round eye

Let us begin with a little tour.  This is our new Japanese inspired home in Rathmines.  Most every rental comes furnished in Dublin, which I think makes so much sense, but we got really lucky with this one.  Cause let's face it, you are paying for the owner's taste in decor as well as the space.

Maria bringing her amazing-ness to dinner.

Needless to say, it was only fitting to make our first dinner party an Asian one. So we invited our friends Maria and Dave over last Thursday, as our first guests ever, and cooked up one of the best Chinese meals I have ever had.  No joke.  I think it bodes well for our success in our new kitchen and well...in life too.  Here is the menu:

• chicken and veg pan fried potstickers 
• egg drop soup
• fried rice
• stir fry veggies and tofu
• sesame chicken (recipe below)

Key ingredient for stir fry: fish sauce.
Don't leave home without it.

I may have already mentioned that we have very little counter space in our kitchen.  I love of good challenge, feels like I am on a cooking show.  Níall on the other hand....

Another thing I do to feel like I am on a cooking show, is prepare all the ingredients ahead and put them in little bowls on the counter.  Makes me feel organised and efficient.

Garlic, ginger, onion, bok choy (or as they call it at Dunnes, bak choi), peppers, snap peas, baby corn, aubergine (eggplant), you name it and I chopped it up and put it in teeny tiny little bowls.

Níall took care of the chicken, which he always does so well.  See below for the recipe.

Turns out sake is a lot harder to find in Dublin than we thought.  Maria and Dave called all around town to no avail.  Even The Oriental Emporium didn't have any.  We did enjoy some tasty prosecco pre dinner courtesy of our guests though.  However if you are making Chinese at home and happen to like it spicy go for the sweeter wines to compliment the heat.

I'm running out of interesting things to write about so here ya go...

Highlight: Maria and I beat the guys at euchre
Bummer: 3 sets of chopsticks for 4 people
Mood: Kill Bill and Django (because Níall deleted my ENTIRE music library)
Gem: our new S&P shakers (see below)
Overall:  a tasty success!

Sesame Chicken Recipe 

allrecipes.com

Batter
2 T all-purpose flour
2 T cornstarch
1/4 t baking soda
1/4 t baking powder
2 T soy sauce
1 cup dry sherry (a teaspoon for the batter the rest is to drink)
2 T water
1 t veg oil
1 dash sesame oil
1 lb skinless boneless chicken breast - cubed

* This is a key ingredient, so don't confuse the two.
Chili paste is NOT chili sauce.  

Sauce
1 cup chicken broth
1 cup white sugar
2 T white vinegar
2 T dark soy sauce
2 T sesame oil
1 t chile paste*
1 clove of garlic - minced
1/4 cornstarch
1/2 cup of water

1 qt of veg oil (or preferred oil for frying)
sesame seeds for garnish

Sift flour, cornstarch, baking soda and powder into a bowl.  Pour soy sauce, dry sherry (remember: only a tablespoon, the rest is to enjoy while cooking :-), water, veg oil, and dash od sesame oil; stir until smooth.  Stir in chicken until coated with the batter, then cover and refrigerate for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, to make the sauce bring chicken broth, sugar, vinegar, dark soy sauce, sesame oil, chile paste, and garlic to a boil in a saucepan over high heat.  Dissolve cornstarch into 1/2 cup of water and stir into boiling sauce.  Simmer until sauce thickens and turns clear, about 2 minutes.  Reduce heat to low to keep sauce warm.

Heat fry oil in large sauce pan to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C)

Drop in battered chicken pieces, a few at a time, and fry until they are golden brown and float to the top, about 3 to 4 minutes.  Drain on a paper toweled plate.  Toss cooked chicken in a serving bowl with the sauce and garnish with sesame seeds.

Our new S&P shakers, courtesy of Maria and Dave.
Thanks guys!