Saucy Seduction

A very popular dish in the States, or maybe just where we live is Orange Chicken which is battered deep fried pieces of chicken coated in an orange sauce. You can even buy packaged orange chicken in the freezer aisle or just the bottled sauce which I admit I sometimes use (although I do freshen mine with freshly squeezed orange juice and some finely shredded orange rind).

Orange Chicken is ubiquitous not only to Chinese restaurants here, but apparently has even found it's way to my niece's school cafeteria! This information came up while we were having dinner at a Malaysian restaurant in LA where one of the dishes we ordered was, yes, Orange Chicken. In Malaysia Lemon Chicken is the common dish where typically a whole thigh and drumstick would be deboned, coated in seasoned batter and deep fried. The cut up chicken is then served on the sauce which keeps the chicken crispy.

There are two ways to prepare the chicken for orange chicken. The first is to marinate it, mix in one egg, then to coat with corn starch and deep fry. The second method which is healthier, and is the recipe here, is to marinate it and then pan fry the chicken. I have to admit the deep frying gives the chicken a delicious crunchy texture and is the method that orange chicken is usually made in the restaurants. So if you're thinking of indulging that would be the way to go.

ORANGE CHICKEN
Serves 4

1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast or thighs
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp Shaoxing wine
1 tsp sesame oil
Dash of white and black pepper

Orange Sauce
Makes 1/2 cup sauce

1 (6-ounce) can frozen orange juice concentrate
3 tbsp hoisin sauce
2 tsp honey
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp rice wine vinegar
½ tsp crushed red pepper flakes

• Cut the chicken into 1" cubes. Mix the marinade ingredients and pour over the chicken, mix well. Leave in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
  Heat 1 tbsp oil in a pan, fry the chicken until cooked and evenly browned. Pour over 1/4 cup sauce, mix well.
• To make the sauce, place the orange juice concentrate, hoisin sauce, honey, soy sauce, rice wine vinegar and red pepper flakes into a small saucepan, stir to combine and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Reduce the mixture to about 1/2 cup, approximately 5 to 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and allow to cool at least 5 minutes.

Let Them Eat Cake!

The finished cake

Just four ingredients

The first cake layer sitting on the pieces of parchment paper.

The iced cake before the pieces of parchment paper were pulled out.

All that was left that night - not much!

Keith’s birthday was a few days ago and I made a butter cake from a box mix. My preferred brand is Duncan Hines and they also make really good brownie mixes.

Yes you could make a cake from scratch but why bother when there are delicious box mixes which are so easy to make. The frostings however, I made from scratch: cream cheese frosting for the middle and a plain buttercream to ice the whole cake. The end result was that the two of us plus the four friends who were at dinner almost polished off the whole cake! Everyone had at least two slices and one of our friends actually had seven slices, albeit some of the slices were really thin. I think he would have liked to finish it off but maybe out of politeness though it better to leave at least a little something on the cake stand! Both frostings were delicious, but I think the next time I would just make it all cream cheese frosting.

In one of the pictures you see how I kept the cake plate frosting free. I saw this on TV when the 'Barefoot Contessa' Ina Garten was frosting a coffee cake she was making for a friend (she always seems to be cooking for her friends on that show!) Cut parchment paper into about six strips of approximately 3" x 6" and place under the cake. Ice the cake and then when done, carefully remove the pieces of paper leaving a clean cake plate.

So here’s the recipe for cream cheese frosting which would be excellent on carrot cake or on cupcakes. The amount to ice a round 9 inch cake is given and then in parenthesis [] is the amount if you are making just enough as filling.

CREAM CHEESE FROSTING
For one 9” round cake

2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened [4 ounces]
½ cup butter, softened [2 ounces]
2 cups sifted confectioners' sugar [1/2 cup]
1 tsp vanilla extract [1/4 tsp]
4 tbsp milk [1 tbsp]

• In a medium bowl, cream together the cream cheese and butter until creamy. Mix in the vanilla, then gradually stir in the confectioners' sugar. Mix in the milk until desired consistency is reached.

Mak Cik's Vegetable Acar

My aunt (or Mak Cik in Malay) is well known for her Vegetable Acar (pronounced 'ut-char') which is pickled vegetables in a spicy, vinegary and sweet base. I like to eat it as a side dish when I eat plain chicken or beef ramen or sometimes just on it's own as a snack! Unlike the Korean Kimchi, this is not as pungent as it does not use garlic. Without the addition of the peanuts, the acar can actually last refridgerated for about 6 months (or about 1 week with the peanuts).

MAK CIK’S VEGETABLE ACAR
Makes about 8 – 10 20-oz jars

2 pounds (about 4-5) carrots, peeled and cut into 2”x1/8” sticks
3 pounds (about 6-7) pickling cucumbers, deseeded and cut into 2”x¼” sticks
4 pounds (1 large) cabbage, separate the leaves and cut into 2" squares

Spice Mix
5 tbsp chili powder
4 stalks lemongrass
2 big onions
1 tbsp turmeric powder
1 tbsp galangal powder
1 tbsp belacan powder
2 cups white vinegar
¾ cup sugar
1 tbsp salt
½ cup oil
1 cup ground roasted peanuts, optional
1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds, optional

To prepare the vegetables:

• Boil a big pot of water and add in ½ cup vinegar, ¼ cup sugar and 2 tbsp salt. Lower heat to simmer and blanch vegetables for 1 minute, a few handfuls at a time. Use a salad spinner to spin dry. Set aside.

For the spice mix:

• Finely grind the lemongrass and onions with ¼ cup water. Mix in the chili, turmeric, galangal and belacan powders.
• Heat ½ cup cooking oil, fry ground ingredients for spice mix for about 1 hour until fragrant and oil rises to the top. Add in vinegar, sugar and salt.
• Cool then add in the vegetables and the ground roasted peanuts if used. Mix well.
• Keep in clean jars for at least 1 day before eating.
• Sprinkle toasted sesame seeds on top before serving.

Heavenly Delicious Butternut Goodness

I love butternut squash so much so that I could eat it every day! The cold winter weather is the perfect time to make this because the hot oven then also heats the house. We had some of the squash with roasted chicken and green beans for dinner one night and the extra came in handy when I made it into roasted butternut soup the next day. I had to have my wisdom teeth pulled and knew that I wouldn't be able to eat solids for a couple of days. The good news was that I only had to have two wisdom teeth from my bottom jaw pulled as the two upper ones were impacted; the bad news was that the pain didn't just last a couple of days, it lasted more than a week!

ROASTED BUTTERNUT SQUASH

1 butternut squash, peeled, deseeded, cut into 1/2" slices
1 tbsp olive oil
Salt and pepper
2 tsp minced fresh herbs ie. rosemary, thyme, sage etc

• Preheat oven to 400F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.
• Mix all the ingredients and lay on the baking sheet in a single layer.
• Bake for 30 minutes

Baked Salmon with Teriyaki Glaze

This was the recipe that was supposed to be the first entry in my blog, but as you would have read, Keith came home a little early that day and was very hungry; I quickly finished cooking dinner and forgot to take pictures of the dish. The teriyaki glaze goes well with many other things such as deep fried tofu, baked chicken drumsticks or even as a marinade for grilled chicken wings. As you can see from the picture I always pour on a little extra teriyaki glaze because it is just delicious drizzled over the steaming hot rice that I serve this with!

BAKED SALMON WITH TERIYAKI GLAZE
Serves 2

1 piece salmon (about 12 ounces)
Salt and black pepper
¼ cup teriyaki glaze

• Preheat oven to 400°F
• Sprinkle salt and pepper all over the salmon.
• Spray a wire rack and place on a baking tray, place salmon on top
• Bake for 20 – 25 minutes until salmon is done
  

Garnish:
2” piece fresh ginger, peeled and finely julienned
¼ cup oil

• Heat oil, fry ginger until golden brown, remove from oil and set aside
• Keep oil for curries or frying vegetables.

To serve:

• Place baked salmon on a serving plate, spread teriyaki glaze evenly and sprinkle crispy fried ginger on top.

Teriyaki Glaze
Makes about ½ cup

½ cup soy sauce
½ cup mirin (sweet rice wine)
2 tbsp sugar
1 level tsp corn starch
¼ cup water

• Combine the soy sauce, mirin and sugar in a saucepan. Boil on medium heat for about 30 – 40 minutes until reduced in half.
• Mix corn starch with the water and pour into the saucepan. Boil for another 1 minute
• Cool mixture. Store the teriyaki glaze in a clean jar in the fridge. Will keep well for about 2 months.
• Note: Instead of mirin, you can also use sake/vermouth/dry sherry and ½ cup sugar

Crispy, Crunchy, Gooey Apple Crisp

What would you do if given a bag of apples? Well I guess you could eat them just as they are, but where would be the fun in that? A "funner" way to eat them (although probably not as healthy!) would be to cook them as a dessert. Similar to apple crumble, apple crisp is a treat that is easy to make and oh so delicious!

APPLE CRISP
Serves 8

Apple Filling:
3 pounds (about 7-8) apples, peeled, cored and sliced
½ cup packed brown sugar
1 tbsp all-purpose flour
1 tsp ground cinnamon

Topping:
1 cup quick-cooking oats
1 cup all-purpose flour
½ cup packed brown sugar
¼ tsp salt
½ cup butter, melted

• Preheat oven to 350°F
• For the apple filling, mix all the ingredients in a large bowl (use your hands!) and then place into a 9x13 inch pan.
• For the crisp topping combine the oats, flour, brown sugar and salt, mix well. Pour in the melted butter and mix well again. Crumble evenly over the apple mixture.
• Bake for about 45 minutes until apples are tender and topping is golden brown.
• Serve warm or at room temperature, with vanilla ice cream or a little whipped cream, if desired.

Thai Red Curry Shrimp

There are days when I will make a meal from scratch even if it requires 20 ingredients and takes hours for the preparation and cooking - as when I make my beef rendang, and then there are days when I just want to open some cans and make do.

One compromise is to use ready made spices or pastes or sauces that make it possible to have a tasty, nutritious meal in just minutes. For Thai dishes I love these pastes that I get from my regular Asian grocery store. Just combine with some canned coconut milk; add chicken, beef, tofu or seafood and some vegetables (canned baby corn is another standard in my pantry) and in 30 minutes or less you have a great meal.



If you're lucky enough to have leftovers the next day just cook up some rice noodles and top with the left over curry.

THAI RED CURRY SHRIMP
Serves 4

1 (14 oz.) can coconut milk
2 tbsp Thai red curry paste
1 tbsp brown sugar
2 kaffir lime leaves, torn
1 pound large shrimp, shelled and deveined
2 cups assorted vegetables ie. baby corn, bell peppers, long beans, bamboo shoots
2 tbsp fish sauce
¼ cup Thai basil or cilantro, torn

• In a wok or pot, combine the coconut milk with the red curry paste and bring to a boil. Add the brown sugar and kaffir lime leaves then lower the heat to a simmer.
• Add vegetables and shrimp, and cook until shrimp are orange-pink in color and vegetables are tender crisp, about 5 minutes.
• Stir in fish sauce and Thai basil or cilantro.
• Garnish with sprigs of fresh basil or cilantro and sliced red chilies.