Thursday, March 31, 2011
Pan Fried shrimps with Glass Noodles in Thai Basil and Coriander Pesto
And now that I have a mini-chopper I can do pesto in no time at all! I know, those Italian mamas will insist on grinding everything the traditional way in a mortar and pestle, but.. I wanted pesto fast ): To redeem myself, I have done (chunky) walnut basil pesto by hand before. The next bit about this very special pesto that's sure to send the Italian mamas reeling again, is that I didn't use Parmesan, heck I didn't use any cheese at all! To keep to the true Thai theme, I used naturally fermented soybean paste to provide the savoury factor, and used toasted crushed peanuts instead of pine nuts.
Thai Basil and Coriander Pest0
Ingredients
1 clove garlic
1 large handful of Thai basil (leaves only)
2 large handfuls of coriander
1 handful of unsalted (and preferably soaked) peanuts, lightly toasted
1 tbsp of fermented soybean paste (kind of like white miso)
1 green chilli, deseeded (I used Thai birds eye chilli, but you can opt for milder ones;) )
fish sauce (to taste)
1 tsp of sesame oil
extra virgin olive oil
squeeze of half a lime
Method
1. Combine all ingredients in a food processor/mini chopper, pouring in enough extra virgin olive oil till you get to the desired smooth consistency. Add the lime juice after that to add some freshness.
With my controversial pesto ready, it was time for some asian-style pesto-and-pasta!
Panfried shrimps with Glass Noodles in Thai Basil and Coriander Pesto
Ingredients
1 bundle of glass noodles (also known as mung bean threads/vermicelli, cellophane noodles, dang hoon. Not the same as rice noodles.)
couple of shrimps/prawns, shelled (please use more, I just only had 2 sad ones left.)
a few drops of fish sauce
a little bit of coconut oil (or evoo)
1/4 cup of Thai basil and coriander pesto
Method
1. Soak the glass noodles in cold water for about 10 minutes to soften. Drain, then pour boiling water over the noodles and let sit for 10 seconds (these cook really fast!). Drain, then run cold water over it to stop the noodles from continuing to cook.
2. Devein the shrimps by slitting the back, coat with fish sauce and fry them in a hot pan, flipping once. You'll know when they're cooked, because they turn pink and curl into that pretty butterfly shape.
3. Toss all in the pesto, and garnish with a sprig of fresh Thai basil.
I love glass noodles in all their translucent beauty and slippery goodness, and I love shrimps, though I wish there were more, and when both of them are covered in that delicious savoury pesto with the fragrance of these asian herbs and the smell of toasted peanuts, it's <3!
This is part of Monday Mania, Simple Lives Thursday, Presto Pasta Night #207, Herbs and Flowers in my Platter- Coriander, (started by Seduce your tastebuds), and Weekend Herb Blogging (started by Haalo).
By the way, Miz Helen decided to fill her plate up last week with my Baked Egg in Jacket Potato with Chilli, Lime and Coriander Butter (: Yay.
OK, This Is Just Getting Weird
We're supposed to defeat Gaddafi.
NATO isn't going to arm the rebels. These are the rebels:
How is this supposed to work? I mean, I'm down with getting rid of Gaddafi and all that, but how, exactly, is this going to be done?
NATO isn't going to arm the rebels. These are the rebels:
How is this supposed to work? I mean, I'm down with getting rid of Gaddafi and all that, but how, exactly, is this going to be done?
Sourdough Bread
This is a recipe for basic sourdough bread. If you don’t have a pizza stone flip a cookie sheet upside down and pre heat it in your 375° oven. Give the top of the pan a sprinkle with cornmeal to prevent the bread from sticking.
Sponge:
1 1/2 cups warm water
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
1 cup sourdough starter
2 cups all purpose or bread flour
Bread:
3 cups bread flour
2 teaspoons salt
Mix sponge ingredients. Stir well, place in a nonmetal bowl, and cover with plastic wrap. Set aside until mix is bubbly, about 8 - 12 hours.
To make bread, add flour and salt to the fermenting sponge. Knead dough for about 10 minutes until elastic, or until the dough bounces back when poked. Let rise in a warm spot until double in bulk. Punch down the dough knead lightly a few more times to get the remaining gas out. Divide dough in half and form into loaves. Place on a well greased cookie sheet and let rest until double in bulk. Slash the top gently with a very sharp knife and transfer, with a peel, to the pre heated pizza stone in the 375° oven. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until crust is nicely browned and the loaves sound hollow when tapped with your finger.
Baby Blue Bird Nest Cupcakes
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| S.Kenney - 2011 |
I just love Martha Stewart's magazines. For about 7 years now, I have been keeping her Easter editions. I put them all in a basket in my guest bedroom. When I am looking for cute placecards, or holiday ideas, I often end up with something out one of her magazines. This link can take you to the online page of where I found these fun Easter treats.
My son's "Odyssey of the Mind" group lucked out again. They were the recipients of these cupcakes!
The little nest on top of these coconuts is made from toasted coconut flakes. I have never toasted coconut before. Honestly, though, anyone who likes coconut should just toast some in the oven even if they don't want to make cupcakes. The smell is wonderfully potent...nutty, sweet, tropical. I'm afraid I burned the first batch of coconut flakes and that was not so terrific a smell but the second batch improved.
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| S.Kenney 2011 |
While I am confessing my mistakes on the World Wide Web, I'll also spill the news that I've never made cupcakes from scratch. Yep, its always been from a box. Now, there is no going back. I followed the recipe very carefully and the result was delicious. These cupcakes had a richer, deeper flavor and texture than any out of the box mix.
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| S.Kenney 2011 |
Cupcakes... They are so pretty; they are like an empty canvas waiting for creativity. The buttercream frosting was especially tasty. It was very light but with a very deep rich flavor.
The original recipe for these sweet nest cupcakes made the little baby bluebirds out of piped, colored frosting. I decided to use Hershey's milk chocolate Easter eggs instead. I thought that was much easier and tastier than a mouthful of frosting.
Cute cupcake-making interruption!!
While writing this article, my daughter begged me to see the movie "Burlesque" with her. This is the movie featuring Cher and Christina Aguilera.
Woah!!
From describing my sweet little baby blue bird cupcakes to this steamy, sultry, va-va-voom Burlesque story was QUITE a distraction and required a mental shift. I'm not sure I agree with the PG-13 rating on this movie. And, I hope every wanna-be dancer out there doesn't run off to L.A. thinking that a burlesque lifestyle is that innocent.
However, I must give a strong thumbs up for those who can appreciate the music, choreography, and cinematography of this movie. It was visually stunning, musically captivating, and choreographically superb. The acting was weak, the plot was predictable and cheesy moments were the basis of the movie but being a former dancer myself (of the classical ballet variety however!!) the dancers were incredible.
I have to return to these cupcakes, a little frazzled, but admitting I thoroughly enjoyed the movie. (Still can't figure out the why Jack wore that black eyeliner...)
Interruption over...back to the innocent little baby bird cupcakes. Whew! If I can divert myself back, that is.
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| S.Kenney 2011 |
The beaks were the most difficult details in making these cupcakes. I didn't pipe frosting like the recipe entailed. I used little chewy candies that were colored yellow. That didn't quite work so well. They were sticky and hard to handle. Perhaps something drier would work better that could be secured with frosting to the tops. Perhaps crushed lemon drops...
Baby Blue Birds' Nest Cupcakes:
Frosting:
Yield
Makes 2 1/2 cups
Add to Shopping List
Ingredients
3/4 cup sugar
3 large egg whites
1 cup (2 sticks) plus 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
3 ounces semisweet chocolate, melted and cooled
Directions
Combine sugar and egg whites in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Place over a pot of simmering water; whisk until hot and sugar is completely dissolved, about 3 minutes. Transfer bowl to mixer stand, and beat on high speed until cooled, 7 to 10 minutes.
Replace whisk with paddle attachment, and set mixer on medium-high speed; add butter, 1 to 2 tablespoons at a time, until incorporated. Beat in chocolate. If not using immediately, refrigerate buttercream in an airtight container for up to a week. Bring to room temperature, and rebeat or stir vigorously before using.
Cupcakes:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spread coconut on a rimmed baking sheet; bake until light brown, 8 to 10 minutes, rotating pan once. Set aside to cool.
Lightly frost cupcakes with 1 cup chocolate buttercream; set aside. Tint 2 tablespoons reserved buttercream pale yellow; place in a pastry bag fitted with a #349 Ateco leaf tip; set aside. Tint remaining buttercream light blue; place in a pastry bag fitted with a #11 Ateco plain round tip, and pipe three bluebird heads, 3/4 inch in diameter, onto each cupcake. Using leaf tip, pipe yellow beaks. With a toothpick, add melted-chocolate eyes. Form each nest with 2 tablespoons toasted coconut.
Pork Chop with Honey Glazed Apple Slices and Dauphinoise Potatoes
Dauphinoise potatoes in their most basic form consist merely of sliced potatoes, cream, garlic and seasoning. Depending upon what I am serving them with, however, I often like to sprinkle a little ground nutmeg over the top, immediately prior to placing them in the oven. In this instance, served with a pork chop and honey glazed apple slices, the addition works very well.
Ingredients for One Person
1 pork chop
3 medium floury potatoes
2 1/2" thick slices of Bramley apple (cored)
5 fl oz double (heavy) cream (single/light cream or milk are not suitable substitutes - they will split)
2 cloves of garlic
Pinch of ground nutmeg
1 tbsp liquid honey
Salt and pepper
Sunflower oil for frying
1 medium tomato and freshly chopped dill for garnish
Method
Put your oven on to preheat to 300F/150C/Gas Mark 2. Such a low oven is necessary to prevent the cream from splitting.
Peel the garlic cloves and grate or crush them in to a bowl. Add the cream and season with salt and pepper. Stir well. It is a good idea to always have some extra cream on standby, as different dishes vary in size and the potatoes have to be all but covered.
Peel the potatoes and slice as thinly as possible, certainly no thicker than 1/4". A mandalin
can be used if you have one and due care is exercised. Arrange the potatoes in layers in a round, oven-proof dish, 6" in diameter and around 1" deep. Press down gently but firmly, so as to compress the potatoes but not break them. Pour the cream and garlic over the top. The potatoes should be almost but not quite covered. Sprinkle the nutmeg evenly across the top. Place the dish on to a baking tray and on to a low shelf in the oven for one and a quarter to one and a half hours.
When the potatoes have been in the oven for around an hour, add a little sunflower oil to a non-stick frying pan. Bring it up to a medium heat. Season the pork chop on both sides and add it to the pan. It will take around eight to ten minutes on each side to cook, depending upon the thickness of your chop. (Although there are now suggestions in certain quarters that pork can in fact be eaten slightly underdone, this is not something I am personally prepared to risk. Make sure therefore that your chop is fully and properly cooked.)
When your pork chop is done, remove it to a heated plate, cover with tinfoil and set it aside to rest for around five minutes.
Wipe your pan with kitchen towel to remove the excess oil. Add the honey and heat gently while you wash, decore and slice the apple. Do not peel it. Add the apple slices to the pan and fry for about a minute and a half on each side. You want them softened but not to the extent where they will break when you attempt to plate them.
The dauphinoise potatoes should have browned nicely on top and softened all the way through. Remove them carefully from the oven and plate them with the pork chop to one side. Add the apple slices. The tomato should be halved by making alternate forty-five degree cuts to the core around the circumference. Twist gently to separate. Scatter the dill over the potatoes and serve.
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AWARD - 12
Received this award from Sojo - My Culinary Experiments.
She has lovely recipes and also specialities from Kerala to share with us in her blog. Do find some time to go through them.
Thank you Sojo for honouring me with lovely Blog award.
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
OT Tip - Website tips
Great Web sites for fun home educational games, learning, printables and craft activities that are free:
National Geographic Maps, tools for adventure
http://www.mywonderfulworld.org/toolsforadventure/games/index.html
Brain Games and Mind Puzzles
http://playwithyourmind.com/
Journey north, a global study of wildlife migration and seasonal changes:
~ A great oppertunity for the family to take notice of the changes around them and to participate in maping your sightings. Kids section with videos.
http://www.learner.org/jnorth/
Eye Can Learn: Eye exercises for better visual health
http://www.eyecanlearn.com/
Family fun Crafts, Activities, Recipes and other ideas for Kids, parents
http://familyfun.go.com/
Crafts for kids: http://www.enchantedlearning.com/crafts/
Kids Craft Zone: http://kidscraftzone.com/googlesearch.aspx?cx=partner-pub-9838575186329889%3Ay2qsm5-erao&cof=FORID%3A10&ie=ISO-8859-1&q=hats#1086
there's a benefit in insomnia, well, it depends.
see. i really can't sleep last night. and just now i woke up around 9am. i slept less than 4 hours. i made fried rice and finished at 4am. abah was surprised. eheh.
i had this kind of insomnia once in a while. it happened every year, every few months. it could be march-may, and sometimes sept-december. i am sleepy, yet exhausted, but i just can't close my eyes. now i do look like a panda with a hair like a lion. pftt.
yesterday i vacuumed faris's room. which is actually a small guest room. we have 2 guests room. and i guess i will change the bed sheet afterwards since he's coming back today. he has been to Taiwan & Hong Kong for the past 2weeks.
and perhaps i should take my bath by now, and re-arrange my closet as well. it was like a bunch or craps in a big solid box. i'll show the picture later on ;)
Stop Blaming The Government
... and look in the mirror.
Abercrombie and Fitch are now marketing push-up bras for 8 year olds, presumably because they believe that people will buy them. Charlie Sheen, star of the hit show Two and a Half Men wasn't criticized for living with strippers and porn stars and allowing his kids to be raised by them, he was criticized when his drug habits got in the way of his performing.
And the government is supposed to do what exactly to stop crime, child abuse, high school dropouts and all of our other social ills?
Abercrombie and Fitch are now marketing push-up bras for 8 year olds, presumably because they believe that people will buy them. Charlie Sheen, star of the hit show Two and a Half Men wasn't criticized for living with strippers and porn stars and allowing his kids to be raised by them, he was criticized when his drug habits got in the way of his performing.
And the government is supposed to do what exactly to stop crime, child abuse, high school dropouts and all of our other social ills?
bertuah anak abah. hehehehe...
hari tu, i ada dpt magazines dari PADINI. dia org punya yearly catalogue kot, eh, kejap magazine, kejap catalogue. okay, catalogue. sbb i join membership Padini nih. PADINI nih termasuklah Vincci, Vincci+, PDI, Padini, SEED, P&Co. lepas tu duk belek, belek, tiba-tibaaaa i tertarik dgn a few handbags & shoes. yup, more to accessories sbb i tak minat sgt baju die sbb dulu zaman naive, duk kalut beli baju, lepas tu ends up baju die same je cam kualiti baju i beli yg biasa-biasa. so, not worth it lah kan. okay, lepas tu i mark la a few pages which contains handbags & shoes yg i sukeee. and this is, one of it.this reddish orange handbags. maka bermulalah dialog i dgn abah. hehehehe...
i : abah, tahu tak ade 1 handbag tuh dah lameee org mark dlm majalah.
abah : bukan birthday last year dah beli handbag mahal tu ke? ape name? coach?
i : *terdiam jap* eh tapi, handbag ni pun lame da qila aim, siap mark dlm majalah lg tuh.
abah : warna ape lg tak de dalam koleksi?
i : ohhh aa. *pdhal coach tuh orange + pink* tah, warna die macam orange sikit. hari tu org cari dah dkt KLCC, ikano, sunway semua tak de. sekali hari tu org nmpk sekali je dkt the curve. semalam je org nmpk ade dkt JJ wngsa maju.
abah : ada discount tak?
i : huhu. tak de kot. new arrival! hehehehehehehe.
abah : yerlah, handbag je tau!
i : *sengih kalah kerang busuk tak tahu nak ckp camne*
it was love at first sight.
dan kebetulan mama pun tak de, semalam pergi PD sbb ada kursus utk cikgu-cikgu Akaun. makanya keluar lah kejap berdua dengan abah, pukul 9 lebih dah pun. nak tutup dah pun JJ. tapi sbb abah dah bg green light, fuhhhh, mmg... sape2 yg rapat dgn i mesti dpt bygkan muke & senyuman i. :D
tadi. abah call mama. abah tanye, "aqilah tak cerita ape2?" aduhhh. lepas tu ckp la dgn mama.
mama : amboi, tiba-tiba je shopping?
i : hehehehehe.. sikit je. 1 barang je. hehehehehe. handbag yg qla tunjuk dlm majalah tuh.
mama : ade sale ke?
i : hehe. 10% je. *jadiklahhhh kan* eh mama, ta pe la, nak jemur kain.
mmg tgh jemur kain. tp takut kene bebel jgk. haha. tp kan, mama tak de, mmg tak best lahhh. baru 2-3 hari. kalau nanti mama jadi kerja office balik, lagi la selalu kursus, gilevavi pnye boring. tskkk. oh nasib baiklah mama balik esok! yeayyyy.
pagi tadi, bgn nak pergi buat rawatan resdung, saloon tu tutup! pergi nak beli kuih, creampuff tak de! cari kasut warna pink, sekali warna merah da. sedih betul. rupanya dalam ribut taufan tu, tuhan nak kasi pelangi :D
thank you so much abah! i love you forevermore lah. hehe.
Wisdom Wednesday - Answered Prayer
About a month ago my husband informed me that he had put a job application in at one of the hospitals a little to the north of us. He is currently working at a hospital to the south of us, in a resource position as a Respiratory Therapist. He had a full time position there and then decided to start going back to school to get his bachelors and also volunteer with our churches disaster response program. With all of the flooding we have had here in Ohio, he has been pretty busy with that.
So I began praying about the application. A week or so later he received a call asking to come in for an interview. Two weeks ago or so he went in for the interview. It was a full time night shift position. The pay was only a couple cents less than what he was making full time before. This hospital is a much larger hospital than the one he is at currently, and is a trauma hospital at that. He has always wanted to work in trauma. Everything seemed perfect, except for one thing; he would have to work every other weekend, Friday, Saturday and Sunday night. He told the person hiring about our church beliefs. The person was very familiar with Adventists and said he could switch with people to take Saturday nights off if he wanted to.
David still did not feel comfortable, mostly because we are very active in our church and working every other weekend would hinder that. Later that week, the hospital called back to offer him the position. He took the weekend to think and pray about it, and then two weeks ago on Monday, he called back to tell them that he would have to decline the job.
I was a little upset about the whole situation. However, it was his decision to make and I supported him. I prayed on Tuesday that if God wanted David at this hospital that he would have them call him back that week with another option. After Tuesday, I honestly forgot about what I had prayed and had pretty well come to terms with the decision and that he would not be working there.
Thursday afternoon, right as we were getting ready to walk out the door, the phone rings. I could hear David talking to someone upstairs and it sounded like the hospital. He got off the phone and told me that it was the human resource person calling because the manager of the department had asked her to offer David and resource position instead of the full time position. When we read over the description of the job, it fit perfectly! David will still be able to work at both hospitals as well as continue his work with the disaster response group through our church.
I tell you all this to encourage you that God is still answering prayers!! Even when we don't expect it, He is willing to do mighty and wonderful things through prayer! Why don't you try praying to Him today!
This post is linked to: Women in the Word Wednesday,
Making Popcorn And Watching The Movie
Dig this.
You'd think this would be a matter for outrage, but why bother? The end of the class warfare mentality is near as our progressive friends are finding that all the marching, chanting and teach-ins can't clip a few zeroes off the debt levels their "compassionate" policies created. The cops and all the rest of the government workers and policy makers have been living in a cushy fantasyland for decades where their lives are easy and safe. Once they get slammed a few times with layoffs and pension cuts, let's see how many treats they hand out to the protected classes.
Every fine not collected, every benefit given out is a wad of cash taken from their pockets. The illegals are just another tribe of cannibals who will have to fight over a dwindling food supply.
Los Angeles Police Department officers manning sobriety checkpoints will no longer, as a matter of department policy, impound cars driven by unlicensed drivers. That is unless the unlicensed driver is a United States citizen or lawful resident, in which case he can say adios to his car for 30 days, as authorized by California law.The cops will impound the citizen's car, but not the illegal's. That's because the illegal is a member of the disadvantaged class and class warfare is what it's all about.
You'd think this would be a matter for outrage, but why bother? The end of the class warfare mentality is near as our progressive friends are finding that all the marching, chanting and teach-ins can't clip a few zeroes off the debt levels their "compassionate" policies created. The cops and all the rest of the government workers and policy makers have been living in a cushy fantasyland for decades where their lives are easy and safe. Once they get slammed a few times with layoffs and pension cuts, let's see how many treats they hand out to the protected classes.
Every fine not collected, every benefit given out is a wad of cash taken from their pockets. The illegals are just another tribe of cannibals who will have to fight over a dwindling food supply.
GUJRATI KADHI
Ingredients:
Sour curds ....... 1 - 1 & 1/2 cups.
Gram flour (besan)... 1 tbsp.
Water ............ 4 cups
Ginger ........... 1 tsp. (crushed)
Green chillies .... 1 tsp (crushed)
Fenugreek seeds .... 1 tsp.
Cumin seeds ........... 1 tsp.
Turmeric powder .... 1/4 tsp.
Jaggery ............... a small piece... or (1 tsp sugar)
Asafoetida ........... a pinch
Cloves .................. 2-3
Cinnamon stick ... a small piece.
Salt ..................... to taste
Curry leaves ........ 1 sprig
Coriander leaves ... handful.
Oil
Method:
1. Blend the curd with water and gram flour.
2. In a pan heat some oil and add the fenugreek and cumin seeds.When they crackle add the crushed ginger, curry leaves, green chillies, cloves, cinnamon and asafoetida.
3. Now pour the curd mixture into it and add salt, turmeric powder and jaggery.
4. Allow it to simmer for 15-20 minutes until the quantity is reduced to 3 cups.
5. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve with plain rice.
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Another Spun Sugar
Beberapa kali coba si spun sugar ini tapi masih aja belum menemukan hasil yang cocok seperti gambar di mbah google nah yang ini untuk yang sekian kali bikin dan hasilnya seperti ini. jadi pingin bikin lagi nih....
Project Organize - Seasoning Pantry
I also used another one of the white containers to put all of our teas and drink mixes in. I also purchased a 24 piece food storage system and got rid of all the plastic rubbermaid containers. Looking forward to using them!
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Things That Make Me Smile
Continuing my Lenten vow to bring a bit more joy into life...
The Monkees make me smile. Here's one of my favorite scenes from The Spy Who Came In From The Cool.
The Monkees make me smile. Here's one of my favorite scenes from The Spy Who Came In From The Cool.
Afterwards, The Party Can Start Again, Right?
Greece and Portugal are at it again.
All those protests against austerity bought nothing at all. Mathematics will always win in the end. Spending your morning lying in bed with an ice pack on your head and drinking Alka Seltzer is all well and good, but it doesn't mean you can pop open the Ron Rico rum in the afternoon.
March 29 (Bloomberg) -- Portugal and Greece were downgraded by Standard & Poor’s, which said the European Union’s new bailout rules may mean that both nations eventually renege on their debt obligations.Bankruptcy is what happens when you can't pay your creditors and people use words like "renege on their debt obligations." Insolvency is when you're spending more than you make. From the looks of things, Portugal is both bankrupt and insolvent. Writing off debts solves the bankruptcy problem, but they're still going to need to slash social services spending to deal with the insolvency issue.
S&P cut Portugal for the second time in a week to the lowest investment-grade rating of BBB-, three steps below Ireland. Greece’s rating fell two grades to BB-, three levels below investment grade.
All those protests against austerity bought nothing at all. Mathematics will always win in the end. Spending your morning lying in bed with an ice pack on your head and drinking Alka Seltzer is all well and good, but it doesn't mean you can pop open the Ron Rico rum in the afternoon.
Three Cup Chicken 三杯鸡
In Singaporean food, there are a lot of spices involved, but not really herbs. Curry leaves, pandan leaves, banana leaves are used to impart fragrance, but they aren't really herbs are they? In Chinese food, especially, you don't really need anything besides coriander and spring onions. That said, they're used a lot, and go into everything from soups to stir-fries.
But once in a while, you do get the odd herb that's not one of the aforementioned two. Introducing... the Thai Basil!
It has a slight purple-ish tinge to its much tougher stalks.
It's kind of different from the sweet basil that's more commonly used here, because it has a strong anise-like scents that adds a very different dimension to dishes, and also, it holds us a lot better in cooked dishes, unlike sweet basil, which is best eaten raw I feel.
Thai Basil is an important part of Thai dishes (duh) but also in this less known Chinese chicken stirfry reminiscent of the more famous Kung Pow Chicken, called Three Cup Chicken. Three Cup because the original recipe called for 1 cup of each of these 3 Chinese pantry essentials: sesame oil, Chinese rice wine, and soy sauce.
But I guess it's a really small cup, (haha see Chinese tea cups) because you definitely do not need a cup of each. Or maybe because Half Cup Chicken just doesn't have the same ring to it. Nonetheless, what's more important is that you need to keep them in the same ratios, how easy is that to remember!
Three Cup Chicken 三杯鸡
serves 2
2 chicken legs (about 500g), deboned and chopped into small pieces
(it's important to keep them in small pieces, so they all get coated in the sauce, because they aren't marinated in seasonings like other chicken dishes e.g. sesame oil chicken 麻油鸡, and will turn out bland otherwise.)
6 cloves garlic, peeled but left whole
6 thin slices of ginger
2 tbsp sesame oil (traditionally black sesame oil, which has an even stronger aroma)
2 tbsp Chinese rice wine (Shaoxing Hua Diao Jiu, do not replace with cheap cooking wine!)
2 tbsp soy sauce (naturally fermented and aged)
2 tbsp blackstrap molasses (or you can use brown/rock sugar, but I like using molasses when I cook with soy sauce)
handful of Thai basil leaves
3-4 dried red chillies
For velveting the chicken (optional)
1 egg white, beaten but not frothy
1 tbsp cornstarch
1 tbsp Chinese rice wine
Method
1. (optional) 20 min before you are ready to cook, marinate the chicken in the velveting mixture. 20 min later, parboil the chicken in simmering water till they turn white on the surface, but are not yet cooked. Drain and set aside.
(I'm in the midst of my Chinese stir-fry secrets experiments. You can try the baking soda /poaching in oil methods too and let me know! )
2. Heat work/pan on high heat and add the sesame oil.
3. Add the garlic and ginger and stir-fry for 2 minutes till fragrant.
yes they are left whole! If you haven't yet realised, this dish is not shy on flavour!
4. Add the dried chillies and chicken pieces and stir-fry for another few minutes.
Keep stirring or you'll burn your food! This whole dish is cooked on high heat, so the meat is nicely seared and caramelised!
5. Add the other sauce ingredients, and let it simmer, covered for another 4-5 min, till there's sticky and no longer wet.
6. Add the Thai basil leaves and then immediately remove from the heat. They will wilt in the residual heat.
This dish is traditionally cooked in a claypot, so you just serve it in the claypot. I don't have one the right size, so oh well, dish out and garnish with an extra sprig of fresh Thai basil and serve with rice.
This is great humble food, simple yet bursting with flavour. The sweet salty caramelised chicken has a sticky coating of sauce (it's a dry dish, you aren't supposed to be left with a pool of gravy), amped up with the kick from the ginger and whole garlic cloves and chillies, and perfumed with that anise scent from the Thai Basil, and one of my favourite smells in the world--sesame oil! If you can;t find Thai Basil, I guess you can use normal sweet basil, it will still be good, but it will not be Three Cup Chicken.
This is part of Tuesday Supper Club, Hearth and Soul Blog Hop, Pennywise Platter Thursday, Full Plate Thursday and Muhibbah Monday.
Monday, March 28, 2011
Recipe of the Week Blog Hop - Black Bean Gluten Steaks
This week I am sharing a recipe that I tried last week in my menu planning. I would change a couple things next time I try them, but overall they were good!
Black Bean Gluten Steaks
Recipe Source: Cooking Entrees with the Micheff Sisters - A Vegan Vegetarian Cookbook
2 cups cooked black beans
1 medium onion, chopped
1/2 cup quick oats
1/2 cup nutritional yeast flakes
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. onion powder
1 tsp. McKay's Vegan Beef Style Seasoning
1 tsp. salt
1 1/2 cups cold water
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup whole-wheat flour
2 cups gluten flour
Optional Broth:
1 1/2 cups diced tomatoes
1 medium onion, diced
3/4 cup Bragg Liquid Aminos or soy sauce
2 tablespoons McKay's Vegan Beef Style Seasoning
12 cups water
Directions:
Place the black beans, chopped onions, oats, nutritional yeast flakes, seasonings, cold water, and olive oil in a blender. Blend until smooth. Pour into a large bowl or heavy duty mixer. Add the whole-wheat flour and gluten flour. Knead by hand or in the mixer until soft and smooth in texture. Form mixture into a long roll about 2 1/2 inches in diameter. Slice into 1/2 inch thick pieces. Pat gluten pieces into circles and drop into a large kettle or crock pot with boiling broth. Boil gently for 30 to 35 minutes. Reduce heat and continue cooking for 45 to 50 minutes. Let cool. Place in containers with a little of the broth and store in the refrigerator or freezer until ready to use.
Place the black beans, chopped onion, oats, nutritional yeast flakes, seasonings, cold water, and olive oil in a blender. Blend until smooth.
The picture on the left is what the nutritional yeast flakes look like. I can usually find them at a health food store or world market.
Here is the gluten flour all ready to go.
Add whole wheat flour and gluten flour to the black bean mixture in a bowl. Kneed by hand or in a mixer until soft and smooth.
Form mixture into a long roll about 2 1/2 inches in diameter. Slice into 1/2 inch thick pieces.
The recipe says you can boil them in a broth, which I did not do. I decided to brown them on the stove and then bake them. I rolled them in some plain bread crumbs before placing them in the frying pan.
By this time, the dogs decided that the kitchen smelled pretty good and wanted to get into the action. Cooking in a small kitchen with two large dogs in the middle of the room can make things a lot more interesting, haha. This is Caspian (my blog mascot) and Cody. Our 3rd dog, Denali was being good in the living room.
Here is the finished product. I baked them at 350 for about 30 minutes. They were a little tough, so next time I would probably bake at 325 for around 15 to 20 minutes. I made some gravy and served them with lima beans.
It's time to do some recipe blog hopping! Please link up your recipes below! The linky will be open until Friday night. Be sure to grab the button and add it to your recipe. Please only link up posts that are recipes.
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