Asian Chicken Skewers and Cold Noodles
I love, love, love Asian food. Living in Chicago gave me that – Indian, Lebanese, Thai, Vietnamese, Japanese, and Korean food all came into my life during my four-plus years in the Windy City.
The only variety of Asian food I’m not wild about is Ameri-Chinese. You know, the uber-salty, sauce-drenched, deep fried psuedo-Chinese food available at the all-you-can-eat buffet in your local strip mall. The last time I had “Chinese” food of that ilk, I blew up like a balloon from all the salt. I haven’t eaten it since. Plus, I once had a roommate who had lived in China, and she cooked Chinese cuisine, so I’ve experienced the real thing. Living with Sarah was a cultural experience in itself, and was a revelation in that it taught me my first lesson about the Americanization of food. Simply, Ameri-Chinese food and authentic Chinese food are not equals.
For a long time, I was too intimidated to try cooking Asian food myself. Too many foreign spices and strange ingredients. But of late, I’ve gotten adventurous. I think it began when I discovered that The Joy of Cooking has a recipe for Pad Thai, one of my very favorite meals. I’ve discovered that cooking Asian is a matter of having a handful of ingredients on hand – sesame oil, rice vinegar, soy sauce, fish sauce, ginger, fresh herbs – the rest is just cooking: chop, stir, marinate, saute, whatever.
The second recipe below is my favorite of the two: cold Asian noodles. But then, I seem to love anything that involves rice noodles. Basically, this is an Asian-style pasta salad made with rice noodles and crisp vegetables, seasoned Thai-style with lime juice and fresh herbs. I could eat it on its own, but of course, Eli would ask me “Where’s the rest of the meal?” So I serve it alongside the chicken skewers below, which are marinated in a mixture of soy sauce, honey, lime juice, and seasonings, then roasted in the oven, broiled, or grilled. The Asian flavors blend together nicely. Makes a yummy dinner for four or dinner for two, times two!
Asian Chicken Skewers
Two pounds chicken breast tenderloins, trimmed of any excess fat
1/2 cup soy sauce
1 tablespoon honey
2 tablespoons sesame oil
1 teaspoon ginger
3 cloves garlic, minced fine or pressed
Place all ingredients in a ziploc bag. Seal, pressing out all the air. Chicken should be completely surrounding by marinade. Refrigerate 1/2 to 1 hour.
Preheat the oven (400 degrees), broiler, or grill. Drain chicken, and thread onto skewers (metal or wood skewers will work fine). I manage to fit several tenderloins on a single skewer by weaving the skewer back and forth through the meat, like a ribbon.
If roasting, place on a foil-lined baking sheet. Cook 10-15 minutes, turning once, and checking for doneness. *Skewers cooked under the broiler or on the grill will take less time – watch them carefully to avoid overcooking.
Cold Asian Noodles
14-ounce package rice stick noodles: place in a bowl, and cover with boiling water. Let rest 30 minutes, or until tender. Drain, and rinse or submerge in cold water until chilled. Drain again.
For the dressing, whisk together:
Juice of 1 lime
1/4 cup seasoned rice vinegar
1 teaspoon ginger
2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
1 tablespoon honey
2 teaspoons sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (more if you like it spicy/hot)
Toss noodles and dressing together with:
1 small carrot, grated
1 small cucumber, seeded and chopped
3-4 scallions (green onions), sliced very thin
1/4 cup peanuts, chopped
Handful either fresh cilantro or fresh Thai basil, chopped
Enjoy!
yummy! thanks for the recipe!