The nice thing about writing this blog post is that you cannot see me right now. I’m in my pajamas, my hair is tangled on top of my head in the ruin of a pillow invasion, and I have a sneaking suspicion that I have a soymilk goatee. The nice thing is, by the time anyone has to see me I’ll be showered and respectable. Every day I go through a grooming ritual — much like some people attend church or temple, I attend shower, makeup bag, and hairdryer.
Now that it’s interview season, I think about this every time I iron my shirt and don my suit. What if I reallocated the 45 minutes of primping to character grooming instead? Practicing speaking without cussing, for instance, or standing up for my friends? Would this count as much toward my professional career as an unwrinkled collar?
Ahem…I’m not sure where to go with this now. So I’ll just say that leftover chicken is delicious and has tons of character, but sometimes you have to dress it up with some other ingredients so it doesn’t just look like bits hanging off of a carcass. It’s the ultimate example of substance with form.
Ingredients (This is my mom’s recipe, I had it for the first time over winter break)
- 1 large breast of skinless chicken roasted or boiled, then ground fine in food proccesor
- 1 medium onion diced very fine
- 3 cloves of garlic diced fine
- 1 inch piece of ginger peeled and diced fine
- 1 Serrano chili diced fine
- 1 bread slice soaked with water and then squeezed dry
- 1 egg
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 cup breadcrumbs
- oil for frying
Combine the above, except oil and breadcrumbs, gently with your fingertips. Taste and adjust seasoning. Form into 3 inch patties, again using only your fingers and trying not to squeeze out too much juice as you mold them. Put the breadcrumbs in a bowl and coat each patty.
Put enough oil in a pan to shallow-fry the patties, and fry until slightly browned on each side. Try to fry the patties so that they have at least 1” between them; this enhances browning and makes them easier to flip. Drain on paper towels. Serve with ketchup.
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