Tropical Treat - Now!

I went grocery shopping after work tonight and saw some beautiful ripe Queensland pineapple that looked and smelt so tropical and sweet, I just had to buy it. It is a warm balmy night here in Sydney tonight so "tropical" was my inspiration for dinner. I was also starving, so I wanted something fast - no slow cooked anything here this time! I decided on a simple pineapple and chilli salsa flavoured with fresh mint and some quickly marinated chicken, that I then grilled. As usual I did add a more than generous amount of fresh chilli to the salsa, but use as much or as little as you like. I have not specified quantities for the salsa - just add as much or as little of the ingredients as you like, according to how many people you are making it for. Easy.

I used Shaoxing wine as one of the flavourings in the marinade for the chicken. It is a wonderful ingredient that you will find at any Asian grocery store. It is a form of Chinese rice wine, also called "hua tiao" or "carved flower" wine, due to the patterns carved on the urns in which it is fermented. It is not unlike dry sherry in flavour and is used in many Chinese marinades and braised dishes. It is very inexpensive too, so a bottle will only cost you a few dollars. It is an excellent ingredient that I really recommend to have in your pantry. For this recipe, you can substitute dry sherry if you like, but the Shaoxing wine really does add something special to the flavour.

Enough chit-chat - to tonight's super fast dinner.....

Grilled Shaoxing Chicken with fresh pineapple and chilli salsa

You will need: (For the marinade - this will be enough for up to 4 serves of chicken)
1/4 cup light soy sauce, 1 teaspoon grated ginger, 1 clove garlic crushed, 2 tablespoons Shaoxing wine, 1 teaspoon finely chopped or minced chilli, A pinch or two of Chinese Five Spice, pepper, 2 teaspoons peanut or vegetable oil. 1 chicken breast or thigh fillet per person.

(For the salsa - be sure to chop your ingredients quite small) Pineapple, cucumber (de-seeded), continental parsley, mint, fresh chilli, red onion, salt and pepper, a very small splash of flaxseed or olive oil.

Method: Combine all of the marinade ingredients with the chicken. Set aside and allow to marinate for at least 10minutes. (ok, so tonight I only did it as long as it took to make the salsa. Not the end of the world I assure you)

For the salsa, combine all ingredients well and refrigerate until you are ready to serve it.

Grill or BBQ your chicken and serve with the salsa. Yum!

*