Ca Ri Ga (vietnamese chicken curry)

Not to be confused with the "vietnamese curry soup" that I posted ages ago, this dish tends to have a curry sauce that's a tad thicker, so that you can sop up all the delicious curry sauce with some crispy french baguette (or Vietnamese baguette if you can get your hands on some!! It's basically a shorter airier version of your typical french baguette, normally used to make the banh mi sandwiches that have been all the rage these past few years.)

This recipe is adapted from Mai Pham's recipe - I simply added some more heat and sweetness.

- 2 tbsp oil (vegetable or olive)
- 2 shallots, thinly sliced (I used my trusty mandolin, but my thumb accidentally got caught up in the mix and the hates me for it)
- 3 cloves of garlic, chopped
- 1 plus 4 tbsp madras curry powder
- 5 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
- 1 (4 -inch) piece fresh ginger, peeled and cut into 1/4 inch-thigh slices
- 4 stalks lemongrass, cut into 2-inch pieces, bruised
- 2 (14 oz.) cans chicken broth
- 1 (14 oz.) can coconut milk
- 1 small thai chili pepper, cut into small pieces
- 6 kaffir lime leaves
- 4 tbsp fish sauce
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1 lb sweet potato, cut into 1 inch cubes
- 1 small yellow onion, cut into thin wedges
- 1 (14 oz) can baby corn, cut into 2 inch pieces

How to work with lemongrass:

Lemongrass is one of those ingredients with which I have a love-hate relationship.  It's not super easy to chop, and I feel like I throw away so much of it.  Generally when I'm adding it to a soup, what I'll do is take the long stalk and peel off the outside layer.  I'll chop one inch from the bottom root, and then use the next foot or so, throwing away the thin tops.  So - do this with you lemongrass: peel the lemongrass, chop one inch off the bottom root, and then chop every two inches until you use about a foot of the grass.  To "bruise" the lemongrass, take the handle of your knife and pound the pieces so that some of the flavor starts to seep out.  (Don't go cray cray - I'll usually hit each pieces 2-3 times.)  You should be able to smell it.

1) In a large dutch oven (because Le Creusets rule!), heat the oil over medium heat.  Add the shallots, garlic, and 1 tbsp of curry powder.  Stir until fragrant, about a minute.

2) Add the chicken thighs, skin side down.  (Make room so that the skin touches the bottom of the dutch oven - I found myself placing the shallots on TOP of the meat as the meat was browning.)  Brown the meat without moving it for 3-5 minutes.  Don't burn the skin, you just want a little caramelization for flavor.

3) Add the chicken broth and deglaze the pot.  This means pour in the liquid and then start to scrape the bottom of the pan to get all the flavor into the broth.

4) Add the coconut milk, ginger, lemongrass, lime leaves, thai pepper, fish sauce, salt, sugar, and 4 tbsp curry powder.  Simmer about 20 minutes.

5) Add the potatoes, baby corn and onions and simmer an additional 20-25 minutes until the vegetables are done.

6) Adjust seasoning to taste.  I find usually myself adding more sugar or fish sauce.

7) Serve with some toasted baguette and enjoy!

Perfectly Pan Roasted Chicken Thighs with Sautéed Swiss Chard

This method of cooking chicken was a God send when I started the paleo-esque diet. I missed fried chicken SO much - the crispy skin, the juicy chicken...but this recipe gives you just that...every time, and without the breading!

Chicken thighs are hands down my favorite part of the chicken (aside from the Pope's Nose!) Because it's dark meat, it very rarely gets dry when cooked. The meat-to-bone ratio is perfect for a sit down dinner. And because one side is flat, it's very easy to arrange in a pan and maximize crispy skin.

I found this recipe on epicurious.com a while back. But do you notice the extra topping on the Swiss chard? What is that deliciousness, you ask? It's crispy chicken skin! Yes! Think of bacon bits, but made of chicken instead! Trust me on that one...it's worth it.

INGREDIENTS:

- 2 lbs BONE-IN chicken thighs, SKIN ON (this is usually 4 thighs)

- 1 tbsp olive oil

- salt and pepper to taste

- swiss chard, chopped

- 1 tsp sesame oil

- 1 tbsp mirin (sweet sake)

- 1/2 tbsp soy sauce

- 2 cloves garlic, minced

1) Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.

2) Pat dry the chicken thighs, and trim off the excess skin that wraps around the back/bone-side of the thigh.

3) Flatten the excess skin and pay dry.

4) Season the chicken thighs and skin with salt and pepper. (If you're adventurous, throw some other seasoning on as well. This time, I sprinkled on some curry powder.)

5) Heat an iron skillet (or heavy bottom stainless steel pan that can also go into an oven) on high.

6) When the skillet is hot but before it starts smoking, gently place the thighs in the pan, skin side down. Cook for 2 minutes, then reduce to medium high. In the spare areas in the skillet, tuck in the chicken skin, trying to keep them as flat as possible.

7) Once you've reduced the heat, let the chicken cook for another 13 minutes, trying not to move the thighs at all. (You want to allow the skin to crisp up, and this only happens if you leave them alone for a bit.)

8) After those 13 minutes, flip the excess chicken skin (NOT the chicken thighs!) and move the pan to the oven and cook an additional 12 minutes.

9) NOW it's time to flip the chicken thighs! (I get so excited at this point and always use my spatula to tap the skin toake sure it's crispy - it always is!)

10) Cook the thighs a final 5 minutes after you've flipped it.

11) Remove from the oven and place on a plate to allow them to cool for at least 5 minutes before serving.

12) You'll notice some fat in the iron skillet leftover from the chicken. Use it! Just place the pan back on the stove and toss in the chopped Swiss chard and sauté it with the sesame oil, garlic, mirin and soy sauce. 

13) Break apart the excess chicken skin (which should have the consistency of super crispy bacon at this point) and use that to too the sautéed Swiss chard. 

14) ENJOY!

Baked Chicken Thighs with White Wine Mushroom Sauce

Hats off to Jon Novak for posting this recipe on his new recipe blog! (And thanks to Chrissann for suggesting we both do it!) 

I made it with some changes: 1) I used bone-in skin-on chicken THIGHS instead of breasts. (I can't help it - I love dark meat. [insert inappropriate frat boy joke. Or, a joke that Jonathan Simms would make...]) 2) I cooked the chicken in an iron skillet, browned the mushrooms in my Dutch oven, deglazed the remnants of the browned mushrooms in said Dutch oven, but then poured that sauce into the iron skillet once I removed the chicken to rest (to take advantage of the browned goodiness of the baked chicken!) 3) Maybe because of the chicken drippings, or because I used salted butter (sorry! Jon!), I added a dash of sugar to the sauce to even out the saltiness.

It turned out wonderfully! The iron skillet crisped the skin of the chicken beautifully.  The users were kale sautéed with moron, soy sauce and garlic, and mashed sweet potatoes with maple syrup, butter and a dash of cayenne pepper.

Here's the link to Jon's recipe for the chicken:

 http://youcanmakethisfood.blogspot.com/2014/05/roasted-chicken-with-sprouts-and.html?m=1

Vietnamese Chicken Curry Noodle Soup

I've had curry noodle soup before, but sometimes I find it a tad too heavy. I adjusted a Vietnamese Ca Ri (translation: curry) recipe I found to make the curry soup more brothy and less creamy. It turned out fantastic, with the consistency of the broth more like a traditional ramen broth (heavier than pho, but still perfect for rice noodles) as opposed to a curry dish I would dip french bread in (which tends to be really creamy.) Also, instead of a regular yam, I found some Japanese yams (which are white instead of orange) which are a tad less sweet. (What a great find at the Orient Mart here in Athens on the East Side.)

Ingredients

• 6 tablespoons madras curry powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
• 2 pounds skinless bone-in chicken thighs (usually 4 thighs)
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 tablespoon chopped shallot
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic
• 2 teaspoons ground chili paste or dried chili flakes, or to taste
• 4 tablespoons fish sauce (more to taste)
• 2 tablespoon sugar
• 2 lemongrass stalks, cut into 3-inch pieces and bruised with the flat side of a knife
• 1 (2-inch) piece ginger, peeled, cut into 3 slices and bruised with the flat side of a knife
• 3-4 cups fresh chicken stock or store-bought low-sodium chicken broth
• 3 carrots, peeled, cut on the diagonal into 2/3-inch pieces
• 1 12 oz. unsweetened coconut MILK
• 1 12 oz. can coconut WATER
• 1 yellow onion, cut into wedges
• 1 medium sweet potato (about 1 pound), peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
• 1 cup chopped snow peas
• 1 can baby corn, drained
• 1 package chopped mushrooms
• 15-20 Thai basil leaves
• Chopped cilantro for garnish
• cooked rice (pho) noodles 

Preparation

1. Combine 2 tablespoons of the curry powder and the salt in a bowl. Add the chicken and turn to coat the meat evenly. Set aside for 30 minutes.

2. Heat the oil in a medium pot over moderate heat. Add the shallot, garlic, chili paste and the remaining curry powder, and stir until fragrant, about 10 seconds. Add the chicken and cook until the edges of the pieces are golden, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the fish sauce, sugar, lemongrass, ginger and chicken stock. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to simmer.

3) Add remaining ingredients and cook until the vegetables are tender, about an hour. Taste throughout the hour and add fish sauce/sugar/more basil to taste. 

4) Add some cooked rice noodles to a large bowl, then top with a chicken thigh and broth including veggies. Garnish with cilantro.  

5) Enjoy!

Pistachio Crusted Chicken - pantry cooking!

It's one of those nights where I decided to just make dinner with whatever I found in the pantry. (Well, technically Jonathan's pantry.) Here's my creation: pistachio crusted chicken with a wonderfully baked  potato. Not the prettiest dish, but it sure was tasty! The chicken came out super juicy, and as always, rubbing the potato with oil and salt before baking it made the skin delicious to eat!

Pistachio-Crusted Chicken

2 skinless chicken breasts

1/2 cup whole shelled pistachios

1 tsp onion powder

1 tsp seasoning salt

1 tsp parsley

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

2 tbsp Dijon mustard

2 tbsp honey

2 tbsp olive oil

1) Preheat oven to 500 degrees.

2) I used a Bullet blender to crush the pistachios. I left some larger pieces, bit for the most part, they came out to the consistency of bread crumbs.

3) In a small bowl, pour in crushed pistachios. Add all other dried ingredients. Mix well.

4) In a medium bowl, using a fork or whisk, mix together mustard, honey and oil until you get a smooth consistency.

5) Dip chicken breasts in mustard mixture, then in pistachios. Place on a greased cookie sheet.

6) Place the chicken in the oven and IMMEDIATELY TURN DOWN to 375 degrees. Bake for 25 minutes or until juices run clear when cut.

Alton Brown's Baked Potato

Heat oven to 350 degrees and position racks in top and bottom thirds. Wash potato (or potatoes) thoroughly with a stiff brush and cold running water. Dry, then using a standard fork poke 8 to 12 deep holes all over the spud so that moisture can escape during cooking. Place in a bowl and coat lightly with oil. Sprinkle with kosher salt and place potato directly on rack in middle of oven. Place a baking sheet on the lower rack to catch any drippings.

Bake 1 hour or until skin feels crisp but flesh beneath feels soft. Serve by creating a dotted line from end to end with your fork, then crack the spud open by squeezing the ends towards one another. It will pop right open. But watch out, there will be some steam!