Sticky Coconut Chicken

This recipe is fantastic - a little spicy (if you're hot chili flakes are fresh), but flavorful and delicious.

6-8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs (about 1.5 lbs)
2/3 c. canned coconut milk
1 TBS. fresh minced ginger
1 tsp. fresh ground pepper
1 tsp. hot chili flakes
3/4 c. rice vinegar
1/2 c. sugar
3 TBS. soy sauce
1 tsp. hot chili flakes
4-5 green onions, finely chopped

Rinse chicken, pat dry. In large bowl, mix coconut milk, ginger, pepper, 1 tsp. hot chili flakes. Add chicken and mix - cover and chill for at least one hour, or up to a day.

Lift chicken from bowl, reserving marinade. Pull thighs open and lay flat on lightly oiled grill on high heat (we broiled this in the oven and it worked fine). Cover and cook, turning thighs as needed to brown on both sides until meat is no longer pink inside. Baste frequently with remaining marinade (USE ALL MARINADE). Tranfer thighs to warm platter and pour chili glaze (recipe below) evenly over meat. Garnish with chopped green onions.

Chili Glaze:
In large sauce pan, combine rice vinegar, sugar, soy sauce and hot chili flakes. Bring to boil over high heat and cook until mixture is reduced to 1/2 cup (8-10 min.) Makes 1/2 c. glaze. Make sure to put your pan straight in water after the glaze has been used- once it hardens, it's VERY HARD to get off - it turns to a candy-like substance!

Serve warm over steamed brown rice.

Thai Peanut Pork Stir Fry by Guest Chef Miriam

Serve with either Minute white rice or Jasmine rice:
2 t. vegetable oil
12 oz pork tenderloin, trim fat and thinly slice crosswise
2 garlic cloves thinly sliced
3 1/2 c broccoli florets
1 med red bell pepper, halved and cut lenthwise
1 can (14 oz) reduced lite coconut milk
1 packet (3&1/2 oz) peanut sauce mix

Heat vegetable oil in large nonstick skillet, add the pork and garlic and stir fry 2 to 3minutes until cooked through. Place on plate. To skillet, add broccoli, red pepper, coconut milk and peanut-sauce mix. Bring to a boil then reduce heat, cover and simmer 6 minutes until vegetables are crisp & tender. Meanwhile cook rice. Return pork & garlic to skillet and simmer a fewminutes until sauce thickents slightly. Serve over rice.

Spring Rolls w/ Peanut Sauce by Guest Chef Nanette

You wouldn't guess by looking at them, but these are actually quick and easy, even for a slow cook like me! I made them one night for a dinner party, when I found out more people were coming over, and they only took about 10 minutes to make.

Ingredients:
Package rice wrappers
Chopped thai basil
Fresh mint leaves
Chopped fresh cilantro
Grated carrot
Fresh bean sprouts
some people like to add little shrimp, or a meat, like pork or chicken. If you do, cook the meat before hand, and slice into thin strips.

Peanut Sauce/Dip
Crunchy peanut butter
Hoisin sauce
Water

All of these ingredients can be found at your local asian supermarket. I didn't include amounts, because it depends on personal preference.

Directions:
Fill a large bowl with warm water. Dip one wrapper into the hot water for 1 second to soften.
Lay wrapper flat.In a row across the center, a little of each ingredient, to your taste, leaving about 2 inches uncovered on each side.
Fold uncovered sides inward, then tightly roll the wrapper, beginning at the end with the lettuce.
Repeat with remaining ingredients.

Dipping Sauce
mix equal parts hoisin sauce and peanut butter.
Add water until desired consistency

Panang Curry by Guest Chef Nanette

This is my all time favorite thai curry. It's not soupy like other curries, but more of a thick sauce. I make it using curry packets from the Asian market, and that way cut out steps 1-7. Your local Asian market should have panang curry paste. The Thais all used the mae ploy brand, so buy that if they have it. If not, I'm sure they're all pretty similar. Despite all of the weird sounding ingredients, this dish is actually pretty easy to make. You basically just throw the paste, coconut milk, chicken, and a few other things in a pan, and let it simmer. If you use the paste, I'd recommend buying a few lemongrass stalks. I usually cut 2 stalks into 1 inch pieces, and then whack them with the back of a knife to open them a little, and then throw them in after I add all of the coconut milk. It adds a little freshness. Also, if you go to http://www.realthairecipes.com/recipes/panang-curry/ , there are step by step photos to accompany the recipe.

Ingredients:

• 1 can coconut cream (if you can't find coconut cream, coconut milk will work)
  
• 1 tablespoon shredded lime leaves
• 1/2 teaspoon palm sugar
• 2 cups sliced beef or pork
• 2 tablespoons fish sauce

For the curry paste:

• 1/3 cup big dried chilies, soaked until soft with seeds removed
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons galangal, cut into matchsticks
• 2 tablespoons lemongrass, cut into thin rounds
• 1 tablespoon coriander root
• 1 teaspoon toasted coriander seeds
• 1 teaspoon toasted cumin seeds
• 2 tablespoons garlic
• 2 tablespoons shallots
• 1 tablespoon roasted peanuts
• 1 teaspoon shrimp paste

Directions

1. The first step is to make the curry paste. Start by soaking the chilies in water until they're soft. This could take up to a half hour. When they're soft, cut them open to remove the guts & seeds.
2. Toast the cumin seeds, cilantro seeds and peanuts separately in a pan over medium heat. Roast each until fragrant, about 3-5 minutes.
3. Grind up the seeds together in a stone mortar & pestle until powdered. Remove and set aside.
4. Add your chilies with the salt to the stone mortar & pestle and pound until a paste. This will take awhile ― the skins are difficult to mash. Be patient.
5. When your chilies are a uniform paste, add the lemongrass. Pound until a paste. Then add the galangal and coriander roots, and again, smash until paste.
6. Add the peanuts, shallots, garlic and your powdered cumin & cilantro seeds. Mash until paste. Add the shrimp paste and pound to mix well. Set aside.

-------------start here if you're using the store bought paste-----------------------

1. Now, on to frying your curry! Heat up your pan first on medium-high heat, then add 1/2 cup of the coconut cream. It should sizzle right away and boil. Add all the paste and mix well.
2. Cut your meat cross-grain into thin slices (about 1.5″ (4cm) long x 1/2″ (1.25cm) tall x 1/8″ (.25cm) thick).
3. Fry the paste. You want to keep the paste dry, but not too dry that it sticks and burns. Keep adding a little bit of coconut milk when it gets too dry, maybe about 1/4 cup every minute or two. Keep stirring so it doesn't burn.
4. Keep adding coconut cream about 1/4 cup at a time, every minute or two. You should start to see a lot of oil coming to the top of the curry. This is normal and a sign that you're doing it right!
5. Your paste should start to smell really good after 4-5 minutes. You'll start to see a lot of oil rising to the top, especially where it's bubbling. When it does, add your meat.
6. Cook the meat until cooked, add the lime leaves, palm sugar, and fish sauce, then keep going about 3-5 minutes so the meat is soft. The consistency of the curry should be similar to the photo. If it's too dry, add a bit more of the coconut milk. Remove and serve.

Check tomorrow for a great spring roll recipe to accompany this dish!

Mango Sticky Coconut Rice

Try this out with the Spiced Cilantro Chicken, and you'll have a great complement to your meal.

1 C. glutinous rice (soaked for 30 minutes in cold water)
1 cup coconut milk
2 Tbls. sugar
pinch of salt
2 large ripe mangoes
Drain rice and rinse thoroughly. Place in a pan with coconut milk, sugar, and salt. Bring to a boil and simmer, stirring occasionally until the rice has absorbed all the coconut milk and is very soft. Transfer the rice to a steamer set over a pan of simmering water. Cover and steam for 15 minutes.
Peel and Cut the mangoes into cubes. Serve.

Spiced Cilantro Chicken

4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
2 garlic cloves
1 fresh green chili, seeded
3/4 piece of fresh gingerroot
4 Tbls. chopped cilantro
finely grated rind of 1 lime
3 tbls. lime juice
2 tbls. soy sauce
1 tbsp sugar
3/4 c. coconut milk

*we double or triple the sauce

Cut 3 deep slashes into the skinned side of each breast. Place breasts in a single layer of a nonmetallic dish.
Place garlic, chili, ginger, cilantro, lime rind and juice soy sauce, sugar, coconut milk in a food processor or blender
until smooth. Spread over chicken coating evenly on both sides. Cover and let marinate in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour.
Preheat broiler to medium. lift chicken from marinate. Drain off excess marinade and place into a sauce pan for later.
Cook chicken under the hot broiler for 12 - 15 minutes. or until thoroughly and evenly cooked.
Meanwhile, place the remaining marinade in a pan and bring to a boul. reduce head and simmer for several minutes.
Transfer the chicken breasts to serving plate. Garnish with cucumber slices. (the cucumbers are a really good flavor with the sauce.)
Serve with rice - preferably sticky sweet coconut rice.

Melanie Stephen's Pad Thai Peanut Butter Chicken

Cook one package of spaghetti (or I prefer to use the Pad Thai rice noodles).
While spaghetti is cooking also cook 2 large cut chicken breasts in a
skillet with:
4 Tbs. soy sauce
1 Tbs. lemon juice
1Tbs. ginger (I use the powder and I don't use that much, I just
sprinkle some in)
black pepper

In the largest bowl you have add:
5 Tbs. of chicken stock (if you don't have any then use the spaghetti
broth)
1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper
1 Tbs. lemon juice
1/2 tsp. ginger
2 Tbs. peanut butter (it is good with regular or crunchy) make sure it's sweet.
1 tsp. sesame oil
1 tsp. soy sauce
Chopped English cucumber or zuccini
Chopped carrots

Add spaghetti and chicken to bowl and mix well.