An Indonesian Night

Finally back to the food blog!  It's been a very busy few months with renovations and prepping for the new season of guests.  We've had a great couple of weeks with our guests and lot's of new recipes have been tried out and lots more on the horizon.

Here are the recipes from last night supper:

Cilantro Thai Grilled Chicken (serves 4)

2 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped

1/2 cup cilantro 

2 tablespoons of soy sauce

1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil

Juice of 1 lime

Place all the ingredients above in a food processor and process until smooth.

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts

Pour marinade over chicken breast and let flavors sink in for 15 minutes to 3 hours in the refrigerator.

Prepare your grill or broiler. Cook until temperature registers 165F on the meat thermometer. Let the chicken breasts rest for 5 minutes before serving, this prevents the meat from drying up.

Asian Noodle Salad with Peanut Lime Dressing 

(this feeds about 10 people, so reduce by half is you don’t want to feed an army)

Salad

1 package Linguine Noodles, Cooked, Rinsed, And Cooled

1/2 head Sliced Napa Cabbage, Or More To Taste

1/2 head Sliced Purple Cabbage, Or More To Taste

1/2 bag Baby Spinach or Arugula, Or More To Taste

1 whole Red Bell Pepper, Sliced Thin

1 whole Yellow Bell Pepper, Sliced Thin

1 bag Bean Sprouts

Chopped Cilantro, Up To 1 Bunch, To Taste

2 whole Scallions, Sliced

1 whole Cucumber Peeled And Sliced

Toss all salad ingredients together and serve with the dressing on the side.

Dressing

3 cloves garlic, minced (about 1 tbsp)
2 tbsp tightly packed cilantro
2 tbsp natural peanut butter
2 tbsp + 2 tsp lime juice
1 tbsp + 1/2 tsp soy sauce
1 tbsp rice vinegar
1 tbsp peeled and chopped ginger
2 tsp coconut milk
1 1/2 tsp raw sugar
3/4 tsp sesame oil
3/4 tsp sambal oelek
1/2 cup olive oil

In a blender, puree all ingredients except the olive oil.  With blender running, add olive oil in a thin stream until dressing is emulsified.

Naan Bread (makes 6-8 naans)

Crank up the oven to its highest heat setting, 500 F in many. If you can really get your oven to higher temperatures, your naans will be much fluffier and softer.

2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup yogurt
1/4 cup warm milk* (this may vary on the flour type)
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp oil
1/4 butter, melted
Optional toppings-Minced garlic, chopped cilantro, chopped mint, or all of them

*Quantity of milk may slightly vary. So add half the milk first and add the rest as necessary.

Mix flour, baking soda, sugar and salt.  Make a well in the center of the flour. Add yogurt, milk and oil.  Mix well until the dough reaches a sticky consistency. The dough will be messy.  Slightly oil your hands, form the dough into a ball and let it rest for 30 minutes under a damp towel.

Once rested, the dough will be springy. Oil your hands and knead for 2-3 minutes before dividing into 6-8 balls.  Dust your hands with flour and flatten the dough into naans. Try to keep them under 1/4 inch thick. Don’t fret about the shape.

Place them on a non stick cookie sheet, and brush the top side with melted butter. Add the desired toppings and put the naans in the oven for 2-3 minutes. If your oven heats up well, you may need only 1-2 minutes. Keep an eye until you get a hang of it. Check the bottom and if you see brown spots, turn them over brush with more butter and toppings and bake for another minute.

Once out of the oven, serve immediately.