Spicy Fried Chicken Wings

I just read an article about how some of the best spicy fried chicken is from a joint called Prince’s Hot Chicken Shack in Nashville, TN.  I was inspired to share my own spicy recipe with you guys! 

I do love me some fried chicken, I know it’s bad for you but if loving fried chicken is wrong, I don’t wanna be right!  Here is a snippet of my YELP! Online profile to prove it:

Let’s start with the basics . . . I choose wing flats and drummettes because they are way easier and faster to cook.  And who doesn’t love WINGS!?!?!?  I don’t make the wet kind; I like mine spicy and dry.  If you want to toss them in a wing sauce, Jonah always likes the Frank’s Hot Sauce (with butter and tabasco)

This recipe will be enough for at least 2 dozen pieces.  Around my house, we prefer the flats to the drumsticks. 

BUY:

• 2 dozen wing sections or buy them whole and cut them yourself
• Tabasco (as much heat as you can handle)
• Cayenne Pepper
• Jalapeno powder
• Garlic powder
• Onion powder
• Ground black pepper
• Minced garlic (in a jar)
• Red pepper flakes
• Season salt or Tony’s
• Shiner Bock Beer (any other dark beer)
• Cornstarch and flour
• *Here’s the Asian secret ingredient:  nuoc mam

PREP:

• Wash your chicken and pat dry
• In a large Ziploc bag, mix these ingredients:  half bottle of shiner bock (you drink the rest), tbsp of onion powder, garlic powder, ½ tbsp. cayenne, black pepper, jalapeno powder, a couple of spoonfuls of minced garlic, a few splashes of nuoc mam (a little of this stuff goes a long way) and 8-10 drops of tabasco (add more if you’d like). 
• Add the chicken to the bag, toss and make sure all meat is in the marinade.  Place bag in fridge for 1 hour.  (The longer you leave it, the more flavor it will absorb.)
• In a large shallow dish, mix ½ cup of cornstarch and ½ cup flour, sprinkle red pepper flakes, a few sprinkles of Tony’s or seasoned salt, a few sprinkles of onion powder, garlic powder and black pepper.
• Crack and mix a couple of eggs (use yolk and white) into a small bowl, add a few sprinkles of cayenne to this as well J.  Dip the chicken into the egg soak first and then lightly dredge in the flour mixture, remove and set aside on was paper.

CUC:

• Heat your oil to 350 degrees.  You can cook this in a deep frying pan or a small fry daddy.   
• Once all of the chicken has been coated with the flour mixture, start placing in the hot oil. 
• Because wing pieces are smaller, they tend to cook a bit faster.  Each batch should take no longer than 8-10 minutes to cook.  The coating should be on the light side because of the cornstarch. 
• Pieces should be crispy and golden brown. 

Lick those fingers when you’re done!!!

MudBuggin' in Houston

Ok Folks, I loooooovvvve to eat crawfish!  Like not just love, but LOVE!!!!!!

I remember when I was 8-9, back in Long Beach, Miss’sippy, my cousins, friends and I would fish for mudbugs in the ditch in front of our apartment complex.  We actually unhinged the screening from our windows to use as nets!  Lol!  I often wondered how many other Mississippi chilluns did this!

We NEVER ate them!  They were filthy!  And from a ditch!  My mama would’ve put a hurtin’ on my butt if I had tried to eat one of those suckers! Makes me laugh to think about how something so dirty has become such a food craze in the south—everywhere really!

Crawfish season typically runs from March through about June.  From August to February, the shells are quite hard and not very easy to peel.  The actual crawfish season begins in the spring, so this is actually the PEAK TIME for plump, meaty crawdads!!!

Here is a list of my favorite CRAWFISH DIVES in Houston!  There is only one on this list that I have not tried yet, but because of all the fabulous word of mouth (from experts like myself ;), I think it will be great!

Cajun Corner

photo provided by YELP!

For the longest time, I refused to go anywhere else because the garlic flavor at this joint is ridiculously good!  It also wins in my book because of the seafood fried rice!  They use a generic store-bought sausage in their boil, but I am convinced that my shoe would taste great covered in their Garlic Sauce!  When in season, the crawfish is a good size and for $6.99/lb , it is a great deal.  I think the price goes up around the peak so it may be $7.99/lb.

LA Fisherman

I visit this restaurant quite often (may have to do with a certain little lady name Katie, who is the boss around those parts)!  LA has a KABLAM sauce that is incredibly flavorful.  I have to admit, I cannot handle it, it is too spicy! 

Yes, I have shed a few tears and dribbles of snot trying to survive the spicy heat! What I like most on the menu is the snow crab legs and their boiled shrimp NEVER disappoint! 

I like to make my own “fried rice” when I visit, give me a bottle of maggi, some steamed rice, a few shrimp and snow crab legs to peel and VOILA, it’s seafood fried rice, CUC’ed  and yummy!



Crawfish & Noodles

photo provided by YELP!

This place is located in the Kim Son shopping center on Bellaire.  What is most impressive about Crawfish & Noodles is the SIZE of their crawfish never disappoint!  OMG, they are huge!  They have a garlicky  butter sauce that is pretty good as well, not as good as Cajun Corner!  I have a suspicion that there is a big French influence in their cooking style.  Lot s and lots of butter . . . a bit too rich for me, but still very good!  They have a pretty extensive Asian menu so if you’re really adventurous, you can try one of their Vietnamese dishes!

The Cajun Stop

photo provided by YELP!

Lisa boils em’ up right at the Cajun Stop!  I’ve only had the crawfish here once but it was pretty delicious!  Wish it wasn’t so far!!!  They always have great daily happy hour deals for crawfish (sometimes as low as $5/lb).  OhhhEmmGeee - her Poboys are delish!  The Surf N Turf makes my mouth water!  It is authentic Nawlins flavored crawfish!

LA Crawfish

photo provided by YELP!

 This is the only place on my list that I do not have first-hand knowledge of!  Their YELP! Reviews are great and the pictures look so yummy!  I’ve actually been told my many of my friends and family that this place rocks!  So I will definitely try it soon!  Maybe with Ms. Jimmie and John on our CRAWFISH CRAWL!!!!! ;) 

88 Boiling Crawfish & Seafood

This is the newest addition to my list . . . they won me over with great service from a friendly, attentive staff!  The big porch area with running multicolored Christmas lights is quirky charming!  Now, getting to the crawfish . . . it was 88 SPECIAL!  The 88 special flavor is the one to go with (a combination of garlic butter, Cajun and lemon pepper seasoning).  They had fabulous fried rice and you cannot leave without trying their home-made boudin balls!!!  SO delicious!  Also, soooo close to home, it is a shoo-in for my new favorite seafood dive!  You can read my full review of this place on YELP!

There it is . . . a list of my favorite crawfish joints in Houston!  The common theme:  All of these places are Asian.  Don’t get me wrong, I have tried crawfish at plenty of non-asian places, but it just never meets my expectations of spice and flavor.  Pretty sad, really.  You’d  think that Ragin’ Cajuns or Papadeaux could get it right, but it just doesn’t cut it for me!  Too bland, too expensive, too hyped!  A lot of local bars that have crawfish boils are pretty spectacular as well, but I consider those events as one-offs, not consistent enough for me.

If you got the pot, time and lots of friends to help drink cold beer while you’re boilin, you should CUC em’ yourself!  Lousiana crab/crawfish boil, garlic, onions, minced garlic, butter, cayenne, black pepper,  dried thai peppers, oranges, lemons and limes!!!  That’s all you need!!!  Throw in mushrooms, asparagus, potatoes, corn, sausage and some shrimp and you got yourself a Cajun party!!!

Laissez les bons temps rouler!

Love for Spotify

So I've been on quite a recipe kick lately . . . there are other things in my life that get CUC'ed! :)  If you are a facebook friend of mine, you've seen me post a lot of links to random songs on SPOTIFY!  Josh told me about Spotify over a year ago.

Spotify is a Swedish-based commercial music streaming service providing content from a range of major and independent record labels, including Sony, EMI, Warner Music Group and Universal.  Total users reached 20 million by December 2012. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spotify). 

This little green sphere has really changed my life!  I think all music lovers will agree with me . . . one of the joys of hearing something that touches you is the ability to share it with someone else!  And Spotify allows you to do just that, instantaneously, at that very moment! 

When I think about you
I think about 17
I think about my old Jeep
I think about the stars in the sky
Funny how a melody sounds like a memory
Like a soundtrack to a July Saturday night

~Springsteen by Eric Church

Indeed, it is pretty awesome how a melody sounds like a memory!  I strongly recommend you give Spotify a listen; you'll fall in love as I did.

Here is a playlist of my favorite tunes both old and new, thank you for letting me share!

Sweet Disposition ~ The Temper Trap
It's Time ~ Imagine Dragons
Never Gonna Leave This Bed (Acoustic) ~ Maroon 5
Springsteen ~ Eric Church
Someday ~ The Strokes
Say (All I Need) ~ OneRepublic
I Want the World to Stop ~ Belle & Sebastian
Dakota-Decade in the Sun ~ Stereophonics
I'd Rather Dance with You ~ Kings of Convenience
Gotta Have You - The Weeppies
1,000 Ships ~ Rachel Platten
Southern Girl ~ Amos Lee
Spaceman ~ The Killers
Starlight ~ MUSE
Siempre Me Quedara ~ Bebe
This Is the Day ~ The The
Bruises ~ Chairlift
Beautiful Girl ~ INXS
Sympatique ~ Pink Martini (Hotel Costes)
Stero Love (Edward Maya Acoustic) ~ Kaitlyn Rosenblum
Good Life (Acoustic) ~ Tyler Ward ft. Heather Janssen

One of my favorite things about Spotify is discovering so many new versions of songs that you already love.  Acoustic versions are often refreshing and brings a whole new perspective to your favorites! 

Cheers to the silly little tunes that got you by the heartstrings! <3

Grilled Lemongrass Pork Chops

Every chef has a signature dish or something she is known for knockin’ out of the park . . . this, my friends, is mine J  I’ve been accused of lacing these bad boys with crack!  Harharhar!  This is a really easy recipe that involves a few of those Asian essential ingredients that I love to cook with:  nuoc mam, oyster flavor sauce, garlic powder, white pepper and onion powder!

BUY:

• 8-10 thin pork chops with bone-in
• Minced garlic – 1-2 tsp
• Oyster flavor sauce  - 1-2 tbsp
• White pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder (1/2 tsp each)
• Cayenne pepper – a few sprinkles
• Sesame Oil – 2-3 drops
• Fish sauce (nuoc mam) – 3 tbsp
• Red pepper flakes – 1 tbsp

PREP:

In a large ziploc bag, place all of the ingredients.  Add the pork chops to the marinade.  Leave in fridge for at least an hour before cooking.

I like to serve these chops with jasmine rice and a cucumber, tomato, onion salad.  You can make this and leave in fridge to cool until you’re ready to serve supper!

Cucumber Tomato Onion Salad:  Dice one red onion, a few roma tomatoes, and one large cucumber into ¼ inch size cubes, set aside.

Dressing for the salad:  In a small bowl, mix 1 tbsp of sugar, ¼ cup of balsamic vinegar, ½ tbsp. of crushed black pepper, and 2-3 splashes of olive oil.  Stir until sugar has dissolved.

**Don’t pour the dressing over the salad until ready to serve, it will make everything soggy.  When ready, toss the salad in the dressing and add fried onions and a couple of tears of a cilantro bunch to finish.

CUC:

I use a gas grill . . . don’t be disappointed, I hope my next grill can be both a gas and charcoal master!  Gas is good because it heats up quickly and can be controlled with more precision.

I normally start the grill on high, use a half of an onion on end of a barbecue fork to clean the grill and then reduce heat to 375-400 degrees.  Place chops on the grill and close the top.  **The thickness of your chops will determine the cooking time.  I usually use thin chops, so cooking will be rather quick, about 10 mins (5 mins on each side).

Remove chops from the grill when finished, remember to turn off the gas valve.

Plate with a serving of jasmine rice and cucumber tomato salad.

My mouth is watering already!!!  Hope you enjoy it!

Mexican Shrimp Cocktail

AKA:  Campechana de mariscos, a spicy tomato-based, citrusy cocktail packed with shrimp and avocado.   I learned this recipe from some friends whose son used to play soccer with Jonah when he was younger out in Sugarland.  Sylvia shared this delicious recipe and it has been a party pleaser for almost a decade now.  :) The only other place that serves this dish outside of mine and Sylvia’s cocina, is Goode Co. Seafood; it’s not bad there, but you’ll love making on your own!

The most important part is to find a gi-normous martini glass like this one at Marshalls or Tuesday Morning!  It makes it that much more fun to serve!!!

BUY:

• A bag of already cooked, tail off, peeled medium-sized shrimp (H.E.B. – about $11.98 a bag)
• 2 large tomatoes, firm and red, not soft; chopped into pico de gallo sized chunks
• 1 large red onion, chopped into pico sized pieces
• A bundle of cilantro (chopped coarsely)
• 2-3 fresh green jalapenos (sliced into pico sized pieces)
• 1-2 limes (keep half of the lime for freshening the avocado when serving)
• Tabasco (4-5 drops, or according to your desire for spice)
• Half a cup of ketchup (generic brand)
• 2-3 pinches of salt
• ½ tsp of black pepper
• 1-2 whole avocados, sliced and cubed when ready to serve, squeeze lime on top to keep avocado fresh
• 1 bag of tortilla chips for dipping

PREP:

• Soak the frozen shrimp in warm water to thaw. 
• Dice and cut tomatoes, onion, jalapenos and cilantro
• Mix all ingredients in large bowl

CUC:

There is essentially no CUCing involved in this recipe! 

• Drain the shrimp and remove all excess water (as much as you can) before adding the shrimp to the mixture. 
• Toss and taste for desired level of spice.  Add more lime or tabasco as needed

EAT:

• Pour mixture into serving piece (giant martini glass)!
• Cut up the avocado and add on top
• Serve with tortilla chips!

Egg Rollin'

Vietnamese Shrimp Egg Rolls

 I can’t tell you how often we crave these in my house, it is so easy to make if you have all of the ingredients around . . . most of the ingredients are dry so you can keep them handy in your pantry J 

There have been many occasions when I don’t have this or that so any variation of these will work just fine, be creative, be brave . . . they will taste great if you season them right! 

Remember, these are CUC recipes, these will not taste like traditional Vietnamese or Chinese egg rolls you may be expecting, but I promise you’ll never settle for one of those again after you have one of these! ;)

*Let me apologize now for my incorrect use of measurement . . . I’m a CUC.  In my kitchen, there are dashes, splashes, a little bit of this and a lot of that.  I’ve tried to guesstimate the equivalent portions as best as I can.   Cooking is so much more forgiving than baking!  It’s ok if you don’t have exact measurements, most of the time, the measurements are for marinades, and you really can’t do much damage that way! 

CUC ON!

This recipe will make about 24-30 egg rolls, takes less than an hour to prepare and cook.

BUY:

• 1 lb Shrimp – probably the best place to buy shrimp is at the Asian market, it is always so much less expensive- anywhere between $3.99 - $5.99 a lb, depending on the size.   This is what I use out of convenience and because they will be mashed up anyway. The size really doesn’t matter.   I usually go for the medium sized, already peeled ones (you have to devein yourself).  HEB has the med large ones already deveined and halved, so peeling is super easy – so this will be your best bet!  Use a large knife to chop up the raw shrimp into a paste.
• 1 yellow onion - medium sized, diced into tiny pieces
• Garlic (1 heaping tbsp) – use the already minced in a jar version (I always keep a large jar of this in my fridge, makes things that much simpler)
• ½ cup chopped Mushrooms – I’ve used all kinds, from portabellas to Chinese dried fungus (the black ones); my favorite is the black fungus.  Whichever you use, dice into small pieces.
• 2 bundles of Glass Noodles (bean thread) – one of my pantry essentials, so easy to use! Soak the noodles in hot water til soft (5 mins), then chop into small sections to be added to the mixture.  
• Sesame or olive oil (1 tsp)
• Nuoc Mam (fish sauce) – 2 tsp

Any of these brands will work

• Maggi (special soy sauce) – 2 tsp 

• Ground Black pepper, onion powder, and garlic powder
• 1 pack Rice Paper – I use the small ones, (6 inch diameter)

• warm water to dip rice paper in

 CUC:

Get yourself a helper like mine :)  He is awesome at rollin!!!  back to work, no smiling!

• Mix all of the ingredients into a large bowl. 
• One of my tricks is to set 2-3 plates out for rolling the egg rolls.  By the time I am finished rolling the first one, the next paper will be ready for rolling.  You should start with 2, not 3, leave that to the pros ;)
• Dip and rotate the rice paper quickly in the hot water bowl.  DO NOT let it sit (will become gummy and un-usable)

• *When deep frying rice paper, you have to be very careful, there is water in the rolls that you just made, drop slowly and watch out for popping.
• Shrimp cooks very quickly, kepp turning the rolls in the oil and when you notice the mixture turning orangey, it is done cooking.  Rice Paper egg rolls will not turn the golden brown that you are used to seeing on egg rolls, they tend to be very light in color when they are cooked.

So my mom finally decided to share one of her egg roll cookin secrets with me after 20 yrs!!!  She adds a little bit of brown sugar to the warm water to give the egg rolls some color and the brown sugar is not overpowering and only adds a tiny bit of sweetness to the already delicious flavor!

NOM:

I usually have these yummy egg rolls with rice vermicelli, lettuce, mints, cilantro and cucumber and really tasty Nuoc Mam sauce (this is not the same as the store bought fish sauce in the bottle, this is a special Lam family recipe).  I will post soon!!!  Enjoy!

Other variations:

If you are making a ton of these, add 1/2 lb of ground pork to the recipe!  I have also used lump crab meat with my shrimp mixture.   One time I added cilantro, green onions and jalapenos to the mixture and I must say, it was pretty fantabulous!  You really can't go wrong as long as your have shrimp, glass noodles and onions!

If you are not a fan of the rice paper egg rolls, you can always use the traditional egg roll wrapper, it is rice flour based and will fry up much easier, but you will have to cook them a bit longer.   You will need to use an actual egg to seal the egg roll wrapper versus jsut warm water.  

They will be equally delicious!!

NooDelicious!

The secret to a good pho broth is a solid base of beef bones and plethora of spices and herbs. 

Growing up in Long Beach, MS, we didn’t have Pho Noodle shops around every corner like it is here in Houston.   It was always a treat when Mom would start a pot late Saturday night after she came home from work to be ready for breakfast or brunch on Sunday morning.  The big, beautiful aroma would fill the entire house by morning.   

There are a few really good noodle houses here but one rule of thumb is to never order the Pho at a place without the word PHO in its name!  I am pretty good at picking out the canned or boxed soup mixes from the overnight homemade brew—it is imperative that you let the broth cook for a loooooong time; it’s the only way to suck the marrow and sweetness out of the bones. 

Watch this if you are not easily offended by vulgar language, which is so not the case for Cuc, but this video is pretty darn hilarious! 

WOK DA PHUC!!!

BUY:

• Garlic, lots of it!  I’ve recently started to roast my garlic (whole head or bulb) before using it.  2 whole bulbs will do, roast one and mince the other. 

• 2 big yellow onions (one for the broth and one to slice for garnish later)
• 2 stalks of lemongrass (whole)
• Ginger root (a pretty big piece you can cut up)

• Beef bones, neck bones, oxtail, and Nam Gau (like a brisket, with a layer of fat in the meat) . . these are just my favorites to have in the soup; you can have all sorts of craziness like tripe, tendon . . . fatty fat, chicken  bones, turkey legs ;)  not really!

• Cinnamon sticks (4-5)
• Spices:  star anise, cloves, coriander seeds, dried Thai peppers (you can buy an already prepared bag of spices at the Asian market)
• Cheesecloth or a contraption like this to hold all of your little spices, I call it the spice-keeper ball thingy
• Olive oil, Fish sauce, onion powder, garlic powder, white pepper, sugar

• Eye of round (2lbs, sliced “tai” thin), bo vien (beef meatballs)—you won’t need these until ready to serve
• Fresh Pho Rice noodles (vacuumed sealed bags)
• Bean sprouts, basil, cilantro, jalapenos, green onions, lime – all for garnish
• Fried onion chips
• A really, realllly big gi-normous stockpot!

PREP:

• Clear your schedule for at least 6 HRS!!! play scrabble, watch a movie, knit a sweater . . .
• Roast the bulb of garlic (leave the peel on), set aside
• Wash the bones and all the meats under warm water (not the eye of round or meatballs)
• Cut the lemongrass stalks into 3-4 inch pieces
• Peel the ginger and cut into 2 inch pieces, big enough to fish out later on
• Place all of the SPICES in the cheesecloth and tie or in the spice-keeper ball, use a lot of the star anise!

CUC:

• In the stockpot, add a tbsp of olive oil and the minced garlic, sauté until browned, not burnt!  Add enough water to fill the pot 1/3 full
• Add the beef bones, oxtail and brisket meat to the stock; a few dashes of garlic powder, onion powder and white pepper and a few splashes of fish sauce on the meat for a light braise and then add enough water to cover the meat
• Let it come to a boil and add the ginger, cinnamon sticks, lemongrass, whole onion (with peel), whole roasted garlic (with peel), fill the pot with water, bring to a boil and then reduce heat to med-low heat.
• The key to a good pho broth is to keep it clear, you need to keep skimming the foam off the top of the broth and discarding it (the foam comes from the bones cooking down)

***So here's my challenge when cooking pho  . . . because it has to cook on low for so long, the stock reduces.  As it is reducing, you have to continue to refill the stock.

Shhhhhhhhh!!!! 

Here is my secret  . . . . I can’t believe I am givin’ it up!  And don’t judge me, it works!!!

If you make a separate pot of broth using a spoonful of this stuff and water, you can continue to replenish the reduced beef stock throughout the cooking process and it won’t dull the flavors of your pho broth.  (It’s like using a beef bouillon or chicken stock instead of water)

After a good 2-2 1/2 hrs, you can lower the heat to a simmer, lowest possible setting and keep watch.

I like to leave the heat on low as long as possible (sometimes 2-3 additional hours); when I used to cook Pho for the bar, I would have to transfer the stock to 3 separate crockpots.   I would also remove all of the bones at this point and and shred the meat from the oxtail and the beef bones.  I would also slice up the Nam Gau meat.  You can let cool and place in the fridge or leave on warm in the crockpot overnight.

EAT:

• Warm the pho broth on the stove or turn crockpot on to high
• Chop up half of the cilantro bunch and green onions and set aside, slice the onion and jalapenos as well.
• Slice the bo vien meatballs
• Create a garnish plate with bean sprouts, remaining cilantro, basil, sliced fresh jalapenos and limes
• Empty the fresh pho noodles into a big bowl of hot water to soak and soften (the hot water will semi cook the noodle).  Place a small serving of noodles in a pho bowl and place in the microwave for 30 secs when you are ready to serve.
• Add a few pieces of bo vien and a few slices of the eye of round (some people like a lot of meat on their bowls!)
• Scoop broth over the noodles and meat; make sure you get some of the oxtail and brisket too!  The heat from the broth will finish cooking the rice noodles in the bowl.  Garnish with the cilantro/green onions mixture and sprinkle with fried onions.

Your guests can add the remaining garnish to their liking.  Serve with Hoisin sauce, sriracha and black pepper.