Fried Chicken with Watercress Apple Salad in Ginger Miso Dressing

 

Lately, I've been rediscovering the simplicity and beauty of flavoring meats by placing them in brine.  I remember my grandma never breaded her fried chicken.  She would brine chicken thighs for 2 hours then rinse them briefly.  After patting them dry, she fried the chicken in a skillet till they were golden brown and cooked through. They don't become soggy even a day later.  I tried her method but I let the chicken sit in the fridge overnight instead of 2 hours. When my son had a taste of the fried chicken, he declared that it was one of  the best fried chicken he's had! It was a first time for him-- fried chicken without any breading!  Paired with watercress apple salad, it's a keeper.

Here is grandma's easy fried chicken that I served with watercress salad with ginger miso dressing:

4 chicken thighs
1/3 cup kosher salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/3 cup water
canola oil for frying
1 bunch of watercress
1 apple, cut into wedges
1 tsp ginger (you can add more if you wish)
2-3 Tbsp seasoned rice vinegar
3 Tbsp miso
3 tablespoons sugar
1/4 cup chicken stock
soy sauce

Combine the salt, water, pepper and chicken in a bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and keep in the fridge overnight. Next day, rinse the chicken pieces briefly and pat dry.   Place canola oil in a cast iron skillet and set over medium heat.  When the oil is hot enough, add the chicken and cover the skillet.  Fry the chicken till cooked through.  Serve with watercress apple salad with ginger miso dressing and soy sauce on the side if you wish.

To prepare ginger miso dressing, combine ginger, miso, rice vinegar, sugar, and chicken stock. You can adjust the ratio of sugar to vinegar to suit your taste. Combine watercress and apple wedges and drizzle dressing over it.

Apple Wonton with Onions, Korean Red Pepper Paste and Cayenne Maple Syrup Cream Cheese Filling

This is a healthy version of dessert wonton. Its very long name belies the fact that it is so simple to make.

My inspiration for this comes from a typical dessert at Chinese buffets where wonton strips are fried crisp then drizzled with thick syrup.

I came up with this combination since apples and onion pair well, cream cheese and peppers are a perfect foil for this and besides how can you go wrong with anything fried? The wonton is fried till just crispy but inside there is a slice of crunchy apple with two types of onions, Korean red pepper paste and a Cayenne Maple Syrup Cream Cheese filling. On its own the Cayenne Maple Syrup Cream Cheese can be a great dip for fresh fruits.

The wonton is symphony of flavors and textures--spicy, sweet, tangy, crunchy and creamy! Because it is fried in hot oil for a very short time, it is not oily. Plus, it's fun to assemble with your kids and takes under 3 minutes to cook. I am submitting this to Royal Food Joust for October 2009. The voting will be from October 1-5 only. The three ingredients for this event are apples, maple syrup and cayenne pepper.

Ingredients:
1 Granny Smith apple, sliced
1-2 tsp cayenne pepper
4 oz cream cheese
4 Tsp maple syrup
2 tsp Korean red pepper paste
1 white onion, sliced
1 stalk scallions (green onions), sliced crosswise
1 pack wonton wrappers
1 egg white+1 tsp water

Mix cayenne pepper, maple syrup and cream cheese till smooth. Thaw wonton and separate them into sheets. Place an apple diagonally slightly off center on a wonton sheet. Spread a little Korean red pepper paste on the apple. Lay down the onions and cayenne-maple syrup-cream cheese filling as shown in photo. Make sure you leave a clean border along the margins. Seal edges with egg white+water. REMEMBER: Make sure your oil is hot before frying the apple wontons so that they will not absorb too much oil. Fry till light golden brown and crispy. Serve. Yummy!