Meals fusion and recollections
When you’re like me and also you’re preventing the over 40 battle of the bulge, you’re continuously looking for recipes and tricks to make wholesome meals tastier and extra interesting.
In my quest to jazz up hen breasts, I remembered one in every of my favourite Philly meals recollections, Saads on 45th Street. Once I was pregnant (nearly 18 years in the past), I’d waddle there and order the hen shish tawook sandwich. It was at all times served on recent, heat, pillow-soft pita bread that had simply sufficient of his magical garlic sauce and grilled onions. Again then, I didn’t realize it was a Halal restaurant, I simply knew that it was actually good meals and it nonetheless is.
I appeared up on-line recipes for shish tawook and found there have been completely different variations. One was cinnamon primarily based and the opposite used paprika. I wasn’t positive what Saads used and I didn’t have all of the spices from any of the recipes, so I settled for plain pan-fried (oven completed) hen breast. I didn’t have any buttermilk to marinate my hen however I had plain, entire milk yogurt and OMG it was THE finest hen breast I ever had. It was so moist and tender. I used Chef Samin Nosrat’s technique from her Netflix present, Salt Fats Acid Warmth.
I attempted to recreate the identical outcome roasting buttermilk marinated chicken thighs utilizing shish tawook spices, however I didn’t totally observe the recipes. It was simply okay, however somewhat higher the subsequent day. I’ve an issue following recipes. I blame my Grandmother, Janie who by no means measured something. She was the perfect prepare dinner and she or he solely relied on her senses to information her recipes.
Pop’s excellent fried hen secret: take heed to the grease…
She and my Grandfather aka Pop had been magical within the kitchen. She used her fingers to combine and decide the best texture for pie crusts and biscuits. She mashed potatoes and beat desserts by hand. She appeared and listened to how sauces and stews bubbled and smelled and tasted each dish to find out if and when it was “excellent”.
To at the present time, Pop’s candy potato pie is the perfect (sorry Miss Patti). He additionally whipped the filling by hand and made them in quarter-hour. They’d the proper clean texture. It was creamy, however not dense or too candy. It had simply sufficient sugar, honey, and different secret substances to present the proper symphony of fall flavors with gentle citrusy notes. I attempted to recreate his pies for years they usually had been scrumptious -but they by no means in comparison with his. So, I developed my very own recipe and began making Pop-inspired — plain and candied pecan candy potato pies.
Over time, despite my Grandparent’s finest efforts, I by no means discovered find out how to fry hen or fish. One night earlier than my Grandfather’s well being took a flip for the more severe, he tried to show me find out how to fry hen. He mentioned, “it ain’t pure for you [a Black woman] to not know find out how to fry hen…” He slowly walked from his sickbed and sat patiently and confirmed me find out how to season and fry hen in a forged iron pan.
He informed me to take heed to the grease and when it stopped popping and “hushed” it was telling me when to show the hen. I snuck and appeared up a recipe, placed on a timer and checked the temperature with a meat thermometer. He shook his head and mentioned that each batch of hen is completely different so his technique was probably the most correct. That evening was one in every of my fondest recollections of my Grandfather and that hen was slama-lama-ding-dong.
I snicker and nonetheless inform individuals I’ve to show in my Soul Sista stereotype card — as a result of I nonetheless can’t fry something besides an egg. And the final time I attempted to honor my Pop by frying a batch of hen, I ended up with a soul food-related damage. Sizzling grease popped on my chest and my 2nd-degree burn appeared like a hen foot. I swear that was my Pop’s ghost telling me to “cowl up” earlier than I prepare dinner.
However again to the yogurt marinated hen, I’m going to remain in my neo-soul- world fusion meals lane and maintain making an attempt to excellent each yogurt marinated, pan-fried hen and shish tawook. They each convey again nice recollections and may make new ones at present.
I’m going to want some assist with the shish tawook… Any options on spice combos?
Particular due to:
My late Grandfather aka Pop – Robert Lee Asby
Saads Restuarant in West Philadelphia
Samin Nosrat
