The Daring Cooks Make Steamy Kitchen’s Pho Ga

The October 2009 Daring Cooks’ challenge was brought to us by Jaden of the blog Steamy Kitchen. The recipes are from her new cookbook, The Steamy Kitchen Cookbook.

I was excited to see that Jaden would be our host for the October Daring Cooks challenge, especially since I finally got to meet her at BlogHer Food, but when I scrolled down and saw we would be making pho (pronounced “fuh?”) I almost got week in the knees. I’ve eaten pho at Vietnamese restaurants but have never made it at home, and none of my family had ever tasted it. I couldn’t wait to give them a taste of this soup that won my heart long ago. Read more

Thai Basil Chicken (Kai Kraphao)

This dish is the main reason we grow Thai basil in our herb garden. We’ve grown many kinds of basil over the years and seem to have settled into a routine of Genovese, Lemon (Sweet Dani or similar), and Thai (Sweet Thai or Queen of Siam) basil because they cover the spectrum of our uses. The Sweet Thai variety we grew this year produces plants with purple stems and gorgeous purple flowers. Like most basils, the flowers are also edible and add a punch of anise flavor to Asian dishes. Our basils will last a few more weeks, then it will be time for the final harvest of the season and a marathon session making pesto (basic and sun-dried) and basil ice cubes. Read more

Grilled Adobo Chicken (Pollo Adobado)

I recently acquired a copy of Rosa’s New Mexican Table (review) and having heard of the restaurant and the book’s James Beard Award nomination in 2008 I was eager to try out some of the dishes from Chef Roberto Santibañez. One of the first dishes that caught my eye was the adobo marinated chicken with spicy guajillo chiles and chiles de arbol. An adobo sauce is bright red from the chiles and the meat is either simmered in the sauce or marinated and grilled. Common chiles for adobo include ancho, guajillo, and chipotle, though in this recipe chiles de arbol are added for extra heat. In the DC area you can find dried chiles at Hispanic grocery stores, some of the larger international grocery stores such as Grand Mart, Shoppers Food Warehouse, and some other grocery chains. Read more

Quick and Easy Mandarin Orange Chicken

Some of my favorite things to order at Chinese restaurants are the dishes I won’t make at home, basically anything battered and fried. I’m not lazy, I just don’t enjoy cleaning up the splattery mess I always seem to make when frying. Orange chicken is one of my favorites, but I always save it for eating out.

Helen Chen’s new book, Easy Chinese Stir-Fries, has a modified recipe that turns the classic battered and fried dish into a quick stir-fry. Some Chinese restaurants ruin orange chicken by making it overly sweet, but Chen’s version gives you orange flavor without all the sweetness. After tasting it the first time we decided we wanted more orange flavor in the sauce and started adding orange zest. I also like to use slivered fresh red jalapeno and used it as colorful garnish at the end rather than the dried chiles. Read more

Chicken Bok Choy

Bok choy is one of my favorite types of cabbage because it’s both leafy and crispy, lending a nice mix of textures in a dish, and I like it stir-fried simply with chicken, garlic, and ginger. This time I tried Jaden’s technique for starting with a cold wok, which was totally contrary to any wokking I had done before, but I like it. The garlic and ginger infused the oil and imparted lots of flavor to the chicken and bok choy. I hardly ever measure ingredients when stir-frying, so the measurements below are an approximation.

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Peruvian Grilled Chicken

Why would a Peruvian grilled chicken recipe have soy sauce? Peru has hosted a large Japanese expatriate population since the late 1800s, and over the years Asian flavors mingled with local and European flavors to create one of the most diverse cuisines in the world. I didn’t know this when I lived in South America in the early 1990s. While living in Colombia I did have big plans to visit Peru, Brazil, Chile, and Argentina but simply ran out of time in my two short years there, though I did make it to Ecuador a couple times. I still hold out hope that someday I’ll go back to travel in the region and enjoy the local cuisines.

This grilled chicken is simple to prepare and has big payoffs in flavor. I leave it in the marinade for up to 24 hours then grill and serve with whatever vegetables are on the menu or use it for sandwiches or salad toppers. The marinade helps keep the chicken moist as it cooks, and it always finishes nice and juicy.

I’ve given directions for cooking on a grill pan with boneless chicken breasts, and the Variations includes directions for cooking on gas and charcoal grills and in the oven. I cooked this chicken on the Scanpan I reviewed, and today is the last day for the Scanpan giveaway. Make sure you enter before 9 pm EST, just leave a comment on the Scanpan giveaway post about your favorite grilling food. Only comments at the original giveaway post will be entered.

More Grilled Chicken Recipes

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