FRESH CUCUMBER KIMCHI

I just realised its been a long time since I posted a recipe or a post. At this age I am proud to declare that in our household, we are foodies and as a health nut I am, I try my best to keep the diet clean and home made. This is our favorite Chinese meal made at home. Easy & fast to make & they do vanish quickly. and they do make the best leftovers.

Ingredients
1-1.5 lb boneless chicken (8-10 chicken breast tenderloins or 2 chicken breast pieces) – diced
1 medium onion, sliced
2-3 celery sticks, sliced
1 red bell pepper, deveined & sliced
2 zucchini, sliced
1 inch cube of ginger, grated in a micrograter or finely minced
1/2 to 1 tsp chilli powder 1/2 to 1 tsp paprika powder
1/3 tsp pepper powder
1/2 cup all purpose flour
Soy sauce to taste
Salt to taste
cilantro & green onions – chopped (optional)
dry roasted peanuts, sesame seeds (optional)

Oil – Sesame or EVOO

Prep:
1. mix all purpose flour with 1/2 tsp chilli powder, 1/2 tsp pepper powder, 1 tsp salt.
– Heat a non stick skillet with 2-3 tbsp of oil .
– Both Sesame oil or EVOO (Extra virgin olive oil) are tried and works well for this recipe. I prefer to use sesame oil.
– coat chicken cubes in the all purpose flour mixture & drop the chicken pieces in the hot skillet with oil
– make sure the chicken pieces are not sticking to each other.
– stir frequently to avoid clumping & promote even cooking
– when the chicken pieces are fully cooked, set the chicken aside

tip 1 – you can cook the chicken in batches
tip 2 – I use a ziploc for the all purpose flour & keep the leftover flour in the freezer, so that it is just a easy pull, coat n cook next time.

2. Start an empty skillet, add 2 tbsp oil followed by onions, celery & grated ginger.
– when the celery is almost completely cooked, then add in the bell pepper & zucchini.
– followed by 1/4 tsp chilli powder or flakes, 1/4 tsp paprika, 1/4 tsp pepper & Salt (or salt & soy sauce)
– i prefer par cooking of the bell pepper & zucchini for the crunchiness. add in the cooked chicken pieces when you think your vegetables are done for your taste.

3. now for the finishing
– in a separate small mixing bowl mix a tbsp of the all purpose flour mixture from step 1 with 2 tbsp soy sauce, 2-3 tbsp of water.
– add this solution to chicken n veges.
– allow a minute or two for the all purpose flour mixture solution to cook & finish.
– turn off the stove & follow it with garnishing like green onions, cilantro, peanuts & sesame seeds.