Curry Delight!!

This recipe was inspired by a fusion of Indian style and Thai style spice blends and curries.  I must say, it turned out great!

Finished pot of Curry!

The stuff in the zip locked bag on the right are chili peppers

Here is the formula:

1-1.5 lbs of chicken breasts, sliced
1/2 teaspoon of Madras curry and 2-3 tablespoons of Madras curry
1/2 teaspoon of garam marsala
1/2 teaspoon coriander powder
4-5 whole cloves, broken into bits
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 medium onion, diced
3 pegs garlic, chopped
2 large tomatoes, chopped
2 tablespoons cooking oil
2 tablespoons  of mango chutney
4 tablespoons of Satay peanut sauce
2 hot chili peppers, crushed, if you want it spicy!
1 inch of ginger, thinly sliced and quartered
3 potatoes, diced
1/2 -1 cup of water.

Method:

Thinly slice the chicken breasts and rinse them in a solution of vinegar and water. Then, add the 1/2 teaspoon of Madras curry, 1/2 teaspoon of garam marsala, 1/2 teaspoon of coriander powder, the broken cloves, black pepper and salt. Mix  together.  Then, add the chopped onions and garlic. Set aside for 10-15 minutes. Add the cooking oil to a large skillet.  When the oil is hot, add the curry and stir in until fragrant.  Be mindful not to burn the curry, or the food will taste like burned curry.  Then, lowering the flame to medium, chop the tomatoes and add them to the skillet.  Leave for 2 minutes. Then add the chicken, combined with the onion and garlic.  Add the potatoes. Cover with 1/2 -1 cup of water. Cook for 15-20 minutes over medium flame.  Then, add the mango chutney along with the Satay peanut sauce. Cook for another 3 minutes.  Serve over rice.

Enjoy!

Easy Stir Fry Chicken with Bok Choi

     I had a craving for some chicken stir fry, so I whipped up the recipe below. It is loosely based on my Mom's chicken and bok choi recipe, or pak choi as it's called in the Commonwealth. It is quick and easy... it takes about 30 minutes to make, tops. Very good for busy people not looking to bother with take-out. Rice noodles make a great side!

Ingredients:

·         1 teaspoon plus 1 tablespoon  oyster sauce

·         2 tablespoons Chinkiang vinegar (Shaoxing wine or cooking sherry are good substitutes)

·         2 tablespoons soy sauce

·         ¼ teaspoon sesame seed oil

·         1 tablespoon cornstarch

·         1.5  pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cubed

·         1 head of broccoli, chopped

·         1 head of cauliflower, chopped

·         2 carrots, chopped

·         4 small bunches of bok choi, chopped (I used baby bok choi).

·         1 ½ cups Mung bean sprouts

·         3 medium garlic cloves

·         1 inch of ginger, shredded

·         2 medium scallions, chopped

·         1 medium onion, diced

·         1 hot chili pepper, crushed

·         1 teaspoon plus 1 tablepoon vegetable oil

·         1/3  cup water

·         Salt and black pepper to taste

·         Boiled rice noodles – or steamed rice -  for serving

Chopped bok choi

Instructions:

1.     Cut the chicken into one inch cubes. Then, combine the sesame seed oil, 1 teaspoon of oyster sauce, one tablespoon of Chinkiang vinegar, one tablespoon soy sauce and the shredded ginger. Add salt and black pepper to taste. Set aside for 15 minutes.

2.     In the meantime, prepare the other ingredients. Mince the garlic; chop the onions and scallions. Set aside in a bowl. Chop the bok choi and also set aside.

3.     Drizzle one teaspoon of oil around the edge of your wok or frying pan. Add the broccoli, carrots, cauliflower and mung bean sprouts. Stir fry for 1-2 minutes, stirring with a spatula, until the vegetables are charred in spots. Remove from pan and set aside. 

4.     Add the remaining tablespoon of oil to the pan. Then, add the chili pepper, onion, scallion & garlic. Stir fry until fragrant (1-2 min minute). Then, add the chicken and marinade. Add the remaining tablespoons of soy sauce, oyster sauce and the Chinkiang vinegar. Cover and cook for another 5-10 minutes. Then, combine 1/3 cup of water and 1 tablespoon of cornstarch together. Add this mixture to the pan.

5.     Add the previously stir fried vegetables and the bok choi to the pan. Stir these in with the chicken, for about 2-3 minutes. Serve immediately with noodles or steamed rice.

Made from Scratch Thai-Syle Curried Chicken

Don't want to mess with preservatives and fillers from prepared Thai sauces? Here is a way to avoid that!

Ingredients:

2 lbs chicken breast

3 cloves of garlic, minced

1 stalk scallion, chopped

1 medium onion, chopped

1 tsp grated ginger

1 large tomato, chopped

1 yellow sweet (Holland) pepper, sliced

1 small napa cabbage, chopped

1 tbsp of curry powder 

1 tsp of tumeric

2 cups coconut milk

1 tsp oyster sauce

½ tsp corn starch

1 tbsp pepper jelly or mango chutney

1 small chile pepper, crushed

2 tbsp coconut oil

1/2 cup water

Salt and black pepper to taste

Directions:

Cut the chicken into thin 1-inch slices. Season with salt and pepper. Chop the scallion, garlic, ginger and onions and combine the same with the sliced chicken. Set aside. Heat the coconut oil until hot. Lower the flame. Add the turmeric, curry and crushed chile pepper. Stir together until fragrant. Take care not to burn the mixture, or else the meal will taste burnt. Add the chicken, along with the combined ingredients and stir into the curry mixture for 2 minutes. Add the water. Cook for another 2-3 minutes. Add the coconut milk, oyster sauce, pepper jelly/mango chutney. Cook for another 10-15 minutes. Then, add the sliced Holland peppers, chopped tomato and the Napa cabbage. Turn heat down to low and simmer for 3 minutes. Mix the cornstarch with some hot water to thicken the sauce. Serve with steamed rice.

Enjoy!

Stir Fry Shrimp

I love this dish because it is so easy to make. And tasty! Plus, it is healthy as well. Can’t go wrong there. 

So, this is one way to make this yummy dish:

• 1 tablespoon oil

• 3 tablespoons soy sauce

• 2 tablespoons Chinese cooking wine

• 1/4 cup water

• 1 tsp cumin

• 1 tsp black pepper

• 1/4 tsp sesame oil

• 1 tablespoon chopped garlic

• 1 tablespoon finely chopped or grated ginger

• 1 cup diced onion

• 1 stalk escallion

• 1 cup sliced carrot

• 1/2 teaspoon japones chile pepper or one sliced habanero pepper (without seeds)

• 24 large shrimp, shelled and deveined

• Approx. 2 cups of mixed vegetables

• Add corn starch to thicken sauce if desired

Add the oil to the pot. Then add the black pepper, cumin, sesame oil, the onions, scallions, peppers, garlic and ginger to the pot. Stir for one minute. Add the shrimp and carrots and stir for another two minutes. Add the soy sauce and cooking wine. Cook for about 3 minutes. Add the carrots and mixed vegetables. Place heat on low. Add the water at this point. If you desire a thicker sauce, mix the cornstarch with the water in a cup, then add to the pot. Cook for another minute. Serve over white or brown rice.

Chinese Mushroom Chicken Recipe

If you haven't figured it out yet, I'm a big fan of Asian food. I tried out the recipe below, and it turned out pretty well. Since I also like mushrooms, I will be making the Italian version of this dish as well. Stay tuned.

 Ingredients: 

10 oz. boneless and skinless chicken breasts, cubed

8 oz. of frozen mixed vegetables or zucchini

4 oz. mushrooms, halved

1 teaspoon corn starch

1 teaspoon Shao xing wine, or dry cooking sherry

2 tablespoons oil

4 slices peeled ginger

1 Chinese or unseeded habanero pepper, sliced (optional)

1 stalk scallion

Sauce: 

1 tablespoon low sodium soy sauce

2 tablespoon oyster sauce

1 teaspoon sugar

4 dashes white pepper powder

1/8 teaspoon sesame oil

Salt to taste

4 tablespoons water plus 1 teaspoon corn starch (to thicken the sauce). Alternatively, use 1  tablespoon of flour for the same effect.

Method: 

Marinate the chicken with wine, corn starch and 1/2 teaspoon soy sauce. Marinate for 15 minutes.

Mix the sauce ingredients and set aside.

Heat up a frying pan and add oil. Add ginger, scallion and peppers.  Sautee until aromatic. Add chicken into the pot and stir until the chicken is half-cooked. Add mushrooms and  vegetables into the frying pan and continue to stir-fry. Add the sauce into the pan and quickly stir until the sauce nicely coats the chicken, mushrooms, and vegetables. Continue cooking for about 1 minute or until the chicken is done.

DIY Coconut Milk

Coconut milk is a popular ingredient in many dishes, particularly in Caribbean and Asian cuisine.

This is a step by step guide in making your own coconut milk, as opposed to going to the store to purchase the canned or the powdered variety, which contains many additives.

Ingredients

• 1 dried coconut
• 6-8 cups of water

Method:

First, crack the dried coconut and remove the "meat" from the hard outer shell. This task is made easier by using a dinner knife to pry the inner husk away from the dry outer shell. On cracking the coconut itself, to be quite frank, the easiest way to do this is to crack the shell on a sturdy piece of concrete. Don't crack it too hard at first, because you'll want to collect the coconut water inside the shell for a refreshing drink, instead of paying $4.00 or so for the same thing at Whole Foods or Trader Joe's.

After this, use the front of the grater to grate the coconut. Use the side of the greater that is the least rough. Take care not to grate your knuckles!

Then, add the flakes to the blender. Add approximately four cups of water. If your blender is small, you may have to divide this into two batches.

Blend on high for about 8-10 minutes. Pour the mixture from the blender through a fine-meshed strainer into a separate container. Squeeze the mixture to extract the milk. Put the squeezed grated coconut into a separate container. Do not discard yet. After the first round of squeezing and extraction, put the squeezed coconut flakes back into the blender. Add 2 - 4 cups of water to this. Blend on high again for 6-8 minutes. Repeat the process. This yields about 6 cups of coconut milk. This can be frozen to preserve the integrity and taste of the milk. 

This is how my mom makes her own coconut milk. Before the age of blenders, my grandmother would have to use the rough side of the blender, squeeze the mixture with her hands through a  strainer, using warm water.  This process would be repeated at least once more. 

Note: A very smart friend of mine suggested that a juicer could also work. I do not own a juicer, so I made my own coconut milk using the method described above. For those of you who own a juicer, try that and see if it works. I'm sure it would save a load of time :) .

Chicken in Garlic Sauce

This delicious, Asian inspired recipe is an all time favourite. It is also pretty easy to prepare.

Prep : 35 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 50 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 onion, diced
• 1 green onion, chopped
• 4-6 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tbsp coconut oil (you may substitute this with olive or vegetable oil)
• approx 2 cups of vegetables, chopped (examples include broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, corn)
• 1/4 cup of sliced mushrooms
• 1 pound of chicken, cut into small pieces
• 1 1/2 tsp ginger powder
• 1/4 tsp cayenne or black pepper
• 1 tsp. of red pepper flakes
• 1 tsp cumin
• 3 tbsp corn starch
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons of honey
• 1 cup water

Preparation:

Cut chicken into small strips
Mix the chicken, ginger, cumin, garlic, green onions, pepper, cornstarch, soy sauce and the honey together in a bowl. Add one cup of oil to this marinade. Set aside for 30 minutes.
In a large skillet, sautee onions and mushrooms in coconut oil. After this, remove the chicken from the marinade and add this to the frying pan. Continue to cook for another 6 minutes.



Then, add the marinade to the chicken and the vegetables. Cook until sauce thickens, then remove from heat.



Serve over rice or quinoa.  Enjoy