Elliot pretends he doesn't care for it, but when the snarky commentary guy burns someone right and good I hear a snicker or two and sometimes even get a couch companion.
I watch it also to snicker and mostly to mock what is mainly atrocious cooking skills and recipes (and don't even get me started on how many people cook with cats on their benches).
I did however get inspiration from one of the most fussy and annoying people to ever be on that show (you know, the "I don't like seafood, I can't eat white sauces, I hate cheese, I'm not a dessert eater" type). She won too. Maybe it was the Moet she plied everyone with.
Said fussy eater did like two things. Chillies and chicken. She made a sweet chilli sauce and added it to fried chicken atop a salad for her starter.
With homemade sweet chilli sauce in the fridge (recipe here http://sunsetchillies.blogspot.co.nz/2013/05/rice-paper-rolls-with-sweet-chilli-sauce.html) and chicken of some description on the menu planner for tonight, I thought a take on this dish would go down well.
It was easy really - crumb strips of chicken in panko breadcrumbs, fry in some vege oil, mix into a couple of tablespoons of the sweet chilli sauce (watered down slightly so it coats the chicken better) and some toasted sesame seeds.
Just a wee tip from me to you - toast sesame seeds by putting them in a dry frying pan over medium heat for 5-10 minutes, tossing occasionally so they don't burn. They are ready when are shiny and slightly brown and fragrant.
I eat a lot of sesame seeds so this many won't last long. However, I am still going on a 1 kg bag of sesame seeds from Moore Wilson's in Wellington that I bought over three years ago. Yes, I moved them intercity with me. And no, I don't believe in expiration dates.
I added the chilli-coated chicken to a wholemeal wrap with some cos lettuce from the garden, some red onion and tomato, a dollop of lime-infused lite sour cream and some torn coriander on top.
You could also have it with some rice or some stir-fried Asian greens or serve as finger food or just as a big bowl of fried chicken spicy goodness.
Yummy. And easy.
If you don't think you'll make homemade chilli sauce though, maybe this recipe isn't for you. Don't use supermarket sweet chilli sauce. You know my feelings about it. We've been through this.
In other news, the deck garden is flourishing. Elliot added some carrots, shallots and mesculin to the mix and nothing has died from the drop in temperature. The lemon and lime trees are going strong and I have been using the lettuce everyday.
The herbs have been delicious in slow cooker beef, lamb and chicken dishes and easily jazz up a meal by just adding some finely chopped at the last minute (added some to the instant gravy last night to go on top of steak and roast potatoes). Chives always come in handy too.
The fish are well (well, four out of five ain't bad). The only original fishie from Sunset Road (aptly named Sunny) died last week but the other four have not taken the loss too hard and even finally got names (Rocky, Apollo, Fanty and Glenn - best fish name ever).
They now have a nice clear tank thanks to a UV filter which got rid of the algae and Elliot is great at cleaning the glass and the gravel every week or so.
It is also not too far away from chilli season two. We will soon work out what we want to grow and suss the seeds and then start the propagating and growing cycle all over again. Fun and spicy times ahead.
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