Tag: main course
Whole Fish wrapped in Banana Leaves
Whole Fish wrapped in Banana Leaves
Cook whole fish in banana leaves is a popular preparation in African, Caribbean, Central American, Mexican, and some Asian cuisines. Not only does wrapping whole fish in banana leaves help steam the fish, but it also adds an earthiness flavor. You can find banana leaves at most Asian markets, either wrapped up fresh or in the frozen section. They need to be washed and lightly flame broiler for not even a minute to make them pliable for use.There are a few great options of fish that you can use for this recipe. Snapper, branzini, pompano, tilapia, or striped bass are all exceptional options. Have your fish monger gut, scale, and remove the fins if you don’t want to do it at home. Especially scaling the fish. No process is makes more of a mess then scaling. Usually a whole fish that’s 1-1 1/2lbs will serve 1 person. A 2lb+ whole fish will serve 2. Using whole fish is a great price point. I got a 1 1/2lb tilapia for $2.50 at my Asian market while you pay anywhere from $6-$10lb for the fillets. You can also save the head for making fish stock; if you don’t eat all of the head meat like I do.
Ingredients
- 1 fish between 1 1/2-2lbs
- banana leaves
- 1/4 white onion sliced
- 1/2 small roma tomato sliced
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1 tbsp ginger minced
- 1 tbsp green seasoning
- 4 lemon slices
Instructions
- Wash your banana leaves. Place them under your broiler for barely a minute. This will make them more pliable. Place your whole fish in the center of the leaves. Make 3-4 cuts vertically across the flesh on each side of the fish.
- Rub each side of the fish with the green seasoning, making sure to rub inside each of the cuts that you made in the fish. Stuff each of the cuts with minced garlic and ginger. Top the fish with the onions and tomatoes. Places 2 slices of lemon on each side of the fish. If there is any leftover ingredients, stuff them in the cavity of the fish.
- Wrap up the fish in the banana leaves. You might need to tie this closed with kitchen twine so none of the steam escapes. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.
- For a 1 1/2lb fish, cook for 20 minutes. For a 2lb fish, cook for 25 minutes. Let rest for 5-10 minutes before peeling away the banana leaves.
- Serve with your favorite side dish.
Green Seasoning
Green seasoning is used in a lot of Caribbean and African cuisine. It is very similar to the chimichurri sauce used in South American countries. Green seasoning is a great marinade for fish, chicken, pork; pretty much anything that you can grill or roast. It is a great addition in soups or as a dip.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup green onion
- 1 cup fresh parsley
- 1/2 cup celery
- 1 cup sweet basil
- 1/2 cup onion
- 1/4 cup garlic
- 1/2 cup fresh thyme
- 1 tbsp fresh rosemary
- 1 tsp ginger
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tbsp chicken bouillon powder
- 1 jalapeno
- 1 cup water
Instructions
- Add all ingredients to a food processor except the water.
- Blend.Slowly add the water to your desired consistency. Should be a smooth paste.
- Anything you aren’t going to immediately use can be stored in a jar for a couple of weeks in the refrigerator or frozen in ice cube trays for a couple of months.
- Store green seasoning ice cubes in a freezer bag. 2 cubes = 1/2 cup.
Gizdodo
Gizdodo
Gizdodo is a popular Nigerian dish consisting of stewed chicken gizzards and plantains in a spicy tomato and pepper sauce. The gizzards are first boiled for 40 minutes; then fried along with the plantains, before being stewed in the sauce. You can also use turkey gizzards for this recipe. They need to boil for at least an hour before frying.
Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 1 lb chicken gizzards
- 1/4 medium onion
- 1 tsp curry powder
- 1 tsp thyme
- 1 tbsp chicken bullion
- 2 large plantains cubed
- 2 tsp creole seasoning
- 1/4 medium onion diced
- 1 red bell pepper diced
- 4 green onion chopped
- 6 oz tomato paste
- chicken gizzard stock
- 1 tsp curry powder
- 1 tsp thyme
- 1 tsp cayenne pepper
- vegetable oil for frying
Instructions
- Put gizzards, 1/4 onion, 1 tsp thyme, 1 tsp curry powder, and chicken bouillon in a pot. Cover with enough water to submerge all of the ingredients completely. Bring to a boil and simmer for 40 minutes.
- Strain the gizzards in a colander, saving all of the gizzard stock in a bowl below.
- Wash out and dry the same pot. Add about 1/2 cup of cooking oil the the pot over medium high heat. Fry the plantains in 2 batches until golden brown; about 6 minutes a batch.
- Place plantains in a bowl and season with the creole seasoning.
- Fry the gizzards for 5 minutes. Remove gizzards from the oil and place in the bowl with the plantains.
- Heat up 3 tbsp of cooking oil in a large saucepan over medium high heat. Sauté the onions, bell pepper, and green onions for 5 minutes.
- Add in the tomato paste, all of the gizzard stock, thyme, curry powder, and cayenne. Simmer for 5 minutes.
- Stir in the gizzards and plantains. Simmer for 5 more minutes over medium heat.
- Serve as is or with a side of rice.
Lemongrass Chicken
Lemongrass Chicken
Lemongrass chicken in 5 minutes, not counting marinating time. This might be the easiest recipe to cook on this website. The only real important thing to take note is to make sure that the chicken is sliced no thicker than 1/4” thick. You want this to cook fast. Putting the chicken in the freezer for a few minutes just to firm it up makes thin slicing a lot easier.
Ingredients
- 3/4 lb boneless skinless chicken breast or thigh thinly sliced
- 1 stalk lemongrass finely chopped
- 10 lime leaves torn
- 2 tbsp oyster sauce
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 2 tbsp flour
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1 tsp cracked black pepper
Instructions
- Mix all of the marinade ingredients together. Make sure that the lemongrass is finely chopped.
- Slice the chicken as thin as possible. By thin, I mean 1/4” thick or les. If you put your chicken breast in the freezer for a few minutes to firm it up, it makes slicing it a lot easier. Marinate for 30 minutes.
- Heat up cooking oil in a wok or sauté pan over high heat. Add in the chicken, constantly moving around in the pan. This will only take 5 minutes to cook.
- Serve with steamed rice.
