Day 08 : "KRISKRINGLE" B u t t e r c h i c k e n

The bf had his KK with his boyz & I attempted to make butterchicken ( it's all about the indian cuisine!) from scratch. If you're not a fan of typical indian spices (cumin, corriander, cinnamon, tumeric...etc), I suggest you do not cook it at home!



The recipe I based it on was far too bland so I added more of the different spices that it called for. I mistakenly bought vanilla yogurt instead of plain yogurt, but the end result was actually pleasing. Possibly the vanilla brought out the 'sweetness' out of the dish - according to the bf. I agree but I still would prefer the plain yogurt.

ButterChicken

ButterChicken

5 pieces Chicken (breast & drum attached)

1 can diced tomatoes, drained

1 tub plain yogurt

1 can chicken broth

2 T butter

1 1/2 onion, diced

2 T ginger, minced

1 T brown sugar

1 t garlic

2 t chili powder

1 1/2 t cumin, ground

1 1/2 t corriander, ground

1 t cinnamon

1 t tumeric

salt & pepper to taste

1. Season chicken with salt & pepper.
2. Let marinade with about 1 cup yogurt & the spices mentioned above (the spices are optional if wanting a more seasoned chicken). Cover with saran wrap, making sure there is no air in between the chicken and plastic wrap. Let sit for a couple hours.
3. Fry in butter top & bottom of chicken for browned crispy skin. Finish cooking in the oven at 400F for approximately 30 minutes. Tent with foil until ready to put in sauce.
4. In the same pan that the chicken was fried in, saute onions & garlic until soft.
5. Add all the spices & let cook for 1 minute.
6. Add tomatoes, chicken stock, brown sugar & ginger. Reduce heat & let simmer for 10 minutes.
7. Add remaining yogurt. Let simmer until thickened (approx. 15 minutes).
8. Add cooked chicken in sauce. Let sit on low heat.
9. Serve on top of basmati rice.

Hope you enjoyed it boys. Happy NEW year! ... and if any of you boyz happen to be reading this, comments/suggestions please =P

Day 06: Fried Chicken n' Meal - Cuban Way

I promised to attempt in cooking a typical Cuban meal just like the chicken and beans the bf & I ate in Mayares, Cuba ontop of a mountain view and water falls. After hiking up a 20km mountainous, slippery and sometimes narrow forest the bf & I were lucky enough to eat a 'home cooked' cuban meal. We ate fried chicken with a tomato salsa to go with, boiled bananas, white rice, stewed beans, avocado & fresh guava fruit. The food was amazing.

My try at it wasn't bad at all. I boiled plaintains instead of regular bananas and sadly didn't have guava but I was very pleased with the outcome.



Cuban Fried Chicken 'n beans with boiled Plantains

FRIED CHICKEN
6 chicken legs attached to thighs sea salt & black pepper onion powder garlicpowder

STEWED BLACK BEANS
1 can black beans with liquid
1 green pepper, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp dry oregano
1/2 tsp ground cumin
sea salt & pepper
water

TOMATO SALSA SAUCE
1 can (540ml) crushed tomato
2 garlic cloves, whole
1/2 onion, whole
1/2 cup white sugar
3/4 cup olive oil
1 Tbs each garlic powder and onion powder

2 plaintains, cut in 3
2 avocado, sliced

1. Season Chicken with sea salt, pepper, garlic powder & onion powder. Set aside.
2. Add oil to pan (about 1/2" of the pan) and heat. Fry seasoned chicken about 6-7 minutes each side (internal temperature should be 74C). Place fried chicken on serving plate. Let rest before serving.
3. In pot, heat olive oil. Add green peppers and garlic frying until soft. Season with sea salt & pepper.
4. Add beans with liquid, water (enough to cover just a little over the beans) and all the dry ingredients. Stir and cook on high heat, covered until boiling.
5. After boiling, uncover beans and stir. Let simmer on medium heat for about 30-40 minutes or until beans are soft. Keep covered until serving.
6. In another pot, add all the ingredients to make the tomato salsa. Stir and let simmer on medium heat for about 20 minutes, uncovered. Stir occassionally. Set aside until serving.
7. In a separate pot, boil plaintains in water until soft.
8. Slice avocados when ready to eat.
9. Serve together.

TIP: The longer the tomato salsa and beans are simmering, the better tasting and most flavourful. Cook salsa and beans first. Keep both pots on low heat while frying the chicken.

CIAO!

Day 05: 'home cooked' sandwiches

Once again, I've been very busy with work and cake classes!! I have yet to cook a cuban meal, I still have to attempt to bake pandesal, I'm so far behind with cooking filipino dishes, thanksgiving is coming up and I'm sick! So much to do with so little time!

Although I have been stuck in the 'kitchen' all day at work and if people are stopping to let me know how good these sandwiches are and asking me for the recipe, I'm assuming my sandwiches are pretty darn good!

grilled chicken stack wth honey lime aioli.

500g chicken, seasoned and grilled
1 dozen rolls or small buns, lightly grilled
1 raddichio, seasoned with salt and grilled
2 cubanelle peppers, seasoned with salt and grilled
3 tomato, sliced
1 cup hickory bbq sauce
1 1/2 cup honey lime aioli - mayonnaise, honey, lime
goat cheese

ENJOY!

side note, i'm starting again to think a lot about the food business and catering. any tips/suggestions on starting out will be very much appreciated!

11:26pm