The Daily Chef

I cooked this dish on a Sunday morning, which means the household was running out of ingredients (grocery day is usually the afternoon of either Saturday or Sunday). All I could find in the refrigerator was cabbage, some carrots, chinese peas, chicken parts, and pears.

So I thought of a stew. Just simmer the ingredients together, and I would have a meal. Dish should not be too thick, nor too thin… a stew. Then I thought I wanted it to taste a bit sweet and fresh. That was when I factored the pear and ginger in. I was on to a culinary experiment. Interesting.

I thawed the chicken parts, minced onion and garlic, peeled and cut the vegetables and the pear, and grated the ginger. I sauteed the salted chicken with the onion ang garlic first, added some water and patis (fish sauce), and let the chicken stew. When the chicken has become tender I put in the vegetables - carrots, peas, and cabbage. Then I added the pear, then a mixture of water and cornstarch to thicken the stew. When the vegetables was half-cooked I added the liquid squeezed from the grated garlic. A dash of pepper and salt, and a stew was brought out into this kitchen.

I was very curious about this creation. Sure, a stew is nothing new. But this would be the first time I would taste one with a fruit in it. Would the pear sit well with the other ingredients, or would its taste stick out like a sore thumb? As I sat down to eat, I said my prayers and prayed that it would be the former.

Hmmm… soup ok, not too salty, and contained the sweet undertone I was thinking of; not too thick nor too thin - stew achieved; I could barely taste the ginger though, I think I should add more next time. I took a bite of the chicken, quite tasty. The veggies were crisp and absorbed the flavor. Everything was ok until I took a bite of the pear. Ummmm…I think my stomach took quite a turn there. I think the pear lent some of its sweetness to the soup, but did not lose it altogether. So what happened was a complete turnaround of tastes. At one point salty, then suddenly sweet. I think I’m omitting the pear next time. Or, still put the pear in, but not take a bite. :o)

That is, until I find a recipe that contains pear. :o) Do email me if you have one :o)

n.b.

From Wiki:

The distinctions between stew, soup, and casserole are fine ones. The ingredients of a stew may be cut into larger pieces than a those of a soup and retain more of their individual flavours; a stew may have thicker liquid than a soup, and more liquid than a casserole; a stew is more likely to be eaten as a main course than as a starter, unlike soup; and a stew can be cooked on either the stove top (or range) or in the oven, while casseroles are almost always cooked in the oven, and soups are almost always cooked on the stovetop. There are exceptions; for example, an oyster stew is thin bodied, more like a soup. The choice of name is largely a matter of custom; it is possible for the same dish to be described as soup, stew, or casserole.

Stewing is suitable for the least tender cuts of meat that become tender and juicy with the slow moist heat method. This makes it popular in low-cost cooking. Cuts having a certain amount of marbling and gelatinous connective tissue give moist, juicy stews, while lean meat may easily become dry.

Stews may be thickened by reduction, but are more often thickened with flour, either by coating pieces of meat with flour before searing, or by using a roux or beurre manié, a dough consisting of equal parts of butter and flour. Other thickeners like cornstarch or arrowroot may also be used.