Tag Archives: curry powder

Brian's Road Trip

BRT – Dinner at Adrian’s

Leave a comment

EPISODE 1: DINNER AT ADRIAN’S

httpvhd://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dwVRs7bhyks

Hey, foodies:

I’m guest editing this week (though I am sure Helenka will be keeping a watchful eye on what I do). ::looks around for the evil editor:: [Evil editor does not disappoint as she puts her sticky virtual fingerprints all over this blog entry! I call it my revenge, after my operation and two-night stay in a hospital one week ago where the first 24 hours featured guzzling cold water. As a variation, I got to crunch on ice cubes. The editor was SO not amused. But … back to Brian’s adventures….]

In this episode, I took my camera on a road trip to visit my friend Adrian who is from Singapore (but luckily I didn’t have to go ALL the way there to eat terrific food). He thought it would be a good idea to have a dinner party: he was right. I got to film it and it was fun! We spared the guests from being on camera though one kept trying to sneak on. 😉

I had a great time making dishes from other countries (and eating them was even better). In fact, Adrian went back to Singapore and brought back a cookbook which was the source of a subsequent road trip.

We made several dishes for this party and I have two of the recipes (the mains) represented here.

More adventures to come!

Until next time, have yourselves a great week and don’t forget to have fun with your food, too!

Enjoy!
B&H =;)

[nggallery id=5]

Hainanese Chicken Rice (a variation of what we had) from FoodNetwork
You can read more about this dish here
Chile Sauce:

* 2 to 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
* 2 tablespoons chopped fresh red chilies
* 5 cloves garlic, chopped
* Salt

Chicken and Rice:

* 1 (2-pound) chicken
* 1 scallion, cut into 1-inch pieces
* 4 slices fresh, peeled ginger
* 6 tablespoon vegetable oil or olive oil
* 6 to 8 cloves garlic, finely chopped
* 4 cups long-grain uncooked rice
* 1 teaspoon fine salt

Directions

Make the Chile Sauce: Combine all the ingredients in a bowl, mix well, and season with salt, to taste. Set aside

Make the Chicken and Rice: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil (enough water to immerse the chicken). Stuff the cavity of the chicken with the scallion and ginger. Add the chicken to the boiling water, breast side-down. Lower the heat to a simmer just under boiling point and cook, covered, until just cooked through, about 40 minutes.

Transfer the chicken to an ice water bath for about 5 to 6 minutes. (This is to arrest the cooking and will make the chicken skin crisp.) Drain. De-bone the chicken and cut into bite-sized pieces. Reserve the chicken stock, and keep hot.

Heat the oil in a wok or saucepan over high heat. Add the garlic and stir-fry until fragrant. Add the rice and stir-fry for 1 to 2 minutes. Add enough of the hot reserved chicken soup to reach 1/2- inch above the top of the rice. Bring to the boil, add the salt, and lower the heat to low. When steam holes form in the rice, cover the wok, and steam until cooked, about 30 minutes.

Whisk 1/4 cup of the hot chicken stock into the chile sauce.

Arrange the rice and poached chicken on a platter and drizzle with the chile sauce.

Curried Coconut Chicken recipe from allrecipes.com

Ingredients

* 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2-inch chunks
* 1 teaspoon salt and pepper, or to taste
* 1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil
* 2 tablespoons curry powder
* 1/2 onion, thinly sliced
* 2 cloves garlic, crushed
* 1 (14 ounce) can coconut milk
* 1 (14.5 ounce) can stewed, diced tomatoes
* 1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
* 3 tablespoons sugar

Directions

Season chicken pieces with salt and pepper.
Heat oil and curry powder in a large skillet over medium-high heat for two minutes. Stir in onions and garlic, and cook 1 minute more. Add chicken, tossing lightly to coat with curry oil. Reduce heat to medium, and cook for 7 to 10 minutes, or until chicken is no longer pink in centre and juices run clear.
Pour coconut milk, tomatoes, tomato sauce, and sugar into the pan, and stir to combine. Cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, approximately 30 to 40 minutes.

Friends Food Fun

FFF EP-24: CURRIED CHICKEN SALAD SANDWICH

Leave a comment

httpvhd://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fnDdLizs_E4

Hey, everyone!

As we head into fall, I thought I would talk a bit about what’s coming up in the next few weeks and months … as you are going to see some of the fabulous fun I’ve gotten myself into and coerced others into as well [Editor’s cautious observation: Fun? Probably trouble, too!].

There are two barbecue episodes with Helenka and me (though I think I might reserve one to show when we long for summer while in the dread of winter [editor’s laughing note: it’s actually “dead” but “dread” is unfortunately accurate, too, where we live!] [Brian’s reply to the laughing editor: I’m taking some creative leeway ‘cause I’m sure that’s how everyone feels who doesn’t like winter as much!].

With “Desserts Are Fun” in full swing on a monthly basis, I’m introducing some new friends of mine who just love to bake. I’m leaving that as a teaser for now as you won’t get to see them probably until November as I have one more desserts episode to show before then.

Helenka and I are also still producing regular weekly episodes of “Friends Food Fun” though we are coming very near to the end of our adventures with the book “Cook This Not That”. We do have some thoughts on what to do next but, if any of you have ideas, just contact us using this link .

One of the things I can definitely say is that producing this show has taught me a lot including some new skills which – funny enough – others are noticing and commenting on when I see them. Helenka, as a matter of fact, gets a lot of comments too (don’t want to spoil it for her in case she wants to talk about it herself) and has been invited to be a special guest speaker in front of a large group about what she does here (yippee – you show ‘em, girl [Helenka takes a wee bow while keeping her lips zipped for the moment]).

We always said to each other that, even if we were the ONLY ones watching (and laughing ‘cause that is the fun part) what we did, then the whole effort would still be worth it. Well, I am happy to report that we are NOT the only ones watching and, if I may be so bold [Helenka adds “proud, too”], can confirm our viewers are coast to coast.

Reminiscing about summer earlier brings me to this week’s episode, originally filmed on a sweltering day in the middle of the summer of 2010.

Now I’m of the mind that, during these types of days, quick and easy is THE only way to go … so I found a neat recipe which fit the bill perfectly, that being “Curried Chicken Salad Sandwich” with my favourite rotisserie chicken, grape tomatoes, fresh bread, curry powder, raisins, celery, vidalia onion, carrot, crisp greens (spring mix in this case), olive oil mayonnaise, salt and pepper to taste, accompanied by Moishe’s potato salad with sweet pickle (mmmm and yum!). I’ve had the garlic version of it without the pickle which is good as well.

At times, assembling already-made products together ends up creating something I think anyone would be proud to serve to friends and family (especially during those “lazy hazy dayz” of summer). I do like making my own potato salad but, when you find one that you really enjoy, I say stick with it. Who wants to boil potatoes, eggs, cut up apples, carrots, celery, open a can or shuck peas, put all into a bowl before adding mayonnaise – when your air conditioning is running at full tilt just to maintain a comfortable temperature; so don’t worry, there will always be another time to make your own.

Hmmm, I think I have the start of a recipe in there somewhere. Do you have a favourite one that, no matter what time of year, cannot be substituted for store bought? Willing to share? Click here .

Well, that’s it from me this week. Enjoy and keep those comments coming: we love hearing from you.

Have a GREAT week till next time.
Enjoy!
B&H =;)

IMG 0003

IMG 0001

Still 1Still 5

Still 2Still 4

Still 6Still 7

Still 8Still 9

 

Please note: We try and review the recipes in the cookbook; however, in an effort to respect copyright, we are not able to reproduce the actual printed recipes here. If you do have the book, please follow along with us!

Review: Curried Chicken Salad Sandwich

Notes from the Chef’s Sidekick (Helenka)

Just watching the episode again returned me to the languid mood (meaning it was just too hot to move or to show even any extreme facial expressions; also possibly one source of my more-giddy-than-usual behaviour). There’s something special about eating spicy cold food in the summer. First of all, chilling dulls flavours — which is only one reason why you shouldn’t kill wine by storing it in the fridge for a very long time. The same principle applies to chilling food. So, when creating a cold dish, you can get away with spicing it more heavily than you would if it were served hot.

There’s also the physical reaction of our bodies not craving food as much on hot days unless it’s cold and tasty. [That would certainly explain why ice cream and popsicles are so popular, right?] Well, from the additional amount of curry powder Brian added (with my wholehearted encouragement and blessings), our taste buds were all perky and ultimately satisfied by the finished product.

Variations

We already changed the recipe (as if that’s anything NEW for us) by incorporating the lettuce and tomatoes into the chicken salad mixture. I’m constantly astonished to see chefs prepare dishes that are awkward to eat — especially in public! My main pet peeve is when a Caesar salad arrives at the table. So … the romaine is supposed to be torn into bite-sized pieces. Huh – they must be expecting a giant then, with a mouth to match. ::points in irritation to small mouth:: For this sandwich, I knew my unique child-like fingers wouldn’t be able to handle ingredients sliding all over the place and falling off the bread. But binding everything with the mayonnaise made eating a much less messy experience. Hey, I may like ice cream and popsicles, but getting food all over my clothing and the table (or worse, floor) is something I’d like to reside in my early childhood a long time ago (in a galaxy … yadda, yadda, yadda).

If you’re tired of cold chicken in the summertime (because, yes, even your most fave and convenient food can get a little boring), you could try making cold curried rare beef, with hot pepper oil and orange segments; or cold curried diced pork, with mustard or turmeric and apple slices. If you need to whet your imagination, just think of a fave Chinese or Indian dish and recreate it as a cold salad. Mmmmm. In fact, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with taking leftover takeout and turning it into a salad sandwich (even if there are noodles or rice in it). [I’m not too proud to admit that one of my fave instant sandwiches when I was a teenager was potato salad on a kaiser bun.] I’m also thinking of an elegant shrimp, shredded zucchini and chopped red pepper salad with lime juice and cilantro, served on foccacia. ::giggles:: You can see there’s nothing wrong with my imagination here.

During the horribly cold months ahead (if you’re in the Northern Hemisphere, that is), you may want to gather some recipes with the intent of making them during warmer weather. Brian and I have become quite the experts at planning for future eating and definite enjoyment! It’s also nice to have something wonderful to look forward to.

Cooking time (duration): 30

Number of servings (yield): 2

Meal type: supper

Culinary tradition: USA (General)

My rating: 5 stars:  ★★★★★ 1 review(s)

Microformatting by hRecipe.