The Slanted Door’s Caramel Chicken

A loyal viewer of this blog informed me that this recipe still had not been converted from my old blog. This was one of the first clips I ever filmed and posted on YouTube, and probably the recipe I’ve received the most email regarding. People LOVE this dish, and while you may have to go out and hunt down some Asian Fish Sauce, it will be well worth the trouble. By the way, there is also a Basmati Rice demo posted in case you need a little help in that department.

The Slanted Door is a very popular Vietnamese restaurant in San Francisco. It’s always packed with locals, tourists and visiting celebrities. One of the most popular dishes there is called “Caramel Chicken.” This stunning dish is an amazing combination of sweet, spicy, and salty flavors all sticking to succulent pieces of chicken. My version adds peanuts for a little crunch, and I’ve simplified the technique so you can easily make this at home, right on the stove top. Their version is cooked in a clay pot, which most of us don’t have lying around.

By the way, it’s been reported that this is Mick Jagger’s favorite dish when visiting San Francisco. Mick once asked, “Brown sugar, how come you taste soooo good?” So it’s fitting that’s what we’ll use to caramelize the chicken as you’ll see in the video. Enjoy!

Ingredients:
2.5 pounds chicken thighs (boneless, skinless, about 8-10 thighs)
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup water
1/3 cup fish sauce
1/3 cup rice vinegar
1 tsp soy sauce
1 tbl grated fresh ginger
4 cloves garlic
2 jalapeno peppers
1 bunch green onions
1/2 cup roasted peanuts
fresh cilantro to garnish

12 Second Coleslaw… in 42 seconds!

OK, I’ll admit it, this doesn’t look like a very exciting recipe, but that’s the point. Sure, the photo is boring. I didn’t even bother to Photoshop in some colorful veggies! When most people think of coleslaw they think of that bowl of soggy shredded cabbage sitting at the end of the picnic table. This is a completely different approach. This is fresh shredded cabbage prepared as a fast (12 seconds to add the ingredients, and 30 seconds to mix), crisp, low-cal, low-carb, slightly spicy, and delicious side dish that you should be eating as part of your regular veggie side-dish rotation. Do yourself a favor and find a grocery store in your town that carries the “angel hair” finely shredded cabbage, ready-to-mix in the bag. My 12 second coleslaw in 42 seconds claim only counts if you use the pre-shredded bag. By the way, I have no problem taking an extra 5 minutes and shredding my own cabbage, but I rarely can use a whole head and so I don’t like to buy those giant heads unless I’m making this for a large group.

There are 2 keys to this super-slaw; the very small amount of highly-seasoned dressing (it really doesn’t look like enough but you’ll see that it is), and the fact that I don’t toss the cabbage and the dressing together until I’m ready to eat. As soon as any dressing hits shredded cabbage, water starts to be pulled out of the leaves, which causes most traditionally made coleslaws to go limp and soggy. By mixing just before you eat, you will experience the true essence of fresh coleslaw; sweet, crunchy and refreshing. I served this under a spicy Jerked Chicken (aka Jerky Chicken), and it was perfect!

Ingredients:
10 oz. bag of Angel Hair Shredded Cabbage
2 tbl Seasoned Rice Vinegar
2 tbl Thousand Island Dressing
1 tsp hot sauce of your choice
pinch of salt
*I didn’t because I only had 12 seconds, but you can certainly add ANY finely shredded raw vegetables to this coleslaw and yours won’t look as boring as mine.

Jerky Chicken – Because I just can’t call it “Jerked Chicken” and keep a straight face!

The “Jerk” style of cooking comes to us from Jamaica. The term “Jerk” actually comes from the term “Jerky,” which comes from the Spanish “charqui” (Char-key), which is basically meat dried over a slow wood fire. Today “Jerk” doesn’t refer to the cooking method, but the fiery spice mix that is rubbed on the meat before it’s grilled. The key ingredients in this spice mix are Allspice and dried Scotch Bonnet peppers (one of the hottest peppers on earth!). Other common ingredients include Cloves, Cinnamon, Nutmeg, and Thyme. There are countless combinations, so I suggest you buy a high-quality pre-mixed Jerk spice mix (that's what I did – after carefully checking the ingredient list to make sure I was getting the real stuff). If you want to make your own Jerk mixture, you can certainly do a Google search and you’ll have a couple thousand formulas at your disposal.

The beauty of this recipe is its simplicity. It has just 3 basic ingredients and since the spice mix is so flavorful and intense, we don’t need to add much. Also, please note the trick I show before applying the “wet rub” when I “score” the chicken breast with the knife. This is a great trick for several reasons that I explain in the clip. By the way, I serve this tasty breast over my famous “12 second” coleslaw, which I will demo soon. I also mention garlic-infused oil which I used to sauté the chicken, and I will demo that soon as well. In the meantime, if you don’t have any garlic-infused oil, just add a couple crushed garlic cloves to the marinade.

Ingredients:
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 tbl Jerk spice mix (usually allspice and dried Scotch Bonnet peppers, cinnamon, nutmeg, and thyme)
1/2 orange, juiced
salt to taste
garlic oil to sauté
*if you don’t have the garlic oil, just add some fresh garlic to the wet rub and sauté in plain vegetable oil

Orzo “Risotto” with Chicken, Sausage and Peppers

Orzo (also known as melon seed pasta, due to its shape) is one of my favorite choices for pasta salad. I really like the shape and texture, and it makes for a very interesting cold salad. Here, I had the idea of using it for a hot dish in the same way one would use an Arborio rice to make the classic Risotto. Instead of boiling the Orzo in salted water and draining, I thought it would be interesting to cook it the same way risotto is cooked, by adding small additions of flavorful stock until it’s tender (or al dente if you prefer). I made that flavorful stock by braising chicken and sausage as you’ll see.

This dish is really all over the place; most of the ingredients are kind of Spanish/Portuguese, there are techniques from India and Italy involved, and just to make things even stranger, I use a chili pepper usually found only in Mexican cuisine. But, none of that matters, this dish tastes great and is really not hard to make. The other good thing is, whoever you serve this to probably hasn’t had it before, so no matter how it comes out you can always say, “yeah, that’s how it’s suppose to be!”

I’ve had many requests for a risotto demo. The reason I haven’t done one is because who wants to watch someone stand at a stove and stir a pot of rice? Well, I tried to edit this to make it somewhat bearable, but the basic technique is the same; slowly adding stock and stirring until its almost absorbed and then adding more. This is a dish that will be great the first time you make it, and REALLY great the second time you make it, as you get the timing down. My orzo took about 15-20 minutes to absorb enough stock to become tender – but that’s just a very rough guide for you since there are so many factors; the heat, size of your orzo, shape of pot, etc. Be brave and enjoy yourself…you're cooking!

By the way, I didn’t mention it in the clip, but I removed the skin and bones from the chicken thighs once they were cool enough to handle, before I added them back into the final dish. Also, this is one of the VERY rare dishes I didn’t add garlic to. The sausage I used had a lot of garlic in it so I didn’t think it was needed. Enjoy.



Ingredients:
1/2 pound orzo pasta
6 chicken thighs (seasoned with 1 tsp salt and 1 tsp black pepper)
1 lb. Linguisa sausage (or any spicy sausage)
1 quart chicken stock
1 red bell pepper
1 green Pasilla or bell pepper
1/2 yellow onion
1 tbl paprika
1 tbl cumin
1 tbl Herb de Provence
1 tsp salt
1 bay leaf
fresh parsley

“Faux-Smoked” Wild Red Rock Cod – More delicious culinary cheating!

This is another of those older clips some of you may have already seen from my old blog, but as I stated before, I do eventually want to have all my clips over here. Besides, I just got in from Vegas! So pardon the re-run if you've seen it, and if you're new to the site this is a great trick. One last note; I had a few emails after the Sole "Dore" clip saying that I should have done "egg then flour." That is one way, but there are many ways. That "Dore"method uses flour first then egg to achieve more of an egg batter. Egg and then flour (the more common method) gives you more of a starchy coating. The point is they are both delicious and you should use both methods. Here I use the "flour then egg" method. This method, I believe, keeps the fish moister and is safer for the novice cook worried about their fish drying out. OK, enough with the preface, here's the real post...

One problem with cooking thinner, flakier types of fish is that you are basically limited to sautéing, poaching, or baking. It is almost impossible to grill these thin fillets over coals since they tend to fall apart quickly. I guess you could try one of those cage-type fish holders, but I’ve never had too much luck with those.

So I came up with this idea. I used the same “Dore” technique you saw in our Sole Dore clip, but I added some Spanish smoked paprika which gave the fish a wonderful, yet subtle, char-grilled smoked accent.

Many people don’t realize how many types of paprika are available. I always stock four types in my pantry; Hot Paprika, Bittersweet Paprika, Sweet Paprika, and Smoked Paprika. You’ll find these at you local gourmet store, as the supermarket will probably only have the regular Sweet Paprika. You can also check online of course.

As I usually say, any white flaky fresh fish fillets will work. By the way, what is sold as “Red Snapper” in most stores is actually Rock Cod. True Red Snapper is not as common. I topped the fish with a nice, homemade Remoulade sauce (AKA tartar sauce) which I’ll demo also.


Ingredients:
4 fillet of rock cod (red snapper or similar fish)
spice mix (1 tbl black pepper, 1 tbl salt, 2 tbl smoked paprika)
2 tbl olive oil
2 tbl butter
3 eggs
ap flour, as needed

Spicy Mediterranean Chicken with Sausage Stuffed Cherry Peppers

A culinary tour of the Mediterranean! Succulent Chicken thighs, artichoke hearts, olive, pepperoncini, and sausage stuffed cherry peppers! WARNING: This is an intense food experience, not for the bland palettes of the world.

As I mention in the clip, if you want this dish to be less spicy and intense, drain the pepperoncini before adding. This is great on top of rice or pasta. By the way, I got the inspiration for this dish from my Uncle Bill, who stuffs the “Peppadews” (a great brand of jarred cherry peppers from South Africa) with sausage and grills them as an appetizer.

Ingredients:
6 Chicken Thighs
1 Onion
1 Cup Sliced Pepperoncini
18 Cherry Peppers (Pepperdew if possible)
6-8 Oz. Italian Sausage
Herb De Provence
Salt And Pepper
Cumin
14 Oz Can Artichoke Hearts
1/2 Cup Greek Olives, Pitted
Olive Oil
Chicken Stock
Fresh Herbs to Garnish

Portuguese Kale and Sausage Soup

This is a wonderful and easy soup that will really hit the spot on a chilly fall night. You can use any spicy sausage in this, but the Portuguese Linguisa is traditional. Here I used a Spanish Chorizo, which was very nice.

As I mention in the clip, be careful not to add too much potato. This is mainly a Kale soup flavored with the spicy sausage. The potato is only there to slightly thicken, and give the soup its silky texture.

I stole this recipe from an after-hours diner in San Francisco called Grubstake. It is traditionally enjoyed at 3AM, while gazing at a wild assortment late night characters. Hey, is that a dude? By the way, its hangover preventing goodness is legendary!

Thai-style Beef Stew –Snow Flurries and Red Curries

Well, it’s not quite snowing here in San Francisco, but it’s COLD!! It's winter and that means it's stew season. Chucks of meats, slowly simmered in a flavorful broth for hours, enjoyed while gazing out a frosty window. This version of a classic Thai red curry will certainly do the trick.

This is what I always order when I can’t decide what to get at my local Thai restaurant. I love the way the potatoes soak up the spicy broth, and the slight crunch of the roasted peanuts make for a very happy ending.


Ingredients:
2 1/2 pounds beef chuck roast (cut in 2 in. cubes)
2 pounds Yukon gold potatoes
1 onion
3 inch piece of ginger
2 tbl tomato paste
3 cloves garlic
1-2 tsp red curry paste
1 tbsp cumin
1 tbsp coriander
salt to taste
1/4 fish sauce
1 pint beef broth
1 can (14 oz) coconut milk
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup roasted peanuts
3 green onions
1/2 bunch basil and/or cilantro

Note: As you’ll see in the clip, I simmer the beef for about 45 minutes covered, and then add the sugar, potatoes, and peanuts. I cover it again and simmer for about 15 minutes more, then UNCOVER until the potatoes are tender as well as the beef. I like the last 20 minutes, or so, of cooking to be done uncovered so the stew reduces slightly and becomes a bit thicker.
Also, remember to taste and adjust for salt and heat!!

Garlic Ginger Bok Choy – Cheap, Easy and Fun to Say!

Bok Choy is becoming very easy to find in grocery stores these days as the trend to eat green veggies continues to grow (for good reason). This is great vegetable for many reasons; it’s cheap, it takes about 3 minutes to cook, it has a beautiful subtle sweet flavor, and of course it’s packed with nutritional goodness. As you’ll see, the best tip for great Bok Choy is how to trim the tops and bottoms separately so they both can cook perfectly.

One quick anecdote before you watch the clip. I was taking roll call on Day 1 in one of my first classes as an instructor at the Culinary Academy, and was going down the list calling out the names and listening for the traditional call back, “here Chef,” when I saw on my roster “Bok Choy.” Well, that’s an interesting name, so I called out the name and heard in a very deep voice, “here Chef.” I looked up to make eye contact, as I did with all the students as I called roll for the first time, and sitting there was this very tall, Scandinavian-looking gentleman with blond curly hair. I asked him if that was his nickname and he said no, that was his real name. Now, the classes at the school were 3 weeks long, and as much as I wanted to, I resisted the temptation to go up and ask this man how he came to get the name Bok Choy. So, Bok Choy, if you are reading this post, please email or comment and tell me how you got the name! It’s been 5 years and I’m still wondering.




Ingredients:
3-4 Heads Of Baby Bok Choy
1/2 Cup Sliced Red Peppers
2 Clove Garlic
1 Tbl Ginger
1/2 Tsp Red Pepper Flakes
1 Tbl Vegetable Oil
1 Tbl Soy Sauce
8 Drops Sesame Oil

Spicy Chicken Thai Soup – Exploring the boundaries between culinary pleasure and pain

I almost called this “Cream of Endorphin-releasing” soup, but it didn’t quite have the same ring to it. Endorphins are those mysterious pain-relieving, pleasure-giving chemicals released by your brain when the body comes under some type of trauma. While intended as a support mechanism when the body is seriously injured, two groups of people have figured out how to intentionally induce the release of these precious substances; athletes and spicy-food aficionados (actually there is a third group that we really can’t discuss here). The “natural high” that you hear athletes talk about is a result of these endorphins. Today’s clip is in honor of the second group.

Most fans of spicy foods know exactly what I’m talking about, that post-meal euphoria that makes it worth every tear and bead of sweat. If you’ve never experienced these feelings, today’s recipe is a great one for you to try. By controlling the amount of red curry paste you add, you can tailor this to your own threshold of pain. I used 2 full teaspoons of this explosive paste. But, you can start slow, and add a bit more each time you make it until you reach that perfect, beautiful, burning bliss.

The only exotic ingredient would be the fresh lemongrass. I’ve found most large grocery stores do carry it, but if not, you can substitute a few tablespoons of lemon zest, or even some lemon verbena.

IIngredients:
2 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs (about 10)
12 oz white mushrooms
1 red onion
3 tbl fish sauce
1/2 bunch cilantro
2 limes
2 14-oz cans coconut milk
2 tsp red curry paste (you’ve been warned)
4 clove garlic
4 inch piece ginger
3 stalks lemongrass (or lemon zest)
1 tbl vegetable oil

1 quart chicken stock

note: traditionally this soup is served with a side plate of sliced jalapenos, cilantro leaves, and lime wedges

Wild Salmon with Fresh Mango and Pepper Jam Relish - a.k.a. Salmon Mango Bango

What’s the best thing about being a chef? It’s being able to name your dishes anything you want! That’s right. If you invent it, you get to name it. So when I came up with this recipe I thought I would completely abuse that privilege and think of something really ridiculous. All kidding aside, mango and salmon are a great pairing. The exotic, tropical tang of the fruit and the richness of the wild salmon work wonderfully together. The “bango” comes from the spicy, sweet pepper jam I use to bind the fresh mango relish. This dish is also a great example of how just a few ingredients can produce big flavors.

Pepper jams are a wonderfully versatile products and every good cook’s pantry should stock several of them. Check your local market and I’ll bet you find a few varieties next to the regular fruit jams and jellies. Any specialty foods store will have many to choose from.

Also, wild salmon is really the only way to go for many, many reasons. I won’t give you a lecture here, but if you do a bit of research, you may never eat farmed again. Hopefully you have access to fresh wild salmon near you. If not, the frozen choices are actually quite good these days, and far superior to fresh farmed salmon in my opinion.