Chicken Ravioli with Coconut-Cilantro Sauce

We love making our own pasta from scratch, when we have the time and energy.  It is actually a lot easier than most people think, and there are endless ways to make it a little different each time.  This recipe was Sean's inspiration to try and infuse some Asian flavors into a typically Italian dish.  So, we made a chicken filling with garlic, ginger, onion, and spices.  When we made the pasta dough, we added tumeric and coriander to give it a brighter color.  We also put some coconut milk in the dough along with the egg.  For the sauce, we used coconut milk, cilantro, lime, and a jalapeno pepper.  It was a cool green color, slightly sweet and tangy to go on top of our rich and savory chicken ravioli.  Our only complaint was that we didn't make more to have for leftovers!

Ingredients:

For the dough-

200 g (about 2 cups) of flour.  We used half semolina and half all-purpose, but you could do all regular flour if you don't have semolina.  The dough is all about texture, so you may need a bit more or less flour than this amount depending on how your dough feels.

1 egg

3 T coconut milk (or one additional egg)

1 t tumeric

1/2 t coriander

1/2 t cumin

For the filling:

1 cup shredded chicken

1/2 onion, finely diced

2 t ginger garlic paste (or one t each of minced ginger and garlic)

1/2 t salt

1/2 t cumin

1 t fish sauce

For the sauce:

1 1/2 cups coconut milk

1 jalapeno pepper, roughly chopped

1 cup cilantro leaves

Juice of half a lime

Directions:

Begin with the pasta dough because it needs time to rest.  On a flat working surface, heap your flour in a mound and create a well in the center.  In the well, add the egg and coconut milk and whisk to combine.  Begin incorporating the dough from the inside of the well slowly, until you have a ball of sticky dough.  Add the tumeric, coriander, and cumin and continue mixing with your hands.

Start kneading the dough, adding more flour a little at a time.  You want to keep adding flour until the dough no longer sticks to your hands when you are kneading.  Knead for about 5 minutes until you have a soft smooth ball of dough.  Cover with a kitchen towel and let it rest for at least 30 minutes.

Next, prepare your ravioli filling.  In a medium skillet, heat olive oil over medium-high heat and saute the onion for about 5 minutes with 1/2 t of salt. Add the ginger-garlic paste and cook for one minute longer.  Remove from heat.  In a small food processor, combine the chicken, onion mixture, cumin, and fish sauce.  Blend until well combined, but not completely smooth.

When the dough has finished resting, divide it into two parts, and start rolling out the one part on a lightly floured surface, with more flour on the side to add when it gets sticky.  Continue rolling, flipping the dough over every so often to make sure it isn't sticking to your surface.  You want it to be pretty thin, about 1/8 inch.  Try to roll the dough into the shape of a long rectangle.

Using a knife or pizza cutter, cut the edges of the dough to form a rectangle, about 4-5 inches wide.  Place about a tablespoon of filling one one side of the dough, about two inches a part.  Place a small bowl of water nearby to wet your finger and dab the edges of the dough before you fold it over to form the ravioli.  When you fold it over, start at the creased edge and press the air out before sealing the opposite edge.  Using a pasta cutter, (which also seals the edges completely) cut the outside of the raviolis to form about 2 inch squares.  If you don't have a pasta cutter, use a pizza cutter or knife, and press the outsides with a fork.

Place your finished ravioli on a plate and cover it while you continue the process with the second half of dough.  We made a few more pieces with our dough scraps, totaling 11.   They are pretty large, so it was enough for the two of us. 

Prepare your sauce so it will be ready when it comes time to boil the ravioli.  In a blender, combine the coconut milk, jalapeno pepper, and cilantro.  Blend until smooth.  Pour into a small sauce pan and cook over medium heat for about 10 minutes.  Taste for salt and pepper, and add the lime juice. 

 Heat a large pot of salted water to a boil.  Drop the ravioli into the pot, about 4 at a time.  They should only need to cook for about 2 minutes per batch.  You will see them rise to a float in the pot, and after 30 more seconds remove them with a strainer or slotted spoon and continue cooking the next batch.  Serve in a bowl and spoon a generous serving of the coconut cilantro sauce on top.  Garnish with chopped cilantro.  This was so delicious!  Definitely worth the effort.