Poultry
Fragrant Yogurt-Braised Chicken
Pan-Roasted Chicken with Rosemary, Garlic, and White Wine
Steamed Fish Fillets with Ginger and Spring Onions
Moroccan Chicken with Dried Fruit & Cranberries
Green Curry with Chicken
I love Google Translations, both because it’s servicable, but also because it can be simply hilarious. After seeing so many Thai green curry recipes on the net with ingredients or methods that seem to have gone through an equivalent of a translation machine, let me offer how we do it. More important, this is the most requested recipe by you, our readers.
Thai green curry with chicken was a classic take-me-to-the-temple curry. Patrons would bring green curry with chicken (chicken with bones, chicken blood and gizzard) and eggplants to offer to the monks at temples. My family was not a big fan on chicken blood and gizzard, so I’ll leave those out.
Thai green curry is fiery hot with a hint of sweetness. The curry paste is made with fresh green Thai chili peppers. Some people even add additional whole fresh pepper to the curry before serving. I’ll stick with mild green curry, so I made my own curry paste.
2-3 Servings, Prep Time: 25 minutes, Total Time:25 minutes
1 lb chicken
1 thinly sliced chili pepper
1 cup coconut milk
1-2 tablespoons green curry paste
6-7 quartered eggplants
2 tablespoons fish sauce
4-5 kaffir lime leaves
¼ cup pea eggplant
1 tablespoon sugar
3 sprigs Thai basil
1 cup water
Some brands of green curry paste can be very spicy hot. Start with one tablespoon first before increasing the amount.
Green curry should not be sweet like dessert but should have a hint of sweet.
If you curry paste is old or not quite green, add a few ground fresh pepper leaves in. If fresh pepper leaves are not available, use mild leafy green instead. This will give you beautiful fresh green without the heat like chili pepper would.
Prepping: I choose ½ breast and 1 leg to get the balance of flavor and convenience. It’s easier and sometimes preferred to serve chicken breast, however, it’s the bones that give the curry the full flavor. Cut the breast meat into bite size. You can cut chicken leg into smaller pieces, but it is not necessary.
Quarter the eggplants. Wash and pick pea eggplants from stems. Wash and pick kaffir lime leaves by ripping the center stems from the leaves. In Thailand you’d use a slightly hot pepper called prig chee fah, but in the US, I substitute a sweet chili pepper (similar to a red bell pepper). Slice the chili thin, lengthwise. Wash and pick Thai basil.
Cooking: Into a pot over medium heat, pour half of the coconut milk and green curry paste. If your coconut milk separates and has cream on the top, use the cream. Mix the paste with coconut milk well. Keep stirring to prevent bottom from sticking and burning. You may need to lower the heat if it splatters too much. Keep stirring until you see greenish oil form. The coconut oil is pulling the color and fragrance out from the spices. This green oil will be floating beautifully in your curry, like in picture 5 (click it to make it bigger).
Add chicken into the curry mixture. Stir to coat the chicken for a couple minutes, until it is partially cooked. Add the eggplants, but hold off on the pea eggplants. Stir more. Add the rest of coconut milk and 1 cup of water. Let it simmer for 10 minutes or until the chicken is fully cooked. Add the pea eggplants. Add the seasonings; fish sauce and sugar. Taste for the balance flavors, salty with a hint of sweet. Add the slivers of red chili pepper and kaffir lime leaves. Let it boil one more time. When you are ready to serve, add the Thai basil. Stir to mix the basil in and immediately turn off the heat to keep the basil green. Quickly pour onto serving bowl.
Serve with rice or thin rice noodles (ขนมจีน).
Fragrant Yogurt-Braised Chicken
Dahi Murghi is a simple everyday method of preparing chicken that is utterly delicious. The chicken pieces are called yogurt-braised, even though only a small amount of yogurt is used. The fragrance and flavor of yogurt is distinct, because only certain spices are added, and in very moderate amounts.
For 4-6 persons
1 3-3½ -pound chicken cut into 8-10 pieces (or use cut-up legs and breasts in any combination)
4 tablespoons light vegetable oil
3 cups thinly sliced onions
1 tablespoon finely chopped garlic
1 tablespoon ground coriander
½ teaspoon red pepper, or to taste
½ teaspoons garam masala (p. 38)
1 teaspoon ground roasted Indian poppy seeds (p. 66)
1 cup plain yogurt
¼ cup sour cream
4 tablespoons usli ghee (p. 50), or light vegetable oil
1 tablespoon Kosher salt
Cut off the wing tips, and pull the skin from the chicken pieces, using a kitchen towel to get a good grip. Set aside. (Reserve the wing tips and skin for the stockpot.)
Heat the oil in a large heavy-bottomed pan, and add onions. Over medium-high heat, fry the onions until they turn limp and pale golden and begin to brown (about 10 minutes), stirring constantly to ensure even browning. Add garlic, and cook for an additional 2 minutes. Add coriander, red pepper, garam masala, and poppy seeds, and stir rapidly for 1 minute. Add yogurt, sour cream, and 1/3 cup water, and bring to the boil. Reduce heat and simmer the mixture, covered, for 5 minutes. Turn off heat, and let the mixture cool slightly. Finely puree it in either an electric blender or a food processor. Set aside until needed.
Put the ghee into the pan, and place it over medium heat. When the ghee is very hot, add chicken pieces and sauté, turning and tossing, until they lose their pink color (about 4 minutes). Add the pureed mixture and salt, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and cook the chicken, covered, until very tender but not falling apart (about 45 minutes). Check often during cooking to ensure the sauce is not sticking to the bottom of the pan and burning. By this time the gravy should have thickened to a velvety smooth white sauce, and a glaze will be coating the chicken pieces. It is absolutely essential that the sauce be of the right consistency in this dish. If the sauce has not thickened enough, it will be thin and runny with no shine. To remedy, simply increase heat and boil rapidly, uncovered, to evaporate excess moisture, until the sauce reduces to the desired consistency and glaze. On the other hand, the sauce may be too thick and pasty, in which case a considerable amount of fat will separate and float on the surface. In this instance, add some water or milk, little by little, until the sauce is thinned to the desired consistency and the fat has been incorporated back into the sauce. Turn off heat and let the dish rest, covered, at least 1 hour before serving. When ready to serve, heat thoroughly, check for salt, and serve.
Note: This preparation tastes particularly good if made a day ahead, refrigerated, and heated just before serving. It can also be frozen successfully. Defrost thoroughly before reheating. To reheat, simmer over low heat until piping hot. As always, taste and if necessary add more salt before serving.
Pan-Roasted Chicken with Rosemary, Garlic, and White Wine
For 4 servings
1 tablespoon butter
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
A 3½ -pound chicken, cut into 4 pieces
2 or 3 garlic cloves, peeled
1 sprig of fresh rosemary broken in two OR
½ teaspoon dried rosemary leaves
Salt
Black pepper, ground fresh
from the mill
½ cup dry white wine
1. Put the butter and oil in a saute pan, turn on the heat to medium high, and when the butter foam begins to subside, put in the chicken quarters, skin side down.
2. Brown the chicken well on both sides, then add the garlic and rosemary. Cook the garlic until it becomes colored a pale gold, and add salt, pepper, and the wine. Let the wine simmer briskly for about 30 seconds, then adjust heat to cook at a slow simmer, and put a lid on the pan, setting it slightly ajar. Cook until the bird’s thigh feels very tender when prodded with a fork, and the meat comes easily off the bone, calculating between 20 and 25 minutes per pound. If while the chicken is cooking, you find the liquid in the pan has become insufficient, replenish it with 1 or 2 tablespoons water as needed.
3. When done, transfer the chicken to a warm serving platter, using a slotted spoon or spatula. Remove the garlic from the pan. Tip the pan, spooning off all but a little of the fat. Turn the heat up to high, and boil the water away while loosening cooking residues from the bottom and sides with a wooden spoon. Pour the pan juices over the chicken and serve at once.
Roast Chicken with Lemons
If this were a still life its title could be "Chicken with Two Lemons." That is all that there is in it. No fat to cook with, no basting to do, no stuffing to prepare, no condiments except for salt and pepper. After you put the chicken in the oven you turn it just once. The bird, its two lemons, and the oven do all the rest. Again and again, through the years, I meet people who come up to me to say, "I have made your chicken with two lemons and it is the most amazingly simple recipe, the juiciest, best-tasting chicken I have ever had." And you know, it is perfectly true.
For 4 servings
A 3- to 4-pound chicken
Salt
Black pepper, ground fresh from the mill
2 rather small lemons
Preheat oven to 350°.
Wash the chicken thoroughly in cold water, both inside and out. remove all the bits of fat hanging loose. Let the bird sit for about 10 minutes in a slightly tilted plate to let all the water drain out of it. Pat it thoroughly dry all over with cloth or paper towels.
Sprinkle a generous amount of salt and black pepper on the chicken, rubbing it with your fingers over all its body and into its cavity.
Wash the lemons in cold water and dry them with a towel. Soften each lemon by placing it on a counter and rolling it back and forth as you put firm outward pressure on it with the palm of your hand. Puncture the lemons in t least 20 places each, using a sturdy round toothpick, a trussing needle, a harp-pointed fork, or similar implement.
Place both lemons in the bird’s cavity. Close up the opening with toothpicks or with trussing needle and string. Close it well, but don’t make an absolutely airtight job of it because the chicken may burst. Run kitchen string from one leg to the other, tying it at both knuckle ends. Leave the legs in their natural position without pulling them tight. If the skin is unbroken, the chicken will puff up as it cooks, and the string serves only to keep the thighs from spreading apart and splitting the skin.
Put the chicken into a roasting pan, breast facing down. Do not add cooking fat of any kind. This bird is self-basting, so you need not fear it will stick to the pan. Place it in the upper third of the preheated oven. After 30 minutes, turn the chicken over to have the breast face up. When turning it, try not to puncture the skin. If kept intact, the chicken will swell like a balloon, which makes for an arresting presentation at the table later. Do not worry too much about it, however, because even if it fails to swell, the flavor will not be affected.
Cook for another 30 to 35 minutes, then turn the oven thermostat up to 400°, and cook for an additional 20 minutes. Calculate between 20 and 25 minutes’ total cooking time for each pound. There is no need to turn the chicken again.
Whether your bird has puffed up or not, bring it to the table whole and leave the lemons inside until it is carved and opened. The juices that run out are perfectly delicious. Be sure to spoon them over the chicken slices. The lemons will have shriveled up, but they still contain some juice; do not squeeze them, they may squirt.
Ahead-of-time note : If you want to eat it while it is warm, plan to have it the moment it comes out of the oven. If there are leftovers, they will be very tasty cold, kept moist with some of the cooking juices and eaten not straight out of the refrigerator, but at room temperature.
Steamed Fish Fillets with Ginger and Spring Onions
Serve as part of a banquet for 4-6
I could eat this dish every night of the week! It is so healthy, light and clean-tasting. The most important thing is to buy the freshest and best-quality fish fillet — the recipe is so simple and refined, the fish is allowed to speak for itself. Suggested fish for this recipe include bar cod, blue eye, snapper, King George whiting, Murray cod, barramundi, mahi mahi, cod and sea bass.
You can also make this using 1 x 750 g (1 lb 8 oz.) whole snapper or sea bass, scaled, cleaned and gutted. Simply increase the initial steaming time to 6—8 minutes, plus 1—2 minutes after the cabbage has been added. My mum often steams a whole snapper to accompany her many wonderful banquets!
4 x 100 g (3½ oz.) firm white-fleshed fish fillets
1/3 cup water
2 tablespoons shao hsing wine or dry sherry
2 tablespoons ginger julienne
1 Chinese cabbage leaf
½ teaspoon white sugar
2 tablespoons light soy sauce
¼ teaspoon sesame oil
½ cup spring onion (scallion) julienne
1½ tablespoons peanut oil
¼ cup coriander (cilantro) leaves
pinch ground white pepper
Place fish in a shallow heatproof bowl that will fit inside a steamer basket. Pour water and wine or sherry over fish, then sprinkle with half the ginger. Place bowl inside steamer and position over a deep saucepan or wok of boiling water and steam, covered, for 5-6 minutes.
Cut Chinese cabbage leaf into 4 squares and slip inside steamer. Cover and steam for a further 2-3 minutes, or until cabbage has warmed through and fish is just cooked. The flesh should be white; if it is still translucent, cook for another minute or so.
Remove cabbage from steamer and arrange on a serving plate. Using a spatula, carefully remove fish from steamer and place on top of hot cabbage. Pour any liquid left in the bowl over fish, sprinkle with sugar and drizzle with combined soy sauce and sesame oil, then sprinkle with remaining ginger and half the spring onion. Heat peanut oil in a small frying pan until moderately hot, then carefully pour over fish. Sprinkle fish with remaining spring onion, coriander and pepper, and serve immediately
Lemon Chicken
Yield: 4 To 6 Servings If Served Alone; 8 To 12 Servings If Served With 3 Other Dishes
Lemon Chicken has become a very popular dish with Americans, even though it is not based on an authentic Chinese recipe. It was developed by a Chinese chef who was working in a restaurant in New York, with the American palate in mind. It is considered to be an adaptation of the classic sweet-and-sour sauce, and is a good example of the new hybrid: a Chinese-American dish which is inauthentic but delicious.
4 whole chicken breasts (12 to 14 ounces)
Marinade
2½ tablespoons light soy
sauce 1 teaspoon sesame-seed oil
1 tablespoon gin or vodka
2 small carrots
3 scallions (white and green parts)
1 cup snow peas or 1 small green pepper
Sauce
½ cup white rice vinegar
½ scant cup sugar (½ cup less 2 tablespoons)
6 ounces chicken stock
6 ½ tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon grated lemon rind (zest—outermost yellow skin—only)
Binder
2 tablespoons water chest-
nut powder 4 tablespoons chicken stock
3 egg whites
2 cups peanut oil for deep-frying
¾ cup water chestnut powder for dredging
1 cup shredded Shantung cabbage
Bone chicken breasts, separating the filet from the cutlet. That will yield a total of 16 pieces.
Place chicken pieces in a bowl or dish.
Combine ingredients for the marinade—soy sauce, sesame-seed oil and gin—and pour over the chicken pieces.
Toss to coat and let stand 30 minutes. If marinating longer, then refrigerate.
Shred carrots and place in bowl.
Shred scallions and snow peas, and place in a bowl.
Grate lemon rind.
Squeeze lemon juice.
Mix binder.
Mix the vinegar, sugar, remaining chicken stock, lemon juice, and grated lemon rind in a saucepan.
Beat egg whites slightly.
COOKING PROCEDURE
Heat oil in wok to 325 °.
While oil is heating, drain the chicken and discard the marinade.
Dip the chicken in beaten egg whites, one piece at a time.
Coat chicken in water chestnut powder; shake off excess.
Fry the chicken (not more than 2 whole breasts at a time in a 14-inch wok) for 4 to 5 minutes, turning with chopsticks once after 2 minutes. The chicken should fry in the oil at a temperature somewhere between 280° and 300°.
Remove first batch of chicken from oil with a wire strainer or chopsticks, and drain on several sheets of paper towels.
Reheat oil to 325 ° and repeat frying and draining process. The entire preparation up to this point can be done ahead 4 hours.
The chicken breasts must cool at least 30 minutes before they are fried a second time.
Strain oil through a sieve lined with cheesecloth.
Reheat oil to 375°.
While oil is reheating, place saucepan with lemon sauce over a medium-high flame and bring to a boil. Remix binder and add to sauce by pouring with one hand while stirring in a figure-eight motion with the other. When sauce has thickened, turn flame to low and let simmer. Refry cooled chicken breasts, no more than 3 pieces at a time, for about 30 seconds on each side. Remove them and drain. Be sure to bring oil temperature back to 375° before adding the next 3 pieces, until all the chicken has been fried for the second time.
Drain well on paper towels for one minute. While draining, bring lemon sauce back to a rapid boil.
Add carrots and boil one minute.
Add scallions and snow peas; cook 30 seconds. Immediately remove saucepan from heat.
Slice chicken breasts crosswise and place over shredded Shantung cabbage.
With a perforated spoon, place vegetables and some of the sauce over chicken.
Serve extra sauce in a separate bowl.
TIMING: The chicken breasts can be boned and marinated up to 12 hours ahead.
The vegetables can be shredded early in the day or the day before if wrapped well.
The sauce can be prepared a day in advance.
The first frying of the chicken can be done 4 hours ahead; it is then drained on paper towels and allowed to cool in a single layer. When cool, cover with wax paper.
After the oil has cooled, strain it, wash out the wok, and then pour the oil back into the wok.
The second frying of the chicken and the heating of the sauce should be the last thing you do when serving Lemon Chicken as part of a dinner, because it must be served immediately
SUBSTITUTIONS : For the chicken breasts you can substitute veal scallops, filet of sole, or flounder.
When using fish, reduce the first frying time to 3 minutes.
Fresh lime juice can be used instead of lemon juice.
Shredded iceberg lettuce can be substituted for the cabbage.
Cornstarch or flour can be used instead of water chestnut powder, but the chicken will not be as crisp.
TIPS: The most difficult part of preparing Lemon Chicken is the timing at the end of the recipe. Read the recipe over several times before you complete the final part, which is the second frying of the chicken and the thickening of the sauce. When trying it for the first time, plan a very simple meal with a soup, appetizer, and Lemon Chicken as your only entree. It serves four to six people.
Choose a flat serving piece so the chicken pieces are placed in a single layer and do not continue to steam when put on the table.
If the butcher has boned the breasts for you, separate the cutlets from the filets.
Lemon Chicken can also be served as an appetizer. In that case, omit the vegetables from the recipe and serve the lemon sauce in a bowl placed on a platter with the chicken pieces surrounding it. Each person dips a piece of chicken into the sauce.
When doubling the recipe, use two woks or deep fryers, and double all the ingredients.
Moroccan Chicken with Dried Fruit & Cranberries
Makes 6-8 servings.
1 teaspoon each ground cumin and coriander
½ teaspoon turmeric
¼ teaspoon each paprika, salt and pepper
4 lbs chicken pieces, skin removed
2 Tablespoon olive oil
2 onions, thinly sliced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 Tablespoons minced gingerroot
1 small chili pepper, seeded and chopped
2/3 cup chicken stock
1/3 cup liquid honey
1/3 cup each dried apricots, pitted prunes and dried cranberries
1/3 cup dried figs, halved
2 lemons, sliced
4 cinnamon sticks, broken in half
1 cup fresh cranberries
2 teaspoon cornstarch
¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro
In large bowl, combine cumin, coriander, tumeric, paprika, salt and pepper. Add chicken; toss to coat.
In large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat; brown chicken, in batches, about 8 minutes. Transfer to bowl.
Drain off all but 1 Tablespoon of the oil from skillet. Add onions, garlic, ginger root and chili pepper; sauté 2 minutes. Return chicken along with ½ cup of the stock, honey and dried fruit. Arrange ½ of the lemon slices over chicken; tuck in cinnamon sticks. Bring to boil; reduce heat and simmer, covered for 25 minutes, basting occasionally. Stir in fresh cranberries; cook 5 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink inside. Transfer chicken to platter; keep warm. Discard lemon. Bring juices to boil. Blend remaining stock with cornstarch; whisk into skillet and cook, whisking 2-3 minutes or until thickened. Add remaining lemon slices. Taste and adjust seasoning. Pour over chicken. Sprinkle cilantro on top.
Basque-Style Chicken
Poulet Basquaise
1 chicken
2 large white onions
2 red bell peppers
2 large cans whole tomatoes
2 Tbsp tomato paste
4 cloves of garlic
½ lb bacon (30% less fat, diced)
½ lb mushrooms
2 sugar cubes
Several sprigs of thyme, bay
3 sprigs Italian parsley
½ cup Olive oil
Salt and pepper
Cut the chicken into pieces and then sauté in 2 Tablespoons of olive oil.
When the chicken has started to brown, cover and leave on medium heat for 10 min.
Sauté the onions and the bacon and then the chopped peppers.
Add to the casserole the pieces of chicken, the onions, the bacon, the peppers, the mushrooms, the tomatoes and tomato paste, the herbs, sugar and garlic.
Add salt and pepper.
Simmer until the chicken is cooked (30-45 min).
Remove the chicken and if the sauce is too liquid boil it down to the right thickness.
Right before serving, add some crème fraîche or a little bit of corn starch.
Serve with a sprinkling of minced Italian parsley on top.
Indian Turkey Curry
Serves 2
Leftover Cooked Turkey Dark or white meat or both
1 Cup of Curry Massalla Gravy
Quarter of an onion finely chopped
3 Teaspoon Curry Powder
1 Teaspoon Chilli Powder
1 Finely Chopped Cayenne Chilli
4 Cloves Crushed Garlic
2 inches Root Ginger grated
5 Tablespoons Vegetable Oil
4 Tablespoons roughly chopped coriander leaves
1 Tablespoon whole coriander leaves
1 teaspoon Garam Massalla
Make a paste of the curry powder and chilli powder with a little water.
Fry the onion until translucent in the veg oil then add the garlic, ginger and chilli and stir fry on medium for a further 5 minutes.
Add the curry and chilli powder paste and stir in and fry for a further 30 secs.
Add the Turkey pieces and warm through.
Add half the Massalla Gravy and simmer for 5 minutes or until the Turkey is piping hot, stirring occasionally.
If needed add more massalla gravy and water to prevent the curry becoming too thick or dry.
Now add the finely chopped coriander leaves and cook for a further minute.
Serve with the whole coriander leaves sprinkled over the top.
Last updated
October 25, 2012