Fried Rice with Sunny-Side Up Egg

Ingredients

Mise en Place

Canola oil

1 small onion, thinly slices

1 medium carrot, julienned

1-inch piece(s) fresh ginger, grated or finely chopped

2 clove(s) garlic, smashed and finely chopped

4 scallions, whites and greens, cut on the bias

1/2 pound(s) ham, cut into 1/4-inch dice

1 cup(s) frozen shelled edamame, thawed

1/2 bunch(es) fresh cilantro, some leaves left whole for garnish and the rest finely chopped

4 cup(s) white rice, cooked and cooled

1/4 cup(s) soy sauce

2 tablespoon(s) rice wine vinegar

1-2 tablespoon(s) sambal oelek or Asian chili paste, optional

1 large egg, per person

Directions

Coat a large sauté pan generously with canola oil (it is FRIED rice) and toss in the onion and carrot; bring the pan to medium-high heat. Cook for 6 to 7 minutes, stirring frequently.

Stir in the ginger, garlic, and scallion whites and cook for 1 minute more.

Toss in the ham, edamame, and chopped cilantro and increase the heat to high.

Add the rice to the pan and stir to combine, then let sit and get a little crunchy on the bottom. Toss occasionally, but be sure to give it a chance to get a little crispy, 3 to 4 minutes, and then repeat — resist the urge to stir it too much or it will just get soggy.

In a small bowl, combine the soy sauce, rice wine, and sambal, if using and add it to the rice, cooking over high heat, 1 to 2 minutes.

Meanwhile, coat a medium nonstick sauté pan lightly with canola oil, add the eggs, and bring to medium heat. Cook the eggs until the whites are cooked through but the yolks are soft and runny, 3 to 4 minutes.

Transfer the rice to serving plates and top each with an egg, a sprinkle of the whole cilantro leaves, and scallion greens.

Chicken and White Bean Salad

Ingredients

1 clove(s) (medium) garlic

1/4 teaspoon(s) salt

5 tablespoon(s) extra-virgin olive oil

6 tablespoon(s) fresh orange juice, plus more to taste

1/4 cup(s) white-wine vinegar or red-wine vinegar

1 tablespoon(s) Dijon mustard

1 can(s) (15-ounce) cannellini or other white beans, rinsed and drained

2 1/2 cup(s) diced cooked chicken breast

2 cup(s) (about 2 small) diced zucchini and/or summer squash

1/4 cup(s) finely diced ricotta salata, halloumi (see Shopping Tip)

1 cup(s) coarsely chopped fresh basil, plus whole basil leaves for garnish

Salt, to taste, optional

Freshly ground pepper, to taste, optional

2 cup(s) torn escarole or romaine lettuce

Directions

To prepare vinaigrette: Peel the garlic and smash with the side of a chef's knife. Using a fork, mash the garlic with 1/4 teaspoon salt in a small bowl to form a coarse paste. Whisk in 5 tablespoons oil. Add 6 tablespoons orange juice, vinegar, and mustard; whisk until well blended. Taste and whisk in up to 4 tablespoons more juice to mellow the flavor; season with more salt, if desired. Set aside at room temperature.

To prepare salad: Combine beans, chicken, zucchini (and/or summer squash), celery, cheese, and sun-dried tomatoes (if using) in a large bowl until well blended. Add chopped basil and 3/4 cup vinaigrette; toss until combined. Taste and season with salt and/or pepper, if desired.

Toss the remaining vinaigrette with escarole (or romaine) and radicchio in a medium bowl. Serve the salad on the greens, garnished with fresh basil leaves.

Tangy Spicy Grilled Chicken

Ingredients

1/2 cup(s) finely chopped red onion

1/4 cup(s) honey

1/4 cup(s) cayenne pepper sauce

1 tablespoon(s) cider vinegar

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1 (3- to 3 1/2-pound) cut-up chicken (8 pieces)

Directions

Prepare outdoor grill for covered direct grilling on medium.

In a large bowl, stir onion, honey, cayenne pepper sauce, and cider vinegar. Set aside. Sprinkle 1/2 teaspoon each salt and freshly ground black pepper all over chicken. Place on grill, skin side down. Cover and cook 15 to 20 minutes or until juices run clear when chicken is pierced with tip of knife, turning over once. (Smaller pieces will cook more quickly.)

Immediately after chicken is cooked, transfer to bowl with sauce. Toss until evenly coated. Serve.

Spicy Kerala Mango Pickle Recipe

KERALA-STYLE INSTANT MANGO PICKLE RECIPE

Preparation time: 30 minutes

Cooking time: 5 minutes

Makes 2 cups

Recipe source: Amma

INGREDIENTS

2 cups of raw mangoes, with skin, cut into cubes

2 tbsp of salt (you may need to adjust this)

1/4 cup of oil

2.5 tsp of black mustard seeds (kaduku)

1/2 tsp of fenugreek seeds (uluva)

2 strands of curry leaves

2-3 tsp of red chilli powder

2 tsp of vinegar (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Add salt to the cut mango pieces and set aside for 20-30 mins. kerala mango pickle-instant mango pickle-manga curry

2. Combine 2 tsp mustard seeds and fenugreek seeds together... kerala mango pickle-instant mango pickle-manga curry-2

... and powder it together. You can make it a finer powder or leave it a bot coarse like I did. kerala mango pickle-instant mango pickle-manga curry-3

3. Heat oil in a pan and add the mustard seeds. When they pop, turn off the flame and add the powdered mustard+fenugreek. kerala mango pickle-instant mango pickle-manga curry-5

4. Quickly follow with the chilli powder and curry leaves and stir vigorously for 5 seconds. kerala mango pickle-instant mango pickle-manga curry-6

5. Tip in the salted mangoes and mix well, adding salt and vinegar (if using). kerala mango pickle-instant mango pickle-manga curry-7 Pin on Pinterest

The entire mixture will come together in the residual heat of the pan. That's it! The mango pickle is ready. kerala mango pickle-instant mango pickle-manga curry-8

Let it sit in the same pan until completely cooled and then transfer to a dry glass jar. Store refrigerated and use up within a week. Always use a dry spoon to serve the pickle.

Notes: You can make customizations to this pickle by adding 1/2 powdered jaggery, a few garlic cloves, green chillies instead of red chilli powder (my favourite!), etc I generally add the vinegar if the mangoes are not sour enough. It also helps to preserve the pickle longer. I didn't add any for this batch Leave the skin of the mangoes on, especially if they are too sour, otherwise the pickle will become mushy and too sour Adjust chilli powder and salt to your preference. Don't be stingy on the salt though, it acts as a preservative. Also, if you like a fiery red pickle but not the heat, add Kashmiri chilli powder like I did Take care not to burn the spices, that's why we turn the heat off adter initially heating the pan well