Ginger Duck/Chicken  

Posted by: anna* in , , , , , , ,

It is too hot. And yes, I get to complain because I always liked spring better and never, ever asked: "Where is summer? When is it getting really warm?" I did not wait for you, summer! I don´t look good in shorts!>_<

Luckily I finished my Bachelor Thesis and handed it in before it got so warm. I would have never managed to write anything at 30°C+... I am still awaiting my final grade but I feel like an expert on Japanese Food now. I could have written my PhD thesis about the food alone. If you´re wondering: I wrote about the function of food in japanese television series (dorama).
Right now I´m enjoying life, awaiting my grade and answers concerning my masters applications... I also had two lovely japanese girls from Tokyo over last week and I´m looking forward to spending more time with them in the next two months. Erisa, I missed you!<3
How is everyone else doing?

Short update on the pear tree in our backyard: Pears!!
I might be able to make a nice pear tart a few weeks from now.

Now for food: There is this shop called Kochhaus in Hamburg and in Berlin where they sell ... well, meals actually. Just not cooked yet. You go in, choose from what they offer that week and then get a bag full of groceries, exactly the kind and amount you need to cook whatever you chose, along with a pictured sheet that tells you how to do it.
This is a pretty nice way to cook stuff you´ve never tried before without having to buy everything needed in the big boxes and packages it comes in at the supermarket. Or a nice way to impress someone with a high class meal even though you can´t cook. Or a nice way to bring everything you need over to cook at someone else`s house. Or or or. I like it, it´s not cheap but it´s good.

So what I saw and was inspired by was Ginger Duck. Even though I´m not sure why they called it Ginger Duck since I guess it´s more of a cilantro or lime duck in the end...It is very good. Unfortunately, duck is expensive so when I made it a few days ago, I decided to use chicken instead. Just as good.

Anyways. It´s good, it´s easy and here we go:

Ingredients (serves two): 




2 Chickenbreastsbreasts
Rice noodles (one small packet)

Cilantro
(Peanuts (if you`re not allergic, that is))
1 Lime
Dried Apricots
Ginger
2 cloves of Garlic

1 red Chilli
Soysauce
Sugar

Honey
Salt/Pepper

There is so much wrong for me with this recipe in terms of allergies... And yet it´s too good to pass.

How to: 

Cut four to six dried apricots (depending on how much you like them) in super thin stripes or dice them. Anyways: Make them small. 
Mmmmh, apricots.
Chop up the cilantro real good. I love the smell (and taste) of it so that part is always pure pleasure for me.
 From this...
 
...to this.
Grate the ginger. I like ginger. A lot. So I tend to use a lot. For non-ginger-obsessed people a piece about the size of an average thumb or a little less should suffice.
 Ginger.
If you can do peanuts, you lucky bastard, then chop them too.
Same goes for the chilli and the garlic. Chop it really fine. Be sure to remove the hot hot hot seeds if you don´t like your food to burn your intestines.
Red chilli.
Put all that finely chopped and grated stuff in a bowl, add a big tablespoon of soysauce.
Wash the lime reallllyy good (and buy a chemical free one to begin with if you can), then scrap of some of it´s peel, add that to our yummy smelling bowl of good things.
Then add the juice of half of that lime, too. I squeezed it out with my hand because I didn´t want everything to be too limey.
You handsome lime, you!
Add a tablespoon of sugar.
Mix well.
Set the bowl aside and let it rest for half an hour. It will tempt you with it´s lovely smell but be strong, resist!
Makes a great Salsa for any of your Salsa-needs, I guess...
In the meantime:
Cut the chickenbreast in strips and fry them. To make it a bit more interesting, I salt-and-peppered very lightly, then let the chicken simmer in honey a bit. Goes very well with the other ingredients.
Chicken in a pan.
Put the Ricenoodles in hot water. It doesn´t matter whether you bring it to a boil, my theory is that they only need to see water to get soft.

When the ricenoodles are done, remove them from the water and put them into the pan with the chicken. Stir well and let them soak up the juice from frying. This works way better with duck because then you will have all the access fat from under the skin to soak your noodles in.
Add the bowl of goods, mix well, put on plates, eat.

Be happy.

It really is that good.
And so easy. I dare you to try it.Summer cuisine deluxe, sure to impress all your friends.

Thanks for reading.
Love,
a*