Duck Confit Sope

The Lime Truck brings internationally inspired handheld delights to the streets of Irvine, California such as a Mexican themed Duck Confit Sope with Brie cheese, créme fraîche ‘n hot sauce and a Filipino inspired Pork Belly Adobo taco with a Tomatillo Pico De Gallo!




SEASONED DUCK
4 duck legs
Salt
Black pepper
40 sprigs of thyme

Take duck legs and heavily salt both sides. Next, grind fresh cracked pepper on each leg, about four turns per side.

Place legs in casserole dish so that they touch but do not overlap each other. Slide 5 sprigs of thyme under each leg, and then place an additional 5 sprigs on top of each leg, for a total of 10 sprigs per leg.

Cover casserole dish with plastic wrap, then place in fridge overnight, or for a minimum of 12 hours.

THE PLATE
Seasoned Duck (above)
Salt & Pepper to taste
Rendered fat to cover
Oil for frying
4 sopes
1 small Brie cheese wheel, cut into small wedges
cream fraiche to taste
Sriracha to taste
micro greens to garnish

Preheat oven to 200 degrees Fahrenheit.

Remove duck legs from casserole dish and wash them with cold water, removing all the seasonings and thyme.

Put duck into an oven safe pan skin side down, and then season with a few pinches of salt and pepper. Pour rendered fat (or purchased fat, if you don’t have your own stored) over the duck until the legs are submerged. We recommend pork belly fat, but any other will work too.

Cover with foil and let cook in oven for 10 to 12 hours. When the meat falls easily off the bone it is done.

Pour approximately an inch of oil in a skillet. Fry sopes evenly on both sides until golden brown.

If duck meat has cooled, add a little fat or oil to a hot pan and heat up duck on the stove for 45 seconds, turning it once.

Place hot duck meat onto the sope, then quickly add the Brie so that the heat from the soap will soften and melt the cheese.

Add cream fraiche to taste, desired amount of Sriracha, and finally micro greens to garnish.

Read more »

Gutsy Goan Beef Vindaloo

Cruise to Calgary, Alberta for fresh, authentic Indian cuisine to go with the Naaco Truck! Part Naan, part Taco, Naaco’s Spicy Beef Vindaloo with Goat Yogurt Chutney and Corn Shoots is all delicious!






 SPICE BLEND (makes approximately 1 cup)
1 teaspoon black cardamom
1 teaspoon Nigella seeds
1 teaspoon green cardamom
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon fenugreek seeds
1 teaspoon cloves
1 tablespoon brown mustard seeds
1 tablespoon fennel seeds
2 tablespoons cumin seeds
2 tablespoons coriander seeds
2 tablespoons black peppercorns
1 3-inch stick of cinnamon
6 Kashmiri chili, dried
6 round chili, dried
6 red chili, dried

In a spice grinder combine all ingredients and grind until mixture is a fine powder.

Reserve 1/4 -1/3 of a cup of the Spice Blend for this recipe.

MARINATED BEEF
2 1/4 pounds brisket, cut into 1-inch cubes
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/8 cup white wine vinegar
1/4 – 1/3 cup Reserved Spice Blend (above)
1 fresh green chili, thinly sliced

In a large bowl combine beef, vinegars, reserved spice blend, and green chili. Combine thoroughly and let sit to marinade for 4 to 6 hours, or ideally overnight, covered in the refrigerator.

BEEF VINDALOO
2 tablespoons grape seed oil
2 white onions, peeled and thinly sliced
1 head garlic (approximately 10 cloves), peeled and thinly sliced
1 2-inch piece ginger, peeled and thinly sliced
1/2 cup red wine
Marinated Beef (above)
2 star anise
4 bay leaves
3 1/2 cups canned crushed tomatoes
2 tablespoons kosher salt
2 tablespoons dark brown sugar

If using an oven, preheat it to 350 degrees Fahrenheit, otherwise heat a large Dutch oven to medium heat.

For following steps, add ingredients directly into the Dutch oven, or if ultimately cooking in a conventional oven, into a large pot on stovetop at medium heat. Dutch oven is recommended for ease.

Add oil, onions, garlic and ginger. Cook until beautifully soft and medium brown in colour, approximately 12 to 15 minutes. Deglaze with red wine and cook for an additional 2 minutes.

Add beef including its marinating liquid, star anise, bay leaves and canned tomatoes. Give the entire mixture a couple really good stirs, and then season with salt (less if using table salt) and brown sugar.

Bring to a boil. If using a Dutch oven, simply put the lid on and simmer for 4 hours, removing lid for the final 30 minutes of cooking. If using a conventional oven, transfer contents to an oven-safe dish and cook in the oven for 4 hours.

When done, the beef will be incredibly tender and a balanced spicy sweet. Don’t forget to remove the star anise and bay leaves and taste prior to serving to see if more salt is necessary.

YOGHURT CHUTNEY
2 cups plain Greek yoghurt
1 handful fresh Thai basil, chopped
1 teaspoon cumin seeds

Combine all ingredients. Mix well and chill until ready to serve.

THE PLATE
Serve Beef Vindaloo as either:

THE NAACO
6-8 pieces Tandoori naan
Beef Vindaloo (above)
1 to 1 1/2 cups cucumber, thinly sliced
1 to 1 1/2 cups carrot, thinly sliced
1 to 1 1/2 cups red onion, thinly sliced
Juice of 1 lemon
1 handful fresh cilantro, chopped
Yoghurt Chutney (above)
1 cup feta cheese, crumbled

Warm naan, and add all ingredients on top. Wrap up and serve immediately.

OR

CLASSIC BEEF VINDALOO
6 to 8 servings Basmati rice
Beef Vindaloo (above)
6 to 8 pieces Tandoori naan
Yoghurt Chutney (above)
1 handful fresh cilantro, chopped

Serve family-style on platters, or plated individually.

Read more »

Spicy Garlic Mock Duck

The Scratch Truck is delivering savoury Asian styled sandwiches to streets of Minneapolis, Minnesota all made from scratch.







SPICY GARLIC SAUCE
½ cup fermented chili paste
¼ cup soy sauce
½ cup vinegar
1/8 cup honey
1/8 cup mirin
½ tablespoon sugar
½ tablespoon chili pepper flakes
¼ cup minced garlic
1 cup soju
salt and pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients in a saucepot and heat on low, stirring frequently, until well combined and slightly reduced. Remove from heat.

CABBAGE-JALAPENO SLAW
1 cup green cabbage, shredded
1 jalapeno, seeded, and julienned
2 green onions, thinly sliced
½ bunch cilantro, chopped
1 lime, zested and juiced
2 tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon salt

Lightly toss vegetables in a bowl with the honey, lime, salt, and refrigerate until chilled, stirring every 20 minutes.

MOCK DUCK
1 10-ounce can mock duck
½ cup flour
½ cup rice powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper, freshly ground

Open, drain, and rinse the mock duck. Combine all the dry ingredients and use them to coat the mock duck. Deep fry at 350 degrees Fahrenheit until mock duck becomes crispy. Set aside.

THE PLATE
Mock Duck (above)
Spicy Garlic Sauce (above)
4 rolls, toasted
Mayo to taste
Cabbage-Jalapeno Slaw (above)

Toss the fried mock duck with the Spicy Garlic Sauce and put it in on a toasted roll with mayo. Garnish it with the Cabbage-Jalapeno Slaw and enjoy!

Read more »