Tahmina Martelly, professor in the Division of Nutrition at the University of Utah, shows us how to make an easy and delicious ethnic food.
Thai style Chicken Toast
½ pound ground chicken
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp corn starch
1/2 tsp salt
½ tsp black pepper
2 tbsp chopped cilantro stems
6 whole cloves of garlic
8 slices of white bread
32 Cilantro leaves
Red bell pepper cut into very thin strips about 1 inch long
1 egg
Oil for frying
Trim the crust off the slices of bread and cut into four even squares. This should yield 32 squares. Let it sit for about 2 hours or you can bake them in an oven at 300 degrees for about 10 minutes. The idea is to dry out the bread. Stale bread is excellent for this. In a food processor, place ground chicken and top 7 ingredients and pulse together until garlic is well blended. Spread meat mixture on each piece of bread about half the thickness of the bread. Place a cilantro leaf and 1 or 2 pieces of red bell pepper on the meat mixture. This should make a pretty design. Heat oil to about 350 degrees in a pan. In a small bowl beat the egg. Place the bread, meat and cilantro/pepper side down into the egg, gently shake off any excess and gently place it meat side down into the oil. When toast is nicely golden around all sides about 1 minute, flip the toast over and cook the toast side for about 1 minute. Take out with a slotted spatula and place on paper towels to absorb any excess oil. Serve warm with Cucumber sweet and sour relish. The sauce and a few pieces of the cucumber relish add a delightful tang and crunch to the chicken toast.
Cucumber Sweet and Sour Relish
½ English cucumber
½ red onion
1-2 Thai chili or 1 Jalapeno, sliced thinly.
Dressing:
1 ¾ cup sugar
¾ cup white distilled vinegar
½ tsp salt
In a medium saucepan, stir together and heat the sugar, salt and vinegar until everything is dissolved and everything comes to a boil. Cool the dressing for 2 hours in the fridge or longer and pour over chopped cucumber, red onion, thai chili. The dressing can be stored in a glass jar in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
If you would like to help the Utah Dream Center with their community Thanksgiving dinner and winter clothing giveaway on November 21st, you can donate at the drop off on November 21st from 9:30-noon at the Glendale Community Center at 1388 S. Navajo Street in Salt Lake City. It is right next to Glendale Middle School. All of the donations will go to newly arrived refugees and immigrants.
