What's on the Menu? Teriyaki with Tempura and Spicy Pickles

This recipe is made up four parts, but I will cheat on the pasta—instead of home made pasta use whatever  dry long form pasta that’s in your cupboard; it will save you so much time.

1. Teriyaki Chicken

1 whole chicken cut into 8ths

4 oz soy sauce

4 oz rice wine

2 oz sugar

grated ginger

Directions:

1. Marinate the chicken in soy sauce, rice wine, sugar and grated ginger for 15 minutes in the refrigerator.
2. Heat some vegetable oil in a frying pan. First, fry the skin side of the chicken on medium heat until the skin is browned.
3. Turn the chicken over to fry the other side on low heat.
4. Pour sauce used to marinate chicken in the pan.
5. Cover the pan and roast the chicken on 325F until done (165F internal temperature) or leave it on the stove top on medium heat.
6. Remove the chicken from sauce and simmer until sauce becomes thick.

2. Vegetable Tempura 

8 egg whites

8 cup Pastry flour

1 cup ice water

2 cans club soda

Directions: 

1. Beat 2 eggs in a bowl
2. Add ice water in the bowl. Be sure to use very cold water.
3. Add 6 cups of sifted flour in the bowl and mix quickly.
4. Be careful not to over mix the batter.
5. Wash, dry, peel and dip vegetables (carrots and zucchini) into tempura batter.
6. Set the deep fryer to 375F.
7. Fry the vegetables until crisp.

3. Spicy quick pickles

4oz cup rice vinegar

3 oz sugar

1 oz soy sauce

1 oz fish sauce

½ teaspoon dried crushed red pepper

2 large English hothouse cucumbers

Directions:

1. Whisk rice vinegar, sugar, soy sauce, fish sauce, and crushed red pepper in large bowl. This can be made one day ahead covered and chilled.
2. Slice cucumbers crosswise into ¼ inch thick round or thinner.
3. Add cucumbers slices to vinegar mixture.
4. Toss together and make sure cucumbers are very well coated.
5. Cover and chill ten minutes to 1 hour, tossing occasionally.

On top of  the pasta, place the chicken, and behind the chicken add three vegetable tempura sticks. Garnish with the pickled cucumbers and chopped green onions or parsley. Beautiful--the mix of green and oranges set against the browns and white, and so delicious.

Teriyaki Chicken