*GUEST ENTREE ENTRY*
Stir Fry Ingredients
2 tbsp wok oil
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 tsp raw ginger, crushed
1 tbsp soy sauce
6 cups shredded cabbage blend with carrots
1 red bell pepper, julienne slices
~9 hollow parts of green onions in 5-10mm diagonal cuts
Salt to season
Heat 1 tbsp of wok oil. Add garlic and ginger and stir until
aromatic. Add red bell pepper and stir for a few minutes until somewhat
softened. Add cabbage, 1 tbsp wok oil, and soy sauce. Stirring occasionally
until cabbage starts to wilt. Add green onions and salt to season. Stir until
preferred stir fry texture.
Fried Chicken Ingredients
1lb boneless, skinless chicken thighs, 1" cubes
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup flour
1 tsp ground pepper
1 tsp salt
1 pint reusable vegetable oil
Heat 1 pint of vegetable oil on medium-high heat (to what I
would call "deep frying temperature"). Mix together flour, salt, and
pepper in bread bag or Ziplock bag. Dunk chicken cubes in eggs. Then place wet
chicken cubes into flour (~6-8 pieces at a time). Shake to coat and then place
raw coated chicken on a plate. Continue until all the chicken is coated in
flour. Drop 10-14 pieces of chicken in hot oil. Allow the pieces to turn light
brown before flipping over (to keep the breading intact). Allow to cook through
(like 5 minutes). Transfer out with a slotted spoon to another plate lined with
paper towels to soak up the grease.
Pineapple Sauce Ingredients
1 cup water
1 tbsp soy sauce
1/2 cup pineapple white balsamic vinegar
Juice (only) from one can of 8oz Dole pineapple rings in
juice
1 tsp raw ginger, crushed
2/3 cup brown sugar
1 tsp corn starch
2 cups pineapple chunked into small/medium bite-size pieces
Toasted sesame seeds
Bring water, soy sauce, vinegar, and juice to a simmer. Add ginger
and continue to simmer until aromatic. Add brown sugar and continue to simmer.
Add 1 tsp of corn starch and bring to a low boil for about 5 minutes. Reduce
heat to check consistency (add more corn starch if desired). Add pineapple
chunks to sauce on low heat. Add fried chicken as prepared above to sauce. I
brought it back to a boil to burn off any extra water to thicken the sauce a
little more without adding more corn starch. Then reduce. Sprinkle with sesame
seeds.
Verdict
Since I couldn't find a recipe to follow/tweak, this was a true
experiment. By combining previous techniques from my Clementine Chicken recipe
and new ideas from reading through a bunch of recipes that just weren't what I
was looking for, I have come up with something quite grand. Also, we picked up
copious amounts of pineapple white balsamic vinegar and wok oil at Olive &
Vinegar in Greenville a couple
weekends ago; I was determined to do something with it. Overall, I am quite
pleased with this meal. The sauce could have stood to be just a little thicker, but I'm always overly cautious of adding too
much corn starch (because I have definitely ruined a meal or two by doing
that). So, I was fine with it for how it turned out, especially after it cooled
down. Also, I had no idea how long each of the 3 components were going to take
to cook, so I started all 3 at the same time. The sauce and chicken took about
the same time, but the cabbage stir fry could have waited at least 10 minutes
after I started on the other two. By multitasking, I created a huge mess, but
it was well worth it!
