I was inspired to make this chicken, when I came across the recipe on http://www.zencancook.com/2010/03/baby-chicken-with-soy-whiskey-glaze-sticky-rice-stuffing/. (I changed amounts and added different ingredients from the original recipe.) It was the photograph of the chicken that got me. The picture was so beautiful that I had to check out the recipe. Pictures like that make me want to take a food photography class. I know nothing about a camera, I just snap 100 pictures and hope a couple come out decent.

I can usually tell if a recipe is good, just by looking at the ingredients and amounts, but most people make that decision based on the photograph of the dish. Beware, beautiful food photography can sometime be misleading, there are so many recipe that aren’t good, but because they are photographed so beautifully, they look appetizing. Food photographer/stylist often use inedible products to make food look tempting. For example spray deodorant or hairspray is used to make certain fruits shine, Motor oil is used to replace certain syrups because they photograph better. What you see is not always what you get.

That is not the case with this recipe! The final product tasted even better than the photo looked! The sauce for the chicken absorbs into the rice and the dish is heavenly. Just be sure to check that the chicken is fully cooked before serving because sometimes when cooking a whole chicken it can cook unevenly or take longer/shorter than expected.

Whiskey Glazed Cornish Hen with Sushi Rice Stuffing

Ingredients

For the Chicken glaze:

2 Cornish hens

1 cup brown or white sugar

3 tbsp chopped ginger

1/4 tsp Black pepper

1 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup whiskey (I use Jack Daniels Tennessee Honey)

4 cloves minced garlic

7 prunes, roughly chopped (optional)



For the Sticky Rice Stuffing:

1/2 cup chopped mushrooms (optional)

8 oz can water chestnuts, roughly chopped

1 tablespoon ginger, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 tablespoons canola oil

5 tablespoons dark soy sauce

2 cups sushi rice

2 1/4 cups chicken stock

2 Scallions chopped

Instructions

Combine the sugar, ginger, black pepper, soy sauce, whiskey, garlic and prunes in a saucepan and bring to boil. Lift up the chickens skin and rub 4 tablespoons of the glaze directly onto the chicken meat. Let it marinate while making the rice stuffing. In a fine mesh strainer wash the rice very well until the water runs clear. (This step is very important. Sushi rice is very starchy, all the excess starch must be removed.) In a pan, add canola oil and saute mushroom slices and water chestnuts. Add the minced garlic and ginger and keep stirring until fragrant. Pour the rice, vegetables, soy sauce and chicken stock into a rice cooker. Turn the cook setting on. When rice is done mix in chopped scallions and let rice cool for about 25 min. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Stuff the chickens with the rice. (there will be extra rice) Put the chickens in a pan breast side up, add 4 tablespoons of the marinade and cook the chicken for 25 minutes. Flip the chickens and baste them with 4 more tablespoons of the glaze. Let them cook for another 25 min. (Please be aware that every oven cooks differently. To check if your chicken is fully cooked, insert an instant read thermometer into the thickest part of the thigh, it should register 165°F (74°C). When Chickens are done, pour the rest of the glaze on top.





VEGETARIAN EGG ROLLS

Ingredients

1 tablespoon sesame oil

1 tablespoon canola oil

1/2 cup shredded carrots

6 chopped mushrooms

1 stick finely chopped celery

1/2 cup bean sprouts

1/2 cup finely shredded cabbage

1/2 cup broccoli slaw

2 tablespoon soy sauce

12 egg roll wrappers

1/4 cup oil for frying

Instructions

In a skillet over medium-high heat, heat both oils. Saute carrots, mushrooms, and celery for about 3 minutes. Add bean sprouts, cabbage, broccoli slaw and soy sauce and saute for another 2-3 minutes. Lay one egg roll wrapper at a time on a flat surface with the point facing towards you. Slightly brush the edges with egg white. Place a generous spoon of filling in the center. Roll the corner of the wrapper closest to you over the filling, fold in the sides and continue rolling until it is closed In a skillet set over a med-high heat, heat the 1/4 cup of oil and fry the egg rolls on each side until golden brown. Remove them with tongs and place them on a paper towel to drain excess oil. Serve warm with dipping sauce. (I use VH Cherry sauce, only sold in Canada:( )