Tag: Methods

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MAIN COURSE

Spicy skewered chicken with pineapple, pepper and onions


Served with the spicy sauce, Basmati rice and a sweet and sour Asian salad

Serves 4

SPICY CHICKEN SKEWERS WITH ASIAN SALAD

The marinade:
¼ cup brown sugar
½ cup rice vinegar
½ cup sambal oelek, store bought or make your own
¼ cup fish sauce, available at Asian supermarkets
2 teaspoons fresh ginger, minced

A hot sauce in one of its purest forms, Indonesian sambal oelek is merely freshly ground hot red chiles with some salt and vinegar for flavor and preservation.


The kebabs:
680 g/1½ lbs chicken thighs, deboned and cut into roughly 25 mm x 25 mm/1 inch x 1 inch pieces
8 wooden skewers, soaked in water for more than 1 hour
½ large ripe pineapple, peeled and cut into roughly 25 mm x 25 mm/1 inch x 1 inch pieces
½ large red sweet pepper, cored and cut into roughly 25 mm x 25 mm/1 inch x 1 inch pieces
½ large red onion, quartered and each quarter halved, breaking up the layers

The salad:
1 cup cucumber, seeded and diced
1 cup bean sprouts
¾ cup frozen corn kernels, defrosted
1 cup half-ripe mango, cut into thin strips

If mangos are not in season, use papaya, pineapple, sweet melon, etc.


½ cup spring onions, diced
1 cup fresh coriander leaves
½ cup peanuts, roughly chopped
Asian sweet and sour sauce to drizzle (see recipe below)

The rice:
2 cups/500 ml Basmati rice
salt
1 tablespoon/15 ml butter (optional)

For the marinade, whisk the brown sugar, vinegar, sambal oelek, fish sauce and ginger in a large bowl until the sugar has dissolved. Add the chicken and mix thoroughly making sure that every piece is coated. Refrigerate until ready to cook.

For the chicken skewers. alternate chicken, pineapple, chicken,  pepper, chicken and a segment of onion, and repeat until the skewer is full. Pour the balance of the marinade into a saucepan together with ½ cup/125 ml water and bring to the boil. Reduce until thickened slightly and pour out a third for basting. Put the rest aside for dipping later.

Preheat the oven to 80ºC/176°F and place a heatproof plate, big enough to hold all the skewers, to warm up.

When the barbeque reaches (150ºC/302°F ), salt the kebabs and place them on the rack. Cook for about 15 minutes, turning and basting at regular intervals. When cooked, transfer to the warmed plate and leave to rest for about 10 minutes in the heated oven. Discard the rest of the sauce that was used for basting (it could be contaminated with raw chicken) and reheat the rest of the reserved sauce.

Just before cooking, prepare the salad by mixing all the ingredients except the sweet and sour sauce. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

To serve
Serve the skewers on a bed of rice with the sauce in a separate container. Lightly toss the sweet and sour sauce through the salad and serve with the kebabs.

A rich, dark honey color, this tart-sweet-savory sauce does not resemble the cloying, sticky, bright red sauce that’s often served at Chinese restaurants. You can whip it up quickly to enjoy with snacks such as fried wontons. For spicy tropical flair, use unsweetened pineapple juice instead of water and include 2 teaspoons of minced ginger and a chopped Thai chile with the other seasoning at the beginning.

Asian sweet and sour sauce:
¼ cup sugar or lightly packed light brown sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon ketchup
1 tablespoon light soy sauce
3 tablespoons rice vinegar
½ cup water
2 teaspoons cornstarch dissolved in 2 tablespoons water

  • Combine the sugar, salt, ketchup, soy sauce, vinegar, and water in a small saucepan.
  • Bring to a near boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally to dissolve the sugar.
  • Give the cornstarch a stir and then add it to the pan. Continue cooking, stirring, for about 15 seconds, or until the sauce comes to full boil and thickens.
  • Remove from the heat, transfer to a serving bowl, and set aside for 10 minutes to cool and concentrate in flavor.
  • Taste and add extra salt, if needed. Serve warm or at room temperature.
  • This sauce can be prepared a day in advance.
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GLOSSARY / METHODS

Agar-agar


Agar-agar, obtained from certain varieties of seaweed, is another form of setting liquid in a gel form.  Its advantages are that it sets more firmly than gelatin and sets at room temperature. It is odorless, tasteless and  colorless and is used in kosher, vegetarian and vegan cooking.  It is mostly available in health stores and Asian supermarkets.

1 tablespoon/15 ml agar-agar dissolved in
4 tablespoons/60 ml of hot water will set
2 cups/500 ml liquid.

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METHODS

STILL-FREEZING (MAKING ICE CREAM WITHOUT AN ICE CREAM MACHINE)


Place the empty shallow container in which you wish to freeze the ice cream in the freezer for about 30 minutes before pouring the cream mixture into it.  Ice crystals form in the inside of the container as the mixture freezes and it needs to be broken down and mixed into the rest.  Do this after 30 minutes by whisking (or processing with the pulse setting) the mixture until it is smooth again.  Return to the freezer and repeat every half hour for about 3 hours or until it becomes more solid and smooth.  Take care not to overwork the mixture as it might become grainy.

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METHODS

VANILLA PASTE


VANILLAMake your own beautiful vanilla flavors by simply putting a few whole vanilla beans in a tall bottle (taller than the length of the vanilla bean) and fill the bottle with vodka.  Close the bottle with a stopper and store in a cupboard or dark corner.  After about 6 weeks you can take a peep.  Pull out one of the beans, cut off the tip and squeeze out the tar-like gel, beautiful thick shiny vanilla paste — yum.  No, the paste certainly does not taste of vodka but the vodka is so strongly infused with the vanilla, that a quantity of that can definitely be used as vanilla extract.  Brilliant, don’t you think?

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METHODS SOUPS/SAUCES/CONDIMENTS

BéCHAMEL SAUCE


Béchamel sauce (roux or white sauce) serves as a great base for many sauces, to make soufflés, au gratins, Lasagne, Macaroni and cheese, to thicken soups, etc.

  • To make the sauce, take an equal volume of butter and flour and in a saucepan, heat the butter until it foams then whisk in the flour and continue cooking until it is well amalgamated and foaming.
  • Then add the heated liquid (volume of your choice, depending on the recipe and the consistency) and bring back to the boil.  Whisk continuously over medium heat until the sauce boils and thickens.
  • Turn down the heat to the lowest setting, add salt and pepper and other flavorings such as herbs or spices , cheese, etc.
  • Place a piece of clingfilm over the surface to prevent it from forming a skin, until it is ready to be used.
Categories
METHODS

The “sous-vide” (waterbath) method of cooking


The “Sous-Vide” way of cooking, as described in the recipe for Slow poached marinated pork belly (”sous vide”- style) with Mushroom Basmati rice, is a method in which you seal raw and marinated food in a food grade plastic bag and then cook it at a low temperature in a water bath.  The food, and I am referring mainly to meat, i.e. tough cuts of meat, comes out beautifully succulent and incredibly tender after a few hours.  If, as a home cook, you want to experiment with this method of cooking, remember it is not really necessary to invest in expensive equipment.  You need a reliable oven, a good quality ovenproof dish with a lid (I use a cast iron saucepan) that is big enough to hold the whole piece of meat instead of a temperature controlled water bath, a vacuum packing machine and patience.  Compared to other cooking methods, the food cannot dry out and the flavor intensifies because all the seasoning and juices stay in and around the food.

 The basic steps I follow i.e. for cooking pork belly, is to neatly trim the meat, then marinate it in a mixture of spices and stock or wine for a few hours, preferably overnight.  When ready, transfer the marinated meat with the marinade to a food grade plastic bag that will withstand the heat, and seal it in a vacuum packing machine.  If you do not possess a vacuum packing machine, do not despair.  Try to get all the air out of the pouch after you have added the meat,  then tie a secure knot. Simple!  Preheat the oven to the temperature according to the recipe — usually relatively low, then heat water in the ovenproof dish to the same temperature as you have set the oven.  Carefully lower the sealed bag into the hot water and make sure the bag is totally covered with the water.  A good idea is to put a heatproof plate on top before you secure the lid on.  Place the dish in the oven and set your timer for the desired time.  When the cooking time is up, carefully remove the bag from the hot water with tongs and place in a deep dish.  Cut the bag open and let the meat and juices slide out of the bag into the dish.  If the juice is too thin, pour it off into a saucepan and over high heat, reduce to the desired consistency.  The sauce will have all the flavors of the marinade as well as the meat.  And as a bonus you have gorgeous tender and succulent meat!

 Here is my Pork belly recipe that I cook in this way…

Categories
METHODS

Chicken cut into pieces the Chinese way


Cutting the chicken this way, makes it much easier to serve when entertaining a large group of people.

  • Use a cleaver or a large sharp knife and with the chicken breast facing upwards, cut right through the chicken against the side of the backbone into two halves.
  • Cut each chicken half diagonally across to give you two pieces each of a breast and a wing, and two pieces of a leg and a thigh.
  • Find the joint between each breast and wing and cut right through to separate the breast from the wing. Do the same with the leg and thigh.  You will now have eight pieces.
  • Cut each wing into two pieces on the joint, and chop each leg into three pieces.  (If you wish, you can then put the tips of the wing and the leg aside to make stock later on.)
  • Cut each breast into three pieces diagonally, and do the same with the thighs.
    You should now have 20 pieces if you do not discard the tips of the wings and legs.
Categories
METHODS

STILL-FREEZING


Place the empty shallow container in which you wish to freeze the ice cream in the freezer for about 30 minutes before pouring the cream mixture into it.  Ice crystals form in the inside of the container as the mixture freezes and it needs to be broken down and mixed into the rest.  Do this after 30 minutes by whisking (or processing with the pulse setting) the mixture until it is smooth again.  Return to the freezer and repeat every half hour for about 3 hours or until it become more solid and smooth.  Take care not to overwork the mixture as it might become grainy.

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METHODS

CHINESE FIVE SPICE


Five-spice powder is a spice mixture of five spices, used primarily in Chinese cuisine but also used in other Asian and Arabic cookery.

1 teaspoon/5 ml Szechwan peppercorns
2 whole star anise
1 teaspoon/5 ml fennel seeds
1 teaspoon/5 ml whole cloves
1 stick cinnamon 

In a dry pan over medium heat, toast all the spices until fragrant, stirring regularly to prevent the seeds from burning. Allow to cool.  In a spice grinder grind all the spices until a fine powder is formed.  Store the powder in an airtight container away from direct light. The spice blend will stay good for several months.

Categories
METHODS

PORCINI POWDER


DRIED PORCINI MUSHROOMSTo make the porcini mushroom powder, take a whole packet of dried porcini mushrooms and grind to a powder in a spice grinder.  Store in a sealed glass jar and use to strengthen the mushroom soup flavor, sprinkle over baked potatoes, stir into mushroom risotto, serve with scrambled egg, etc.