Quick Thai Curry Drumsticks
Rebecca and I are coming up on 8 years of marriage. Crazy, I know. This week's sweltering and humid weather here in Haiti had me thinking back to our engagement in Thailand. In particular, I was remembering one late evening walk through a night market in Bangkok, snacking on delicious street foods as we talked about what a life together would look like. One stand was serving grilled chicken in an addictive, slightly sweet peanut curry sauce. Maybe it was just the romance of the moment, but that flavor combo has stuck with us, and it's one we find ourselves coming back to in the heat of summer. These Quick Thai Curry Drumsticks are simple, quick, and perfect for a hot summer evening.
9 years ago, backpacking across Southeast Asia
Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 pounds chicken drumsticks
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce
- 3 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons peanut butter
- 2 tablespoons worchestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon sweet curry powder
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Steps:
- Whisk together all marinade ingredients (soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, peanut butter, worchestershire sauce, curry powder, fish sauce, brown sugar, salt, and cayenne) in a small bowl until smooth.
- Combine chicken and marinade in a zip-top bag, shake thoroughly, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes (up to overnight).
- Preheat your grill on high for 10-15 minutes. Clean the grates thoroughly and wipe with a lightly oiled rag just prior to grilling to reduce sticking.
- Turn the grill heat to medium-low, and grill the drumsticks (covered) for 6-7 minutes on each side. To test for doneness, cut into your largest piece of chicken. It should have no translucency or pinkness in the center, but still be juicy.
- Remove from heat. Allow to rest 3-5 minutes prior to serving.
Vietnamese Chicken Soup, Phở Gà
Food has the power to connect us to people and places around the world. In 2007, Rebecca and I spent three months traveling through South East Asia together. Leaving Cambodia on the back of moto-bikes, we arrived for the night, hot and dusty, in a small village in rural Vietnam. After dropping off our packs, we sat down on the rickety plastic stools of the town's only food stand, famished. Without asking what we wanted, two pungent bowls of Phở Gà, Vietnam's famous chicken noodle soup, were plunked down in front of us. We were hooked! As we made our way north over the next several weeks, we enjoyed many local variations of Phở: from the dark, rich, and beefy to bright and spicy with shrimp. Our favorite Phở, on which our recipe is based, was eaten from steaming bowls one early morning overlooking Hạ Long Bay. This version used chicken that had been marinated and grilled, rather than boiled in the soup, giving it a crispy texture and sweet charred flavor.
Each sip of flavorful broth reminds us also of the people and culture that created it. Phở is an aromatic and visual dish, one that we like to serve in our Vietnamese blue petal bowls made in the Kinh family workshop in the famous pottery village of Bat Trang, Vietnam. By partnering with a local non-profit and Ten Thousand Villages, women potters are able to make a living for their families, continue a rich cultural tradition, and gain access to tools, education, training, interest-free loans, and literacy classes. We buy many of our dishes and gifts from Ten Thousand Villages each year, and appreciate their commitment to ethical partnerships with local artisans around the world.
Thai Peanut Sauce Smoked Chicken Wings
Christmas in Indiana this year had as hankering for these Thai Peanut Smoked Chicken Wings. Given the challenges of finding both chicken wings and a smoker in Haiti, we couldn't pass up the opportunity to chow down on an old favorite while back in the US. This pungent Thai sauce is chock full of vibrant flavors, tangy lime, creamy peanut butter, garlic, and spicy jalapeno. For those without a home smoker, the recipe includes an easy adaptation for oven roasting.
Chilmole Slow Roasted Spareribs
Yesterday, both Paul and my sister celebrated their birthdays. Food, as usual, is our vehicle of celebration with an office birthday lunch featuring Paul's favorite Haitian dish, kalalou, stewed okra with slow cooked beef. Unfortunately, an ocean separates us from celebrating with my sister this year, but we in Haiti will spend our weekend in food revelries! Paul has requested his usual quirky birthday-food combinations; buttermilk biscuits, hot fudge pudding cake and watermelon chiffon pie, all fairly doable with minor adaptations. But this year he also requested ribs. Hmm. Since we have some gorgeous chilmole paste in our fridge right now, I am planning to make Paul a grilled version of our recipe for Yucatán Chilmole Slow Roasted Spareribs, a finger-licking rib recipe that we perfected in Pittsburgh before we left. Smoky, spicy, juicy, delicious.
Turkey Feta Burgers with Yogurt Curry Sauce
On a holiday weekend famous for feasting and barbecues, we wanted to share one of our favorite burgers. These healthy Turkey Feta Burgers with Yogurt Curry Sauce are quick to make, light on fat, and big on flavor. If you are feeling adventurous, you can also substitute the turkey in this recipe for another lean meat like lamb, buffalo, or venison. To top these burgers, we ditch the usual lettuce, and opt instead for the crips fresh accompaniments of cucumber, tomato, and homemade pickled red onions.
Sweet & Spicy Sesame Wings
For us, the month of May means barbecue season, and with long weekend celebrations this month in Canada, the States, and National Flag day here in Haiti, we thought it was time for chicken wings. We first started making this addictive wings recipe last year when an abundance of hot pepper jelly made it into the fresh produce boxes of our CSA. Paul created these Sweet & Spicy Sesame Wings with a pungent sesame, garlic and fresh ginger sauce that is a slam dunk recipe to add to your grilling repertoire this season.
