Hi friends, I moved. Well, I virtually moved. And I updated with an old recipe (but with more pictures!).
I don't blame you for finding all this anticlimactic. So what if I switched to blogspot and put a few pink birds in the background. I don't even have a new recipe to offer. My apologies, but I am working on it. I have my excuses though:
- My beautiful miniature dachshund just turned 1, and has decided to celebrate this milestone by wrecking my home with her vicious sharp teeth.
- My wonderful boyfriend and I have made concrete plans for our future, and we're doing all we can to achieve our goals in a timely, yet stressful manner.
- I've been contemplating on changing careers. And when I say that, I mean actually starting a career.
- I am a 24-year-old woman on a constant hormonal roller coaster.
These reasons ought to suffice. But put it simply, I've just been too tired, stressed out, and well, lazy to update regularly. But things shall change.
I also wanted to start over with a new writing style, a more genuine style, a more me style. My last blog was so impersonal and well, forgettable. This is my chance to remedy that. The focus of this blog is still about me cooking, but I hope my personal touches will liven it up. I also promise cute pictures of my puppy on a regular basis, like so.
Now let's get to the food!
Ginger-braised chicken immediately reminds me of home, my mom's home, my mom's home in Arlington, or in other words, dysfunction junction in a can. Moving on...
For years, I put off making this dish because I was convinced it would never add up to my mother's, but I was wrong. When I finally mustered up the courage to spend the $6 to buy the ingredients and to spare the hour and a half to whip it up, I was in heaven. The chicken was juicy, tender, and full of flavor. I served it over jasmine rice and thick-cut slices of cucumbers, that's it. That's all it needed. I often find myself craving this simple peasant dish, and it's always satisfying to polish off a heaping bowl of it.
This is a very easy recipe, the hardest part is not burning the caramel sauce. It takes abouts 4 minutes for the sauce to turn golden, and if it burns, it'll end up being a bitter, gross mess. So don't burn it.
Ingredients for 2, plus leftovers for 1:
In a small pot, add the sugar and 1/2 cup of water. Turn on the heat to medium-high and allow to caramelize. Now this could turn bad, fast. It takes a few minutes for the sauce to reduce, but once it thickens, it can burn, burn fast. Don't leave this step unattended.
Once the caramel sauce turns golden, reduce the heat to medium-low and add the chicken pieces, coating each piece in the sauce. Then add the remaining ingredients. Cover and allow to simmer for 30 minutes.
Check for seasoning. I usually add another splash or two of fish sauce and a few shakes of salt. Cover and allow to simmer for another 30 minutes.
While the chicken simmers, cook the rice according to the directions, cut up cucumber slices, and/or boil eggs to add the pot.
Serve the chicken over rice and cucumber slices, with a ladle of broth drizzled on top.
Ginger-braised chicken immediately reminds me of home, my mom's home, my mom's home in Arlington, or in other words, dysfunction junction in a can. Moving on...
For years, I put off making this dish because I was convinced it would never add up to my mother's, but I was wrong. When I finally mustered up the courage to spend the $6 to buy the ingredients and to spare the hour and a half to whip it up, I was in heaven. The chicken was juicy, tender, and full of flavor. I served it over jasmine rice and thick-cut slices of cucumbers, that's it. That's all it needed. I often find myself craving this simple peasant dish, and it's always satisfying to polish off a heaping bowl of it.
This is a very easy recipe, the hardest part is not burning the caramel sauce. It takes abouts 4 minutes for the sauce to turn golden, and if it burns, it'll end up being a bitter, gross mess. So don't burn it.
Ingredients for 2, plus leftovers for 1:
- 4 tablespoons sugar
- 1/2 cup water, plus another 1 1/2 cup
- 4 chicken thighs, cut into 1 1/2-inch chunks
- 4 inch knob of ginger, julienned
- 1/2 white onion, chopped
- 4 tablespoons fish sauce
- Salt and pepper
- 1 cup jasmine rice
- 1 cucumber, peeled and sliced
- Whole boiled eggs, peeled
In a small pot, add the sugar and 1/2 cup of water. Turn on the heat to medium-high and allow to caramelize. Now this could turn bad, fast. It takes a few minutes for the sauce to reduce, but once it thickens, it can burn, burn fast. Don't leave this step unattended.
Not even close
About a minute away
Perfect
Check for seasoning. I usually add another splash or two of fish sauce and a few shakes of salt. Cover and allow to simmer for another 30 minutes.
Just 30 more minutes
While the chicken simmers, cook the rice according to the directions, cut up cucumber slices, and/or boil eggs to add the pot.
Serve the chicken over rice and cucumber slices, with a ladle of broth drizzled on top.
Enjoy
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