The October 2009 Daring Cooks’ challenge was brought to us by Jaden of the blog Steamy Kitchen. The recipes are from her new cookbook, The Steamy Kitchen Cookbook. Her picks were this Vietnamese Chicken Pho and Fried Dessert Wontons!
First off let me shout from the rooftops, I LOVE THIS SOUP!! If the North American version of Chicken Noodle Soup had a pretty, tasty, asian cousin, this would be it. This soup is wholesome, comforting and exotic. The asian flavours are unmistakable, and I feel right at home sipping the broth and slurping up the noodles. I was a little afraid I would not be able to find all of the ingredients, but they were actually quite easy to come by. I really think you should go out and get everything to make this soup right now. You will not regret it!
I made Caramel Peanut Wontons for the dessert portion. Check out the post here.
Vietnamese Chicken Pho
2 Tbsp. whole coriander seeds
4 whole cloves
2 whole star anise
8 cups chicken stock
1 chicken breast (bone in or boneless)
½ onion
1 3-inch chunk of ginger, sliced and smashed with side of knife
1 to 2 Tbsp. sugar
1 to 2 Tbsp. fish sauce
1 lb. (500g) dried rice noodles (¼ inch wide)
To make the Chicken Pho Broth: heat a frying pan over medium heat. Add the coriander seeds, cloves and star anise and toast until fragrant, about 3-4 minutes. Immediately spoon out the spices to avoid burning.
In a large pot, add all the ingredients (including the toasted spices), except noodles, and bring to a boil.
Reduce the heat to medium-low and let simmer for 20 minutes, skimming the surface frequently.
Use tongs to remove the chicken breast and shred the meat with a fork, discarding the bone if you have used bone-in breasts.
Taste the broth and add more fish sauce or sugar, if needed. Strain the broth and discard the solids.
Prepare the noodles as per directions on the package.
Ladle the broth into bowls. Then divide the shredded chicken breast and the soft noodles evenly into each bowl.
Have the accompaniments spread out on the table. Each person can customize their own bowl with these ingredients.
Accompaniments
*all toppings are optional
2 cups bean sprouts, washed and tails pinched off
fresh cilantro (coriander) tops (leaves and tender stems)
One part of the Daring Cooks challenge this month was to make some sort of fried wonton dessert. The filling and shape were up to us. I chose to go with a Peanut Caramel which I rolled into balls and coated in chocolate before wrapping them up into homemade wonton wrappers. Once they were cooked, I drizzled them with more chocolate and sprinkled them with peanuts. The only thing that I would change about this recipe is that there was too much caramel per wonton. It was very sweet. I wrote the recipe as I would make it next time. I thought these were very tasty and would make an excellent addition to a dessert platter.
Go to the bottom of the post for step-by-step photos.
oil (make sure it is suitable for high heat. ie. canola oil)
2 Tbsp. finely chopped peanuts
Dip each caramel ball into chocolate and place back onto parchment paper.
Cool in the freezer until chocolate is firm.
Place one wonton wrapper on work surface (making sure to keep others covered with a damp towel). Brush the edges with egg wash.
Place one chocolate covered caramel into the centre of the wonton. Lift up two opposite corners and press together at the top. Take the remaining two corners and do the same. Seal all corners and openings.
Cover with damp towel and repeat with remaining wontons and caramel.
While you are forming the wontons heat 2 inches of oil, over medium heat, to 350ºF (180ºC ). If you do not have a thermometer, an easy way to tell when the oil is ready is to place the handle of a wooden spoon into the hot oil, if bubbles form around it, it is ready.
Fry the wontons, a few at a time, until golden. About 1 min. Remove with a slotted spoon onto paper towel, to drain.
Once all of the wontons are fried. Drizzle with remaining chocolate and sprinkle with chopped peanuts.
I love the Daring Kitchen. This group gets me making things that I would never have thought to try. I enjoy making authentic recipes from around the world and being stretched out of my comfort zone. Even if I make something that I probably won”t make again it is worth it to be able to say I gave it a shot or that I mastered something new.
These Indian Dosas are really quite simple to make. The list may be long but they take no time to whip up. The longest time was waiting for the sauce to simmer for 30 minutes. It was fun to do this challenge because I have not made much Indian food at home, and it was pretty much stress free. My husband and I are not the biggest fans of curry (which contributes to why I don”t make this kind of food often) so this is probably not a dish that I will make again. I know that a lot of other Daring Cooks loved these Dosas so if you do enjoy curry and Indian food I think you should give these a try. My favourite part was the filling, I even ate a little bit on some toast for lunch later that week. The leftovers of the sauce and filling far exceeded the pancakes, so unless you are going to eat this over rice or want to freeze half of it, I would make a smaller batch. Overall, it had a great quality taste, it was just a matter of preference.
This months Daring Cooks Challenge was hosted by Debyi of The Healthy Vegan Kitchen. She chose Indian Dosas from the refresh cookbook by Ruth Tal.
Indian Dosas
Dosa Pancakes
Curried Garbanzo Filling
Coconut Curry Sauce
1/4 cup grated coconut
1/4 cucumber, sliced
Fill the pancakes with the Curried Garbanzo Filling. Top with Coconut Curry Sauce. If desired sprinkle with coconut and serve along cucumbers.
Dosa Pancakes
1 cup flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. curry powder
1/2 cup soy milk
3/4 cup water
Combine the dry ingredients in a bowl, slowly adding the almond milk and water, whisking until smooth.
Heat a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Spray your pan with a thin layer of cooking spray, if needed.
Ladle 2 tablespoons of batter into the center of your pan in a circular motion until it is a thin, round pancake. When bubbles appear on the surface and it no longer looks wet, flip it over and cook for a few seconds. Remove from heat and repeat with remaining batter.
Curried Garbanzo Filling
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 onion, finely diced
1 carrot, peeled and finely diced
1 green pepper, finely diced
2 medium hot banana chilies, minced (I nixed these)
2 Tbsp. cumin
1 Tbsp. oregano
1 Tbsp. sea salt
1 Tbsp. turmeric
4 cups cooked or canned chickpeas (garbanzo beans)
1/2 cup tomato paste
Heat a large saucepan over medium to low heat. Add the garlic, veggies, and spices, cooking until soft, stirring occasionally.
Mash the chickpeas by hand, or in a food processor. Add the chickpeas and tomato paste to the saucepan, stirring until heated through.
Coconut Curry Sauce
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp. cumin
3/4 tsp. sea salt
3 Tbsp. curry powder
3 Tbsp. flour
3 cups vegetable broth
2 cups coconut milk
3 large tomatoes, diced
Heat a saucepan over medium heat, add the onion and garlic, cooking for 5 minutes, or until soft.
Add the spices, cooking for 1 minute more. Add the flour and cook for an additional minute.
Gradually stir in the vegetable broth to prevent lumps. Once the flour has been incorporated, add the coconut milk and tomatoes, stirring occasionally.
