Monday, April 20, 2009

Name That Chicken Poll

I couldn't decide on a name for the Thai cornish hen recipe that I came up with tonight so I need some help. Can you tell I like punny recipe names? Vote for your favorite over there >>>>>> in my sidebar or feel free to write in your own idea in the comments section.

The options so far are:
  1. A Little Bird Flew (special rub - H5N1)
  2. Little Bang! Cock (Bangkok)
  3. Phuket Chicken (Southern Thai province)
  4. I wrote a better one in your comments.
The menu tonight was
Yet to be named cornish hens
Stir Fried Broccoli
Thai Noodles with Peanut Sauce
Excuse the crappy pictures...waiting on my real camera to come back in the mail. Ive quit even bothering with lighting or presentation for now.
'

Thai Cornish Hens (to be named later)

Ingredients
2 cornish hens, thawed and halved
1/2 c soy sauce
1/4 c brown sugar
1 1/2 t peanut oil
1/2 t sesame oil
2 t thai fish sauce
2 t oyster sauce
1 t ginger, fresh ground
1/4 t black pepper, fresh ground
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 t red pepper flakes
1/2 t basil (dried only because our fresh basil is too young to start plucking yet. I would use 1 T of fresh)
1 T cilantro, chopped

Instructions
Mix all ingredients except the hens. Marinade the hens in the mix for 2 hours.

Put the halved hens on a raised rack into a 350 degree oven. Reserve the marinade. The raised rack lets the hot air circulate around the hens instead of just across the top. I swear this makes a difference compared to just slopping them into a casserole dish.
Boil the reserved marinade for 60 seconds. Baste the chicken every 15 minutes with the marinade. Pull and rest after about 1 hour, when a thermometer stuck into the thigh reads 170f. Using a remote probe thermometer is great so you don't have to keep opening the oven door.

Stir Fried Broccoli with Oyster Sauce
(Joy of Cooking 1997 version pg 352)
Ingredients
1 head Broccoli chopped into 1" pieces
1 tablespoon Peanut oil
3 cloves Garlic finely minced
1 tablespoon Ginger finely minced
1/4 teaspoon Red pepper flakes
1/3 cup Chicken stock
1/4 cup Oyster sauce
3 drops Sesame Oil

Instructions
Heat oil in wok. Stir fry garlic, ginger, and pepper for just a few seconds. Don't let the garlic brown. Add in broccoli (wet from rinsing) and stir fry for two minutes.

Add chicken broth, cover tightly, and steam for four minutes.

Add oyster sauce and stir fry for 3-5 more minutes.
(This is our family's favorite broccoli dish. It works great adding in thin sliced beef for beef & broccoli.)

Thai Noodles With Peanut Sauce
Ingredients
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 1/2 teaspoons ginger
3 teaspoons soy sauce
3 teaspoons peanut butter
1 1/2 teaspoons honey
1 teaspoon Red pepper flakes
3 garlic
8 ounces spaghetti
1/4 cup green onion
1/4 cup peanuts


Instructions
Combine broth, ginger, soy sauce, peanut butter, honey, red pepper, and garlic in a small sauce pan. Cook over medium heat until peanut better melts and is heated through to a smooth consistency. Add to noodles to coat. Garnish with green onions and peanuts. (My notes: I don't know where I found this recipe. Based on it's Americanized version of a foreign dish, my guess it was from some cooking magazine. This is a decent base side dish and is actually surprisingly flavorful & spicy. But it needs some color, like some cilantro and red bell pepper. It's just visually dull.)