I have a confession to make: I am not a chef or even an expert home cook. When I am reading a cookbook and a recipe strikes me as something worth a shot, a feeling of excitement builds in me. The idea of trying something new. It usually begins with the picture. What can I say, I am a visual learner. Then I look at the ingredients and then the process. Now there are several points in those last two catagories where the mommentum can lose steam and the whole train of inspriation can come off its tracks.

For one, who is to say what is a medium sized tomato? Palm size? Fist size? Who’s fist? Am I going to be asked to leave the produce section for menacing motions amongst the Beefsteaks? I really don’t want to be branded a tomato puncher. Secondly, lets address “the pinch” what does that even mean? I need stability! Tell me a teaspoon. I can measure that. For all you know my hands may be dainty but very adept at pinching. Next thing you know my Kale Yeah Casserole is too gosh darn salty and Camile won’t say anything but she will never come back over to play parcheesi. (Which might not be such a bad thing as she does stare at my hands a lot.) Oh and season to taste? Thanks but thats pretty much why I need a recipe. Otherwise the recipe could just read “Add flavors to things. Boom! Dinner.”

Fourthly, ingredients that no one would actually have. Ajwain? What is that and why didn’t I notice it before I bought everything else to make this 45 dollar dinner? Now I love finding new spices and flavors to use in cooking. A recipe can be a great oportunity to build up your spice cabinet and try new things but it really helps if there is more than one dish where it works. I think we all have a spice, oil, condiment, or paste that we just don’t know why we got it or how to use it. In this case versatility is key.

Lastly, lets talk about low to medium heat. My stove has numbers so you are telling me to use 1-3 to cook the meal. Just pick one or should I just slowly turn the dial up and down for the 6 minutes that I will be staring at these onions wondering how sweaty they are and if that is sweaty enough. Double lastly, can we just say they are anything but sweaty? I don’t want to eat sweaty things after that incident in fifth grade. (Fool me once, Camille. Shame on me. Fool me twice? Then I will spend the next 20 years of my life studying parcheesi from the masters and I will innocently invite you over for Kale Yeah Casserole. Then while you are distracted by my perfectly seasond dish I will exact my revenge! Proof that revenge is a dish best served with a teaspoon of salt…and not a pinch.)

My point is that when we are writing these recipes, we are sharing a way to use one or more of our sauces by providing an example of how we like to eat. This recipe is a current favorite and it is really quite simple yet feels refreshingly new. We hope that you’ll find that we keep the technique simple, the ingredients minimal, (as possible) and the flavors fresh and bright.

 

Serrano Ginger Lemongrass Chicken Patties & Red Chili Lime Rice Noodles with Mango

Ingredients For Chicken Patties:

• 1 pound of boneless chicken breast
• 1 can of water chestnuts drained
• 1 green onion
• 1/4 cup Serrano Ginger Lemongrass Sauce
• 1/4 cup cilantro
• 1/4 cup panko
• 2 Tbs. Olive Oil

 

Directions:

1. Cut chicken into cubes and put into food processor, pulse until it comes together (Not specific enough right? Well here is the thing, I could say 6 short pulses but really you are just rapidly dicing the meat and any variance in size will only add texture.), remove and place in a bowl big enough to mix this and the next mixture together.

2. Put in the water chestnuts, serrano ginger lemongrass sauce, green onion, cilantro, and panko into food processor and pulse until it comes together. (Same advice as before, you are just rapidly chopping and mixing the ingredients together. If you didn’t have a food processor you could still do these two steps with a cutting board and determination.)

3. Mix the two in the large bowl by hand.

4. Form mixture by hand into patties. You are looking for four to six patties. It depends on the thickness but either way at 6 minutes per side you’ll be good on the cooking time.)

5. Put on a pot of water for your noodles, to boil.

6. Heat the skillet at medium heat (the middle of the knob. If the dial is numbered 1-10 the go for 5. If it says low- medium- high. Well, you know.), add the olive oil and place the patties into the skillet. Let cook 6 minutes per side, flipping only one time.

 

Ingredients for the Dressing:

• 3 Tablespoons of vinegar
• 1 Tablespoon of olive oil
• 2 Tablespoons Red Chili Lime Sauce
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 1/4th a cup of mango

 

Ingredients for Mango Noodles:

• 3 Tbs. Rice Vinegar
• 1 Tbs. Olive Oil
• 1 tsp. Sesame Oil
• 2 Tbs. Marshall’s Red Chili Lime Sauce
• 1 Mango diced (1/4 Cup for dressing, rest for salad)
• 2 bundles rice stick noodles or soba. (Just look on the back and if they only need to boil for 3 or so minutes then use those. Don’t use the rice noodles that are a bundle of plastic like noodles. They are difficult and will usually be under done or gummy.)
• 1/2 cucumber
• 1 thinly sliced green onion
• 1 carrot
• Garnish options: cilantro, cashews, sesame seeds

 

Directions for the dressing:

1. Use a blender or food processor, put all ingredients into blender. Blend until smooth and set aside.

Directions for the noodles:

1. Place noodles into boiling pot of water.

2. When finished, poor into a strainer and run cool water over them. (You can do this step before everything else so that you don’t have to worry about them. just leave them in the strainer and if they start to stick together just rinse them with more cold water and they will release.)

3. Put strained cooled noodles into a bowl, add in dressing, toss and add vegetables. Plate and garnish.

Now if you are still with me, you can see that this recipe would be my worst nightmare. There are new ingredients like rice noodles and sesame oil (if these aren’t pantry staples, fix that right now.) and we have you making your own ground chicken. Well, it turns out that we have been buying it but it is way easier to just make your own. Most people have boneless and skinless chicken breast. Also like a lot of my favorite recipes, this is highly customizable. The vegetables and garnish could be placed in bowls and everyone can add whatever they like. You can even slice the mango in long pieces and then cut that into match sticks which mimmic the shape of the noodles. All in all I just hope you enjoy the flavors and that while the recipe looks arduous on screen it is actually very easy and approachable. Sometimes trying something different can teach us that the risk is worth the reward. We hope you love this recipe as much as we do. (Except you Camille.)