Curry pumpkin soup with chicken skewers

Pumpkin soup:
800g butternut pumpkin, peeled & chopped
1 apple, peeled & chopped
100g shallots (or a small onion), chopped
1 garlic clove, chopped
1 small carrot, chopped
4 tablespoons butter
1 pinch paprika
1 teaspoon curry powder (or more to taste)
1 tablespoon fresh ginger, grated
1 litre chicken broth
1 can coconut milk, or else a good few shakes of coconut milk powder
black pepper

Chicken:
2 chicken breasts
5 skewers
peanut oil
4 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons chilli jam or sweet chilli sauce
1 teaspoon sesame seeds

Fry shallots, garlic and carrots in butter, add pumpkin and apple together with paprika, curry, and ginger. Add chicken broth and simmer for 20 min. Add coconut milk, puree and season to taste.

Cut chicken into 1cm cubes and thread onto skewers. Fry in peanut oil, and deglaze in soy sauce. Brush over with chilli jam/sweet chilli sauce and coat with sesame seeds.

Serve soup in bowls, and place two chicken skewers over each bowl. Serve.

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What do the food critics say? Is there any more? Well, except for Lukan, but he did eat one bowl willingly. If you count "three spoonfuls of soup for one piece of cheese" as "willingly".
What does the cook say? The peeling and chopping is a bit of a pain, but it's otherwise easy and fancy looking enough to serve at a dinner party. I used a Thai marinade for the chicken though (coconut milk, ginger, garlic, chopped onion, fish sauce, fresh & ground coriander, cumin) and grilled the skewers instead of frying them. I also think less coconut milk for the soup is better - enough so you can taste it, but not so much out drowns out the more subtle ginger.

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Adapted from a recipe book at the house we stayed in on the Canary Islands.

Spinach, garlic chive and egg dumplings

1 bunch English spinach, trimmed, chopped and blanched
8 garlic chives, chopped
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
2 teaspoons soy sauce
20 round gow gee wrappers
1/3 cup soy sauce, extra
1 small red chili, chopped
Small amount of vegetable and sesame oil combined

Place the spinach, chives, egg, sesame oil and soy sauce in a bowl and mix to combine.

Spoon one and a half teaspoons of the mixture onto each wrapper. Brush the edges with water, fold over to form a half moon and press to seal.

Bring a large saucepan of water to the boil. Place the dumplings in boiling water and cook for approximately 5 minutes. Remove when they float.

Toss cooked dumplings in vegetable oil and sesame oil to prevent them sticking together.

Combine the extra soy sauce and chili sauce to use as a dipping sauce.

Serve with the dumplings on a bed of steamed spinach.

Serves 4.

Source

Veggie Burgers

1/2 cup chopped onion, divided
1 tablespoon olive oil plus more for frying
2 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
3/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
1/2 cup bulgur
1 cup water
1 1/2 tablespoon soy sauce
1 cup canned pinto beans, rinsed and drained
3/4 cup walnuts
1/2 cup packed coriander leaves and stems, coarsely chopped

Sauce:
1/2 cup mayonnaise
Juice and zest of half of a large, juice lime
1/2 teaspoon chipotle puree (or Smoked Tabasco)

Accompaniments: toast or buns, lettuce, sliced tomato, red onion, jalapenos, pickles...

Cook the onion in the oil in a smallish pan over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until golden, around 5 to 7 minutes. Add the garlic and stir for a minute, then add the spices and stir for a few seconds, just until fragrant. Add the bulgur and water and cook, covered, over low heat until water is absorbed, 15 to 18 minutes. Stir in the soy sauce.

Pulse the bulgur mixture, pintos, walnuts, cilantro, 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt (or half as much etc.), and a few grindings of black pepper in a food processor until finely chopped.

Form the mixture mixture into 6 patties. Chill them for at least 10 minutes and up to a couple of hours. While patties chill, whisk together together the mayonnaise, lime juice and zest, chipotle, and 1/2 teaspoon salt.

Fry the burgers for about 10 min over medium heat, with a big glug of oil, until very brown and crisp on the outside, turning them over carefully when the first side is done.

Serve on buns with the sauce and lots of accompaniments.

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What do the food critics say? I liked them, but no one else did.
What does the cook say? Easy enough - but they were a little lacking in chewiness for my taste. Maybe next time I won't puree the bulgur. I also added an egg to make them hold together better, and preferred them fried with less oil.

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Source

Chinese chicken wings

12 chicken wings (or legs)
1 tsp sesame seeds

Marinade:
2T soy sauce
1T peanut oil
1T sherry
2T honey
1T lemon juice
1/2 tsp Chinese five spice
1 clove minced garlic
1 tsp ground ginger

Remove tips from wings, pat dry. Mix marinade ingredients, marinade with wings in fridge for at least 2 hours, turning occasionally.

Remove chicken from marinade, place in single layer in greased ovenproof dish, bake 30-35min (or grill or BBQ), basting with remaining marinade.

Toast sesame seeds, sprinkle over chicken for last 5 min of baking.

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What do the food critics say? The kids gobbled it up and chewed on the bones.
What does the cook say? Easy.Tasty.

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Source: McCormick (via my aunt)

Peanut beef stir fry

Sauce:
1 large onion, sliced
1T grated ginger
peanut butter
garlic, crushed
1.5T sherry
2T soy sauce
1 pinch sugar
1/4 cup chicken stock

Meat:
Beef cut in strips
2 eggwhites
1.5T cornstarch

Stir fry onions and ginger; combine remaining sauce ingredients, add to pan and boil for a bit. Add beef, cook, push to the side, add rest of cornstarch mixture, allow to thicken, then recombine everything and serve.

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What do the food critics say? It was a while ago I made this, but I remember it being good.
What does the cook say? Easy.

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Source: somewhere on the internet. Sorry I didn't write down exact amounts for everything!

Chinese chicken stir fry

Marinade:
2 tsp cornstarch
2T sherry
1T lemon juice
1T soy sauce
1T grated ginger
1 clove crushed garlic
chili

The rest:
chicken
1T sesame oil
1T oil
mushrooms
capsicum
onion
2T toasted sesame seeds

Mix together marinade ingredients, add chicken, marinate.

Slice the vegetables, then stir fry until cooked (but still crispy). Add chicken and marinade, stir fry until chicken is cooked (not too long). Sprinkle with sesame seeds, and serve.

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What do the food critics say? It was a while ago I made this, but I remember it being good.
What does the cook say? Easy.

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Source: somewhere on the internets

Arame stir fries

Olive oil
½ onion, chopped
2 cloves chopped garlic
1 tsp chopped ginger (optional)
½ cabbage, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
½ cup dry Arame (soaked in water for 5 minutes and rinsed)
1 T sesame oil
Ponzu (soy and citrus sauce. If you don’t have Ponzu, add lemon to soy sauce or tamari)
2 cups cooked quinoa (1 cup washed quinoa cooked in two cups of water for 15 minutes)
Salt and pepper

Saute chopped onion in olive oil on medium high, stirring until soft and brown around the edges. Add garlic, ginger, carrots and cabbage and saute, stirring frequently, until cabbage is soft. Add sesame oil and arame and stir for a few more minutes. Generously sprinkle wtih Ponzu. Salt and pepper to taste. Combine with quinoa and serve with toasted sesame seeds sprinkled on top.

Or: Take out the ginger and substitute edible pea pods for the cabbage.

Or: Stir fry garlic and a mixture of fresh greens in olive oil and sesame oil (broccoli leaves, broccoli, broccoli rabe, cilantro, and mizuna). Add arame and season with ponzu. Sprinkle with sesame seeds if you want.
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