Firecracker Chicken with Picante Sauce

Snow days make me think of spicy Singaporean food.  Years back my dad and I ate at an outdoor market featuring international food.  We were mesmerized by the Singaporean chef who prepared the most amazing stir-fried noodles we ever tasted.  His other specialty was Firecracker Chicken.  Later on the chef decided to open Rasa Singapura, a hole-in-the-wall, family owned restaurant, where the food was truly exceptional.  As newly weds, hubby and I,  frequented the place and ordered their crispy chicken in spicy black bean sauce.  When the chef retired for health reasons and a son took over, the food and service suffered.   The son did not have the passion and talent of his father so the place folded up. I  truly miss their amazing food so for the Super Bowl here is my take on Rasa Singapura's Firecracker Chicken.

 

Firecracker Chicken with Picante Sauce
2 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast
2 T hot sauce (I used Siracha Rooster brand)
1 T picante sauce (I used Pace Mild Picante Sauce)
5 T canola oil
2 t lime juice
5 cloves of garlic, minced
1 small bottle of Pace Picante Sauce

Cut chicken breast into 1 inch wide thin planks.   Combine siracha, canola oil, minced garlic, lime juice and 1 tablespoon picante sauce in a ziplock bag.  Marinade chicken in the fridge for 15-30 minutes.  Thread chicken through bamboo sticks (if the sticks are soaked overnight in water they will not burn during grilling). Grill chicken till they are cooked through and serve with more picante sauce  on the side.

Disclaimer: In this recipe I used Pace Picante Sauce I received from FoodBuzz Tastemakers

 

Jazzed up Hasselback Potatoes with Garlic Herb Butter

As a kid, I loved spicy, super-garlicy sausages.  So did all of my family.  Then, I married a guy who did not really care for sausages. Sometimes I crave for it but all the beef sausages I find are stuffed in natural hog casing.  So from time to time I'd make my own beef sausages, stuff them in sheep casing (!!!) or I just wrap them in plastic then freeze them to keep their shape when cooking. They never were quite as good as the ones I had as a child. My son never liked beef sausages specially my homemade version.

One day, FoodBuzz Tastemakers Program sent me a Party Planner Gift Box to try out.  It was a Home for the Holiday Gift Box from Hickory Farms.  It had beef summer sausages, cheeses, honey pineapple mustard and cracked wheat crackers.  Hickory Farms has been making gourmet beef sausages and cheeses since 1951 and this time of the year they offer gift boxes at very reasonable prices.  Right now they are 50% off. 

My failed experiments in making beef sausages must have given these sausages a bad rap with my son.  He did not even want to try them!

 

Last night, he had friends over and they wanted baked potatoes but I did not have sour cream, green onions and cheese.  Instead of heading to the store, I made a garlic herb butter and hasselback potatoes with slices of beef sausage in between.  Guess what?  It was a big hit with the boys!  Better than baked potatoes is what I heard. Even my son said the beef sausage was crazy delicious! 

Jazzed up Hasselback Potatoes with Garlic Herb Butter

2 lbs baking potatoes
2 sticks of salted butter, softened at room temperature
3-4 fresh garlic cloves, finely minced 
lots of finely minced parsley
3 mm round slices of Hickory Farms beef sausage, cut in half

To prepare the garlic herb butter, mix softened salted butter, fresh minced garlic and parsely in a small bowl. Stir well until garlic and parsely is well distributed.  Take plastic wrap and shape the garlic herb butter into a log.  Place in the freezer to solidify. If you are on a low salt diet, go ahead and use unsalted butter.

Scrub the potatoes with a vegetable brush and rinse well to remove any adhering soil particles.  Do not peel the potatoes. Boil the potatoes and when they are almost completely cooked, drain the water and lay them on their flat side.  Start from one end of the potato, cut across almost all the way through, at 2-3 mm intervals. The potatoes should now look like an open accordion.

Insert slices of garlic herb butter and/ or half discs of beef sausage into the cuts. Place potatoes on a baking sheet.  Bake in a preheated oven at 400 F until the potatoes are golden brown and crispy outside.  The inside will be soft and buttery.  When serving up, top with more garlic herb butter.

Beef Kebabs

Friendly reminder: If you have not yet done so, do join us for the Momgateway Light Recipes Contest.  The deadline is July 25th and the prize is a $60 gift card to the more than 200 online CSN stores.

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The workshop at Ohio State University was quite an experience...lots of new technologies and great talks...but so little time.  Our schedule was so full, we barely had time to eat.  I'm really glad to be back and get cooking again! After being away for so long, I missed my family... but the same day I arrived, we had to head off to Fort Worth to bring my son to a week-long church camp. Yesterday, we picked him up from camp and the first thing he said was, "Finally, after more than three weeks, I'm going to eat Mama's cooking!"  That got me so inspired... I made him kebabs for lunch.  It is super easy, hope you give it a try.

4-5 lb beef sirloin
For the Marinade
1/4 c dark soy sauce (light has more salt)
2 T canola oil
2-4 T muscovado sugar (my son likes it sweet so I used 4 T)
2 T freshly minced garlic
1/2 small onion, finely minced
1 1/2 t black pepper
1 t Kosher salt
juice of 1/4-1/2 of a lemon

Cut beef into bite-size pieces (about 1" chunks). Mix marinade ingredients together and taste it before adding the beef.  Different brands of soy sauce vary in saltiness. Reduce the amount of soy sauce according to your taste. Allow beef to marinade for at least 2 hours or overnight in the fridge.  Soak kebab sticks overnight to prevent them from burning while on the grill. Skewer meat and vegetables and grill.  Enjoy!

Winners of Dr. Kracker Giveaway and A Ouick and Easy Spicy Thai Chicken Wings

WINNERS:

My heartfelt thanks to all of my dear readers who commented or participated in the Dr. Kracker Giveaway. I enjoy sharing recipes and reading your blogs and just being part of our foodie community. Please drop by again sometime for another giveaway next month.

Congrats to Dr. Kracker Giveaway winners: #22 Kim and #32 LAgirl70094 .  To claim your prizes, contact momgateway@gmail.com with your postal address.

And a  special thank you to my friend, George Eckrich for this fantastic giveaway!

QUICK AND EASY SPICY THAI CHICKEN WINGS

Meanwhile, here is a quick and easy version of Spicy Thai Chicken Wings I tried yesterday.  Traditionally, you should use lots of finely chopped cilantro roots (not stems or leaves) and fresh garlic. If you only have fresh cilantro stems and leaves, you could use it. The flavor is not quite the same but it will work too ...the garlic-cilantro-fish sauce-pepper combination will smell so enticing....  When in a pinch, you can use coriander powder.   Coriander powder is derived from cilantro seeds and it gives a sparkle/brightness to the dish. 

12 chicken wings (flats and drumettes)
2 tsp fresh garlic or garlic powder
2 tsp finely chopped cilantro roots (or stems) or coriander powder
1 Tbsp oil
1 tsp Siracha (or hot sauce)-depends on how hot you want it
1 Tbsp sugar
1 Tbsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp fish sauce
rice flour or cornstarch for coating (Warning: Don't use sweet potato starch*)

Combine garlic, cilantro, oil, Siracha, sugar, soy sauce and fish sauce.  Pour over chicken wings.  Marinade for an hour or so. Dredge in rice flour or cornstarch and deep fry.

* I read a tip from a blog about using sweet potato starch. So when I first made this, I coated the wings with sweet potato starch  --- terrible, terrible mistake!  Alright, it was crunchy on the outside but the chicken was steamed on the inside --my son called it Frankenstein wings!!!! He says he loves chicken but does not like the texture or taste of soggy boiled/steamed wings when it's supposed to be crispy fried chicken.

My First Giveaway and a Recipe: Mini Veggie Garlic Chive Feta Pizza

In need of a quick snack? Here's an easy veggie pizza to try (scroll down for the Mini Veggie Garlic Chive Feta Pizza recipe). 

My First Giveaway

Earlier, I wrote about the healthy diet in Greece, Crete and southern Italy and the healthy, award-winning pita chips, salad and salsa we sampled from Cedar's Mediterranean Foods. I am very pleased to share with you that Cedar's is generously giving away three varieties of Pita Chips - Cinnamon Sugar, Plain, Ranch and four coupons - One Free Natural Tzatziki, One Free Salsa, One Free Hommus and One Free Salad to one of my lucky readers in the U.S. You might want to read here about Cedar's passion and commitment  to promote a healthy lifestyle by making high-quality, great-tasting Mediterranean foods available in the U.S.

To Enter this Giveaway:

In the Comments section of this post,
1. Just share what you think about Mediterranean food/ diet.  Do you have a favorite Mediterranean dish? What is it? And,
2.  If you won, which Cedar's Mediterranean Salad or Tzatziki would you like to try?

RULES
One entry per person, please.
You don't need to have a blog to enter.
Winner will be selected by random.org and notified by email and will have 48 hours to reply back before a new winner is selected.
Please leave a valid email address in the entry so I can notify you in the event you’re a winner.
Winners will be announced Monday, January 25, 2010.  

Bonus Entries:
1. Subscribe to my blog by email and let me know about in the comments  or
2. Email your friends about this giveaway and let me know about it in the comments  or
3. Blog about the giveaway and leave me the link.

Open to all U.S. Residents.
Good luck to all!

Recipe: Mini Veggie Garlic Chive Feta Pizza
     3-6 English muffins, sliced in 1/2
     olive oil spray
     4 Tbsp tomato paste
     1/4 cup mushrooms, sliced
     1/4 cup Vidalia onions, sliced
     1/2 cup spinach, torn up
     1/4 cup Cedar's Garlic and Chive Feta Spread
     1/4 cup shredded cheese
     salt and  pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Spray olive oil over English muffin halves then spread tomato paste evenly.  Spoon Garlic and Chive Feta Spread over the surface.  Add mushrooms, onions, spinach and shredded cheese, as much or as little as you want. Sprinkle salt and pepper. Bake 20-25 minutes, or until cheese is melted and crust is lightly browned.

Garlic Chicken Stir-fry in Tamarind Sauce

Too tired of soy sauce based stir-fried chicken? Here's a dish that is hot, sweet, salty and tangy. The key ingredients are fish sauce and tamarind concentrate. Tamarind has a deep flavor both sour and sweet but leaning more on the sour side. It's robust and distinctive flavor melds well with the saltiness of fish sauce and the sweetness of brown sugar. I used tamarind sauce left over from my Thai Son-in-law Eggs recipe. This Chicken Stir-fry recipe is a keeper!


Garlic Chicken Stir-Fry in Tamarind Sauce


2 chicken breasts, cut up
1/4 tsp garlic salt
1/2 c tempura flour
1/2 c water
1/4 c celery
1/4 c yellow squash
1/4 c red bell pepper
1 Tbsp canola oil
1 garlic, minced
1 bird's eye chili, minced
1/4c-1/2 c tamarind sauce

Season chicken pieces with garlic salt. In a bowl, combine tempura flour and water. Stir till there are no lumps. Add chicken into the bowl. Deep-fry chicken in oil. Drain fried chicken on paper towel and set aside.

Heat canola oil in a wok. Add minced garlic and gently fry till golden brown. Over high heat, stir-fry yellow squash, celery and red peppers. Add chicken pieces, minced chili and half the tamarind sauce. Gently stir for 1 minute for the sauce to lightly coat chicken pieces. Chicken should still be crispy. Serve with steamed rice and extra tamarind sauce on the side. Delicious!

I am submitting this to Weekend Wokking: Tamarind, hosted this month by Palachinka. 

Thai Son-in-law Eggs

This fascinating name comes from a story about a prospective bridegroom in Thailand who wanted to impress his future in-laws. It is said that he created this dish based on the only dish he knew how to make: boiled eggs!!!

Thai Son-in-law eggs are so easy to prepare. I prefer them over deviled eggs anytime--they are prettier, more flavorful and not as perishable (no mayo). The eggs, shallot mixture and sauce can be prepared ahead of time, stored separately and combined just before serving. How easy is that!

You can make this as a side dish (first photo) or as finger food (second photo) or over salad greens.

If you don't have time to prepare the shallot mixture or if you prefer not to add it, just the eggs with the tamarind sauce is wonderful! We like it this way too. As appetizer, it's finger-licking good!

This is my version:

6 hard-boiled eggs, shelled
Oil for frying
1/4 cup cilantro for garnish (If you don't have this, use minced green onions)

Shallot mixture:
1 tbsp canola oil
4 shallots, thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves
1 bird's eye chili, minced

Tamarind sauce:
5-6 Tbsp muscovado/ light brown sugar
3 Tbsp fish sauce
4 Tbsp tamarind concentrate (I use Tamarind sour soup base instead of messing with tamarind paste that has to be dissolved in hot water and mushed to extract the juice!)

Fry hard-boiled eggs in oil for 3-5 minutes, until golden brown. You do not have to use a deep fryer. Just move the eggs in the hot oil till it is evenly golden brown. Remove and drain on paper towel. Set aside.

Prepare sauce by combining sugar, fish sauce and tamarind concentrate. Taste the mixture and add more sugar, fish sauce or tamarind sauce if needed. Place in the microwave and zap till sugar is dissolved. This is my shortcut instead of boiling the mixture in a sauce pot. If the sauce is too thick for you, dilute it with a tablespoon or so of water.

Prepare shallot mixture by heating oil and frying shallots, garlic and chili for 3 minutes. Set aside.

To serve, cut fried eggs into half or quarters. Drizzle with tamarind sauce and sprinkle shallot mixture. Garnish with cilantro sprigs or green onions. Yum!


I am submitting this to Weekend Wokking: Tamarind hosted this month by Palachinka.