Chicken and snow peas

I still had uncooked chicken breast left over from last night's visit to The Great Wall (My favorite Chinese supermarket--the only one near me as well.). While there, I saw some snow peas on sale, so I picked some up. Well, tonight I decided to try a chicken and snow peas dish. I knew I had most of what I needed in the cupboard already, so I did a quick internet search on snow peas and came upon a recipe for stir-fry beef and snow peas here: http://startcooking.com/blog/423/How-to-Cook-With-Snow-Peas. I got the basic idea and went to improvising. Ginger and soy sauce are a well known Chinese duo. The following is what I did.

Soy Sauce (1/4 cup)

Ginger/Garlic paste (2-3 cloves of garlic crushed and fresh grated ginger 1:1.5 parts, respectively)

Sesame oil 1/2 tsp.

White vinegar 1 tbsp. (Rice wine or vinegar is suggested, but I didn't have it.)

a shallot (well-diced)

tsp. of white sugar

2 tbsp. of vegetable oil

tsp. of cornstarch

1/2 cup of water

1 1/2 pounds of chicken breast (cut up into chunks)

tsp. of salt

snow peas (didn't weigh them, about 2 1/2 handfuls--sorry about that!)

I combined and the soy sauce, garlic, ginger, shallot, sugar, vinegar and sesame oil together in a bowl. I then coated my large, deep skillet with the vegetable oil and kicked on the flame. The chicken was cut up, salted and waiting already. The boys were washing the snow peas, so all systems were go. I added the mixture to skillet and sauteed it until fragrant. I dropped in the chicken and "stir-fried" that a bit. Once coated and starting to cook, I added the water and continued cooking. When all was properly cooked, I added the corn starch to thicken things up and then the snow peas. I mixed the peas into the chicken, cooking for a few minutes, then covered it all and let it steam for a few minutes. Voila! Served it over jasmine rice.

My wife thought it delicious! However, she loves me. I thought it could use more--more of everything. I could probably have doubled it all (except for the chicken and snow peas) and made it better. Next time I'll add peppers and water chestnuts as well. That said, it was pretty good.

Thai Red Curry (My Variation)

Southeast Asia has been referred to as Indo-China in the past. One of the reasons is geography and the other is cultural. The influences of both India and China are evident, especially in the cooking. There is an Indian recipe I enjoy, Kozhi Moilee, from the previously mentioned book: Indian in 6 by Monisha Bharadwaj. It is a curry chicken recipe that employs coconut milk--very tasty! Thai red curry is similar, with exceptions, of course. The key difference between the two is the use of Thai red curry paste, and the use of ginger-garlic paste in the Indian recipe. There are ingredients that are particular to S.E. Asia, like galangal (which is ginger-like), fish sauce, kaffir lime leaves, Thai eggplants and Thai basil. I've combined the two styles, employed substitutions where necessary, and come up with a tasty version that is probably more Thai than Indian.

For the record, I did try to find to obtain all the original ingredients. I tried raising Thai Eggplant on my balcony, however, a spider mite infestation and the weather have frustrated my efforts thus far. It looks like I might get one eggplant before the first frost. I used chinese eggplants instead. I found galangal at my favorite chinese supermarket--The Great Wall--but it was in powdered form, so I stuck to Ms. Bharadwaj's ginger-garlic paste. I have been unable to obtain Holy Basil, as thai basil is referred to, but the growing season was much kinder to the sweet basil on my balcony, which is an acceptable substitute in thai cooking.

What I used:

1 1/2 pounds of chicken breast (cut into chunks)

3 cloves of garlic (crushed) and a 4" piece of ginger (grated) to make "ginger-garlic paste"

a can of coconut milk (12 oz., I believe)

Roland's Red Curry Paste (found it at the supermarket downstairs!)

a handful of basil leaves (chopped)

Fish sauce (about 1 1/2 tbsp.'s)

2 tbsp. cooking oil

2 diced shallots (an onion can be used)

2 chinese eggplants (cut into chunks)

1 cup of water

salt (for sprinkling on the eggplants to reduce bitterness)

a can of tomatos however you like 'em--whole, crushed, diced, etc... (from the Indian recipe also)

chillie peppers--if you like them 'cause you'll get a bit of spice from the ginger

I added some ground black pepper from my peppermill--always looking for an excuse to use it!

The process is as follows, add oil to a large, deep, skillet, which I am blessed to have, then add garlic-ginger paste, diced shallots and sautee briefly. When they become fragrant, add tomatoes, eggplant (previously salted and rinsed to reduce bitterness), chillies, red curry paste and fish sauce and sautee further. Once all is coated, add water. We are pausing between steps to allow the ingredients to combine and become infused with one another. When the water begins to bubble, add the coconut milk. Once these are combined and bubbling, you are prepared to add the chicken. Naturally, stir it about, see that it is all mixing and cooking. Add a little black pepper, if you like as it cooks. Lower heat to a moderate flame and stir occassionally. The chicken should cook fairly quickly, say 15 minutes or so. Add the basil at the end, like once it is cooked, and mix it in. Let it cool for a few minutes while the basil too infuses and serve over jasmine rice (You don't need a recipe for that, just buy the rice and follow the directions.).

Note: Fish sauce smells funny. It is made mostly of anchovies. Usually, I would never eat such a thing, but it really works in this recipe, as well as making up for not needing to add salt. Have faith and get past the smell and thoughts.

Taco carts

I haven't done as much culinary exploring as I'd like, but in Queens exploring isn't hard. One thing I've done is explore some of the Mexican food carts. It's very convenient. There are two right at my train station: 61st and Woodside, on the #7 line. A taco on tortillas runs a mere two dollars. It comes with two tortillas and enough filling for two--most of the time. Quesadillas are about three dollars. Both are delicious! This stuff is spicy--some are spicier than others, and the preparers are willing to moderate the heat. I encourage folks to try it out. These carts are not in the most appealing of locations being by the elevated trains, but if you can get past the ambience the food is good, authentic and cheap! Embrace the heat!

I'm back!

Those few still reading might have noticed that my entries ahve been few and far between. I just handed in my last assignment for my first college degree the night before last. Between school, work and looking after my family and community, it's a wonder I could think of anything else. Why I should've begun this project in the middle of all that is hard to say. It's still a good idea. I have done a little interesting eating here and there, but nothing to what I would've preferred. Still it's hard to eat dull food. I have also changed the deal a bit. Not only have I maintained an interest in food, but I have begun more health conscious and lost about thirty pounds! I estimate that I still need to lose at least 20-25 more pounds. The great thing is that there is no reason why a person cannot enjoy good food and still be a healthy weight. My little weight loss journey may be the source of future writing, but it's not done yet, so now I'll stick to food.

The latest experiment has been with granola, or rather making it. My mother used to make a mean granola trail mix, which was really quite enjoyable. I needed something nutritous and energy boosting after bike rides to work. There are numerous recipes for it online. Here I shall give my generic version, which is pretty standard. This idea is to add whatever you like. Its got whole grain, nuts, and you can control the content--especially with respect to sugar and fats. It's wonderfully simple and wonderfully flexible. As usual, I will not give you too many measurements--they are unnecessary in a case like this when what you like and actually will eat is more important.

2-3 cups of Old-Fashioned Oats (not minute oats)
brown sugar (to taste)
honey (to taste, of course, and maple syrup, or agave nectar works too.)
oil (which ever you prefer--experiment, I used soybean oil)
raw sunflower seeds
raw almonds (blanched, peeled, and sliced)
vanilla extract (1/2 tsp.)
cinammon (according to preference)
raisins (as many as you want)

This is a short list. You could add all kinds of things: peanuts, carob chips, dates, apricots, apples, currants, etc... Essentially you combined and mix the dry ingredients (except dry fruit) and wet ingredients separately, and then join and mix together. Place it in the oven in a Pyrex dish at about 300 degrees for about 30 minutes. Stir the mixture about halfway through. Allow it to cool some, then add the dry fruit and carob chips, if you wish. You've made granola! Enjoy with yogurt, as a cereal, or just as it is.