Spicy Wok-Fried Chicken with Chilis (Chongqing Chicken)

I had been meaning to update this recipe for a while. Whenever I teach Intro to Sichuan cooking classes, we focus on simple and easy-to-love stir-fry dishes such as Kung Pao Chicken, Mapo Tofu, and Dan Dan Noodles. But anyone who has spent enough time in good Sichuan restaurants is bound to eventually try a dish listed as Chongqing chicken, Sichuan chicken with chilis, wok-fried chicken, or a number of similar names. (Lazi jiding is the name in Mandarin.) And inevitably in every class, when I go around the room during the intro ice-breaker and have students list their favorite Sichuan dish of all time, at least one or two will mention this dish.

When a student in a private class I recently taught requested we work on this dish, it reminded me of how long it has been since I made it at home. And so I decided to update this, making it extra crunchy with the method I developed for dishes like General Tso's Chicken and Chinese Lemon Chicken in my cookbook.

Lazi jiding (????) is like a more sophisticated version of kung pao chicken. It's smokier, spicier (a lot spicier if you chop up the chilis), and only a bit more complex in its preparation. (The way I make it is more like shallow-frying. I use about 3 cups of oil, and dredge the chicken in a cornstarch-salt-pepper mixture beforehand.) Few fried chicken entrees are enveloped by such a succulent tongue-tingling sauce.

Give this one a try, especially if you've already tried your hand at some of the more basic Sichuan dishes and want to up the ante!

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Serves 4

1 pound chicken breast, cut into 1-inch cubes1 1/2 cups cornstarch2 teaspoons salt1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper3 cups peanut or vegetable oil, plus 1 tablespoon for stir-frying8 to 10 dried red chilis1 teaspoon Sichuan peppercorn3 garlic cloves, minced1 leek, white part only, thinly sliced1 small piece ginger, minced

Marinade:

2 tablespoons soy sauce2 tablespoons Chinese rice wine or dry sherry2 egg whites

Sauce:

2 tablespoons chili garlic sauce1 tablespoon soy sauce1 tablespoon chicken stock or water1 teaspoon cornstarchPrepare the marinade: In a large bowl, combine the soy sauce, rice wine, and egg whites. Coat the chicken with the marinade mixture and let sit for 10 minutes. Mix together the ingredients for the sauce: chili garlic sauce, soy sauce, chicken stock or water, and cornstarch. Set aside.In a large bowl or plate, mix together the cornstarch, salt, and pepper. Dredge the chicken in cornstarch mixture and shake off the excess cornstarch. Heat the 3 cups of peanut or vegetable oil in your wok until it registers 350°F on an instant-read oil thermometer. Working in 2 or 3 batches, add the first batch of chicken cubes and fry until golden brown on the outside and cooked through, about 4 to 5 minutes. Remove the chicken with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Repeat with the rest of the chicken.Drain the oil into a heatproof container and save for discarding. Wipe the wok with a paper towel to remove any brown bits, but don’t wash.Reheat the wok or skillet over medium-high heat. Add another 1 tablespoon of oil and swirl to coat the base and sides. Add the dried chilis to the wok and and stir-fry until just they start to blister, about 30 to 60 seconds. Add the leeks, garlic, and ginger and stir-fry for 2 minutes. Stir in sauce mixture and simmer until slightly thickened, about 1 minute. Add the fried chicken, toss to combine, and remove from heat. Serve immediately.

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Thai Minced Chicken Salad

This Northeast Minced Chicken Salad recipe is another recipe that I wanted to showcase from the Simple Thai Food cookbook by Leela at She Simmers. As I mentioned, I reached out to them and I will be republishing 3 recipes from the cookbook, with permission. The last recipe of Miang Kham is such a hit on Rasa Malaysia as well as my social media channels, so I have no doubt that this Thai Minced Chicken Salad from the northeast region of Thailand will win you over.

Isaan, or the Northeast part of Thailand is a vast land that is land-locked, and bordered by Cambodia and Laos. Due to the proximity to Laos, the cuisine for this part of Thailand is very different from what we know about Thai cuisine. Dishes such as lap (larb), a ground meat salad is very popular. This minced chicken salad is one of the variations of the popular pork larb.

Anyway, I think this dish is extremely flavorful and refreshing, with really complex and exotic flavors. Since it’s made with chicken, everyone can eat it. This minced chicken salad makes a great springtime salad, and I am sure you will find it delightful. If you like what you see from the Simple Thai Food cookbook, you can pre-order now at Amazon.

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A matter of (chicken) perspective, plus my method for roasting a chicken

I have been pretty open about my health problems for the past couple of years on this site. One side effect of that has been that our household finances have gotten a bit worse, since I haven’t been able to work at full capacity…or even at half-capacity in some stretches. Medical costs in France are mercifully low, so we haven’t had a massive outlay in that area as we might have had if we lived somewhere else. But still, we have felt a slight pinch. We’ve stopped eating out mostly, or going off on mini-trips and the like. And we pay much more attention to the food budget too.

What that means also is that we’re eating a bit less Japanese food. Getting the proper ingredients here in semi-rural France is not so easy; the nearest Japanese grocery store is in Lyon, about 2 1/2 hours away by car…and it’s really tiny. The nearest fully stocked Japanese grocery store from here is actually across the border in Geneva, about a 3 1/2 hour drive! I do get dry goods and things by mailorder (mostly from the ever trusty Japan Centre) but fresh or perishable ingredients can’t be procured that way.

My sister Mayumi, who lives in Tokyo, recently posted this picture of bean sprouts on her Facebook:

Bean sprouts are one of the go-to ingredients in Japan when your purse feels light. A big bag of bean sprouts costs 20 to 30 yen or so (or in US terms, around 20 to 30 cents). Another cheap ingredient is tofu. You can get tofu on sale for as low as 50 yen; even top quality tofu costs 300-500 yen for a big block. Around these parts, very mediocre tofu costs more than the really high quality tofu in Japan.

When we’re feeling a bit low on funds, one our go-to recipes uses one of these:

Whole chickens are amazingly cheap here. A factory grown one is as low as 3 euros or so for a 1 kilo plus bird. Even ones that are free-range and happily raised, with the exception of something extra-special like a poulet de Bresse, is only about 6 euros, 8 euros tops, for a 1 kilo-plus bird. But in Japan, a whole chicken is considered to be luxurious feast food, only served at Christmas dinner and such, and is expensive.

As a matter of fact, bone-in chicken meat is more expensive in Japan than boned chicken - and harder to get too. Whole bone-in chicken legs are rarely used unless it’s for a ‘fancy’ meal. And you can buy chicken carcasses cheaply to make soup with. Just about all ‘chicken soup’ recipes in Japan are actually chicken bone (torigara) soup. One of the first things I had to teach myself to do when I moved to Switzerland many years ago is to break down and bone a whole chicken. Boneless chicken thighs for instance are unheard of in Switzerland or in France, so that’s the first step when I’m making chicken karaage (or the variation) for instance.

Another difference is the perspective of, and price difference between, white and dark meat. In France, or the U.S., or Switzerland, white meat is always more expensive than dark. I think this is because white meat is perceived as being healthier because it’s lower in fat than dark meat. It could also be that white meat was and is considered more refined or something like that. But in Japan it’s the opposite: white meat is the cheap chicken meat, and the dark thigh meat is more expensive and desirable.

Many of the “budget” recipes on Cookpad rely on the big three ‘cheap ingredients: bean sprouts, tofu, and white chicken breast meat. I guess this is one of those things that do not translate from country to country. For me a dish with those ingredients is a luxury, while for my sister Mayumi a whole roast chicken is a luxury.

This is barely a recipe, but I thought I would put it here anyway. ^_^ I like my roast chicken very simple, so the only ingredients you will need are salt, pepper and a chicken. I always get a chicken that is around 1 kilo (2 1/4 lb or so), or 1.2 kilo tops. This is more than enough for 2 people, with leftovers for stir fry or chicken rice or something the next day. Sometimes we save the bones for a soup too. I don’t iike cooking bigger birds, so if I need to serve more people I just roast more small chickens.

Preheat the oven to 200 °C (about 400 °F). Line an oven tray with parchment paper (optional; this just makes cleanup a bit easier.)

If your chicken comes with its legs tied together with elastic or something, cut this off. I don’t truss the chicken or anything; I just leave it with its legs wide open. It cooks more evenly this way, even if it looks a bit…easy? ^_^;

If there area any bits of feathers and things on the bird, take them out with fish bone tweezers.

Rinse the bird inside and out, and pat dry. Salt and pepper the bird generously inside and out. Sometimes I put half a lemon inside the cavity, plus a few sprigs of rosemary or thyme or something, but usually I don’t bother.

Put the bird on the lined oven tray breast side down. This is very important: don’t put it in the “right” way up, with the breast facing upwards. By roasting the bird with the breast facing down, the fat from the back of the bird will baste the drier breast meat.

With a 1 kilo (2.2lb) bird, roast it on its breast for 40 to 45 minutes. Turn the bird over, and roast it the “right” way up for another 40 minutes. There’s no need to baste the bird or anything - it bastes itself.

If you really want the breast meat to be juicy, and you don’t mind the calorie boost, slice up some butter and insert it between the breast meat and skin. But with the upside-down method you shouldn’t need to do this.

Save the carcass of the bird and any leftover bits of meat (or reserve them). Chop up an onion and a celery stalk and sauté them in a bit of the chicken fat, or in vegetable oil. Add the carcass and enough water to cover. Bring to a boil, turn the heat down and simmer for about 20 minutes. Optionally add a bay leaf and a sprig of thyme when you simmer. Skim off any scum.

Strain the soup though a strainer or a colander. Add more cut up vegetables if you like. When the vegetables are tender, add some chopped up chicken, and small pasta (I usually use thin, short pasta called vermicelles, which looks like cut up vermicelli). Season with salt and pepper. Optionally sprinkle with chopped parsley when serving.

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Indonesian Chicken Curry Recipe (Gulai Ayam)

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May 01, 2014Indonesian Chicken Curry Recipe (Gulai Ayam)

I have a tendency of preparing a chicken supper on Sundays. Sometimes it’s a roast chicken but last weekend, I hankered for a curry that we ate in Penang, Malaysia earlier this year. It was a Sunday when we wandered into a locals only spot for a lunch of chicken curry and roti (flatbread). The male Muslim cooks were hospitable and kind; they took pride in their craft. Their curry was well spiced but light on the palate, which meant it was perfect for the slightly greasy flatbread to soak up. The meal lingered in our minds long after we left Penang.

We got satisfaction a few weeks later with this chicken curry recipe published in a Saveur article by my friend Christopher Tan. He obtained the recipe from a West Sumatran Padang-style rice plate restaurant in Jakarta. I looked at his recipe and figured it was very similar to what we had in Penang. Culinary ideas flow easily through that part of the world, as Chris pointed out in “Spice World”, there are nasi padang restaurants in Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore (where he lives).

I made the recipe soon after I saw it. It was richer and more sophisticated than the version we had in Penang, which was fine because we had it with rice instead of rich roti. The spices weren’t finely ground and lent nice texture to the sauce. I imagine that the Penang cooks used a pre-ground mixture of spices. My husband and I enjoyed the curry for days as one batch makes enough for several meals. 

Kaffir (makrut) lime leaf, knotted lemongrass, and candlenutsAim for a vibrant orange oatmeal-like paste.

Last week, Saveur editor-in-chief James Oseland called to catch up. He’s expert on the foods of that region, having written Cradle of Flavor. Among the things we chatted about was how good this curry is. No wonder leading up to Sunday, I had gulai ayam on my mind.

I gathered up the ingredients from my pantry and garden for another delectable batch. The list of ingredients is long but the paste comes together in minutes in a food processor. I’ve made this in an hour from top to bottom, including the rest at the end. Go for it! Maybe work it into your Sunday night rotation?

Notes: I’ve modified the recipe by using chicken legs and skinning them. The skin is better saved for rendering schmaltz or discarded. Stewed chicken skin is unappealing. I opted for football-shaped coriander seed but you can use the regular round ones. One can of coconut milk worked well for my palate.

If you don’t have the lime leaves, omit them. A comment on the original recipe at Saveur said it was fine. I’d double up on the lemongrass, or add galangal if a Kaffir lime tree wasn’t right outside my door or I didn’t have a stash in the freezer. Use all Thai chiles or combine Fresno with Thai for less heat.

Candlenuts (sold at Chinese markets in the Indonesian section) thicken the sauce so make sure you use them or the macadamia nut sub. As for knotting up the lemongrass, see James’s tip in this video. You can opt for cutting it into short lengths and whacking it.

Leftovers keep exceptionally well for days. Along with rice, we’ve had this Indonesian chicken curry with tortillas (whole wheat ones are nice) as well as Middle Eastern flatbread. French bread would be terrific too.

RECIPE

Indonesian Chicken Curry Recipe

Gulai Ayam

Yields: 4 to 6 servings

Ingredients

8 chicken drumsticks or thighs, or a mix of both (a good 3 lb / 1.5 kg total)2 teaspoon coriander seeds1 teaspoon cumin seeds1 teaspoon fennel seeds1 teaspoon grated nutmeg1 teaspoon ground turmeric½ teaspoon whole cloves¼ teaspoon cardamom seeds10 red Thai chiles, or 3 Fresno chiles plus 2 or 3 red Thai chiles, stemmed and roughly chopped5 large candlenuts or macadamia nuts4 cloves garlic, peeled1 medium shallot, peeled and quarteredChubby 2-inch (5 cm) piece ginger, peeled and sliced3 tablespoons canola or peanut oil (I used semi-refined Lion and Globe)5 or 6 kaffir (makrut) lime leaves2 sticks cinnamon1 fat stalk lemongrass, trimmed and knotted1 (13.5 oz / 400 ml) can coconut milk3/4 teaspoon salt

Method

Remove the skin from the chicken pieces. With the drumsticks, either cut the skin close to the knee joint to easily pull off the skin; or use a cleaver to whack off the knee joint, then remove the skin. Set aside.Put the coriander, cumin, fennel, nutmeg, turmeric, cloves, cardamom into a food processor. Whirl to grind up a bit. Add the chiles, candlenuts, garlic, shallots, ginger, and 2 tablespoons of water. Process into an oatmeal-like paste. It won’t be perfectly smooth.Heat the oil in a large saute pan or deep skillet over medium-high heat. Add the paste, lime leaves, cinnamon, and lemongrass until fragrant and no longer raw smelling, 5 to 7 minutes.Add the chicken, turning to sear the pieces a little on the outside, 4 to 5 minutes. You don’t have to brown it. Add half of the coconut milk and enough water to cover the chicken three-quarter of the way up. Let cook, turning occasionally, for 30 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through; pierce with a knife tip to check.Stir in the remaining coconut milk and salt. Cook until slightly thickened, 2 to 3 minutes longer. Remove from the heat and let cool, uncovered, for about 15 minutes for the flavors to meld and mellow. Taste to see if extra salt is needed. Enjoy with rice or whatever starch you’d like.  The lemongrass, cinnamon, and lime leaf are not edible.

Recipe adapted from Saveur.

Related posts: 

Thai Yellow Curry with Beef and PotatoesVietnamese Goat Curry with Coriander and LemongrassHow to Cook Perfect RicePosted in Recipes: All, Recipes: Chicken, Duck, Poultry, Eggs, Recipes: Gluten-Free | Permalink

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Hunan Chicken

In the early 2000's, we were in the San Francisco Bay Area. It was the golden era of dot com’s, when young and aspiring professionals made millions overnight working in a dot com that went public on NASDAQ or New York Stock Exchange. I was one of the wannabe’s, working in a gaming dot.com pursuing the wild “make-me-a-millionaire” dream.

My office was in downtown San Francisco, in the SOMA (South of Market) area, where old buildings were converted into hip, loft-like dot com’s offices. Prior to San Francisco, we lived in Salt Lake City. San Francisco downtown—during that time—was a heaven on earth for us, so vibrant and cosmopolitan. We were charmed by the energy, lifestyle, food, and the notion that we could be rich carrying a dot com business card.

Office lunches were  so much fun for me. I would always invite a few co-workers and we would walk a few blocks around the SOMA area and enjoy a great lunch meal of various ethnic and regional cuisines: Chinese, Cantonese, American, Thai, Fusion, Indian, French, Californian, and so much more. One of my favorite of them all is this humble Hunan restaurant just a couple of blocks away from my office.

My Asian co-workers and I loved the Hunan Chicken in that restaurant. So simple, yet utterly delicious and mouthwatering. Tender pieces of chicken breast, stir-fried with carrot, broccoli, black fungus, in a light brown sauce that tasted so wonderful. The owners were from Hunan, and the Hunan Chicken was their signature dish. I could go there every day for this dish…

Fast forward many years later, I constantly miss this dish, whenever I reminisce my dot com days. Dot com golden era didn’t make me a millionaire. My company went bust, just like every other dot com in the Bay Area. I kept the job for as long as I could, before the axe came down on me. I had to say that some of the happenings in that company left a pretty bad taste in my mouth, but the good taste of Hunan Chicken, my favorite Chinese lunch dish, lingers and remains flavorful in my memory.

Here is my Hunan Chicken recipe. One day, I will go find this restaurant again in the SOMA area of San Francisco and I hope  it’s still around!

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Chicken Potpie

When it comes to celebrating St. Valentine’s Day, if you make dinner to impress your loved ones, you score extra points in my opinion. While you can go out and buy the most romantic present to impress, preparing a Valentine’s Day dinner just shows that you care or love so much more that you are willing to dedicate your time making something delicious for the special day. This is especially true if you find a great recipe to share, for example: individual chicken potpie recipe in Martha Stewart Living magazine, February 2014 issue.

To crank up the romantic factor of the night, you can create a restaurant setting for your special someone. Buy some flowers, have a centerpiece on the dining table, dim light, lots of candles, a bottle of great wine, gorgeous table setting, and two perfectly baked, golden-hued chicken potpies beckon while the aroma wafts and lingers in your kitchen. I think that is extremely romantic! What’s more, you two don’t have to brave the  crowd at restaurants—which are likely to be fully booked. No stress, no fuss, just a scrumptious meal at home, and engaging, lovey dovey conversations. That would be my ideal way of celebrating St. Valentine’s Day!

This chicken potpie recipe doesn’t have to made in two individual portions, on regular days, when your loved ones is hooked on your chicken potpie, you can use a 2-quart baking dish to make one big potpie. Just roll out the pastry so it’s 1 inch wider than the dish, cut vents, and bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour.

Happy Valentine’s Day!

(Click Page 2 for the Chicken Potpie Recipe)

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Kung Pao Chicken (宫保鸡丁)

This Kung Pao Chicken recipe was originally posted on Nov 18, 2007. Updated with new photos.

(Popular and All-Time Favorite Chinese recipes: Broccoli Beef, Sweet and Sour Pork, Egg Drop Soup, Chow Mein, Cashew Chicken, Fried Rice, Orange Chicken, Mongolian Beef, and more.)

Today, I am sharing with you a popular Chinese recipe that is well-loved by many in the United States and all over the world—the famous Chinese Kung Pao Chicken (????).

Kung Pao is a cooking technique originated from the Sichuan province of China; the authentic Sichuan Kung Pao Chicken (????) or Gong Bao Ji Ding calls for the staple Sichuan peppercorn for the numbing flavor, however, the version popular outside of Sichuan has since been adapted to many regional variations. For examples: in Malaysia, Kung Pao chicken is served without peanuts, but sometimes cashew nuts are used; in Thailand, fish sauce and sweet soy sauce are used to flavor a similar dish. However, the Kung Pao chicken we get in 90% of so-called Chinese restaurants in the United States is the heavily Americanized version that appears gooey, greasy, and sweet. You will also find all kinds of vegetables in the dish such as carrots, water chestnuts, celery, zucchini, and even broccoli.

I tried to keep my Kung Pao Chicken recipe as authentic as possible, but feel free to tone down the quantity of dried chilies as you wish. I wanted to share the secret ingredient of Kung Pao chicken, which is vinegar in the sauce. It gives that subtle yet characteristic touch to complete the Kung Pao flavor.
If you like this Kung Pao Chicken recipe and Chinese recipes, you might also like the following recipes on Rasa Malaysia:

CHINESE RECIPES: POPULAR & ALL-TIME FAVORITES

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Pepper-Lemon Chicken Karaage: Wheat, gluten and soy-free

Cut up the chicken thighs into bite-sized pieces. You can take off the skin if you like, though it does make the chicken crispier. You can also use breast meat insteadd.

Combine the chicken stock, lemon juice, and grated lemon zest in a bowl. Add 1 teaspoon of salt and mix well. Taste - it should be fairly salty but not overwhelmingly so. Add a bit more salt if needed.

Put the chicken pieces in the bowl. Let marinate for a minimum of 30 minutes - an hour is ideal. If marinating for more than an hour (say, overnight), do not put salt in the marinade.

When you're ready to fry the chicken, take it out of the marinade and pat it dry. If you didn't add salt to the marinade, salt the chicken now and rub it in. Leave for a few minutes, and pat dry again. Grind a ton of black pepper on the chicken (it can stand a lot) .

Heat the oil; if using a temperature-controlled fryer or a thermometer, aim for 160°C / 355°F, a fairly low temperature. Toss enough potato or cornstarch into the marinated chicken so that each piece is completely coated. Fry the chicken pieces a few at a time at 160°C / 320°F until cooked through. The chicken will still be quite pale.

Take the chicken out of the oil, and drain off while you raise the temperature of the oil to 180°C / 355°F. When the oil is hot, re-add the chicken pieces and cook until a light golden brown - about 30 seconds to a minute. It won't get as dark in color as the soy-sauce marinated version. Don't overcook or the chicken will dry out.

Drain well on a rack, or old newspaper lined on top with paper towels.

Serve with lemon wedges, and even more pepper if you like.

If you use chicken stock cubes or granules, it already has salt in it so be sure to taste your marinade before adding any more.

If you do use chicken stock cubes, don't marinate it for more than an hour or so (because of the salt).

The best version of this is to marinate the chicken in unsalted chicken stock with lemon juice and zest overnight in the refrigerator. Add the salt later, as per the directions. The chicken will be very flavorful and juicy.

Potato starch, or katakuriko, is standard for karaage in Japan. It creates a wonderfully light, crispy, greaseless surface. It's not that easy to get a hold of in many places though (look in a Japanese grocery store), so cornstarch(cornflour in the UK) is an acceptable substitute. If you must avoid gluten for medical reasons, be sure to use a cornstarch that is guaranteed to be gluten-free.

The lemon juice acts in a way like the sake in the original recipe, in that it eliminates some of the gaminess of the chicken. Adjust the amount to taste; I like to squeeze on more when I eat the karaage.

If you use white meat instead of dark, cook it for a bit less time or the chicken will dry out.

You can marinate a pound or more (or around 500g) of cut up chicken in this marinade. To marinate more, just increase the amount of marinade.

Try using yuzu juice and peel instead of the lemon if you can get them, and sprinkle with sansho pepper or shichimi tohgarashi (seven-ingredient chili pepper) instead of black pepper.

(metadata for this recipe:) Author: Makiko ItohPublished: January 14, 2014

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Malaysian Chicken Curry

It’s officially winter now in the United States, I am sure many people are bundling up at home and cooking, instead of out and about in the frigid cold weather. I am lucky that I am in Southern California where winter is mild, in fact, this year there is no real winter here. However, being an island girl from the forever tropical Penang island, Malaysia, I feel cold whenever the temperature dips below 60.

Whenever I feel that I need to warm up, I make dishes that warms up my body, for examples: soups, stews, one-pot meals such as Japanese hot pot,  and curries. I especially love curries because they are so easy to make and I can just make a big pot and eat the whole day and I might still have some leftover the next day, which taste even better as the flavors develop overnight. Curries are so delicious, great with steamed rice, and heats up my body right away. Plus the smell of curries wafting through the kitchen is enough to set my stomach rumbling, and my mouth watering.

There are countless ways of making Malaysian-style chicken curries and there are various recipes: devil’s curry, chicken curry kapitan, Nyonya-style chicken curry, etc. However, this Malaysian chicken curry recipe is very easy chicken curry that you can make with easy-to-find ingredients. For curry powder, I always buy the curry powder packets from Malaysia, brands such as Baba’s meat curry powder or Alagappa curry powder (made in Penang). They are fantastic, cheap and you can use them for a long time.

Without further ado, this is my homey Malaysian chicken curry which is really easy to make. Make a big pot today and share it with your family and friends. Enjoy!

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Braised Chicken with Carrot and Mushroom

It goes without saying that I love cooking. However, just like everyone else, I don’t like the “aftermath” of cooking—oil splattering all over my cooktop (even my hands), greasy kitchen backsplash, countertop, and kitchen floor. I don’t enjoy the clean-up because as a clean freak, I pretty much have to mop my entire kitchen every time after I cook. Not fun.

So, I am thrilled to be working with Beka Cookware on its new Clean Cooking Fry Pan with Anti-Splatter Lid. I got the fry pan a few days ago and yesterday, I tested it out with my favorite braised chicken with carrot and mushroom. I usually make this dish with a French Oven, but Clean Cooking fry pan is a perfect alternative.

First I pan-fried the chicken, and then I braised it over low heat. The braised chicken was absolutely scrumptious, crispy on the outside while tender and moist on the inside…the best thing of all, my kitchen countertop and cooker hobs were clean with no messy spatters everywhere. It was amazing!

I love Beka Cookware Clean Cooking Fry Pan and its unique lid which sits low on the fry-pan. Regular lids often trap too much steam and as a result render the food soggy, or worst still, set off even more spatters as the steam/water drops back into the pan. The engineers at BEKA Cookware came out with an innovative design that allows air to circulate while controlling the spatters from frying or searing. The design also allows the ventilation needed to prevent steam build up and thus producing perfectly fried and seared foods that are done to perfection, without creating a big mess!

Without further ado, let’s start cooking with Beka Cookware with my braised chicken with carrot and mushroom recipe. This dish is perfect and hearty for Fall/Winter. With Beka Cookware, you can actually spend more time with your family, instead of in the kitchen cleaning. Please stay tuned for the giveaway of Clean Cooking Fry Pan later this week…one lucky reader will be walking away with the pan!

About Beka Cookware

Founded in 1899, Beka Cookware combines over 100 years of engineering excellence with a young and ambitious spirit. This experience and determination has given birth to the brand new Eco-Logic cookware utilizing high-tech Bekadur non-stick coatings to promote healthier lifestyles and a safer environment. Using quality materials and the latest in advanced manufacturing processes Beka creates products that are built to last while setting new standards in the cookware industry.

Buy Beka Cookware Products: http://www.beka-cookware.com/
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Chinese Chicken Stew with Black Fungus

When the temperature dips and the sky gets dark at 4 pm, claypot becomes my favorite friend. I love all sorts of claypot cooking, it produces very hearty, easy, and delicious meals for my family, and it’s one of the least expensive utensils to invest in any kitchen.

One of the dishes that I would make over and over again during colder months is chicken stew with black fungus, a classic Chinese/Cantonese dish that anyone can whip up at home. It’s so easy to make and with claypot, cooking is so effortless because you practically just dump all your ingredients in there, do a few quick stirs, add some liquid, cover the lid and let the claypot does its magic.

Black fungus is a popular ingredient in Chinese/Cantonese cooking. The word fungus does turn a lot of people off, but it’s basically like shiitake mushrooms, except that the texture is thinner but every bite is a snappy crunch. It goes so well with stewed chicken. All you need are some ginger, oyster sauce, a dash of cooking wine and sesame oil, and you will have a scrumptious dish that goes well with steamed rice.

I have so many claypot recipes, you might also want to try my sesame oil chicken, Cantonese beef stew,  Korean spicy chicken stew, claypot yong tow foo, Singaporean crab beehoon or noodles, braised pork belly with soy sauce,  Bak Kut Teh, braised pork ribs with daikon,  and more. There are endless possibilities when it comes to claypot. Enjoy!

(Click Page 2 for the Chicken Stew with Black Fungus Recipe)

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Chicken Katsu (Fried Chicken Cutlet)

In the United States, when people think of Japanese food, a few items spring to the minds: sushi, sashmi, chicken teriyaki, ramen, and tonkatsu. I believe not everyone loves sushi, sashimi, or ramen, but I think most people like the idea of fried meat. While many people love tonkatsu, or Japanese fried pork cutlet, many people don’t eat pork. So, today, I am sharing with you a friendly recipe, chicken katsu (Japanese fried chicken cutlet) that is sure to please. I can assure you that even the pickiest eaters, including toddlers, love a piece of crispy, light, delicious fried chicken coated with a generous layer of panko.

Much like its close cousin tonkatsu (pork), chicken katsu is basically fried chicken cutlet coated with crispy Japanese panko (bread crumbs), served with a tonkatsu dipping sauce, which you can purchase from Japanese or Asian food stores. Traditionally, you coat the meat with flour, and then dip with beaten eggs before coating with panko. For me, I don’t like the flour coating because I think it separates the panko crust from the meat after deep-frying, so I improvised my recipe. To make my chicken katsu extra crispy, I coat the chicken with two layers of panko. You can’t go wrong with this trick as the end result is a piece of fried chicken cutlet with shattering crispiness. I also don’t like the tonkatsu sauce on top of the meat, so I always have the sauce on the side and dip the chicken as I eat to avoid the chicken being soggy.

I shared this Chicken Katsu recipe a while ago on a website that I contributed to and thought my readers here on Rasa Malaysia would love it. Since I am making this for my son tonight, I shot some new pictures above and share it here. You can serve chicken katsu with steamed rice and some salad, enjoy!

(Click Page 2 for the Chicken Katsu (Fried Chicken Cutlet) Recipe)

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Spicy Cashew Chicken

I've said it many times before on this blog and I'll say it once more: chicken thighs rock. All over Asia (and Europe, for that matter), this is considered a prime cut that has all sorts of uses, from stir-frying to deep-frying to braising. But for some reason most of America still treats it with suspicion.

Instead we revere chicken breast (not as flavorful IMHO), with is often double or triple the price of chicken thighs in grocery stores and contain only marginally less fat and fewer calories than thighs. But to each his own. The low demand just means that even at my relatively expensive neighborhood butcher shop, chicken thighs are always available and plenty affordable.

Today I had an urge to stir-fry dark meat chicken for lunch and decided to update this spicy cashew chicken recipe from last summer. Enjoy! 

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If you're a regular reader of the blog, you may have already tried to recreate some of your favorite takeout dishes from Chinese restaurants. Kung pao chicken and General Tso's chicken have been two of the most popular recipes on Appetite for China for the past few years. And recently I've added new favorites, such as Orange Beef and Broccoli Stir-fry, Shrimp Lo Mein, and Almond Chicken.

Cashew chicken is, of course, another favorite takeout dish. And once you try making it at home, I guarantee you'll find it better-tasting and even quicker than picking up the phone and ordering takeout. Marinating and cooking the chicken takes just 15 to 20 minutes, faster than delivery. 

This version of cashew chicken is for the spicy food lovers out there. I like using about 2 teaspoons of chili sauce for 1 pound of chicken, but you can always increase the dosage to 3 teaspoons (or more!) if your tongue can handle it. The chicken is marinated in soy sauce and rice wine for flavor and corn starch to lock moisture in, resulting in a tender, juicy chicken. Which is more than you can usually hope for inside the white takeout cartons!

Try pairing this spicy cashew chicken with sides such as Vegetable Fried Rice, Sichuan Cucumber Salad, and Baby Bok Choy with Braised Shiitake Sauce.

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Kale and Chicken Egg Rolls Recipe. And More Kale.

Let’s be honest, there can never be too many kale recipes. No matter how much chatter there is online about there being too many kale recipes, we’ll just add another recipe to the mountain of greens. Just because everyone loves and shares kale chips, it doesn’t mean that there are too many kale recipes. Besides, it was kale chips that was one of the first dishes to get us hooked on this amazing green.

This post is a testament to our unwavering love of kale and our new cookbook has three kale recipes in there, which means that we should have actually added seven more kale recipes to make it an even ten. Darn it, we should have had a chapter dedicated to kale. But at least we were able to share our favorite kale and chicken egg roll recipe in the book.

Now the cool folks over at Food & Wine support our kale-eating-chipping-chopping habits and featured Bountiful’s kale and chicken egg rolls as part of their book club recipe. So if you’re a lover and not a hater, go make a batch of these egg rolls, you will love them, promise! And we’ve found some other great kale recipes online, so that we can all have a love fest together and get all our years worth of fiber all in one blog post.

You can get our kale and chicken egg roll recipe over here at Food & Wine and our rebellious story about it.

Still trying to figure out what Paleo is about, but this baby kale paleo taco salad looks a wonderful. Those cavemen know how to eat!

Dive into this kale salad with pecornio and walnuts.

Kale and marcona almonds are a perfect match. Marcona almonds rock.

Been craving beets lately. This roasted beet and kale salad should do the trick. Yum.

Kale Burger?! Shut-the-front-door.

Happy Weekend to you all,

diane and todd

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Dill Chicken Pot Pie Galette: a Pie for Fall

Sunshine and blue skies filled our whole day today and you’d never know that we had a huge downpour of rain yesterday. Our weather gets a little wacky sometimes, which alternating days of hot & dry Santa Ana winds at ninety hot-degrees, followed by a day of downpour rain and then a day of gorgeous light and sky. For those of you who don’t know of our local So-Cal talk, we all call this yo-yo of days: earthquake weather. That’s right. Earthquake: that common phenomenon where the ground starts to shake. Some folks freak out for a few seconds while others just wait for the dangling light fixtures to stop swaying. And then life goes back to normal.

Normal life for us in Southern California means heading to the beach of a doggie-leash-free walk and playing in the water. Yup, we’re spoiled that way. No snow on our end or too many leaves changing colors. We’ll always get some nice beach time and and great low tides this time of year. It’s certainly a trade-off for sure.

surfer at low tide on instagram

So far, there hasn’t been a earthquake following this weeks crazy weather pattern. But one thing is for sure, the weather is getting cooler and we’re craving comfort foods again.

It’s always around this time when the air gets cooler that we dive bellies first into the holiday menu. First, there was pumpkin coffee cake to ring in the new season and now we’re craving chicken pot pie.

Chicken pot pie is always a classic comfort food and regardless of how many times we eat it, there’s always a new variation or idea of what. In Summer, everyone is swimming in fruit and berry pies. Now that Fall has arrived, it doesn’t mean that we have to give up on our pie making. This month, we’ll be making plenty of savory pies, including this totally decadent and satisfying chicken pot pie.

Adapted from our soon-to-be-released cookbook, Bountiful (next week!), this chicken pot pie recipe now has a different pie shell. We made it into a galette, something a little more elegant to celebrate the arrival of Fall. Besides, when the chicken pot pie filling bakes on top of the pie dough, what you have is an amazing base that’s soaked up all the juices from the filing. It’s the best spoon-full of pie dough that you’ll ever eat.

Happy Fall,

diane and todd

Yield: two 10-inch Galettes

Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes

The is an adaptation from a couple recipes out of our cookbook, Bountiful. It utilizes the filling from our dill chicken pot pie with puff pastry, combined with the super versatile dough used as the crust for several recipes in the book.

2 cups (250g) flour1/2 cup (1 stick / 113g) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces1 teaspoon salt1 egg1/4 cup (60ml) cold waterheavy cream, for brushing crust2 pounds (910g) boneless, skinless chicken (thighs or breasts)Salt and freshly cracked black pepper1/4 cup (60g) unsalted butter, divided4 medium shallots, sliced4 medium cloves garlic, crushed or minced1/2 pound (225g) carrots, cut into 1/2-inch pieces2 cups (330g) fresh corn kernels (from about 2 ears)1/2 cup (120ml) dry white wine2 tablespoons brandy1/4 cup (30g) flour1 cup (240ml) heavy cream, plus more for brushing the pastry1 cup (240ml) chicken stock1 tablespoon grainy mustard1/4 cup (5g) minced dill

Line two baking pans with parchment paper.

In a bowl, pinch together the flour, butter, and salt with your fingertips until most of the big chunks of butter are flattened or broken up.In another bowl, whisk the egg with the ice water until combined. Incorporate the egg mixture into the flour until the mixture binds together and forms a rough ball (you may need to gently knead the ball to incorporate the last of the flour).Divide the ball in two, roll each half into a ball, and then flatten each ball into a disk. Wrap each disk in plastic wrap and chill for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 375°F.

Rinse the chicken and pat it dry. If the chicken pieces are thick, place them between two sheets of plastic wrap and lightly pound them to 1/2-inch thick. Season the pieces with salt and pepper.In a large sauté pan, melt 2 tablespoons of the butter over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook until lightly browned, about 4 minutes on each side. Remove the chicken from the pan and set aside to cool.To the same pan, add 1 tablespoon of the butter, then add the shallots, garlic, carrots, and corn and cook over medium heat until the shallots begin to soften, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the wine and brandy and simmer until the pan is almost dry, 12 to 15 minutes.Add the remaining 1 tablespoon butter. When it is melted, stir in the flour. Cook, stirring, for 1 minute, then add the cream and stock. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until thickened, about 5 minutes.Cut the browned chicken into 1/2-inch pieces and add them to the cream sauce. Add the mustard and dill, then season to taste with salt and pepper.On a floured surface, roll the dough disks out to a circles slightly larger than 10 inches in diameter. Place each disk on a lined sheet pan.Divide the filling mixture between the two dough circles, starting in center and spreading outwards, leaving about 1 1/2 inches of the outer rim of dough uncovered. Fold the edges of the dough over the filling. Brush the crust with heavy cream.Bake for about 35 minutes, or until the crust is golden. Serve warm or at room temperature.

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Turmeric Chicken

If you read this blog, you will know that I love Malay cooking. Every time I go back to Malaysia, I never miss out Malay food, especially Malay nasi campur (rice plates) or nasi Melayu, where I get to choose the dishes to go with a plate of steamed white rice. I always go crazy with the wide selections—rendang, chicken in spicy sauce, sambal sotong, egg sambal, sambal okra, and the list goes on. Every single dish is so enticing and mouthwatering and I just wanted to eat them all. Sometimes, I would have 5 or 6 dishes on top of the steamed rice. I love it, because Malay food absolutely rocks in the taste department.

One of the dishes I love is turmeric chicken (ayam goreng kunyit or ayam masak kunyit). Depending on where you get this dish from, the chicken could be deep fried (hence the word “goreng“) or just simply cooked in a simple stir-fry. Out of all the dry spices, I am partial to turmeric, or kunyit. Growing up, we used a lot of turmeric in our kitchen; turmeric adds a beautiful yellow color to the food and lends the exotic nuance and aroma to every dish that we made at home. This dish is no exception as the turmeric makes the chicken intensely tasty. The onion, red chili, and French beans add to the texture, presentation, and flavor of the overall dish.

Most people don’t like to deep fry chicken at home, so this is my take on the traditional Malay turmeric chicken, or ayam masak kunyit. It’s a simple stir-fry dish that anyone can make at home, and takes less than 30 minutes to make.

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