Crunchy Chicken Katsu

I remember the first time I had chicken katsu at a local japanese restaurant. I instantly fell in love with this yummy crunchy delicacy. Since cutting back at eating out, I decided to just try to make it at home. I found it to be incredibly easy and shhh don't tell the restaurant but mine actually tasted better!

I have made this dish with both thigh meat and breast meat and I prefer the breast meat version personally but you can choose your preference. The procedure is the same for both.

Chicken Katsu
Ingredients:
Panko crumbs (Found in asian grocery or maybe international aisle in supermarket). If not can buy here
1 egg
flour
Skinless chicken breasts or thigh meat
vegetable oil for frying
salt

Directions:
What I normally do is get 3 containers or bowls set out in a row. In the first one I put some flour, the second one a mixture of 1 whisked egg and 2 tbls of water, and in the third container a good layer of panko crumbs with a dash of salt added.

Take your boneless, skinless chicken pieces and pound thin with the flat side of a meat mallet. I usually put one piece at a time in a large ziploc bag, makes for easy cleanup.
Now's a good time to heat your veg oil up. I have a deep fryer and had about 1.5 inches of oil in it and set it to 375°. If you have a fryer, please follow your user manual or if using a stovetop pan be sure to use the proper type of frying thermometer.

Take a piece of your chicken and coat both sides in flour and shake off excess then dip in egg and then the panko crumbs. I like to press the panko on good because the crunchiness is my fave thing about this dish. A good tip is to pick a breading hand and keep one hand clean otherwise it's a hand washing nightmare lol.

I don't like to crowd the fryer so I made two pieces at a time, slowly lowering them into the oil to avoid burning myself. This probably goes without saying eh.
Now, it's all about patience. I haven't found the need to time these, I just keep an eye on them and flip them once mid fry. The color is a really good indicator of doneness I've found. Once they are a deep golden color, I've always found it to be cooked through, but always give it a little cut once out of the fryer to ensure it's cooked thoroughly. Add a little pinch of salt as soon as it comes out of the fryer if desired.

All that's left is to cut into strips and top this yumminess off with some sauce. I haven't gotten around to making it from scratch yet but I usually use this Bulldog tonkatsu sauce I found at a local asian grocery but is also available online at the link. I hope you try out and enjoy this simple and delicious dish. -Curvy Cook

Cheese bread croutons

I've gotten into the habit of making something and then making different things out of it...basically stretching the food and being creative. As I mentioned in the previous post, I made cheese bread and made a few different dishes from it. A couple days after making the bread I made a salad and realized I was out of croutons. Aha! I can make my own...easy peasy.

All I did was cut several thick slices of the bread and cut into cubes. I like a large salad crouton, but you can adjust to your preferred size. I then took a large ziploc bag and placed the cubed bread inside. I then drizzled some olive oil in(eyeball it so they are lightly coated not drenched)  along with a pinch of kosher salt, ground black pepper, garlic powder and some grated parmesan cheese and gave the bag a good shake to distribute all the oil and spices very well.

I then placed in a single layer in my toaster oven (you can use a regular oven if you don't have a toaster oven) on a very low heat, essentially drying them out slowly without burning them. I believe I had the toaster oven on about 250° or so. You will need to keep an eye on them and turn once so both sides get toasted. Keep checking on them for crispness. It's really that easy and it beats paying a few dollars at the store for them for sure. Crunch crunch! -Curvy Cook

Cheese + bread= win win

Growing up I always remember my mom using the ol red and plaid cookbook. It was what I knew as cooking. When I first got married back in 1992 it was the first cookbook I bought for myself also and I still use it to this day. This week the weather was chilly and I yearned for something warm and comforting and that means one thing ...bread... warm buttery bread.

I went to the kitchen and hunkered over the old faithful Better Homes and Gardens cookbook and decided to give bread a go again. I wouldn't call myself a successful bread baker so far but I'm not one to give up too easily. I decided on cheese bread. Cheese+bread=win win. Here's the recipe I used:



Cheese Bread- Adapted from Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups + 2 1/2-3 cups All purpose flour
1 package active dry yeast
1 egg
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar, swiss, or monterey jack with peppers cheese (I used cheddar)
1 1/4 cups warm water
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp salt
Directions

Combine 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour and 1 package active dry yeast. Add 1 egg, 1 1/2 cups shredded cheese as listed above, 1 1/4 cups warm water (120°-130°); 1/4 cup sugar, and 1/2 tsp salt. Beat with an electric mixer on low speed for 30 seconds, scraping bowl. Beat on high speed for 3 minutes. Using 2 1/2 to 3 cups of the flour, stir in as much flour as you can.* Once I noticed the dough ball formed and wasn't sticky any longer I stopped adding flour. The amount of flour used will vary. I did not need the full 3 cups and had quite a bit of excess actually.

Turn out onto lightly floured surface. Knead in enough of the remaining flour to make a moderately stiff dough that is smooth and elastic (6-8 minutes total). Shape into a ball. Place in a greased bowl;turn once. Cover, let rise in a warm place till double(1-1 1/4 hours). I used Pam spray in the bowl and also sprayed some on the cling wrap to prevent sticking.

Punch dough down. Turn onto lightly floured surface. Divide in half. Cover; let rest 10 minutes. Lightly grease two 8x4x2 inch loaf pans. Shape each half of the dough into a loaf. Place in pans. Cover, let rise in a warm place till nearly double (about 45 minutes). Bake in a 350° oven for  40-45 minutes or till done. Cover loosely the last 20 minutes if necessary. Remove from pans, cool. Makes 2 loaves.

After the bread was made, I went on to use it several ways throughout the week and will post those ideas soon!