Sri Lankan Black Chicken Curry with Roasted Spices

Recipes

Girl Cooks World

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April 11, 2019

Sri Lankan Black Chicken Curry with Roasted Spices

Is this chicken sounding and looking a little familiar to you? That’s because it’s an adaption of the black shrimp curry that I made just the other day. I had just a bit of chicken left that I needed to use up so I thought I’d test those same spices and general recipe, which worked so well with the shrimp, on some boneless chicken thighs.

And just like the shrimp, it was a hit. I hate to play favorites between the two, but if you put a gun to my head, I’d say the chicken was even better.

Sri Lankan Black Chicken Curry with Roasted Spices

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients:

* 3 Tablespoons vegetable oil
* 1/3 cup minced shallots
* 1 Serrano pepper, sliced into thin rounds
* 2 teaspoons ground coriander
* 1 teaspoon ground cumin
* 1/2 teaspoon fenugreek seeds
* 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
* 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
* pinch ground cloves
* 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
* 3 cloves garlic, minced
* 2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
* 1 pound boneless chicken, cut into small chunks (I used thighs)
* 1 stalk lemongrass, woody ends removed, and bruised
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1 teaspoon paprika
* 1 cup water
* 1 cup coconut milk
* cilantro leaves, for garnish (optional)

Directions:

Heat the oil in a large saucepan or large, wide frypan with a cover, over medium-high heat. Add the shallots and Serrano pepper and cook for one minute. Add the coriander, cumin, fenugreek, cinnamon, cayenne, clove, and cardamom and stir to mix well. Cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture turns a couple shades darker and becomes very fragrant.

Add the garlic and ginger, mix, and cook one more minute. Add the chicken, stir to coat in the spices, and stir fry for three to four minutes. Add the lemongrass, salt, paprika, and water, stir, and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, covered, for 15 minutes. Add the coconut milk and simmer, uncovered, on low heat until the sauce is hot and the chicken is cooked through.

Top with cilantro leaves, if desired.

Laban Al Loz- Fragrant Almond Milk with Orange Blossom Water

Drinks

Girl Cooks World

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April 11, 2019

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I generally pride myself on my ability to do menial and repetitive tasks but I will say that blanching almonds might just be my least favorite kitchen chore. But pre-blanched almonds are super expensive around here and I’m too frugal to pay triple just to save myself some time. Perhaps next time I also need to factor my sanity into the equation. But seriously, I need to look into ordering blanched almonds online before I get to the next country that uses a bunch of them.

If you’re lucky enough to have a hookup for inexpensive blanched almonds (Trader Joe’s?), this recipe will be a snap. The almonds are blended with water, quickly cooked with some sweetener, thinned out to your desired consistency and then flavored with orange blossom water. The result is a creamy, fragrant beverage that would make any meal extra special.

Special thanks go to my kitchen elf, who did a great job helping with the almonds.

Fragrant Almond Milk with Orange Blossom Water

Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients:

* 1 cup blanched almonds
* 6 cups water, divided
* 1/2 cup sugar
* 2 drops almond extract (optional)
* 1 teaspoon orange blossom water, or to taste

Directions:

Blend the almonds and two cups of the water in a blender and blend until very smooth. Pour into a medium saucepan and add the sugar. Bring the mixture to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for several minutes. Remove from heat.

Add the almond extract, if using, and the remaining 4 cups of water. Let cool to room temperature and strain through a fine sieve and add the orange blossom water. Chill, covered, in the refrigerator.

Note: you can skip the straining the mixture if you have a high-speed blender, like a Vitamix.

Sweet Potatoes with Almond Syrup

Girl Cooks World

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April 11, 2019

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Although South Korea has many great health foods, this deep fried dish sounded so interesting and looked too pretty to resist. Sweet potatoes are pre-baked, deep fried and then dipped in an almond syrup before getting a sprinkling of black sesame seeds. These are great if you have a major sweet tooth. I also made a french fry variation that got a very light drizzle of syrup and a fair amount of salt sprinkled on top. Sweet and savory, this preparation was by far my preference of the two.

I used the sweet potatoes that I found at the Asian market. It wasn’t until I peeled them that I realized they weren’t orange inside. Feel free to use your favorite sweet potato variety. A purple Okinawan sweet potato would also look pretty with this preparation.

This was my first time ever using black sesame seeds. A good friend told me his grandfather, at the advice of his Traditional Chinese Medicine doctor, used black sesame seeds to keep his hair from graying. I’m not quite at the stage of worrying about that just yet but I’ll be sure to file that piece of information away in the mental bank for the future…

Sweet Potatoes with Almond Syrup

Ingredients:

3 medium sized sweet potatoes, peeled
1/4 cup light brown sugar
1/4 cup water
2 almonds, crushed
vegetable oil for deep frying
approximately 1 Tablespoon black sesame seeds
salt to taste

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Cut the sweet potatoes into bitesize slices or strips shaped like french fries. Soak them in a large bowl full of water to remove some of the starch. Drain and place on a baking sheet.

Bake for 10-15 minutes, until the sweet potato has softened slightly but is not cooked through.

Combine the light brown sugar and water in a small saucepan and simmer over medium heat until a semi-thick syrup has formed. Remove from heat and add the crushed almonds.

Heat several inches of vegetable oil to 350 degrees in a small heavy bottomed saucepan and, in batches, fry sweet potatoes for several minutes until golden. Drain on a paper towel lined plate. Place on a serving plate, drizzle with the almond syrup and sprinkle with black sesame seeds and salt.

Note: If you’d like the super sweet variation, double the amount of syrup (use 1/2 cup each of brown sugar and water and use 4 crushed almonds). Dip each piece of sweet potato in the syrup before sprinkling with sesame seeds. Use little to no salt for this variation.

Soy Sesame Dipping Sauce

Girl Cooks World

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April 11, 2019

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Don’t worry, this isn’t today’s only post. But I’ll be referring to it in several upcoming recipes so I thought it’d be nice for it to have its own post so people wouldn’t have to scroll through a bunch of other stuff to find it.

Although really, this stuff is so rock star it sort of deserves to have its own day in the sun. I suppose it’ll have to do with just a couple of hours…

Soy Sesame Dipping Sauce

Ingredients:

1/4 cup gluten-free soy sauce (can substitute Bragg’s liquid aminos)
2 Tablespoons rice, rice wine or apple cider vinegar
1 Tablespoon honey
2 Tablespoons water
2 Tablespoons sesame oil
2 teaspoons Korean coarse red pepper flakes (can substitute regular red pepper flakes)
2 Tablespoons crushed, roasted sesame seeds (see note below)
1/4 cup chopped green onions

Directions:

In a bowl combine the soy sauce, vinegar, honey, water and sesame oil. Add the pepper flakes, sesame seeds, and green onions and mix to combine. Transfer any leftover sauce to an airtight container and store in the refrigerator.

Note: You can sometimes find roasted and crushed sesame seeds at an Asian store, but I just pan toasted some raw sesame seeds for a couple minutes, until they turned golden, and then pulsed them briefly in a coffee grinder (different ways to use a coffee grinder).

Pan Fried Curried Jerk Pork Chops with Mango Salsa

Recipes

Girl Cooks World

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April 11, 2019

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Considering my love of all things pork, it’s surprising that I don’t cook it more often. Baked breaded pork chops served with mashed potatoes and applesauce was a frequent meal when I was growing up. I think the applesauce, besides being a good flavor match for the pork, was sort of essential for moisture because the oven dried out those chops like nobody’s business. That’s no need to worry about dryness with this recipe- the quick pan fry keeps the chops nice and juicy. With Jamaican jerk spices and a little bit of curry powder (a nod to the Indian influence and population in Jamaica) the pork is great even as a standalone item, but a little mango salsa gives it some extra island flair.

Pan Fried Curried Jerk Pork Chops with Mango Salsa

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients:

Pork Chops:
* 4 cloves garlic, minced
* 2 teaspoons thyme
* 1 teaspoon brown sugar
* 1 teaspoon allspice
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
* 1/2 teaspoon cayenne
* 1 teaspoon curry powder
* 4 pork chops, approximately 3/4 inch thick
* Vegetable oil, for frying

Mango Salsa:
* 1 mango, peeled, seeded and chopped
* 1/2 cup finely chopped red onion
* 1 Tablespoon cilantro, chopped
* 1 jalapeno pepper, finely chopped
* 1 Tablespoon lime juice
* 1/8 teaspoon salt

Directions:

To make the pork chops combine the garlic, thyme, brown sugar, allspice salt, pepper, cayenne, and curry powder in a large bowl or plastic ziplock bag. Add pork chops and rub the seasoning in. Marinate in the fridge for 30 minutes to one hour. Heat about 1 tablespoon in a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add pork chops and sear, about 3 minutes. Flip and repeat on the other side. Remove from heat, and cover, allowing the residual heat to cook the chops through, about three to five minutes, depending on the thickness of the pork chops. Test the thickest chop to ensure that there’s no pink. Top with mango salsa.

To make the salsa, combine all ingredients in a bowl and chill for at least 15 minutes to allow the flavors to meld.

Khong Namool- Seasoned Soybean Sprouts

Recipes

Girl Cooks World

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April 11, 2019

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After several weeks of drinking copious amounts of booze and testing (and eating) a bunch of desserts, I’m doing my best to get South Korea off on a healthy start. I chose these beansprouts as the opening recipe for several reasons. First, because just about everybody can enjoy them since they’re gluten-free, vegetarian, vegan, etc. Second, because some of my later recipes will use these as a topping. Third, and most importantly, because they’re pretty awesome.

I’m not the kind of girl who would normally get excited over something like bean sprouts (usually it’s chocolate, cheese, etc.) but I can definitely see myself adding these to a frequent rotation around here. They’re crunchy, spicy, fresh and complex. Most importantly, they’re easy to prepare and quick to come together. Next time I’m definitely making a double batch.

Seasoned Bean Sprouts

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients:

* 1 pound soybean sprouts
* 2 cups water
* 2 green onions, thinly sliced
* 3 garlic cloves, minced
* 1 Tablespoon toasted sesame seeds, crushed
* 1 Tablespoon sesame oil
* 1-1/2 teaspoons salt
* 2 teaspoons Korean chili powder
* black pepper
* 1 teaspoon Korean red pepper threads, for garnish

Directions:

Wash the bean sprouts in cold water. Place them in a saucepan and add two cups of water. Cover and bring to a boil. Boil the sprouts for 7-8 minutes and do not lift the lid during this time. Remove from heat and rinse the sprouts under cold water and drain.

Add the green onions, garlic, toasted sesame seeds, sesame oil, salt, chili powder and stir to mix. Grind a little black pepper over the top and add the red pepper threads to garnish.

Note #1: For toasted, crushed sesame seeds, toast whole sesame seeds in a skillet over medium heat until the begin to turn golden. Let cool slightly. Place in a coffee grinder or a food processor and pulse several times.

Note #2: Both the Korean chili powder and the red chili pepper threads can be purchased at an Asian or Korean grocery.

Fiery Roasted Jerk Potatoes

Girl Cooks World

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April 11, 2019

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The heat from the potatoes sneaks up on you. During the first couple bites you only notice the depth of flavor. Then, after pausing to take a break, your mouth is on fire. You take a sip of a drink to cool down. Then you crave more. The cycle then repeats itself over and over again.

These are a great break from your standard roasted potatoes. They’re loaded with colorful onions and peppers and coated with a unique spice blend.

A good friend of mine would probably be embarrassed if he knew that I’m telling you he used the words of John Mellencamp to describe the heat of these potatoes: “it hurts so good.” And so said friend shall remain nameless.

But really, you might want to pair these with a mellower main dish or, if you’re really heat intolerant, de-seed the Serrano or cut back on the cayenne.

Fiery Roasted Jerk Potatoes

Ingredients:

6-7 medium russet potatoes, scrubbed and cut into a 3/4″ dice
1/2 medium red onion, chopped
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
1 cup finely chopped sweet bell peppers
5 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 Serrano pepper, finely chopped (remove seeds if you’d like to lower the heat)
3 Tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 Tablespoon Sriracha
d1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper

Directions:

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and toss well to coat. Spread evenly on a lightly greased half sheet pan. Roast for 40-50 minutes, turning the potatoes once 20 minutes in, until the potatoes are browned and crisp. For extra crispy potatoes, broil for a couple minutes at the end of the baking time, keeping a watchful eye on the oven to prevent burning.

Kubecake- Chewy Coconut Ginger Rum Candy

Recipes

Girl Cooks World

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April 11, 2019

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I guess I’m getting old because I can no longer eat excessive amounts of sugary or rich desserts. This candy is sweet (it IS candy, after all), but nicely balanced with the spicy ginger, rum, and a generous amount of toasted, unsweetened coconut.

Kubecake, sometimes written as kube cake, is apparently a popular street food in Ghana. It reminded me of a spicier, chewier and more grown-up version of a Brazilian coconut brigadeiro. It should go over really well with both coconut and ginger fans…

Kubecake- Chewy Coconut Ginger Rum Candy

Yield: Approximately 2 dozen candies

Ingredients:

* 1-1/4 cup unsweetened, grated dried coconut
* 2 TB dark rum
* 2 TB melted butter
* 3-4-inch piece of ginger, finely grated
* 1-1/2 cups sugar
* 1/2 cup water

Directions:

Toast coconut in a heavy-bottomed skillet over medium heat, stirring constantly until the coconut begins to turn golden.

Mix 3/4 cup of the toasted coconut in a bowl with the rum, butter, and ginger. Place inside a warm, preheated oven.

Combine the sugar and water in a heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly until the sugar dissolves and the mixture starts bubbling. Stop stirring and continue to simmer until the mixture turns a light golden brown, swirling the pan if the edges begin to brown faster than the rest of the mixture.

Pour onto coconut mixture and stir vigorously until well blended. Let cool 30 minutes and, using wet hands, form into small balls. Roll the balls in remaining toasted coconut and refrigerate 1-2 hours until chilled.

Note: I ended up using a mixture of both toasted and un-toasted coconut to roll the candies in. If you’d like to do the same, toast only 1 cup of coconut and then later add 1/4 cup of un-toasted coconut to the 1/4 cup of reserved, toasted coconut.

Brown Sandwich Bread with Teff, Gluten-Free

Recipes

Girl Cooks World

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April 11, 2019

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Brown Sandwich Bread with Teff, Gluten-Free

This isn’t really an Irish recipe but last week I did promise you guys a gluten-free brown bread recipe that’s great for sandwiches, so this is what I’d consider a weekend bonus recipe.

I’ve been making gluten-free bread for several years now and this is the first one that really has that same sort of spring and texture as a regular glutinous loaf. I think you guys will really like it…

Gluten-Free Brown Sandwich Bread with Teff

Ingredients:

* 1-1/2 cups brown rice flour
* 1/2 cup sorghum flour
* 1/2 cup cornstarch
* 1/2 cup teff flour
* 2-1/2 teaspoons xanthan gum
* 2-1/2 teaspoons yeast
* 1-1/4 teaspoons salt
* 1 cup warm water
* 1 teaspoon cider vinegar
* 2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
* 2 Tablespoons honey
* 2 Tablespoons brown sugar
* 3 eggs

Directions:

Grease a 9″ x 5″ loaf pan. In a large bowl combine the brown rice flour, sorghum flour, cornstarch, teff flour, xanthan gum, yeast and salt. Mix well.

In a separate large bowl (or in the bowl of your stand mixer) combine the water, cider vinegar, oil, honey, brown sugar and eggs and, using the lowest speed of your mixer, mix until combined.

Add the dry ingredients and mix on medium speed for two minutes.

Spoon into the prepared loaf pan and, using a wet rubber spatula, spread the mixture evenly in the pan. Let rise for an hour in a warm location.

While the bread is rising, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Bake for approximately 40 minutes.