From Art to Food

Over the weekend I decided to check out an art fair downtown. I thought it would be a fun day out among a few stalls displaying the upcoming local talent. When I arrived, the small quaint art fair I had imagined, was in fact a massive art carnival featuring 340 art stalls, and sprawling 16 blocks! The artwork work ranged from somewhat bizarre sculptures to some quite spectacular paintings. I was very impressed with the diversity of techniques, mediums, and creativity on display and even invested in a few small pieces myself.

What really caught my eye, however, was a stall tucked away behind throngs of people. It featured the work of the Asian American artist, Andy Anh Ha. Among the 314 stalls, his was the only one where I felt the urge to buy up the whole collection. Most of the paintings were done on wood with the sides bare and a strip in the middle infused with a fantastic mixture of color and form. Though, many were abstract, something about the fusion of colors and shapes really caught my attention. I went home and looked up his website where one can see his bold techniques and an Asian influence in almost all of his collections. I highly recommend taking a look at his website. I believe he will be a big name some day. http://www.andyanhha.com

After having looked at every single picture by this fantastic Asian artist, I was inspired to cook something from his side of the world. I flipped through a cookbook that I had laying at home and came across a recipe for chicken satay with peanut sauce. It took surprisingly little time to prepare. The chicken was succulent and lightly flavored by the mint and cumin. The sweetness in the peanut sauce was perfectly balanced out by the soy sauce, sesame oil, and mint. If you enjoy Asian food definitely give this one a try. It makes for a great appetizer as well as a main course.

Mint and Cumin Chicken Satay (adapted from Essentials of Grilling cookbook)

Serves 4 people

Ingredients to marinate the chicken

2 tbsp finely chopped fresh mint

1 tbsp ground cumin

Salt and pepper

2 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts

20 bamboo skewers (soaked)

Ingredients for peanut sauce

1 or 3/4 cup peanut butter

2/3 cup chicken broth

1/3 cup fresh orange juice

2 tbsp soy sauce

1 tbsp fresh lemon juice

1/2 tsp Asian sesame oil

3 cloves garlic (or 2 tsp garlic paste)

1 tbsp garlic paste

1 small jalepeno chile (seeded and chopped - optional)

3 tbsp chopped fresh mint

To make the peanut sauce combine the peanut butter with all the ingredients for the sauce in a food processor and pulse until mixture is smooth. Refrigerate and let the flavors sit until it is time to serve. Serve at room temperature

For the chicken mix together the chopped int, cumin, salt, and pepper in a small bowl. Cut the chicken into cubes and pat the mixture onto the pieces. Weave the chicken strips lengthwise onto the skewers.

Cook in the oven at 375 F for about 20-25 mins and then broil the chicken for 5 mins more to make the outside crispy.

Serve with the peanut sauce