10 January 2006

Hunger is the Mother of Invention

Well, I have an evening class from 18:00 to 19:15, and didn't have time to eat beforehand. So I was starving when I got through. I had put some chicken in the sink to thaw, but I was really craving vegetables so I made a Fred Meyer run and grabbed quick-to-prepare veggies: baby carrots, sugarsnap peas, mixed green/yellow beans. I wanted sweet and sour without making a big batch of sauce, so I added lemon juice and honey to the oil in the pan (which held a generous smattering of sesame oil), and put the chicken in to cook while the rice boiled. When the rice got done, I threw the vegetables in with the chicken (should have put the beans in earlier, but oh well), added a can of pineapple chunks, and let it simmer while the rice sat. It turned out to be quite, quite tasty. The beans were a bit under done, but not too bad. And I should have added more liquid at the beginning, as the honey/lemon/oil started to blacken, but for a spur of the moment dish, it turned out amazingly well. (Oh, I added a bit of cardamom, coriander and red pepper to the honey/lemon/oil as well)

So, overall recipe:
Take some chicken tenders. Salt (or not if you prefer). Heat some oil in a skillet with a lid (for best flavor include some sesame oil). Add spices of choice, lemon juice, and honey. Add chicken and cover. Start rice cooking (white rice only takes 20 minutes). Turn chicken occasionally, adding more liquid if necessary. About the time the rice gets done, throw veggies and pineapple in with the chicken (including the juice from the pineapple) and cover. Stir around to coat everything. Let simmer for ten to fifteen minutes, stirring occasionally. Serve mixture in a bowl with rice.

2 comments:

kate said...

I invent the best pastas by experimentation due to lack of standard ingredients. I've discovered corn meal can be a good base for sauce.

Qalmlea said...

Base as in thickener or base as in primary flavor?

I frequently make random substitutions in recipes. I had one recipe that called for mushrooms. I didn't have any, so I chopped up some canned peaches instead. Then there was the time I made "barbecue" sauce, following a recipe whose ingredients were completely absent from my refrigerator. Tomato paste for ketchup is probably common...hoisin sauce for something else...no onions, so I used ginger... I don't remember the rest now.