Serenity Sauce with Snow Peas

I call this Serenity Sauce, because it is my Asian version of comfort food.  The strong, powerful ginger taste, is tamed by simple celery slices -- together they blend into a flavor that puts me at peace.  This is an easy stir fry that you'll want to make often. ( I'm finding it difficult to measure ingredients...quite frankly, in our home, I often just "make do".  So if I say add 3 celery stalks and you only have 2-- don't worry about it ;-) ...The day I took this picture was the day our grocer happened to be out of snow peas.  I just bought another small tender pea pod they had available -- and made do.  My recipes will always give you the ideal amounts and types though.

You will need:
2 Tbls vegetable oil

Prepare ingredients beforehand

1 white onion cut in medium chunks
 3 large cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 Tbls fresh ginger, finely chopped
1 cup fresh celery, sliced diagonally (about 3 good stalks)
*1 cup fresh sliced mushrooms
*1 small handful Chinese snow peas
*1-5 ounce can water chestnuts (sliced or diced version)
*3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, thinly sliced
1-1/2 cups chicken stock
2 teaspoons corn starch, gradually mixed with 1/2 cup water
Salt and Pepper to taste
Soy Sauce to taste
* green onion for garnish and extra flavor
(Serve with steamed jasmine rice)

1)  Always start your rice first, so it's cooking and ready by the time your stir fry is complete.  
2)  Heat oil on medium high in non-stick wok or frying pan.  Add onion and cook until soft, about 5 minutes.
3)  Stir in garlic and ginger and cook with the onion another 5 minutes.   

4)  Stir in celery slices, (reserving 2 tbls) and cook an additional 5 minutes.  At this point the house will be so aromatic, that your husband will suddenly appear at your side saying, "You are the BEST cook in the world."  You will then give him a pleasant smile and not mind it when he dips a fork into your vegetable mixture, depositing the large bite into his mouth.  

Just as he leaves the room, children will begin appearing -- asking politely when dinner will be ready.... tell them 20 more minutes.

5)  Stir in mushrooms, add large pinch of salt and sprinkle some pepper in as well.  After a few minutes, remove this mixture to your serving dish.  
6)  Keep the pan hot and stir in your chicken slices, trying to brown gently and seal in the juices.  cover for 5 minutes.

7)  Add chicken stock and a LITTLE soy sauce --but PLEASE don't add too much or you will drown out the beautiful ginger flavor.  So just add a teaspoon at a time-- you can always add more later.  Stir and cover again for 10 minutes.

8)  Return vegetables to the pan with the chicken along with water chestnuts.  Add the cornstarch mixture -- stir and let thicken. 
 9)  **Now add your snow peas and the 2 tbls celery and cover for a few more minutes.
10)  Voila!  Return to your serving dish (or serve from the pan if you like) over hot steamed rice.  Garnish with green onion or chive if desired.  A side of fresh orange slices are nice too.  

*  Optional Ingredients (If you don't like my veggies, you can choose your own.  You can also make this with other meats, shrimp or tofu.  I sometimes make it with JUST veggies.  

**  This is so the vegetables are a nice bright green when serving.  Try to remove from heat and not over cook.  

Garlic Peeling Tip:  Lay the flat edge of your knife over your clove of garlic and give it a nice bang with your free hand.  The skin will come off nicely now.

Ginger Peeling Tip:  Slice your ginger into rounds first, then take your knife around the edge to easily peel.

I like to chop garlic and ginger together. 

Thai Basil Chicken

After making my Jasmine Fried Rice recipe several times, my sweet and friendly neighbor has now requested (very strongly)  that my Thai Basil Chicken Recipe be posted.   I made this last Sunday -- just to get the ingredients perfected.  One of our teenage sons came over and hugged me when he discovered I was making his favorite dish.  Then harassed me to 'hurry up' as the wonderful smell of basil flowed throughout our home.  Here it is neighbor and Parsnips and New Mace friends!


You will need:

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1/2 onion, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

Always have ingredients ready before you begin

*1- 3 teaspoons hot peppers of your choice, sliced into thin strips (This is optional)

Large handful of fresh basil, Thai variety preferred

1 lb ground chicken or turkey

3 tablespoons maple syrup or 2 tablespoon honey

1/2 cup chicken stock

1-1/2 tablespoons fish sauce (do not fear the fish sauce)

3-4 tablespoons Japanese soysauce, (Kikkoman is fine)

1 level Tablespoon cornstarch

1 lime (optional)

1)  As this is best over fresh, steamed rice, get that started and going, so it is ready when your dish is complete.

2)  In a skillet, add vegetable oil and turn to medium.

3)  Add diced onion and garlic and saute until onions have a glossy transparency to them.

4)  Tear up 2/3 of your fresh basil and add it to the sauteed onion/garlic.

5)  If you like things spicy, then add 2/3 of your fresh, hot peppers now as well.

6)  Stir for a few minutes, then add your ground chicken or turkey and turn your heat to medium high.

7)  Stir often as the meat is browning, and cooking through.

8)  While meat is browning, make your sauce:

In a bowl, combine your syrup (or honey) with chicken stock and fish sauce and stir well.

In a separate small bowl, combine soy sauce and cornstarch until completely mixed, then add to honey mixture.

9) When meat has cooked through, give your sauce one more good stir and then add it to your skillet.  As it starts to bubble, turn the heat to medium low and stir frequently for a few more minutes while sauce thickens.

10) Your meal is ready now.  You can garnish each serving with a few more basil leaves, a lime wedge and hot peppers.  Serve over fresh, steamed rice.

A word on Fish Sauce:

Do Not Fear

For years I wondered why my meals would not taste as good as some of my father's restaurant dishes.  It was then I learned the distinct taste that fish sauce lends to Asian meals.  Fish sauce is normally used in small quantities and is needed to bring that 'just right' flavor.



A word on Hot Peppers:

Do not make the same mistake I did when chopping and removing seeds from your peppers.  Always wear gloves when you do this.  Removing seeds will make your dish 'less' spicy -- so if you like it hot, you may want to add it with the seeds.

* I sometimes just use a couple drops of hot chili oil or dried red peppers as an alternative to the fresh peppers.

A word on starch:

If you like to roam around Asian food markets, you can find all types of interesting ingredients.  For variety I sometimes use sweet potato or tapioca starch.  I find them very inexpensive too.

Chicken Soup & Rice

My husband didn't sound too enthused when I told him I was making chicken soup with rice and salad for dinner.  I should have told him I was doing it 'Chicken-y China' style.  :-D  Used Himalayan Pink Salt -- doesn't take much!  And yes, I made homemade croutons with the leftover french bread.  It's a fancy frugal night.

Chimene's Panang

I was going to be frugal tonight and boil the chicken carcass in the fridge to make chicken with rice soup, but as our Georgian weather often does, it has turned from cool to hot with no real warning -- and soup just wasn't going to do it for us.  We still had chicken and rice...just in another form.  

When Matthew told me my panang tasted better then his favorite Thai restaurants', I knew I had finally perfected the recipe. Here it is for you now.


You will need:


3 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
1-4oz jar Thai Kitchen red curry paste
1 15 oz can lite coconut milk
1/3 cup creamy peanut butter in it's most natural form
handful demanera sugar
1-1/2 tablespoons fish sauce
1 jalopeno or Korean pepper*
handful of fresh basil
2-3 tablespoons sour cream
12 fresh green beans
1/2 sweet yellow bell pepper or medley of small colorful bell peppers
fresh chives
red pepper flakes

1)  remove all fat from chicken breast.  Slice down the center of each breast, then thinly slice each half into medium sized pieces.  Set aside. ( Taking the time to thinly slice your chicken will be the difference between a good meal and a 'great' meal. Invest in a good, sharp knife!)


2)  Pour the coconut milk into a large, non-stick skillet and set to medium low.  Slowly and carefully stir in the smoothly ground peanut butter until well blended.  


3) Add the fish sauce and handful of sugar and stir until sugar is dissolved.


4)  seed and slice hot peppers and add to red sauce.  Tear the basil into pieces, adding most of it in, leaving smaller leaves to garnish with later.


5)  Add chicken and gently stir until it is all submersed in the panang sauce.  C0ver and keep on medium low until chicken is white and cooked through  (20-30 min), stirring occasionally, then turn your heat down a bit.

6)  Add green beans and sweet bells then cover again for 5-10 minutes, letting the beans get bright green, but remaining on the crispy fresh side.  Now gently stir in your sour cream.


Serve over fresh steamed basmatri or jasmine rice.  Garnish with fresh chives, additional basil and red pepper flakes.

*make sure you use gloves when slicing and seeding peppers.  If you'd rather not bother, then use a couple drops of hot chili oil.
Serves 4

Jasmine Fried Rice

I remember waking up in my father's home to the smell of fresh steamed rice.  There was never any cereal or pancakes that I can recall.  Instead, there was fresh fish in the refrigerator and washed vegetables on the counter.  "What would you like for breakfast?" dad would ask.  The answer was always the same; 'fried rice'.  I have fond memories of his quick arms working to the rhythm of the sizzling oil, tossing in eggs, bacon and then the rice. It is still one of my favorite breakfast meals.  The recipe has transformed over the years, but I think dad would be impressed.

 

Here's what you need:

2-4 cups cooked Jasmine rice (preferably still warm)

cooking oil

1/2 yellow or white onion coarsely chopped

4 large eggs

6 strips turkey bacon coarsely chopped

soy sauce (fermented Japanese type such as Kikkoman)

garlic butter (recipe follows)

4-6 diced green onions for garnish

toasted sesame seeds for garnish (optional)

Note:  It is important to have all ingredients prepared beforehand, as stir-frying is a very quick process.

1)  place a large non-stick wok or frying pan on medium high and drizzle in a little oil.

2)  Add chopped onion and bacon and cook until onion is transparent, and bacon slightly browned. Remove onion bacon mixture and set aside.

3)  drizzle more oil into your pan and add eggs.  Scramble eggs in pan creating bite-sized pieces, then remove.

4)  drizzle oil until a light layer coats pan then add your rice.  5)  fry the rice using a spatula, making sure it doesn't stick to the bottom of pan.  Add soy sauce to taste.

6)  toss in your bacon/onion mixture and stir.

7) toss in your scrambled eggs, stirring gently.  Salt and pepper to taste.

8) scoop in 2-4 tablespoons of garlic butter mixture and stir gently.

9) garnish with green onion and sesame seeds.

Garlic Butter

(I like to mix my garlic butter the night before to intensify the flavor)

Mix together the following ingredients:

4 tablespoons softened butter or margarine

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon fresh or 1/2 teaspoon dried cilantro/parsley

Simple Garlic Butter:  mix softened butter and 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder together with dried cilantro/parsley.

Super Simple Garlic Butter:  just toss 2-4 tablespoons of butter into your rice at the end and sprinkle in a bit of garlic powder.  (I believe this is the technique in Japanese restaurants)

Note:  Grapeseed oil is excellent for stir-frying as it handles high temperatures.

Just a note on rice.  I probably would not find life worth living without it.  It is a staple in our home.  We eat it 4-6 times a week in many forms.  If any of my children claimed to not like it, I would say they were mixed up at birth.  My first dinner date with my husband was at a Thai restaurant of my choice.  He tasted chicken panang for the first time and was completely enthralled.  I noticed he wasn't eating his freshly steamed white rice (which in my mind was a misconduct and a definite incompatibility trait).  He claimed it was too plain, but when I explained that he was meant to eat the panang and sauce over the rice, I opened a whole new door in his life.  He now orders more steamed rice then me. 

I've been told by my aunt Zenaida, that in the Philippines during WWII, my grandmother was saved by rice.  Pregnant with one of her 9 children, she crawled on her hands and knees through the rice fields, concealing herself for hours while carefully evading the adversary.  So to me, "Rice is Life" literally.

The above "Got Rice?" pic is a t-shirt I made for our 5 year old.  What is bread and butter to some, is hot rice and chopsticks to another.  Some mornings, a bowl of rice and butter with a mild sprinkling of salt is a perfect way to start the day.  (You don't have to use chopsticks).

The BEST Deviled Eggs

 

"If we get married, will you still make your deviled eggs?"  When my husband and I reached a serious point in our relationship he asked me this question.  I just smiled and laughed, but a few days later he opened the fridge to find 2-dozen deviled eggs, all placed neatly, forming the shape of a heart.  If there's one compliment I can count on, it's my eggs. The funny thing is, I'm not a big egg fan.  I've just made them so often for friends and family that it's reached a point where I really need to share this concoction...as well as many others.  With Easter around the corner, it's a perfect time to give it a try.  It's a beautiful addition to your table.  So here it is, in the only form I know how to give it: 

You will need:

as many hard-boiled eggs as you'd like

good, quality mayonnaise (Hellman's or Best Foods is fine)

prepared mustard 

worcestershire sauce

dry dill weed

ground mustard seed

ground turmeric

salt (any fine salt will do, I use  red Hawaiian alaea)

pepper (preferably a 5-spice blend of pepper)

fresh chopped chives or spring onions or Italian flat leaf parsley for garnish 

paprika or red pepper powder for garnish

1)  Slice eggs lengthwise placing yolks in a bowl.  Lay your whites on a presentable platter. 2) Mash yolks with large fork until light and powdery. 3)  Mix in a heaping tablespoon of mayonnaise.  Continue adding in more mayo until you have a nice, smooth, consistent paste -- a little at a time though, or your paste will be too thin.

4)  Add a 'dallop' of mustard.  The idea is to give your eggs a bit of color with only a slight tang in flavor. 5)  Add a few dashes of  worcestershire sauce.  6)  The dill weed is a key ingredient.  I use a full heaping teaspoon to about a dozen eggs and sometimes more.  Mix it in gently.  7)  Sprinkle in a small amount of dry mustard, a touch of turmeric, small pinch of salt and pepper.  The turmeric will enhance color slightly -- it doesn't take much and too much will give a bitter taste to your eggs.  The same goes for the dry mustard.  This is where you get to start tasting your mixture to your approval.  A few more grains of salt?  Another drop of worcestershire?  Maybe slightly more dill weed?  It's all up to you.  8)  Once your egg paste is up to your standards, begin filling your whites using two kitchen teaspoons; one to scoop up some mixture, the other to scoop it off with.  9) To garnish your eggs start by giving them a light sprinkle of more dill weed.  Top them off with chives or spring onion greens, and some *red pepper powder or paprika.

*  I discovered red pepper powder at the Asian grocer.  Don't let the name fool you, as I find it extremely mild in flavor, yet bursting with color.  I use it mainly for garnish in our meals -- our preschooler never complains.  (If you'd like to be daring, sprinkle red pepper flakes instead).  I buy Hawaiian Red Alaea salt from Atlantic Spice

See:  How to Hard Boil Eggs Perfectly

Note:  I use these same ingredients when making potato salad.