Tasty Tuesday, Easy Chicken Curry Soup

Time to take a break from the craziness on Facebook and share a delicious recipe schemed up by me yesterday. I'm a hobbling, babbling crazy woman due to pain and meds right now, so I will not be held accountable for telling all people to back off of Ann Romney and get a life.  For now, let's take a look at a recipe perfect for rainy Spring days.

Chicken Curry Soup
 1 chicken hind quarter
6 cups chicken broth
1 cup each diced or chopped onion, celery, carrots, zucchini, and baby bok choy.
1 3 inch cinnamon stick
1 star anise
1 tsp or to taste of curry powder
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2-3 whole allspice
tsp. peppercorns
I 10 oz. can of cream of mushroom soup
1/4 cup each jasmine rice and barley
Season to taste.

In a large pot toss in your chicken, onion, carrots, celery along with the broth and spices. Simmer for an hour or until chicken is tender and ready to fall off the bones. Take chicken out and add rice and barley. Simmer until just done, about 30 minutes, and add soup, zucchini and bok choy. Take chicken off the bones and discard fat and skin, then add to pot. Fish out the cinnamon stick and other large spice pieces. This is so easy, and makes enough for 6 to 8 servings. Enjoy! Now go hug someone and tell them you love them. Taa taa. :-)

Foodie Friday - Spicy Ginger Pork with veggies

 Blogger won't let me start with a clever paragraph above so let's get going on this recipe. Marinade ingredients - 1 tablespoon each peach or blueberry jam, honey, soy sauce, Tiparos fish sauce, and seasoned rice vinegar.  2 teaspoons crushed red pepper, 4 cloves of garlic, crushed. 1" of fresh ginger, peeled and grated. Combine and place in a bowl. After you're done admiring the colorful vegetables.....

of which you will need 4 stalks of bok choy, 2 peeled and thinly sliced carrots, 1 medium onion, chopped, 4 green onions sliced, 8 oz cup of sliced mushrooms, 1 red bell pepper chopped......

 Take two beautiful thick pork chops  and thinly slice them. Add to marinade and coat.

 Heat a wok or cast iron skillet over medium high heat. Add 2 tablespoons peanut oil or sesame, or canola oil, depending on your preference. I used peanut oil as I didn't have sesame oil. After oil starts to smoke scoop out and slightly drain pork and add to hot pan. Stir occasionally and cook meat until done and starting to carmelize. Scoop out and add 2 more tablespoons oil and then toss in the vegetables.

Cook until crisp tender and add back the meat. While the veggies are cooking take the leftover marinade and add 1/4 cup of water, 1 tablespoon each honey, soy sauce, fish sauce, and corn starch and 2 tablespoons of the jam. Combine well and stir into pan with veggies and meat. Cook until sauce is thickened, about 1-2 minutes. Whaalaa! Serve over rice or noodles. Yield 4-6 servings
Spicy Ginger Pork
Marinade
1 tablespoon each blueberry, or peach jam, honey, soy sauce, fish sauce, seasoned rice vinegar
4 cloves garlic, crushed
2 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes
1 inch fresh peeled ginger, grated
the rest of the ingredients
1 lb. lean pork or two thick boneless pork chops, thinly sliced
4 bok choy stalks, thinly sliced
1 red bell pepper, chopped,
1 medium onion, chopped
1 - 8 oz. cup sliced mushrooms
2 peeled carrots, thinly sliced
4 green onions, thinly sliced
sauce
1 tablespoon each honey, soy sauce, fish sauce, and corn starch, left over marinade, 1/4 cup water and 2 tablespoons jam
This recipe would also be great using chicken. Give it a try and let me know what you think. Kent says this is one of the better Asian style dinners I've fixed, he loved it! Here's to a great weekend! Enjoy!