Thai Rice and Chicken/Thai Coffee

Ingredients:

4 large skinless organic chicken breasts, chunked (about 1 1/4 lbs)
6 scallions finely diced
1 lb Jasmine Rice
1 purple onion, finely chopped
2 bell peppers, red and yellow
1 lime
4 Tbsp. chicken stock
2 cloves of fresh garlic
1/2 minced green or red chili
2 Tbsp. fish sauce
3 Tbsp. peanut oil, or other good quality nut/vegetable oil
1/2 cup frozen peas
1 egg
1/2 cup fresh coriander or basil
1/4 tsp. ginger

directions:
. Prepare the Jasmine rice by mixing in 1 Tbsp. of the oil. Stir well, separating the rice grains with your fingers to remove clumps.

2. Place remaining oil in a deep frying pan or wok. Add garlic, ginger, bell peppers, scallions/onions and chili. Stir-fry over medium-high heat until fragrant (30 seconds to 1 minute).

3. Add chicken (or turkey) and 2 Tbsp. stock. Stir-fry enough to thoroughly warm the meat, if cooked. If the chicken is raw, stir fry until cooked (2-5 minutes). Add more stock, as necessary, to prevent the pan from becoming overly dry.

5. Using a wooden spoon or spatula, push ingredients aside and crack egg into the wok/pan. Stir quickly to cook and break up the egg (like making scrambled eggs).

7. When egg is cooked and most of the broth/liquid has been absorbed, add the rice plus fish sauce. Stir fry, keeping the heat medium-high. Do not add any more broth/liquid at this point, or your rice will become soggy.

8. Add frozen peas and continue to stir-fry another 1-2 minutes, or until you can hear the rice "popping". Cooking Tip: It's important to keep the wok and rice dry, but if you find the rice is sticking, you can add a little more oil - this will make the rice "shine", like restaurant quality fried rice.

9. Do a taste-test for saltiness. If not salty enough, add a sprinkling of salt. (If it happens to be too salty for your taste, add up to 1 Tbsp. lime juice.)

10.Enjoy!


Thai Iced Coffee.....the perfect go-along beverage!!



MAKES 4 SERVINGS
4 cups hot, strongly brewed coffee - leftover coffee works well if reheated
1/3 to 1/2 cup canned sweetened condensed milk
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
optional: 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper (this gives the coffee a little bit of a kick)
Optional Garnish: whole star anise, ice cubes

Preparation:
If using cold, leftover coffee, pour it into a pot or sauce pan and reheat. If using fresh coffee, pour it directly into a pitcher. Note that strong coffee works the best for this recipe.


Add the spices and sweetened condensed milk and stir well to incoporate. Taste-test to see how sweet you want it. The more condensed milk you add, the richer (and sweeter) it will be. Adjust according to your taste.


Pour or ladle coffee into a pitcher and refrigerator until cold. Or serve immediately over a glass of ice.


If serving from the pitcher, first stir the coffee well, then pour into glasses or mugs. If desired, decorate with whole star anise (this will also add another subtle layer of spice to the coffee) - simply "float" them on the surface. Ice cubes and straws can also be added. ENJOY