you can say that this dish is just another variation of beef stew with curry added. which is quite true, actually. the idea of a beef stew with curry added must have been a carryover from india prepared by indians of islamic affiliation and copied by the brits who came in india under the employ of the east india company. curry is largely indian in origin which has spread throughout much of the far east and east asia like thailand, malaysia, india and cambodia. in japan, where curried dishes are a hit, it came by courtesy of the brits. here in the philippines curried dishes are somewhat limited with the adobong sumbilang and ginataang igad (eel) sa dilaw. and of course, the pinoy favorite curry-curry with bagoong.

preparation and cooking time: 1 1/2 hour to 2 hours

1 season the meat with salt and pepper and place it overnight in your chiller. an option is for you to add about a couple of knorr liquid seasoning to the meat.

2 after an overnight stay in 'le chiller', brown the meat on all side then set aside.

3 using a heavy-bottomed enamelled pot or caldero, saute the garlic in the cooking oil used in browning the meat. saute for a minute or two before adding the diced onions and tomatoes.

4 add the meat when onions are soft and transluscent. turn the heat to high just to bring it to boiling point before turning it back to low heat and let the meat and the onions and tomatoes simmer for 5 minutes. add a teaspoon of rock salt and cover the pot while you're at it.

5 after 5 minutes of letting the meat sweat it out, pour in 3 cups of water covering the meat and bring it to a boil by putting heat to high. once boiling, add in the golden curry paste/cube (cut into smaller pieces so that it would melt easily), chicken broth cube and the remaining 2 teaspoons of rock salt. turn heat to low, cover the pot and let 'em simmer.

6 mix once in a while.

7 add the quartered potatoes and the cubed carrots into the mix during the last 15 minutes of cooking.

enjoy!

Chap Che

1/2 lb. Asian vermicelli noodles (clear)

2 Tbsp sesame oil

1 onion, julienned

1 carrot, julienned

1 red bell pepper, julienned

3 scallions, cut into 1-inch lengths

1/2 cup dried wood ear mushrooms

2 cloves minced garlic

1 tsp sugar, salt, and freshly ground black pepper

1/2 lb spinach, stems discarded

1 Tbsp soy sauce

1 Tbsp toasted sesame seeds

1. In a bowl, soak the vermicelli for 15 mins.

2. Drain the noodles, drop into a pot of boiling water for 30 seconds and then rinse in cold water.

3. Cut the noodles with kitchen shears.

4. Heat a large pan.

5. Add 2 Tbsp sesame oil. Add the vegetables (except spinach), garlic, sugar, salt, pepper

6. Let cook for a few mins, stirring, till vegetables are crisp-tender

7. Transfer vegetables to a bowl. Add 1 more Tbsp sesame oil, noodles, spinach, salt and pepper.

8. Let cook for 1-2 mins, stirring. Add 1 Tbsp soy sauce and 1 Tbsp toasted sesame seeds and combine.

9. Transfer to a platter. Serve hot or at room temp.

Japanese beef curry

1 lb. stew beef

2 large carrots, sliced

3 medium potatoes

1 onion

Curry blocks (House or S&B brands)

Worcestershire sauce

1 Tbsp vegetable oil

Water

Cut vegetables into chunks.

Heat oil in a large stew pan.

Saute potatoes until lightly browned (about 5 mins). Add onions and carrots and saute until onion becomes transparent.

Add beef and saute till outside browns.

Pour water into pan to cover by 1/2 inch, and bring to a boil.

Remove the fat at the top of the water.

Add 4 blocks of curry.

Reduce heat to medium, cover for about 1 hour.

Add Worcestershire sauce to taste.

Serve over hot reice.

Bulgogi

Choosing meat: Steak is best, but any type is fine. A pound of beef will serve about 4 people.

Soy sauce, about 1/4 cup (Japanese or Korean-style is best)

Sesame oil, about 2-3 Tbsp

1 kiwi OR 1 Fuji apple OR 1 Asian pear. Kiwi is recommended--it tenderizes the meat and adds a sweet flavor to the meat.

Sugar

Black pepper

1 onion

2-3 cloves garlic

5 green onions, both green and white parts

2 Tbsp cooking wine, Korean or Japanese rice wine recommended

1 Tbsp vinegar (Asian vinegar recommended)

Equipment: Large mixing bowl, small bowls, tongs or chopsticks, frying pan, food processor, plates, plastic gloves, garlic press

Freeze the meat first to help you slice it thinly. Slightly defrost in the microwave. Cut the meat as thinly as possible.

Put the sliced meat in the large mixing bowl and sprinkle sugar over it. Mix well, and let sit for about 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare the marinade:

Blend the onion and kiwi until liquid and pour into small bowl.

Mix 1/4 cup soy sauce, 2-3 Tbsp sugar, 2-3 dashes black pepper, 2-3 Tbsp sesame oil, 2 Tbsp cooking wine, and vinegar. Taste the marinade and adjust--it should taste slightly salty, slightly sweet.

Chop garlic into small pieces or use garlic press. Cut green onion into 2-3 pieces and put into the sugar/meat mixture.

Pour both sauces into the meat mixture and mix well. Refrigerate at least 2 hours, or overnight.

Classic Filipino Turon

Plantains

Spring roll wrappers

Brown sugar

White sugar

Vegetable oil

Water

1. Quarter the plantains by cutting them in half, then in half again lengthwise. Dip in water.

2. Mix the sugars together and sprinkle on the plantains. Optional: add jackfruit on top.

3. Wrap in spring roll wrapper. Optional: Sprinkle roll with water, then sugar. This will create less "clean" but sugary tops.

4. Deep fry until golden and transfer to paper towel on a plate to absorb oil.

Goi du du (green papaya salad)

For the salad:

Green papaya

Carrot

For the garnish:

Cilantro (chopped)

Thai basil (chopped)

Ground roasted peanuts, preferably unsalted

Fried shallots

For the dressing:

Sugar

Limes

Garlic

Nuoc mam/fish sauce (or substitute vegetarian fish sauce, or Nuoc Mam Chay)

Thai red chilis

Peel the papaya, cut in half, and scrape out seeded center with spoon. Julienne the papaya and carrot (you should have a 4:1 ratio of papaya to carrot).

Finely chop 2 red chilis and put into a small bowl. Juice 2 limes into bowl. Add 1 pressed garlic clove, 3 Tbsp nuoc mam, and 3 Tbsp sugar to bowl, and whisk till sugar dissolves. Toss salad with dressing and garnish with cilantro, basil, fried shallots, and ground peanuts.

Traditionally, this is also served with slices of cooked shrimp and/or pork.

It seemed like suitable punishment for my lapse on Day 3 to find the worst possible meal in the pound shop. I had my pick of at least a dozen horrors-on-a-plate but one appealed to me least. Beef curry: chopped and shaped beef with soya mince, vegetables and rice in a cardboard box. Let me repeat that: meat in a BOX. Eurgh.

So I opened the packet of powder and dried meat cubes and simmered in water as instructed. Surprisingly it smelt nice. Nice enough for my brother to be drawn into the kitchen. I think he would have even been tempted to try some until he saw what it looked like. It was gloppy and brown with bits - not dissimilar I imagine to the contents of a baby's nappy after a particularly enthusiastic go at the milk bottle.

I knew there was only one thing that could save this meal. One device that every junior chef learns to make a dish attractive. A sprig of parsley.

Ta dah! A tasty treat indeed.

I follow state and local laws, have a strong moral code, and observe most social conventions like waiting in line and taking turns merging. On the other hand, against all advice, I opened a law office when I had no clients and little experience, bought a house in a neighborhood full of student rentals because I loved the house, and consistently choose not to make my son participate in 50,000 extracurricular activities that will improve his shot at a full scholarship to Harvard. The office was a success, I still love the house, and my son is turning out pretty well without Math Camp or an intensive after-school course in obscure Lithuanian dialects.

Given my (somewhat erratic) profile, it has always surprised me that I have historically been terrified to deviate from a recipe when I cooked. I would substitute almond extract for vanilla in a cookie recipe, or use Yukon Gold potatoes in place of Russets, but most of the time I felt that I not only needed a recipe, but needed to refer to it continually like an obsessive compulsive ritual. If I didn't look at the recipe again, I might forget to add the finely chopped asparagus before the addition of the last half cup of broth, thus destroying my risotto. Even if I had made the same recipe 20 times. And the consequences, according to my subconscious conformist, would be truly terrible. No starch with the chicken! Wasted Arborio rice and asparagus! The decline of Western civilisation!

Last night as I made Thai Beef Curry for dinner, I observed that I had really deviated so far from the original recipe that I was really doing something fairly different. The basic "bones" of the curry were in tact; I was still using coconut milk, curry paste, fish sauce and a little sugar. I was not cooking the beef sous vide or presenting an envelope of rice-flavored paper which released a puff of curry-flavored air when bitten. I was just changing the recipe based on our tastes, and on my experience in the kitchen.

Here is the recipe as it originally appeared in the blog on August 6th:

Thai Red Beef Curry Recipe

(from epicurean.com)

Ingredients:

1. 500g lean beef strips
2. 1 tbsp Thai red curry paste
3. 1 tbsp fish sauce
4. 300ml canned coconut milk
5. 2 tbsp vegetable oil
6. 1 tbsp Brown sugar
7. 1 tsp crushed garlic
8. 1/2 red capsicum (large mild pepper)
9. 80g button mushrooms
10. 80g spinach
11. 4 tbsp chopped basil

Directions:
Mix the beef strips with oil and garlic. Heat wok on high. Stir-fry the beef strips in batches 1 minute, removing each batch when cooked. Before returning beef strips to wok, add capsicum (sliced) and sliced mushrooms with a sprinkling of water. Stir for 2 minutes.

Return beef strips. Add curry paste, fish sauce, coconut milk, brown sugar, chopped spinach and chopped basil. Toss to heat through. Then serve with boiled rice and fresh basil leaves.
Serves 4.

Here's what I've changed:

1. We like it hot, so I use 4 tablespoons of curry paste instead of 1
2. I like garlic, so I use 3-4 crushed cloves
3. Sam doesn't eat mushrooms so I don't use them; "our" Thai restaurant uses carrots, and we like the sweetness in contrast to the heat, so I use them instead
4. I didn't like the flavor or texture of the spinach in this, so I use a sliced onion, instead
5. The basil is a great fillip, but not necessary
6. The quick-frying and removal of the beef recommended in the recipe only works if you use beef that is quite tender (and therefore expensive) to begin with. Tougher, cheaper, flavorful cuts of meat can easily be substituted but require longer, slower cooking with a little more liquid added. Its also necessary to cook the fat out of them and drain it off before adding other ingredients.
7. Tougher vegetables like carrots also take much longer to become tender than either mushrooms or spinach, and benefit from cooking a little longer and slower
8. A packaged broccoli/cabbage/carrot/cauliflower slaw/stir-fry mix is an excellent, convenient way to get a greater variety vegetables into the dish with no labor
9. This does NOT taste as good made with "light" coconut milk
10. If the dish is cooked longer and slower to allow the meat (and vegetables) to become more tender, its necessary to add more liquid. Broth and water are okay, but dilute the flavor. The best flavor is achieved by making enough sauce to allow it to reduce during cooking but still leave plenty to soak into one's rice. I decided to double the sauce ingredients while leaving the quantities of meat and vegetables as they were; even if I use leaner meat and do not require as much simmering time I have never heard a complaint from anyone in my family about the existence of "too much sauce...."

Here is the recipe that has become my curry recipe:

Annie's Out-of-the-Box Beef Curry

1. 1 1/2 pounds lean beef strips (can be from any cut of beef, but fatty and/or tough cuts will require an additional step)
2. 8 tbsp Thai red curry paste
3. 2 tbsp fish sauce
4. 2 cans unsweetened coconut milk
5. 2 tbsp vegetable oil
6. 2 tbsp Brown sugar
7. 3-4 crushed garlic cloves
8. 1 large or small onions halved and thinly sliced
9. 3 carrots peeled and cut into rounds or 1 1/2 cups slaw or stir fry mix (not frozen)
10. 4 tbsp chopped basil (optional)

1. If you are using tough or fatty meat (chuck, for example) cook with no oil over medium- high heat until all visible pink is gone, remove meat from pan with a slotted spoon, pour off fat, and return meat to pan. If you are using lean meat (almost no visible marbling) heat oil in pan over medium-high heat and cook until no visible pink remains.

2. Add onions and carrots or slaw mixture to meat and cook, stirring frequently, over medium-high heat for about 1-2 minutes. Add garlic and stir 1 more minute.

3. Add coconut milk, curry paste, fish sauce and brown sugar; stir to combine. Reduce heat to "low" and cook uncovered, stirring occasionally, until meat can be cut with the side of a fork but is not mushy. (You are looking for a texture that is firm, but not so firm that you will essentially be serving beef chewing gum). Cooking time will vary depending on the type of meat used.

5. When meat has reached desired consistency check sauce for taste and add salt or pepper if needed.

6. Serve curry over steamed or boiled rice, and garnish with fresh basil if you like.

]]> http://imagineannie.wordpress.com/2007/08/30/menu-planning-week-11/ Fri, 31 Aug 2007 03:39:27 +0000 imagineannie http://imagineannie.wordpress.com/2007/08/30/menu-planning-week-11/ This week, menu planning is complicated by a couple of factors. First, its the week school starts again for my son (huzzah!) and second, I have been asked by my parents to cook meals we can share with them three nights this week because they are both recovering from foot-related ailments that make it hard for either of them to stand and prepare food. Throw in three 5:30-7:30 football practices and a couple of evening meetings, and I'm looking at some careful planning. I still plan to stick to my usual rules: use what's fresh and in season, no more than 2 red meat meals and at least one veggie meal, and use what's on sale.

Although I had been trying to introduce a seafood meal into the mix, last week's pan-fried fish was a colossal disaster, and we are at a stand-off: Rob mostly likes fish deep fried, and I see no health benefits from eating it that way. There may be some delicious way that I can prepare fish that everyone will love it, but even on sale, its an expensive experiment. If shrimp or scallops were on sale we could have compromised (we both like either of those grilled, baked and sauteed), but there's no seafood on sale other than fish. Maybe next week. Here's what we're eating on Forest Street this week:

Sunday

Chicken Salad, Cheddar Blops and Mixed Fruit Salad

I'll make my regular chicken salad with cashews and avocadoes, unless I am inspired by some other fruit or vegetable at the Farmer's Market that would make it more interesting. The Cheddar Blops are biscuits with some sharp cheddar in them, and I'll buy whatever fruit looks good and in season at the market for salad. (I make tons and eat the leftovers with Greek Yogurt). This is will be an easy one to take to my parents' house.

Monday

Dinner at a Family Picnic; I'm Bringing a Caprese Salad

Dinner will be pretty substantial (brats in buns, corn on the cob, pie) so I'll just mix some chunked heirloom tomatoes, buffalo mozzarella, shredded basil and a little olive oil, Balsamic vinegar and kosher salt.

Tuesday

Grilled Chicken, Baked Garden Tomatoes with Cheese; Cornbread

I'll marinate the chicken with something basic and herbal before grilling. The baked tomato recipe is a new one, and, as always, I'll share if we like it. I just can't get enough tomatoes right now, and I'm dreading the day when there's nothing but the round, pink sponges from the grocery store. I make my cornbread in a cast iron skillet in the oven, and I like it un-sweet.

Wednesday

Thai Red Beef Curry, Sticky Rice and Melon

This is the curry I made Rob for his birthday, because we really loved it. I'll make it the same as I did then, using carrots and onions in place of the mushrooms and spinach. I'm also using boneless chuck steak because its on sale, but it tends to be tough, so I'll allow time for it to simmer long enough to get tender.
Thursday

Pasta with Grilled Vegetables & Feta; Grilled Peaches

A veggie meal, one we've already tried and loved, something that makes good use of seasonal veggies and the grill, and a good one to take to my parents' house.

Friday

BLTs, Baked Chips and Fruit

Tomatoes are beautiful right now, bacon's on sale this week, and there's really nothing better in the whole world. If I'm feeling expansive, I might make the bread and the mayonnaise, but these will still be delicious if I'm exhausted and I "bring out the Hellmans'" and a loaf of Pepperidge Farm sandwich bread. I'll make a batch for my folks at their house during football practice, and then come home and make ours. A milkshake might be good, too....

Saturday

Cook's Night Off

Today was Rob's birthday, and he requested a re-creation of the Thai Beef Curry he usually orders at a local restaurant. I could not find a recipe that was a match in terms of ingredients, so I found the closest recipe I could find, and adapted it. (This recipe, in its original form also appears in last Thursday's menu planning entry). I had already planned to substitute carrots, and onions for the spinach and mushrooms, but as I actually cooked the dish I made a few other changes. I also had the serendipity of hearing a recipe for a Thai Cantaloupe Salad on Lynne Rossetto Kasper's "Splendid Table" radio show, which I was able to get from the show's website. I made it, along with rice, to accompany the curry, and the birthday boy ("birthday man" just sounds strange) said it met his expectations. Whew!

Here's the curry recipe again, with the changes I made. I'm sure its delicious made "by-the-book," but I can absolutely vouch for it as I produced it tonight.

Thai Red Beef Curry Recipe

(from epicurean.com)

Ingredients:

1. 500g lean beef strips
2. 1 tbsp Thai red curry paste (I ended up using 4 tbsp to get enough heat)
3. 1 tbsp fish sauce
4. 300ml canned coconut milk (I used unsweetened, and the standard can here is 400ml which I used in its entirety)
5. 2 tbsp vegetable oil
6. 1 tbsp Brown sugar
7. 1 tsp crushed garlic
8. 1/2 red capsicum (large mild pepper)
9. 80g button mushrooms (I used about 1 cup of thin carrot rounds, instead)
10. 80g spinach (I used a medium onion halved and sliced thin)
11. 4 tbsp chopped basil

Directions:
Mix the beef strips with oil and garlic. Heat wok on high. Stir-fry the beef strips in batches 1 minute, removing each batch when cooked. Before returning beef strips to wok, add capsicum (sliced) and sliced mushrooms with a sprinkling of water. Stir for 2 minutes. (I cooked the beef, garlic, carrots, peppers and onions all together because I couldn't see how the carrots would ever get cooked, otherwise. I did not remove the beef from the pan at any point. The vegetables cooked perfectly in the time it took the meat to brown, and then I drained the fat from the pan).

Return beef strips. Add curry paste, fish sauce, coconut milk, brown sugar, chopped spinach and chopped basil. Toss to heat through. Then serve with boiled rice and fresh basil leaves.
Serves 4.

Cantaloupe Salad with Thai Basil and Chile

From Lynne's Menu for Entertaining Inspired by Lee Bailey, July 2002
By Lynne Rossetto Kasper

Serves 8

Have everything cut and ready, but mix just before serving.

1. 1 medium to large cantaloupe, peeled, seeded and cut into bite-sized chunks
2. 1 red jalapeno pepper, partially seeded and cut into small dice (I only had a greed one)
3. 2/3 cup torn Thai, Cinnamon or Spicy Globe basil leaves (regular basil can be used)
4. 3 to 4 tablespoons rice vinegar
5. Generous pinch sugar
6. Salt and pepper to taste

1. Gently combine all ingredients, tasting as you add each one. Set out in a bowl with long bamboo skewers.

2. Spear chunks of melon to eat.

1. We're having a heat wave (which is not nearly as much fun as the song would suggest)
2. Monday is my husband's birthday, and
3. Tomatoes are good right now.

Taking all of the above into account, here's what we're eating on Forest Street next week:
Sunday

Gazpacho and Panini.

The Gazpacho recipe is Mark Bittman's from How to Cook Everything, and I'll pass it on if we love it. I'll pick up all of the ingredients (except the bread) at the Farmer's Market, and turn them into cold, healthy, delicious soup. The paninini will probably be my standard good bread-smoked provolone-sliced turkey with a little mustard for kick.

Monday

Chicken Satay with Peanut Sauce, Thai Red Curry, Sticky Rice and The Carrot Cake

Monday is Rob's birthday, and he has asked me to make a beef curry he often eats at our favorite Thai Restaurant. The curry is called "Penang Neau" on the menu, and has beef and carrots in a very hot curry. We'll have the curry with sticky rice and Mark Bittman's chicken satay as an appetizer (with Melissa's Peanut Sauce), with The Carrot Cake making one of its three annual appearances in its capacity as birthday cake.

None of the recipes I found for the curry looked quite right, but I'm going to use this one, substituting Carrots and onions for the mushrooms and spinach. If anyone out there is reading this (Jaden?!) and has a recipe for Penang Neau with carrots in it, could you share? Edited to add: I have since actually made this dish, and photographs and notes about the changes that I made to the recipe are found here.

Thai Red Beef Curry Recipe

(from epicurean.com)

Ingredients:
500g lean beef strips
1 tbsp Thai red curry paste
1 tbsp fish sauce
300ml canned coconut milk
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tbsp Brown sugar
1 tsp crushed garlic
1/2 red capsicum (large mild pepper)
80g button mushrooms
80g spinach
4 tbsp chopped basil

Directions:
Mix the beef strips with oil and garlic. Heat wok on high. Stir-fry the beef strips in batches 1 minute, removing each batch when cooked.

Before returning beef strips to wok, add capsicum (sliced) and sliced mushrooms with a sprinkling of water. Stir for 2 minutes.
Return beef strips. Add curry paste, fish sauce, coconut milk, brown sugar, chopped spinach and chopped basil. Toss to heat through. Then serve with boiled rice and fresh basil leaves.
Serves 4.

Tuesday

Grilled, Marinated Chicken Breasts; Tomato, Mozzarella and Basil Salad; Rice; Blueberry Peach Crisp

Tuesday, we are supposed to be having some of our undergraduate friends to dinner, although I'll have to cancel if the gaping ceiling hole and plastic covered floor persist in the living room (especially since most of the furniture that had to be removed from the living room is shoved haphazardly into the dining room where one might, ideally, wish to feed guests). Dinner will be the same either way; I'll just turn up the volume if we're having guests. The chicken will be prepared this way, the rice will be prepared this way, and here are recipes for the salad and the dessert:

Blueberry (and/0r other fruit) Crisp

This is a very versatile dessert that shows off the fruits of summer, but also moves beautifully into fall made with apples, pears or both. My favorite way eat it is for breakfast the next morning, cold.

1. 1 cup flour
2. 3/4 cup sugar
3. 1 teaspoon baking powder
4. 3/4 teaspoon salt
5. 1 egg
6. 6 cups blueberries or cherries (pitted), sliced and peeled peaches, nectarines or apples, or any combination
7. 2 tablespoons brown sugar
8. 1/3 cup melted butter
9. 1 Teaspoon cinnamon sugar

Preheat oven to 375 and grease a 9 x 13 baking dish. Fill dish with the fruit(s) of your choice.

In a medium bowl, with combine flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and egg with a fork until the mixture resembles coarse sand with some pebbles in it. Scatter this mixture, as evenly as possible, over the fruit. Pour melted butter over the top, followed by brown sugar and cinnamon sugar. Bake for 3o minutes, and serve with ice cream.

Tomato, Mozzarella, Basil Salad

1. 4 big, ripe, red tomatoes
2. 8 ounces Buffalo Mozzarella
3. Fresh Basil
4. Olive Oil
5. Balsamic Vinegar
6. Kosher Salt

Although many restaurants (and home cooks) make lovely fans out of their tomatoes and cheese, I go for the rustic chunks. I cut the tomatoes into bite-sized chunks, cut the cheese into bite-sized chunks and mix them in a bowl with some olive oil, Balsamic vinegar and salt. Then I cut the basil into pretty strips by rolling several leaves together and slicing through the roll ( a "chiffonade") and sprinkle the cut basil over the tomatoes and mozzarella.

Wednesday

Pasta with Raw Tomato Sauce; Fruit Salad

The pasta is another Mark Bittman recipe from How to Cook Everything, and one of my favorite ways to eat tomatoes - tossed with hot pasta. I've made it before, but I think I'll wait and give you a "real" recipe after I try it out so that I know I gave proper measurements.

Thursday

Thai Peanut Chicken Stir Fry; Rice and Canteloupe

Sam said he wanted to help me make a stir-fry, and this one look good:

Thai Peanut Chicken

(from allrecipes.com)

INGREDIENTS

* 2 cups uncooked white rice
* 4 cups water
* 3 tablespoons soy sauce
* 2 tablespoons creamy peanut butter
* 2 teaspoons white wine vinegar
* 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
* 3 tablespoons olive oil
* 4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cut into thin strips
* 3 tablespoons chopped garlic
* 1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh ginger root
* 3/4 cup chopped green onions
* 2 1/2 cups broccoli florets
* 1/3 cup unsalted dry-roasted peanuts

DIRECTIONS

1. Combine the rice and water in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes, or until rice is tender. In a small bowl, stir together the soy sauce, peanut butter, vinegar, and cayenne pepper. Set aside.
2. Heat oil in a skillet or wok over high heat. Add chicken, garlic and ginger, and cook, stirring constantly, until chicken is golden on the outside, about 5 minutes.
3. Reduce heat to medium, and add green onion, broccoli, peanuts, and the peanut butter mixture. Cook, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes, or until broccoli is tender, and chicken is cooked through. Serve over rice.

Edited to add: we didn't really love this dish when I actually made it. In our collective opinion, there wasn't enough sauce, it wasn't spicy enough, the flavor wasn't very complex, and the chicken got tough with that amount of cooking.

Friday

Out to Dinner

Saturday

Out to Dinner