Have you wondered what secrets lie behind the closed curtains of the kitchens? Or, how in the world can some simple ingredients taste out of this world? Well, that is what the Chef's Pantry is about! Here, we divulge a few chosen tricks up the sleeves of every chef out there to make your life in the kitchen a little more fun!
On the menu this week is my personal favourite sauce. I even remember the first time I tasted it, on a first class seat on my way back from Singapore. The menu had chicken satay: 2 skewers of diced chicken marinated and grilled with the peanut sauce and there was only one word for it: Heavenly. I have since spent years finding recipes and replicating it, and I think I have achieved what I had all those years ago. At this point, you may be wondering, I say this for every sauce I have posted about. That is because truly, each sauce is unique, wonderful, and capable of mesmerising me or they would not be on the menu today. In the words of Anton Ego from Ratatouille, "I don't like food, I love it. If I don't love it, I don't swallow."
Anyway, here are my favourite ways to use the sauce. Because, once you have it, what shall you do with it?
A Traditional Marinade: The traditional way is to marinate your chicken, lamb or your meat with the sauce, and gently glaze it with the sauce as well. It gives a nice sticky, charred, smokey taste that is unique.
Noodles/ Rice: The first time I made this sauce, I tossed it with some rice noodles, julienned carrots and spring onions. The second time I switched it up with udon noodles ( try adding prawns!). The third time was the jackpot with rice, chicken sausages, some chillies and bell peppers. In each case, it is simple. Sautee some ginger, garlic, onions together. Add your toppings and a couple of teaspoons of the sauce, and your rice or noodles. Adjust the consistency of the sauce with a little water, and check for seasoning. Mix it all together, and serve hot.
Stir Fries: Stir fries pretty much go the same way as the noodles or rice. You start off with sautéing some onion, garlic, &ginger. Then, you add any vegetables of your choice. I always prefer Broccoli, shredded spinach, bell peppers, and some green beans. Add a couple of spoons of the sauce and adjust the consistency with some water. Toss it all together and serve hot!
As a Curry: Sautee ginger, garlic, and onions. Add in the sauce and then add in a slurry of coconut milk or cream with cornflour ( in the ratio of 4:1). Let it bubble until the curry thickens and add chilli oil, basil and lemon for your garnishes. Serve hot with a bowl of steamed rice!
Go crazy and mix and match to create your own amazing dishes. Cooking, after all is an art as much as it is a science. So, go crazy, instagram it, and tag us. If we really like what you've done with your Pataakas, you'd be eligible for some amazing goodies from us! Keep refridgerated, and the sauce can last you for a week!
BON APETITE AND HAPPY COOKING!
Comments