chicken clay pot

Epicurious | October 2005

Chef Charles Phan
Slanted Door, San Francisco, CA

This recipe is part of a menu developed for Epicurious by Charles Phan, the chef-owner of San Francisco's The Slanted Door. Read more about Phan and Vietnamese food.

Makes 4 servings.

1/2 pound chicken breast, cut into 3/4-inch cubes
1/2 pound chicken thigh meat, cut into 3/4-inch cubes
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

3 tablespoons soy sauce
2 teaspoons dark soy sauce
1/4 cup water
2 tablespoons white vinegar
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon white sugar

1 1/2 ounces "brown candy" sugar (found in most Asian grocery stores), broken into smaller pieces or 1/4 cup lightly packed dark brown sugar
3 tablespoons fish sauce

1 or 2 Thai chiles, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon fresh ginger, peeled and sliced into thin strips

Garnish: Two to three sprigs of cilantro

Place the chicken cubes in a large bowl and add garlic powder, salt, and black pepper. Cover and place in refrigerator. Combine the soy sauce, dark soy sauce, water, white vinegar, lemon juice, and sugar in a bowl and set aside.Heat a 4-quart saucepot or clay pot over low heat. Add brown candy pieces or brown sugar and melt slowly over medium heat, stirring frequently to avoid sticking and burning. When sugar comes to a slow boil, carefully add fish sauce.

Doughnut Muffins

You don't have to bake all the muffins right away; the batter will keep, covered and chilled, for up to three days in the refrigerator.Yields about 24 medium muffins.

ingredients

For the muffins:
12 oz. (24 Tbs.) unsalted butter, warmed to room temperature
1-3/4 cups sugar
4 large eggs
1 lb. 11 oz. (6 cups) all-purpose flour
1 Tbs. plus 2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1-3/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. ground nutmeg
1-2/3 cups milk
1/4 cup buttermilk

For dipping:
8 oz. (16 Tbs.) unsalted butter; more as needed
2 cups sugar
2 Tbs. ground cinnamon

how to make

To make the muffins

Put a rack in the middle of the oven and heat the oven to 350°F. In a stand mixer or a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, until just mixed in. Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and nutmeg. Combine the milk and buttermilk. With a wooden spoon, mix a quarter of the dry ingredients into the butter mixture. Then mix in a third of the milk mixture. Continue mixing in the remaining dry and wet ingredients alternately, ending with the dry. Mix until well combined and smooth, but don't overmix. Grease and flour a standard-size muffin tin. Scoop enough batter into each tin so that the top of the batter is even with the rim of the cup, about 1/2 cup. (A #16 ice-cream scoop gives you the perfect amount.) Bake the muffins until firm to the touch, 30 to 35 min.

To finish

Melt the butter for the dipping mixture. Combine the sugar and cinnamon. When the muffins are just cool enough to handle, remove them from the tin, dip them into or brush them all over with the melted butter, and then roll them in the cinnamon sugar.

Roasted Pumpkin Salad Recipe

3 cups of pumpkin (or other winter squash), peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
extra-virgin olive oi
fine grain sea salt

12 tiny red onions or shallots, peeled (OR 3 medium red onions peeled and quartered)
2 cups cooked wild rice*

1/3 cup sunflower seeds
1/3 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon honey
2 tablespoons warm water
1/2 cup cilantro, finely chopped

Preheat oven to 375.
Toss the pumpkin in a generous splash of olive oil along with a couple pinches of salt, and turn out onto a baking sheet. At the same time, toss the onions with a bit of olive oil, sprinkle with salt, and turn out onto a separate baking sheet. Roast both for about 45 minutes, or until squash is brown and caramelized. The same goes for the onions, they should be deeply colored, caramelized, and soft throughout by the time they are done roasting. You'll need to flip both the squash and onion pieces once or twice along the way - so it's not just one side that is browning.

In the meantime, make the dressing. With a hand blender or food processor puree the sunflower seeds, olive oil, lemon juice, salt, and honey until creamy. You may need to add a few tablespoons of warm water to thin the dressing a bit. Stir in the cilantro, saving just a bit to garnish the final plate later. Taste and adjust seasonings (or flavors) to your liking - I usually need to add a touch more salt with this dressing.

In a large bowl, toss the wild rice with a large dollop of the dressing. Add the onions, gently toss just once or twice. Turn the rice and onions out onto a platter and top with the roasted squash (I'll very gently toss with my hands here to disperse the pumpkin a bit). Finish with another drizzle of dressing and any remaining chopped cilantro.

Serves 4.

* To cook wild rice: Rinse 1 1/2 cups wild rice. In a medium sauce pan bring the rice and 4 1/2 cups salted water to a boil. Reduce to a simmer. Cook for 40 minutes or until rice is tender and splitting open, stirring occasionally. You'll have enough for this recipe and some leftover.

Dry Rubbed Rib Eye

3 tablespoons salt
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon pulverized crushed red pepper
2 teaspoons pimenton (Smoked Spanish Paprika)
1 teaspoon garlic powder
Oil, for brushing grill
2 (22 to 24-ounce) bone-in rib-eye steaks
Extra-virgin olive oil

Combine all of the dry ingredients in a bowl. Use your fingers to make sure that all of the ingredients are evenly distributed. Rub the outside of each steak generously with the rub. Wrap each steak in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 24 hours, 2 to 3 days is better. This will make the steak taste like it has been aged.

Preheat a gas or charcoal grill. Brush and oil the grill to loosen and remove any crud. Remove the steaks from the refrigerator about 20 to 30 minutes before cooking. Right before cooking remove the plastic wrap and lightly oil the steaks. Place the steaks on a very hot grill to put a char on both sides of the steak. When both sides of the steak have become well charred move the steak to a cooler part of the grill to continue cooking for 6 to 7 minutes per side for medium rare. Remove the steak from the grill and let rest in a warm spot for 7 to 8 minutes. Cut the steak off the bone and slice on the bias across the grain. Drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil and serve immediately.

Soba with mushrooms and chicken livers

Time: 45 minutes

5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1/2 cup panko

4 ounces speck or smoky bacon, diced

1/4 cup minced shallots

1/2 pound shiitake mushrooms, stems discarded, caps diced

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

1/2 pound well-trimmed chicken livers, in 1-inch pieces

2 tablespoons flour

1 cup, or slightly more, chicken stock

1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar

12 ounces soba noodles

2 tablespoons minced cilantro leaves.

1. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large skillet; add panko, and cook until golden. Remove from pan. Set aside. Wipe out pan. Add 2 more tablespoons oil, heat, and add the speck or bacon. Cook over medium heat until starting to brown. Remove to a bowl, leaving as much fat as possible in pan.

2. Add shallots, and sauté until soft; add mushrooms, and cook until wilted and starting to brown. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to bowl with the speck. Toss livers with flour. Add remaining oil to pan, add livers, and cook, stirring gently, over medium heat, until firmed up, lightly browned but still pink inside. Transfer livers to a board and dice.

3. Add stock to pan, and cook, stirring, until reduced by half; stir in vinegar and return mushroom mixture and livers to pan. Heat briefly and season with salt and pepper. Remove from heat.

4. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil for soba, cook about 6 minutes and drain, but not too thoroughly. Fold moist noodles into chicken liver mixture and heat gently, adding a little more chicken stock as needed. Serve, topping each portion with panko and cilantro.

Yield: 4 servings.

Hainanese Chicken Rice

SERVES 4 This dish, from the Chinese island of Hainan, has become a Singaporean standard. FOR THE CHICKEN AND STOCK: 1 3-lb. chicken Salt 1 small piece ginger, peeled and crushed 2 cloves garlic, crushed and peeled 1 scallion, tied in a knot FOR THE RICE: 1 1⁄2 cups jasmine or other long-grain rice 2 tbsp. vegetable oil 3 shallots, peeled and finely chopped 5 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped Salt 1 cucumber, sliced 1 tomato, sliced 1 carrot, sliced Coriander leaves 1. For the chicken and stock: Wash chicken and pat dry. Sprinkle with salt inside and out. Tuck ginger, garlic, and scallion into cavity of chicken, then tie legs together with kitchen string. 2. Bring 5 quarts of water to a boil in a large pot over high heat. Completely submerge chicken, breast-side-down. Bring to a boil again, cover pot, and turn heat down to very low. Simmer 30 minutes, turning chicken once and skimming any foam from stock. Remove chicken and set aside to cool; reserve stock, keeping it warm. Remove chicken skin; pull meat from bones and cut into thick slices. 3. For the rice: Wash rice in a large bowl of cold water and drain. Repeat process until water is almost clear. Drain in colander and shake to remove as much remaining water as you can. 4. Heat oil in a wok or medium skillet over high heat. Add shallots and garlic, and stir-fry 30 seconds. Add rice and stir-fry 1–2 minutes more. Pour in 3 cups chicken stock; season to taste with salt. Bring to a boil over high heat; cover and reduce heat to very low. Cook 20 minutes. Stir, cover, and let rest 5 minutes. Serve each person separate bowls of rice, chicken, and stock. Garnish with cucumbers, tomatoes, carrots, and coriander leaves. Serve with Sweet Soy Sauce, Ginger Sauce, and Chile–Ginger Sambal.

Mario Batali's Chicken

That said, this is the easiest thing to watch and make. She takes 2 pounds of chicken drumsticks and thighs and removes the skin and sets them aside. Then she takes 3 pounds of husked tomatillos, 6 cloves garlic, and 2 serrano chiles and places them in boiling water for 2 minutes and then drains them. Still warm, she places them into the blender with the juice and zest of 3 limes and 1 bunch of cilantro and blends until just smooth. She seasons it with salt (a lot) and then puts the sauce in a pan with the raw chicken, bringing it to a boil and then simmering it for 25 minutes. After that, she finishes it with the juice of another lime and a handful of chopped scallions.