deep fry love

ahhh break... finally! gratuitous sleep, pigging out, long nights and late mornings...

what better way to kick off a week of relaxation than with some classic greasy comfort items? chicken nuggets and french fries! :D

homemade french fries are such a great thing to learn. they're simple and always yield impressive, tasty results. plus they're universally pleasing, even for your vegetarian friends and family!

after peeling and slicing russet potatoes, make sure to rinse them off well until water runs clear, to get rid of all the extra starch. cover with ice water and let sit for around half an hour. once you drain them, be sure to squeeze all the water out well with paper towels! you don't want any water spattering out when it hits the hot oil. some even recommend drying it out overnight as well, for optimal fluffiness.

fries prepping in their beauty bath

once your fries are well dried out, send them into medium-hot oil for the par fry. (okay, so i lack many kitchen items including a thermometer, so i always do this by touch). you want to cook them so that they're translucent, and soft/slightly sticky. you do not want them to be crisp at this stage!

remove your fries once they can easily be pierced with a fork, and turn up the oil to high. very hot! return them to the bath so the outsides crisp up... that way you're left with soft fluffy insides and golden crispy outsides. delicious.

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if you look up recipes online for homemade chicken nuggets, many will instruct you to food process the chicken and spices together until a thick paste forms. again, i don't have many kitchen tools and a food processor unfortunately isn't something i own. instead i mixed my spices with ground chicken... doesn't produce as smooth of an end product but it was a fair substitute.

ground chicken, minced garlic, crushed chilies, cayenne, oregano, parsley, salt

i didn't take as many pictures as i would've liked, since my hands got real messy real quick! basically the chicken paste was rolled up into balls, dipped in flour, beaten egg, then flour again and smashed down to resemble a chicken nugget. each side of the nuggets were fried in a shallow pool of oil for about 3 minutes per side.

ketchup <(:3

mcdonald's is made so much better at home, i urge you to try it out!

update!

ah, long time no talk!

don't worry blog, i have not abandoned you, there is simply too much to do school wise as thanksgiving break approaches. it's not that i haven't been cooking, simply... no time to take pictures of it or create well thought out posts.

however, the good news... is thanksgiving like mentioned above! that means for break there will be plenty of delicious goodies to compensate for the dry spell

8) till then

a bit of spice for the cooler season

the weather has been becoming more chilly! school grows increasingly busy, halloween was a fun time and i have caught a bit of a cold. alas, this week food photography has gone a bit out the window.. though i have prepared several great dishes that have gone undocumented: chicken noodle soup, turkey meatballs in homemade tomato cream sauce over spaghetti, artisan cheeses on toasted bread, garden salads, etc etc.

also i have discovered the joys of unsweetened almond milk! amazing!
try it with honey nut cheerios.. it soaks up all the sugary goodness and the almonds echo the nutty flavors of the cereal.

anyhow, here is a dish i did get a chance to photograph during this busy halloweek

my faux "pad thai"  :)

i didn't have bean sprouts, fish sauce, or peanuts and i forgot the eggs. oops. so i suppose it technically it lacks the seal of authenticity!

but the cilantro-lime against hot chili and sake inspires the same kind of flavours that i love in this dish! i really didn't keep track of the proportions so to try and offer a recipe here would be a grave mistake..

however as a description.. it has seared chicken breast, shallots, and red bell peppers. in a sauce of garlic, hot chili sauce, sesame oil, soy sauce, sugar, lime juice, and sake, tossed with fresh rice noodles. served with a wedge of lime

deliciously salty and spicy for the colder days.. and my first branch-out toward SE-asian cuisine, how refreshing!