Foodiva's Kitchen: French Fridays with Dorie - Coconut Lemongrass-Braised Chicken with Pink Fettuccine

Friday, July 22, 2011

French Fridays with Dorie - Coconut Lemongrass-Braised Chicken with Pink Fettuccine

There is hope in every heartbeat
Tiny as it seems
You're a beautiful seed
~ Beautiful Seed lyrics, Corrinne May

If you're a regular here on Fridays, you'll probably do a double-take on my new banner. Overnight, it looks as if I've turned into an anime version of myself. Wearing pearls and a pink apron as per real life, but 20lbs thinner. I really like it! The banner is actually a gift from my friend, Nic in Singapore. I can't say 'thank you' enough times, Nic. In case you're all wondering, yes, I do have a bunch of fabulous and selfless friends like him. I try to surround myself with the real deal, or maybe they come to me. I really can't say for sure. 

Anyway, back to the business at hand. There was no ducking out of this week's French Fridays with Dorie recipe without seeming a bit lame (after last week's absence). Coconut, lemongrass, turmeric, coriander, cardamom...I have them all; these ingredients form the hallmarks of my territory. In a twee twist, for there is always at least one, Dorie's Coconut Lemongrass-Braised Pork recipe was chicken-fied under my pork-less abode, but the rest of the ingredients remained. Oh, except for the turmeric, which Diva D threw out because she thought it had expired (I bought it just last year!). While writing this up, I did a quick research to see if turmeric in its powder form really does expire and came across this anecdote entitled Old Spice. You must click on the link and read it because it cracked me up...the things we women hoard in our kitchens!


The pink fettuccine pasta noodles was a spontaneous addition. My chicken stew, heavenly though it turned out to be, lacked the warm yellow color of turmeric. I'm sorry, but it's me, I'm a visual creature and I eat with my 'eyes' before my tongue even gets a go. So a pallid-looking dish didn't quite appeal to my eye-buds. In my former life, I must've been a man, quite possibly Andy Warhol... so the 'visual karma' has come back to bite me. And then it came to me like a Thomas Edison moment, except the lightbulb was inside my head, not outside it. My pale lemongrass chicken stew needed to rest on a bed of something sexy....something like fuschia pink fettuccine?



Now, I somehow think you've guessed where the pink hue of the pasta came from. I deliberately omitted mentioning it in the title (too much of a good thing can be an overkill, as you know) but it was red dragonfruit puree. Again. I suppose beetroot or blackberries could've served the same purpose, color-wise. Like I said, though, I prefer to use ingredients within my accessibility, which the dragonfruit is, while the other two are not.

 Making the fettuccine dough with dragonfruit puree and flour
So out came my trusty pasta machine and it was just like the good old days. I love making pasta at home and when it's as beautiful as this, it just makes me even happier. Since it was a hot day out, I decided to hang the noodles to dry under the sun. In about 30 minutes, they were ready to cook!

 Drying pasta under the tropical sun
 Dried dragonfruit pasta noodles
(and blackberry pasta behind it - a test run with frozen berries)

The end result of my coconut lemongrass chicken stew was just as Ms. Greenspan intended, full of the best flavors nature can offer and utterly splendid with the pink noodles. The kiddies at home surprisingly (to me) devoured the whole dish and asked if I could cook some more. Are you kidding me? Of course, YES!! When picky eaters love something you cook the first time off, you know the recipe's a keeper. If you're interested, you can find this dish in Around My French Table, Dorie Greenspan's latest cookbook. Hmm...I wonder what the other Doristas did with their stews?


It's Friday, the weekend's here and the air somehow feels full of hope and fun, with plenty of sunshine in between. Nowadays I like to end my posts with some music, since music is supposedly what feeling sounds like. Go bask in the sun and enjoy this song, Beautiful Seed, written and performed by LA-based artiste Corrinne May. She's from Singapore, if you didn't know.

Have a beautiful weekend, all!



50 comments:

Maureen said...

This is such a beautiful dish! I can't wait to try this one. I love the color of the pasta.

Three-Cookies said...

Very very creative, and the color of the pasta matches the apron. Was this coincidence?

Unknown said...

Maureen, pink is the new beige in my realm ;-). Hope you go ahead and make your own technicolor pasta!

Norm said...

I just love the shots of your pink pasta drying in the sun - I wonder what your neighbours thought! It looks so beautiful.

Loved that 'Old Spice' link... and did you ever discover if tumeric can go off? (Should probably check mine).

Unknown said...

Three-Cookies, on this blog, nothing is a coincidence! *grins* If only real life was this orchestrated.

Unknown said...

Kate@Norm, after living here for 12 years, the neighbours know of my quirky ways and look the other way (or in this case, peered from behind the curtains!). LOL.

As for the spice thing, I only found out that dried spices in general don't go off but their scent and potency may lessen over the years. In any case, I think it's best to stick with the expiry date!

Cher Rockwell said...

Noticed the new header first thing. Love it.
And the dragon fruit pasta. That is beyond awesome. You're my hero...

Kate@Diethood said...

Pink fettucine?! AWESOME!! I used penne pasta...I know...so creative! ;-)

Love the new header...when I first popped in I thought I was visiting a different blogger. :)

Anonymous said...

Man... two of my loved flavors, lemongrass and coconut, I mean that seriously, dragon fruit pasta is just genius, I love that you didn't use any colorants"!!!

Anonymous said...

I love the pasta! I also agree with elle marie (previous comment) I love lemongrass and coconut! Beautiful and creative!

Torviewtoronto said...

colourful dish lovely header

the [sugar] apothecary said...

"Eye-buds" shall be my word for the weekend! I am loving those pink noodles, and the header looks great! Go, anime Maya!

PFx said...

Not only you're like the dragonfruit expert... I love your musical taste. I don't know where you've got all these music from. New discovery to touch my heart.

Also! The colours of your pasta got me in mood for flavoured pasta now... (sidetracked inspiration for the weekend ;)

Mardi Michels said...

The pink noodles are so pretty - I love the photo of them drying in the sun! Mine was not lackluster in terms of colour but I am sure it was not as Dorie intended - it was more like an Asian soup than a hearty French stew...

Lilly said...

OMG you made your own pasta!!! That is awesome. Love the intense pink colour. And your new banners looks so pretty as well.

Liz That Skinny Chick Can Bake said...

You are a true foodie! So glad your kids were also fans!!!!

Unknown said...

I love your new banner, very fun and eye catching! I think pink noodles served under this stew give the meal a real pizazz and definitely additional eye appeal. I almost went with chicken but never cook pork so thought this might be pushing myself out of the box to try the pork. I liked the colors and spiced it up more for my taste but my husband was not a fan. Always fun to see what you come up with for FFWD;-)

adorasbox said...

How pretty and colourful. This is the third version I've seen today. Everyone seems different but not as colourful as this. Love the pasta. can it be eaten with sweet sauce?

Susan said...

What a stunning post! I'm so impressed that you made your own Fettucine! Your photos are great & your sidh looks heavenly!

Enjoy your weekend!

Denise said...

The burst of color from your pasta is so refreshing! I made beet ravioli once, and beet creme brulee - now i'm inspired again by your post. Love your banner, also!

Jenny (VintageSugarcube) said...

LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE the new banner on your site. And that fettucine is literally blowing my mind. PLease remember me when you are a famous food writer for SAVEUR or Bon Appetit, etc, etc, etc.

Kelly | Eat Yourself Skinny said...

You had me at PINK fettuccine!! What a creative idea, this looks delicious and so colorful, love it! :)

Russell at Chasing Delicious said...

I love the color of this pasta! I love making homemade pasta but I have never thought of making it pink... or any color for that matter. All those pictures of the pink pasta is making me want to whip up a batch. Yum!

Divya said...

Love the new banner! So cute.

Anonymous said...

Your dish looks absolutely fantastic, especially with that pink fettuccine!

Kris' Kitchen said...

WOW! and more WOW! impressive pasta...love the color and love that you made it. Forget the pork, etc...just that pasta makes me happy and hungry all at the same time. Great work and great post...and your header is fabulous...way nice.

Wok with Ray said...

Heyyyy what happened to your other banner with you pix? I liked that one! Okay, I like this too. This is a beautiful pasta and I've never seen it with this color - very creative. Have a great weekend!

tricia s. said...

Oh my - that pink pasta is simply gorgeous. Never even thought (silly me :) that you made it yourself and was floored to see your photos. Big wow. Those kids had it made when they stopped by your house at mealtime :) And I love your new banner as well as the sentiment attached to it. PS - the "fierce" ice cream cones you posted about are amazing. I can NOT believe them. Gorgeous - you should go into business !!!

Elaine said...

Your new banner is so cute and I love the pink fettucine!

Nami | Just One Cookbook said...

Of course I noticed your new image! It's so cute!! I love it! Pink apron, pearls, and thinner body, anything is possible for Foodiva! ;-) No I mean, seriously I really like it. You are lucky to have a cool friend! Now the pink fettuccine caught my attention. It looks delicious!

Unknown said...

Wow! The pasta is beautiful. I have never tried fruit pasta but now think I need to! The banner is fun and I enjoyed Corrine! Good post!

Adriana said...

You got me! I did a double take at your FUN banner. I have a question - how much flavor did the dragon fruit add to the noodles? Those look so wonderful - no wonder the teenagers ate it all up!

Tasty Trix said...

LOVE the banner!! And I totally agree with you re: how my food looks. (I guess I was a man in my past life as well.) Those dragonfruit noodles rock. And didn't you try to say you weren't creative with savory dishes? Ha! I don't think so girl, this is wicked creative. : )

Unknown said...

A BIG thank you and mwaahs to all Doristas who swung by and commented! That's why I love this online cooking group. Even though the FFWD site is down, members still check in on each others' posts. We know how to have fun, regardless, hey ladies? ;-)

Unknown said...

@sugar apothecary, yes 'eye-buds' will be our new catchphrase and a measure for pre-judging food! LOL.

Unknown said...

Pierre, all the music I feature here comes from years of living. MANY years of living! ;-)

Unknown said...

Jenny, I don't think I'll ever get that famous but in case I reach the big time, let me tell you one thing... I never, ever forget my friends! ;-)

Unknown said...

Russell, from now on you've got to color up your life! Okay, maybe just your pasta. Have fun with it!

Unknown said...

Ray, that old banner...it had wrinkles on it. This one is much better! A cartoon character never ages, I mean, look at Minnie Mouse and Snow White ;-).

Unknown said...

Tricia, many people tell me I should. But if or when I do, I won't have as much time to blog or be this crazy creative again! Or will I? Thanks for enjoying the noodles and cones, wish you lived closer so I can feed you!

Unknown said...

Nami, the skinny arms and A-sized bra are the highlights of this banner for me. I will never, ever achieve that in real life. Not with all this baking! LOL.

Unknown said...

Adriana, dragonfruit on its own is pretty bland anyway, so the answer is no, the pasta tasted just like regular plain pasta. The flavors of the stew really came through, which is the great thing about it. Try making the pasta with other fruit or vegetable puree, they really don't make much of an impact flavorwise once cooked.

Unknown said...

We sound like a couple of transvestites, haha! If you call making colorful pasta creative, then yes, I think I can live with that ;-).

Unknown said...

That last comment was in response to Trix, btw! (too lazy to delete and retype it)

Evelyne CulturEatz said...

Love the banner, such a nice gift.

The sauce flavors are so up my alley, wow this sounds really amazing. Of course the more ethnic the better for me haha. I would like his better in the winter though. Love the pasta too.

Shu Han said...

Love love love this! I thought it was beetroot at first, but wow, turned out it;s one of my favourite fruits, dragonfruit(: I had a lot of fun making my own sourdough pasta the last time, this has inspired me to do it again, with new flavours (:

http://mummyicancook.blogspot.com/2011/01/fettucine-with-walnut-basil-pesto-and.html

Frolicking Night Owl said...

Very Cool HOT PINK Pasta!! I Heart!

ben said...

how absolutely gorgeous!! it's the first time I've seen pasta this way!

Unknown said...

Ben, since you're in Brunei, go get yourself some dragon fruits now that they're in season and bake up some lovely goodies with them! How about dragonfruit macarons? ;-)

Unknown said...

Evelyne@CEE, I knew you'd be all or the complex flavors of this stew! I don't have much choice of whether to have this for winter or summer as I'm in the tropics, so I wouldn't know any differently.

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