Wednesday, March 11, 2020

Mandarin, Chopsticks, Instant Pot, Services, Movie,

Mandarin has a new "thing" going at the moment, they always give you Fortune cookies at the end of the meal, but these are packaged differently and you can win Mandarin for a year - wouldn't that be great? I actually did win a box of chopsticks. I assume they are plastic - two pairs. Of course I already own a pair of chopsticks which might be ivory, they might be plastic also I guess. Not to mention all the bamboo chopsticks I have. Actually chopsticks make an ideal cleaning tool for the Instant Pot edges, with a damp cloth, you can poke them under all the edges at the top. I kinda thought that's what I would get today, bamboo chopsticks, but these are rather nice to look at. Maybe I should give them to ladydog, of course if I do that, the next time we go to Mandarin together, she will win a pair too.

I keep getting messages, I don't know how to use my Instant Pot, or I need someone to show me how to use it. It comes with a book, read it. Nobody showed me how to use mine and you know how I love it. I have used it nearly every day for a  year - if you really don't understand the book, there are dozens of videos on the computer showing you how to begin to use your Pot. Once you get with it, you will find it such a marvellous help in the kitchen.

I have been invited to attend a 2 hour conference at Community Support Connectios next week  on Tuesday afternoon. I think it would be a good session to attend as it is about help services etc.

We just watched Saving Mr. Banks with Tom Hanks and Emma Thompson. In case you don't know it, it is all about the making of Mary Poppins. I had seen the movie before but I really enjoyed it again. Now I guess I need to see Mary Poppins again. I taped it many years ago and somehow at some point a scene at the end of the film where Mr. Banks is fired, got screwed up. Being on a VHS tape I don't know how it will be nowadays anyway.

I came across a whole heap of Instant Pot recipes and this is one of them. As usual I don't have all the ingredients. Most. This would be suitable for an 8 qt pot but of course for me I will have to cut it in half.

INSTANT POT THAI GREEN CURRY CHICKEN

6 Tbs thai green curry paste
2 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp cumin powder
1 onion, sliced
2 14 oz can coconut milk
2 lbs cubed chicken breasts
1/2 cup chicken broth
2 Tbs fish sauce
2 Tbs lime juice
1 green bell pepper, julienned
1 zucchini, julienned
2 cups fresh green beans, trimmed
1 14 oz can  bamboo shoots
4 keffir fresh lime leaves
1/2 cup Thai basil

1. In your instant pot, saute curry paste with spices for 30 seconds, until fragrant.

2. Add onion and saute a couple of minutes.

3. And coconut milk, chicken, broth, fish sauce, and lime juice. Seal cooker, bring to pressure, and cook 4 minutes.

4. Do a quick release. Add bell pepper, zucchini, green beans, and bamboo shoots. Saute for about 5 minutes or until veggies reach your desired level of tenderness.

5. Add lime leaves and basil and serve with rice.

Servings: 8

Author: Da Huz
Source: Food.com

Have a great day

12 comments:

  1. I hope you can attend that conference. It sounds like it would be valuable and could also give you some useful contacts.
    I like Thai food but haven't cooked it in ages. Thinking, thinking, thinking...

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    1. I hope so too Sue.

      ladydog tried Thai as eaten by the Taiwanese and although she really likes hot and spicy, couldn't handle it.

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  2. We cook and eat a lot of asian food (did last night), have two woks, and chopsticks galore. We even have "everyday" chopsticks and the "good" chopsticks for company! Some weeks we eat with chopsticks more often than with a knife and fork.

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    1. We used to David, Matt used to use our woks. I got rid of them after he stopped cooking as I never used them. I have acquired a lot of chopsticks over the years too but they basically just sit there these days.

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    2. At least you have a good supply of Instant Pot cleaning tools!

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    3. Very true David, actually I have bamboo ones I use for cleaning, the nice ones I save for occasionally eating Chinese. Maybe I should take them with me to Mandarin.

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  3. Congratulations on winning the chopsticks! I have a pair of beautiful wooden ones my son brought me from China. I don't know how to use them, of course, but I love the gift.

    I can USE my instapot, but I still don't cook very many delicious meals. LOL. But you're right, a lot of learning is just trial by fire. Is that the saying?

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    1. You don't Liz. You should get someone to show you in a Chinese restaurant. That's where I first learnt.

      Something like that. I like to use mine all the time. Especially with dump and go recipes.

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  4. That recipe might entice me to get an Insta Pot.
    Congratulations on winning chopsticks.
    Saving Mr. Banks was a really good movie.

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    1. You really should Alex. I think mine is great.
      Thanks, nice chopsticks.
      I thought so that's why we watched it again.

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  5. Neat idea on cleaning the Instant Pot. Very cool. Thanks. As for using the device I did the water test and that is all. I found the chest sheet time chart was almost always wromg. So I started taking notes as I went and learned from myself. Made mistakes, made good dishes, it's all in the fun.

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    1. Me too Ivy, but I found help on the net too. First thing I cooked was Macaroni Cheese - the recipe I found was easy peasy. Yes, mistakes are all part of learning but I don't experiment as much as you, tend to follow the tried and true.

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