Saturday, October 22, 2011

Spiced Chicken Teriyaki (stove top grilled sweet soy sauce chicken)

You would think that every Japanese Restaurant has Chicken Teriyaki right?...Just as a Hamburger joint is sure to have French Fries.  I've thought so until I visited Carib Sushi, the only Japanese Restaurant on the Island.  Yes, it is non-existent here, which means you have the pleasure of making it at home, all while saving money.

This dish is one of the simplest, easiest, cheapest, and most delicious dishes to make.  Not everyone has a grill here in Grenada but don't worry, you can still achieve the same grilled texture and flavor using your stove top.

I use chicken thighs because they're easy to work with and have more flavor.  The bits of fat left on the thighs help keep moisture in and contribute loads of flavor to the dish.  They're also cheaper and are always available at Foodfair in the frozen section at the back.

2 Servings; 20-25min
Ingredients:

Sauce
  • 3/4 cup water
  • 2 tbsp soy sauce
  • 1 tbs brown sugar
  • 1 tsp minced ginger
  • 1 garlic clove minced
  • 1tbs cold water
  • 3/4 tbsp corn starch 
    Chicken
    • 1tbsp oil
    • 1lb boneless chicken thighs thawed
    •  a little under 1/2 tsp salt
    • 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
    • 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
    • 1/4 tsp paprika
    • 1tbs dried parsley flakes
    • 2 stalks green onion diced (not bunch)
    Topping: roasted sesame seeds (IGA or Foodfair)

    Directions
    1. In a sauce pan under medium low heat, combine water, soy sauce, sugar, ginger, garlic.
    2. In a separate bowl, mix corn starch and water. Dissolve.  Add into soy sauce mixture. Mix well.
    3. Bring up to medium high heat and stir until sauce thickens. ~3-5 min.
    4. For Chicken. Heat non stick pan medium high heat. Add oil.  Make sure pan is hot before adding chicken so you can achieve a grilled texture. Add chicken in one layer leaving gaps in between. Do not stir of flip.  Occasionally swish pan back and forth using handle. 
    5.  Cook chicken 3/4 of the way ~5min or until only a little pink is left on the top. 
    6.  Mix salt, pepper, paprika, parsley in a bowl.  Coat chicken evenly before flipping.
    7.  Flip each piece of chicken over. swish pan back and forth.  Cook for ~3 min. then add green onions. Cook for another 3min. or until desired texture is reached.  Don't worry, chicken thighs don't dry out easily.
    8. Top chicken with Teriyaki Sauce (desired amount, store rest in fridge) and sesame seeds.  Serve on top of white rice with a side salad.

    *Click HERE for a cooking dictionary. 

    Thursday, October 20, 2011

    Halloween Shadow Pumpkin Carving- Another Date Night With The Husband

    Good Ol' Traditional Pumpkin
    I'm in Grenada where American Pumpkin's don't exist and Pumpkin really means Squash.  Unfortunately, they're too little to carve and on top of that, are almost never sold whole (sold in slices).  How about  carving pumpkins a different way?  Perhaps making one out of a cupcake, pie, candy, or cookies? Sounds delightful and fun, but it was close to bed time and we had to choose an alternate route: shadow pumpkin carving hahaha.    

    The Evil Bunny who Demands his Easter Eggs Back
    Brian took hold of the Flashlight and I did the steering.  Keep in mind that I've never done shadow puppets in my whole life, not to my recollection anyway, and I've never looked up any tutorials on how to do them.  

    "Pumpkin"
    The first puppet that was born was an actual pumpkin. It was so thoughtless and my fingers just fell into position.  Brian and I found it so hilarious that I was doing a pumpkin without even trying that we started giggling out butts off.  "Look, What the Hell, It actually looks like a pumpkin!  Hurry Up, Capture it!"  Both of us were moving around so much that we couldn't get a decent shot and Brian ended up taking many pictures with blurry blobs of nothing.  I tried so hard to stay still afraid of losing the pumpkin, not being able to get form it once again with my fingers, but the laughter was uncontrollable.  After laughing for 10 minutes, we were able to catch a sharp shot.


    I didn't intend on making monsters and devils along with the pumpkins, but that's what came out anyway.  It was disturbing but at the same time, lifted our Halloween spirits.  We ended up with a horned demon, a non-horned demon (they could be brothers hahah), and an evil bunny rabbit. O, and a superhero Pumpkin one top of the traditional one (seen above). The night was like a crazy live comic show, "Super Pumpkins vs. Demons." It was definitely fun and eerie. Who would've known Halloween would be possible in Grenada where pumpkins and Halloween don't exist?  With a flashlight and a little imagination, you can bring Halloween to you (O, and of course, don't forget the candy). 
    Super Pumpkin to the Rescue
    The Horned Demon
    The Horned Demon's Brother
    Family Guy's Joe Swanson

    Chicken Pumpkin Stew- Halloween Gone Savory

    There's something about pumpkin that's really gets me.  Maybe because to me, it's synonymous with Halloween and Halloween means fond memories of eating as much candy as I want without any grown ups getting on my case.  For which ever reason I love pumpkin, I'm just glad I love it.  Pumpkin is a vegetable that is versatile and can be made into a savory or sweet dish.  On top of that, it's cheap and abundant here in Grenada.  How many vegetables can be called a vegetable and at the same time, cause so many kids to smile... not many.

    Although I have gone the savory route with this pumpkin, I can assure you that there will be pumpkin desserts to come.  You gotta have a balance between sweet and savory right? I think it's called "Yin-Yang" in Chinese hahaha.  Here's to my Chinese side, or shall I say, my last name (Fung hahaha, I'm an American Filipino that married an american chinese dude).

    This soup can easily be made vegetarian.  Replace the chicken stock with vegetable stock and add 1tsp salt total instead of fish sauce.  I would suggest adding cream and more butter to up the flavor.

    3-4 servings; 35-45min
    Ingredients:
    1 1/2 tbsp butter
    1/2 tsp cajun seasoning
    1/2 tsp paprika
    1/4 tsp black pepper
    1/4 tsp nutmeg
    1/2 tsp bay leaf powder (optional, can purchase at MNIB at excel plaza)
    1/2 tsp salt
    1 tbsp dried parsley
    2 lbs pumpkin with skin cubed 1''
    2 cloves garlic minced finely
    4 stalks green onion diced
    4 stalks celery diced
    1 lb chicken thighs cubed
    1 1/2 tbsp fish sauce (IGA)
    1 tsp white sugar
    2 cups water or chicken stock

    (you can also add one bunch of okra if you want to thicken up the soup)

    Directions:
    1. in a bowl, mix seasonings- cajun, paprika, black pepper, nutmeg, bay leaf powder, salt, and parsley.
    2.  bring pot up to heat, medium high heat. add butter. wait until it starts crackling.
    3. Add garlic.  cook for one min constantly stirring.
    4. add celery, green onion. cook for 1 min.
    5. add spices. cook for 2 min or until aromatic, constantly stirring.
    6. add pumpkin, chicken, fish sauce, sugar, and water (or chicken stock).
    7. mix well, bring up to a boil, boil for 2 min. then bring heat to low, cover,  and simmer for 30min. occasionally stir. half of pumpkin should puree and mix in with soup.
    8. serve on top of rice or add in elbow macaroni and evaporated milk (for a soup meal).

    *Click HERE for a cooking dictionary. 

    39th Anniversary of Grenada's Independence

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