Fermented foods are a great source of probiotics because they contain live bacteria which support gut health for most people. The Indonesian cuisine I grew up on has many different types of fermented dishes, including tempeh (made from compressed soybeans) and many types of acar (pickled vegetables). But one of my favorite go-to dishes is steamed vegetables served with sambal tauco, a delicious dipping sauce made with miso — another fermented soybean product. Homemade sambal tauco is easy to make and so much more flavorful than what you can buy on the shelves of Asian markets. It can also used for barbequing fish or adding into stir fries. Enjoy making this exciting, savory sauce in your own kitchen.
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Ingredients:
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• 2 shallots, finely chopped
• 2 fresh tomatoes, finely diced
• 2 sliced chili peppers (adjust spiciness to taste, preferably red  chili, can substitute with other chilies, as well as other forms of chilies, i.e., dried chili or chili paste)
• 4 T red miso, coarse texture
• 1 stalk of lemongrass, cut to 3-inch pieces and smashed
• 2 Asian bay leaves
• 5 kaffir lime leaves
• 3 T Indonesian sweet soy sauce (may substitute soy sauce with a with dash of molasses and brown sugar)
• 2 T cooking oil (canola is good to use)

In these days of the CO"VID-19 pandemic, we try to limit our trips to the market. Our rhythm now is to go shopping about every four to six weeks and stock up at Asian food markets, Trader Joe's, Natural Grocers, Costco and other places along the I-205 corridor. This venture can take about 6 hours with all the masking & unmasking and gloving & ungloving and waiting in lines. By the time we get home, we're wiped out. But the bright side is that our refrigerator, freezer and pantry are newly stocked and we can get to work in the kitchen to make some wonderful meals. 

On my last shopping excursion, I bought a frozen duck in Fubonn Shopping Center, and we've been enjoying some delicious duck delicacies this summer.

First, I made a marinade with dried mandarin orange peel, star anise, whole black pepper, Asian cinnamon bark, ginger, Xiao Xing Chinese wine, light soy sauce, five spices, honey and black tea. After simmering and cooling it, I placed the duck in a plastic bag, poured the marinade in and sealed the bag and placed it in the refrigerator overnight. The next day, I smoked the duck on a wooden plank over indirect heat using mesquite and charcoal briquettes stacked in baskets at the sides of the grill.

Smoking is a slow cooking process. Total grilling time is about 4 hours ​(depending on heat inside grill). After lighting the fire and placing the hot charcoal in the baskets, here's what to do:

1. Place the marinated duck breast-side down on the plank to begin with.
2. After about 90 minutes, turn the duck breast-side up and add some wood chips. 
3. After another hour, add more wood chips.