I can say with certainty: I left my heart in New York. When I first traveled to the Big Apple at the age of 15, I was instantly captivated. My heart was already beating somersaults just flying over the horizon by plane. Since then I have been to the metropolis on the east coast of the United States four more times. You could say I’m “in love with New York”.
We are in a long distance relationship, New York and I, but luckily there are books like “In Love with New York” by Lisa Nieschlag and Lars Wentrup that speak to my soul. It tells stories of the city that never sleeps but always seems to be eating. Stays in New York are never boring for culinary reasons alone, no matter how often you go. The city spawns culinary trends like cronuts, it’s famous for classics like this Pastrami Sandwich and is already experimenting with opening one Dating Coffee.
‘In Love with New York’ whets the appetite for the cosmopolitan cuisine of a metropolis
“In Love with New York” is a travel guide, romance novel, picture book, and cookbook all rolled into one, and it also provides insights into the metropolis’ exciting food history. We read about the food truck of the Halal Guys, whose trucks meanwhile crisscross the entire city and have also become famous in other countries.
Chicken à la Halal Guys recipe
Ingredients for 4 people:
For the chicken:
- 4 organic chicken thighs
- with bone about 500 g each
- 2 limes
- 3 cloves of garlic
- 1 TL Honig
- ½ teaspoon sweet paprika powder
- ¼ teaspoon ground cumin
- ¼ teaspoon ground coriander
- 75 ml of olive oil
- 1 tablespoon of Greek yogurt
- Salt and pepper
- 2 THE Rapsol
For the rice:
- 125 g of basmati rice
- 250ml chicken broth
- 1 teaspoon of olive oil
- 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
- ¼ teaspoon ground cumin
For the yogurt sauce:
- 50 g of Greek yogurt
- 100 g of mayonnaise
- ½ lime
- ¼ bunch of flat leaf parsley
- 1 teaspoon of white wine vinegar
- 2 TL Srirachasoße
- Salt and pepper
A part from that:
- ¼ iceberg lettuce
- 60 g dried tomatoes in oil (jar)
- 125 g of cherry tomatoes
- 4 tablespoons of pitted olives
Preparation:
Remove skin and fat from chicken thighs, rinse and pat dry. Halve and squeeze the limes. Peel the garlic. Place the lime juice, garlic, honey, spices, olive oil, yogurt, 1/2 teaspoon salt and some pepper in a mixing bowl. Mix everything with the blender until you get a fine marinade. Season with salt and pepper and set aside 4 tbsp. Toss the chicken thighs with the remaining marinade in a shallow bowl, cover, and refrigerate about 2 hours.
Heat the canola oil in a large skillet. If needed, fry the chicken thighs in batches over medium-high heat on the underside for 5 to 7 minutes until golden brown. Then reduce the heat a little, turn the chicken legs over and up
Fry the second side for 7 to 10 minutes with the lid on until golden brown, until cooked through but still tender and juicy. Then let it rest on a cutting board for about 5 minutes, then peel it off with two forks.
Wash the rice in a colander with cold water and drain. Bring the chicken broth to a boil in a saucepan, cover and simmer for about 20 minutes until al dente. Drizzle with olive oil, turmeric and cumin.
Meanwhile, mix the yogurt and mayonnaise for the sauce. Squeeze half of the lime. Rinse the parsley, dry it, remove the leaves and chop it finely. Stir the lime juice, parsley, vinegar and sriracha sauce into the yogurt mixture. Season with salt and pepper.
Clean the lettuce, dry it and cut it into thin strips. Also cut the dried tomatoes into strips. Wash the cherry tomatoes, remove the stalk and cut them in halves or quarters. Cut the olives into rounds. Mix the chicken with the reserved marinade and heat briefly in a saucepan. Then arrange on plates with the rice, lettuce, tomatoes, olives and yoghurt sauce and serve immediately.
Lisa Nieschlag and Lars Wentrup: “In love with New York – Recipes & Stories”, Hölker Verlag, 30 euros.
Every week we browse a different one Cookbook of the week. You can find a small selection here:
