Today we have Baron Hilliard, Managing Partner and COO of Together AsOne. His definition of Gourmet Food is a fried Bologna, egg and cheese sandwich (make sure you cut the edges so that it doesn't bubble in the middle.). One of his favorite dishes is Coriander Garlic Chicken from Nan King restaurant in South Plainfield, NJ. So we dug up the following 'super easy' recipe below and with a little help from the Gourmet Diva, Baron was able to make this dish and even add in some of his own twist.
The dish came out great, we added more garlic than the recipe called for. Instead of mild chilies we used HOT. He likes spice in his food. It was kiddy approved and our surprise guest that stopped by loved it and challenged Baron to a spaghetti cook off. Anyone else want to throw down? Let the Diva know.
Here is some footage of todays adventure, please excuse me taping sideways, unlike a picture you can't rotate film.
What is coriander? Coriander is also known as Cilantro. It is commonly used in South East Asia, especially in Thai and Vietnamese cooking. Its a love hate herb, some people love it some people hate it due to its pungent smell. I fall into the later category. After eating this dish, I may give it another try.
What to do with leftover fresh herbs? I don't like to waste food. You will see frozen bags in my freezer. Herbs with soft leaves, (such as basil, coriander, chives, mint, parsley and tarragon), retain their color and flavor best if they are frozen rather than dried. Pack washed whole sprigs into labeled plastic bags and freeze (they will crumble easily once frozen).
If planning to store the herbs for any length of time, it is best to blanch them first. Dip them in boiling water, then in iced water, and pat them dry before freezing.
You can also freeze herbs in ice-cube trays. Chop the herbs coarsely and add one tablespoon of water to each tablespoon of herbs in an ice cube tray, which is a handy way of knowing how much to put in as you can measure with the cubes!
We had a lot of mint leftover. I'm planning on making a
Watermelon Salad with Rum and Mint
Serves 6
½ teaspoon finely grated lime zest plys 2 tablespoons juice
2 tablespoons light-brown sugar
2 tablespoons light rum
¼ teaspoon salt
6 pound piece chilled seedless watermelon
2 tablespoons silvered fresh mint leaves
Method:
- In a large bowl, whisk together lime juice, sugar, rum and salt.
- Using a melon baller scoop melon into balls (you will get about 10 cups) or cut melon into bite sized chunks. Add melon to lime mixture in bowl. Sprinkle with mint and lime zest and toss gently to combine.
- Serve immediately or cover and refrigerated up to 2 hours.
Ingredients
Serves 4
Prep: 20 min
Cook: 10 min
2 chicken breasts
Small bunch of fresh basil
Small bunch of fresh mint
Small bunch of fresh coriander
2 coriander roots, scraped
2 garlic cloves, peeled
½tsp sea salt
2tbsp vegetable oil
2 mild red chillies, finely sliced
1tsp caster sugar
2tbsp Thai fish sauce
2tbsp fresh lime juice
1 lime, quartered
METHOD:
Slice the chicken finely. Pluck the leaves from the basil, mint and coriander and set aside. Wash the coriander roots, scrape off the skin and roughly chop. Pound the roots, garlic and sea salt to a paste.
Heat the oil in a wok or frying pan until hot, add the chicken slices and fry until they change color, moving them constantly.
Add the chilli and the coriander paste, and stir-fry over a moderate heat for another three minutes until the chicken is cooked. Add almost all the basil, mint and coriander leaves, and toss well.
Add the sugar, fish sauce and lime juice, tossing lightly.
Scatter with the remaining leaves and lime quarters and serve with steamed rice.
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