Lentils and Bacon Recipe

This recipe was the basis for mine.

The main differences that I made:

• Added 2 teaspoons curry powder with the celery, carrots, and onions
• Added 1 teaspoon curry powder with the lentils
• Added 1/3 cup heavy cream and 2/3 cup plain yogurt when the lentils were nearly done cooking

Indian Rotisserie Chicken

I used this recipe as the basis for making an Indian-style dish with a rotisserie chicken from a grocery store. I tend to heavily spice my food, so be advised.

This recipe uses the technique of adding spices in stages: frying them at the outset, cooking them in the dish, and/or adding them near the end. This gives a depth to the seasoning of the dish.

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large onion (white or yellow)

Slice the onion into thin strips, and cook on medium-low in olive oil.

• 1 tablespoon curry powder.

Add to the onion and cook until fragrant.

• 5 cloves garlic, minced
• rotisserie chicken, shredded

Increase temperature to medium, then add the garlic and chicken to the dish and cook thoroughly.

• 1 tablespoon curry powder
• 1/2 cup plain yogurt
• 3/4 cup heavy cream

Reduce heat to medium-low, then add to dish and simmer for 5 minutes.

• 1/2 cup peas (or 1 can tomatoes)

Add to pan and continue to simmer until ready to serve.

Serve over basmati rice, garnished with cilantro.

Peruvian Chicken and Bacon

Tonight I made a dish that I derived from my significant other’s parma rosa, which is essentially pasta with onions, garlic, tomatoes, chicken breasts, and parmesan cheese.

My goal is to use as much of what we already have as possible, so I began substituting: quinoa instead of pasta, chicken thighs instead of breasts, and so forth. I found some bacon to use, as well as a green pepper, and some ali amarillo, which I used previously to make aji de gallina. So the recipe became quite Peruvian.

So, the recipe:

Peruvian Chicken and Bacon

• Two tablespoons olive oil

Heat in large, flat-bottomed pan on medium-low.

• One onion, finely diced.

Carmelize in pan for 15 minutes.

• Four slices bacon, sliced

Microwave until somewhat crisp.

Add to pan, and increase heat to medium:

• Three teaspoons cumin
• Two teaspoons coriander
• Two teaspoons paprika

When the spices are aromatic, add the bacon to the pan.

Add to pan:

• One green pepper, julienned
• Two teaspoons (more or less, to taste) aji amarillo

Grill separately (I use a George Foreman grill):

• One pound chicken thighs

Let cool, then slice/cube chicken thighs and add to pan.

Cook until flavors are mixed, then add to pan:

• Two to three tablespoons heavy cream

Cook for two more minutes, then serve.

And the quinoa recipe:

• One pound quinoa

Rinse and soak for an hour.

Drain some of the water, and add the quinoa to a pot and set on high.

Add enough water to the pot so that the water level is around twice that of the quinoa.

Boil, uncovered, until quinoa is to the desired texture. I like it a bit nutty/crunch. For softer quinoa, set the heat lower and cover during cooking.

Chicken in Black Bean Sauce

I found this recipe on the net, modified it, and made it for the first time last night. The Mrs. and the Jr. were quite taken with it, so it’s passed the taste tests.

The cooking technique (marinade, deep fry, saute) is similar to General Tso’s Chicken, but with the peppers and black bean sauce, this one has more “depth”. Chicken thighs could also be good.

Chicken in Black Bean Sauce

• Boneless chicken breasts (2)

Dice into 3/4″ pieces and marinade for at least 30 minutes in:

• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 2 teaspoons rice wine (hard to find; sake will probably do)
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• 1 egg white
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch

For deep-frying, heat at medium-high:

• Oil (2-4 cups; enough to submerge the chicken pieces in the pan). For high-temperature cooking, peanut oil is preferred, as it has a high flash/smoke point.

Heat the chicken, until it has lost its pinkness. This will be from 3-5 minutes, depending on temperature. Keep stirring the chicken in the pan, as it has a tendency to stick to the pan. While the chicken is cooking, dice:

• Green peppers (2)

Remove the chicken and put onto paper towels to pull out the excess oil. Remove all oil but 4 tablespoons from the pan, and heat to medium-high. Cook the green peppers and prepare:

• Green onions (AKA scallions) (2)
• Garlic (3-5 cloves)

Slice the green onions into 3/4″ pieces along the diagonal. Mince the garlic. When the peppers are mostly cooked (i.e. will have lost their brightness), add the onions and garlic. Cook for 1-3 minutes, then add:

• Black bean sauce (2 tablespoons)

Heat, then add the chicken. Heat back to a uniform temperature, remove from heat, and let cool.

Serve over rice. Calrose is my preferred “Chinese food” rice; jasmine also works well, as does basmati.