Asian Style Pulled Chicken Salad

Ingredients:

1/2 small roasted chicken or 2 roasted chicken legs

1/3 red cabbage, cored and finely sliced

1 carrot, grated or finely shredded

1/2 spring onion, finely sliced on the diagonal

1/2 red chili, halved and thinly sliced

Handful fresh coriander, roughly chopped, including stalks

Handful fresh baby spinach 

2 heaped tbsp roasted salted peanuts

Dressing

1 tbsp teriyaki sauce

1 tbsp soy sauce

1 tbsp sesame oil

1 teaspoon ginger syrup

juice from half a lime

salt&pepper

*

She got inspired by a recipe found on BBC food website which she wanted to try out immediately as it sounded like a perfect meal to eat in early summer days. She roasted a whole chicken for about 70 minutes on 180 degrees Celsius seasoned by salt, ground pepper, nutmeg and paprika with knob of butter and water by herself but one can of course buy the chicken already roasted. The boyfriend helped to pull the meat and shred it. Prepare the dressing by simply whisking all the ingredients together. She extra-roasted the peanuts and the already pulled chicken meat as well to make it a bit crispier, but this is an alternative step. Cut your vegetables, mix with dressing and set aside on a plate. Add fresh coriander, sprinkle with peanuts, chilies and chicken meat. Alternatively serve with bread, noodles or rice as per your preference.

Bon Appetit!

Asian Style Salad with Salmon

Ingredients:

1/2 ciabatta or stale bread

300 g cooked or baked salmon fillets

leftover salmon skin (optional)

bunch of green beans, cooked

1/2 cucumber, cored and sliced

bunch of radishes, sliced

2 gem lettuces

1 apple - gala or pink lady type

1/2 fresh red chili pepper

1 tbsp sesame oil

1 tbsp ginger syrup

1 teaspoon ginger paste or fresh grounded ginger

1 tbsp white wine vinegar

1 tbsp low-salt soy sauce

salt

*

She saw this salad on cooking show with Jamie Oliver and immediately wanted to try it out. It came out delicious and even the boyfriend approved even though he is not a salad lover and doesn't usually eat the skin. Start up by preparing your croutons. Rip the bread into large rustic croutons or chop into 2 cm chunks, drizzle with olive oil and place on a tray in the oven for around 10 minutes, or until golden and crispy (if you’ve got any salmon skin left over, pop it in with the croutons to crisp up). Bake your salmon fillets along if you don't have it cooked already.  Meanwhile, boil the beans in a pan of boiling salted water for around 6 minutes if using fresh, or just a couple of minutes if using frozen, until tender. Drain and allow to cool for a minute. Peel the ginger and finely grate into a bowl with the chili. Add the sesame oil or alternatively olive oil, vinegar, ginger syrup and soy sauce, mix together and put to one side. Halve the cucumber length-ways, scrape out the watery core, then dice, halve the radishes, cut the lettuces into erratic chunks, finely slice the apples on a mandolin or by hand using really good knife skills, and put it all into a nice serving bowl with the crispy croutons and salmon skin (if using). Add the beans to the salad and flake in the salmon. Drizzle the dressing over everything, toss together really well, and serve straight away. Serve with extra bread if you like.

Bon Appetit!

Udon Noodles With Asparagus and Beef Strips

Ingredients:

250 g lean beef fillet

1 small pack fresh asparagus

8 radishes 

1/2 pack udon noodles 

Sauce:

60 ml soy sauce

1 tbsp fresh lime juice

1 tbsp sesame oil 

1 teaspoon fresh ginger, rasped 

1 teaspoon sesame seeds, plain or smoked 

salt&pepper 

*

For those who like to experiment with Asian cuisine, this may be a simple and tasty meal to try out.

Start out by cooking the asparagus al dente. Cut the radish and cooked asparagus and put into a bowl. Put the udon noodles into sauce pan with salted boiling water and cook until soft, this should take about 8-10 minutes. Drain the water and let cool off. Prepare the sauce by mixing all ingredients together. Put noodles into the bowl with prepared vegetables and add the sauce. Stir together.

Now the main focus is on the beef meat that should be tender and a bit pink inside. To ensure the best result, take the steak out of the fridge a minimum of 15 minutes before cooking. Brush both sides of the steak with olive oil, season the steak with sea salt & black pepper to taste, place the steak into the pan, try to avoid turning the steak too much. Ideally, you should only flip it once. Don't poke it with a fork or knife as it will put holes in it and allow the juices to seep out. When your steak is cooked, take it from the pan and place on a warmed plate or wrap in aluminium foil, allow the steak to rest for about 4 minutes. Cut into slices and place onto noodles. Sprinkle with sesame seeds.

Bon Appetit!

Thai Style Coconut Chicken Noodle Soup

Ingredients:

1/2 pack (150 g) skinless, boneless chicken thighs, cut into stripes

1/2 pack (75 g) oyster mushrooms, cut into stripes

1/2 can unsweetened coconut milk 

1 nest of noodles

3 cups chicken broth (1/2 bouillon cube)

1 tbsp fish sauce 

1 tbsp sugar 

1stalk fresh lemongrass

1/2 chili pepper

Small piece of ginger, peeled 

5 kaffir lime leaves or 1 tbsp lime zest and ¼ cup lime juice 

Bunch of fresh coriander leaves, chopped

salt

*

Cooking this soup was a true senses experience. The beautiful exotic scents of lemongrass and lime, the sweet and spicy taste, the texture and vibrant color palette, all together was a perfection. This became one of her favorite dishes of all times.

 Using the back of a knife or mortar stick, lightly smash lemongrass and ginger; cut lemongrass into 4 pieces. Bring lemongrass, chili, ginger, lime leaves, and broth to a boil in a large saucepan. Reduce heat and simmer until flavors melt, 8–10 minutes. Strain broth into clean saucepan; get rid of the solid parts.

Add chicken and return to a boil. Reduce heat, add mushrooms and simmer, skimming occasionally, until chicken is cooked through and mushrooms are soft for about 15-20 minutes, add noodles for the last cca 5 minutes. Mix in coconut milk, fish sauce, and sugar. At the end season with salt, throw in chopped coriander and a bit of lime juice.

Divide soup among bowls. Serve with lime wedges.

Bon Appetit!

Recipe altered from BonAppetit.

Mango And Cucumber Salad

Ingredients:

Handful arugula leaves

50 g ripe mango, cut into thin slices

1/3 cucumber, peels cut into thin slices

1/3 carrot, peels cut into thin slices

30 g feta cheese

1 teaspoon of coconut paste

Juice from half a lime

1 tbsp olive oil

salt&pepper

*

Try this amazing exotic salad in warmer days. The sweetness of the mango with saltiness of the cheese and spice kick of the arugula create a lovely taste palette. Just cut the cucumber, mango and carrot into thin long slices. Create dressing my mixing the coconut paste with lime juice, olive oil, salt and pepper.  Pour onto the vegetables slices, mix nicely together along with arugula. Serve on a plate and sprinkle with feta cheese or semi soft goat's cheese.

Bon Appetit!

Carrot And Coconut Soup With Roasted Almond Flakes

Ingredients:

1/2 can coconut milk (cca 100 ml)

1 big carrot, peeled and chopped

1 tbsp spicy sweet and sour curry sauce

1 teaspoon butter

1/4 cube chicken bouillon

pinch of chili powder

handful almond flakes

salt&pepper

*

And the exotic taste continues. When she saw the soup on Anna's blog, she immediately wanted to try it out.  She made her own intake of the recipe and this is how she came up with an super fast, easy and certainly interesting soup version. Melt the butter in a saucepan, throw in the chopped carrot, roast for a little while, pour about three cups of water over and bring to boil. Add the chicken bouillon and cook until carrots are soft, afterwards pour in coconut milk, the sweet and sour curry sauce, season with salt and pepper and a bit more chili powder if you like it hot. Roast the almond flakes either on separate pan or in the oven. Put soup aside and mix with blender or immersion mixer until soft. Serve soup with the toasted almonds.

Bon Appetit!

Thai Style Chicken Curry With Stewed Broccoli

Ingredients:

200-300 g chicken breast, diced

1 head broccoli
1 cup basmati rice
200 ml coconut milk
2 tbsp almond flakes
Bunch of fresh coriander leaves, finely chopped
1 tbsp fresh lime juice
1 tbsp olive oil
1 teaspoon curry powder or paste
1/3 fresh chili pepper, without core and seeds, chopped
salt&pepper
*

Who doesn't like a bit of Thai, right? All the beautiful exotic smells and tastes come together in this easy dish. Boil the rice with a pinch of salt for circa 8 minutes until water almost evaporates, cover the pot with a lid and let rest for another 10 minutes. Boil the broccoli divided into smaller florets al dente and put aside. Warm the olive oil in a sauce pan, add chicken cut in pieces, fry for a bit and afterwards pour the coconut milk over and let simmer until chicken is cooked and soft. During this process, add the spices, lime juice, salt and pepper along with almond flakes. Keep the coriander for last as well as the cooked broccoli florets so that they won't cook until too soft. Serve with rice.
Bon Appetit!

Asian Noodle Soup With Prawns

Ingredients:

1 package tiger prawns, peeled and pre-boiled

1/2 package Asian noodles

1 l chicken broth

1 medium carrot, sliced

1/2 medium leek, sliced

1 tbsp butter

2 sticks lemon grass, whole

20 g fresh ginger, whole

1 chili pepper

Bunch of fresh coriander leaves

salt&pepper

*

For soup lovers that enjoy rich and various flavors, perfect option to the classical chicken broth:

Melt the butter in a sauce pan and add vegetables. Cook for a short while and pour the chicken broth over. When boiling, put the lemon grass, chili pepper and ginger inside along with salt and pepper. Don't forget to pound the lemon grass first so that the aroma gets out more intensely. Once broth cooked sufficiently, take the lemon grass, chili pepper and ginger out. Lower the heat and add noodles and prawns, cook for a bit until noodles are soft. At the end, add finely chopped fresh coriander.

Bon Appetit!

Recipe inspired by Výpečky.