Taiwanese Popcorn Chicken

Posted on March 27, 2019 by Chatty Kathy

I can’t tell you how light and fluffy this popcorn chicken coating is. It comes down to the potato starch I think. All the aromatics seep into the chicken with this marinade and every bite is a burst of flavour. You might think I made a quick trip to Taiwan for this recipe ….. but you’d be wrong. We tasted this first in Huatulco, Mexico and dreamt of it until I figured out how to make it.

Mercader Restaurant in Santa Cruz Huatulco, is where we first tasted this incredible bite of chicken. The owner/operators have travelled extensively and bring flavours from all over the world to play with Mexican ingredients.

Chicken
1 1/2 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs

Marinade
1 medium head of garlic
1/2-inch ginger
3 green onions, white and 1-inch of the green part, minced
2 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon mirin
1 teaspoon sweet potato starch
1/2 teaspoon Chinese 5-spice
1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Coating
1 egg
1/2 cup cold water
2-3 cups sweet potato starch

Oil for frying.

Directions
Cut the chicken into 1-inch chunks and place in large bowl. Make the marinade by mincing or forcing the garlic through a press into a small bowl. Add the minced green onions, soy sauce, Mirin, 5-spice, white pepper, sweet potato starch and cayenne pepper, stir to form a paste and then scrape into the bowl with the chicken. Mix to coat all the chicken and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or overnight.

Mix all the marinade ingredients together, and stir together in a bowl large enough to hold the chicken as well.

Stir the chicken pieces into the marinade, and cover. Place in the fridge for at least 30 minutes and up to overnight.

Once the chicken is done marinating, place the eggs in medium sized bowl with the 1/2 cup of water. Beat together with a fork. Place the sweet potato starch in another medium sized bowl.

I had an egg white in the fridge today. so used just that instead of a whole egg.

Heat the frying oil in a sauté pan or wok until it reaches 350˚F. Using chopsticks or tongs, dip the chicken first in the watery egg mixture then in the starch and fry the chicken pieces without crowding them too much for 3-4 minutes or until golden brown. Try not to overcrowd the pan, I usually fry about 6-8 pieces at a time in the wok and 8 – 10 pieces in my 10” sauté pan.

Don’t overcrowd the oil or the temperature will drop.

Season with the salt and white pepper as soon as it comes out of the fryer.

Make a dipping sauce to take this over the top. Combine sweet soy sauce, spicy oil, a bit of sesame oil, sliced garlic and green onions.

Addictive.

I found this recipe on a great website, “Eat the love”, and it’s perfect. My only addition is the dipping sauce. I’m hope that I can also find the sweet potato starch he uses, but so far I’ve only been able to find regular potato starch.

Thai Salmon

Posted on March 2, 2019 by Chatty Kathy

It doesn’t happen often, but every so often Grant isn’t home for dinner …. and he doesn’t like salmon, so that is the first thing I think of making. Loved this spicy, tasty salmon with a bit of sauce to drizzle over rice or vegetables.

Not only was this tasty, spicy, and packed with flavour, it was super easy and didn’t require any cleanup! How fantastic is that?

1/2 cup sweet chili sauce
2 tablespoons reduced sodium soy sauce
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon fish sauce
1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
Juice of 1 lime
1 teaspoon Sriracha, optional
2 pounds salmon
1/4 cup peanuts, chopped
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves
2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds

DIRECTIONS:

- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with foil.
- To make the sauce, whisk together chili sauce, soy sauce, garlic, fish sauce, ginger, lime juice and Sriracha in a small bowl; set aside.
- Place salmon onto prepared baking sheet and fold up all 4 sides of the foil. Spoon the chili sauce mixture over the salmon. Fold the sides of the foil over the salmon, covering completely and sealing the packet closed.

Just a few items needed, wrap this little salmon up in flavour and bake!

Preheat your oven to 375 and prep the salmon.

Drizzle with the seasoning, wrap and bake. (I lined my foil with parchment)

Pull it out of the oven and sprinkle with cilantro, green onions, peanuts and sesame seeds. Enjoy!

Thai curry with duck breast

Posted on February 12, 2019 by Chatty Kathy

Flavourful Thai curry with plenty of vegetables and just a few slices of duck breast – serve with a handful of noodles.

We just got home from three weeks in Mexico, and that always makes me turn to Asian dishes in the kitchen. Well, that and the old comfort foods like roasted chicken and mashed potatoes, which are always a family favourite.

Thai curries come together very quickly, and are very easy if you take a few moments to get everything ready first. This is one of those recipes that works more like a guideline – we made this for dinner for two, but double it up for a group.

Cook noodles according to the package directions and set aside.

Duck breast is really easy to cook, and not something to be intimidated by. I don’t know why I didn’t take a moment for a photo doing this …. maybe next time. Score the fat on top of the desk breast lightly, not through to the meat. Set in a cast iron skillet (or non stick if you don’t have cast iron) and gently heat on med/low so the duck fat can release and the top gets nice and crispy. Every stove top is different, so just watch yours. When it has reached that golden layer of crispy goodness, flip it over and cook until preferred doneness. 170 degrees is the golden rule, but if you prefer medium rare, go a little less. Whatever temperature you desire, make sure to remove it from the heat and allow it to sit and rest – distributing the juices evenly.

While the duck is cooking – slice and set aside the vegetables you have chosen. The only thing that is important is that you separate the vegetables based on how long they take to cook.

Heat a saucepan, add some peanut oil (or any neutral oil with a high smoke point).

Saute one onion until soft, then add:

2 tbsp Red or Penang curry sauce
1 tbsp minced ginger
2 garlic cloves
1 tsp thinly sliced Thai red chili pepper
1 tsp galangal (minced if you can get it fresh, powder if not)
1 tbsp lemongrass (minced if you can get it. fresh, powder if not)

Stir until the curry is fragrant – just for a minute or two. Add 1 can of coconut milk and 1 cup of stock (chicken or vegetable). Add the vegetables, and as soon as they are lightly cooked, but still crisp remove the curry from the heat and stir in the holy trinity of Thai curries ….

1 tbsp lime juice
1 tbsp raw sugar
1 tbsp fish sauce

Without the duck breast you’ve got a perfect vegetarian dinner.

Honey Garlic Chicken

Posted on November 14, 2018 by Chatty Kathy

I saw this recipe on “RecipeTin” and knew right away I would have to make it. As promised, it is quick and easy, although definitely not as quick as listed. I never find 15 minute recipes to actually take me that long ….. not sure if it is my common home stove (not gas) or my slow moving self … but nevertheless this was quick enough and the house smelled amazing! Moist inside, sticky outside and with the best drizzle you can imagine.

I made this tonight without a trip to the store. Everything is something you probably have on hand. If we weren’t trying to clean out our fridge before a holiday I would have had some cilantro, or green onions, or parsley to sprinkle on top and that would have looked so pretty!

1 lb chicken breast or thighs, boneless and skinless
Salt and pepper
1/4 cup flour
3 1/2 tbsp unsalted butter (or 2 1/2 tbsp olive oil)
2 garlic cloves , minced
1 1/2 tbsp apple cider vinegar (or white or other clear vinegar)
1 tbsp light soy sauce
1/3 cup honey (or maple syrup)

Instructions

Cut the breasts in half horizontally to create 4 steaks in total. If using chicken thighs, you don’t need to do anything to them! Sprinkle each side with salt and pepper.
Place flour in a shallow dish. Coat chicken in flour and shake off excess.
Melt most of the butter in a large skillet over high heat – hold back about 1 tsp for later.
Place chicken in skillet and cook for 2 – 3 minutes until golden.
Turn and cook the other side for 1 minute.
Turn heat down slightly to medium high.
Make a bit of room in the pan and add garlic and top with remaining dab of butter. Stir garlic briefly once butter melts.
Add vinegar, soy sauce and honey. Stir / shake pan to combine. Bring sauce to simmer, then simmer for 1 minute or until slightly thickened.
Turn chicken to coat in sauce. If the sauce gets too thick, add a touch of water and stir.
Remove from stove immediately. Place chicken on plates and drizzle over remaining sauce.

Don’t overcrowd your chicken in the pan or it will just steam instead of developing a lovely crust.

Turn once the first side has this lovely crispy, crackly golden crust. Yes, you sure could do this without the flour to make it gluten free and it would taste delicious, just without that “crust”.

When you pour in that mixture of vinegar, soy and honey be ready for this rich, dark sauce to immediately start bubbling and smell tantalizing! Allow it to thicken slightly, spooning sauce over just until chicken is cooked through.

Laksa

Posted on November 8, 2018 by Chatty Kathy

Ready to be garnished with a squeeze of fresh lime juice, bean sprouts, maybe some cilantro sprigs and a few fresh sliced hot peppers – then drizzle more sauce over top and enjoy!

Laksa …. or Thai curry noodle soup …. whatever you call this, you are going to L O V E the exquisitely well balanced flavours in this noodle bowl. This dish is so versatile and can be a completely vegetarian or even vegan dinner with a few tweaks.

1 tbsp vegetable oil
10 prawns/shrimp , peeled and deveined
or
1 chicken breast, finely sliced
2 garlic cloves , finely grated
2 tsp ginger , finely grated
1 stalk lemongrass , peeled, finely grated
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 1/2 tbsp fish sauce
1 tbsp Penang curry paste
1 tsp coriander powder
2 tsp chilli garlic paste or other chilli paste , adjust to taste
about 4-5 cups of fresh vegetables – sliced and ready to be added to the broth
400 g/14oz coconut milk
2 cups /500ml chicken broth (or vegetable)
3 kaffir lime leaves
2 slices fresh galangal
2 tsp lime zest (1 lime)
200 g / 7 oz fresh egg noodles, prepared per packet (although really you can use any noodle)
Big handful bean sprouts

Have everything ready to go before you start cooking, and it will all come together quickly.

Toppings / for serving:

Lime wedges
Fresh coriander/cilantro leaves
Sliced red onion or scallions

Did you even know lemongrass could be grated? So easy and quick!

Instructions

Heat oil in a large saucepan over high heat. Add prawns or chicken and sear both sides until light golden (doesn’t need to cook inside). Remove onto plate.

Turn heat down to medium. If pot is looking dry, add a touch of extra oil.

Add garlic, ginger and lemongrass. Saute for 20 seconds until garlic is golden.

Add sugar and fish sauce. Stir and cook for 30 seconds – it should look like caramel.

Add chilli paste, coriander and curry powder. Stir and cook for 30 seconds.

Add chicken broth and coconut milk. Stir and bring to simmer, add lime leaves and galangal.

Simmer for 2 minutes, then add lime zest and return prawns and chicken into broth, heat just until cooked through.

Tonight’s bowl of laksa included mushrooms, snap peas, sweet peppers, zucchini & cauliflower.

Serving:

Place noodles in bowl. Ladle over soup.
Top with bean sprouts and coriander, plus toppings of choice (chilli, red onion, Asian fried shallots).
Squeeze over lime juice to taste.

This recipe came from a great food blog – RecipeTin Eats – pop on over to her blog for some more great recipes.

Scallion Pancakes

Posted on November 8, 2018 by Chatty Kathy

Crispy, flaky and little crunches of salt – perfection.

We fell in love with Scallion Pancakes at Mad Mango Cafe in Kelowna, served with an amazing laksa. That’s a little bite of heaven. Ever since, I’ve looked up a few recipes, and never quite had the courage to try making them. Tonight’s menu included a chicken laksa, and just on a whim, decided to give these scallion pancakes a go. I found this recipe on the “Serious Eats” website, and I didn’t change a thing. They were far quicker and easier to make than I thought, and FAR exceeded our expectations. If you have fun playing with dough, make sure to give this a try.

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for dusting work surface
1 tsp kosher salt
1 cup boiling water
Up to 1/4 cup toasted sesame seed oil
2 cups thinly sliced scallion greens
flaky sea salt

Oil for frying

Salt for garnish

Directions

Place flour & salt in bowl of food processor. With processor running, slowly drizzle in about 3/4 cup of boiling water. Process for 15 seconds. If dough does not come together and ride around the blade, drizzle in more water a tablespoon at a time until it just comes together. Transfer to a floured work surface and knead a few times to form a smooth ball. Transfer to a bowl, cover with a damp towel or plastic wrap, and allow to rest for 30 minutes at room temperature, or up to overnight in the fridge. (If you don’t have a food processor, just mix the dough together by hand and knead until smooth and soft)

Divide dough into four even pieces and roll each into a smooth ball. Working one ball at a time, roll out into a disk roughly 8-inches in diameter on a lightly floured surface.

Okay, so my dough ball isn’t exactly a perfect circle, but that’s okay, it will get there.

Using a pastry brush, paint a very thin layer of sesame oil over the top of the disk. Roll disk up like a jelly roll, then twist roll into a tight spiral, tucking the end underneath. Flatten gently with your hand, then re-roll into an 8-inch disk.

See? What did I tell you, looks like a circle now! Gently flatten with your hand, then start to roll.

Paint with another layer or sesame oil, sprinkle with 1/2 cup scallions, a sprinkle of flaky sea salt, and roll up like a jelly roll again. Twist into a spiral, flatten gently, and re-roll into a 7-inch disk. Repeat steps two and three with remaining pancakes.

Make sure to brush on just a very delicate layer of sesame oil – if you get too much on there the oil will start to pop out when you roll the dough.

Heat oil in an 8-inch nonstick or cast-iron over medium-high heat until shimmering and carefully slip pancake into the hot oil. Cook, shaking the pan gently until first side is an even golden brown, about 2 minutes.

Just look at that flaky crust!

As soon as you remove the pancake from the oil, immediately sprinkle with a little sea salt.

Carefully flip with a spatula or tongs (be careful not to splash the oil), and continue to cook, shaking pan gently, until second side is even golden brown, about 2 minutes longer. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate to drain. Season with salt, cut into 6 wedges. Serve immediately with sauce for dipping. Repeat with remaining 3 pancakes.

Dipping Sauce

2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons Chinkiang or rice wine vinegar
1 tablespoon finely sliced scallion greens
1/2 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
2 teaspoons sugar

Combine all ingredients, and set aside at room temperature.

Massaman Curry

Posted on October 23, 2018 by Chatty Kathy

I’ve had a bit of a love for Penang curry lately, but tonight Massaman won the battle. In no way is this totally authentic, since I wasn’t planning to put either carrots or potatoes in and those are both always found in Massaman curry. Served with Sticky Thai chicken wings and jasmine rice this made a fantastic dinner, quick and easy but oh so tasty.

Tonight this was a vegetarian dish with cauliflower, broccoli and bok choy but you could easily add a protein if you like. In Thai lessons we learned to add thinly sliced meat and then NOT stir it until it is cooked through.

Thai chicken curries are so simple to make, and come together very quickly.

Get everything ready first and when its time to cook it will happen before you know it!

1/2 cup onion, roughly chopped (in Thailand, every cooking class I took had us cutting 1/2 an onion into 6 pieces)
1 large garlic clove, sliced
1 tbsp each minced ginger and lemongrass
2 tbsp Massaman curry paste
1 can coconut milk (don’t use the lite version)
3-4 cups assorted vegetables, in bite size pieces

Mix together and set aside: 2 tbsp each fresh lime juice, fish sauce and brown sugar

Heat peanut oil in saucepan until shimmering and add onion pieces, stir until slightly softened and add garlic, ginger, lemongrass and curry paste. Saute to bring out the flavours in the curry and aromatics. Add coconut milk and stir well. Add vegetables and cook just until crisp tender. Stir in the lime juice, fish sauce and brown sugar.

Thai food should have a great balance of sweet, spicy, salty & tangy. If this doesn’t yet, keep making adjustments until it does!

Sticky Thai Chicken Wings

Posted on October 23, 2018 by Chatty Kathy

Not my first Thai chicken recipe, and I’m sure it won’t be the last, but loved the tart, slightly sweet and hint of spice these wings provided. Get out the napkins!

3 pounds chicken wings, drums and tips separated

1/2 tbsp sea salt flakes

MARINADE

3/4 cup Thai sweet chili sauce
3 tbsp brown sugar
1/4 cup soy sauce
4 tbsp rice wine vinegar
3 tbsp fish sauce
2 tbsp lime juice
1 tbsp minced or grated garlic
1 tbsp minced or grated ginger
1 tbsp minced lemongrass
1 tbsp sesame oil

GARNISH

fresh cilantro, roughly chopped
sesame seeds
green onions, sliced

Mix all marinade ingredients together and pour half over chicken wings. Allow to marinate for 30 minutes, up to overnight. Put the rest of the marinade in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce by about half and set aside.

Preheat oven to 400

Lightly grease, or line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Put wings on baking sheet in a single layer.

Roast for 20 minutes, then remove and toss in a bit of reduced marinade. Sprinkle sesame seeds & sea salt over and roast for a further 20 minutes until shiny and crispy.

Garnish with cilantro, green onion and more sesame seeds.

Tonkatsu Sauce

Posted on October 15, 2018 by Chatty Kathy

Who knew tonkatsu sauce was so easy to make? We were lucky enough to get some Japanese chow mein from the Japanese bazaar, and it seemed a perfect time to cook up a pork cutlet with tonkatsu sauce.

Japanese chow mein is such a treat, I love the way it tastes crunchy with the lightest of seasonings. It goes so well with many dishes. Tonight we served it alongside the pork cutlet with tonkatsu and bok choy with peppers and lemon tahini sauce.

1 tbsp ketchup
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
2 tsp oyster sauce
1/2 tsp hot chili oil

Whisk together and adjust to your liking. Traditionalists will use 1 tsp sugar instead of the chili oil but we really like the additional bite of heat.

Thai Grilled Chicken

Posted on August 22, 2018 by Chatty Kathy

Thai grilled chicken should be moist, flavourful, and make you want more …. this is it.

This chicken. So moist and delicious. The dipping sauce takes it over the top!

2 lb / 1 kg chicken thigh fillets (skinless, boneless)

Use whatever chicken you have, or prefer, this amount of marinade worked with 2 boneless chicken breasts, cut into pieces and pounded equal thickness. I reserved some of the marinade and kept it to serve as a dipping sauce, it was incredible.

Marinade

1 large lemongrass stalk , white part only very finely chopped (about 2 tbsp) If you live in an area like we do, fresh lemongrass is not always easy to come by, and in that case, I use 1 tbsp lemongrass powder)
1 tbsp garlic , minced
2 tbsp lime juice
1 tsp chili flakes
3 tbsp fish sauce
1 tsp sesame oil
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
3 tbsp brown sugar or palm sugar
1/2 cup coconut milk

Mix all marinade ingredients together, reserve 1/2 of it, and and add chicken to the rest. Marinade overnight, or for at least an hour …. (I had an hour and it turned out really well!)

Serve the chicken with the reserved marinade.

put all the marinade ingredients into the bowl of a food processor, and give it a good whiz ….

Grill chicken until just cooked through, and serve with dipping sauce.

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