Thanks to Marc Matsumoto over at No Recipes, I have a new favorite dish. I'd eaten it twice before at a friend's Japanese restaurant before and loved it, so finding this recipe was a special treat. I've taken what Marc wrote and altered things just a little.
Chicken Katsudon Prep time: 20 minutes Cook time: 30 minutes, depending on how much you make Components: sauce, chicken (or pork), rice, vegetables
Directions for cooking the chicken (link) (Marc uses pork, but I use chicken, and I cut it into strips before breading and frying)...NOTE: I add curry to the salt/pepper before breading.
Next time you get ready to make pancakes from scratch, how about trying something new? Here's my recipe for oat flour pancakes, which will add fiber and great flavor to your breakfast.
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups oats (put in blender to pulverize)
3 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon raw (or brown) sugar
1 1/2 cups milk
1 egg
2 tablespoons butter, melted
2 tablespoons applesauce
Directions
1. Measure out the oatmeal and pulverize in the blender or food processor.
2. Mix oats with baking powder, sugar, and salt. Make a well in the center of the bowl for the wet ingredients.
3. Melt the butter; mix with applesauce and milk.
4. Add egg, butter, applesauce, and milk to oat flour mixture; mix well.
5. Melt a few teaspoons of butter in a skillet on medium high; spoon out pancakes and cook until golden brown on both sides.
1. When you first buy a wok, you have to do what is called "seasoning". Here's some info on how to do that.
2. Invest in some wok oil. I use this kind, and it is easy to find in grocery stores. It adds some saltiness to food, however, so go a little more lightly on salt when you cook with this oil.
3. NEVER leave your wok to air dry after washing. ALWAYS dry it immediately using a paper towel or a very absorbent other towel.
4. Cook Thai Red Curry using a recipe I gleaned from my favorite Thai restaurant and from an online recipe site.
Now, before you begin, be sure you know the differences between the types of curries available. Most people think of a yellow powder when the word "curry" comes up, but so many varieties of dishes are called curries. Most popular are yellow curry dishes (often used in Indian food, but also used in other Asian, African, and Caribbean cuisines), but green and red curries are also quite good. Here's the recipe I'm using for my Thai Red Curry, which is enough to serve 3-4 people:
Ingredients:
1/4 chopped red onion (or 1/2 cup chopped shallots)
1 can pineapple chunks (no sugar added), juice drained
1/4 red bell pepper, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 tablespoons basil
3 teaspoons lemon juice
1 can coconut milk
2 tablespoons chopped ginger
chicken breast, chopped into bite-sized pieces
3 teaspoons Thai red curry paste, which can be found in grocery stores or made using the linked recipe above
Basically, once you have prepared all the ingredients, cook the chicken with salt and white pepper in a wok that has been heated and prepped with oil. Add all the other ingredients and mix well. Cover the wok and let it simmer on medium-high for 30-40 minutes. The linked recipe says you can put it in a casserole dish and bake it, which would also work almost as well.
Here's what it looks like while it's cooking in the wok. If only you could smell it!
Serve the curry with jasmine or another white rice. It's delicious!
I had some company tonight, and my guest decided that she wanted burritos and cilantro lime rice. I've never tried rice like that before, so I was all in! It's just as easy as it sounds, too.
Cook enough rice to serve your guests. Be sure to salt it as it cooks. While the rice simmers, combine the following ingredients in a blender or small food processor (my 3-cup chopper worked just fine):
1/2 cup cilantro
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup water
juice of 2 limes
2 teaspoons coarse salt
2 chopped cloves garlic
Blend the ingredients well, then mix them into the fully-cooked rice. It's as easy as that! Enjoy! :)
(There is a link to the source for this photo--I do not own it.)
To celebrate, I'm sharing pictures and a recipe I found for one of my favorite Chinese dishes(forgive me, but I don't remember where I found the recipe, but the photos are mine): Gong Bao! In English, we call it Kung Pao, but the kind we know in America is vastly different from the real thing. It's like calling Taco Bell food Mexican food. :)
Now, the recipe seems complicated, but aside from the various bowls needed, it's actually fairly streamlined and simple. The recipe calls for Sichuan peppercorns, which have been loosely banned in the U.S. because they are extremely spicy (Male readers will be amused to know that the Chinese joke about Sichuan is that the women are as spicy as the food there!). I made the mistake of eating some in China...wow. The recipe is still rather good without the peppercorns--just make sure you use the other chiles.
Enjoy! If you try it out, leave a comment here and let me know how it went! :)
CULTURAL NOTE: If you ever eat with or around Asians, it is always a good idea to remember to put your chopsticks on the plate or bowl lying down (see picture at the end). NEVER put them straight into the dish, sticking up. Doing so in some places is an insult to the cook because it can be symbolic of a death omen.
16 ounces boneless skinless chicken breast, trimmed if needed, cut in bite-size pieces
Whisk marinade ingredients. Stir in chicken as it's cut. Let rest while prepping the remaining ingredients.
SMALL BOWL #2
10 dried red chilis (or start with 5 for mild heat)
1 tablespoon whole Sichuan peppercorns (These are the ones I think are outlawed. You can do without them; it just changes the flavor slightly).
SMALL BOWL #3
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
5 - 6 green onions, chopped
SMALL BOWL #4 - SAUCE
3 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon cornstarch
2 teaspoons soy sauce
2 teaspoons rice vinegar
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon chicken stock or water
--Whisk together.
SMALL BOWL #5
A handful of dry roasted peanuts
SMALL BOWL #6
For garnish, green parts from the chopped green onion
ASSEMBLY
2 tablespoons peanut oil, olive oil, or wok oil
Heat a wok or a large cast iron skillet on medium high.
Add the oil and let get very hot. (It should sizzle when water is flicked off your fingers into the oil.)
Add the chilis and Sichuan peppers and let warm through, stirring often, until chilis begin to blister and turn dark, about 2 - 3 minutes.
Add chicken pieces and stir fry 3 minutes, letting meat sear slightly before turning. (During this stage, the oil splatters so be cautious. A splatter guard would be useful.)
Add Bowl #3 (garlic, ginger, green onion) and stir fry 2 minutes.
Add Bowl #4 (sauce) and stir in to coat the chicken. When slightly thick, stir in Bowl #5 (peanuts) and cook for another 1 - 2 minutes.
Transfer to plates and top with Bowl #6 (green onion).
Here's a picture of the finished product alongside some rice and Jiao Zi--Chinese dumplings, which are traditional during Chinese New Year. The dumplings look a little funny because it was the first time I'd made them since I was in China five years ago, so gimme a break! I learned last summer never to make the Jiao Zi dough the night before and refrigerate it. Doing so made the dough very gummy. :)
It's International Hot and Spicy Food Day! According to Punchbowl (check out the link because it has some interesting info), it's also National Fig Newton Day. January is National Oatmeal Month, too!
Cayenne pepper is known to be a great colon cleanser, figs are known to help lower blood pressure, and, as I'm sure you've seen on the Quaker Oats commercials, oatmeal helps lower cholesterol.
If you find some interesting spicy food, fig, or oatmeal recipes, please share them! I'll credit you here on the blog. Until then, check out Rick Bayless' recipe for my favorite spicy Mexican dish, Chilaquiles (chee-lah-kee-less)!
What other food is there that can make both our eyes and mouths water at the same time but the onion? As such, I feel this bulb of aromatic bliss deserves some attention. To start off, here are a few links with interesting information about the types of onions that exist, their different uses, old wives' tales about the onion, and tips on how to use them:
All About Onions --Miscellaneous facts, including old wives' tales
Now, I've heard a number of suggestions for cutting onions without getting sappy, but the most prevalent one is that you must use a very sharp knife. Others have said to chew gum while chopping (it works a little, but not so well--I've tried it), and still others have said to rinse the knife in cold water before chopping and to keep the cold water running while chopping.
Aussie chef, Curtis Stone, former star of "Take Home Chef", has a few other tips about cutting onions on his YouTube page:
And if you're feeling adventurous, try making Musakhan Chicken, one of my favorite dishes from Palestine, featuring chicken alongside its co-star, the onion. It's actually very easy to make, and you can make it without the sumac if it is unavailable to you. Don't be shy about the cinnamon; though it may seem strange to use with chicken, it actually works with the onion to bring out the savory flavor of the chicken.
Ingredients:
3 tbsp. olive oil
salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
2 onions, sliced (I like to use red onions when I can because of their sweetness)
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
2 tsp. sumac
2 3/4 cups chicken stock
juice of 1/2 lemon (you can substitute lime juice if needed)
1/3 cup pine nuts, toasted (may be eliminated if unavailable, but their flavor is superb)
2 tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro
4 pita breads or shirak
Method:
1. Heat the oil in a frying pan. Season the chicken and add to the pan; cook for 1-2 minutes until golden. Remove to one side.
2. Add the onions to the pan. Cook for 5-10 minutes until golden, then add the cinnamon and the sumac. Return the chicken to the pan, add the stock, and bring to a boil; cook for 5 minutes.
3. Remove and cut up the chicken into bite-size pieces; place in a bowl and squeeze the lemon juice on top. Add the pine nuts and cilantro.
4. Cut the pita breads in half lengthwise and fill with the chicken and pan juices.
This is not a new year's resolution. I am NOT going to cook my way through a new cookbook, like maybe a curry cookbook, in a year. That would be suicide. :) I am, however, going to share new recipes and culinary treasures I make and find, often with photos. After purchasing three new international cookbooks--Indian, Italian, and world curry--today at B&N for less than $22 (you simply must check the clearance and bargain books for finds like this), I have a good feeling that I'll have a lot to share.
Be forewarned: I'm not inclined to cook much "American" food...unless someone can find me some real gems. I've been raised sort of an international culture/language/food snob, a fact to which I will readily admit. But since America is truly a melting pot (or tossed salad--use whichever metaphor you prefer because both are about food!), I may just find some things I absolutely must try.
So, raise your glass with me, and let's toast to wherever this may lead. :)
