Taiwanese Braised Liver

Taiwanese Braised Liver

One of the things that my parents have always taught me is to try everything. No matter how odd the aroma is or foreign the texture is, my mom and dad would always make me take a bite. I would usually begrudneonly nibble at the first bite and, realizing its pleasures, devour the whole thing  I appreciate that bit of parental wisdom and value it as one of the many life lessons that will always mold my politics and outlook in food. It’s allowed me to respect not only the cultures but also the resourcefulness of people. It’s also taught me that good parenting involves forcing your child to eat things and not have to tell them what, where, or why they are eating it. Come to think of it, I think I just unlocked the key perk of parenting.

 

One of the things that I have come to love because of my parents philosophy on food are offals.  My lack of interest in science helped me in the inability to identify parts of body, nor did I care when my parents told me the name of the protein in Taiwanese.  I just assumed it was a fungus, sea creature, or animal that only existed in Asian areas.  But because of my parent’s rule of don’t ask until you try it rule it didn’t matter when I did find out what I was eating.  Plus, biology was never a strong program in my public school, so I couldn’t even identify what I was eating if I tried.

 

This dish comes from my Aunt Mei, who lives in Chicago. She made this braised liver dish for me a couple of years ago while the family was together in California. It’s delicious. She used beef liver which has a stronger gamey flavor, but pairs amazingly well with the liquid it is cooked in.  The dish is braised in a flavorful combination of sweet, salty, nutty, earthy, and spicy. It’s a common cooking technique in Taiwanese cooking and you will see it with almost all proteins in the homes of Taiwanese aunties, mothers, and grandmother. The base will always consist of soy sauce, sugar, rice wine, ginger, and star anise. Other spices and ingredients may be added based on what each persons grandma uses.

 

I kept mine basic with just the standard stuff because it is what I have on hand. But when I first had this dish, my aunt wanted to use Chinese five spice. Just, about a teaspoon of it makes the flavors more alive if you have it.  I also used chicken liver. There is alot of preparation that comes with beef liver in terms of cleaning and making sure all impurities and liver spots are removed. With chicken, you just soak it in milk over night. This helps draw out all the impurities. It’s what Alton Brown taught me, so I listen. Also, chicken liver is more bite sized, so it is perfect for chopsticks.

 

Serve this with a bowl of rice and some simple veggies stir fried with garlic and you have a meal.  Enjoy.

~stuff

1 lb chicken liver, rinsed

1 cup of milk

2 tsp sesame oil

1 tsp vegetable oil

5 coins ginger, about ¼ inch thick

4 medium garlic cloves, smashed

½ cup soy sauce

¼ cup rice wine

¼ cup sugar

5 pods of star anise

~steps

soak liver over night in milk and drain

 

heat  oils on high until slightly smoking

 

sauté ginger and garlic until fragrant

 

pour the soy sauce, rice wine, sugar, and star anise into pan and stir until well incorporated

 

lower heat to low and add liver, stirring every 15 minutes for about 1 hour, until liver is completely cooked through

 

-serves 4 as side dish-

 

pan roasted chicken with orange cognac sauce

...pan roasted chicken with orange cognac sauce...

When I was young, I would only cook with two types of alcohol: wine and beer. And when I say “young”, I’m saying when I was eight. One of the alcoholic beverages, beer, was because I was inspired after watching an interview with Mathew McConaughey where he described, in his sultry southern drawl, how he makes beer butt chicken. The other, wine, is because I’m Taiwanese and Taiwanese people like to use rice wine. Other than that, alcohol has been mostly off limits for me because I was too young to partake in any of it and my parents only drank beer and wine. Could you imagine the conversation between my eight year old self and my parents for some hard liquor to cook with.

In case you needed a visual clue to what I looked like at 8.

Me: Dad, can you buy cognac for me?

Dad: What?

Me: Yeah, cognac. You know, Hennesey, Courvoisier, or Remy Martin?

Mom: What?

Me: Yeah, if not cognac you can just get Brandy. It doesn’t have to be the French stuff or the fancy stuff. I just need VS. XO is too fancy.

Mom: Why?

Me: Because I saw the Frugal Gourmet cook with it.

Dad: You watch too much tv.

I’m glad I didn’t have the conversation, because I just realized that I would have been making my dad buy alcohol for a minor. So, instead of having to make my Dad commit a felony, I just waited until I was of legal age to purchase the stuff.

This was the first dish I ever made with cognac. It’s based on a recipe I saw in a Fine Cooking magazine three years ago. It was delicious and simple but made me feel like an advanced cook. Actually, anything utilizing French ingredients or techniques make me feel fancy, as is evident in my salmon recipe. The thing that really makes the dish is the combination of the booze with the butter. The nuttiness of the butter marries amazingly well with the oakey apple flavor you get from a French brandy. I guess that’s why it’s such a common pairing and so popular in cooking.

The first time I did this, I flamed the sauce. I mainly did it because I was always intrigued with fire as a young child [first sign of a crazy person?] and felt like if I did it as an adult, then it is normal. But there is no reason for it. The heat from the stove will cook out the alcohol, the flame is just for show. But, if you feel like doing it and are in a safe area with fire extinguisher in hand, be all cirque du soleil with it.

This dish is super easy one and doesn’t really require special knowledge or tools. The only thing that requires some planning is the amount of time you need to brine the chicken. Do not skip this step! It’s white meat. Brining makes it tender, yummy, and juicy. Another post is planned to go deeper into brining, and an excuse for me to make some pork chops.

The original recipe called for fennel. I didn’t feel like slicing a whole fennel bulb so I used tarragon instead. It has a slightly anise flavor like fennel but doesn’t require lots of prep or slicing. Just throw it in, let the heat from the sauce do its work and then remove the stalks. Easy peasy.

Enjoy.

~stuff

1½ cup orange juice, pulp free

½ cup water

¼ cup of salt

4 tbs. sugar

half of a medium onion, roughly chopped

2 1 ½ – 2 lb chicken breasts, skin on and whole

2 tbs vegetable oil

¼ cup shallot, minced

1 large orange, supremes (orange segments cut out)

1 tbs butter

2 tbs cognac

2 sprigs of fresh tarragon

~steps

mix orange juice, water, salt, sugar and onion in a large non reactive bowl

add chicken to the brine, and let sit, covered, in refrigerator for at least 3 hours

preaheat oven to 375°f

remove chicken breasts from brine and pat dry

heat oil on high heat in an oven safe pan and brown chicken skin side down until crispy, 5 minutes

flip chicken breasts and roast in oven for 10 minutes, or until fully cooked

remove chicken from pan and let rest

return pan to medium high heat and add shallots and stir until browned

turn heat off and add cognac and slowly bring to a simmer (scrape brown bits off pan while doing this)

swirl butter and tarragon until butter is fully melted and tarragon completely wilts

drizzle sauce over chicken breasts

~serves 2~

feliz cinco de mayo

It’s Cinco De Mayo.   Time for Americans all across the country to come together at their local “Mexican” restaurant/bar and do tequila shot, drink lots of margaritas, and eat chips and salsa to celebrate a holiday they know little about.

Some people seem to think that Cinco De Mayo is to celebrate Mexican independence.  Not so.  Instead it is the day that the Mexican army had successfully fought the French army in the Battle of Puebla.  So, while everyone is taking shots of Tequila to Mexican independence, which is September 16^th by the way, I will be doing a shot of tequila (drinking a michelada) in honor of the infamous day that the city of Puebla was not conquered by the French.

In honor of the Americanized holiday, I have put together some of my past posts that I feel are fitting for today.  Enjoy and salud!

roasted jalapeno guacamole

smokey black beans

enchiladas con salsa verde

mango salsa

calamansi margarita

soy glazed crispy chicken

...soy glazed chicken...

Growing up we would always go to Palm Springs for weekend trips. It was pretty awesome because the weather was sunny, the air had a nice dry feel to it, and we would always turn the grill on and have a feast. The feast always included a buttered garlic corn dish, stir fried greens, and my dad’s grilled chicken recipe. My brother and I would take on a few more dishes. The dishes varied slightly each time, but one thing that was for sure to always be part of the meal was this chicken dish.

This dish is one of the first dishes that I created on my own. I was super proud of myself after I made this because it was successful. The dish is simple. Just mix the ingredients, add it into the sauce, and then presto: a soy glazed chicken.

...mise en place, yeah I know my terms...

I first started making this dish when I was around 10. I actually still have the piece of paper that I wrote the recipe on. I typed it on my ms-dos computer because I had visions of me building my own cook book or creating my own cooking show. I can now post it on my blog to share with you. The version I am using now is not the original though. I’ve had 18 years to work on this recipe and essentially came up with a different methods to make this dish. The original version (10 years old) is more of a marinade and perfect for grilling or baking. The second makes the sauce into a glaze for drizziling which is perfect for pan frying. Both are really good and result in very different products. I’ve posted both versions for you to see and compare. Plus, you can almost see the growth in my own culinary development. The first version of the recipe is exactly how I typed it up when I was young. The second is a little more of my current style of cooking.

...get that skin crispy...

If you want more info about the original version, leave a comment or contact me. I can update it to make it sound more “adult”.  Leave a comment about the first dish you ever made as a kid.

10 Year Old’s Version

~stuff

2 tbs sesame oil

1 medium red onion, chopped

6 ginger pieces

3 garlic cloves, smashed

soy sauce [about half cup]

1/4 cup of sugar

2 chicken breasts

~steps

heat oil in a saucepan on high heat

sautee ginger, onion, and garlic until fragrant

add soy sauce until you cover the onion, ginger, and garlic and add sugar and stir

simmer on low and let cool completely

pour marinade over chicken and let it sit for at least 2 hours

grill chicken until fully cooked

Adult Version

~stuff

2 boneless chickens

1 tsp canola oil

1 tbs ginger peeled and minced

2 cloves of garlic minced

1/4 cup onion diced1 tsp sesame oil

1 tbs white sugar

1/4 cup soy sauce

red hot chili flakes to taste

salt and fresh ground black pepper

~steps

season chicken with salt and pepper on both sides and heat canola oil on high until screamin’ hot

pan fry chicken breast skin side down in the oil until skin is golden brown and flip

reduce heat to medium until cooked through

remove from heat and reserve on another plate

increase heat to medium high and add sesame oil, onions, ginger, and garlic and stir fry until fragrant, about 2 minutes

add sugar, soy sauce, and red chili flakes and scrape up brown bits with a brown wooden spoon [deglaze the pan]

stir sauce on medium high heat until the sauce is a thick glaze

pour sauce over the chicken

-serves 2-

garlic chicken soup

garlic chicken soup

Holy ice bats it’s been a rough winter this year. We’re still in the middle of the season, but already we’ve had a blizzard, a snow storm, an ice storm, and below freezing temperatures. My pipes have frozen and my heat has been testy, and to top it all off, I didn’t get to make a snow man. Shame. So, I think it is fair to say that this has been a rough winter for many New Yorkers. And when the temperature drops and there are mini ice pellets falling from the sky, the thing you want to do most is just curl up on the couch with your roommate’s fleece throw (er…thanks roomie) turn on some bad tv and just sip some chicken soup.

Chicken soup. It’s like the ultimate comfort food for anyone. Something about the clean broth and the great chicken flavor that makes everyone happy and warm. My brother has an awesome recipe that involves the standard carrots and celery but then he spices it up with other stuff like mushrooms and ginger. It’s pretty awesome. Maybe one day I will ask him to post it on here. Maybe. I’m craving another soup,which requires less work and less ingredients: my Mom’s Garlic Chicken Soup.

This soup is amazingly simple. From start to finish, including prep time, you’re looking at 2 hours minimum. On top of the ease and quickness of the soup, the ingredients list is only six ingredients including the water and salt. Amazing. The best part of this soup is that all the ingredients seem to shine on its own and work beautifully together at the same time. Because of the slow and low cooking process, the garlic develops its sugars and adds a hint of earthy flavor to the broth. This mixed with the sweet Chinese soy pickling liquid gives it an amazing subtle flavor. For the pickles, I used to use the 6 oz. cans. However, after accidentally putting a whole 13 oz. jar of pickles in the soup during a recent party (one too many beers maybe?), I’ve discovered a better flavor that really brings a richness to the soup. Also, I didn’t have to add more salt to the soup because their was enough sodium in the liquid already. One less ingredient.

I like to make this soup because, unlike other soups, there is no planning required. I have cooked this dish by putting a completely frozen chicken in the pot as well as a thawed one. Both work fine. Being able to use a frozen bird helps when you want to make something quick. My mom would cook this in a slow cooker. She would set it in the morning, turn it on and go to work. Soup would be done when she gets home and the house would be filled with an amazing aroma that I don’t even want to attempt to describe. I wouldn’t do it any justice. I opt to go for a less hazardous cooking method that doesn’t risk the house burning down and still achieves almost the same result. If you do use a slow cooker, just put it on low for at least 4 hours. Obviously if you cook it longer the flavor will be so much better. I defer to my friends to help me describe the favors of this soup.

To all the fire marshals out there, mom doesn’t cook with the slow cooker unless someone is home now so don’t be knocking on her door.

~stuff

1 large cornish game hen (1¾ to 2 lb.)

1 13 oz. jar Chinese soy pickled cucumber, w/ juice (hua gua)

9 cloves of garlic, whole

8 cups of water (enough to cover chicken)

salt to taste

~steps

place game hen, Chinese pickles, and garlic in a large dutch oven or slow cooker

pour water over chicken until it just covers the chicken

cook chicken on low heat for two hours or until chicken is fully cooked and tender [should fall off the bone]

-serves 6 to 8-

three cup chicken

 

...three cup chicken...

My original intent when first conceptualizing this blog was primarily to document the dishes that have some sort of deep impact on my life.   Naturally this meant posting a lot about dishes that both my brother and I grew up on and the flavors and experiences that my parents created.  Over the last year, I’ve been able to really figure out a process for creating these posts.  Usually it starts with a craving, a specific ingredient, or just a moment in life that I remember, and then I go searching and experimenting.  If it’s a new dish, I have to cook it a couple of times to get it right and if it is a family dish I call my Mom or Dad.  My parents usually gave me the process of how to cook it and then I have to measure it out for you all, but this time my Mom decided to help me out and create the recipe for me.  Which then means an awesome recipe from my mom that requires some translation.

The following is the recipe for one of my favorite dishes that my mom makes.  It’s a braised chicken dish that I frequently requested from my mom when growing up.  It wasn’t really for the actual chicken, although delicious, it was more for the amazing sauce.  It’s one of those amazing things like chicken adobo; it’s so complex in flavor but simple in ingredients.  I can definitely pin point it to the use of basil, ginger, and garlic.  Anytime you use those flavors, you know the outcome is going to be amazing.  When I was little I would be excited just for the sauce.  Before my brother would even get to the dish, I would fish out all the basil  from the sauce and horde it all for myself.  No shame.

The name of the dish, 3 Cup Chicken, comes from the origins of the recipe.  It involved 1 cup of oil, 1 cup of soy sauce, and 1 cup of cooking wine, hence the three cups.  Now, that was made during the time of clay stone pots, wood fire type stoves, and lack of knowledge of what sodium and oil overload will do to a body.  So, my mom changed up the proportions a little, and for the good of our cholesterol.

The format of the recipe is different from how I usually do my posts, but that’s because I’m attaching my mom’s recipe as she sent it to me.  I had to make some changes and additions to make it easier for folks who don’t read “Mom”.  I’ve pasted that below the recipe.

Please pay close attention to step 5 and 6.  They are very important

Three Cup Chicken:

• 1  whole  chicken
• 10-15 colves  Garlic.  Peeled but don’t slightly
• same amont of ginger as Galic. Slices.
• ½  cup of  black sesame oil. (胡麻油)   The company from Taiwan call 新東揚 are the best
• ¾  cup soy  sauce
• 1 cup Taiwan rice cooking wine 公賣局的 米洒
• ½  cup brown  sugar
• Basil  ( vintnam`styly)

1.     Heat the sesame oil in pan, than add garlic ,ginger stir fry till fragrant. Make sure the ginger are turn dry

2.     Add chicken and stir fly with 1, till the surface are no longer pink

3.     Put brown sugar,soy sauce stir fly ,than  cooking wine, stir evenly, cover and turn down the heat to low.( about 30 minutes)  until the sauce is reduced and thickened

4.     Turn heat back up to high and add basil cook for another  5-10 minutes.

5.      Good Luck.

6.                                                                                     Love Mom

~stuff

10 slightly smashed garlic cloves

9 coins, fresh ginger

1/2 cup dark sesame oil (see Mom’s note above)

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1 large chicken, broken down

3/4 cup soy sauce

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1 cup cooking rice wine (see Mom’s note above)

1 bunch of Vietnamese basil

luck and Mom’s love (optional)

~steps

fry garlic and ginger in sesame and vegetable oil on high in a large pot until ginger is slightly toasted

add chicken and fry until no longer pink

pour soy sauce, sugar, and wine into pot and turn down heat to medium low, stirring occasionally until sauce is reduced [about 30 minutes]

add basil and cook for at least five minutes on high

add luck and mom’s love.

-serves 6-8-

Happy Father’s Day! Dad’s Taiwanese Sticky Rice

Dad's Taiwanese Sticky Rice

I frequently talk about how my mom’s cooking has helped shaped and developed my both my palate and love for cooking, but there is one person who has also been equally (if not more) instrumental in that development.  That person is my dad.  When my mom first met my dad, she didn’t know anything about cooking.  I think it may have come from the fact that she was the youngest of 7 kids.  She didn’t really have to worry about cooking for the family because the family was always cooking for her.  My dad actually had to teach my mom how to make rice.  But, because of my dad’s willing to teach the basics and his basics at trying my mom’s experiments, my mom, brother, and I have become the cooks we are today.  It’s also because of his patience, kindness, and amazing personality that my brother and I have become the people we are today.

By the time I was born, my mom’s recipe pool had grown and we owned a rice cooker.  This meant less times/opportunities for my dad to cook.  But when he did, it was always his signature dishes.  The Grilled Garlic Soy Chicken was one, but the dish that made people travel from all over the country was my dad’s sticky rice.  He used it as stuffing in Turkey, so this became a quintessential dish for the Holidays.  My brother and I crave it like crazy when the weather starts getting cold and we realize Thanksgiving is coming soon.

I have mixed memories about this dish.  On one hand the texture, flavors, and warmth completely remind me of family, holidays, and good conversations and on the other hand, I cower in the corner at the thought of the prep for the roast turkey.  To prepare for this was a process that was laborious and intense that literally made me cry. When prepared for 4 people or 6 people it’s not that bad.  But when my dad was roasting two 70 lb turkeys for the average party list of 40 to 60 people, I had a lot of cavity to fill full of sticky rice. So usually the night before and morning of I would be mincing green onions against my tear duct’s wish, cutting up raw kidney and hearts into bite size pieces, and stuffing the insides of turkeys elbow deep.  And that wasn’t the end of the torture; I then had to endure the smell of turkey and stuffing wafting through out the house.  Salivating like a mature Neapolitan mastiff hound. The stuffing tastes the best coming out of the turkey; it had a nice hint of turkey flavor and was good, but without stuffing is good too.

My dad always made extra of the stuffing because my brother and I would eat it for breakfast, lunch, and dinner the day of and the days afterward.  This dish freezes well.  I learned that in College when I asked my dad to make bricks of this delicious rice.

Some notes:  When cooking the rice, be sure to undercook the rice by using less water.  If not, you will end up with a giant ball of mochi, which although still good, the texture is way off.

If you are not into gizzards and hearts or vegetarian, you can omit them from the recipe and add more mushrooms.  If you have access to dried tofu, you can add that.  It taste good and is a good texture substitute for the gizzard.  Enjoy, it’s a Taiwanese classic with a fatherly twist.

Happy Father’s Day.

~stuff

2 cups sweet rice/glutinous rice

1¼ cups water

2 tbs vegetable oil

1 cup chopped chicken gizzard and heart OR dried tofu in small pieces

½ cup cubed rehydrated shitake mushrooms

½ – ¾ cup minced scallion

2 tbs soy sauce

1 tbs Chinese cooking wine

1 tbs dried shallots

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp sesame oil

1 tsp salt

~steps

mix sweet rice and water and cook in a rice cooker according to instructions

-if using meat-

marinate gizzard and heart with rice wine, soy sauce, sesame oil, and garlic powder for 10 minutes

stir fry scallion, gizzard, and heart in 1 tbs of hot oil on high heat in a deep pan, wok, or pot until browned,  2 minutes

add mushrooms to meat mixture and cook for 2 minutes

remove mixture from the pan and reserve and skip down to “heat rest of vegetable oil and sesame oil in say pot on high”

-if using tofu­-

heat 1 tbs of vegetable oil on high heat in deep pan, wok, or pot and add scallion, tofu, and mushroom and stir until slightly browned, 2 minutes

add soy sauce, wine and garlic powder and stir until incorporated, 2 minutes

remove mixture from the pan and reserve

heat rest of vegetable oil and sesame oil in say pot on high

add fried shallots and cooked rice and stir until well mixed and rice is covered with oil, add more oil if necessary on medium high for about 5 minutes

mix the reserved mixture and salt into the pan and cook for 5 more minutes until well incorporated.

-makes 4-6  -

braised rabbit in creamy leek and bourbon sauce

NOT rabbit in creamy leek and bourbon sauce

Ok, the title is misleading.  This recipe uses chicken.  But there is a couple of reasons why I say it’s rabbit.  Just continue reading.

I’m rabbit sitting for a friend right now.  I’ve never taken care of rabbits, nor do I know the first thing about rabbit care, but my friend went to Hawai’i and I was getting a hankering for some macadamia nuts.  So in an effort to be selfish, I decided to help her out with the critter watching to hopefully get a nice gift from Hawai’i.  Hopefully.

My friend’s rabbits are huge.  Well, one of them.  I’m talking like a couple of pounds.  It’s pretty hefty.  I thought it was cute at first, until I realized how much poop I was cleaning up.  They’re like giant furry allergy inducing poopers.  So, it’s only natural that when I stare at these cute little creatures that I think of a delicious rabbit dish I had when I was growing up.  Mmm…

Yes, I had rabbit growing up.  No, my parents didn’t cook it and it is not a common protein in Taiwanese cuisine.  But I was lucky enough to enjoy it on a few of my birthdays growing up.  My birthday is dead in the summer.  And If other folks were cursed as I was to have a middle summer birthday, they would understand how hard it is to have a birthday party.  I grew up in a pretty well to do suburban neighborhood.  This meant that most of my classmates where on some long vacation or summer camp while I was looking for someone to play with.  So, I found my own way to entertain myself.  While kids where on beaches, in theme parks, or camping – I was on my roller blades with toilet paper in my wrist guards, knee pads, elbow pads, and helmet while listening to the Lion King tape on my walkman and roller bladed in circles pretending to be a bird in the Disneyland parade.  I think my parents felt sorry for me, so they always took me out to my birthday.  Or maybe they were scared how I would turn out after seeing me in our cul-de-sac.

So for my birthday they would take me to a classic American restaurant called Mr. Stox.  They where super classic American.  You walk in and you would feel like you walked into Burt Reynolds’ lounge in the late 70’s.  Even the menu was pretty 1970’s Americana.  On it was a rabbit dish made with leeks, peppercorn, and cream.  I got it every time I went,  mainly because I was 8 and wanted to tell people that I ate rabbit.  But, I also really liked the flavors.  Everything about it felt American to me.  The cream, leeks, peppercorn, and what I now know as a familiar taste, bourbon.  They don’t have it on the menu anymore (I checked online) so I tried to recreate.  I think I finally figured out the taste.  The bourbon makes it smoky, which marries well with the leeks and pepper.  Enjoy.  You can probably use rabbit, but I don’t want my friend to hate me.

~stuff

1 whole chicken, broken down

2 tsp vegetable oil

1 large leek, sliced

1 medium shallot, minced

2 cups chicken broth

1 cup heavy cream

5 sprigs of fresh thyme

1 tsp salt

2 tsp ground black pepper

4 tsp bourbon, (i.e. Maker’s Mark)

1 tbs butter

~steps

sear chicken pieces in a large dutch oven on high heat  with the vegetable oil

remove chicken when browned and place aside

sauté shallots and leek in the dutch oven until slightly brown

add heavy cream, chicken broth, thyme, salt, and pepper and stir

simmer for about 10 minutes on medium high uncovered, stirring occasionally, until sauce begins to thicken

turn off heat and add bourbon and butter and bring heat back to medium (to prevent catching on fire)

return chicken to the dutch oven and simmer covered on medium until chicken is fully cooked (about 30 minutes)

-serves 6-8-

dad’s grilled garlic soy chicken

...dad's grilled garlic soy chicken...

I’m the son of immigrants.  Because of that, I always had to re-introduce and teach myself about certain things of culture de Americana when I was growing up.  So things like Godparents, Creamed Vegetable, Autumn Cornucopias, and BBQ.  You know, general knowledge that is important for everyone to know – Especially in a rousing game of Jeopardy and Trivial Pursuit.  Most were things that I learned in Elementary School when I was arguing with my schoolmates [because my Taiwanese parents knew everything about US Culture...].  But, BBQ was something I had to re-learn in high school.  My parent’s definition for BBQ was any outdoor cooking involving a grill and charcoal briquettes.  Later on I learned that was definitely not the case.  Oh well, it was delicious whatever it was called.

I was spoiled with sunny weather most of the year in Southern California.  So my Dad did a lot of outdoor cooking [or BBQ as my parents liked to call it], which always meant his soy garlic chicken and my Mom’s garlic bread (store bought baguette with butter mixed with garlic powder).  I got so excited for the preparation for the BBQ – I would go outside and wash the yard furniture, top the cooler with ice and soda, and get the ping pong table ready to act as a buffet.   Actually, now that I think of it, I don’t think we ever used that table for ping pong.  The star of the whole meal however was always my dad’s chicken.

I put more soy sauce than my Dad usually does, but that’s because I wanted to use the marinade to basically brine the chicken.  You only need five things, not including the chicken, so this doesn’t require a lot of prep.  Make sure you have a long time to marinade the chicken.  Mine went for about six hours.  I wouldn’t go less than two.  When I was little, I couldn’t really wait for the chicken to make it to the ping pong table, so my dad would take a paper towel and wrap it around the drumstick so I could eat it right off the grill.  Wait, come to think of it, I like to do that now.

~enjoy!~

~stuff

10 pieces of chicken, I had 6 wings and 4 drumsticks

4 large garlic cloves, smashed

6 scallion stalks, 1 inch slices

5 tsp garlic powder

1 cup of soy sauce

½ cup of Chinese rice wine, or dry sherry

~steps

mix all ingredients in a bowl or Ziploc bag

marinate for at least 2 hours or up to 24 hours

grill over medium high heat until fully cooked and juices come out clear

-serves 5-6-

chicken in cucumber mint yogurt sauce

chicken in cucumber mint yogurt sauce

Projects have been piling up for me.  I’ve been working as a consultant for an organization around the census and have de-prioritize cooking/blogging right now.  But that’s an excuse that none of you should listen to.  I think it was mainly overworking during the blogging marathon and just trying to take a break from it.  But, it’s been too long of a break and I am determined to get back into writing again. The blogging marathon was fun.  It was extremely exhausting and challenged me in so many ways.  But in the end it was a real good feeling of accomplishment.  If my one month was altered and packaged for mass viewing and Hollywood marketing, then it would totally feel like Julie and Julia.  It was fun though; another themed marathon may make another appearance in this blog again.

But now on this beautiful day in New York City, I feel inspired to continue this blog and provide the frequent updates I promised I would do.  First up, a chicken marinated in cucumber yogurt sauce that can be roasted or grilled and is tender enough to only use a fork and butter knife.  (I’ve still yet to grow up and get a set of steak knives for my kitchen).  I always knew that yogurt was a good marinade for meats, especially when I get my hands on some delicious chicken from the local South Asian community a couple of stops down.  But the science behind it, that’s what is exciting.  I’m like one of the kids who is over at Mr. Wizard’s house as he shows me experiments.  Wait, I just realized how deranged and unsafe that show’s premise was.  My childhood is a lie.

Much like how many fried dishes ask to soak the chicken parts in buttermilk, yogurt provides the live cultures and enzymes to help break down and tenderize the chicken.  Because the yogurt is so thick, you can ensure even coating of the chicken and make sure that the enzymes are breaking it down evenly.  Marinating chicken in yogurt is pretty simple and a great way to easily add flavor to a chicken.  It’s a good base that doesn’t alter the flavor too much.  Use Greek yogurt, it’s thick enough to make a really good coating because it is double strained and gives a subtle tartness that isn’t overpowering to flavors you add or to the chicken.  Your not making chicken flavored yogurt.

I decided to stay in the Greek realm with my flavors.  You can really use anything you want.  Measurements also don’t really matter either when it comes to this dish.  Just make sure you keep on tasting the yogurt before you mix it with the raw meat.  Also, this makes a great yogurt dip with chips and veggies (sans mixing with raw meat juices).  I reserved some for additional sauce on top.  Add some cayenne to the chicken to spice it up, the reserved dip will help cool it down.  Promise.

~stuff

2½ lb chicken, broken down

1 17 oz. container of Greek yogurt

2 tbs garlic, minced

½ cup onion,  minced

1½ cup cucumber, diced

3 tbs herbs (parsley, oregano, and mint), minced

½ tbs lemon zest

2 tbs lemon juice

2½ tsp salt

3½ tsp black pepper, ground

2 tbs honey

¼ cup olive oil

~steps

dry chicken pieces by patting with a paper towel and season with 1 tsp of salt and pepper each, set aside

mix rest of ingredients in a bowl

reserve ½ cup of the yogurt to serve later

toss marinade with chicken in a bowl and refrigerate covered for at least 2 hours

preheat oven to 415˚f

bring chicken to room temperature and transfer to a roasting pan

roast chicken for 15 minutes or until juices run clear when thickest part of meat is pierced

- serves 4-6 -