Tag Archives: chili

Chili Chicken Indian Hakka Style

Posted on by
Reply

I’m not sure if I’ve mentioned before that I have this blue notebook where I’ve cut and pasted magazine clippings with recipes and if I have I’m going to say I’m so glad I put that book together. In this book I’ve got recipes from different magazines like Chatelaine, Canadian Living, Weight Watchers, Homemakers, etc. This is the book I turn to when I can’t find what I’m looking for in my “real” cookbooks and for the most part, the blue book does not disappoint.

Friday night I flipped through the blue book and found a recipe from Homemakers magazine (which appears to have changed to Fresh Juice) for “Indian Hakka Chili Chicken“. Having grown up in the east end of Toronto and having had the pleasure of eating at Frederick’s restaurant, I could certainly understand why I was suddenly salivating over the idea of eating Hakka chili chicken. I immediately got to work as I tried my best to ignore the loud rumblings coming from my stomach.

Here’s my slightly adapted version, which by the way, was amazing and I highly recommend it!

Indian Hakka Chili Chiken

1/3 cup chicken stock

2 tbsp soy sauce

2 tbsp ketchup

2 tsp cornstarch

2 tsp sugar

1 tsp rice vinegar

1 onion, chopped

4 garlic cloves, chopped

1 lb of chicken thighs cut into pieces

1 jalapeño pepper, finely chopped

1 tsp cayenne pepper

1 1/2 tsp coriander

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp five spice powder

5 green onions, chopped

1 cup cilantro

In a bowl, mix together the stock, soy sauce, ketchup, cornstarch, sugar, and vinegar.

In a large pan or pot on medium, heat 2 to 3 tablespoons of oil and add the chopped onion (not the green ones! Sadly I did that and if Jay hadn’t been in the kitchen they would have turned into ugly brown bits). Stir the onions often for about 10 minutes and then add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds before tossing in the chicken pieces. The original recipe says to turn the heat up a little and fry everything but whenever I do that I end up burning more food than I intended so I kept it at a safe medium heat. Cook for about 6 or 7 minutes and then add the hot pepper, cayenne pepper, coriander, cumin, and five spice powder – I have to add here that this spice is AMAZING and I need to use it more often – making sure everything is mixed well so you don’t end up with a clump of cayenne pepper on a single piece of chicken. Add the green onions. Increase the heat (yes, this time I did turn it up to high-ish) and stir in the stock mixture and continue stirring and cooking until the sauce thickens. Remove from heat and add the cilantro.

Time to Clean Out the Fridge Beef and Bean Stew

Posted on by
Reply

You know when you look in the fridge and all you see are miscellaneous things like half an onion or a quarter of a zucchini and you don’t know what you should do with them? That’s what happened last night so I decided to throw together a beef and bean stew with leftovers from the fridge. Dishes like stews and stir frys are awesome for this reason!

Here’s what I used (I hope I can remember now):

approx a pound of beef (best to use stewing beef)

3 or 4 cloves of garlic, roughly chopped because I like biting into whole bits of garlic but if you’re not a fan of that you can finely dice the garlic.

1 onion, diced

1 28oz can of diced tomatoes

2 bay leaves

1 cup of water – depending on how thick you want the stew add more or don’t add any at all

approx 1 tsp of oregano

approx 1 tsp of cumin

1 can of kidney beans

1/2 cup of red wine, if you have it

half a  jalapeno pepper, which I had completely forgotten about being in the fridge so that worked out great

salt and pepper to taste

And the rest of the ingredients were leftovers like:

3/4 of a zucchini, sliced into small pieces

1 carrot, sliced

2 mushrooms, roughly chopped – of course if you have more than 2 mushrooms by all means use more – for some reason we only had 2 haha.

I think any vegetable could work with this mix.

In a large pot brown the beef in some olive oil at medium-high heat. Lower to medium heat. Throw in the garlic and onion and sautee until soft. Add the can of tomatoes, bay leaves, and cook for 10 minutes. Add cumin, oregano, jalapeno pepper, and 1 cup of water, if needed, and let it cook on medium heat for about 20 minutes, covered. This would be a good time to dice all your veggies, if you haven’t done so already. Turn heat to low.  Add the  veggies and other leftovers you want to use, and red wine, if it’s handy. Let that simmer, stirring every so often, for about 30 minutes or longer if your stomach can wait. I think we made it to 30 minutes before we dove in – the spicy aroma was too tempting.

 

 

Green Chili…again

Posted on by
2

Ever since the first time I made this Green Chili, I’ve been dreaming about it, plotting and scheming to make it again. At last, I decided it was time and tonight I died and went to pork heaven. Just as before, each piece of slowly cooked pork melted in my mouth and the sweet spice from the green tomato and pepper sauce pricked at my taste buds, making me close my eyes and say, “Mmmm….”

Serve this dish with a side of white rice, beans, and a warm tortilla. A nice white wine also compliments the meal, a chardonnay perhaps.

Recipe here.

Bean and Veggie Stew

Posted on by
Reply

Oh it’s been such a long time since I last posted! I was away for the holidays and since coming back a week ago, I’ve had to fight the immense feeling of procrastination. It’s been a tough battle but I’ve finally come through.

The holidays were wonderful and delicious but oh so unforgiving to my figure. One of the most common things people put on their New Years resolutions is to lose weight. I am one of those people and every year I add it to my list of goals but every year I end up putting that goal back on the list because I was unsuccessful. This year I’ve altered that goal. Instead of writing “Lose Weight” at the top of my list I’ve written ”Eat healthier.” It’s realistic, it’s safe, and  I won’t feel pressured and later feel inclined to give up.

To start with my healthier lifestyle, I made this tasty, satisfying, and amazingly nutritious vegetarian stew.

Makes about 6 servings

3 garlic cloves, minced

2 celery stalks, chopped

1 onion, chopped

6oz mushrooms, chopped

1/2 red and green peppers, chopped

2 carrots, minced

14oz canned tomatoes, crushed or diced

4 or 5 pickled peppers, chopped

1 can mixed beans, drained

8oz red kidney beans, drained

1 can green lentils, drained

About 1 cup frozen corn

About 1 cup beer

Generous squeeze of mustard

Cayenne pepper to taste

1/4 tsp oregano

1/2 tsp cumin

Heat a bit of olive oil in a large pot and sauté the onion, celery, and garlic. Once the onion is soft, add the mushrooms, peppers, and carrot. Cook until mushrooms are soft and then add the rest of the ingredients. Bring to a boil then lower heat, cover, and cook on low for about 20 minutes. Remove lid and continue to cook on low for another 20 minutes. Serve with a bit of shredded cheese and cilantro.

Chili Verde

Posted on by
1

Last night I created something incredibly magnificent. I’ve devoured and enjoyed many fantastic dishes in the past. Dishes that have me tilting my head back as my eyes close in absolute pleasure. A morsel of buttery tender meat, covered in a perfect blend of tang, sweet and spice. The meat is so tender, chewing is almost optional only to further enjoy each bite. I am craving this dish as we speak and I cannot wait for the next time I make this. It would be a crime for me to not share this recipe from my Mexican cookbook.

Chili Verde

Serves 4

1 kg pork, cut into bite size chunks

1 onion, chopped

2 bay leaves

1 whole garlic bulb, cut in half (this confused me for a minute and in the end I peeled an entire bulb and cut each clove in half)

1 bouillon cube (I used chicken)

2 garlic cloves, chopped

450g fresh tomatillos, husks removed, cooked in a small amount of water until just tender, then chopped. Or canned which is what I used

2 large fresh mild green chilies, such as poblano, or a combination of 1 green bell pepper and 2 jalapeño chilies, seeded and chopped (I used green pepper and jalapeño)

3 tbsp vegetable oil

1 cup pork or chicken stock

1/2 tsp mild chili powder, such as ancho or New Mexico

1/2 tsp ground cumin

cilantro

Place the pork in a large pot with the onion, bay leaves and garlic bulb. Add water to cover and the bouillon cube and bring to a boil. Skim off the scum that rises to the surface. Reduce heat to very low and let it simmer gently for 1 1/2 hours or until meat is very tender.

Place the chopped garlic, tomatillos and chilies (and bell pepper if using)  in a food processor and puree. Heat the oil in a deep sauce pan and add the tomatillo mixture and cook over medium-high heat for 10 minutes or until thickened. Add the stock, chili powder and cumin.

When meat is tender, remove from pot and add to the sauce. Let it simmer gently for 20 minutes, or until flavours are combined. Garnish with cilantro and serve with flour tortillas and lime wedges.