A bit of a clickbait, I will admit, but, I wanted your attention and the kabobs on a fast weeknight just cannot hold a candle to a candlelit dinner for two... this weekend, I promise. There are two separate recipes, chicken kabobs, and ginger sesame fried cabbage that I pair together and add a side of rice.
Chicken Kabobs
Ingredients:
1 onion
1 bell pepper
1 zucchini
6 oz chicken thighs
6 bamboo skewers
Soak bamboo skewers in water. I just set mine in a plate of water and flipped them over about halfway through. This helps prevent them from turning to cinders in high heat and was really not necessary on the George Foreman Grill. (Spoiler alert! We are using a George Foreman Grill) If cooking over an open fire or other very high heat, you may want to soak more thoroughly, at least 20 minutes.
Cut up the onion and bell pepper into chunks, taking care with the onion to keep several layers together (I like the way they cook that way better, single pieces tend to shrivel up quicker). I also preserve the center bulb of the onion to put on the skewer (as you can see in a couple of pictures), since I like the way they cook.
Cut the stalk of zucchini off, cut in half crosswise, then in thirds lengthwise. This produces 6 pieces (one for each skewer). Cut each of these 6 pieces into 3 pieces, lengthwise.
The chicken was a boneless skinless thigh, so I trimmed off any large sections of fat/silverskin/tendons and cut them into small bite-size pieces. The meat can be seasoned with a marinade/seasoning of your choice or left plain. I added a bit of salt to mine.
I then separated each of the vegetables/meat into 6 piles. 1oz of chicken and then equally-ish separated the pieces/chunks of vegetables. Each of these piles was for one kabob, to make them all roughly the same size.
For the kabobs, I started with a piece of zucchini on the skewer, followed by an alternating mix of meat and vegetables. Approximately halfway through, I added another chunk of zucchini, then alternated with the rest of the meat/onion/pepper and finished off each kabob with the last piece of zucchini. Repeat for the other 5 kabobs.
Heat George Foreman/grill/oven/grill and cook, rotating occasionally for even heating. The George Foreman only has one heat setting -ON- so I cooked until they were slightly blackened. It always feels like a more authentic grill job when I do that. :)
Serve over ginger sesame fried cabbage with a small bowl of salted jasmine rice. Recipe to follow!
Ginger Sesame Fried Cabbage
Ingredients:
1-3 tablespoons sunflower oil, as needed (or other light oil)
1-2 teaspoon ginger, minced
1 tablespoon garlic, minced
1 small onion, thinly sliced
3-4cups green cabbage, thinly shredded
1/3 carrot, shredded
Generous splash fish sauce
1-2 teaspoons sesame oil
chili pepper oil, optional
Cut shoot-side of the onion off, then cut in half, bisecting the root. Thinly slice from shoot-end to root-end. Leaving the root attached until the very end holds the onion together and makes it easier to cut the thin slices evenly.
Shred cabbage thinly, I aim for 1-2mm. Shred 3-4 cups.
Shred and portion a carrot. This is mainly for color, so add as necessary. Other quick-cooking vegetables can also be added for colors, such as peppers or red cabbage. The skins from zucchini can also be added(use a potato peeler to get long strips of it) if you are using zucchini for another part of your meal.
Heat pan, I used a cast iron pot to help keep oil splatter to a minimum and I like the way it cooks at higher heat. Add garlic and ginger. Cook a few seconds until lightly browned, then add onions.
When onions start to wilt and become slightly translucent, add cabbage and carrots (and any other vegetables you wanted to add for color) and cook, stirring occasionally.
After a few minutes, everything should be somewhat wilted with a few thicker pieces still crispy. Add the fish sauce and sesame oil. Remove from heat and serve. Chili oil can be added for a bit of a kick (or a fresh spicy pepper when the onion is added). Serve on top of kabobs with a small bowl of salted jasmine rice.
饾惪饾憸饾搵饾憭 饾搲饾憸 饾搸饾憸饾搳,
饾挓饾憭饾搩饾捑饾搱饾憭 鉂わ笍