Chicken Satay Stir-Fry
I'm without skewers so this chicken satay had to be stir-fried. The satay gets its distinct taste from the use of peanuts. It's a dish that has different interpretations across Southeast Asia, and is believed to be an incarnation of the Mid-eastern kebab. Indonesians love it with kecap manis, so theirs is sweeter. Thais put coconut milk in theirs so it's a bit more indulgent and creamier. I decided to use both, and this is how it turned out:
Marinade 1/2 kg of chicken strips or cubes (deboned, and skin peeled) overnight in a mixture consisting of:
1 teaspoon coriander powder
1 medium stalk of lemon grass, crushed
6 shallots
2-3 cloves chopped garlic
1 teaspoon chopped ginger
4 tablespoons of cooking oil
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon turmeric powder
1 teaspoon fish sauce
2 teaspoons kecap manis
juice from half of a lime
After marinading this overnight, fry in a skillet or wok in high heat until chicken turns white. Make sure to include the marinade in the wok. Stir in about 3 tablespoons of peanut butter, 1/4 cup of coconut cream, 1 tablespoon of fish sauce and another half of a lemon. Season with salt and pepper. Garnish with chives or spring onions and chili.
I really need to learn how to present a dish.
You can slice some bell peppers, mushrooms, young corn, carrots and other vegetables and stir them in. I just used mushrooms for this one.
I'm going to get killed for saying this but it would be better if you add more kecap manis and sambal sauce to it. Indulgent, plus good for inducing gout. And you know my belief: anything that gives you gout is definitely worth eating.
Poached Bosc Pears with Mascarpone Cheese
I haven't blogged in a while. I missed this blog's first year anniversary and I have no excuses for it. To commemorate the first birthday and to celebrate our steadily rising readership, Recados Filipinos is now a dot com! So, avid reader, make sure to change your bookmarks to http://www.recadosfilipinos.com.
I think the honeymoon phase of my move to Melbourne has ended, and surprisingly I am not as excitable as I was a few years ago to live in a new place. And then all the work came in and suddenly I haven't generated as much pleasure and nostalgia for the place because it is nullified by the constancy of work. So work, work, work it was. In between are a dozen or so horrible restaurants, a dozen more mishaps in the kitchen, and a few experiments that have worked wonders. On top of my list, surprisingly, is dessert: Poached Bosc Pears with Mascarpone Cheese. The one good thing out of this move is a sustained fascination with new ingredients. This time it's with the so-called king of pears.
INGREDIENTS:
3 Bosc Pears, but any kind will do
500 ml. Red Wine, I highly recommend Yalumba's Shiraz
1/2 cup of sugar
juice of half a lemon
1 whole vanilla bean or 1 tsp. vanilla flavoring
2 cinnamon sticks
a couple of large mint leaves, chopped
a dash of nutmeg
a pinch of salt
6 tablespoons of Mascarpone
Slice the pairs in half, lengthwise, and scoop out part of the center where the seeds are. In a saucepan over low heat, combine wine, sugar, lemon juice, cinnamon sticks, vanilla, nutmeg, salt and mint. Stir until sugar is completely dissolved.
Add the pairs in, sliced portion down and let simmer for about 20 minutes. Turn it over to let the other side cook, and simmer for about 5 minutes more or until the wine and sugar mixture has reduced and thickened into a syrup. Turn off from heat and place each of the poached pears on a small plate, sliced portion facing up. Put a tablespoon of Mascarpone cheese on the scooped out portion of the pear and drizzle syrup on top. I'm not sure if this is the best way to plate it but who cares? I ate all three pears in one sitting.
I first used cream cheese before Mascarpone and it works well too. You can substitute other fruits for this--kiwis, strawberries, apples and peaches all seem great.
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