when my future father-in-law, Peter, and his bride-to-be, Sharon, decided to tie the knot, we spent several hours pondering over what we could possibly get them in celebration of their wedding. though they said no presents, there was no way we were going without one. but what on earth could we possibly get them? when the idea came to us we knew it was perfect – a private cooking class, in the comfort of their own home, with one of my favorite instructors from Natural Gourmet, Annie Kunjappy.
Annie arrived hauling fresh co-op produce and healthy grains & beans, ready for a day of South East Asian cooking (in honor of their upcoming honeymoon in Thailand). as the kitchen became thick with the spicy aroma of sautéed shallots & ginger, she gave the lovebirds helpful information about knife skills, kitchen equipment, and most importantly, the food they were cooking.
the menu itself was inspiring: mung bean sesame noodles with vegetables, a jicama & mango salad, quick pickled vegetables, Malaysian spicy chicken, and for dessert - sweet red beans &
black rice soup with coconut cream. below are two of Annie’s recipes from the class, the Malaysian spicy chicken and the quick pickled veggies.
a quick note on pickling: people have been pickling food for as long as we’ve been on this earth. it’s a way to preserve foods & their vitamins throughout the seasons while using only a small amount of resources. also, the health benefits of pickled foods are plentiful, most notably that they aid in digestion and are rich in enzymes, which remain in tact throughout the pickling process. (Note that pickled foods are added directly to an acid and are slightly different from fermented foods. that’s a longer process and the acid is not added but rather released through a build-up of lactic acid.)
Quick Pickled Veggies
2 carrots
1 small daikon
1 cucumber
1 tablespoon sea salt
¼ cup rice vinegar (or brown rice vinegar)
1 tablespoon agave
Seed cucumbers, and cut all vegetables into thin strips. Sprinkle with salt and press into colander for ½ hour and drain away all liquid that is extracted. Toss in vinegar and agave and allow to marinate for at least an hour before use – overnight is best.
*feel free to follow the recipe but you can also adjust the amounts or change up the veggies as you desire!
Malaysian Spicy Chicken
1 large onion, finely diced
1 teaspoon turmeric powder
1 pound chicken, boneless & skinless, cut in strips
Grind together (in food processor)
8 cloves garlic
2 inch piece ginger
8 shallots
3 green chilies (more or less to heat tolerance)
2 stalks lemongrass
2 tablespoons coconut oil
1 ½ cup coconut milk
1 lime or more to taste
½ cup chopped cilantro
sea salt to taste
Toss the chicken pieces with the turmeric until coated and set aside.
Heat up the coconut oil and sauté the onions over medium flame until just golden.
Add the ground mixture of garlic, shallots, chilies, lemongrass and ginger. Sauté for 5 minutes or until golden brown and fragrant. Add a little coconut milk to prevent sticking if needed. *(if you don’t have a food processor, cut the lemongrass into 2” pieces and let simmer with the dish, removing before serving)
Add the chicken and sauté for 2 minutes. Add coconut milk, stir and lower flame to a simmer. Cook until chicken is tender.
Squeeze in the juice of one lime, add salt to taste. Remove from heat and add cilantro.
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