Best Spicy Ginger Chu Hi Recipes

STICKY, SWEET & SPICY GRILLED GINGER CHICKEN

Steps:

• Make the chicken marinade. In a large bowl, whisk together soy sauce, water, oil, honey, brown sugar, lime juice, garlic, ginger and red pepper flakes. Reserve 1/2 cup of marinade and place in a small bowl in the fridge. You'll use this for glazing the chicken on the grill later.
• Marinate the chicken: Pat the drumsticks dry, remove the skin, season them with a pinch of salt, and add them to the large bowl or a shallow dish with the Thai chicken marinade. Mix to coat the chicken evenly, then marinate in the refrigerator for a minimum of 1 hour, or up to 24 hours.
• About a half hour before you're ready to cook the chicken, remove the chicken from the marinade and allow it to come to room temperature. Preheat a grill to 400 degrees F.
• Grill the chicken: brush the hot grill grate with oil. Place the chicken on the grill and cook for 8 minutes, then flip. Generously brush each drumstick with the reserved marinade a few times, and grill for an additional 8 minutes. Turn the chicken over one last time, brush again with the remaining marinade, and cook for 5 more minutes or until no pink remains in the center of the chicken.
• To serve: Place the chicken on a platter or large plate, then garnish with honey roasted peanuts, diced green onion and cilantro. Serves 4, 2 drumsticks each.

KEANG CHU-CHI GOONG: CHU-CHI SHRIMP

Steps:

• Massage the shrimp with a few pinches of sea salt and place in a colander in the sink to drain for 10 minutes. Rinse with cool water and dry thoroughly with paper towels.
• In a 12-inch skillet, heat the oil over high heat for 2 minutes to 325 degrees. (You can also test for readiness by dipping the tip of a wooden spoon into the oil; if bubbles form around it, the oil is ready for frying.) Deep-fry the shrimp until golden, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on a tray lined with paper towels. Cover lightly with more paper towels and set aside.
• In a 12-inch skillet, mix the 2 cups coconut cream with the chile paste and set over high heat. Cook, stirring to prevent the paste from burning, until the mixture begins to bubble, about 2 minutes. Lower the heat to medium-high and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until the mixture thickens and the oil separates, releasing tiny bubbles the color of the chile paste, about 7 minutes. Add the fried shrimp, stirring to coat well, increase the heat to high, and season with the fish sauce and palm sugar. Cook, stirring well, for 1 to 2 minutes, then transfer to a serving platter. Garnish with the fresh chile slivers, mint leaf strands, and kaffir lime leaf strands.
• Using a mortar and pestle, pound the sea salt and garlic into a paste. One at a time, add the cilantro roots and stems, chiles, dried shrimp, if desired, the peppercorns, caraway seeds, galangal, lemongrass, lime zest, and shallots in sequence, adding each new ingredient only after the previous one is pureed and incorporated into the paste. Add the grated coconut and mix well, then add the fermented shrimp paste and mix well. The chile paste can be stored in the refrigerator for at least 1 month.
• Yield: about 3/4 cup
• Fresh Unsweetened Coconut Cream and Milk: Fresh unsweetened coconut cream and milk are called for in many of these recipes. After peeling the dark skins off the chunks of white meat, cut the meat into 1 to 2-inch chunks and place them in a heavy-duty food processor fitted with the steel blade. (If the coconut meat has been frozen, thaw it completely before slicing and grinding.) Grind for 30 to 60 seconds. Pause to scrape down the sides of the processor bowl; then pulse and blend until the meat turn to pulp. Add 1 cup warm water and process for 30 seconds. Transfer the coconut meat and liquid to a large mixing bowl, preferably one with a spout for pouring. "Milk" the coconut - that is, massage and squeeze the meat at least 89 times. This is a Thai ritual believed to produce a rich and creamy coconut milk. It works!
• Place a fine-mesh strainer, potato ricer, or bouillon strainer over another large mixing bowl. Pour the coconut cream and meat into the strainer, then press firmly to extract the liquid from the pulp. Refrigerate the liquid for at least 1 hour. The thick cream will coagulate on top, leaving the whey, or milk, in the bottom of the bowl. Skim off the thick cream into a resealable plastic bag or plastic container and refrigerate or freeze.
• Meanwhile, put the coconut pulp back into the first mixing bowl. Pour 3 cups of warm water over the pulp, and massage and squeeze the coconut meat another 89 times. Strain the liquid into another bowl, as before, and refrigerate the liquid for at least 1 hour, giving the thick cream time to rise to the top.
• Skim off the cream and combine with the thick cream extracted from the first milking. Pour the thin whey into a separate glass or plastic container and refrigerate until ready to use.
• Cooks Note: More cream that can be used as cooking oil can be extracted from the thin whey after the second milking. Boil the milk gently in a large saucepan for 5 to 7 minutes. When the cream rises to the surface, skim it off and use as cooking oil to stir-fry chile or spice pastes. Then thin milk can be used for a broth to cook and tenderize meat.

SPICY GINGER SUNDAES WITH FIVE-SPICE CRISPS

Steps:

• Divide the ice cream between two bowls or sundae glasses. Top with the ginger caramel and coconut chips. Add the crisps to the edge of each bowl or glass and finish each with a dollop of whipped cream. Dive in.
• Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the ginger and sambal and cook for a minute to release the flavor. Add the coconut sugar, cream and salt. Cook while whisking gently until thick and smooth, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat. Use warm or cool and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Mix the sugar and five-spice powder together in a small bowl.
• Add the tortillas to a sheet pan and brush the tops with half of the melted butter. Sprinkle the tortillas with half of the sugar mixture. Flip and repeat with the remaining butter and sugar mixture.
• Bake until very crisp and golden, 15 to 17 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool completely. Break apart and eat as a snack or with your favorite ice cream.

SPICY GINGER WHOOPEES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• To make the cookies: In a medium mixing bowl whisk together flour, salt, baking soda, dry spices, and set aside. In a large mixing bowl, beat with a hand mixer, the vegetable shortening and the coconut shortening together until creamy. Add molasses and brown sugar and beat until smooth. Add the eggs 1 at a time, the pumpkin puree and ginger. Mix until well blended. Slowly stir in the flour with a rubber spatula scraping the sides until all ingredients are well incorporated. Roll the dough into 1-inch balls, flatten slightly with the back of a spoon and place on a cookie sheet. Bake in the oven for 10 to 12 minutes. Cool cookies for 5 minutes on cookie sheet. Transfer cookies to wire racks and let cool.
• To make the icing: In a medium bowl, combine with a hand mixer, the sugar, meringue powder and just enough water to make a smooth, glossy icing. Transfer to a plastic baggie. Snip the corner of the bag with scissors and drizzle onto cookies.

SPICY GINGER CHICKEN

Steps:

• Put oil into wok or frying pan. When hot, add garlic and stir-fry until brown.
• Add onion and chicken; stir-fry until chicken begins to turn white.
• Add ginger and red pepper, combine well.
• Add chilies and chicken stock/water, and stir-fry for 1 minute.
• Check chicken is white throughout, and then add spring onions. Cook for 30 seconds (until onions are slightly soft).
• Serve with rice.

FRESH GINGER MASALA CHAI

Steps:

• Combine ginger, cardamom pods and seeds, peppercorns and 3 cups water in a 5-quart pot. Bring mixture to a rolling boil over high heat. Add the tea and boil 4-5 minutes, until the water is dark brown.
• Add the milk and return to a strong boil until it threatens to boil over, about 4 minutes. (Not all plant based milk will rise when it boils. If yours doesn't, let boil for 30 seconds before continuing with the recipe and lowering the heat.) Place a wooden spoon across the pot to avoid bubbling over. Reduce heat to low, then, when foam has settled, return to medium high heat. Continue to boil for a total of 10 minutes from the time that milk was added, until the liquid has reduced by ⅓ and has a deep tan color. If the foam continues to rise, lower heat slightly.
• Remove from heat. Using a strainer, strain tea into 4 teacups. (For a frothy chai, pour the chai from one cup to another a few times until bubbles form.) Add about 1 tsp. sugar (or more to taste) per cup, and serve immediately.