1 jalapeno, stemmed and thinly sliced crosswise into rounds
5 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
12 oz. fresh green beans, trimmed
Instructions
Cook rice and cover to keep warm.
Meanwhile, toss chicken with cornstarch, Chinese five spice, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in a medium bowl until evenly coated.
Heat oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add jalapeno and garlic; cook, stirring often, until garlic is light golden, 1 to 2 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer jalapeno and garlic into a medium bowl.
Arrange half of chicken in a single layer in skillet. Cook over medium-high heat, undisturbed, until golden on bottom, about 4 minutes. Turn chicken pieces over; cook, turning occasionally, until cooked through, 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer to jalapeno mixture in bowl. Repeat with remaining chicken.Sprinkle chicken-jalapeno mixture with 1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper.
Add beans to skillet; cook over high, tossing occasionally, until charred, 3 to 4 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper. Serve with chicken and rice.
1/4 cup plus 1/2 cup neutral oil (180g), such as sunflower seed oil, grape seed oil, etc.
Kosher salt
Meat Cigars
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 medium shallots, finely chopped
I pound (450g) 80/20 ground beef or ground Iamb
1/3 cup gold raisins, optional but recommended
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons ground cumin
I teaspoon sweet paprika
1/2 teaspoon ground tumeric
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
Kosher salt
Black pepper
12 sheets phyllo pastry
Neutral oil, for frying, such as sunflower oil, canola oil, vegetable oil, etc.
Lemon wedges, paprika or cumin, flaky salt and fresh parsley, for serving
Instructions
Make the toum:
In a food processor, countertop blender or using an Immersion blender, blend together the garlic, lemon juice, 1/4 cup oil, and a pinch of salt, until smooth.
With the blender running, slowly drizzle in the remaining 1/2 cup of oil in a slow, steady stream.
You'll notice the sauce going from a runny consistency, to a thicker, mayonnaise-like consistency.
Taste and season with more salt as needed.
Make the filling:
In a medium (about 3-quart) saucepan over medium heat, heat the oil.
Add the shallots and cook, stirring frequently, for 4 to 5 minutes until translucent and golden, slightly crispy in some spots.
Add the meat to the pan, and cook for about 5 to 7 minutes, until brown in certain spots, raw in other spots.
Add the raisins, garlic, cumin, paprika, turmeric, cinnamon, a big pinch of salt and freshly cracked black pepper.
Cook stirring occasionally, until the meat is deeply brown.
Transfer the meat to a medium bowl or plate and set aside to cool to room temperature.
Assemble:
Get a clean kitchen towel and place it under running tap water for a few seconds
Squeeze out excess water. You should be left with a damp towel.
Open the phyllo pastry package. We'll be working with one phyllo pastry sheet at a time, while doing so, make sure to cover the rest of the pastry with the damp towel to prevent it from drying out.
Try to keep the pastry sheet whole. If it breaks in 2 or 3 strips, you should still be to roll it. If it tears all over, you can set it aside and bake it later as a snack. You can also freeze any remaining sheets of phyllo for later, simply roll them back up in plastic and freeze.
Lay a phyllo sheet on your work surface. Place about 2 tablespoons of the meat mixture on top and start rolling. Tuck in the sides of the pastry to seal in the meat. Brush a little oil on the ends of the pastry, to seal the pastry on that final roll. You should be left with a cigar-like tube. Set aside on a plate or baking sheet. Repeat with remaining phyllo and meat.
Fill up a medium frying pan with about I inch (3cm) of oil. Heat to 3500F, or until sizzling hot. Set a baking sheet with a cooling rack on top next to your frying station. Place a paper towel on the rack (this will absorb any excess oil from our fried pastry).
Carefully add the pastry to the oil, a few pieces at a time and cook, for about 30 seconds on each side or until golden and crispy. If the pastry opens up a bit at the seam, don't worry, it's totally fine, just keep on frying. Place the fried pastry on the paper towel and season with salt. Serve with toum, a sprinkle of paprika or cumin, flaky salt and lemon wedges on the side. Parsley too if you're feeling frisky.
