Chicken Shami Kebabs (Burgers?)

(from fortheloveofyum.wordpress.com)

Okay, this is one of those ambitious recipes I just had to try - I couldn't resist the lovely photo, plus, we loves us some Indian treats!

They were pretty good. But dry. Which is unforch. But of course there was very little fat in the chicken, so I'm not surprised. They were however quite flavourful.

I also made them into patties, not into little kebab size, as we were having them with a salad. They would be cute as little bites, but like, a lot of work.

The first night I served them with the 'xmas chutney', which was tasty; and the next time I globbed some 'Memories of Punjab' tamarind sauce on them - which was also yummy. I think if I venture down this road again, I'd keep some of the cooking liquid (who knew I had to drain it?). Anyhow, for those brave enough, here you go:

for cooking the chicken:
water, as needed
2 ½ lbs boneless chicken thighs, in large chunks (I used a mixture of thighs and some breast)
1 medium sized red onion, roughly sliced
half a bulb of garlic, peeled
2 inch piece of ginger, roughly chopped
1 cup yellow split pea lentils soaked overnight and washed (what? I used green lentils, cooked the same day, no soaking)
2 tsp coriander seeds
2 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp black peppercorns
½ tsp whole cloves
6 green cardamom pods
10-12 dried red chilies, use less for less spicy (hmm, I used 3 biggie mexican chilies)
1 cinnamon stick, broken in half
2 bay leaves
salt, to taste

after cooking the chicken you will need:

1 cup chopped cilantro
½ cup chopped mint
2-3 green chilies, chopped (I used a large jalapeno, finely chopped, seeds and all)
½ a red onion, chopped
4 scallions, chopped
2 eggs
oil for frying

Cook the lentils until soft, 30 mins or so. Set aside.

In a large pan, add the chicken, a little oil, and all of the items listed (including spices) under the “for cooking the chicken” ingredients. Also, add a little water, about ½ cup. Cook the chicken on med heat for 15 mins and then turn the heat to medium low and continue cooking for 45 more mins, or until the chicken is very tender and all the water has evaporated. You may need to add more water to the pot if it evaporates too quickly, just make sure you cook until the chicken is tender and the onion, garlic, and ginger are very soft. Remove the cinnamon stick, black cardamom, and bay leaves.

Once the chicken is cooled, allow it to cool for 15-20 mins. After it has cooled slightly, transfer it to a large food processor with the cooked lentils and pulse until they are combined. Transfer the chicken and lentil mixture to a large bowl and add in the chopped cilantro, mint, scallions, green chilies, and red onion. It’s time to get messy and crack in the 2 eggs and mix it all together with your hands. Once everything is combined, form the chicken into round kebabs (or burgers!).

Next, in a frying pan heat some oil on medium heat and fry until browned on both sides. Enjoy!

Thai 'Fried' Rice

The best ever!

I had a huge craving for some thai fried rice, and of course, being Summerland, um, no. I threw this together after tasting some recently purchased pineapple. Best.rice.ever. No, I'm serious. Didn't even really need the prawns, though it added some protein (and colour), and I had them on hand. Tofu would be nice. Oh, the leftovers were just as good, if not more so. I want some now!

Stir fry the following in some oil:
2 shallots, thinly sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 jalapeno, finely chopped (seeds and all!)

Add your sauce:
3 Tbsp. chicken stock
3 Tbsp. fish sauce
2-3 tsp. curry powder
1-2 tsp. agave

Add approx 4 cups cooked rice (J’s blend!) (remember to let it cool completely in the fridge)

Stir like mad, then add:
A generous amount of fresh chopped pineapple
A handful of unsalted peanuts
Approx 1/2 cup frozen peas, thawed
Approx 1/4 cup raisins
Green onions, finely sliced
A bunch of chopped cilantro
Prawns

DEVOUR!

Spicy Noodles with Asparagus and Broccoli

(from getnatured.blogspot.com)

I've been cooking up a storm, but haven't posted anything - my bad. And of course, I've since forgotten a few recent ones ... oh well, better late than never to get some good stuff out to my millions ... hundreds ... okay one steady reader out there.

This was absolutely wonderful - it retained its moisture over the days - unlike so many 'pasta salads' past ... I'll absolutely make this again, no hesitation! We served it warm, as spring has been sadly derailed :(

I also added fresh ginger and garlic, just because.

½ lb soba noodles or whole wheat pasta (I used brown rice spirals)
2 cups chopped fresh broccoli
1 bunch asparagus, cut in bite-sized pieces
1 cup shredded carrots
2 tbsp toasted sesame seeds, lightly toasted
some green onions, chopped
¼ cup tamari
1 tbsp chili garlic sauce (I used sambal olek, plus added a hunk of finely chopped ginger, and about 3 finely chopped garlic cloves)
1 tbsp rice vinegar
1 tbsp toasted sesame oil
2 tsp aji-mirin (rice wine), optional (I used Madeira!)
chopped cilantro

Make your sauce by whisking together the above.

Cook the noodles according to the package directions. In the last minute of cooking, add the broccoli and asparagus to the pot. Drain, and toss with the carrots, sesame seeds, and green onions.

Pour the sauce over the noodle mixture and toss well. Serve at room temperature or chilled (I think room temp or warm).