooling rack and let cool for at least 15 minutes.
12. Make the glaze: in the top half of a double boiler set over hot water, combine the oil and chocolate chips. Whisk until chips have melted and mixture is smooth.
13. Pour the glaze over the brownie slab and use a small offset spatula to spread it evenly. Let sit at room temperature for 1 hour then refrigerate the pan for 7 to 8 hours or overnight. Lift out of pan and cut into even squares. Garnish each square with a chocolate chip cookie.

Honey Lime Cilantro Shrimp

Honey Lime Cilantro Shrimp - made August 27, 2019 from Pretty Little Apron 

I'm going to give major props to this recipe. Only a few ingredients, simple to prepare and tastes great. Plus I love the lime-cilantro flavor combination. Oddly, I don't like honey in baking but I seem to prefer it in cooking, especially combined with other flavors like soy sauce or lime and cilantro like this recipe.

I always say I'm not a very good cook and I have a low bar for my own cooking. "Don't give yourself food poisoning" is my mantra and my low bar.

But now that I'm trying to cook a little more, I have to admit I'm enjoying it. I'm (gradually) learning that cooking doesn't have to be a big production, it doesn't have to be gourmet and I can expect a little more from myself than "didn't have to have my stomach pumped".

Granted, it's become much easier now that I work from home and can turn off my computer, take 3 steps into my kitchen and put together something like this in under 10 minutes. Another 5 to do the dishes afterwards as it doesn't make much of a mess either.

Even in my old life where I put in a 12-13 hour day, had an irritating, traffic-laden commute home and would be crabby and tired, this dish would've met my criteria and abilities to put together a quick weeknight meal that also tasted good.

 You'll notice I also added rice. Yeah, my low carbing days are over for now. This dish made it worth it.

3 tablespoons butter
2 cloves garlic
2 pounds shrimp, peeled and deveined
1/4 teaspoon salt
adobo and cumin to taste
1/4 cup honey
Juice and zest from 1 lime
1/2 cup cilantro, chopped

1. In a large skillet, melt butter and add garlic.Saute until cooked and fragrant. 
2. Add shrimp and sprinkle with salt, adobo and cumin to taste. Cook shrimp through until just no longer grey.
3. Add honey, lime and cilantro. If sauce is too thick, add 1 tablespoon of butter. Serve warm.

Copycat Levain Bakery Chocolate Chip Cookies (Savor the Best)

Copycat Levain Bakery Chocolate Chip Cookies - made dough August 9, 2019 from Savor the Best

Yes, another Levain Bakery copycat chocolate chip cookie. Yes, another that isn't really like Levain Bakery's but still a good chocolate chip cookie recipe nonetheless. Honestly, I think I've given up on actually finding a true Levain copycat but along the way, I've collected some very good chocolate chip cookie recipes so it's still a win.

This copycat had crisp edges and it had great caramelized brown sugar flavor and a wonderful chewy texture. Levain's cookies have a crispness to the outside of the whole cookie, not just the edges and the flavor wasn't quite as brown buttery as this one was.

It stayed thick and didn't spread much, partly because, as usual, I baked it from frozen dough. Also, as usual, I made the test cookie really big so that big chunk of dough ball didn't have time to spread very much before it baked.

If you make this normal-people-size, it will still stay somewhat thick and not spread too thin, which always makes it a good chocolate chip cookie recipe in my book.

2 cups all-purpose flour (240 grams)
2 cups bread flour (240 grams)
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 cups butter (3 sticks), melted
2 cups brown sugar (420 grams)
1 cup granulated sugar (200 grams)
2 eggs
2 egg yolks
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
3 1/4 cups chocolate chips (553 grams)
1 1/2 cups toasted, chopped walnuts, optional

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Mix all-purpose flour, bread flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda in a medium bowl; set aside.
3. Using an electric mixer, cream the butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar until combined, about 2 minutes. Beat in the eggs, egg yolks and vanilla extract
4. Stir in the flour mixture by hand or on the lowest setting of the mixer until just combined; do not overmix.
5. Fold in the chocolate chips and walnuts with a wooden spoon. Portion the dough into 6 ounces balls. Chill or freeze for at least 30 minutes, several hours or overnight.
6. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
7. Evenly space the dough balls on the baking sheet. Bake for 15 to 18 minutes or until edges are set and middles no longer look raw. Do not overbake.

Filipino Spaghetti

Filipino Spaghetti - made September 1, 2019 from The Unlikely Baker

I'm leapfrogging this post ahead of the other dishes I made earlier as I've gotten a couple of requests for the recipe after I posted a picture on Instagram. Apparently, I'm not the only one who likes Filipino spaghetti :). If you've never had Filipino spaghetti, here are the hallmarks to look for: it's typically made not only with ground beef or ground pork but it also includes slices of hot dog. Yup, hot dogs. It's also sweeter than its Italian spaghetti counterpart and that comes with both the inclusion of banana sauce and, in the case of this recipe, granulated sugar. That might sound weird but trust me, that's what makes it Filipino spaghetti in the first place.

Some recipes call banana sauce "banana ketchup". For the longest time, I didn't even want to try making Filipino spaghetti because I didn't want to buy banana ketchup. I literally thought it was a mixture of mashed bananas and ketchup. I don't like ketchup so ewwww. But banana ketchup is not ketchup at all. It really is banana sauce but with a touch of red food dye to make it look like ketchup. Don't ask me why unless it's made just for Filipino spaghetti and red is the color of spaghetti.

Whatever the reason, you're going to want to buy banana sauce/banana ketchup for true Filipino spaghetti. I got mine from an Asian grocery store and bought the Jufran brand, which is local to the Philippines. You can also get it from amazon if you don't have an Asian grocery store nearby but be warned that amazon is more expensive. Three 12-ounce bottles were $13.11 if you have prime but one 12-ounce bottle at the Filipino grocery store I went to sells it for $1.29. Yup, quite a price difference.

Beyond that, this is a pretty straightforward recipe to put together. Brown the hot dog slices first, set aside, then, like every other recipe for Filipino food that I've seen my mom make when I was growing up, you brown the garlic first then add the onions and stir until they're softened. Then proceed with the rest of the recipe.

I was pleasantly surprised this turned out so well. Meaning, it really did taste like Filipino spaghetti! It was just sweet enough but not too sweet and had the distinct taste of Filipino spaghetti. You'll know what I mean when you try it and compare it to more traditional spaghetti sauces. And it was so easy to make I feel emboldened enough to make it for my relatives when we gather for our upcoming family reunion. The kids will like the hot dogs, which, when I was a kid, was the whole point of Filipino spaghetti.

1 tablespoon canola oil
1/2 pound hot dogs, sliced into 1/2" thick pieces
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef
15 ounces tomato sauce
2 ounces tomato paste
4 ounces banana sauce
2 tablespoons heavy cream
1/8 cup granulated sugar
1 pound spaghetti, cooked al dente
sharp cheddar cheese, grated

1. Using a large saucepan over medium heat, fry hot fogs in oil until lightly brown around the edges. Remove from pan,
2. Using the same pan, saute garlic and onion until translucent and fragrant. Stir in ground beef and cook until the beef is browned, 5-6 minutes.
3. Add the hot dogs, tomato sauce, tomato paste, banana sauce, heavy cream and sugar. Season with salt and pepper. Stir to combine. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes.
4. Serve meat sauce on top of cooked spaghetti. Sprinkle with a generous helping of cheddar cheese, if desired. Serve warm.

Lemon Coconut White Chocolate Blondies

Lemon Coconut White Chocolate Blondies - made August 24, 2019 from Extreme Brownies by Connie Weis

Now that I've moved all my baking books to another state, stored them for 6 months in a garage and unpacked them, I thought I should start using them again. Hoping to do more of that in the coming months so stay tuned. And ignore that I suspended my diet and made these for my cheat day.

I'm mixed about this blondie. It was "good" but there was a lot going on here. Perhaps too much so for my simple taste buds. I love coconut. I love lemon. And while I don't love white chocolate in the same way, most of it was in the batter itself and it didn't have a strong flavor. It was mostly there to lend to the "fudginess" of the blondie. Meaning it added to the density and moisture of the texture which I did like.

But if I were to make this again, I would keep the white chocolate melted into the batter to get the texture and leave off adding it as chips or chunks to the blondie. I don't think it needed it.

I'm also not convinced the coconut and lemon worked as well together in this recipe. At least not to me. The lemon is in the frosting while the coconut is mostly in the blondie itself. If you like the combination, you'll like this blondie. For my plebian taste buds, the lemon overwhelmed the blondie but the coconut tried to hold its own and the fight wasn't very fun. I ended up scraping off most of the lemon frosting to eat just the blondie. Which misses the point of the "extreme" brownie.

Next time, I would leave off the lemon frosting and the white chocolate chunks and make this as a coconut blondie with vanilla frosting.

Blondie Batter
1 7-ounce bag shredded sweetened coconut
1 1/2 sticks (6 ounces) unsalted butter, cut into tablespoons
6 ounces premium white baking chocolate
4 large eggs
2 cups (14 ounces) sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups (11.5 ounces) all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup (3 ounces) premium white chocolate chips

Lemon Frosting
10 tablespoons (5 ounces) unsalted butter
1 large egg yolk (optional)
2 2/3 cups (10.7 ounces) confectioners' sugar
1/4 cup (2 ounces) heavy whipping cream
1 teaspoon pure lemon extract
1/8 teaspoon salt
zest of 1 large lemon
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Garnish
2 to 3 tablespoons white chocolate Callebaut Crispearls

1. Toast the coconut: preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spread the coconut evenly onto a half-sheet baking pan. Bake for 5 minutes then stir with a wooden spoon, bringing in the coconut from the corners into the middle and vice versa. Bake for an additional 4 minutes, repeat, turning the coconut then continue to bake in 2-minute intervals until coconut is uniformly light golden brown. Transfer to a cooling rack and let cool to room temperature. Maintain the oven at 350 degrees F.
2. Make the blondies: line a 9 x 13-inch baking pan with foil and lightly spray with nonstick cooking spray.
3. In the top half of a double boiler set over hot water, melt the butter and white chocolate, whisking together until completely melted and combined. Remove from heat and set aside.
4. Using a large whisk, lightly beat the eggs in a large mixing bowl. Whisk in the sugar and salt until just incorporated. Briefly whisk the melted chocolate mixture then gradually whisk into the egg mixture until just combined. Briefly whisk in the vanilla.
5. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour and baking powder. Sift over the batter and stir together until just combined. Sprinkle the toasted coconut and white chocolate chips over the batter; fold in until just combined. 
6. Pour batter into prepared pan and smooth the top with a small offset spatula. Bake for 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs and top is golden. Transfer the pan to a cooling rack and let cool to room temperature.
7. Lemon frosting: In a mixing bowl, beat the butter and egg, if using, until soft and creamy. Add the confectioners' sugar, beating on low until incorporated then on high until well combined. 
8. Using a microplane zester, zest the lemon directly into the bowl then add lemon juice. Beat on high until well combined and creamy.
9. Frost over cooled blondie, smoothing top with small offset spatula. Garnish with white chocolate crispearls. Refrigerate until frosting has set then cut into even squares.

Mechado (Filipino Beef Stew)

Mechado - made August 26, 2019 from Serve with Rice

I still had some beef chuck roast from the Costco pack I used to make Beef Tapa so I used it to try this Mechado recipe. Mechado is another name for Filipino beef stew. As with many dishes, there are a variety of different mechado recipes to choose from. I went with this one for its relative simplicity.

10 minutes before it's finished, add the bell peppers and fish sauce

Which meant the only vegetable I had to add was a red bell pepper. I'm not fond of bell peppers and although the recipe called for two, I only used one. No sense in wasting more than I have to and I'm not particularly fond of bell peppers anyway. I could probably have left it out altogether but I was actually trying for some authenticity so decided to compromise on one for the flavor.

I was pleasantly surprised that this turned out, more that the beef got tender like it was supposed to if you cooked it long enough. I don't always have very good luck with beef and its texture. This one worked. It used the same "trick" my mom uses when she cooks Filipino beef dishes: keep adding water to the base sauce and let it boil/simmer/cook until the meat is tender. Add water as needed to keep the sauce from drying out before the beef is the consistency you want.

As for flavor, I didn't love the bell pepper addition to the flavor of the dish itself but that's my personal preference. Otherwise, this was a good "beef stew".

2-3 pounds beef chuck roast, chopped into chunks
salt + pepper + garlic powder to taste
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup lemon juice
8 ounces tomato sauce
1 large onion, chopped
2 bay leaves
1-3 cups water
2 large red bell peppers, sliced
1 tablespoon fish sauce

1. Season the beef with salt, pepper and garlic powder to taste. Mix in the tomato sauce, soy sauce and lemon juice. Coat the beef well, cover and marinate for at least 1 hour.
2. Heat oil in a dutch oven on high heat. Drain off excess marinade from the beef; reserve. Fry the beef over high heat until lightly seared on all sides. Remove to a plate or large bowl.
3. Lower the heat to medium high and drain all but 1 tablespoon of oil. Saute the onion until fragrant and slightly soft, about 3-4 minutes. Add the beef back and toss with the onions.
4. Pour in the remaining marinade. Add enough water to cover 3/4 of the beef. Add the bay leaves. Bring to a oil. Lower to medium high heat and let simmer until beef is tender, about 45 minutes.
5. In the last 10 minutes of boiling, add the red bell pepper and fish sauce. Bring to a simmer again and continue cooking through. Once the meat is tender and the peppers are cooked, turn off heat. Serve warm with rice.