Singapore-Inspired Chicken and Shrimp with Rice

To download a copy of the recipe for Singapore-Inspired Chicken and Shrimp with Rice, click HERE.

There are good reasons why Singapore Chicken continues to be a popular dish throughout Southeast Asia, available everywhere from fine restaurants to street vendors: it’s exotic, doesn’t require a long time to make, and is very tasty.

This week’s recipe – Singapore-Inspired Chicken and Shrimp with Rice - differs a bit from classic Singapore Chicken in both its ingredients and its preparation. The idea was to simplify the recipe and make its ingredients friendlier to the American pantry, while still resulting in a delicious meal that’s easy to make.

So  let’s get right to it! This recipe makes 4 dinner size servings.

Here’s what you’ll need: 1 lb. boneless chicken breast; salt and pepper; garlic powder; ground ginger; oil for sauté; 1 medium onion, rough chopped; 1 cup low-sodium soy sauce; ¼ cup maple syrup; 1 cup orange juice; 1 lb. uncooked shrimp, shelled and deveined; a 20 ounce can crushed pineapple in juice; 1 green bell pepper, diced; 3 Tbsp corn starch; ¼ cup cold water; 4 cups cooked rice; thin-sliced green onions for garnish

First, we’ll brown the chicken:

Cut the chicken breast into cubes. Season the cubed chicken with salt, pepper, garlic powder and a bit of ginger. (You'll want to go easy on the salt; remember, the soy sauce you'll use to make the topping is quite salty on its own!)

Warm some oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken to the skillet and cook until browned.

While the chicken is browning, we’ll prepare the sauce:

Put the onion, soy sauce, and syrup in a blender or food processor and process until combined into a smooth sauce.

Transfer to a bowl and stir in the orange juice.

Now back to the chicken:

If there’s no oil left in the skillet after the chicken has browned (which, when I made this, there wasn't), go on to the next step. If there is still oil in the skillet after the chicken has browned, transfer the chicken to a plate, drain the oil from the skillet, and return the chicken to the pan.

Pour the sauce over the chicken.

Add the shrimp, pineapple (including juice) and green pepper.

Cover the skillet and simmer until fork tender, about 25 minutes.

While the mixture is simmering in the skillet, prepare the rice as per the directions on the package.

When the mixture has finished cooking, use slotted spoon to transfer it to a bowl, retaining the liquid in the skillet.

Measure the liquid – it should be something around three cups - and prepare a slurry of ¼ cup cold water and 1 Tbsp of corn starch per cup of liquid. Add the slurry to the pan juices.

Cook over medium-high heat, stirring constantly, until thickened (about 5 minutes.)

To serve:

Place some rice on a plate.

Place the chicken and shrimp mixture on top of the rice.

Top with sauce.

Garnish with the green onions.

To download a copy of the recipe for Singapore-Inspired Chicken and Shrimp with Rice, click HERE. 

And there you have it: an easy meal that’s delicious and saves well too!

Hope you enjoy making and eating Singapore-Inspired Chicken and Shrimp with Rice as much as I did. And be sure to stop by next week for another great-tasting, kitchen-tested treat! Till then, stay well, keep it about the food, and always remember to kiss the cook. ;-)

Landlubber Cioppino

To download a copy of the recipe for Landlubber Cioppino, click HERE.

In its original form, Cioppino was a stew made from the bounty brought to the San Francisco waterfront by returning fishing boats. Fresh-caught fish and shellfish – often served in the shell – were cooked in a tomato and wine broth and served with good bread. As this delightful meal made its way inland, catch-of-the-day often got replaced by seafood from the freezer case, but the result was still a hot delicious combination of several different fish and shellfish.

Here in Jersey City, we have a waterfront too. It’s just generally considered best not to eat most of what you might catch there. And so came the inspiration for this week’s recipe: Landlubber Cioppino. Blending shrimp, beef, chicken and sausage in a tomato and wine broth, it’s a land-based meal soup with the soul of a stew. Serve it with a good bread on the side (and a glass of the wine used to make the broth), and you’re ready to take the chill out of the coldest winter night.

Some Cook’s Notes before we begin:

• You’ll note the recipe calls for chicken drumsticks. This is an homage to the in-shell crab, mussels, etc. used to make the original Cioppino. If you prefer to use a boneless cut of chicken, feel free.

• When stewing the beef, I have to warn you: an hour and forty-five minutes of simmering an uncovered skillet of tomato-juice covered meat will spatter on your stove. Not to worry; a moist sponge takes it right off.

This recipe makes about 6 meal-size servings.

To stew the beef:

Season ¼ cup of all-purpose flour with salt and pepper.

Pat 1 to 1-1/4 lbs. of stew beef cubes dry with a paper towel. Dredge them in the flour mixture to coat, shaking off excess flour.

Heat 2 Tbsp of oil in a large skillet. Brown the beef very well on all sides, then remove to a plate.

Add enough of a 46 ounce bottle of tomato juice to cover the beef. Add 1/2 teaspoon hot sauce, 1-1/2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce, 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar, and 1 tablespoon spicy brown mustard.

Mix well, scraping up the brown bits from the bottom of the skillet, and bring to a simmer.

Simmer uncovered until the meat is fork tender, about 1-3/4 hours. Add more of the tomato juice as needed during the stewing to keep the meat covered. (If you run out of juice and need to add more liquid, water can be used.) Season with salt and pepper to taste. Set aside till needed.

While the beef is stewing:

Warm 2 Tbsp of olive oil in a grille pan over medium heat. Brown 1-1/4 lb. of turkey sausages on all sides.

Begin preheating the oven to 350 degrees.

When the sausages have finished browning, wrap in foil and set aside.

Pat the 1 to 1-1/4 lbs. of chicken drumsticks dry with a paper towel. Add a little salt. Brown them on the same grille pan you used for the sausages. (They should be well browned, but don’t have to be cooked through, since they’re going into the oven after this.)

After the drumsticks have browned in the grille pan, wrap them in foil and place in the oven for 30 minutes..

After the beef has been stewing for about an hour, warm 3 Tbsp of olive oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add 1 large diced onion to the large pot and cook till translucent.

Add 4 minced cloves of garlic and cook till fragrant, about another 30 seconds to 1 minute. Add 2 tsp salt, a 28 ounce can of diced tomatoes (including juice), ½ tsp hot sauce, 1-1/4 cup dry white wine (chardonnay or similar), 4 cups chicken stock, and 1 bay leaf. Stir to combine.

Cover the large pot, bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer. Simmer covered for 30 minutes.

While the soup liquid is cooking, slice the sausages into 1-1/2” pieces.

After the soup liquid has finished simmering, add the browned chicken, browned beef, browned sausage, 1 lb. uncooked shrimp (shelled and deveined), ½ tsp dried oregano, ½ tsp dried thyme, ½ tsp dried basil, and 2 Tbsp dried parsley.

Bring to a boil, then simmer uncovered for an additional five minutes until the shrimp is cooked through.

Divide into bowls, making sure every portion gets all four types of protein. Serve with a good bread and a glass of the chardonnay you used to make the soup liquid.

To download a copy of the recipe for Landlubber Cioppino, click HERE.

Now that should keep you warm this winter!

 

That’s it for this week. Please visit again next week for another kitchen-tested, home-cook friendly recipe. Till then, stay well, keep it about the food, and always remember to kiss the cook. ;-)

Shrimp on Corn Pudding with Buttermilk White Sauce

To download a copy of the recipe for Shrimp on Corn Pudding with Buttermilk White Sauce, click HERE. 

If you’ve never heard of corn pudding before, you might be tempted to think it must be a dessert item. As it happens, corn pudding is an easy, versatile side dish made with corn and eggs, a great gift from our friends in the south.

In this week’s recipe, we’ll make a meal out of our corn pudding by adding some brined shrimp and topping it off with a buttermilk white sauce. In the photo at the top, I’ve added oven fried green tomatoes – a healthier take on another southern classic – as a side dish. You can see that recipe at Oven Fried Green Tomatoes, and can download a copy of the recipe by clicking HERE.

This recipe makes six servings.

We’ll start by brining our shrimp.

Combine ½ cup kosher salt; 2 crushed bay leaves; and the juice of ½ lemon (about 1 Tbsp) with two quarts of water. Place 1-1/2 pounds of peeled, uncooked shrimp in the liquid and let brine for about 30 minutes. Drain well when done.

While the shrimp are brining, we’ll start our corn pudding batter.

Heat a little olive oil and butter substitute in a large sauté pan and sauté 4 cups of corn; ¾ cup of finely chopped onion; and ¾ cup of finely chopped red pepper. (Fresh corn is best, but frozen will work if fresh is not available. If you do use frozen, be sure you thaw and dry the corn before putting it in the pan to sauté.) When done, set the sautéed vegetables aside to cool.

Begin preheating the oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl, combine ¾ cup corn meal (fine grain or medium, not coarse); 1 Tbsp sugar; 1 tsp kosher salt; ¾ tsp fresh ground black pepper; 2 tsp dried parsley; 1 tsp dried oregano; and 1 tsp dried thyme.

In a separate bowl, whisk together 1 cup reduced-fat buttermilk; ¼ cup melted butter substitute; 4 egg-substitute eggs; and 2 Tbsp hot sauce.

Add the cooled corn mixture to the dry ingredients and stir to combine.

Add the egg mixture to the corn mixture and mix till combined.

Divide the corn mixture into two 9” pie pans that were lightly sprayed with cooking spray.

Sprinkle a little Panko on top of each corn pudding mixture.

Bake the corn puddings until golden and a knife inserted halfway between the center and the edge comes out clean, about 45 minutes.

While the corn pudding is baking, we can cook the shrimp.

Sauté the brined shrimp until both sides are cooked. Set aside when done.

While the corn puddings finish baking, make the buttermilk white sauce as follows:

In the same sauté pan, melt 1-1/2 Tbsp of butter substitute. Add 3 Tbsp of all-purpose flour and stir to combine.

Cook over a low heat for about 1 minute till a slightly browned roux forms.

Gradually add 1 cup of buttermilk, stirring constantly, until a thickened sauce forms.

Add 1 tsp dried parsley; ¼ tsp dried dill; ½ tsp kosher salt; pinch of garlic powder; and a pinch fresh ground black pepper and stir till combined. Remove from the heat.

To serve:

After the corn pudding has finished baking and has rested for about 10 minutes, top with the cooked shrimp.

Cut each pie pan into three equal portions for a total of six portions, and top the shrimp and corn pudding with some of the white sauce. Serve warm or hot with a vegetable side dish.

To download a copy of the recipe for Shrimp on Corn Pudding with Buttermilk White Sauce, click HERE.

You’ll also probably like knowing the leftovers save very well too!

Hope you enjoy this twist on a great traditional southern comfort food! And that you’ll visit again next week for another delicious, home cooking recipe! Till then, stay well, keep it about the food, and always remember to kiss the cook. ;-)