Tag Archives: Asian

Spicy Basil Chicken

I’m starting to notice a pattern in my life…I spend the weekend eating badly and then turn around and try to remedy it by making something low-carb. I’m not sure if this is working for me or not but I guess deep down it must make me feel better about myself. After starting the day off Saturday with coffee for breakfast and a nice salad at lunch time, the day quickly spiraled out of control and I woke up Sunday to remember that I had also consumed cheesy chicken nachos, two (yes, TWO) separate plates of french fries, and a fast food chicken sandwich around midnight. Whaaaaaaaat? I can count on one hand the number of times I eat fast food in a year so I wasn’t really sure why my friend and I decided it was a good idea to head through the drive-thru on our way home from a night (or day-into-night) on the town. I came home and ate this super-salty chicken sandwich while watching Saturday Night Live and didn’t really enjoy one bite of it. If I learned nothing else, I remembered exactly why I don’t eat fast food.

So, true to form, on Sunday I decided to make a nice low-carb chicken dish – Spicy Basil Chicken. Tender chicken is cooked with shallots and sliced garlic before being bathed in a spicy and salty mixture of soy sauce, chili paste, sugar, water, and cornstarch. Sliced basil tops off the whole dish, giving it a fresh, bright finishing touch. This tasted like an authentic chicken dish that I might get at my favorite Chinese food place, slightly reminiscent of Kung Pao. No matter how good the chicken was though, it was made even better by the soft garlic slices that soaked up the sauce. I probably could have eaten that garlic by the spoonful. In fact, I just might have. This dish is soooooo much better than fast food!

The ingredients:

Add canola oil to a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add shallots and garlic to pan and cook for 30 seconds.

Add chicken to the pan and cook until chicken is done.

Combine fish sauce (which I omitted), sugar, soy sauce, water, sambal oelek, and salt in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk. Add sauce mixture to the pan and cook for 1 minute or until mixture thickens making sure to coat the chicken. Remove from heat.

Stir in basil.

Serve with rice, couscous, or just your fork.

Additions: None

Omissions:

  • Fish Sauce

Substitutions:

  • Chicken tenders

Overall Rating: Love It

Source: Cooking Light Magazine

Spicy Thai Coconut Chicken Soup

Despite the fact that we had perfectly blue skies and warm weather this past weekend in the Philadelphia area, the recent rainy, damp weather had me wanting to run to Au Bon Pain for soup nearly everyday.  And even though the weather is supposed to get better, I just felt like making a nice pot of warm and comforting soup.  Spicy Thai Coconut Chicken Soup is spicy, creamy, and hearty – just what you want from a soup.

Don’t be freaked out by the coconut in the name of this soup. It comes from light coconut milk which is mild in flavor and provides a silky creaminess. Chopped mushrooms and red peppers provide some rustic bulk while ginger, garlic, and chile paste provide some hefty flavor. Precooked chicken is thrown in at the end which helps save time, making this soup a perfect use of leftover chicken you might have on hand. Toppings of scallions and cilantro add a fresh brightness at the end so don’t skimp on them. I omitted the lemongrass, substituted ground ginger for fresh ginger and used soy sauce instead of fish sauce. These changes seemed to work because I loved this soup. This recipe wasn’t even the reason why I tore out the page it was on from the magazine it was in but what an amazingly pleasant surprise! This just goes to show – pay attention to every recipe you see. You just might end up making it.

The ingredients:

Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat and add in mushrooms, bell pepper, ginger, garlic, and lemongrass (I omitted this). Cook 3 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add chile paste and cook 1 minute.

Add chicken stock, coconut milk, fish sauce, and sugar and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes.

Add chicken to pan and cook 1 minute or until thoroughly heated. Discard lemongrass (if using).

Top with onions, cilantro, and lime juice.

Additions: None

Omissions:

  • Lemongrass

Substitutions:

  • Ground ginger for fresh ginger
  • Chili-garlic sauce for chile paste
  • Reduced-sodium soy sauce for fish sauce

Overall Rating: Love It

Source: Cooking Light Magazine

Sesame-Soy Green Beans

As I mentioned a few days ago, I’ve got an Asian-inspired veggie which makes for a really tasty side dish.  Since I’m pretty picky when it comes to veggies, I’m always looking for different ways to prepare the ones that I like so I don’t get so bored with them, I give up eating them altogether!  What a better way to liven up some green beans than with a little bit of salty soy?  That’s exactly what these Sesame-Soy Green Beans are.  Bright green beans are cooked and tossed with a mixture of soy sauce, garlic, and red pepper flakes before being sprinkled with nutty toasted sesame seeds.  I don’t know what it is about the combination of soy sauce and garlic but if you put in in a martini glass, I just might drink it.  But I digress…I love bagged veggies (even if they are a little more expensive) because it just helps speed things up but use whatever green beans you like here.  Consider this preparation with other veggies too, like broccoli, cauliflower, asparagus, spinach or brussel sprouts.  Yum!

The ingredients:

Prepare green beans by either cooking in a microwave according to package directions or on the stove (cook in boiling water for 5 minutes).  Sauté garlic and red pepper flake in sesame oil in a skillet over medium-high heat for 30 seconds.  

Add green beans, soy sauce, and salt; cook 2 minutes, tossing frequently.

Sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds.

Additions:  None

Omissions:  None

Substitutions:  None

Overall Rating:  Love It

Source:  Cooking Light Magazine

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