Fried Chicken with Cashew Nuts from China Towns

Now this may not be the prettiest photograph I've ever taken, but it is one of the best Chinese dishes I've ever cooked.  I made this while I was having my kitchen floor replaced, the final part of the work we have had to do as a result of dry rot at the front of our home.  So there I was cooking on a single electric ring in my back kitchen (utility room), with the joiner working away in the kitchen sawing and hammering.  It's perfectly  possible to cook good food in this limited space but not all that great for food styling and photography!

In Western countries, the Chinese food eaten in restaurants is often a far cry from the dishes prepared and served by the Chinese themselves. This is because the Asian communities that have settled in so-called ‘China Towns’ around the world, in cities such as New York, San Francisco, London and Paris, have mastered the art of adapting their cuisine to suit local tastes. Added to which, this cuisine is often influenced by other Asian dishes, so much so that food served in one city’s China Town may be heavily influenced by other Asian dishes, so much so that food served in one city's China Town may be heavily influenced by Vietnamese dishes whereas in another it may resemble closely Thai cuisine.


In this visually stunning cookbook, author Jean-François Mallet goes behind the scenes in Chinese communities around the world in order to understand how and why the food changes so much depending on location. As well as intimate portraits of these fascinating communities, this stunning book contains, 100 delicious recipes capturing the essence of China Towns from across the world and their various geographical influences.

About the Chef: A trained professional chef as well as a talented photographer, JEAN-FRANÇOIS MALLET naturally transitioned from cooking to pursue his passion for images. He has worked for some of the biggest names in French Cuisine, such as Jöel Robuchon, Michel

The Introduction
This is a fascinating read, where you learn about the different culinary families of China and the influence of Asian immigration on what we know as 'chinese' cuisine.

The Contents
This is a very large book containing information, photographs and recipes for Starters; Chinese Dumplings; Soups and Broths; Chicken and Quail; Beef; Pork; Duck; Fish and Seafood; Weird and Wonderful; Vegetable, Rice and Side Dishes; Noodles; Tea, Drinks and Desserts.

The recipes reads like the menu of a very eclectic Chinese restaurant, here is what I would choose... well I might not manage all of these dishes, but they were too good to leave off the menu!

Who is it for?
It is certainly not for the faint hearted as it contains recipes for chicken feet and there are not very many vegetarian recipes.  It's also not for purists who are looking for original recipes from the country, these are unashamedly adaptations of the originals to suit the ingredients and tastes of the people around the world.  So if you would like to cook a dish that would be served in China Towns across the world, then it's for you.

Pros
The stories and information preceding the recipes are as interesting as the recipes themselves.  There are lots of interesting photographs of the China Towns as well as of the recipes.  I found the recipes well written, many are quite short and don't require unusual ingredients.  I loved 'How to eat with chopsticks and what you should never do with chopsticks'.

Cons
This is one big book, it doesn't sit open very well for cooking, I had to weigh it down to keep it open. Although there are lots of photographs, the photos for the finished dish are not always beside the recipe, which I prefer.

The Verdict
I was certainly impressed with the recipe I cooked, but I felt you could have condensed the content into a slimmer volume which was less expensive and easier to use in the kitchen. I am quite keen to try some of the other recipes after the success of the Fried Chicken with Cashew Nuts, so overall a bit of a mixed verdict.

Fried Chicken with Cashew Nuts
Serves 4
Preparation: 25 min
Marinating time 2hrs
Cooking time 20 min

2 garlic cloves
1 onion
4 chicken breasts
2 tsp cornflour (cornstarch)
6 tbsp soy sauce
1 bunch Thai basil
2 tbsp groundnut (peanut) oil
150g (5 1/2 oz or 1 cup) cashew nuts

Peel and chop the garlic and onion, then cut the chicken into small pieces.  In a bowl, mix the chicken, garlic, onion, cornflour (cornstarch) and soy sauce together, then leave to marinate at room temperature for 2 hours.


Strip, rinse and dry the basil.  About 20 minutes before serving, heat the oil in a large wok over a high heat.  Add the cashews and stir-fry for a few minutes then add the chicken and marinade and cook for 10 minutes. Once the chicken is cooked, add the basil leaves, stir and turn off the heat.  Serve immediately with fragrant rice.


Such a simple recipe, but the flavour was really close to what you would eat at in a Chinese restaurant and the chicken is super tender and tasty.


China Towns Asian Cooking from Around the World in 100 Recipes by Jean-François Mallet  Hardback RRP £30.00
Published by Jacqui Small Publishing

Labels: book review, cashew nuts, Chicken, China Towns, chinese, cook book, fried, Jacqui Small, soy sauce

posted by Janice @ 20:44 21 Comments

Cookie Dough Truffles

As a child I was never that fussed about scraping out the bowl unless it was butter icing!  However,  Quirk Publishing offered me the chance to review a neat little book 'The Cookie Dough Lovers Cook Book' by Lindsay Landis. It's available at the ubiquitous online book shop ;-)


This is not cookie dough as we know it, for making cookies,  it's specially formulated cookie dough that tastes divine eaten raw, and so it should as it is packed with butter and sugar!  The basic chocolate chip cookie dough is eggless and really simple to make.  It's the basis for most of the recipes with variations including peanut butter, vegan/dairy free, gluten free and lots of different combinations of spices, sugars, nuts and chocolate chips.

Eggless Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough

Makes 1 1/2 cups
Total Time: 15 minutes

1/2 cup (100g) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/4 cup (50g) granulated suagr
1/2 cup (100g) light brown sugar, packed
2 tbsp milk or cream
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups (150g) plain flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup (100g) mini dark chocolate chips

In a large bowl, beat butter and sugars with an electric mixer on medium speed until  light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes.  Mix in milk and vanilla. Stir in flour and salt and mix on low speed (or by hand) until incorporated. Stir in chocolate chips.

Dough can be enjoyed immediately or store, covered or in an airtight container in the refrigerator, for up to 3 days.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Truffles

Form the dough into small balls and arrange on a baking sheet lined with baking parchment.  Place in the freezer for about 15 minutes.

Melt 200g dark chocolate in a double boiler or a bowl over a pan of water.  Using two forks dip the cookie dough balls in the melted chocolate and replace on the baking parchment.

Decorate with sprinkles or dust with edible glitter.  Or you could wait until the chocolate is set and pipe over some white chocolate.

I made some with milk chocolate as well, not to my own taste but to avoid me and hubby pigging out on these truffles,  we both took them into work and some of our colleagues prefer milk chocolate.  They were a huge hit, with comments such as "Do they have alcohol in them?" which must have been the vanilla and "Delicious, would be great at Christmas".

Chapters

Candy - including the truffles featured above.

Cookies and Brownies

These are Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Brownies, this photo also shows the really useful design of the book.  It is ring bound and, when folded out,  the pages are narrower than the cover so there is a Cookie Dough Lover's Cheat Sheet visible on the left of the recipes.

Cakes, Custards and Pies
 Just look at those fabulous Cookie Dough Stuffed Dark Chocolate Cupcakes!  This chapter also features the Cookie Dough Mosaic Cheesecake:


Frozen Treats is full of icecreams and ice lollies

 There are two more chapters:  Indulgent Breakfasts and Fun Snacks and Party Fare

All of these recipes include basic cookie dough and having been a little unsure of whether I was going to like cookie dough, I have to say I'm a convert and can't wait for an opporunity to try another one of the recipes.  The icecream is calling to me!

Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post. I was not required to write a positive review and any opinion expressed is my own. 

Labels: baking, brownies, chocolate, chocolate chips, cook book, Cookie, Cookie Dough, cupcakes, ice cream

posted by Janice @ 19:54 8 Comments

Fat! - A cook book review

It's not the most appealing of book titles and those chops featured on the front don't really do justice to the variety of recipes in the book, which is actually really very good.




The chapters are divided into different types of fat:

Butter: worth it

Butter recipes include: Butter Chicken, Salted Caramel Sauce and Pepper and Orange Pound Cake which is definitely on my 'to make' list.  However, I had some sage leaves left over from making the Turkey Saltimboca so tried this recipe:



Spaghetti with Butter and Sage (serves 2)


Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
200g spaghetti (or tagliatelle)
115g unsalted butter
20 - 30 sage leaves

 Bring a large saucepan of salted water to a boil over high heat.  Add the spaghetti (I didn't have any so used tagliatelle), stir, and return to a boil.  Adjust the heat so the water boils gently and cook until the spaghetti is al dente, 10-12 minutes.  Drain well.

While the spaghetti is cooking, cut the butter into pieces and place them in a large frying pan over medium-low heat.  When the butter is melted, add the sage leaves and cook, turning once, until the leaves are crisp and the butter begins to brown, about 7 minutes.
 
Add the cooked drained spaghetti to the frying pan and toss to coat with the sage butter sauce.
Season well with salt and pepper and serve immediately.  For such a simple dish, this was absolutely delicious and made a quick and easy supper for me after my yoga class this week.

Pork Fat - The King!

Recipes include: Country style Terrine, Dandelion Salad with Hot Bacon Dressing, Bacon Fat Spice Cookies

Poultry Fat: Versatile and Good for You

 Simple Roast Chicken
One 1.4Kg free-range chicken
A large handful of mixed fresh herbs such as parsley, chives, tarragon and marjoram
1 large clove of garlic
100g unsalted butter, softened
Coarse sea salt and freshly ground black pepper


Transfer the chicken to a chopping board and cut into serving pieces.  Add any juices from the chicken to the pan and place the pan over medium heat. Bring to a boil, deglaze the pan, using a wooden spoon to scrape up the browned bits from the bottom, then strain through a fine-mesh sieve and serve the pan sauce with the chicken.

I pushed some of the herb butter up under the skin of the chicken as well as over the skin.  It certainly kept the chicken moist and the sauce was really flavoursome.


More Poultry Fat recipes:  Red Cabbage with Goose Fat, Cassoulet, Vegetable Cake

Beef and Lamb Fats: Overlooked but tasty

Recipes include: Roast Beef with All the Trimmings, Suet Pastry, Bone Marrow in Red Wine Butter Sauce, Cape Malay Lamb Shoulder.


I would certainly recommend this book, there are loads of interesting facts about the different types of fat as well as a range of recipes for all tastes.

The paperback edition of 'Fat' by Jennifer McLagan is published on 18th May 2012 at £16.99

Disclosure Statement: I received a copy of 'Fat' by Jennifer McLagan for review. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. The prices are correct at time of posting.

Labels: Chicken, cook book, fat, garlic, herbs, Jennifer McLagan, review, sage, tagliatelle

posted by Janice @ 12:45 8 Comments