Indonesian Chicken

 

INDONESIAN CHICKEN  for 4 wonderful people

Vegetarian: No , Flavor Profile: curry, medium spice

Time to prepare: 40 minutes, Difficulty level: easy, $18

 INGREDIENTS

 Meat 

• 3 chicken thighs, cut into large cubes

Vegetables

• 2 medium sweet potatoes, cut in chunks
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 tomato, diced
• 1/2 red or green bell pepper sliced (optional)

 

Liquids

• 2 tsp tamarind or 2 tbsp lemon or lime juice
• 2 tbsp fish sauce
• 1 cup of strong chicken broth
• 250 gr or 1 can of coconut cream/milk

Spice Mixture

• 3 cloves of garlic, grated
• 1 thumb piece ginger, grated
• 1 tsp Old Bay seasoning
• 2 tsp turmeric
• 2 tsp ground coriander
• 2 tsp cumin seeds
• 1/8 tsp cardamom seeds
• 1/4 cup chopped cashew nuts (+handful more to garnish)
• red pepper flakes
• pepper

Coconut oil or vegetable oil

DIRECTIONS

• Coat the chicken cubes in 1tbsp coconut oil or vegetable oil.
• Add 1 tsp tamarind, 1tbsp fish sauce and  the spice mixture, rub mixture into the meat.
• Shake off excess spice mixture and set marinated chicken cubes aside, keep at room temperature.
• Heat coconut oil or vegetable oil in a (cast iron) pot, medium heat.
•  Add onion, rest of the spice mixture, chopped cashews. Stir 2 minutes to release fragrance. 

• Add liquids: chicken stock, tamarind or lemon juice, fish sauce. Bring to a light boil.
• Add potatoes, tomatoes, coconut milk/cream. SIMMER.

• When potatoes are cooked, remove most of them from the curry sauce and set aside. Leave some potato cubes in the sauce to thicken sauce.
• Use mixer to mix the curry sauce for smooth consistency. Taste! Add more fish sauce for increased flavor, or more Old Bay Spices for spice. If too sweet, add tamarind/lemon/lime juice.

• Add marinated chicken cubes, simmer 10 minutes until chicken cubes are cooked. Taste!

Add the rest of the cooked potato cubes, simmer 2 minutes. SERVE

Top with fresh coriander and crushed cashew nuts. ENJOY

Easy Risotto

EASY RISOTTO for 2 wonderful people

Vegetarian: Yes (Replace chicken bouillon with vegetarian)

Flavor Profile: Mediterranean

Time to prepare: 1 hour 

Difficulty level: Easy

Spicy level: Mild

Feeds: 2 Wonderful People 

Cost of Ingredients: 15$ CAD

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup of short grain rice (cheaper then risotto rice)
• 2 cups of strong chicken bouillon
• 1/2 cup of white wine, room temperature
• Fresh, sliced mushrooms
• 1 onion
• 1 tbsp butter
• Cut tomatoes for garnish (optional)
• Finely cut green onions for garnish
• Grated parmesan cheese for garnish

DIRECTIONS:

• On Medium heat, melt butter in cast iron pan.
• Add the mushrooms, stir until golden brown.

• Remove the mushrooms from the pan, set mushrooms aside.
• Add the sliced onions in the pan, stir until golden in color. 

• On low/medium heat, add the rice to the pan. Stir continuously until the rice has become glass/golden colour, approximately 10 minutes. Do not add butter!

• Add the wine to the hot pan, stir continuously until the wine is fully absorbed.
• Add 1/4 of a cup of chicken bouillon to the rice, stir continuously until the liquid is absorbed. Low to medium heat. Be patient.

• Repeat and continue with 1/4 cup of chicken bouillon each time, stirring until complete absorption, repeat until the complete chicken bouillon has been  absorbed by the rice.  Be patient, stirring is very important. The rice should not stick to the pan or burn. Be patient.

• Taste! The rice should not be soft, nor hard, but needs a slight crunchiness.
• Remove risotto from the heat. Serve immediately.
• Garnish with sliced tomatoes, green stallions and parmesan cheese.   ENJOY!

Black Bean Chicken and Rice

 Black Bean Chicken and Rice 

Vegetarian: No 

Flavor Profile: East Asian

Time to prepare: 1 hour 

Difficulty level: Medium/Easy

Spicy level: Medium

Feeds: 2 voracious boys 

Cost of Ingredients: 12$ CAD

The Ingredients 

Base

• 1 cup of rice 

Fruits and veggies

• 3 thai chillis 
• 1 Onion
• 1 zucchini 
• 4 cloves of garlic

Meat

• 300 grams of chicken (roughly 1.5 chicken breasts)

Sauces and liquids

• 1/2 cup of coconut oil (Solid)
• Olive oil 
• 1 lemon (3 tablespoons of lemon juice)
• 3/4 cup of milk 
• 4 tablespoons of black bean sauce 

Spices

• Pepper
• Salt
• Paprika
• Tumeric 
• 1 teaspoon of ginger 

1. Cut chicken into bit-sized bits. Season chicken with pepper, salt, and coat the chicken with a generous helping of olive oil 

2. Begin to cook the rice as you usually would (high heat till boiling then bring to lowest heat for roughly 15 minutes. Then turn off the burner and move), however, add salt, pepper and a dash of turmeric to the rice and water for flavor and color before cooking. 

3. As you are cooking the rice begin cooking the chicken. Set a saucepan to medium-high heat. Once it gets to temperature throw the chicken in and stir periodically, so it does not stick. Cook the chicken till it is cooked on the outside but still pink on the inside. 

Set heat to medium-low and add 1/2 cup of paprika. Continue stirring for 2 minute

4. Add 1/2 cup of coconut oil and chopped-up onions (onions should be medium-sized cut), crushed and cut garlic. Stir for about 2 minutes

5. Add zucchini,  and black bean sauce. Stir for a few minutes. Then add milk and lemon juice, thai chillis, and ginger. Cover for 20 minutes on low, occasionally uncovering to stir. Add salt pepper and paprika at own volition. 

6. After 20 minutes uncover and let sit for a few minutes. 

7. Serve with rice. 😀👍