"Asian" covers a lot of territory. The Asiatic continent and sub continent makes up half the land mass of the globe and includes China, Japan, Indonesia, India,Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Philippines, and much more. The varied cultures have a great deal to offer to our Western cooking and eating. The ingredients are often available from our gardens or local farms, and the spices required are becoming universal (salt, peppers, chilis, cinnamon, sesame, soys, shallots, green onions, etc)., and those not available locally are easy to order online. Our posts try to build on local produce and local proteins as far as possible, but sometimes that yen for a wonderful international taste must be satisfied!
Chicken or fish or meat salads are a quick way to entertain a friend or two for lunch. If you have no leftover cooked proteins ready and do not wish to cook, a can of good quality salmon, tuna, chicken breast, or even sardines will do nicely. Keep a few cans in your pantry.
The gorgeous salad pictured is embellished with shrimps, but chicken breast is a fine alternative.
This salad was enjoyed by the author last March at Nougatine in New York City. It was simplicity itself--combining a spring mix of baby lettuces, bits of fresh tomato, and a Champagne dressing. To make this one, see February 1 post and substitute the white wine vinegar or fresh lemon with Champagne.
For our Asian creation, make the dressing first and then poach 2 chicken breasts.
Make dressing in a pint glass jar with a lid. Combine the following ingredients:
1/2 cup canola or other plain vegetable oil (olive oil doesn't work well with Asian flavors)
1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 Tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon powdered ginger (or grated fresh if you have it)
pinch of red chili powder (to your taste)
1 large clove garlic, peeled and smashed
1 tsp. salt (taste first -- soy may be salty enough)
Shake well to develop flavors and set aside until ready to toss salad.
About 2 quarts salad greens are required for 2 luncheon servings. Use a combination of shredded romaine, small spinach leaves, bok choi, lamb's, red leaf, etc. Use slices of fresh tomato, red onion, scallion, snow peas, etc., for color and garnish.
Poach Chicken Breasts:
Remove skin, and place in a deep skillet or saucepan with 1/4 cup bottled fish sauce (see photo). This helps develop the Asian taste we are building. Toss in several cloves of peeled and smashed garlic (see photo) and about a tablespoon of whole peppercorns.
Bring 1 quart of chicken, vegetable, mushroom, or dashi stock to a boil. You may use a combination of stocks if desired. My base is usually chicken stock, with mushroom and miso powder added for additional depth. By all means, use dashi for at least half of the stock if you have it. (See post February 22, 2010). At least 1 quart liquid is needed to barely cover the breasts for poaching. Add more liquid if needed. After bringing it all to a boil, taste for salt and add 1-2 teaspoons before poaching if you can't taste any salt. Salt free poaching liquid leaves the meat quite flat--please use some.
Pour boiling stock over the breasts and cover pan with a lid or piece of aluminum foil. Adjust the stove burner so that the liquid remains at a very gentle simmer. Poach about 15 minutes. Do not over cook or the chicken will loose all flavor. When done, remove breasts from the liquid, set aside, and let cool to room temperature (takes about 15 minutes).
Save your poaching stock. Strain it, label it, date it, and freeze, or just add some noodles and make a bowl of delicious soup later.
Salad Assembly:
Slice a chicken breast across the grain into nice looking ovals or pull the breast apart with two forks (or your fingers) for shreds of "pulled" meat. How you like the meat to look is a personal preference. Breasts come large these days, so one will usually serve two people with the salad.
Toss the lettuces and other vegetable ingredients of your choice with some of the dressing--don't drown it. Divide the salad into two portions and mound on service plates. Arrange the chicken around one side, and the tomatoes, onions, etc., around the other.
Serve with Thai iced tea, cold Asian beer, or your own tea. Hard rolls or Asian/Indian style flat breads or crackers make a nice accompaniment.
Next time--something to do with that other breast!
KGC
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