Vietnamese-Style Lemongrass Chicken

This is adapted from Donna Hay's recipe from her magazine.

We did this on the barbeque, and found it a fantastic flavour - note that some charring is acceptable.  I've listed how we serve this chicken, but this chicken can be used in a variety of recipes.

Main

• 2 stalks of lemongrass, chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic, chopped
• 1/4 cup dark soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons fish sauce
• 8x 120g chicken thigh fillets, trimmed

1. Place the lemongrass and garlic in a small food processor, and process until finely chopped.
2. Place in a bowl with the soy, sugar, fish sauce, and chicken.
3. Toss well to coat, then cover and leave to marinate in the refrigerator for an hour.
4. Heat a char grill or barbeque over high heat, and cook the chicken for 2-3 minutes each side (basting with the marinade) or until cooked through.
5. Slice and serve with the dipping sauce, a green salad, and steamed rice.

Dipping Sauce

• 1/2 cup hoisin sauce
• 1/3 cup rice vinegar
• 2 cloves of garlic, crushed
• 2 small chillies, sliced
• 1/3 cup peanuts, roasted and chopped

1. Place the ingredients in a non-metallic bowl, and stir to combine.

Note: We spoon this sauce over the chicken, but can be used for dipping or as a condiment for other dishes.

Stir-Fried Hokkien Noodles with Chicken, Chilli, and Bean Sprouts

This is adapted from Kylie Kwong's recipe in her book "Simple Chinese Cooking".

There is a marinating time of 30 minutes for the chicken, but we've found that's how it takes to do the rest of the preparations so works out quite well.

Marinade

• 1 tablespoon white sugar
• 1 tablespoon light soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon mirin (we've found shao hsing wine or Bacardi are acceptable alternatives)
• 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil

Main

• 400g chicken thigh fillets, cut into 2cm slices
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1 small white onion, cut into half and then into thick wedges
• 12 thin slices of root ginger
• 1 clove of garlic, crushed
• 1 red capsicum, sliced
• 1 head of broccoli, chopped
• 450g fresh Hokkien noodles
• 2 tablespoons mirin (see the above note)
• 1 tablespoon white sugar
• 1 tablespoon light soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
• 1 tablespoon malt vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
• 1 cup fresh bean sprouts
• 1/s cup spring onion, julienne
• 2 large red chillies, fine sliced diagonally

1. Combine and marinade ingredients in a bowl.
2. Cover and leave to marinate in the refrigerator.
3. Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a hot wok until the surface seems to shimmer slightly.
4. Add the chicken and stir-fry for 1 minute.
5. Remove from the wok and set aside.
6. Add the remaining oil to the hot wok with the onion, garlic, and ginger. Stir-fry for 1 minute or until the onion is slightly browned.
7. Toss in the noodles, capsicum, broccoli, chicken, mirin, sugar, soy sauce, vinegar, and sesame oil. Stir-fry for 1 1/2 minutes.
8. Add the bean sprouts, spring onion, and half the chilli. Stir-fry for a further 30 seconds or until chicken is just cooked through and noodles are hot.
9. Arrange the noodles in bowls, top with the remaining chilli, and serve immediately.

Devilled Chicken Wings

• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 1/2 smoked paprika
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• finely grated zest of 1 lemon
• 1kg chicken wings, halved
• lime wedges for serving

1. In a shallow dish, mix the oil, paprika, cumin, lemon zest, and a good grinding of black pepper.
2. Add the chicken wings and turn to coat in the dressing.
3. Cover and marinate for at least an hour refrigerated, but up to 24 hours is best.
4. Gently turn the chicken wings in the dressing, adding 1/2 tsp salt.
5. Cook over a low to medium heat on an oiled barbeque hot plate for about 45 minutes or until cooked through and well-coloured.
6. Baste with the marinade juices from time to time.
7. Transfer the chicken wings to the grill rack for the last few minutes.
8. Transfer the chicken wings to a platter, sprinkle with salt, and squeeze over lime wedges.

Note: As we have a gas barbeque, I like to use a smoker box to add a bit of smoky flavour. If you don’t have one of these, add a stalk of rosemary to the heat source and let the wings absorb the smoke.

Serving: We eat this with a fresh garden salad and a warmed Turkish bread. Good with a beer too.

Southern-Style Sausage Jambalaya

Adapted from Ainsley Harriot’s recipe in his book “Ainsley’s Friends and Family Cookbook”.

• 2 tablespoons sunflower oil
• 100g (4oz) chorizo sausage, thickly sliced
• 225g (8oz) smoked pork sausage, thickly sliced
• 225g (8oz) chicken thighs, thickly sliced
• 4 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 red pepper, seeded and cut into chunky strips
• 1 green pepper, seeded and cut into chunky strips
• 2 celery sticks, sliced
• 1 teaspoon chilli powder
• 1 teaspoon smoky paprika
• 225g (8oz) long-grain rice
• leaves from 2 sprigs of fresh thyme
• 2 bay leaves
• 400ml (14 fl oz) passata
• 300ml (10 fl oz) chicken stock
• leaves from 20g (3/4oz) packet parsley, chopped
• 4 spring onions, trimmed and thinly sliced
• salt and cayenne pepper

1. Heat the oil in a large, deep frying pan. Fry the chicken slices until browned. Lift out and set aside.
2. Fry the chorizo and smoked pork sausage slices on both sides until golden. Lift out and set aside.
3. Add the garlic, onion, red pepper, green pepper, and celery then fry for 5 minutes until they are all lightly browned.
4. Add the chilli powder and paprika then cook for 1 minute.
5. Stir in the browned chicken, sausages, rice, thyme, bay leaves, passata, chicken stock, 1 teaspoon salt, and some cayenne pepper.
6. Bring to the boil, cover, and simmer gently for 25 minutes, stirring occasionally.
7. Uncover and fork the chopped parsley into the rice. Scatter over the spring onions and serve.