Last week was a rough. Cancer took the lives of a ton of celebrities (and a ton of other people who aren’t famous so it wasn’t in the news. F*&# CANCER). The one that affected me the most was David Bowie, probably because I thought he was immortal. Obviously I know he’s not immortal, I’m not an idiot, but he just seemed like a magical creative wood nymph who would somehow live forever. Although he has passed away, his spirit lives on and he continues to inspire people everywhere.

I host a a fun cooking show on Youtube called Viral Kitchen where I create a dish based on the viral internet happenings. This week I paid homage to David Bowie by making a “Ziggy Star Anise Dusted Chicken with Life on Mars Bar Mole Sauce.”

Check out the video!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W9c7cuUnrYQ

Now, I’ve never cooked with star anise before, nor have I attempted to make a mole sauce. This is what I love about Viral Kitchen. It forces me to think outside the box. Star anise is a star shaped spice used in a lot of Asian cooking that has a slightly liquorice flavour. I hate black liquorice but this spice is real nice. It tastes like fresh fennel with a hint of Sambuca and it jives well with other spices. I bought my star anise whole at Bulk Barn and pulverized it myself in my nutri bullet, but you can buy it pre-ground.

The mole sauce was a bit trickier. A traditional mole has a million ingredients in it. I do not have time or money for a million ingredients. After scouring the internet I smashed together a bunch of different recipes to create my very own Mars Bar mole sauce. Now, no one in their right mind would usually use a Mars Bar in their mole. It usually calls for semi-sweet dark chocolate chips or cocoa powder. But this isn’t a regular mole, it’s a David Bowie mole which is creative as F&*K. Here is my recipe. Please note that I modified it slightly because my original version was the spiciest thing I’ve ever eaten. It was delicious, but I think I burned holes in my stomach.

Life on Mars Bar Mole Sauce

2 cloves pressed garlic
1 cup chicken broth
1 cup tomato sauce (crushed tomatoes)
1 tbsp chili powder
1 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp cumin
1 tsp red pepper flake
oil
1 mars bar
salt and pepper

In a sauce pan add oil, garlic and spices and cook on medium heat for 1-2 minutes until fragrant. You might sneeze and cough. Add Mars Bar, chicken broth, tomato sauce and let simmer for 15-20 minutes until thick, rich and delicious! Taste the sauce half way through and add more spice if it’s too bland or more tomato sauce and broth if it’s too spicy.

Now that you know how to make my mole, here’s the easy part. Chicken and rice!

Step 1: Cook white rice. Or brown. Whatever floats your boat.

Step 2: Mix 1 tbsp star anise, 2 tsp chili powder, 1 tsp cinnamon, salt and pepper in a bowl. Dust it over your chicken breasts. Pan sear them until cooked.

Once everything is cooked plate your rice topped with chicken and mars bar mole. A crisp side salad with tomatoes, avocado and lemon vinaigrette would be a nice way to make this a complete meal. It would also give your mouth some much needed relief from the spice and powerful flavours. Considering this was a total experiment it turned out AMAZING. Who knew a Mars bar would taste good in a mole sauce? I really loved it and would totally make it again. It was my goal to create something original and delicious in David Bowie’s honour and I think I succeeded.

Farewell, Thin White Duke. You’ll be missed but never forgotten.

Love, Julia