Why do chicken and prawns go well together? They do don't they. Maybe because both are white meat, and both have approximately the same cooking time. Dishes that mix prawn and chicken are very common.
This Chinese Chicken and Prawn recipe makes 6 servings.
Ingredients:
2 large whole chicken breasts
500 g (1 lb) prawns, shelled
3 carrots
4 celery stalks
250 g (8 oz) mushrooms
1 bunch shallots
4 tablespoons peanut oil
1 clove garlic, halved
250 g (8 oz) snow peas
½ cup chicken stock
1 tablespoon corn flour
2 tablespoons dry sherry
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh ginger
Chinese noodles and vermicelli
Procedure
Remove chicken from bone and cut into 3cm (1 in) pieces. Cut prawns in half, lengthwise. Thinly slice carrots, celery and mushrooms. Cut shallots into 5cm (2 in) pieces.
Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil with garlic in a wok. Stir-fry chicken and prawns for 2 minutes, or until chicken is golden; push to one side.
Add remaining 2 tablespoons oil; add carrots, celery, mushrooms, shallots and snow peas; stir fry until vegetables are coated with oil.
Pour chicken stock into pan; cover, steam 5 minutes, or until vegetables are crispy tender.
Combine corn flour, sherry and ginger in a cup; stir into a pan. Cook, stirring constantly, until sauce thickens and bubbles 2 minutes. Serve over Chinese noodles or vermicelli.
Monday, August 31, 2009
Chicken a la King
One story goes that the first chicken a la king wasn't made for royalty but rather for a man named Clark King III, while another story says it was a man named William King who first cooked it. Regardless of its origins we all enjoy Chicken a la King.
This recipe makes five to six servings.
Ingredients:
1 chicken, 1 ¾ kg (3 ½ lb)
2 spring parsley
1 bay leaf
Salt
3 tablespoon softened butter
1 medium sized green capsicum, diced
1 small onion, grated
1 ½ tablespoons flour
½ teaspoon paprika
Salt to taste
1 cup milk
¾ cup chicken stock
1 tablespoon dry sherry
125 g (4 oz) small mushrooms
Cooked rice
Procedure:
Put chicken into a saucepan with the parsley, bay leaf, salt to taste and water to cover. Put lid on pan, cook gently until tender.
Drain, pull of skin and disjoint chicken. Remove flesh from bones, cut into cubes, put aside. Strain the required stock, skim off fat.
Melt butter add the capsicum and onion, gently fry until soft. Add flour, paprika and salt and cook, stirring for 1-2 minutes.
Slowly stir in the milk and stock, mixed together and cook, stirring until boiling. Simmer for 2-3 minutes, stir the sherry.
Quickly fry the mushrooms in butter until softened, add to sauce with the chicken cubes and simmer until reheated. Serve on a bed of cooked rice.
This recipe makes five to six servings.
Ingredients:
1 chicken, 1 ¾ kg (3 ½ lb)
2 spring parsley
1 bay leaf
Salt
3 tablespoon softened butter
1 medium sized green capsicum, diced
1 small onion, grated
1 ½ tablespoons flour
½ teaspoon paprika
Salt to taste
1 cup milk
¾ cup chicken stock
1 tablespoon dry sherry
125 g (4 oz) small mushrooms
Cooked rice
Procedure:
Put chicken into a saucepan with the parsley, bay leaf, salt to taste and water to cover. Put lid on pan, cook gently until tender.
Drain, pull of skin and disjoint chicken. Remove flesh from bones, cut into cubes, put aside. Strain the required stock, skim off fat.
Melt butter add the capsicum and onion, gently fry until soft. Add flour, paprika and salt and cook, stirring for 1-2 minutes.
Slowly stir in the milk and stock, mixed together and cook, stirring until boiling. Simmer for 2-3 minutes, stir the sherry.
Quickly fry the mushrooms in butter until softened, add to sauce with the chicken cubes and simmer until reheated. Serve on a bed of cooked rice.
Sunday, August 30, 2009
How to make Chicken Curry
Curry derives from the Dravidian word "Kari" and means "vegetable in sauce" or "sauce". In recent times Curry is broadly used to refer to any spicy dish cooked in the South Asian and Southeast Asian style of cooking.
Here we have chicken curry hopefully cooked the classic Indian way.
Ingredients:
1 chicken 2kg (4 lb)
1 1/2 cups milk
1 1/2 cups desiccated coconut
3 medium sized onions, chopped finely
1 clove garlic, crushed
1/2 teaspoon fresh root ginger, very finely chopped
3 tablespoons ghee, butter or oil
1 tablespoon curry powder
3 medium sized tomatoes, peeled and chopped
Salt to taste
Procedure:
Disjoint chicken and cut into small serving pieces.
Heat milk, add coconut, leave for 15 minutes to cool, and pour into a bowl through a sieve, kneading the coconut to extract all the liquid.
Gently fry the onions, garlic and ginger in the butter, ghee or oil until onions have softened and are lightly tinted. Add the curry powder, stir over low heat for 2-3 minutes.
Stir in tomatoes, coconut milk and salt, cover and simmer for 15 minutes. Add chicken, cover and continue simmering for 45 minutes to one hour, or more until chicken is tender.
Serve with rice.
Suggestion:
I find chicken curry more tasty the next day after reheating it. That's because the chicken absorbs more of the sauce overnight.
About Ghee
Traditionally ghee is butter produced from the milk of buffalo indigenous to the Indian subcontinent, although the process of preparation si different. If you can't find one at a local store or ethnic market, butter is fine, or cooking oil.
Here we have chicken curry hopefully cooked the classic Indian way.
Ingredients:
1 chicken 2kg (4 lb)
1 1/2 cups milk
1 1/2 cups desiccated coconut
3 medium sized onions, chopped finely
1 clove garlic, crushed
1/2 teaspoon fresh root ginger, very finely chopped
3 tablespoons ghee, butter or oil
1 tablespoon curry powder
3 medium sized tomatoes, peeled and chopped
Salt to taste
Procedure:
Disjoint chicken and cut into small serving pieces.
Heat milk, add coconut, leave for 15 minutes to cool, and pour into a bowl through a sieve, kneading the coconut to extract all the liquid.
Gently fry the onions, garlic and ginger in the butter, ghee or oil until onions have softened and are lightly tinted. Add the curry powder, stir over low heat for 2-3 minutes.
Stir in tomatoes, coconut milk and salt, cover and simmer for 15 minutes. Add chicken, cover and continue simmering for 45 minutes to one hour, or more until chicken is tender.
Serve with rice.
Suggestion:
I find chicken curry more tasty the next day after reheating it. That's because the chicken absorbs more of the sauce overnight.
About Ghee
Traditionally ghee is butter produced from the milk of buffalo indigenous to the Indian subcontinent, although the process of preparation si different. If you can't find one at a local store or ethnic market, butter is fine, or cooking oil.
Friday, August 28, 2009
How to cook Chicken Chow Mein
Chow Mein is a generic term for a dish of stir-fried noodles. Thus Chicken Chow Mein stands for stir-fired noodles with chicken trips.
This chicken chow mein recipe is good for four servings.
Chicken Chow Mein Ingredients:
250 g (8 oz) Chinese egg noodles
4 dried Chinese mushrooms
1 tablespoon peanut oil
3 teaspoons dry sherry
2 teaspoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon sugar
2 teaspoons peanut oil
1 white stalk celery
1 medium-sized green capsicum
2 large chicken breasts
2 teaspoons dry sherry (again)
2 teaspoons corn flour
1/2 teaspoon fresh ginger root, grated
salt
cooking oil
How to cook Chicken Chow Mein
Drop noodles into a large sauce pan of boiling salted water. When noodles begin to soften separate them using chopsticks or fork. Drain,rinse under cold running water, drain again and spread on absorbent paper or tray. Sprinkle with 1 table spoon peanut oil.
Soak the mushrooms in hot water for 20 minutes, rinse in cold water. Drain, remove stalks, cut mushroom in strips.
Put the strips of mushroom in a small sauce pan with the 3 teaspoons dry sherry, soy sauce, sugar and the oil. Cook gently, stirring for 3 minutes. Put aside.
Shred the celery and capsicum finely. Put aside.
Bone the chicken breasts and cut into short thin strips. Put in a bowl. Add the 2 teaspoons dry sherry and corn flour, stir well. Put aside for 5 minutes.
Heat 1 tablespoon oil with the grated ginger, add the celery and capsicum, and fry for 2 minutes. Stir in mushroom strips, fry for another minute, remove all from the pan. Set aside.
Add another 2 tablespoons oil in the pan, heat and add the chicken strips. Fry, stirring until the strips turn white. Replace the vegetables, add salt to taste. Reheat stirring well.
Heat 1 cup oil, fry noodles, half at a time, turning once to crisp. Put on a platter and top with the chicken mixture.
This chicken chow mein recipe is good for four servings.
Chicken Chow Mein Ingredients:
250 g (8 oz) Chinese egg noodles
4 dried Chinese mushrooms
1 tablespoon peanut oil
3 teaspoons dry sherry
2 teaspoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon sugar
2 teaspoons peanut oil
1 white stalk celery
1 medium-sized green capsicum
2 large chicken breasts
2 teaspoons dry sherry (again)
2 teaspoons corn flour
1/2 teaspoon fresh ginger root, grated
salt
cooking oil
How to cook Chicken Chow Mein
Drop noodles into a large sauce pan of boiling salted water. When noodles begin to soften separate them using chopsticks or fork. Drain,rinse under cold running water, drain again and spread on absorbent paper or tray. Sprinkle with 1 table spoon peanut oil.
Soak the mushrooms in hot water for 20 minutes, rinse in cold water. Drain, remove stalks, cut mushroom in strips.
Put the strips of mushroom in a small sauce pan with the 3 teaspoons dry sherry, soy sauce, sugar and the oil. Cook gently, stirring for 3 minutes. Put aside.
Shred the celery and capsicum finely. Put aside.
Bone the chicken breasts and cut into short thin strips. Put in a bowl. Add the 2 teaspoons dry sherry and corn flour, stir well. Put aside for 5 minutes.
Heat 1 tablespoon oil with the grated ginger, add the celery and capsicum, and fry for 2 minutes. Stir in mushroom strips, fry for another minute, remove all from the pan. Set aside.
Add another 2 tablespoons oil in the pan, heat and add the chicken strips. Fry, stirring until the strips turn white. Replace the vegetables, add salt to taste. Reheat stirring well.
Heat 1 cup oil, fry noodles, half at a time, turning once to crisp. Put on a platter and top with the chicken mixture.
Sunday, July 26, 2009
How to make Foil Wrapped Potaotes
I like Foil Wrapped Potatoes because the moisture is locked in and yet the potatoes are not soggy.
This Foil Wrapped Potatoes recipe serve four persons, and takes an hour to barbecue over hot coals.
Ingredients
4 large potatoes, scrubbed
1 tablespoon (20 ml) oil
2 tablespoons (40 g) butter
4 tablespoons (80 ml) sour cream
chopped chives
Use the oil to grease squares of doubled aluminum foil, with the dull side down, and wrap potatoes individually and seal.
Place on the grid over hot coals and cook for 1 hour, turning occasionally, until potatoes are soft when lightly squeezed. Take the potatoes off the grid.
Open top of foil, slash potatoes with a cross and squeeze.
Fork in butter, top with sour cream and sprinkle with chives.
There you have it, your very own foil wrapped potatoes.
Suggestions: Serve foil wrapped potatoes with barbecued steak.
How to make Green Goddess Salad and Dressing
Here's a simple recipe for Green Goddess Salad, complete with how to make the dressing. It's good to know more than one type of salad. Barbecues are made special with salads.
It doesn't to vary the salads, specially if you know only one way to barbecue. So, the next time you make a barbecue, try serving your barbecue with Green Goddess Salad.
This Green Goddess Salad recipe serves six persons. You will need a blender to make the dressing.
Ingredient
1 head of cos lettuce or romaine lettuce
Salad Dressing
1 1/4 cups (300 ml) mayonnaise
4 anchovies, crushed
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
2 tablespoons chopped chives
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 tablespoon (20 ml) tarragon vinegar
1 tablespoon (20 ml) lemon juice
salt and pepper
4 tablespoons (80 ml) thick sour cream
Wash the lettuce leaves and pat dry, then roll in a towel and crisp in the refrigerator for 1 hour.
Meanwhile, in a blender place mayonnaise, anchovies, parsley, chives, garlic, vinegar, lemon juice, salt and pepper and for 2-3 minutes until creamy.
Pour mixture into a bowl, stir in sour cream and mix well, then chill for at least 15 minutes.
Tear lettuce leaves into bite size pieces and place in a salad bowl, drizzle with dressing and toss.
There you have it, your very own Green Goddess Salad.
How to make Marinated Beef Kebabs
Kebabs are easy to make and serves heavy meat in small pieces. This particular recipe, Marinated Beef Kebab, is very popular among friends.
This Marinated Beef Kebab recipe serves four persons; it cooks in 8-10 minutes. Although marinating the beef would take an hour. Barbecue the Marinated Beef on skewers over hot coals.
Kebab Ingredients
750 g (1 1/2 lbs) thick barbecue steak
2 medium onions, cut in wedges
Marinade Ingredients
1 clove garlic crushed
salt and pepper
1 teaspoon honey
1 tablespoon (20 ml) soy sauce
1 tablespoon (20 ml) dry sherry
2 tablespoons (40 ml) salad oil
Trim fat from meat, cut into 2.5 cm (1") cubes and place in a bowl.
Combine garlic, salt, pepper, honey, soy sauce, sherry and oil in a bowl and mix until smooth.
Pour over the meat and marinate for at least 1 hour.
Drain the meat, set marinade in a bowl.
Thread the meat on skewers alternately with onion wedges.
Place over hot coals and cook for 8-10 minutes, basting with the marinade.
There you have it, your very own Marinated Beef Kebabs, just like grandma used to make them.
Suggestion: Serve the Marinated Beef Kebab with potatoes and salads.
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