Steamed Chicken

Preparation Time: 10 minutes

Cooking Time: 25 minutes

 

Ingredients

• 3 (900g) chicken thigh pieces
• 3 (350g) chicken drumsticks
• 3 (330g) chicken wings
• 2 chicken breast fillets

Method

1.      Wash the chicken pieces and pat dry with paper towel.

2.      Stack two 25cm (10 inch) bamboo steamers in a wok and add enough water to the wok so that the water reaches just below the bottom steamer. Bring the water to the boil. Divide the chicken thigh pieces, drumsticks and wings evenly among the steamers leaving enough room for the chicken breast fillets in the top steamer. Cover with the lid. Steam the chicken pieces for 5 minutes then add the breast fillets to the top steamer and cover. Steam for a further 20 minutes, turning the chicken pieces once during cooking. To test the chicken, pierce the thickest part of the pieces with a skewer. If the juices run clear, the chicken is cooked. Slice the breast fillets. Serve immediately on individual plates or from the bamboo steamers with the ginger garlic dipping sauce, steamed rice and wok-fried Asian greens.

Notes

·         The method of cooking chicken pieces in a bamboo steamer results in deliciously tender meat. Although you can also use a stainless steel steamer, the bamboo seems to impart a unique moistness to the chicken. Arrange the chicken neatly in the bamboo steamer. It can then be brought direct from the cooktop to the table and used as an authentic serving dish (don't forget to place it on an underplate).

Cantonese Steamed Chicken

Chinese dried black mushrooms add an earthy flavor to this easy to make steamed chicken dish. A good choice for family meals.
Serves 3 to 4

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 45 minutes

Ingredients:

• 4 - 6 medium sized Chinese dried mushrooms (reserve 1 tablespoon soaking liquid)
• 1 1/2 pounds assorted chicken pieces, bone-in
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• Pepper, to taste
• 1 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce (4 1/2 teaspoons)
• 1 tablespoon Chinese rice wine or dry sherry
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• 1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 2 slices ginger, shredded (about 1 tablespoon)
• 1 green onion (spring onion, scallion), diced

Preparation:

Soak the dried mushrooms in a bowl of warm water for 20 minutes, or until they have softened. Squeeze out the excess water, cut the stems off the mushrooms and thinly slice. Reserve 1 tablespoon of the mushroom soaking liquid.

Use a heavy cleaver to chop the chicken through the bone into bite-sized pieces. Place in a heatproof bowl and add the salt, pepper, soy sauce, rice wine or sherry, sugar, sesame oil, reserved mushroom liquid and cornstarch. Allow to marinate while bringing water to a boil for steaming.

Place the bowl on a rack in a pot for steaming or in a steamer such as a bamboo steamer in a wok. Place the chicken pieces in the middle of the plate and surround with the mushrooms. Sprinkle the shredded ginger and green onion over top. Steam the chicken over boiling water for 15 - 20 minutes, making sure it is thoroughly cooked. Serve over rice.

Fattoush Salad

Fattoush salad is a great mix of fresh vegetables, a bright dressing, and pieces of crisp pita bread. Add feta cheese, olives, pepperoncini, and other flavorful items at will. Easy, light, yet filling - it's a great addition to grilled dinners or as a light dinner all on its own.

Fattoush salad is endlessly flexible. Use the formula below (with its many options) as a starting point. Tweak, add, and subtract ingredients depending on that magical combination of your taste and what's in your kitchen.

I like to use Lemon Garlic Vinaigrette for this salad, but feel free to apply whatever lemony dressing you like.

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes

Yield: 4 to 6 servings

Ingredients:

• 2 to 4 pita breads
• 1 tsp. cumin seeds (optional)
• 1 head romaine lettuce
• 1/2 red onion
• 4 tomatoes
• 1 cucumber
• 1 cup mint leaves (optional)
• 1/2 cup cilantro leaves (optional)
• 1/2 to 1 cup flat-leaf parsley leaves (optional)
• 3 to 4 Tbsp. Lemon Garlic Vinaigrette or similar salad dressing
• 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese (optional)
• 12 to 24 Kalamata or similar black olives (optional)
• Tahini (sesame paste) for drizzling (optional)
• Garlic Yogurt Dressing for drizzling (optional)

Preparation:

1.   Toast pita breads, cool, and break into bite-size pieces. Set aside.

2.   If using cumin, heat a small frying pan over medium-high heat and toast cumin seeds until fragrant, about 1 minute. Let seeds cool and crush lightly in a mortar and pestle or with the bottom of a small frying pan. Set aside. (See How to Toast Cumin Seeds.)

3.   Tear or chop lettuce into bite-size pieces, wash and dry lettuce, put leaves in a very large bowl.

4.   Thinly slice red onion and add to lettuce.

5.   Chop tomatoes and add to lettuce.

6.   Peel cucumber, if you like. Cut in half lengthwise. Spoon out seeds, if you like, cut into thin half-moons, and add to lettuce.

7.   Cut mint into ribbons, chop cilantro and parsley, and add to lettuce.

8.   Add pita pieces to lettuce. Drizzle salad mixture with Lemon Garlic Vinaigrette and toss thoroughly.

9.   Divide salad between serving plates to arrange on a large platter. Top with crumbled feta cheese and olives, if you like. Drizzle with tahini and/or Garlic Yogurt Dressing, if you like. Sprinkle with reserved toasted, ground cumin seeds, if you like.

Makes 4 to 6 servings Fattoush Salad.

Wazzu Tailgate Chili

Ingredients

• 1 pound ground beef                                       
• 1 pound ground pork
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large onion, chopped, divided
• 1 green bell pepper, chopped
• 1 habanero peppers, seeded and minced
• 2 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 tablespoons chopped green onion
• 3 (15 ounce) cans chili beans
• 1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes
• 1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
• 1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
• 1 (12 ounce) bottle lager-style beer
• 2 tablespoons cornmeal
• 1 cup water
• 1/4 cup chili powder
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground black pepper
• 1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

Directions

1. Cook ground beef and pork in a large skillet over medium-high heat until the meat is crumbly, evenly browned, and no longer pink. Drain and discard any excess grease.
2. Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Stir in 3/4 of the onion and all of the green pepper, habanero pepper, jalapeno pepper, and garlic. Cook and stir until the onion has softened and turned translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir the drained meat into the onion mixture along with the green onion, chili beans, diced tomatoes, tomato paste, tomato sauce, beer, and water. Sprinkle with the cornmeal, then season with chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, salt, and black pepper.
3. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, then reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer at least 2 hours, stirring occasionally. Refrigerate overnight.
4. Reheat the chili over medium heat until it begins to simmer again. Top individual servings of chili with cheese and remaining chopped onion.

Finger-Licking Fried Chicken

Even though a fryer lives in our pantry, we don't bother. With techniques that are simple and are sure to produce perfect results each time...just make sure to lock the front door so you don't have neighbors following their noses into your kitchen!

Ingredients:

• 1 Tub of Crisco - (It was OK for Grandma... so it's ok for us, you can substitute a healthier alternative if you wish)
• Chicken - (We typically fry 10-12 pieces at a time, although you can use more or less, but you might need to adjust your oil level)
• 4 cups Rice Flour or AP Flour or Self-Rising Flour
• 3 Eggs
• 1/2 cup Water or Milk
• Salt, Pepper and Hot Sauce To Taste
• Paper Towels

Prepping The Chicken

Scrub and clean your kitchen sink. If you're doing a smaller amount of chicken, a large stock pot will work just fine, but we (as well as Grandma) are big believers in not dirtying a dish that we don't have to. Fill 1/2-3/4 of the way with cold water. We've even gone as far as to put ice cubes in. The cold will shock your chicken and help keep some of the juices in during the frying process. Start with room temperature chicken and allow to sit while you set up the dredging stations.
While chicken is taking a swim in its ice bath, add Crisco to a high sided pan and bring to 350 degrees. Now, Grandma uses an electric skillet and we've never been able to justify something we're pretty sure we'd only use for fried chicken, so we use a large skillet with 4" sides. We've also used stock pots, cast iron and Dutch oven style pots. So use what you have, even if that means using a sauce pan and frying one piece at a time! The amount needed will depend on the pan used. The ultimate goal is to have the oil come half way up your thickest piece of chicken. We typically put in 1/2 the container and go from there!
Lay two plates or baking dishes on the counter. Add flour to one (no need to season, it will come off during the frying process), and crack the eggs onto the other. Whisk eggs with a fork and add in water.
Take a piece of chicken out of the ice bath and shake it off and pat dry with a paper towel (we never actually use the towel, but Grandma did!). Lay it into the flour to cover, shake, and then drag it through the milk-egg mixture. Let any extra egg/milk mixture drain and place it back into the flour plate.
At this point in time, Grandma did all of her flouring and egging. She kept the chicken in a single layer on a separate plate while she completed the process. She always said it didn't have to be messier than it already was and we've since appreciated not having to worry about having one wet hand and one dry hand like other recipes tell you to do. Wash hands. Wash sink.

Frying The Chicken

Using tongs, place chicken into oil one piece at a time. Lay chicken in away from you just in case a splash occurs. Remember it isn't a race and crowding the pan isn't your friend. A good rule of thumb is to have at least an inch between all pieces of chicken in the pot. You need to be able to turn them without disturbing the other pieces!
Cover pan. Set timer for 6 minutes. Don't peek, don't sweat it... it will be ok. After 5 minutes, check the first piece of chicken added to the pot. Usually we find that an additional 2-3 minutes is ideal but checking at the 5 minute mark means no one's getting too crispy without your approval first. You want a goldeny-brown "typical" fried chicken color. Once that's achieved, flip the pieces over and salt and pepper the freshly fried side. It must be done quickly before the grease on top of the piece cools or dries. Do keep in mind each piece will darken slightly once it's out of the pan due to residual heat. Do not re-lid the pot after flipping chicken to the second side.
If after cooking on both sides the chicken isn't dark enough, you may continue flipping, but the longer it sits in the grease, the greasier it will be! So adjust your temperature or time as needed to try to cook only once on each side. 8 minutes per side is usually great.
Remove chicken from pan and place on paper towels. Even though our kitchens are trying to be more eco-friendly and paper towel-less, we still haven't found a good way around this step. We tried a drying rack, but it didn't wick extra grease out of the chicken the way the paper towels do.
Let cool and check internal temps if you have a concern about pieces being done all the way through, although after your first few pieces, you're sure to be able to eyeball when it's done.
After the meal has been put away, allow the Crisco to cool completely and remove it from the pan with a wooden spoon. The container it came in is a great vessel if it's headed to the trash!