Cooking Sesame Chicken and Spicy Asian Style Pasta Salad for Barbara

Spicy Asian Style Pasta Salad

Many of you already know Barbara of Winos and Foodies . You would also know that for the last two years she has hosted A Taste of Yellow to raise awareness for the Lance Armstrong Foundation and cancer. Sadly Barbara's cancer has returned, and she is currently undergoing another round of chemotherapy. Our thoughts and prayers are with you Barbara. Two of her very good friends Bron of Bron Marshall and Ilva of Lucullian Delights, have organized a secret blog event in Barbara's honor so that we might all give her a "big virtual hug." Since we are foodies it is nice to post a recipe that Barbara might enjoy right now. I am told that Barbara has been craving fresh Asian and Moroccan flavors , so, I have created a little bit of Asia in these two dishes. If you were here Barbara I would give you a great big "bear hug" as would all your friends!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Check out Bron and Ilva's sites. The virtual hug is growing to epic proportions with all the sincere and thoughtful hugs from her blogging friends around the world!!!!

**Spicy Asian-Style Pasta Salad**

adapted from Bon Appétit

1/2 pound linguine, broken in half
4 tablespoons oriental sesame oil
3 tablespoons honey
3 tablespoons soy sauce
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
3 red bell peppers, seeded, thinly sliced(or mixture of red, yellow, orange and green)3 cups snow peas or sugar snap peas
1 large red onion, thinly sliced (or 3 spring onions, thinly sliced)1 tsp fresh ginger, chopped finely
1 clove garlic, crushed2 handfuls bean sprouts3/4 cup honey-roasted peanuts, coarsely chopped ( used regular peanuts)1/2 cup chopped fresh basil ( or omit)

Cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted water until tender but still firm to bite, stirring occasionally. Drain very well. Transfer to large bowl.

Whisk 3 tablespoons sesame oil, honey, soy sauce, vinegar and cayenne pepper in small bowl to blend. Season with salt. Mix half of dressing into pasta. Heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add bell peppers, peas , onion, ginger and garlic and sauté until just beginning to wilt, about 2 minutes. Add vegetables to pasta. Mix in peanuts, basil (if using) and enough dressing to coat. Serve, passing any remaining dressing separately.

This recipe comes from Giz at Equal Opportunity Kitchen . The recipe calls for a deep fry but I just sauteed the chicken and then added the sauce due to my unfounded fear of frying!!! You can find her original recipe here .

**Sesame Chicken**

3 pieces of chicken breast or 1/2 chicken - cut to bite size pieces
1 tablespoon of light soy sauce
1 tablespoon of cooking wine
1/2 tablespoon of sesame oil
1 teaspoon of sugar
2 tablespoon flour
1 tablespoon rice flour
Salt and pepper to taste

Sauce:

3 tablespoon of sweet chili sauce
2 tablespoons of tomato sauce
1- 2 tablespoons of honey
1 tablespoon of oyster sauce
2 tablespoons of light soy sauce
1/4 cup of water
some toasted sesame seeds

Marinate chicken with soy sauce, wine, sugar, sesame oil, salt and pepper and set it aside for at least an hour. Just before frying, whisk the 2 types of flour together and mix it into the chicken.

Prepare oil for frying. Fry chicken until golden brown, dish out and drain the oil in paper towels. Remove all the oil from the pan.

Mix all the sauce ingredients together and pour it back into the pan. Bring it up to a boil and let the sauce thicken a bit.

Add in the chicken and toss it gently until the chicken are evenly coated with the sauce. Sprinkle the sesame seeds to the chicken. Serve with warm rice.Note : You can use bone in chicken, chicken thighs, chicken wings or even pork ribs for this dish.

Much love and Hugs to you Barbara

X O XO

You are reading this post on More Than Burnt Toast at http://morethanburnttoast.blogspot.com. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to the author/owner of More Than Burnt Toast. All rights reserved by Valerie Harrison.