When you have the Rotisserie Chicken

When you have the Rotisserie Chicken

One would never get tired of this chicken salad as the side dish for every meal.
Since our young days, every Chinese restaurant has this on its menu, since Myanmar love spicy and sour food. We seldom make this at home since it is also easy to make it as the appetizer. As rotisserie chicken is easily available, we can use it to transforms into cashew chicken salad for the chicken salad sandwich. Or into many Asian flavored dishes to make it as an easy meal.

As a mom, I always need to think of how to make an easy and delicious meal for the family. I could say that this is not true only for me, but for all the moms in this world who take care of their families, being as a mother. This rotisserie chicken has become very handy since we arrive in America. Since the price also a little cheaper than raw chicken sometimes, why not choosing the win-win situation by cutting down the price and also the cooking steps.

Sometimes my mom friends from other countries also shared different recipes in many other ways too. This recipe that I am sharing is the Chinese style but cold salad which can also be packed as the summer salad to enjoy with rice for family picnics ( suppose to be in cooler ( Icebox) ).
It has Chili, soy sauce and lime juice, thus giving it a little kick for everybody's taste bud and appetizing too. I always make this salad with some portion of dark meat every time I bought Rotisserie chicken from Deli. However, In this recipe, I used steamed chicken because I wanted to start from scratch. No brainer, we can easily make with rotisserie chicken meat for busy families.

Sour and Spicy Chicken Salad ( 2-3 Serving)

 Steamed Chicken ( Step 1)

 Ingredients

1/2        Chicken ( cut into pieces ) ( both dark meat and white meat)
4 sliced  Ginger
1 tbsp    Light Soy Sauce
1/2 tsp   Salt
1/4 tsp   Black pepper

Dressing ( Step 2)

1 tbsp  Crushed red pepper chili flakes
1 tsp    Red chili powder
4 tbsp  Canola oil
3 tbsp  Chopped Garlic
1/2 cup Cilantro (rough chopped)
1 tbsp   Light Soy sauce
1 tsp    Sesame Oil
1 Count Lime
6-8 count Lettuce leaves ( any kind for garnish)

Instructions

1. In the pan, add chicken pieces and all the ingredient from Step 1. Then add enough water to cover the chicken.
2. On the stove top with medium-high heat, boil that chicken for 15 minutes till rolling boil.
3. Turn down the heat and cook for 10 or 15 minutes to make sure the chicken is thoroughly cooked.
4. While chicken is cooking, make the chili oil, in the skillet on the stove top, add oil with medium heat fry both chili flakes and powder for 5-10 minutes till fragrant.
( Note: making chili oil: frying the chili powder and chili flakes can easily burn. To avoid this mix the chili powder and chili flakes in a bowl with 1or 2 tbsp of water then fry.
5. When the chicken is cooked, take out the meats from the bone and slice into thick pieces. Set aside in a bowl.

Making Dressing

6. In the mixing bowl, add 2 tbsp of fried chili oil from step 4, Then add the rest of the ingredient from step 2  (Chopped garlic, lime juice, soy sauce, 1/4 cup of chopped cilantro, sesame oil) then mix it thoroughly. ( We may add 1 tsp sugar but this is totally optional)
7. Pour the dressing onto the sliced teamed chicken pieces then mix and taste. We may add salt or lime according to our own taste.
8. On the serving plate, lay the prewashed lettuce leaves and put the mixed chicken salad on top, sprinkle the remaining cilantro for the final garnishing touch.
9. We may layer the thinly sliced tomato pieces around the salad, just to add color.
10. Enjoy with either brown rice or white rice to your preference.

Steam Duck and Pickled Mustard Leaves Soup

Steamed Duck ( Double-Boiled Duck) with Pickled Mustard Leaves Soup

As The Chinese New Year is in the first week of February this year, I remember the days when we used to pray with a big feast to celebrate the new year as my father of Chinese Ancestry. It must have been a miracle that night when my mom dreamt about an old Chinese guy she never met before. In her dream he asked " Dear daughter, may I have some stir fry Noodle with pork?". My mom had never seen her father-in-law because my dad once told me that my grandpa passed away when dad was ten years old.

So my father showed her a very old, faded photograph of his father. My mom was shocked and said yes he was the man in her dream. Starting from that day we had celebrated the Chinese New Year by praying with a big feast at home in Myanmar. When we move to this country, we do not uphold the cultural and spiritual related pujas but pray every day in our prayer room at home. Even our Mom told us that it might be a hassle, and said: "please remember to pray and recite our Buddha's teaching though, which may be enough".

This double boiled duck soup is also a great accompaniment for Chinese dishes, as the sour flavor of pickled mustard could lighten up the rich and sweet Chinese food.
We may also make the doubled boil duck with wonton noodle by using this duck too. It is also a good nutritional dish for sick patients to stimulate their appetite as well.

I made pickled mustard leaves this year as I got fresh greens from the farmers market. It turns out to be perfect, flavorful, homemade pickled mustard leaves without preservative.
But we could also buy easily from the Asian grocery store here.

Steamed Duck (Double-Boiled Duck) Soup  with Pickled Mustard Leaves

 ( 5-6 Serving)

Ingredients

1 count  Duck ( thawed and cut into pieces as preferred)
1 bulb Garlic  ( Or 10 Cloves of garlic)
2 Tbsp Sliced ginger
2 Tbsp Light Soy sauce
1 tsp   White pepper
1 tsp   Black pepper
2 tsp   Salt
1 tsp Sugar
2 count Roma Tomatoes ( Cut into big cubed )
4 count green Chili ( Sliced half to each chili)
1 box   Medium firm tofu ( optional: cut small cubed)
1 pack  Pickled Mustard ( about 10 oz) ( or 2 cups cut pickled mustard)

Instructions

1. In the steel bowl, add chopped duck pieces, ginger, pepper ( both white and black), garlic ( pounded lightly), soy sauce and salt then mix thoroughly.

2. Put this marinated meat into a big ceramic bowl and cover loosely with aluminum foil.

3. In the 8 Qt soup pot or dutch oven, add water about 4-6 inches high then put this bowl in the middle. ( Note: water level should be lower the hight of the bowl. So the boiling water won't get into the bowl).

4. Cover the pot and boil for 2 hours with medium-high heat on the stove. Occasionally check the water level in the pot, if it is low we may need to add 2 cups of water at a time.

5. After two hours of cooking time, test the meat is fork tender, then we turn off the stove.

( Note: To cut down the cooking time, we may use the pressure cooker by following the same procedure. It can be cooked within an hour.)

Making soup

6. In the 8 qt soup pot, add 3-4 cups of water ( chicken broth) and let it boil with medium-high heat.

7. When it boils, add the doubled boiled cooked duck, then add chopped pickled mustard, tomato and halved green chili altogether.

8. Cover and let it boil then simmer for 30 minutes. Then test the mustard leaves to make sure they are soft.

9. Then cut tofu into the pot and let it boil again for 15 more minutes. ( We may omit  tofu, it is optional )

10. Taste the soup, we may add salt to our own taste.

( Note: If we need the more sour taste, add more tomatoes or vinegar to adjust the taste.)