thai ginger chicken

it's been a looonnnng time since my last post. maybe it was a new comment on one of my previous posts i received today that prompted me to post today's blog. i dunno. anyways, i tried this recipe which i culled from the April 2006 issue of Real Simple. although i felt the only thing "thai" about this dish was perhaps the coconut milk and the spicy jalapenos, and even though there wasn't really a strong ginger flavor to the dish, it is one that i would probably make again. at least my husband says he'd have it again :)

here's the original recipe:

Thai Ginger Chicken


1 bunch fresh cilantro, stems removed
3 jalapenos, seeded and chopped
1 2-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and thinly sliced
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, sliced
1 small eggplant, quartered lengthwise and sliced 1/2 inch crosswise
2 13.5 ounce cans unsweetened coconut milk
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, 1/2 inch thick
2 cups cooked white rice

1 Place cilantro, jalapenos, ginger, and 1 tablespoon of the oil in a food processor and pulse until combined.

2 Heat the remaining oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and eggplant and cook until softened, about 5 minutes.

3 Add the coconut milk, soy sauce and 1/2 teaspoon of the salt. Bring to a simmer.

4 Add the reserved cilantro mixture, the remaining salt, and the chicken. Simmer gently until the chicken is cooked through and the sauce thickens slightly, about 7 minutes.

5 Serve over the rice.


my variation:

~ i used frozen chicken tenders instead of chicken breasts, heating the chicken tenders in my saucepan to basically thaw them out before cutting them into 1/2 inch pieces and adding them to the coconut milk mixture. not sure if i used exactly 1 pound of chicken, it was as many chicken tenders as my 13.5-inch saucepan could hold, about 12 pieces. and i used only 1 13.5oz can of coconut milk, which seemed to work with the rest of the ingredients.

~ i also used 2 small zucchini instead of the eggplant. and i served the chicken over brown rice. yum!

~ for vegetarians, i bet substituting tofu for the chicken would work, too!

p.s. this dish tasted even better the next day!

4.24.2009 update ~ more variations:

~ substitute Thai basil for cilantro

~ add 5 to 8 Tbsp green curry paste (depending on your desired spice level) to onions when sauteing

~ use 1/2 a small head of cabbage, chopped, instead of eggplant or zucchini

matzo balls

i made matzo balls for the first time last night with store-bought Manischewitz Matzo Ball Mix. placed the cooked matzo balls in a vegetable chicken broth and they were yummy.



then i went online afterward to do some reading on what to do with leftover matzo balls and came across this really great post Cooking Live with Slashfood: Matzo Ball Soup. you know there are some posts that just make you want to read them because of the way they are written and laid out and photographed, etc. this one was one of them. great how-to post that i had to bookmark here for later use.

well, here are some ideas for leftover cooked matzo balls:

* slice the leftover matzo balls and fry in oil
* Coconut & Lime advises to store cooked matzo balls separately from broth so they don't soak up too much liquid and fall apart
* Gail Simmons says cooked matzo balls can be kept in an airtight container for up to 2 days
* Norene Gilletz shares her secret: matzo balls can be cooked in advance and frozen in chicken soup; or freeze them on a cookie sheet until firm then transfer to freezer bags and store in freezer, then reheat frozen matzo balls in soup when needed

Jamaican Jerk Chicken

i recently received a recipe for jerk chicken from my friend Betty, which sparked my interest in researching about jerk seasonings. from a Wikipedia article i learned that jerk "is a style of cooking native to Jamaica in which meats (traditionally pork, but now including chicken, fish, beef and even tofu) are dry-rubbed with a fiery spice mixture called Jamaican jerk spice. Jerk seasoning principally relies upon two items: allspice (Jamaican Pimento) and Scotch Bonnet peppers (among the hottest peppers on the Scoville scale). other ingredients include cloves, cinnamon, scallions, Todd (elm cultivar), nutmeg, thyme, garlic, which is mixed together to form a marinade which is rubbed onto pork, chicken, or fish."

a search online led me to this recipe for Jamaican Jerk Chicken. i adapted the two recipes i had on hand and the result is pictured below:



a mildly tangy and spicy moist baked chicken dish, which i served over brown rice and accompanied with a green salad. i'd like to try a dry rub recipe next time to see which i prefer. and maybe use tofu instead. my adapted recipe follows.

Jamaican Jerk Chicken

4 to 6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Kosher salt

JERK SEASONING
1 habanero pepper – seeded and chopped
(I used 1 tsp of crushed red pepper instead)
½ medium onion – finely chopped

2 tsp ground allspice
2 tsp ground thyme
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp ground sage
½ tsp ground nutmeg
½ tsp ground cinnamon
2 tsp garlic powder (or fresh garlic)
2 Tbsp brown sugar

¼ cup apple cider vinegar
½ cup orange juice
juice of 1 lime

¼ cup olive oil

RELISH
1 small red onion – finely diced
1 small cucumber – peeled and finely diced
1 tsp sugar
2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar

1 Rinse chicken and pat dry. Trim off excess fat. With a sharp knife, make several slits in each piece of chicken. Sprinkle generously with Kosher salt and rub salt into chicken.

2 In a large bowl, combine allspice, thyme, cayenne pepper, black pepper, sage, nutmeg, cinnamon, garlic powder and brown sugar. Mix well with a wire whisk.

3 Combine cider vinegar, orange juice and lime juice in a measuring cup.

4 Slowly add the olive oil and vinegar juice mixture into the spices, whisking with a wire whisk. Add the habanero pepper and onion. Mix well.

5 Add the chicken breasts, cover and marinate for at least 1 hour in refrigerator, longer if possible.

6 Combine all relish ingredients and refrigerate.

7 Heat oven to 375˚. Place chicken in pyrex baking dish. Spoon some of the marinade on top of the chicken. Bake chicken 25 minutes or until fully cooked. (Or heat grill to medium-high, remove breasts from marinade and grill chicken 6 minutes each side or until fully cooked. Baste with marinade while grilling.)

8 Serve chicken with brown rice topped with relish. Accompany with green salad (romaine, cilantro, roma tomato, avocado, and lime juice vinaigrette).

Note: Habanero peppers (also known as Scotch Bonnet peppers) are the hottest of the capsicum peppers! Substitute Serranos or Thai Bird Chiles if you can't find them.

roast chicken

babe roast chic 02
Originally uploaded by babe_kl.

a good roast chicken recipe to note.

Indian food rocks

i totally agree!!! found this blog Indian Food Rocks while surveying my blog links, and just had to make mention. great recipes, too! i'm very keen on trying the Spicy Jeera Chicken some time.