Friday, November 14, 2008

Turkish Chicken

1/2 Red Onion - chopped
2 T coconut oil
1 t garam masala spice
1 T ground cumin
2 carrots - shredded
2 T currants
1 1/2 Lbs. Chicken thighs chopped into bite sized pieces
2 stalks of celery chopped
juice of one lemon
1 T organic non GMO corn starch
sea salt and black pepper to taste

Place chopped chicken in a bowl with cornstarch, salt and pepper. Mix to spread some powder on each piece - does not need to cover.

Heat oil in frying pan. Add coconut oil. Saute onion until soft - add cumin and garam masala spices. Stir until evenly distributed. Add shredded carrots and currants. Saute until partially cooked and all are evenly covered with oil and spices. Add chicken. Stir frequently to cover with spice mixture and cook each piece of chicken. Add celery last and saute - does not need to be cooked throughly. Add juice of one lemon and serve hot.

Hot and Sour Chicken Soup With Ginger for Winter Chills

8 dried shiitake mushrooms (they seem to have stronger flavor than fresh)
1/2 cup dried black fungus
2 cups boiling water in two separate bows ( 1 cup per bowl)
6 oz. organic chicken thighs sliced thinly into strips
1 can bamboo shoots
2 T organic non-gmo cornstarch
2 T organic oil
32 oz. organic chicken broth
2 T organic soy sauce
1/2 t white pepper
4 T Braggs Organic Apple Cider Vinegar
2-3 oz. firm tofu cut into small strips
1/2 t each salt and black pepper
1 egg beaten
1/2" shredded fresh or frozen ginger root
2 scallions thinly sliced

With all the ingredients assembled, this soup only takes about 30 minutes to prepare.

Place shiitake mushrooms and black fungus each in a bowl and pour boiling water to cover. Let sit for 20 minutes.
Place shopped chicken in a bowl - sprinkle with 1- T cornstarch, 1/2 t salt and black pepper - stir to coat each piece with some of the mixture. Doesn't have to be solidly coated.
Heat frying pan. Add oil. Add chicken and saute until no longer pink. Set aside.
Heat chicken broth in a 4 quart pan.
After water has cooled, drain and squeeze each shiitake mushroom and slice - cutting off the stems. Drain and slice fungus into thin long strips. Add both to chicken broth. Add soy sauce.
Add cooked chicken to broth. Add sliced tofu to broth.
Slice bamboo shoots into long thin strips. Add to soup.

If you stop right here you have a great ginger chicken clear soup. Just add ginger and scallions and serve!

To go all the way to "Hot and Sour" go the last step!

Mix 1 T cornstarch with 2 T cold water until no lumps. Pour slowly into soup while stirring to thicken. Beat egg in small bowl and pour in a small stream into soup while stirring.
Add grated ginger and sliced scallion.
Serve hot. Lasts up to 3 days in refrigerator.