Fit to be thai’d
I really wanted to cook for him last night, and I think I went a bit crazy with it. (Turned out really well, though!) In college my idea of making stir-fry was chicken pieces with one of those frozen bags of vegetables, and I’m happy to say I’ve moved past that.
Last night’s menu included lettuce wraps, chicken skewers in citrus marinade, peanut sauce, and cucumber salad. Dessert was red bean mochi ice cream bon bons.
Is your mouth watering? Good.
Lettuce Wraps
Note: It really helps to have everything pre-mixed, pre-minced, and pre-measured so you can throw it in the pan at the right time. Having a food processor helps a lot!
Chicken marinade:
1 tsp cornstarch
2 tsp sherry
2 tsp water
Salt and pepper to taste (I add a dash of cayenne)
3 tsp sesame oil
Cooking sauce:
1 tbsp hoisin sauce
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp sherry
2 tbsp oyster sauce
2 tbsp water
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp sugar
2 tsp cornstarch
Stirfry:
3/4 cup dried shiitake mushroom slices, reconstituted and minced
1 tsp fresh minced ginger
2 cloves minced garlic
2 green onions – minced
1 lb skinless boneless chicken, chopped finely
1 can bamboo shoots, minced
1 can water chestnuts, minced
1 package ramen, prepared and drained*
Iceberg or other lettuce, separated into whole leaves
* Break the noodles into tiny pieces before opening the package. Prepare as directed but without seasoning packet.
Preparation:
Add marinade sauce to chicken. Combine well and leave it in the fridge for fifteen minutes or so.
In a large skillet or wok, heat several tablespoons of sesame oil. Add chicken and stir-fry. Once chicken is cooked, add garlic, ginger, mushrooms, green onions, bamboo shoots, and water chestnuts. Stir-fry for several minutes. Add cooking sauce and noodles. Toss until well mixed and cook for an additional minute or two.
Serve in lettuce leaves with peanut sauce (see recipe below) or your favorite dipping sauce. Sweet chili sauce is one of my picks.
Chicken skewers in citrus marinade
Ingredients:
1 satsuma orange
1 lime
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp curry
1 tsp coriander
1 tsp cinnamon
2 tbsp water
Handful of chopped cilantro
Boneless skinless chicken breasts, sliced thinly.
Wooden skewers, soaked in water for at least half an hour
Preparation:
Slice citrus fruits in half and juice, making sure to get as much of the pulp as possible. Add sugar, curry, coriander, cinnamon, water and cilantro. Mix well and pour into a large flat baking dish.
Slide chicken onto the skewers and place in marinade until you run out of chicken, skewers, or both. Marinate for an hour.
I cooked mine with a dash of sesame oil in a skillet, but you can also broil or BBQ them.
Cucumber salad
Ingredients:
2 cucumbers – peeled, de-seeded, and sliced
1 carrot, grated
1/3 red onion, thinly sliced
1/2 cup rice vinegar
3 tbsp sugar
Dash of cayenne pepper (to taste)
In a small saucepan, heat vinegar and sugar until sugar dissolves. Toss vinegar-sugar mixture with vegetables and cayenne pepper. Chill salad for at least an hour before serving.
Peanut sauce
Ingredients:
2 tbsp hoisin sauce
1/4 cup peanut butter
3 tbsp V-8 juice
1 tsp brown sugar
1/2 cup water
1 tbsp garlic
2 tbsp sweet chili sauce
1 tsp sesame oil
Preparation:
Combine and heat all ingredients until smooth and bubbly. Add water to thin as necessary.
If I wreck my keyboard from drooling on it, I’m coming for you!
The scents alone were worth the wait… Was wonderful!