Masaman Curry Basil Chicken

Here’s another easy to make coconut-curry chicken dish. As I stated in the Panang Curry Chicken Wing Stew recipe, I began using Maeseri brand (Masaman) curry in my curry dishes because they come in single use cans and in a variety of flavors. The chicken is marinated, but that step can easily be omitted if you’re in a hurry. The carrots are cut relatively thin so that they can cook quickly with the chicken. The broccoli florets are added at the end of cooking and are just cooked long enough so that there’s still some crunch to them (i.e. broccoli florets get mushy if cooked too long).

Enjoy!

Salmon and Long Beans with Salted Radish (菜脯豆角鮭魚, Coi3 Pou2 Dau6 Gok3 Gwai1 Jyu4)

Salmon can be stir fried in a dish if you’re careful. The color, aroma, and taste of salmon makes any dish appealing. The long beans and salted radish used in this recipe provides a nice crunchy contrast to the salmon’s firm flesh. Depending upon the brand of salted radish used, it will provide either a salty, or salty and sweet flavor to the dish. The brand used to make this recipe is salty and sweet.

Enjoy!

Grilled Miso Garlic Chicken (燒烤蒜蓉味噌雞, Siu1 Haau1 Syun3 Jung4 Mei6 Cang1 Gai1)

This recipe was updated on 12 Aug 2015. The Chinese name was changed to use the correct characters for “miso” rather than “miso paste”.

This recipe is a variation of the Grilled Miso Garlic T-Bone Steak dish. While the marinade for the beef was more of a paste, the chicken is marinated in a miso-garlic soy sauce solution. Unlike chicken breasts, thighs need to be cleaned first to remove the excess fat. Of course, chicken breasts may be used in place of thighs. The thighs are first smoked (pecan wood is a good choice) skin side up on the side of the grill without the coals and then moved skin side down over the coals to produce grill marks.

Enjoy!

Dungeness Crab and Quail Egg Shallot Sauce Noodles (紅蔥鵪鶉蛋北美大肉蟹麵, Hung4 Cung1 Am1 Ceon1 Daan6 Bak1 Mei5 Daai6 Juk6 Haai5 Min6)

This recipe was updated on 30 Aug 2016. The Cantonese for Dungeness crab was added to the title.

Crab and eggs is a tasty combination in any dish. In this case quail eggs, rather than chicken, are used. Quail eggs are small enough to be placed entirely into your mouth with the other ingredients when eating (try that with a chicken egg!). Fresh quail eggs can be purchased at your local Asian market, but then you have to hard boil and then peel them before use, or you can buy a canned quail eggs and just open the can. Unpeeled straw mushrooms (they also come in a can) are used because they match the shape and size of the quail eggs. Peeled straw mushrooms can be substituted if the unpeeled version is not handy.

Enjoy!

Black Bean Sauce Bitter Melon Chicken (蒜蓉豆豉苦瓜雞, Syun3 Jung4 Dau6 Si6 Fu2 Gwaa1 Gai1)

I was rather surprised that I haven’t published this basic recipe, since chicken and bitter melon with black bean garlic sauce is a commonly found dish in restaurants and in homes (well, at least in my home). The version of this dish found in Cantonese restaurants does not have any added spiciness (i.e. no chili peppers) and that is reflected in this recipe. The red bell pepper adds color and sweetness to the dish, while the bitter melon adds the bitterness associated with this dish. The bitterness of the bitter melon can be controlled by salting the wet bitter melon pieces for up to 10 minutes; more than 10 minutes and the bitterness is mostly removed, so it doesn’t take the salt too long to remove the bitterness. The salt can be omitted if you like the full bitterness of bitter melon.

Enjoy!

Grilled Sambal Oelek Turkey Thighs (燒烤素辣椒火雞髀, Siu1 Haau1 Sou3 Laat6 Ziu1 Fo2 Gai1 Bei2)

This recipe was updated on 21 Oct 2015. Some instructions were changed and the Cantonese name for the recipe was added.

Here’s another grilled turkey thigh recipe, similar to the Grilled Ground Chili Garlic Oil Turkey Thighs recipe. The main seasoning in marinade is Sambal Oelek, which is ground fresh chili paste. Turkey thighs are my choice when I want to grill a small batch of turkey. I eat some of the turkey and then use the leftovers for sandwiches. My local supermarket now sells two fresh turkey thighs in a vacuum sealed package, so it’s very convenient to just grill the two thighs rather than having to thaw a whole turkey.

Enjoy!

Basil Long Bean Chicken Chow Mein (紫蘇豆角雞炒麵, Zi2 Sou1 Dau6 Gok3 Gai1 Caau2 Min6)

Fresh basil adds a nice flavor to this noodle dish. If you made this dish without the basil, you would notice the contrast in taste. Bamboo shoot strips are also used and is a hidden way to provide added crunchiness to the dish. The bamboo shoots blend into the noodles and most people won’t notice them. If you can find fresh bamboo shoot strips at your local Asian market, use them instead of the canned version. Long beans cut into small pieces are also used to provide added texture to the dish.

Enjoy!