Recipe 101

For the most part of my life, I've been interested in baking. I only started cooking after I got married :). I tried to learn from my mom before I got married, but understanding 'andazay say', 'thora sa yay' and thora sa voh' didnt really work for me :p. For food other than Pakistani, looking for recipes that I liked took quite a bit of time and I wasnt sure that they would turn out good. Now that I've tried and tested some recipes, I want to post the good ones to make life easier for others, and when you try them don't forget to give me your feedback.

I'll start with my most recent one, its called Chipotle Cashew Chicken with Brown Rice. This recipe is by Rachel Ray. Its kind of a Chinese/Thai dish. Its surprisingly easy to make, the ingredients seem to be a lot, but they're pretty basic. I've made this recipe twice and both times it turned out really good. It takes maximum 45 minutes to make. I've made a few changes here and there to the recipe, the original one is available at www.foodnetwork.com. Ok, here it is:

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
1 large onion, 1/4 onion finely chopped, 3/4 thinly sliced
3 cups quick cooking brown rice
water (the amount depends on what is written on the brown rice box; if you get the brown rice that doesnt come in a box, then use 4 cups)
1 chicken cube - you can get this at any halal food store
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 pounds chicken meat: tenders, boneless, skinless breasts or boneless, skinless thighs, cut into 2-inch pieces (I get chicken breast and I tell the meat guy to cut it up into pieces)
2 tablespoons grill seasoning blend (recommended: Montreal Steak Seasoning blend by McCormick)
2 to 3 tablespoons tamari dark soy sauce (I found this in the international section)
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 red bell pepper, seeded and thinly sliced
10 to 12 water chestnuts, whole (Ashher and I really like these, so I put in the whole can)
1 cup frozen green peas
3 tablespoons chipotle in adobo (2 peppers and their sauce), available in cans on the international foods aisle or substitute 1 1/2 tablespoons ground chipotle powder (I used the powder)
1 tablespoon ground cumin, a palm full
2 to 3 tablespoons honey, 2 healthy drizzles
1/4 to 1/3 cup real maple syrup, eyeball it
2 to 3 tablespoons chopped cilantro or parsley leaves, your preference
1 cup raw cashews

Method:
In a medium pot over medium heat combine 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, 1 turn of the pan, and 1 tablespoon butter. When butter melts into oil, add in the chopped onion, cook 2 minutes, then add rice and cook 3 minutes more. Add water and chicken cube. Stir and crush the chicken cube so that it dissolves then cover the pot. Raise heat to bring stock to a rapid boil. Once the stock boils, reduce heat to low and cook, stirring occasionally, until rice is tender, 17-18 minutes.

While rice cooks, make the chicken. Heat a large skillet over high heat. Add vegetable oil, 2 turns of the pan, then the chicken. Season the chicken with grill seasoning. Brown the chicken on both sides, season with soy sauce then move off to one side of the pan. Add the remaining onions, garlic and peppers. Cook 2 to 3 minutes then add water chest nuts and green peas and mix vegetables and meat together. Add the chipotles and cumin. Toss to coat. Glaze the mixture with honey and maple syrup and turn off the heat. Add in the chopped cilantro or parsley and the cashew nuts.

Top rice with cashew chicken and serve. Enjoy!