chicken

I've Got a Cold Only Tom Kha Gai Can Cure

03 Feb 2012
Tom Kah Gai

If you are seeing a picture of tom kha gai then it is safe to assume that I feel like crap. 

Sometimes you just don't need a recipe to know what your body craves. This is one of those days, because I have a bad cold. One of those I don't want to do anything at all kind of colds.

I have been battling it for 5 days. It started typically enough with a scratchy throat. By the next day I had a stuffy nose, but no fever. In fact if it weren't for the stuffy nose I would have said I felt just fine. I had just about convinced myself that it was not a cold at all, just a mild allergy flair up.

But, alas sometime in the night these sniffles moved into my chest and sat down with a great heavy thud! My chest is so congested that it actually feels as if a great big bear is sitting on it while sticking a long feather down my throat. Tickling away for his own amusement. The tickle leads to a cough, the cough leads to hack and the hack brings up some of the nastiest stuff you'd ever want to see.

I used to think that the only thing for a cold was hot tea and toast. But I have learned there is another sort of relief and I have come to swear by it. If you live in Los Angeles long enough, you find that you shed your old skin and develop all sorts of new habits. The simple, comforting and spicy Thai soup known as Tom kha gai or Tom kha kai is one of those skins you develop. One of those adopted experiences that become completely your own. So now whenever I have a cold, it's this soup and this soup alone that makes me feel better.

God Bless the thriving Thai community in Los Angeles.

Sippity Sup Continues »
Tags: | 8 Comments

Tom Kha Gai- Thai Chicken Soup in Coconut Milk Broth

Tom Kha Gai
By jgreghenry Published December 12, 2011
Prep time: 20
Yield:1 (Servings)

Ingredients:

  • 1 q chicken stock
  • 2 stalks lemongrass, white & pale green parts only, cut on the diagonol into 1-inch pieces
  • 3 thai chilies, thinly sliced
  • 2 clv garlic, crushed
  • 3 fresh or dried kaffir lime leaves
  • 1 3-inch pieces ginger, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch chunks
  • 1 (13-ounce) can unsweetened coconut milk
  • 3 T asian fish sauce
  • 1 t sugar
  • 1 (8-ounce) can straw mushrooms, rinsed
  • 5 limes, juice only
  • 2 c boneless, skinless chciken thighs, cut into 1-inch chuncks
  • 3 long beans, chopped into 1-inch pieces
  • 1 pn each salt and pepper
  • 1 t thai curry paste
  • 0.25 c thai basil, leaves only optional
  • 0.25 c cilantro, leaves only optional

Directions

In a large stock pot or Dutch oven set over medium-high heat bring the chicken stock to the boil. Lower the heat to a simmer and add the lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves, ginger, chilies, and garlic. Simmer for 10 minutes to let the spices infuse the broth.

Uncover and stir in the coconut milk, fish sauce, sugar, mushrooms, lime juice, long bean pieces, and chicken pieces. Simmer for 8 minutes to cook the chicken through; season with salt and pepper. Stir in the thai curry paste and add basil and cilantro leaves if using. Ladle the soup into a large soup bowl or individual serving bowls.

Braise This! Cider Vinegar Chicken Thighs & Legs

21 Oct 2011
braised chicken thighs and legs
Are you listening? Because I am going to tell you what to do. Cider Vinegar Braised Chicken Thighs & Legs with Onions and Raisins. Isn't it great when someone tells you just what to do? I feel qualified to do the telling because the weather calls for braising.

Braising is a cooking technique we should all master. It's not difficult and the results will make you look like an accomplished chef (not that you aren't...). This simple process has just a few foolproof steps. The end result is rich and flavorful.

The concept behind braising is this: the main ingredient is seared, or browned in fat. It is then simmered in liquid on low-heat in a covered pot for a very long time.  You can choose to braise in the oven or on the top of the stove. I may be telling you what to do but I'll leave some wiggle room here for you to make this dish your own. Because, either way you will be proud of the food you bring to the table. This method of cooking is often used as a way to cook less expensive, tough cuts of meat.

Now don't tune out. "Less expensive and tough" are not ways to describe the final product of your braising magic. Because braising makes tough, leathery meat– tender. Really! I promise.

Sippity Sup Continues »
Tags: | 12 Comments

Cider Vinegar Braised Chicken Thighs & Legs with Onions and Raisins

Braised chicken thighs and legs
By jgreghenry Published October 21, 2011
Prep time: 90
Yield:1 (Servings)

Ingredients:

  • 2 chicken thighs with legs attached
  • 0.5 c all-purpose flour, for dredging
  • 1 t kosher salt, plus more as needed
  • 1 pn black pepper, plus more as needed
  • 2 T olive oil
  • 1 large onion, halved and sliced into slivers
  • 10 sage leaves, chopped
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 c golden raisins
  • 0.5 t crushed red pepper flakes, or to taste
  • 1 c white wine
  • 0.5 c cider vinegar
  • 3 c chicken stock
  • 0.25 c flat leaf parsley, leaves only, roughly chopped

Directions

Rinse the chicken legs & thighs under cool water and pat dry. Mix together the flour, 1 teaspoon salt, and a pinch of ground black pepper. Spread the flour mixture across a shallow dish. Lightly dredge the chicken in the flour mixture, shaking off any excess.

Warm the olive oil in a large heavy bottomed or cast iron skillet or Dutch oven (with a lid) over medium-high heat. Add the chicken, and sear until a golden crust develops, 3 to 4 minutes. Turn and sear until a golden crust forms on second side, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove chicken to a plate.

Add the onions to pan and cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until softened slightly, about 5 minutes. Add the sage, bay leaves, raisins and crushed red pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are golden and starting to stick to the bottom of the skillet, about 5 minutes. Add wine lower heat to medium and cook until the liquid is syrupy, about 8 minutes. Lower the heat further to a simmer. Add cider vinegar and simmer for 2 more minutes. Stir in stock and parsley. Season lightly with salt and black pepper.

Return the chicken to the pan, nestling it into the braising liquid. Cover the pan and simmer about 1 hour and 15 minutes over very low heat. Transfer the chicken to a platter and (if necessary) reduce the onion mixture to desired consistency. Serve warm.

Unexpected Flavors: Roast Chicken with Honey Rosemary Plums

12 Sep 2011
Roast Chicken with rosemary honey roasted plums

Recipes don't have to be complicated to be winners. Sometimes the simplest ingredients and the most trusted of techniques can be creatively paired to yield something fresh and unexpected. It's up to the cook to make this work.

Take roast chicken. All you need is plenty of heat, a good dry bird, sea salt and something herbal. Really that's all.

But need and want can be two different things. As terrific as a simply roasted chicken is, sometimes your palate likes to experience something unpredictable. The sweet high notes in plums certainly seem like a creative twist when it comes to roast chicken.

The thing about unexpected flavors though is they have to be handled deftly. Because there is a difference between impetuous and ridiculous. Refined cooking, like refined behavior, does not call attention to itself– even a bold pairing like chicken and plums. So to keep the diverging tastes and textures from becoming too crass, I use a couple of refined techniques. Because the truth is– sweet and savory needs some discipline and surveillance if they are going to play together politely.

Start by thinking sublimely. Are there flavor combinations that send your taste buds over the top? I like the simple rustic brevity of chicken and rosemary. Even in the most basic preparations involving chicken I often reach for the herb. So when trying to decide what unexpected element I would consider pairing with chicken, I like to look at other ingredients that work with rosemary. That's how I came to choose plums. Rosemary unifies both the savory chicken and the jammy plums. Its strong herbal presence creates a place on the playground where everyone plays nicely.

Sippity Sup Continues »
Tags: | 18 Comments