Crispy Fried Brussels Sprouts with Mom’s Chili Fish Sauce

Finally, I think Mom would approve of this recipe, or at least my hacked version of her chili fish sauce. You see, I’ve been known to break many culinary rules and Mom has pretty much warmed up to my kitchen shenanigans and fiendish ways of using fish sauce. Seriously, who would take a traditional Vietnamese spring roll and make a BLT out of it? I did. She also raised both eye brows when I told her that I made a fried egg Vietnamese sandwich called a “Bang Me”. Oh please, it’s just a sandwich. A freaking good one, at that. And last but not least, I took her beloved pork banh mi and made little tapas, open faced bites out of it. She actually giggled about that one.

I love to make kitchen trouble. Or trouble in the kitchen. Or at least anything that has to do with fish sauce. It’s in my blood, I tell ya.

My friends, you must make this and support me. If you like it, I’ll collect all your positive responses and show Mom that I’m not all that crazy. And if you don’t like it, then you’re a bit crazy too because fried brussels sprouts and fish sauce is a delicious combination. A match made in brussels sprouts heaven.

It started back in 2011 when we ate our way through Austin IACP and had our minds blown at East Side King. His version of crispy brussels sprouts was out of this world. Circle around again to 2013 when we were at BlogHer Food Austin, we experienced another addictive version of crispy brussels sprouts at Uchiko and again at East Side King. We just had to do a double take on crispy brussels sprouts in two different restaurants because we just couldn’t get enough.

Now the cravings start to come around again and the cheapest way to indulge in this dish is to make it at home, rather than to fly out to Austin. The crispy fried brussels sprouts is a must for anyone who haven’t plunged their brussels sprouts into hot oil yet. The deep fried flavor and crispy outside, slight charred leaves of the brussels sprouts is a flavor that’s hard to describe. Add on top of that, my hacked (corn starch thickened) version of Mom’s Chili Fish sauce and what you have is about 2 pounds of goodness that you will want to eat all by yourself.

You can’t go wrong on this recipe if you like brussels sprouts, if you love fish sauce and if you don’t care about calories.

Plunge your brussels sprouts in hot oil, I tell ya!

Do it, try it and trust me. I also love the chili fish sauce so much that I might fry a batch of potatoes and toss this addictive sauce on top. Next post!

enjoy,

diane

P.S. I dedicate this post to Miss Rachel because she’s the only person I know of who can out eat me when it comes to brussels sprouts.

More Brussels Sprouts Recipes:

Cheesy Brussels Sprouts Gratin
Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Sriracha and Mint
Pan Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Fish Sauce and Lime
Easy Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Balsamic Vinegar

Yield: Serves 1-4

Total Time: 30 min

You might have some left over chili fish sauce dip, but that's ok. Save it for your next batch of fried brussels sprouts, egg rolls, fresh fries or even baste the sauce on steak or chicken. It's a winner! Also, depending on your size of brussels sprouts, cut them to appropriate bite sized pieces. If your brussels sprouts are small, cut them in half. If they are very large, cut them in quarters. How ever you decide to cut them, make sure they're all about the same size so that they can cook evenly in the hot oil.

2 pounds brussels sprouts, ends trimmed and quarteredoil for frying1 cup water1/2 cup fish sauce2 tablespoons sugar2 fresh chiles, minced (or to taste)3 tablespoons minced garlic3 tablespoons fresh lime juice1 Tablespoon corn starch1 Tablespoon waterMake the Chili Fish Sauce: Combine all chili fish sauce ingredients in a medium sauce pan. Bring the sauce to a boil. As the sauce is coming to a boil, make the corn starch slurry by combining the cornstarch and water in a small bowl. Make sure to stir the slurry well and break up any lumps of cornstarch.When the fish sauce comes to a boil, gently stir in the corn starch slurry. Slowly stir the sauce till it thickens. Once the chili fish sauce thickens, turn off heat. Allow chili fish sauce to cool.Fry the Brussels Sprouts: In a large work, deep pot or dutch oven, fill oil to about two inches high. Heat the oil to about 350 to 375 degrees. Test the oil by frying one piece of brussels sprouts first. If it sizzles and cooks quickly, then the oil is ready.Fry the Brussels sprouts in batches, so start by frying about 1/4 of the brussels sprouts till they are golden brown. Remove them from oil and blot them on paper towels to remove excess oil. Repeat the frying for the rest of the brussels sprouts.Once all brussels sprouts are fried and crispy, combine them in a large bowl. Toss the crispy brussels sprouts with the chili fish sauce and serve warm.

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Beef with Red Chili Paste

This Beef and Red Chili Paste is from my friend Katie Chin’s new cookbook, Every Thai Cooking: Quick and Easy Family Style Recipes from Tuttle Publishing. A few months ago, I met Katie in person for lunch and we had a wonderful time chatting about recipes, food, cooking, and our life stories. I love Katie; she is fun, bubbly, and cheery. PWhen she sent me the preview copy of her cookbook, I immediately fell in love with this Beef with Red Chili Paste recipe.

In Everyday Thai Cooking, Katie shares her recipe secrets along with tips, tools, and time-saving techniques that enable you to easily bring delectable homemade Thai dishes to your table! Illustrated with mouthwatering color photographs, Everyday Thai Cooking features more than 100 simple Thai recipes that include:

Crunchy Siam Spring RollsChicken Satay with Spicy Peanut SauceSour Spicy Shrimp Soup (Tom Yum Goong)Pad ThaiCrispy Mango ChickenShaking BeefFragrant Coconut Fish in Banana LeavesSweet and Tangy Thai Noodles (Mee Krob)Sweet, Ripe Mango with Sticky Rice

Let Katie show you why Thai cuisine is the favorite food of so many people as she walks you through the surprisingly easy steps needed to create a spectacular Thai meal!

About the Author

Katie Chin (TheSweetAndSourChronicles.com) was born and raised in Minneapolis by her award-winning restaurateur mother, Leeann Chin. She is the co-author of Everyday Chinese Cooking and author of 300 Best Rice Cooker Recipes. She was co-host with her mother, Leeann, of the 2003 national PBS cooking series Double Happiness. Katie has made numerous appearances on The Today Show and has appeared in specials on The Food Network and Fine Living. She has been featured in Glamour, Family Circle, Cooking Light, Bon Appétit, Self Magazine, Angeleno Magazine, Hampton Magazine, Elle Magazine, Daily Candy, Daily Variety, Real Simple and The Los Angeles Times. Katie recently served as a guest judge on Food Network’s Iron Chef America and appeared on Cooking Channel’s Food(ography) program last summer. She is also the Culinary Ambassador to City of Hope and its Super Foods initiative, which resulted in her appearance at the 2013 White House Easter Egg Roll. When not testing out her new recipes on family and friends, she divides her time as a private chef and culinary consultant in Los Angeles, CA

(Click Page 2 for the Beef with Red Chili Paste Recipe)

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View the original article here

Thai Chili Beef Burger

Summer officially starts in 3 days, on June 21. I am sure everyone is ready for some summertime fun: endless BBQ’s, pool parties, beach, sun, warmth, and family. Summer is my favorite time of the year as I can just wear light, carefree summery clothes and don’t need layers of clothing. I also love the warmth of the sun on my skin and humidity (yes, I do!). Somehow, my complexion is better in summer; the nice tint of color on my skin and the humidity adds some glows to the face.

I have a ton of summer recipes on my site (please click the link to check out all recipes). Some of my favorites are chicken kebab, Vietnamese lemongrass pork banh mi, peel and eat shrimp, various summer BBQ recipes, five-spice meat sliders, beef skewers, and so much more. Today, I am adding Thai Chili Beef Burger to my recipes.

Burger is everyone’s favorite for summer, and the fun of grilling the burger patties just doubles the fun of eating. The Thai red curry paste and sweet chili sauce add so much flavors and depth to the regular burgers. With July 4 just a few weeks away, this Thai chili beef burger recipe will be great for your family and friends. Enjoy!

(Click Page 2 for the Thai Chili Beef Burger Recipe)

Pages: 1 2

View the original article here

Chili Clams Recipe

Most Malaysians love clams, especially those stir-fried with a spicy chili paste. I love clams; I grew up eating all sort of clams as my late mother would buy clams from the market and cooked them into a variety of delectable dishes, such as chili clams. (Check out my chili crab recipes here and here.)

One of my favorite childhood memories was the many clam digging picnics with my late parents, at the beaches in Penang, and Kedah—my mother’s seaside hometown. Whenever we went to a beach, we would dig up the sands in search of clams, or siput. We would spend hours until we harvested enough clams for dinner, I was always so excited whenever we went to the beach.

The few years when I was in the midwest of America, I was constantly craving for fresh clams. But alas, there were never any live clams at the markets there, due to the cold weather. Once in a while, our local Chinese restaurants would get some clams, but most of the times, the clams were stale and they were simply horrendous to eat. I am so blessed that I am now in the west coast where fresh and live clams are always available at Asian stores, and I can have my fix of chili clams whenever I like.

The briny and sweet flavours of clams pair perfectly with the spicy chilli and bean sauce in this chili clams recipe. Please take note that each clam will cook at a different time, so as soon as the shell opens up, remove from the heat immediately. If the clams don’t open up, they are probably bad and should be discarded.

(Click Page 2 for the Chili Clams Recipe)

Pages: 1 2

View the original article here

Vegetarian Chili with Fresh Roasted Chilies- Memories from a Veg Head

Memories from my vegetarian days were coming back and reminded me of my college years. In fact, my days of being vegetarian lasted till not long ago, 2008. For 19 years, I lived a meatless life where I nourished my days with vegetables, tofu, legumes and occasional dairy products. Then I stumbled upon what was called a “food blog” and I slowly started eating meat again, leaving behind my nearly two decades of eating meat free.

I’ve been missing those vegetarian days, where I was often called a “veg head” by my circle of carnivores and herbivores. It never bothered me one bit when I was surrounded by meat and my choice back in college to start being a vegetarian wasn’t for political, social or religious reasons. I just didn’t like eating meat any more. Vegetables, legumes and whole grains satisfied me and nourished me completely. I was a happy eater and that was all that mattered.

 

Recently I’ve been craving meatless dishes more often and turning to beans and tofu has put my body back in balance. An occasional meat dish is plentiful for me and I kept finding myself wanting to dive head first into a salad or brown rice bowl.

Recipes from my vegetarian past keep coming back to me and I always remember how much I loved and now miss eating a hearty bowl of chili. A rich collage of meaty beans, scents of cumin and garlic always brought a huge, hungry smile to my face.  My version of chili always had extra vegetables and a zest of fresh chili. I always love me some spice and if it’s roasted or charred to bring out that earthy flavor, I’ll have second or even third helping.

When it comes to making vegetarian chili, I always go the extra step to roasting fresh green chilies. The zest of spice and depth of roasted flavor always make my chili extra flavorful. I never, ever miss the meat part.

Sometimes chili recipes have more meat than beans, but in my case, I’ve replaced the meat with hearty vegetables and extra helpings of spice. Each bowl has a happy bite of vegetables, beans and flavor.  I love being nourished with my big bowl of veggies and beans and this dish always brings me back to my happy years as the “Veg Head”.

Enjoy!

Diane

 Print This Recipe

Vegetarian Chili Recipe with Roastes chiles
Beware! not all chilies are alike. Normally I use anaheim chiles, but their spice level varies. Proceed with caution and add the roasted chiles to your personal taste and spice level. Also, when handling chiles, try to use gloves. 

Ingredients: 

1 medium anaheim chili1 15 oz can of red beans, drained and rinsed1 large carrot, small dice, about 1/2 cup2 stalks celery, cleaned & ends trimmed. Small dice, about 1/2 cup1 red bell pepper, small dice, about 1 cup1 small onion, minced, about 1 cup2 large cloves garlic, finely minced1 Tablespoon olive oil2 teaspoons of soy sauce1 teaspoon of ground cumin1 teaspoon of chili powder1/2 cup crushed tomatoes1 cup of vegetable broth

Method: 

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Wash chili pepper, pat dry all outside moisture. Rub with bit of olive oil to coat the chili pepper. Put on sheet pan and roast in oven for about 15 minutes, turning frequently for even roast. Roast chili pepper till the skin starts to bubble and char. Then remove pepper from oven and place in plastic bag for about 15 minutes. The steam will release the skin from the meat of the pepper. Remove skin and seeds, discard. Dice the chili pepper, set aside.

2. In heated medium saucepan, add olive oil till hot. Then add onions and garlic and cook till they are soft and fragrant. Then add carrots. Cook carrots for about 5 minutes or until slightly softened.

3. Add celery, red bell peppers and green chili. Cook for about 5 minutes or until soft.

4. Add beans, vegetable broth, crushed tomatoes, soy sauce, cumin and chili powder. Stir pot well and let simmer on low heat for about 10 minutes.

5. For best flavor, the chili tastes better the next day, once the beans absorbs all the spices.

Serves: 2

View the original article here

Sichuan Red Oil Wontons (Wontons in Chili Oil)

I have been working with Ellie of Almost Bourdain fame—now my partner at Gourmand Recipes—for a few months now and I absolutely adore the woman. We chat every day on emails and sometimes we would hop on SKYPE for a quick video chat. I just can’t stress enough that Ellie is a fantastic cook who can cook and bake, and a master in all cuisines ranging from American, European, and Asian. It’s really amazing!

When we first started working, Ellie was kind enough to offer me to republish all her Asian recipes on Rasa Malaysia…there are so many delicious recipes that I wanted to share with you and this is one of them: Sichuan Red Oil Wontons, or wontons in chili oil (????).

These spicy Sichuan wontons are extremely popular in Sichuan. When I visited Chengdu, Sichuan a couple of years ago, I almost couldn’t find regular non-spicy wontons. All wontons sold by the street vendors, roadside stalls, or restaurants are doused in the spicy red oil and vinegar sauce. They are explosively hot, but utterly addictive and delicious.

Here is Ellie’s recipe for Sichuan Red Oil Wontons. To get more Ellie’s recipes, check out Gourmand Recipes.

(Click Page 2 for the Sichuan Red Oil Wontons Recipe)

Pages: 1 2

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Maruchan Ramen, Chili, 3-Ounce Packages (Pack of 24)

Flavored ramen noodles in broth. quick and easy.

Price: $8.56

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Huy Fong Sriracha Hot Chili Sauce (28oz)

Sriracha is made from sun ripen chilies which are ground into a smooth paste along with garlic and packaged in a convenient squeeze bottle. It is excellent in soups, sauces, pastas, pizzas, hot dogs, hamburgers, chowmein or on anything else to give it a delicious, spicy taste. Like all our sauces, we use only the highest quality ingredients and never any artificial colors or flavorings.

Price:

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Huy Fong - Sriracha Hot Chili Sauce 17 Oz.

The Huy Fong Sriracha hot chili sauce 17 ounces is made from sun ripen chilies which are ground into a smooth paste along with garlic and packaged in a convenient squeeze bottle.This product is guaranteed to be made with only the highest quality ingredients and contains no artificial colors or flavorings.

Price:

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Homemade Chili Oil

I've been on a spicy food kick lately, more than usual, mostly from recipe testing for my cookbook. Many of my meals end up being all heat, such as dan dan noodles and spicy stir-fried shrimp with a dollop of kimchi on the side (I keep a jar in the fridge just to satisfy kimchi cravings, not for recipe testing). But, I rationalize, the more spicy food you eat, the more tolerance for spicy food you build up. So I'm actually bettering myself every day. And that's what January is all about. 

Two weeks ago I found myself needing chili oil, on one of those snowy, slushy, windy days that we in the Northeast have been seeing too many of. Chinatown and Sunset Park were too far just for one item, and for some reason neither of the two supermarkets by my apartment had chili oil in stock. I've previously made chili oil in small batches just to use for a specific meal, but decided it would be as good a time as any to make enough for a bottle.

So here's a recipe to try if you, like me, can't find chili oil near your house or just want to have the good homemade stuff without any preservatives. You'll need just 3 ingredients: some peanut oil, sesame oil, and dried red chili flakes (or chopped dried red peppers). You'll also need an oil thermometer (if you have a candy/oil thermometer, you're golden) and a small, heavy-bottomed pot or pan. I use about a third of a cup of dried red chili flakes, which makes a medium-spicy oil that takes a second for your tongue to register, but feel free to adjust the amount to your liking. 

You can also try this homemade chili sauce and chili bean sauce, two of the backbones of Sichuan and Hunan cooking.

(Below) Red chili flakes begin to foam.

_________________________

Homemade Chili Oil

Makes 1 cup chili oil

3/4 cup peanut oil
1/4 cup sesame oil
1/3 cup dried red chili flakes

1. Heat the peanut oil and sesame oil in a small, heavy-bottomed sauce pot until your instant-read oil thermometer registers between 225°F and 250°F. Stir in the chili flakes (they should be foaming a little). Remove the pot from the heat and let sit at room temperature for at least 2 hours, or ideally overnight for the chili flavors to infuse.

2. Strain the oil through a fine-mesh strainer and discard the red pepper flakes. Store the chili oil in a clean bottle. The oil will keep for a few months if you store it in a cool, dark spot.

_________________________

Related recipes:

Homemade Chili Sauce and Chili Bean Sauce

Hot and Sour Chicken Noodle Soup 

Spicy Chicken with Black Bean Sauce

Twice-Cooked Pork

Mapo Tofu

View the original article here

Chinese Burmese Chili Chicken

Almost every omnivore in the U.S. goes wild for chicken wings. Juicy meat, glistening skin that can be roasted, grilled or fried...what's not to love? Yet very few of us seem to feel the same about chicken thighs or chicken legs. Last July, when every store in my Brooklyn neighbordhood was out of chicken wings, I had no trouble finding abundant supplies of fresh, organic chicken legs for less than $2 a pound. 

A recent article in Slate about the U.S. needing new markets for exporting dark chicken meat  made me ponder (again) why we are a nation of wings and chicken breast lovers who toss or export the rest of the bird. You can't find more polar opposites, as far as chicken parts go, than wings and chicken breast. One is all skin and rich dark meat that oozes flavor, the other is lean and frankly, rather bland on its own.

While I like chicken breast in chicken noodle soup and some stir-fries, it's rather boring compared with dark meat and shines only when paired with tastier ingredients. You can't just rub a skinless chicken breast with olive oil and pepper and salt, stick it in the oven, and call it good. 

I guess wings get a free pass because it's bar food, party food, or summer cook-out food, often eaten while chatting with friends or watching a game on TV. But for entrees, subject to more scrutiny, we seem to steer overwhelmingly toward chicken breast. Is it health concerns? Skinless dark meat has only a smidgen more calories and fat than chicken breast. Is it ease of preparation? Many stores sell skinless and boneless dark meat, and you can stir-fry or braise it with ease. And maybe it's just because I live in New York, but chicken breast also seems to cost about three times as much as chicken legs or thighs.

Chicken breast can be great in a number of things (heck, I have a good handful of recipes on this site that call for it). But I'll make it my mission today to be a cheerleader for dark meat. Please, have it for dinner some time this week! Your taste buds, wallet, and eventually the American poultry industry (including the small producers), will thank you. 

One dish you can make, a very easy stir-fry that I also recently tried, is the Chinese Burmese Chili Chicken from Grace Young's Stir-Frying to the Sky's Edge. It's a great cookbook focusing on stir-frying techniques that's easy enough for beginners and in-depth enough to keep more experienced cooks entralled. What drew me most to the book is that Grace includes cross-cultural recipes such as Chinese Trinidadian Stir-fried Shrimp with Rum and Peruvian lomo saltado, which show how stir-frying has infiltrated every country that has become home to a large number of Chinese immigrants. 

Although the recipe can be made with both boneless chicken thigh or breast, using dark meat produces a noticeably juicier finished dish. I love the use of cumin, paprika, and chili, which add a smoky dimension that reminds me of a combination of Xinjiang and Hunan cooking. (I substituted a jalapeño pepper for Anaheim chili because it was easier to find, which also increased the spiciness.) And zucchini! The zucchini soaks up the sauce like a sponge and becomes as tender and flavorful as the chicken.

If any dish will convince you of how well dark meat works in stir-fries, this will. 

____________________________________

Chinese Burmese Chili Chicken

Adapted from Stir-frying to the Sky's Edge by Grace Young

Serves 4

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thigh or breast, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 tablespoon peanut or vegetable oil, for cooking
1 medium yellow onion, cut into large dice
2 teaspoons minced ginger
2 teaspoons minced garlic
2 medium red bell peppers, cut into 1-inch squares
1 jalapeno pepper, thinly sliced
1 medium zucchini, halved lengthwise and each half thinly sliced

For the marinade:
1 tablespoon peanut or vegetable oil
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

For the sauce:
1/2 teaspoon cornstarch
2 teaspoons paprika
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 tablespoons fish sauce

1/4 teaspoon salt

1. Marinate the chicken: in a medium bowl, mix together 1 tablespoon of the oil, 1 teaspoon of the cornstarch, 1/2 teaspoon of the salt, and the pepper. Add the chicken and coat well with the marinade mixture. Let stand while you prepare the other ingredients.

2. In a small bowl mix the remaining 1/2 teaspoon of cornstarch with 1/3 cup of cold water until the cornstarch is dissolved.  In another small bowl combine the paprika, cumin, and cayenne pepper.

3. Heat a wok over high heat and swirl in the 1 tablespoon of cooking oil. Add the onions and stir-fry for 1 minute, until the edges of the onions begin to crisp. Push the onions to the sides of the wok and add the chicken, spreading it evenly in one layer. Allow the chicken to sear undisturbed for 1 minute. Stir-fry for another minute, until the outsides have turned white. Add the ginger, garlic, and paprika mixture and stir-fry for 30 seconds, or until the aromatics are fragrant and the chicken is well-coated with the spices. 

4. Add the bell peppers, zucchini, and chilis. Drizzle in the fish sauce and the 1/4 teaspoon of salt for the sauce. Restir the cornstarch mixture and pour it into the wok, stirring until everything is well-coated. Stir-fry for another minute, until the chicken is cooked through. Transfer to a plate and serve. 

____________________________________ 

More Chinese chicken recipes:

General Tso's Chicken

Three Cup Chicken

Kung Pao Chicken

Honey Soy Chicken Wings

Lemon Chicken

Sichuan-Style Chicken Noodle Soup

View the original article here

Yeo's Malaysian Sweet chili sauce - 6.7 oz x 2 bottles

We describe the flavor as a delicious barbeque sauce with mild heat, a cross between ketchup, tabasco and sweet & sour sauce. Inspired as a Malaysian flavor, beautiful deep red color and great consistency (a bit thicker than ketchup), you will certainly enjoy it. Product of Malaysia.

Price:

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Pantainorasingh brand Thai Sweet Chili Sauce for Spring Rolls - 9.6 oz x 3 bottles

The perfect condiment for dipping any kind of spring rolls, and/or Thai fish cakes. Also a great dipping sauce for barbeque chicken, this is a thinner sauce than our sweet chili sauce for chicken. Packed in a glass bottle. No preservatives and no artificial coloring. Product of Thailand.

Price:

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Chili Garlic Sauce Huy Fong 8 Oz

Chili Garlic Sauce:-Huy Fong, Rooster logo, Chili Garlic Sauce is a tempting blend of coarsely ground chilies and garlic.The delicious flavor of the sauce complements everything from a cracker to poultry to soups. It has a full-bodied flavor that will make your mouth water. Some uses for the sauce include topping pizzas, marinating meat, adding heat to chilies and soups, and spicing up salsas. It has a full-bodied flavor that will make your mouth water. Characterized by the clear plastic bottles, green caps, and Rooster logo

Price:

Click here to buy from Amazon

Huy Fong - Sriracha Hot Chili Sauce (Net Wt. 28 Oz.)

Huy Fong - Sriracha Hot Chili Sauce

Price:

Click here to buy from Amazon

Chinese Burmese Chili Chicken

Almost every omnivore in the U.S. goes wild for chicken wings. Juicy meat, glistening skin that can be roasted, grilled or fried...what's not to love? Yet very few of us seem to feel the same about chicken thighs or chicken legs. Last July, when every store in my Brooklyn neighbordhood was out of chicken wings, I had no trouble finding abundant supplies of fresh, organic chicken legs for less than $2 a pound. 

A recent article in Slate about the U.S. needing new markets for exporting dark chicken meat  made me ponder (again) why we are a nation of wings and chicken breast lovers who toss or export the rest of the bird. You can't find more polar opposites, as far as chicken parts go, than wings and chicken breast. One is all skin and rich dark meat that oozes flavor, the other is lean and frankly, rather bland on its own.

While I like chicken breast in chicken noodle soup and some stir-fries, it's rather boring compared with dark meat and shines only when paired with tastier ingredients. You can't just rub a skinless chicken breast with olive oil and pepper and salt, stick it in the oven, and call it good. 

I guess wings get a free pass because it's bar food, party food, or summer cook-out food, often eaten while chatting with friends or watching a game on TV. But for entrees, subject to more scrutiny, we seem to steer overwhelmingly toward chicken breast. Is it health concerns? Skinless dark meat has only a smidgen more calories and fat than chicken breast. Is it ease of preparation? Many stores sell skinless and boneless dark meat, and you can stir-fry or braise it with ease. And maybe it's just because I live in New York, but chicken breast also seems to cost about three times as much as chicken legs or thighs.

Chicken breast can be great in a number of things (heck, I have a good handful of recipes on this site that call for it). But I'll make it my mission today to be a cheerleader for dark meat. Please, have it for dinner some time this week! Your taste buds, wallet, and eventually the American poultry industry (including the small producers), will thank you. 

One dish you can make, a very easy stir-fry that I also recently tried, is the Chinese Burmese Chili Chicken from Grace Young's Stir-Frying to the Sky's Edge. It's a great cookbook focusing on stir-frying techniques that's easy enough for beginners and in-depth enough to keep more experienced cooks entralled. What drew me most to the book is that Grace includes cross-cultural recipes such as Chinese Trinidadian Stir-fried Shrimp with Rum and Peruvian lomo saltado, which show how stir-frying has infiltrated every country that has become home to a large number of Chinese immigrants. 

Although the recipe can be made with both boneless chicken thigh or breast, using dark meat produces a noticeably juicier finished dish. I love the use of cumin, paprika, and chili, which add a smoky dimension that reminds me of a combination of Xinjiang and Hunan cooking. (I substituted a jalapeño pepper for Anaheim chili because it was easier to find, which also increased the spiciness.) And zucchini! The zucchini soaks up the sauce like a sponge and becomes as tender and flavorful as the chicken.

If any dish will convince you of how well dark meat works in stir-fries, this will. 

____________________________________

Chinese Burmese Chili Chicken

Adapted from Stir-frying to the Sky's Edge by Grace Young

Serves 4

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thigh or breast, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 tablespoon peanut or vegetable oil, for cooking
1 medium yellow onion, cut into large dice
2 teaspoons minced ginger
2 teaspoons minced garlic
2 medium red bell peppers, cut into 1-inch squares
1 jalapeno pepper, thinly sliced
1 medium zucchini, halved lengthwise and each half thinly sliced

For the marinade:
1 tablespoon peanut or vegetable oil
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

For the sauce:
1/2 teaspoon cornstarch
2 teaspoons paprika
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 tablespoons fish sauce

1/4 teaspoon salt

1. Marinate the chicken: in a medium bowl, mix together 1 tablespoon of the oil, 1 teaspoon of the cornstarch, 1/2 teaspoon of the salt, and the pepper. Add the chicken and coat well with the marinade mixture. Let stand while you prepare the other ingredients.

2. In a small bowl mix the remaining 1/2 teaspoon of cornstarch with 1/3 cup of cold water until the cornstarch is dissolved.  In another small bowl combine the paprika, cumin, and cayenne pepper.

3. Heat a wok over high heat and swirl in the 1 tablespoon of cooking oil. Add the onions and stir-fry for 1 minute, until the edges of the onions begin to crisp. Push the onions to the sides of the wok and add the chicken, spreading it evenly in one layer. Allow the chicken to sear undisturbed for 1 minute. Stir-fry for another minute, until the outsides have turned white. Add the ginger, garlic, and paprika mixture and stir-fry for 30 seconds, or until the aromatics are fragrant and the chicken is well-coated with the spices. 

4. Add the bell peppers, zucchini, and chilis. Drizzle in the fish sauce and the 1/4 teaspoon of salt for the sauce. Restir the cornstarch mixture and pour it into the wok, stirring until everything is well-coated. Stir-fry for another minute, until the chicken is cooked through. Transfer to a plate and serve. 

____________________________________ 

More Chinese chicken recipes:

General Tso's Chicken

Three Cup Chicken

Kung Pao Chicken

Honey Soy Chicken Wings

Lemon Chicken

Sichuan-Style Chicken Noodle Soup

View the original article here

Wild Thymes Thai Chili Roasted Garlic Dipping Sauce

This perfectly balanced and versatile dipping sauce is the ultimate treat for those who enjoy the combination of garlic, hot peppers and a sweet base. Enjoy it as a dipping sauce for seafood, pork or chicken or use it as a base for a glaze for poultry, fish or pork. Use it as a sandwich spread or add it to your favorite sauce to add an extra kick! No fat, gluten or cholesterol. Low in salt. 100% natural & Kosher.

Price:

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Chili Crab (Crab in Sour and Spicy Sauce)

January 30th, 2011 | Chinese, Chinese Recipes, Malaysian Recipes, Singaporean Recipes | No Comments

Sour and Spicy Crab (???) pictures (1 of 5)

We will be leaving for Malaysia to celebrate Chinese New Year tomorrow morning. Before I leave, I feel obliged to share a very delicious recipe with you, so here is my crab in sour and spicy sauce (???), or known as “chili crab” in Singapore. The timing couldn’t be better as Chinese (Lunar) New Year is just a few days away and I am sure many of you are scouring the web for a great recipe to share with the family.

I have an equally tasty home-style chili crab recipe (my late mother’s recipe) but this rendition with the eggy, sweet, sour, and spicy sauce is perfect for entertaining guests or simply when you want to have a crab feast. The sauce pairs beautifully with Chinese mantou—steamed or fried—as the bun sops up the scrumptious and addictive spicy and sour sauce. I prefer the soft and puffy steamed buns…

I made this for my good friends E and N last weekend and they practically begged me to share the recipe. I took them to the Asian market and got them the “starter kit” or ingredients to prepare this dish. For the crab, we are lucky as Dungeness crab is in season and the market will clean and cut it up for you. Save the shell and pick out the tamale or mustard inside the shell. Add them in the sauce and you will be rewarded with a richly flavorful sauce that you just can’t stop eating. You can also prepare this dish with mud crab, blue swimmer crab, or stone crab but I just love the fleshy Dungeness crab.

Enjoy!

Chili Crab (Crab in Sour and Spicy Sauce) Recipe

Ingredients:

2 – 2.5 lb Dungeness crab
3 tablespoons oil
3 garlic, minced
1 inch ginger, peeled and minced
1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch + 2 tablespoons water (mix well)
1 egg, beaten
Salt to taste
12 steamed buns or mantou

Sour and Spicy Sauce

5 tablespoons ketchup
5 tablespoons Lingham’s Hot Sauce
1 heaping tablespoon oyster sauce
1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine
1/2 teaspoon Chinese rice vinegar or lime juice to taste
1 cup water

Method:

Clean the crab and cut into 6 pieces, drain the crab and discard the water seeping out of the crab. Pick out the tamale (or mustard) inside the crab shell, set aside. Discard the shell.

Mix all the ingredients in the Sour and Spicy Sauce in a small bowl. Set aside.

Heat up a wok and add the oil. When the oil is heated, add the minced garlic and ginger and stir fry until aromatic or when they turn slightly brown. Add the crab and the tamale into the wok, stirring for about 10 seconds. Add the Sour and Spicy Sauce, stir to blend well with the crab. Cover the wok with its lid and let cook for about 4-5 minutes.

Uncover the wok and slowly add the cornstarch mixture into the sauce. Stir the sauce until it thickens. Add the egg into the sauce and stir a few times so the egg is distributed evenly in the sauce. Cook for another 30 seconds or so, add salt to taste if needed. Dish out and serve immediately with the steaming hot buns.

Cook’s Notes:

If you can’t find Chinese steamed buns where you are, you can try out this recipe by Almost Bourdain.I strongly recommend Lingham’s Hot Sauce for the best result. You can purchase it online at AsianSupermarket365.com.If you can’t find Lingham’s Hot Sauce, you can make this dish with Sriracha but do adjust the quantity according to your taste as Sriracha is very spicy. If you use Sriracha, do add sugar into the sauce.

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