Cooking With Rania: Healthy Eating For Singles
This week, Rania Harris and Leslie Bonci are in the Pittsburgh Today Live kitchen with some great Thai recipes perfect for any single person on the go!
Thai Chicken with Carrot Ginger Salad
2 tablespoons unsalted butter - softened
3 cloves of garlic – 2 finely chopped – 1 crushed
4 teaspoons Thai green curry paste
4 teaspoons finely chopped ginger
Grated zest and juice of 3 limes
4 – 8 ounce skin on boneless chicken breasts
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 pound carrots – shaved into ribbons
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
Directions:
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Place a rack in a roasting pan. Mix the butter, chopped garlic, curry paste, 3 teaspoons of ginger, the zest of 2 limes and the juice of 1 lime in a bowl.
Season the chicken with salt. Loosen the skin and rub the curry butter underneath. Place skin-side up on the rack and pour about ½ cup water into the pan. Roast until the chicken is cooked through and the skin is crisp – about 20 – 25 minutes.
Meanwhile, mix the crushed garlic with the remaining teaspoon of ginger, the zest of 1 lime and the juice of 2 limes. Whisk in the vegetable oil. Add the carrot ribbons to the dressing and toss well. Add in the cilantro and season with salt to taste. Serve the chicken with the carrot-ginger salad.
Serves: 4
Clams and Mussels in Thai Curry Sauce
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 – 3-inch piece of ginger
3 cloves of garlic – finely chopped
1 – 2 Thai chili peppers – seeded and chopped
2 tablespoons Thai red curry paste
½ cup ketchup
Juice of 2 limes + lime wedges for serving
26 littleneck clams – scrubbed
1 ¾ pounds mussels – scrubbed
1 small red bell pepper – julienned
¾ cup cilantro
¾ cup mint
Baguette of French bread
Directions:
Heat the oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the ginger, garlic, chilies and stir fry until fragrant. Add the curry paste and ketchup and fry until slightly browned – 3 – 4 more minutes. Add the lime juice and 3 cups of water – cover and bring to a boil.
Add the clam and cover to steam just until they begin to open slightly – about 3 minutes. Add the mussels and cover to steam just until they begin to open slightly – about 3 minutes. Stir in the bell pepper and half of the cilantro and basil. Cook, covered, until the pepper is cooked crisp tender – about 2 minutes.
Transfer the clams and mussels to serving bowls and ladle the broth on top. Sprinkle with the remaining cilantro and basil and serve with lime. Serve with crusty baguette slices for dipping into the broth.
Serves: 4
Thai Pork Lettuce Wraps
1 pound ground pork
2 ½ tablespoons fish sauce
1
tablespoon white rice (see note)
¼
cup low-sodium chicken broth
2
medium shallots, peeled and sliced into thin rings (about ½ cup)
3
tablespoons juice from 2 limes
2
teaspoons sugar
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
3
tablespoons roughly chopped fresh mint leaves
3
tablespoons roughly chopped fresh cilantro leaves
1
head Bibb lettuce , washed and dried, leaves separated and left whole
Directions:
Transfer ground pork to medium bowl and repeat with remaining chunks. Stir 1 tablespoon fish sauce into ground meat and marinate, refrigerated, 15 minutes.
Heat rice in small skillet over medium-high heat; cook, stirring constantly, until deep golden brown, about 5 minutes. Transfer to small bowl and cool 5 minutes. Grind rice with spice grinder, mini food processor, or mortar and pestle until it resembles fine meal, 10 to 30 seconds (you should have about 1 tablespoon rice powder).
Bring broth to simmer in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add pork and cook, stirring frequently, until about half of pork is no longer pink, about 2 minutes. Sprinkle 1 teaspoon rice powder over pork; continue to cook, stirring constantly, until remaining pork is no longer pink, 1 to 1½ minutes longer. Transfer pork to large bowl; let cool 10 minutes.
Add remaining 1½ tablespoons fish sauce, remaining 2 teaspoons rice powder, shallots, lime juice, sugar, red pepper flakes, mint, and cilantro to pork; toss to combine. Serve with lettuce leaves.
