Buttermilk Chicken

I don't know why I always start to watch TV shows in the summer. Usually I don't do TV marathons in the winter but once it's summer, I just want to relax (and my way of relaxing apparently involves TV drama). I've been binge watching Game of Thrones (season 6), How I met your mother (from season 6, too) and Bunheads (which is like Gilmore Girls, but set in a dance studio :D).

The guys in HIMYM are always eating Chinese takeout (from cardboard boxes) so I needed to create something of the sorts to eat with my rice, preferably from chicken. I'd had my eye on this recipe for some time, so it was about time to test it (I made some alterations though).

Foxtail got his share of buttermilk too. He got so carried away with it while licking the buttermilk carton that he messed the whole kitchen floor (and his face too).

(Resepti alla myös suomeksi.)

Buttermilk Chicken

serves 3-4, depending if you're serving it with rice or other side dish
 
300 g chicken breast
1 lime (juice and zest)
A bunch of coriander
1 garlic clove
A piece of ginger
half a stalk of lemongrass
salt
200 ml buttermilk

oil for stir-frying
sesame seeds 

Optional wasabi dressing:
1 part Japanese soy sauce
1 part rice vinegar
wasabi paste (I use 1/2-1 tsp for every Tbsp of soy sauce)
2 parts toasted sesame oil
 
Make the marinade: Remove the leaves from coriander and put aside, chop the stalks. Grate garlic, ginger and lime zest. Slice the lemongrass. Stir grated ginger, garlic and lime zest, coriander stalk and lemongrass to buttermilk, along with the squeezed lime juice. Add salt. Cut the chicken to chopstick-eatable pieces (I'd cut the breast into 4-5 pieces, it's easier to get the marinade off, when not too may pieces). Place in fridge and let marinate in buttermilk overnight (or at least 4 hours).
 
Next day, pick the chicken pieces from the marinade (chopsticks work well here or tongs) and pat the meat almost dry, leaving a small amount of buttermilk on the meat, as it will give nice colour to otherwise pale chicken when cooked (it burns quite easily though). Heat up some vegetable oil in a frying pan. Saute the chicken pieces until brown and cooked. The marinade tends to stick to the pan, but be quick to move the chicken pieces on the pan, so that the browning marinade coats the chicken pieces. You can add sesame seeds at this point but don't let them burn. Finally add the coriander leaves and serve alongside some rice or salad.

Optional: Especially if you're serving the chicken with salad, I strongly recommend my favorite sesame wasabi dressing: Soften the wasabi paste with adding the soy sauce little by little. Add rice vinegar and toasted sesame oil and whisk. Check the taste.

Piimäbroileri

3-4:lle, riippuen lisukkeista

300 g broilerin rintafileitä
1 lime (mehu ja kuori)
nippu korianteria
puolikas sitruunaruohon varsi
1 valkosipulin kynsi
pala inkivääriä
1 tl suolaa
2 dl piimää

öljyä paistamiseen
seesaminsiemeniä viimeistelyyn 

Valinnainen wasabikastike
(tee tätä, etenkin, jos tarjoat broilerin salaatin kanssa, mutta kastike toimii myös riisin kera):
1 osa japanilaista soijakastiketta
wasabia maun mukaan (laitan n. 1/2-1 tl wasabia / 1 rkl soijaa)
1 osa riisiviinietikkaa
2 osaa paahdettua seesamiöljyä

 
Marinadi: Raasta valkosipuli, inkivääri ja limen kuori. Viipaloi sitruunaruoho ohuiksi kolikoiksi. Leikkaa korianterin varret (säästä lehdet viimeistelyyn). Lisää raasteet, sitruunaruoho, korianterin varret, puristettu limenmehu ja suola piimään. Leikkaa kananfileet noin 4-5 osaan, (jotta marinadin saa kätevämmin pois; itse leikkasin palat turhan pieniksi) ja laita ne marinadiin. Anna maustua jääkaapissa yön yli tai ainakin 4 tuntia.
 
Seuraavana päivänä nosta kananpalat pois marinadista ja taputtele suurin osa marinadista pois keittiöpaperilla (ei ihan kaikkea, sillä se antaa kanalle hyvän värin paistossa, mutta toisaalta palaa helposti). Paista kananpalat paistinpannulla öljyssä, kunnes ne ovat kypsiä ja kauniin ruskeita. Lisää halutessasi paiston loppuvaiheessa pannulla seesaminsiemeniä (varo etteivät ne pala). Lopuksi lisää korianterin lehdet ja tarjoile riisin tai salaatin kera.

Halutessasi, etenkin jos tarjoilet kanan salaatin kanssa, voit tehdä lisäksi wasabikastikkeen (joka toimii kylläkin myös riisin kanssa): Sekoita wasabitahnaan soijakastike pikkuhiljaa, jotta saat tasaisen tahnan, lisää riisiviinietikka ja seesamiöljy ja vispaa tasaiseksi.

 Adapted from Valio.

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