Tamarind Chicken

In Asia, the Tamarind tree is not just beautiful, but it is popular for its unique and tasty fruit. However, its sweet-sour fruit is not the only thing that matters. The flowers, seeds, bark, and leaves are beneficial for cooking and for medical purposes as well at least for Eastern medicine. The fruit has an exotic flavor that is different from other Asian fruits. These are long, brown-shell pods containing seeds enveloped with a fleshy, juicy, and sticky pulp. The mature fruit can be made into desserts, such as tamarind candy or jelly. The sweet dried pod can be eaten as a snack.  The pod also can be made into a paste to use for cooking as a spice. Today’s recipe is easy to make with tamarind paste. I like the sweet and sour of this dish. The health benefits of consuming tamarind are a long list that promotes digestion, a boost to the immune system, keeping a healthy heart, and supporting blood circulation, etc.… The tamarind chicken is a tasty and healthy dish.

 

Ingredients:

2 lbs. of chicken breasts or thighs 

1/4 cup tamarind paste

3 garlic cloves, chopped

1 piece of fresh ginger, chopped (about 1 tbs)

1/2 white onion, chopped

1/2 cup water

1 tbs sugar

2 tbs oyster sauce

2 tbs soy sauce

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

1 tbs cooking wine

1 tbs Korean sweet chili sauce

Other ingredients:

2 tbs peanut oil

2 green onions, sliced and chopped cilantro

Directions:

Cut the chicken into bite size pieces.

In a bowl, add all the rest of the ingredients and mix well.

Pour the marinade over the chicken pieces and marinate for 1 or 2 hours.

Drain the marinade and keep for later use.

In a medium pan or wok, add oil until almost smoking.

Add chicken and cook until the chicken turns golden brown. Remove and set aside.

Add the reserved marinade to the wok and bring to boil. Cook the marinade, adjust the seasoning to your liking. Add the now cooked chicken back into the sauce and cook until the sauce has thickened.

Sprinkle the chopped green onions and cilantro on top and serve with cooked brown rice.

Tamarind ingredients:

 1 package tamarind without seeds

2 cups or more of hot water

 1-Separate the dried tamarind into small chunks and place in a medium bowl.

If using whole tamarind, peel off the tamarind skin and use the meat of tamarind paste.

 2-Pour boiling water over the tamarind until it is completely submerged.

Cover with cling film and leave for 30 to 45 minutes. Occasionally, stir the tamarind with a fork. Then, after the water cools, use your fingers to rub hard to separate the tamarind from the seeds until you can work find any tamarind without seeds. The tamarind juice mixture will become thick and mushy.

 3-Place a fine mesh sieve over a medium bowl. Then pour the tamarind juice mixture on top and remove all the fiber and seeds. Use a tablespoon to press firmly to squeeze out as much juice as possible. Grate tamarind from the bottom of the sieve into the bowl.

 The final mixture should be thick, almost like ketchup. Transfer the tamarind to a clean jar or container. The tamarind can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 2 months.

 

Most Asian grocery stores now now so ready-made tamarind paste or juice. 

Greek Yogurt Cake

This recipe is one of the small batches of cakes and cookies that I have posted before. I like this recipe because sometimes I have non-fat Greek yogurt that has almost reached the expiration date. I use Greek yogurt for this recipe. You can use melted butter or coconut oil for this recipe. If using coconut oil, add coconut flakes on top before baking. This easy recipe is great to impress your guests.

 

Ingredients:

1 ½ cups self-rising flour

1/2 cup non-fat Greek yogurt

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1/2 cup sugar

Zest of one lemon

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 eggs

One 8” x 5” loaf pan

Parchment paper cut to fit the cake pan

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°

Use some oil to grease the cake pan, then line with parchment paper. This method makes it easier to line the cake pan. It does not affect the taste of the cake.

Combine all the ingredients except the flour and the baking soda in a medium size bowl. 

Using a handheld mixer to beat the ingredients until well combined.

Add the flour and baking soda and mix until there are no traces of flour.

Pour the batter into the cake pan and bake for 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.

Tip: keep the eggs and the yogurt at room temperature. You can use melted butter if butter is the flavor that you want.

Sweet Black Sesame Seeds Soup

In the Asian world, black sesame seeds are considered the healthy seeds that the ancient Chinese have a recipe for it called "Chi ma Fu". The Vietnamese called it "Che me den”.  Black sesame seeds are rich in healthy Omega 3 fatty acids that can lubricate the intestinal walls and help with constipation. The seeds are also rich in fiber that can improve bowel movements. Thus, having black sesame seeds will protect the digestive system from various issues. Sesame seeds are a good source of healthy fats, protein, B vitamins, minerals, fiber, antioxidants, and other beneficial plant compounds. Regularly eating substantial portions of these seeds — not just an occasional sprinkling on bread dough, cookies, or cakes — may aid blood sugar control, combat arthritic pain, and lower cholesterol. However, if only making black sesame seeds desserts, one should consider lowering the quantity of sugar used or add more honey to the soup. Making black sesame seeds soup will add to your dessert options yet another delicious and nutritious dish. This soup has a sweet, fatty, and smooth taste that gives people a pleasant feeling. In Vietnam, coconut cream can be added to the soup, but not to the original recipe of Chi ma Fu from China.

Ingredients:

1 cup roasted black sesame seeds

1/4 cup sweet rice (soaked for a few hours or overnight)

1 cup sugar

2 pieces of pandan leaves

6 cups of water

Directions:

Drain the sweet rice.

Place the roasted sesame seeds and soaked sweet rice in a blender.

Add 2 cups of water and blend until smooth. You can check for proper smoothness by rubbing your finger in the sesame seeds, now a liquid.  If it does not have any lumps, it is ready.

In  a pot, add the rest of the water, sugar, and pandan leaves. Bring to boil.

Add the sesame seeds and sweet rice mixture into the boiling sugar water. Bring back to boil and simmer for 15 minutes. You can adjust the thickness to your liking by reducing or adding the amount of water.

If using coconut cream, then reduce the water as well.

If pandan leaves are hard to find, then use vanilla sugar instead.

This dessert should be served warm.

Nacho Cheese Sauce

Cheese sauce is so easy to make and much better than the store-bought sauce, which is the combination of sharp cheddar cheese and pepper jack cheese. Cayenne or hot sauce can be added for your taste. I use Mexican cheese for this sauce because I have this cheese in my kitchen. This forgiving recipe uses whatever cheese that suits your taste. 

Ingredients:

2 tbs butter

2 tbs flour

1 cup Mexican cheese

1 cup milk

Spices:

Cayenne. chili flakes, jalapeno, and garlic powder

Directions:

Melt butter in a sauce pan.

Stir in flour and cook until the flour turns brown.

Add in the spices and milk.

Bring to simmer and add cheese. Lower the heat and cook until cheese has melted.

It is finished. It is time to serve with nachos.

One Pan Vegan Paella

Paella is a rice dish from Spain. The word Paella means "frying pan", and it uses the shallow pan to make this dish. If not a vegan dish, it comes with meats or seafood. The saffron gives this dish a distinctive flavor and orange color. My paella is based on the method of making Paella from Spain, but it is a simpler way to make it. As for vegans, grill tofu in this dish to add protein. I also use leftover rice to develop a crispy crust called Socarrat.  It is much easier to use the cooked rice instead of the short grain rice that is typical to make Paella in Spain. My recipe is not traditional Paella, but the taste is wonderful and the time needed to create this dish is minimal compared to the right way to make Paella. Shrimp or fish are two protein sources to add to this dish if you are not a vegan.

Ingredients:

2 cups cooked rice

8 oz. of tofu, grilled and cut into bite-size pieces

1 cup diced onions

1/2 cup diced red bell pepper

1/2 cup green peas

1/2 cup zucchini, diced

1 fresh tomato, remove the seeds and dice (1 cup)

3 garlic cloves, minced

2 tbs olive oil

Spices: smoked paprika, salt, one package of sazon goya, and lemon juice (1 tbs)

Directions:

Drain tofu and slice into 1/2 inch thick pieces and then sprinkle with 1/4 tsp each of salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder to flavor the tofu.

Add one tablespoon of oil on a grill pan and grill the tofu on both sides until golden brown. Let cool off and cut into cubes.

Use the same pan and add a little oil. Place all the vegetables into the pan and pan fry them for few minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

In a large shallow skillet, heat 1 tbs oil over medium heat.

Add diced onions and minced garlic. Cook until fragrant.

Stir in rice and press down to cover the bottom of the skillet. Do not stir for 2 minutes until the rice starts to sizzle and stick to the bottom.

Add grilled tofu and vegetables into the rice. Stir and mix. Adjust the seasoning to your liking.

Paella is now ready to serve.

Tip: I use one package of Sazon Goya to give this dish an orange color. The skillet photo is the paella pan. 

 

Basic Soy Dipping Sauce

On the list of vegetarian dishes, it is indispensable to have a very familiar dipping sauce which is soy sauce. Everyone thinks it's just a cup of soy sauce, a little chili, garlic, lemon and sugar, but in this ready-made soy sauce recipe, it will save lots of time for each meal. This basic soy sauce can be used for many other dishes, such as the Korean dish called Mayak; it is eggs soaked in the soy sauce. This dish is very popular in Korea. It doesn't take much time to make this soy sauce to prepare each meal. In Vietnam, the green papaya can be soaked in this basic dipping sauce to make a wonderful side dish for the Vietnamese Banh tet or banh chung.  For vegetarians, this dish is full of nutrition, so I think this is an indispensable dish in a vegetarian cuisine.

Ingredients:

1 cup soy sauce

1 cup water

1/2 cup vinegar

1/2 cup sugar

Directions:

Combine all the ingredients in a sauce pan and bring to boil. Simmer for 5 minutes or until the sugar dissolves. Let it cool. Pour the soy dipping sauce in a jar with lid.

To make Korean Mayak 

5 eggs

1 shallots, sliced

2 green onions. Sliced

1 tbs roasted sesame seeds

3 garlic cloves, minced

2 fresh red chilis, sliced

2 tbs sake

1 cup ready-made soy dipping sauce

Directions:

In a pot, put 2 cups water and add 1/4 cup vinegar, 1 tbs salt and 1 tsp baking soda. Bring to boil. Carefully add eggs into the boiling water and turn to medium heat. Use a spatula to turn the egg around in the pot. This technique will make the yolk remain in the center of the egg.  Let the egg cook for 7 minutes.  Remove and let egg soak in cold water for 15 minutes. Remove the egg shells.

In a container with lid, combine the rest of the  ingredients and submerge the eggs into the soy dipping sauce. The eggs have to be completely covered by the soy dipping sauce. Refrigerate overnight to get the best results for this dish.

To make the Green papaya:

1 green papaya (about 1/2 to 1 lb., peeled and sliced)

Minced garlic, sliced red chilli, and chili flakes

Soak the green papaya in a bowl of water with 1/4 cup of salt for 1 hour. Wash the soaked papaya and squeeze out the water.  Place the green papaya in a jar with lid with the chilli, garlic and chili flakes and pour enough basic soy dipping sauce to cover the papaya. Close the lid. It will ready in one day and the flavor will improve each day.

Chicken Stir-Fried Vegetables

Chicken stir-fried vegetables is a delicious dish in many ways. This dish is also a very forgiving dish. It means that the vegetables can be a combination of whatever vegetables that suits your taste. The choice of stir-fried sauce can be easy to prepare by simply using a broth, fish sauce, soy sauce, and sugar. For a taste of Chinese stir-fried sauce, oyster sauce and sesame oil can be added. The spicy ingredients are always the onions, garlic, and ginger. I like to prepare this dish because it is quickly made and can be served with steamed rice, noodles, or by itself. For this recipe, I use frozen vegetables that sold at Costco or Sam’s Club. 

Ingredients:

300 grams of chicken meat (breast or thighs), sliced

Marinade ingredients:

1 tsp soy sauce

1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp cooking wine

1 tsp cornstarch

1 tsp oil

Vegetables:

3 cups frozen stir-fried vegetables

Stir-fried sauce ingredients:

1/4 cup water

2 tsp soy sauce

2 tsp oyster sauce

2 tsp sugar

1 tsp sesame oil 

1 tbs cooking wine

1/2 tsp salt

Cornstarch for thickening

1 tsp cornstarch with 2 tbs water

Other essentials:

2 tbs cooking oil

2 garlic cloves, roughly chopped

1 piece fresh ginger, roughly chopped (1 tsp. ginger)

1/2 cup sliced white onions

Directions:

Place chickens in a bowl and add all the marinade ingredients. Mix well and let chicken marinate for 30 minutes.

Bring a pot of water to boil and blanch the frozen vegetables for a few minutes. Drain in cold water to stop cooking.

Heat a wok over medium high heat. Add oil and stir in the chicken. Cook the chicken until the chicken turns golden brown.

Add garlic, onions, and ginger. Stir and cook for 1 minute.

Add vegetables and sauce. Mix well the chicken with the vegetables. When the sauce starts to boil, stir in the cornstarch thickening. Cook for another 2 minutes.

The dish is ready to serve.

Oatmeal Cookies

I am very happy to share this easy oatmeal cookies recipe. It is easy because it contains very few ingredients. Also, it does not need so many tools for preparing it. This recipe can be in the healthy category; it can served as a snack or even at breakfast for people who are busy in the morning. Taking a few of these cookies with a cup of Joe will start your day with more energy.

Ingredients:

1 cup self-rising flour

1 cup rolled oats

1/3 cup melted coconut oil

1 egg

1/3 cup brown sugar or white sugar

1/2 cup of dry fruits, such as raisins, cranberries, or chocolate chips (your choice)

1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Pre-heat oven to 350°. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

2. In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients. Mix well until combined.

3.. Add in the dry fruit or chocolate chips.

4. Take a small portion from the dough. Roll to form a round shape (1 inch diameter).

5. Then press it with your palms to flatten it and make a circle (around 2.5 inch diameter). Repeat with the remaining dough and make all the cookies similarly. You should get 12 cookies.

6. Bake in the preheated oven for 18 minutes.

 7. Allow cookies to cool for 5 to 10 minutes on the baking pan, and then place them on a wire rack to cool completely.

8. Store them in an airtight container. 

These cookies will be gone in a few minutes if you have family members or guests in the house.

Tip: If you do not have self-rising flour, add 1 tsp baking powder to the recipe.

Vegan Mung Beans, Coconut & Sticky Rice Cake --Bánh tét chay

From ancient times immemorial, every family in Vietnam has to have prepared banh chung and banh tet every time when the Vietnamese New Year, Tet, comes.. This is not just a traditional ritual, but it also shows a nuance of the Vietnamese Nation through this unique cuisine. Banh Chung is known by the North, and the banh Tet that I want to introduce to you today is a cake of the South Vietnam. However, if you follow the traditional method to make this cake, it is very complicated because it needs banana leaves, and string ties made of young bamboo, and the way to wrap the cake is also quite sophisticated and requires a certain technique. In this recipe, I want to use the simplest way that people living far from home like us can still enjoy the taste of the Lunar New Year. That is to use the things of Western baking, such as the parchment sheet, foil, or food wrap. In the past, cooking this cake took a lot of time. Today, we will use a pressure cooker to finish this cake. With this recipe, you probably won't have to wait until the Lunar New Year to enjoy, but because it's so easy, you can make this cake more often.

Ingredients:

2 cups sticky rice soaked for 6 hours or overnight

1 cup dried skinless split mung beans soaked for a few hours

1/2 cup dried black beans soaked for a few hours

1 cup sweet coconut flakes

1 can coconut milk

1/2 cup water

Salt & sugar to taste

1 tsp pandan paste or green food color (optional)

Supplies:

Parchment paper, foil, and string to tie the cake

Directions:

1-Drain the soaked sticky rice, and both of the beans

2-Place the black beans’s like in the pressure cooker. Pour in enough water to cover the beans. Cook for 8 minutes then drain.

3- In the rice cooker, add mung beans and add water just enough to cover the beans and turn the function cook-rice on. When the cooking time is done, remove.

4- When the mung beans are still warm, mash the mung beans using the blender or mashed potato stick. Put the mashed mung beans in a sauté pan. Cook the mashed mung beans over medium high heat. Add 2 tbs coconut oil to the beans and some sugar for your taste and salt.

5- In a large sauté pan, add the soaked sticky rice, coconut milk, and salt and cook until all the rice absorbs the coconut milk. Add sweet coconut flakes and drain cooked black beans. Mix well. Adjust the seasoning with salt and sugar for your taste.

6- Divide the mung beans paste equally and shape the beans paste into the cylindrical tubula, about 2 inches long. You can cut a piece of the food wrap to guide you for making this tubula.

To wrap the cake:

1-Cut the parchment paper into a square or rectangular shape about 5 x 11 inches for each piece, and the foil each piece the same size as the parchment paper, the length as follow the size of your parchment paper. Spread the sticky rice on the parchment paper, then arrange the mung beans paste now is the tubular on the center of the sticky rice.

2-You fold the two edges of the parchment paper together and then roll it tightly and evenly.  Now use the foil to finish wrapping around the cake. Use one piece of string to tie the middle of the cake and another string to tie in the long side of the cake. You do not have tie the cake because the foil is good enough. I still tie the cake to make sure the cake after cooking is in the good shape.

To steam the cake:

In the pressure cooker, add water (about 1 cup). Place all the cake into the cooker. Follow the cooking method for the pressure cooker. Steam the cake for 40 minutes.

The taste of vegetarian bean cake is very delicious with a soft sticky skin with coconut flakes, black beans, the fleshy taste of green beans inside. Definitely, this traditional cake will be a dish that makes your traditional New Year more meaningful.

You can enjoy this cake a few days left outside on the countertop or in the refrigerator for weeks. So many Youtubers have this recipe with more handy ways to wrap the cake. I suggest that you can learn the technique from them to make this cake turn out beautiful.

One Pot Vegan Black Beans & Rice

Rice and beans are great sources of protein for vegans. There are many recipes for making one pot of beans and rice; this recipe is the best tasting and easiest to make. The perfect seasonings will create a one pot meal in minutes. Frozen corn can be used while cooking or can be served with this wonderful bowl of rice and beans as a side dish and part of the meal.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups jasmine rice, washed and drained

1 cup cubed white onions

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 cup combination of red, green, and yellow peppers, diced

2 tbs olive oil

1 can black beans, drained 

1 ½ cups water or more 

Seasonings:

1 tsp of sugar, salt, mushroom seasoning, and smoked paprika

1/2 tsp of cumin, coriander, gloves, and cinnamon. 

Other necessities:

 Chopped green onion and cilantro

Rice cooker

Directions:

Use the sauté function when turning on the rice cooker.

Add olive oil, onions, garlic, and bell peppers. Stir and cook for 5 minutes.

Stir in the seasoning and the rice. Stir and cook for 7 minutes.

Add black beans and water.

Close the lid and change to the rice cook function.

After the rice cooker finishes cooking, the rice is ready to serve.

Adjust the seasoning again before serving. Sprinkle with green onions and cilantro.

Tips; the side dish can be avocado and salsa. For non-vegans, add chicken or shrimp while cooking. If using chicken, add at the same time with the bell peppers. If using shrimp, grill shrimp and add on top of the rice bowl.

 

Easy Humus (Turkish spelling for chickpea dip)

 

Ingredients:

One 15.5 oz. can of chickpeas

1/4 cup Tahini

2 garlic cloves, peeled

1 tbs lime juice

1/2 cup water

1/4 tsp salt

1/8 tsp black pepper

2 tbs olive oil

1 tsp chili flakes

Directions:

In a Vitamix® or other blender, combine all the ingredients and blend until smooth. Pour the humus into a jar with lid and refrigerate.