Garlic, Ginger & Honey Chicken

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This month’s decision to choose a recipe from Lavender and Lovage for Secret Recipe Club was an easy one. When I saw Karen’s Chinese Garlic, Ginger & Honey Chicken, my mind was made. It’s incredibly fast and healthy. We served this atop of some noodles and napa cabbage we picked up at a local market and it was quite satisfying. We also doubled the recipe because it keeps well for lunch leftover. If I were to make it again I would up the spice and maybe add some nuts.

Karen was born in South Africa brought up in rural England. She was greatly influenced by her grandmother and mother and is  currently writing a cookbook based on her British cuisine research. Head on over to Lavender and Lovage to browse her extensive recipe collection or check out the other SRC posts from this month below.
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Garlic, Ginger & Honey Chicken Recipe

By nicole Published: January 26, 2015

  • Yield: 2 Servings
  • Prep: 15 mins
  • Cook: 15 mins
  • Ready In: 30 mins

Adapted from Lavender and Lovage.

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. Combine the honey, sweet chilli sauce, water, grated ginger & crushed garlic.
  2. Pour the sauce and chicken in a pan over medium heat, stirring the chicken to coat evenly. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Cook about 10 minutes until done.
  3. Garnish with the sliced spring onions and serve with noodles, rice, or vegetables.

ShiZen: Organic Houjicha 有機ほうじ茶

Dry Leaf
Brewed Tea

Description

Houjicha is a roasted green tea that has a smooth and mellow roasted nut flavor. Our houjicha is grown on the family farms in the foothills of Mount Fuji that is organically grown for over 25 years and roasted by a tea artisan that has the top quality roasting technique in Japan. Houjicha’s refreshing taste will be suitable when served with a meal, and of course great for after meals and simply for tea time too. Read About Our Farmer.

Available through: ShiZen | Facebook

Tasting Notes

The dry leaf for this tea might be a bit intimidating for some. Not as strong as some lapsang or genmaicha I’ve smelled, but it is a slightly funky, earthy, and straw-like scent.

The brewed tea is much more mild and smells almost like roasted corn. I was afraid this tea would be similar to barley tea (mugicha), which for some reason I don’t like the taste of, but I was pleasantly surprised by the taste of this tea when brewed. It stood up to a nice long brewing of 3 minutes since it is less fragile than a non-roasted green tea. There is absolutely no bitterness, astringency, or even the slight acidity that regular green teas can sometimes have. It does inherit the grassiness and smooth buttery finish of a high quality green tea.

The finish is sweet and smooth, reminding me of a non-salted version of those grocery snack corn nuts. The after taste has a bit of tannin that reminds me of oolong teas served in restaurants to help with digestion, but it is more of a nostalgic reminder and does not affect the overall taste of the tea at all.

Flavors: Butter, Hay, Roasted nuts, Straw, Toasted Rice

About

Shizen’s mission is to support sustainable organic farming for the better environment and safer health foods by becoming a bridge between organic farmers and consumers around the world. In Japan, there are farmers who have strong commitments to organic farming. Most of these farmers believe that organic farming is the sustainable way to keep their land healthy so that future generations can enjoy the same beautiful nature. However, Japanese consumers do not have as much appreciation in organic products as consumers in other countries do.

Product provided for review.  All notes & opinions are my own.

Raizana Teas: HappyTea

HappyTea Dry Leaf
Raizana Teas

Description

Mood-enhancing HappyTea contains natural herbs known to combat the blues and promote mental well-being. Chase away the blues with this delicious energizing blend of yerba mate, hibiscus, and orange peel that hits you like a ray of sunshine.

Ingredients: St. John’s Wort, Chamomile, Orange Peel, Hibiscus Petal, Yerba Mate, Stevia, Natural guava flavor

Available through Raizana Teas | Facebook

Tasting Notes

The added sweetness goes well with the tart hibiscus. Smells grassy & herbaceous with a hint of straw. Then the tart astringency of the hibiscus comes through, but quickly quelled by the stevia. All in all a pretty good tea. I imagine this would be awesome iced, as hibiscus always is.

Flavor: Hibiscus, Straw, Grass

About Raizana Teas

Raizana’s selection of herbal teas taste good and are good for you. Raizana formulates their natural loose-herb teas to combine good taste and the herbal properties that help promote good health. Their herbal teas come from recipes that their families have used for generations, but Raizana herbal teas come with a plus: They are delicious! So enjoy and share Raizana Teas; make their family tradition yours.

Disclaimer: Tea was provided for review.

NYE Cocktail Tasting Menu: Gin-Gin-Gin Mule

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Gin-Gin-Gin Mule

By nicole Published: January 1, 2015

  • Yield: 1 drink

From Cocktailia: This cocktail is an adaptation of the Gin-Gin Mule served at Pegu Club in New York, which itself is an adaptation of the Moscow Mule, using gin in place of vodka and adding mint. The extra “gin” in the name of this one comes from using ginger simple syrup in place of regular.

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. Muddle the mint leaves with the lime juice and simple syrup in a mixing glass.
  2. Add ice and gin and shake until cold.
  3. Strain into an ice-filled collins glass and fill with ginger beer.
  4. Garnish with a mint sprig.

NYE Cocktail Tasting Menu: Bananary Buzz

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Bananary Buzz

By nicole Published: January 1, 2015

  • Yield: 1 drink

From Ginhound, cl converted to ounces.

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. Measure all ingredients into a stirring glass and stir until quite cold.
  2. Optional: garnish rim of glass with coconut or muscavado sugar.
  3. Strain into rocks glass with huge chunk of ice.