Hainan Style Chicken - One Pot

One pot recipe that both BDs enjoyed. I could only find skinless, boneless thighs so used that. And I forgot to reserve 1/3 of the aromatics, so it all went into the rice (of which there was extra) and it turned out great. 

• 4 pieces chicken thighs, skin on/bone in/optional (~700 g)
• 1 t salt
• 1 pinch white pepper
• 2-3 rice cups of rice (recipe called for 2, but I used 3 to have leftovers)
• 2 T neutral cooking oil
• 2 stalks scallions, finely chopped
• 1 T minced ginger
• 1 small clove garlic, minced
• 1/4 t salt

Sauce

• 2 T light soy sauce
• 1 T fresh lime juice (or less)
• 1 t sesame oil
• cucumber slices, blanched greens (spinach, bok choy)

1. In a bowl, sprinkle the chicken thighs with the 1 t salt and white pepper. Rub it in. Leave to marinate for 10 minutes.
2. Heat oil over medium heat. Add the scallions, ginger and garlic. Fry until fragrant - do not burn.
3. Scoop 2/3 of the mixture into the rice cooker. Add the rice and extra 1/4 t salt. Add the water. Place thighs on top.
4. Set to cook. When done, leave covered for an additional 10 minutes to let the chicken continue to cook.
5. Take chicken out and slice into strips (cutting off the bone if there).
6. Serve the rice, with chicken on top and cucumber slices.
7. Mix the sauce ingredients with the aromatics mixture that was saved earlier. Use as a dipping sauce or to pour over the chicken and cucumbers.

Cranberry Sauce

As a kid, watching cranberry sauce come out of a tin and hold its shape was completely unappetizing, so I never cared for it. But this year I saw some fresh cranberries in the local store so tried to make it from scratch. With reduced sugar, it was still really sweet, but was a nice accompaniment to the turkey drumsticks and the brisket for Thanksgiving dinners. The bags are sold in 250 g units here so I adjusted the recipe accordingly. This makes quite a lot so could halve the recipe next time for a single bag.

• 
  500 g fresh cranberries (2 bags at Jumbo)
  
• scant 1 c sugar (4/5 c?)
• scant 1/2 c brown sugar (1/3 c?)
• scant 1/2 c water
• 1 c fresh squeezed orange juice
• optional: cinnamon

1. In a small pot, heat sugars, water and OJ. Dissolve the sugar and bring to a boil.
2. Add in cranberries. Bring to simmer and stir occasionally for 10-15 minutes, until most of the cranberries have burst. Continue simmering until reduced to desired consistency. (It will further thicken after cooling).
3. Transfer to bowl and let cool for at least 20 min.
4. Transfer to containers. Store in fridge until ready to use.

Meat Sauce

I made this the first time and ran out of canned tomato so dumped in a jar of pasta sauce. Second time I used the proper tomatoes. Kids really like the sauce. I would like to make extra to freeze but haven't done it yet. Source.

• 1.5 T olive oil
• 2 cl garlic, minced
• 1 onion, finely chopped (yellow, brown or white)
• 500 g ground beef (or half pork)
• 1/2 c dry red wine (125 ml)
• 2 beef bouillon cubes
• 28 oz can crushed tomato or tomato passata (800 g)
• 2 T tomato paste
• 2 t sugar
• 2 t Worcestershire sauce
• 2 bay leaves
• 1/2 t thyme or oregano
• variations: 1 carrot+celery sauteed with onion; bacon; 1 T soy; chili
• salt + pepper
• serve with: pasta, parmesan, finely chopped parsley, mozzarella

1. Heat oil in a large pot or deep skillet over medium high heat. Add onion and garlic, ~3 min or until light golden and softened.
2. Turn up to high heat and cook meat, until browned.
3. Add red wine. Simmer and cook for 1 min, scraping bottom of the pot until smell of alcohol is gone.
4. Add remaining ingredients except salt and pepper. Stir, bring to a simmer and then turn down to medium so it bubbles gently.
1. Fast: Cook for 20-30 min without a lid, stirring occasionally. Add water if sauce gets too thick.
2. Slow: Add 3/4 c water, cover with lid and simmer on very low for 2-2.5 hours, stirring every 30 min or so. Uncover and simmer for 20 min to thicken sauce.
5. Add salt and pepper to taste. 
6. Optional: reserve 1 c pasta cooking liquid, combine undercooked pasta with sauce and 1/2 c of the reserved cooking water. Toss gently for 2 min on medium heat until the spaghettit turns red and the sauce thickens.

Chicken, Chickpeas and Rice with Spinach

Made this and felt the rice ratio was way too low. Was unclear when chicken should have been cut. Easy one pot meal.

• 2 c rice (increased from 2/3 c)
  
• 1 lb chicken breast, boneless, skinless
• 3 c spinach, chopped
• 1 c canned chickpeas, rinsed and drained
• 1 carrot, shredded
• 6 scallions, chopped
• 2 cl garlic
• salt and pepper
• 2 T olive oil

1. Cook the chicken in pan on both sides until golden brown. Set aside
2. Sauté onions and garlic for 30 seconds with 1 T olive oil.
3. On med-high heat, stir in spinach, chickpeas, carrot and rice. Add salt and water to cover.
4. Cover with lid and reduce heat to medium. Cook until the rice is ready, stirring and adding water if needed.
5. Once rice is done, add 1 more T olive oil and salt to taste. 
6. Slice the chicken, stir it in and cook for 3-4 more minutes. Season as needed.

Chinese Style Shrimp and Snap Peas

The traditional dish is shrimp with snow peas but we have an abundance of snap peas growing in the garden and they make a fine substitute. I found this incredibly delicious but the kids were not keen on it (nor did they refuse to eat it). It's important to prep all the ingredients while marinating so they can be added quickly to the pan.

• 
  450 g/1 lb shrimp, deveined, shells removed
  
• 2 t cornstarch
• 1/2 t salt
• 1 T shaoxing wine
• big bowl of fresh snap peas (or snow peas)
• 1 T ginger, minced
• 3 cl garlic, sliced
• 2 T high heat oil
• 1/4 c chicken broth
• 2 t soy sauce
• 1 small stalk green onion, big pieces if not eating, small if eating
• 2 t sesame oil
• optional: white pepper, water chestnuts

1. In a medium container, combine cornstarch, salt and shaoxing wine. Add shrimp. Stir. Let marinate for 15-20 minutes.
2. While marinating, prepare the ginger, garlic, peas and green onion.
3. Use high heat to preheat pan for 1 minute. Add oil and heat another 30 seconds.
4. Add the garlic and ginger and stir for 30 seconds.
5. Add the shrimp with all the marinade, peas, broth and soy sauce. Stir for 2 minutes.
6. Add the green onion and stir another minute.
7. Remove from heat and drizzle with sesame oil.
8. Serve over rice.

Stovetop Braised Beef Shank - Jiang Niu Rou

MM found 3 beef shanks at the local grocery store and put me in charge of cooking them. My dad showed me how to braise them Chinese style years ago but I never tried and forgot the details (except about blanching the meat and skimming the water). This recipe skipped the draining part. It turned out delicious - the whole family loved it. And I used the leftover broth to make a beef noodle soup, brown eggs, and enjoying plain.
6/11/22 Made this again and when it was time to eat the meat was still a bit tough. We let the rest sit on the stove to cook another 1 or 2 hours and then it was perfectly soft. This time had the peppercorns and shaoxing wine. Used 5 shanks and increased ratio of ingredients accordingly.
Jan '23 Blanched the beef first and drained before cooking with all the flavors in fresh water. This made skimming it easier. Also used new brand of soybean paste.
Feb '23 Blanched first again. Should try blanching with wine next time.
Oct '24 Blanched with Shaoxing wine and cooked extra long - 4 hours - Meat was super tender. Ran out of soybean paste and left out onions

• 3 beef shanks (next time try more to have more leftovers?)
• 2 T Shaoxing wine (I didn't have this so used sake instead)
• 4 green onions, cut into 2" long pieces
• 1 thumb ginger, sliced
• 1 t Sichuan peppercorns (also did not have this)
• 2 T fermented yellow soybean paste (I used fermented, but maybe not yellow)
• 2 T light soy sauce
• 2 T dark soy sauce
• 3 bay leaves
• 3 cloves (I couldn't find the whole cloves so added a dash of ground cloves)
• 2 star anise
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1/4 t nutmeg
• dash of cardamom (original asked for 1 black cardamom, optional)
• 1 T sugar
• 1 t salt

1. Blanch the beef: Add the shanks into a pot. Add 4 cups of cold water to cover the beef. Add the onions, ginger, peppercorns and Shaoxing wine. Cook over medium-high heat until it boils. Turn down to medium. Boil for 10 min and skim the foam off regularly.
1. Alternative: Cover shanks with water and add Shaoxing wine. Boil for 10 minutes, skimming off foam regularly. Drain. Cover shanks in fresh water and add flavorings.
2. Make the paste: Combine the soybean paste and soy sauces in a bowl. Mix until dissolved into a smooth sauce.
3. Add the paste to the shank pot, along with the rest of the ingredients. Cook over medium-high heat until it simmers. Turn to medium-low and simmer, covered, for 2 hours (until meat is tender). (Range can be 1.5-2.5 hours depending if you want it to fall apart or not).
4. The beef is ready to eat. Store leftover meat and broth in covered container in fridge. Use beef to eat plain (sliced thin, cold), as addition to beef noodle soup, or on top of rice. Use broth to cook vegetables, make a soup, or flavor rice.

Use to make

- niu rou mian

- brown eggs

- niu rou hua juan

Pan Fried Chicken with sauce

Delicious! Use a high quality fragrant coconut milk for the best outcome.

• 6-8 skinless boneless chicken thighs, defrosted
• 1 t cayenne
• 1 t cumin (heaping)
• 1 t turmeric
• 1 t coriander
• salt + pepper
• oil
• 1 T fresh ginger, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 carrot, chopped
• 1 tomato, seeded, diced
• 1 can coconut milk

1. In a shallow container, mix cayenne, cumin, turmeric and coriander.
2. Coat each chicken piece thoroughly in spice mixture.
3. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
4. Heat (cast-iron) pan to medium. Add 1 T oil. Cook chicken (each side about 4 minutes) until juices run clear. Remove to serving bowl.
5. Add more oil. Lightly fry the garlic and ginger for 2 minutes. Add the carrot, frying another 3 minutes.
6. Add the tomato. Cook another 5 minutes.
7. Stir in coconut milk. Simmer for 5 minutes.
8. Add the chicken back into the pan. Simmer for 5-10 minutes.
9. Serve over rice.

Variations

• Add peas for something green.
• Use onion instead of/in addition to carrots.
• Add 2 jalapeno peppers with the garlic.
• Garnish with basil or parsley.

Notes

10/30/11 Made for dinner, peas thrown in with the coconut milk. Served with rice and steamed broccoli. 7 thighs, plenty left over - especially sauce.
2/15 Made for dinner with extra large can of coconut milk, diced water chestnuts (excellent for texture, leftover from making jiaozi), 2 carrots, no tomato.

7/28/21 6 thighs, 3 cherry tomatoes from garden halved, peas. Served with side of rice and okra.

Applesauce

Just made a batch. 10 apples filled a 28 oz jar plus a small bowl for 2 as dessert.
11/24/12 8 apples made 1 mason jar worth. gala, fuji, cortland

• Apples, variety
• Cinnamon
• Nutmeg

1. This time, I used 10 apples (minus a slice or two) - 5 Gala, 5 McIntosh. Peel, slice, core, and roughly chop. This is the most time/effort consuming part.
2. Heat with cover until simmering. Reduce to low and continue to simmer, stirring occasionally, until mushy (about 20 minutes). 
3. Mash with a potato masher or fork, for chunky texture. Blend/mix for a fine/smooth texture.
4. Sprinkle with cinnamon and nutmeg.

Notes

Recommended apple types: Gala, McIntosh, Cortland, Fuji, Winesap, Honeycrisp, Pink Lady, Delicious, Jonathan, Mutsu/Crispin, Braeburn

NOT recommended: Granny Smith, Rome, Jersey Mac

Variations

Add other spices to taste: cardamom, allspice, cloves, ginger, ...

Put in a slow cooker and it will "mash" itself.

Curried Chicken

Got an Indian Curry packet at the spice shop and tried out some of it tonight.

• 2 chicken breasts, boneless/skinless, cut into 1/2" pieces
• salt + pepper
• 2 T oil
• 2 T curry powder
• 1 shallot, thinly sliced
• 2-4 cloves garlic, chopped
• dash of cumin
• 1 can coconut milk
• small basket of cherry tomatoes, halved or quartered
• 1/4 c tomato sauce
• 2 T sugar (3 was too much)
• 2 small potatoes, diced

1. Season chicken with salt and pepper.
2. Heat oil in pan. Add curry powder. Stir over medium heat for 2-5 minutes.
3. Add onions, garlic and cumin and cook slowly for 7 minutes, adding more oil if necessary.
4. Add chicken, and cook until no longer pink. (7-10 min)
5. Add coconut milk, tomatoes, sauce, sugar and potatoes. Simmer 30 minutes or up to 3 hours, until potatoes are cooked through and sauce is desired consistency.
6. Server over rice

Variations

• Add frozen peas.
• Add cashews.
• Use chicken broth.
• Use canned, stewed, diced tomatoes instead of fresh.
• Throw everything in crockpot and cook on LOW for ?? hours.
• Thicken with cornstarch slurry (instead of simmering for hours).
• Add cauliflower.
• Serve with naan to soak up sauce.
• Add zucchini and mushroom.
• Top with fresh cilantro.

Vegetarian Chili

I was too lazy to go to the store to get beef, so I made a vegetarian version of Easy Chili - just adding garlic, cumin and carrot to give it a little extra oomph.

• 1/2 large onion, chopped
• 5 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 yellow pepper, seeded and chopped
• olive oil
• 1 large carrot, diced
• 1/2 T Chinese chili powder
• 1/2 T cayenne pepper
• 1/2 T cumin
• 1 can dark red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 28 oz can whole tomatoes, diced (with liquid)
• 6 oz tomato paste

1. Heat oil in a pan and cook the onion, bell pepper and garlic.
2. Add the carrot.
3. Add spices.
4. Add the beans, tomatoes, and paste. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to low and cook for one hour.

Variations
Add other vegetables like mushrooms, cabbage, or zucchini.
Substitute pinto beans for kidney beans.

Notes
3/10/10 Served with freshly baked bread rolls.

Spinach Garlic Pasta with Cheese

Whipped this one up for lunch. Tasty! For spinach, I used "bo cai", which has a long stem and fairly big leaves. The flavor comes from the garlic, spinach and the cheese's salt. Without cheese, I'd add a bit of salt and pepper.

• leftover pasta for 2
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 t oil
• spinach/greens, fresh - a health dose, chopped
  
• grated parmesan
• fresh mozzarella

1. Heat oil in small pan.
2. Add garlic and saute for 30 seconds.
3. Add spinach. Stir, cooking until wilted.
4. Add pasta. Heat through.
5. Sprinkle parmesan and add slices of mozzarella.
6. Serve immediately.

Variations
Throw in cut up ham (obviously no longer a vegetarian meal).

Thai Sweet Potato Custard

We harvested sweet potatoes from the garden a few weeks ago and they've just been sitting around. I finally boiled half of them and mashed them up for some sweet potato recipes. I needed to prepare something for a group, so I decided on this Thai Sweet Potato Custard recipe. However, I should have known looking at the ingredient ratios that it would be WAY too sweet for my taste. So I'm declaring this one a disaster. I also read the recipe wrong and put in 1 1/4 c of everything...which means 1/4 c too much coconut milk.

• 3 eggs
• 1 1/4 c coconut milk
• 1 1/4 c sugar
• 1 1/4 c sweet potato, cooked and mashed

1. Grease an 8" square pan. Preheat oven to 205C/400F.
2. In a medium saucepan beat the eggs with a fork.
   
3. Stir in the coconut milk.
   
4. Mix in the sugar.
5. Add the sweet potatoes and stir well.
6. Cook over med heat and bring to a gentle boil. Cook for 4 minutes, until sugar is dissolved and mixture thickens slightly.
7. Pour the custard through a sieve into the greased pan (to get rid of the stringy bits).
   
8. Bake for 40 min or until golden brown and puffed.
9. Cool to room temperature.

Notes

• This was way too sweet. The sugar overpowered the taste of the sweet potatoes and the coconut. In the future, cut it to half or less.
• I boiled the sweet potatoes but to retain better flavor, they should be roasted.
  

Pasta with Peas, Basil and Onion

Just whipped this up using one small pan. Simple, quick and delicious. Made in a small pot to make 2 servings.

• pasta
• peas, frozen
• butter
  
• leftover onion, chopped
• pepper
• fresh basil, chopped
  
• mozzarella

1. Boil pasta in water.
   
2. In strainer, boil peas over pasta water.
3. Lightly drain pasta and transfer to bowl.
4. Over low heat, melt butter and lightly fry onions until softened.
5. Add peas and some leftover liquid. Season with pepper.
6. Add pasta back to pan.
7. Toss in fresh basil.
   
8. Grate cheese over top.

Variations

• Sprinkle with parmesan.
• Add red pepper flakes with onion.