Asparagus and Soy Chicken

It has been a few years and another child since I’ve updated this blog. In this time, our lives have gotten busier. My son has started and finished Montessori and is starting Kindergarten at a public school this fall. My daughter is a week away from being 2 years old and I am one of those people who has settled into a lock-down routine and is thoroughly enjoying my summer evenings. There is no need to rush off to swimming and ice skating classes. That said, I have never relied on fast cooking meals as much as I have lately, so here is an Asparagus Soy Chicken dinner. This recipe is a variation on the Asian style soy chicken you might find at a restaurant. My husband and kids ate it over noodles but I ate it with quinoa and I really enjoyed it that way. 

Asian chicken with Asparagus

1 lb chicken breast, cut into large cubes

1 bunch asparagus, cleaned and cut into 2” pieces.

1 yellow pepper, cut into large pieces

1 onion, cut into large pieces

1tbsp soy sauce

2 tbsp hoisin sauce

1 tbsp sesame oil

1 tbsp vegetable oil

For the sauce

1 tbsp cornstarch

1/2 cup water

2 tbsp soy sauce

1 tbsp apple cider vinegar

1 tsp pepper

1 tsp chopped garlic

1 tsp ginger paste

Clean and cut the chicken and marinate with the 1 tbsp soy sauce and hoisin sauce. Set aside. Mix the sauce ingredients in a bowl and set aside.

Cut the onion and peppers. In a wok, or a deep frying pan, heat 1/2 tbsp sesame oil and 1/2 tbsp vegetable oil. Once hot, add in the onions and peppers and cook, stirring frequently, till the onion is translucent. Remove the onions and peppers, in the same wok add the remaining oil, add in the chicken and cook on high heat so that it browns on all sides. Toss in the asparagus and cook for 2-3 minutes. Turn the stove down to medium low, then add back the onions and peppers and the sauce and mix well. Cook, stirring frequently, until the sauce thickens and coats the chicken. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve over hot rice or noodles.

Fenugreek Green Peas and Cottage Cheese

Fried Paneer

Methi Matar Paneer is a flavorful dish that has fenugreek leaves (Methi), green peas (Matar) and Indian cottage cheese (Paneer). It's traditionally cooked in North India, but has become so popular that one can find variations of it all over India and in most Indian restaurants around the world. This dish is heavily spiced, and has a real medley of sapidity. The spices are cooked to mellow it's spiciness but it still leaves a sharp twang on ones tongue. It isn't a very quick recipe, but it's still something easy that can be done on a weekday. Give it a try and let me know what you think.

Methi Matar Paneer

Methi Matar Paneer

1 bag frozen peas, thawed

400 gms cottage cheese, cubed

1/2 can tomato sauce

1/2 bunch fenugreek leaves
1 large onion, chopped
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp garam masala
1 tsp heaped ginger paste
1 tsp heaped garlic paste
Salt to taste
1 bunch cilantro, large stems removed and chopped

Fenugreek Leaves, Green Peas, and Cottage Cheese

Fry the cottage cheese in a little hot oil, in a pot. Brown on all sides and then remove and set aside. Add a little more oil if necessary, heat and then put in the onion. Cook till it the edges start to brown. Stir in the ginger and garlic pastes, and cook till no longer pungent. Mix in the tomato paste and cook for a minute or so. Next add in all the powdered spices and salt. Put in the fenugreek leaves, and stir.
Once the leaves have wilted, add in the green peas. Cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the peas are cooked. Remove cover and allow the dish to dry out, stirring frequently to stop it from burning. Put in the fried cottage cheese for the last 4 to 5 minutes of cooking, and then garnish heavily with the cilantro.  

Thai-Style Tuna Burgers

This is an interesting recipe I found in a Better Home and Garden. It’s been sitting in my file of recipes-to-try for a while and we finally tried it a couple of days ago.

Thai-Style Tuna Burgers

1/3 cup mayonnaise

2 tsp grated ginger

2 eggs, beaten

1 cup panko

1 tbsp fish sauce

1 tsp Asian chili sauce (Sriracha)

2 5oz cans wild albacore tuna (drain if in water or oil)

¼ cup celery, very thinly sliced

¼ cup chopped green onion

4 ciabatta buns, halved and toasted

1/3 cup micro greens

4 miniature sweet peppers, thinly sliced

Preheat the oven to 450F. In a small bowl combine the mayonnaise and ginger; transfer 2 tbsp to a large bowl. Cover remaining mayonnaise mixture and chill. To the same large bowl add eggs, panko, fish sauce, and Sriracha. Flake tuna and add to the bowl. Add celery and green onions and stir. Let stand for 10 minutes. With wet hands, shape tuna mixture into four ¾ inch thick patties.

Place tuna on a greased baking sheet. Bake 10 minutes or until done.

To serve, spread ciabatta halves with remaining mayonnaise mixture. Add tuna patty to the bottom half of each bun, bottom side up. Top with micro greens, thinly sliced peppers, and top buns. Serve with a salad and baked sweet potato fries.

Notes:

*I didn't have any micro greens, so I used baby spinach instead.

* I found the burgers rather bland and would recommend doubling the quantities of fish sauce and sriracha.

* I made the leftover tuna burgers on onion buns, after running out of ciabatta, and thought it tasted much better. 

Palak Paneer

Apparently, my husband is a big fan of Palak Paneer (Palak translates to spinach and Paneer, a form of cottage cheese), so when he saw it in Anupy Singla’s book The Indian Slow Cooker, he asked me to make it. The recipe is extremely easy, so go ahead and try it. It results in a nice spicy dish, so if you want a toned-down version, you should use half of my quantities of chili powder, chilies, and garam masala. Also, like Ms. Singla says in her book, you do need to cook it for about 2 hours after it’s been blended, so that the spices have a chance to finish cooking.  

Palak Paneer ingredients going into the slow cooker

Palak Paneer

2 lbs fresh spinach, washed and drained

2 onions, chopped into 10-14 pieces

2 tomatoes, chopped into 10-14 pieces

1 4” piece of ginger, chopped up

1 large pod garlic, cleaned

2-3 chilies, stems removed

1 tbsp ground cumin

1 tsp (heaped) chili powder

1 tsp garam masala

Salt to taste

12 oz paneer, cut into pieces

Put all the ingredients into the slow cooker except the paneer. Cook on high for 3 hours, stirring once or twice. Check that the onions are soft, if so, switch off and blend using an immersion blender or food processor, till the vegetables are smooth. Place back into the slow cooker and cook for 2 hours on low. Put in the paneer about 10 minutes before serving. Serve hot with chapatti.