FOR THE LOVE OF FOOD….

Rice Noodles with Stir-fried Chicken & Veggies…& a mild chili sauce!

And my search goes on, carrying me further into the far-east in search of pan-asian cuisine. Thanks to Andaliman I’ve figured out that there are many more sauces than I ever thought there existed. AB from HomemeadeS gave me some more direction, & I made a chunky chili sauce from her blog. I’m getting there….this meal tasted really nice & with a lot of flavour! Me thinks it was the sauce that did the magic!

A sauce full of flavour…Not too hot & spicy too!

Sambal (chili sauce), is one of Indonesia’s traditional food seasonings. Almost every region in Indonesia has its own special chili sauce with different taste and ingredients.Sambal is thicker and richer tasting than Mexican salsa. It ranges in spiciness. There are a number of varieties which are popular in Indonesia.

I adapted AB’s sweet chili sauce recipe with shallots, garlic, tomatoes, red chilli flakes & tamarind that figured in its long list of ingredients. I used whatever I could find easily & made a chili sauce which wasn’t sweet but turned out really nice.

Chili Sauce from HomemadeS. Recipe link HERE.

Only changes were red onions (iso shallots), lime leaves (iso kafir), demerera sugar (iso palm sugar/reduced too), & no galangal (since its available here in special stores only & I didn’t have time to go).

Ingredients for the main meal:

Chicken – 3 breasts /cut into bite sized pieces
Garlic – 5-6 cloves (chopped fine)
Button mushrooms – 200gms / quartered
Baby corn – 100gms / sliced
Brocolli -1 small head/ divided into florets
Bok choy – 2 heads /chopped
Bell peppers – 1 red/1 yellow/1 green/ diced
Spring Onions – 4-5 / chopped with greens
Cashewnuts – a handful/ dry roasted
Prepared Noodles (with a little love!)

All chopped up & ready to go…check out the heart!!

Method:

• Steam brocolli & baby corn separately till crisp tender. Keep aside.
• Heat oil in a wok & stir fry mushrooms on high till they release their liquid & become dry. Remove from oil & reserve.
• Add chopped garlic, saute for a minute & add chicken pieces; saute till nicely done.
• Add 2-3 generous tbsps of chili sauce & lime leaves & give it a good stir.
• Put back the mushrooms, & also all the remaining vegetables except the spring onions & bok choy. Stir well on high for about 5 minutes. Adjust seasoning.
• Heat some oil in a big pan & add a tbsp of chili sauce (its not very hot at all), followed by the prepared noodles & stir well.
• Now add the chicken & veggies to this, & also the spring onions, greens & bok choy. Stir well
• Top with roasted cashewnuts & serve hot with sauce on the side.

The ‘Kitchen of Love’ invites entries for quote… “an appetizer, dinner dish, or side item that includes at least one food considered an aphrodisiac. As February quickly draws near, so does Valentine’s Day. While commercialism causes the adverse effect for many, Valentine’s Day remains a day for love, etching a small moment for adornment and thoughtfulness into our busy lives. And so, I have decided to host an event that celebrates Valentine’s Day and many food aphrodisiacs that offer endless possibilities to this affectionate day.”…unquote.

This is my entry for the loverly event…& to wrap it up with dessert, do head to Zorra’s site!