Wolf's Den

Yeah, so I'm late. Between stressing over Max and accidentally leaving a few ingrediants off my grocery list, as well as running out of time, well, I didn't get it made by the Reveal date.

I did, however, make it yesterday. And man is it good. Besides, it gave me a chance to look over my bowls and realise that I needed to work on my bowl collection now, since I have well over 2 dozen various plates, after all. Heh. I added 6 bowls to my plating collection, with at least 4 more that I want to get. *headdesk*

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.





Ok, so this is a quick, bare bones type of post. Sorry.



This is the basics. The spices, the broth (unless, of course, you choose to make homemade. Again, time constraints and dealing with a sick cat kinda made it so I didn't have that time.), I used bean thread noodles cause that's what I had on hand, the fish sauce that I forgot the first time around, same with the Hoisin sauce. I also did not use bean sprouts, as neither of us like them. I was going to use mushrooms, but... I forgot.}:/

Not pictured are the condiments I suppose they're called- the carrot shreds, the sliced onion, the snow pea pods, the sugar snap peas, the lime wedges, the chili pepper slices, the fresh cilantro and the spring onions. Oh, and the chicken.



First, you toast the spices- whole star anise, whole cloves and whole coriander. I know a few Daring Cooks added pieces of cinnamon and whole black peppercorns to theirs as well. Let me just say, as these toasted, they smelled wonderful. Made me want to put some in a pan of water to simmer on the stove for hours at a time.

Be careful as you toast your spices, as they can go from nicely toasted to burned in mere seconds. So stay with them and stir them often. Trust me.



This is the broth I used. In hindsight, I think I'll take a day and make up LOTS of homemade stock. While this was good broth, it simply did not clear out as much as I had hoped it would.}:/ Now, I'm not saying MY homemade would clear out any better, cause knowing my luck? It wouldn't. LOL.



So, put the broth in a large pan, and add your toasted spices.




Then I took a good sized chunk of fresh ginger, quartered it, and smashed it with my knife. Into the pan it went. I also peeled, and quartered a small red onion, for added flavor. It also went into the pan.



Since it was just the two of us, I used chicken tenderloin pieces. Basically, just boneless strips of white chicken. After bringing the broth/spices mix up to a slow boil, I added the chicken, a piece at a time and stirred carefully. Then brought it all up to a nice steady boil for a bit. Then, as I salivated over the sheer delicious SMELL, reduced the heat and let simmer for 20 minutes. Give or take.




After 20 or so minutes, I removed the chicken pieces, cooled them and broke them into pieces. Set it aside in the fridge. I may or may not have sampled several pieces. *looks askance*



I strained the broth through my fine mesh gold strainer. The same one I use when I make homemade liqueors. Yes, ALCOHOL. You know, Blackberry Cordial, Raspberry Cordial, Blueberry Cordial, that sort of thing. Somewhere in here is a post with lots of recipes. Go look for them. *nods sagely*

Then I set it in the fridge in the hopes it would clear out/separate more, by the time Mark got home from work. Well, it DIDN'T. Hmph.




A few minutes before Mark got home, I boiled some water, and poured it over the bean threads. This is what they look like when softened/cooked. I originally used them back when I made Summer Rolls (again, there's a recipe here somewhere) this past spring. They're good, although rather plain.}:P



The verdict? Very good. The broth, despite not being clear, was very flavorful. The Sriracha chili sauce (which we keep in the house) and the Hooisin sauce (which will now be kept on hand) definitely added extra layers of flavor to the dish as a whole.

Mark says though, next time, just make soup. LOL. This would be great for a lunch party, honestly, with a dining room table to set the condiments in the center so everyone can help themselves.

Overall, we did enjoy it. And I have enough broth left for a second time.}:P

Thanks, Jaden!


THE RECIPE(S)
Variations – Pho:

1. You like: chicken, beef, pork, seafood or vegetarian/vegan.

2. There is no variation allowed with regard to seasoning. You must use the spices listed in the recipe and they must be toasted. (Only leeway here is if you cannot use the spices for health/dietary reasons.) *Note: Use same spices as listed in the chicken Pho recipe for pork, seafood and vegetarian/vegan variations. The beef variation lists it’s unique spices in the recipe.


Equipment:

• Frying pan
• Large stockpot
• Tongs
• Strainer, sieve or colander
• Bowls for serving

Preparation Time: 45 cooking time + 15 minutes to cook noodles based on package directions

Servings: Makes 4 servings

Ingredients:

For the Chicken Pho Broth:
2 tbsp. whole coriander seeds
4 whole cloves
2 whole star anise
2 quarts (2 liters/8 cups/64 fluid ounces) store-bought or homemade chicken stock
1 whole chicken breast (bone in or boneless)
½ onion
1 3-inch (7.5 cm) chunk of ginger, sliced and smashed with side of knife
1 to 2 tbsps. sugar
1 to 2 tbsps. fish sauce

1 lb. (500 grams/16 ounces) dried rice noodles (about ¼ inch/6 mm wide)

Accompaniments:

2 cups (200 grams/7 ounces) bean sprouts, washed and tails pinched off
Fresh cilantro (coriander) tops (leaves and tender stems)
½ cup (50 grams/approx. 2 ounces) shaved red onions
½ lime, cut into 4 wedges
Sriracha chili sauce
Hoisin sauce
Sliced fresh chili peppers of your choice

Directions:

1.To make the Chicken Pho Broth: heat a frying pan over medium heat. Add the coriander seeds, cloves and star anise and toast until fragrant, about 3-4 minutes. Immediately spoon out the spices to avoid burning.
2.In a large pot, add all the ingredients (including the toasted spices) and bring to a boil.
3.Reduce the heat to medium-low and let simmer for 20 minutes, skimming the surface frequently.
4.Use tongs to remove the chicken breasts and shred the meat with your fingers, discarding the bone if you have used bone-in breasts.
5.Taste the broth and add more fish sauce or sugar, if needed. Strain the broth and discard the solids.
6.Prepare the noodles as per directions on the package.
7.Ladle the broth into bowls. Then divide the shredded chicken breast and the soft noodles evenly into each bowl.
8.Have the accompaniments spread out on the table. Each person can customize their own bowl with these ingredients.


Challenge #2: Chocolate Wontons Note- I did NOT do this one, it was not required, and well, my creativity was severely lacking at the time.
Recipe Source: Jaden of Steamy Kitchen from her new book The Steamy Kitchen Cookbook.


Variations – Chocolate Wontons:

1. Can be shaped any way you want, not just triangles as pictured. Can even be layered like napoleons.

2. Can be filled with your choice of filling, doesn’t have to be chocolate. But the fillings and final wonton must be SWEET - these are DESSERT wontons - to be eligible for a chance to win a book.

Equipment:

• Small bowl
• Pastry brush
• Plastic wrap and/or damp paper towels
• Wok or medium-sized pot
• Frying thermometer (if you don’t have a thermometer, you can test the oil temperature by dropping in a cube of bread … if it browns quickly, the oil is ready)

Preparation time: 15 minutes + 15 minutes cooking time (for 12 wontons)

Servings: Makes 12 wontons.

Ingredients:

1 large egg
1 tbsp. water
12 wonton wrappers, defrosted (keep wrappers covered with damp towel)
12 pieces or nuggets of chocolate (use any type of chocolate you like)
High-heat oil for frying (i.e., vegetable oil, corn oil)
Confectioners’ sugar (icing sugar) for sprinkling

Directions:

1.In a small bowl, whisk together the egg and water to make an egg wash.
2.On a clean, dry surface lay 1 wonton wrapper down with a point toward you, like a diamond.
3.Place 1 piece of chocolate near the top end of the wrapper.
4.Brush a very thin layer of the egg wash on the edges of the wrapper.
5.Fold the bottom corner of the wrapper up to create a triangle and gently press to remove all air from the middle. Press the edges to adhere the sides. Make sure the wrapper is sealed completely.
6.Repeat with the remaining wrappers and chocolate pieces.
7.Keep the folded chocolate wontons covered under plastic wrap or a damp paper towel to prevent them from drying.
8.In a wok or medium pot, pour in 2 inches (5 cm.) of high-heat oil.
9.Heat the oil to 350º F (180º C) and gently slide a few of the chocolate wontons into the hot oil. Make sure you don’t crowd the chocolate wontons.
10.Fry the wontons for 1 ½ minutes, then flip over and fry another minute until both sides are golden brown and crisp.