Wow, it's been two whole weeks since I last posted and it has flown by in a flurry of Sander's family visits, work events and a long weekend in Bali (amazing - I promise I'll post photos).
After almost two months of over-indulgence (indicative from the number of restaurant posts I've done recently) it's time for a fresh healthy start to get back on track. And I must admit after two months of eating out (as wonderful as it is) I'm glad to be back in the kitchen.
First up was an adaptation of a chicken and zucchini dish from Epicurious. When I say 'adapted' I mean the only consistency with the original recipe was the chicken, despite my best intentions. Zucchini was hiding from me at the supermarket, so I bought asparagus instead, then threw bok choy and ginger into my shopping basket along with two cobs of corn.
I marinated the chicken fillets in lime, olive oil and ginger, sliced and then pan fried. I parboiled the corn and set aside (because the tap water temperature here is about 25 degrees - too warm to rapidly cool the cobs and stop cooking), then blanched the asparagus and chopped in half. Heating a large pan over a medium flame, I briefly fried finely chopped shallot, three chillis, a garlic clove and some ginger. Just before serving I wilted the bok choy, tossing it through the chilli mixture then did the same with the asparagus. Place the salad on a large serving dish, sprinkle salad with mint and baby tomatoes and serve with corn cobs on the side. Additional extra: deglaze the chicken pan with a little white wine.
The verdict? Well I think I overdid the chilli a little, and the thick ends of the bok choy were a little too bitter. Next time I'll use two chillis and an alternative Asian green - maybe gai lan which has thinner stalks. This recipe is perfect for the Monday night rush, from go to whoa approximately 20 minutes.
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