9 posts tagged “asian”
I never ate Chinese food as a child. My dad is an incredibly picky eater, and this is something he absolutely refused (and still refuses) to eat, so you can see where I got it. But, one chicken chop suey at a restaurant while out with my mom, and I was hooked. Thing is, I got stuck on chicken chop suey and never tried anything else.
As a freshman in college, I fell head over heels for a local Japanese and Chinese restaurant that was a few blocks from campus. But once again, I got into an ordering funk and stuck to my signature dish--there, it was chicken fried rice. I liked this fried rice more than any others I'd had because it had finely sliced peapods (my absolute favorite), and lots of other veggies; not just the standard (or, what I thought was the standard) peas and carrots.
These days, it's pretty rare for me to order fried rice or even chop suey at a Chinese restaurant. I tend to be more into Kung Pao or sesame chicken, or Mongolian beef. So there you have it, the timeline of my Chinese food eating.
Still, I get cravings for chop suey or lo mein from time to time, but I try to make those dishes at home rather than ordering them out. I mean, if I am going to eat all those calories, I might as well have something that tastes deliciously unhealthy, like fried sesame chicken, rather than something that seems almost healthy (even though it usually isn't) like chop suey.
This is a recipe for a healthier version of pork fried rice. It uses lean pork tenderloin and brown rice, as well as minimal oil. It comes in at just under 500 calories for a healthy sized portion. But don't worry, it still tastes great and will definitely nip your craving for Chinese food in the bud! For a little more oomph, you can drizzle some toasted sesame oil over the top.
Pork Fried Rice
Serves 4
2 eggs, lightly beaten and a little oil or cooking spray
2 Tbsp. canola oil, divided
1 (1 lb.) pork tenderloin, cut into bite sized pieces
1 bunch green onions, sliced (greens and whites separated)
2 celery stalks, sliced
2 small carrots, sliced
4-5 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup mushrooms, sliced
1 knob of ginger, peeled & grated or minced
1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
1/4 cup frozen peas
3-4 cups cold cooked brown rice (from 1 cup raw)
1 cup peapods, sliced
2-3 Tbsp. light soy sauce
Heat a large pan or wok over medium heat and add a little oil or cooking spray. Add the eggs and swirl to coat the bottom of the pan. Cook the eggs without scrambling (so they look like a pancake). Remove from the pan and cut into pieces. Set aside.
Add 2 tsp. of oil to the pan and increase the heat. Season the pork with salt and pepper, and then add to the hot oil. Cook for a minute before adding the white parts of the green onions (set the sliced green tops aside), celery, carrots, garlic, mushrooms, ginger and red pepper flakes. Stir fry for about 2 minutes or until vegetables are tender-crisp.
Add the remaining 4 tsp. of oil to the pan. Add the rice, peapods and peas. Stir to coat with the oil and allow to warm through and start to get "fried" for a minute or two. Add the soy sauce and the egg you sliced earlier. Season to taste, and top with the sliced green onion tops.
I'm going to keep this entry short and sweet, since I am a little behind on blogging. We actually had this Chicken and Cashew Stir-Fry last week. Or was it the week before? The days are starting to run together...
I first saw this Gourmet recipe on Liz's Cooking Blog and starred it to make (one of the 85 kajillion starred items in my reader). I am a sucker for anything with cashews and this looked simple and easy, but tasty. I will spare you the rewrite of the recipe because (amazingly) I made very minor changes. One being that I used a combo of boneless/skinless breasts and thighs because of the random odds and ends in my freezer, and the other being that I reduced the oil & used canola instead of vegetable. I probably added some more red pepper flakes too--I always do.
This was a flavorful, healthy, easy weeknight meal and I'm sure I will be making it agian.
There are dozens of great flavor combinations that I just love to use over and over, either because they complement one another so nicely or they are ingredients I always have around (or both)! One of my favorite combinations is garlic and ginger. I think these two flavors marry exceptionally well together and they taste so, so good. Am I right or am I right?
With that in mind, I set out to make an Asian-spiced pork burger. Ginger and garlic can be used in many dishes and in different cuisines, but my favorite application of the two ingredients is in Asian cooking. I topped these with a really simple warm slaw of sorts. We don't eat burgers a lot (and I have no idea why), so this was a nice change of pace. Plus, did you know that May is National Hamburger Month? I couldn't let that go by without celebrating!
And if all those reasons weren't already enough to tempt me into making burgers, while I am marrying ginger and garlic, my friend Joelen is marrying her real-life cooking group with her online cooking followers. If you haven't already seen Joelen's blog, you should definitely check out all the great things she does! Be sure to visit her blog on June 30 for the roundup of burgers, both from the burger cooking class she is holding on June 29 and the submissions she gets from blogs.
Asian Pork Burgers
1 lb. ground pork
1.5 Tbsp. low sodium soy sauce
2 scallions (whites and greens), sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
1 knob ginger, peeled and minced or grated
1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
salt (not a lot since you have the soy sauce) and pepper to taste
Mix all ingredients together (being careful not to overmix) and form into patties. Grill until done, about 6 minutes per side.
For the slaw, I don't have a real recipe. All I did was stir fry some veggies (shredded cabbage and carrots, bean sprouts, and mushrooms) and then stirred in a little soy sauce and fish sauce at the end).
I love lo mein. It's one of those things I love to eat at a Chinese restaurant (or for take out), but I've never actually made at home. A few weeks ago, I was doing my usual aimless wandering around Whole Foods when I saw some lo mein noodles. I decided to pick some up and, well, here we are.
I made this almost exactly like I make my stir fry and I thought it turned out quite tasty. One of the great things about this is that it's a way to curb your craving for Chinese food without all the fat and oil that is typical of restaurant Chinese restaurant food. In fact, one of my favorite places to get lo mein is SO oily that when I reheat the dish the next day, I usually pour out a good 1/4 cup of grease that has accumulated at the bottom of the container. Ick. Any by "ick" I mean "mmmm tasty, but I really shouldn't eat this."
This is meant to be a healthier version of the dish, so I didn't use a lot of oil but you could definitely add more if you'd like. The addition of the sesame oil at the end gives it a nice extra nutty flavor in addition to making it a little more fatty and luxurious without being horrible :) Some fresh ginger would be great in this, but unfortunately I didn't have any around. And, of course, you can use any vegetables you want, have around, or like.
I am submitting this over to Ruth for Presto Pasta Night.
Chicken Lo Mein
Serves 2
4 oz. lo mein noodles
1 Tbsp. oyster sauce
2 Tbsp. low sodium soy sauce
1/4 cup chicken broth
pinch of red pepper flakes
1/2 Tbsp. canola oil
1 medium chicken breast, cut into strips or bite sized pieces
1/2 small onion, sliced or diced
1 large carrot, cut into coins or matchsticks
1 large celery stalk, sliced
4 oz. mushrooms (I used a combo of shiitake and oyster)
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup peapods, whole or sliced
2 tsp. toasted sesame oil
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add lo mein noodles and cook, then drain and rinse under cold water. In a bowl, make your sauce by combining the oyster sauce, soy sauce, chicken broth and red pepper flakes. Set aside.
Bring canola oil to just under a smoking point in a large nonstick skillet or wok over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook until done.
Add the vegetables and stir fry until tender-crisp, just a couple minutes. (If you want certain veggies more done, just cook them longer and stagger your vegetable additions; I often add onions around the same time as the chicken because I like my onions to be totally sauted and for their flavor to come through the whole dish).
Add the sauce, and then add the noodles. Mix everything together well. If the veggies need to cook longer, cover and steam until done. Drizzle with toasted sesame oil.
Nutritional Information Per Serving: Calories: 448 / Fat: 9.4g / Saturated Fat: 1.2g / Carbs: 58g / Fiber: 4g / Protein: 29g
I had some peppers leftover from last night's hash, so I decided to make a pepper steak.
Here's the thing: I have never had pepper steak. We don't go out to eat often, which means we eat Chinese food out even less often. So, when we do, I eat one of my 2 or 3 "go to" dishes...none of which are pepper steak.
But there is a first time for everything right? This is pretty similar to my beef stir fry recipe and I thought it turned out pretty well!
Pepper Steak
Serves 2
1/2 lb. flank steak, cut into strips against the grain
2 Tbsp. low-sodium soy sauce, divided
1 Tbsp. cornstarch
1/3 cup beef broth
1 Tbsp canola or vegetable oil
1/2 onion, sliced
1/2 red pepper, sliced
1/2 green pepper, sliced
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes, or to taste
salt and pepper
In a bowl, marinate the flank steak strips in 1 Tbsp soy sauce and some ground pepper as you prep the veggies, rice, etc.
Make the sauce: In a small bowl, dissolve the cornstarch in the remaining 1 Tbsp. soy sauce. Add the beef broth and some salt and pepper to taste.
Over moderate heat, cook the onion in a little oil until tender.
Increase heat and add remaining oil. Add the beef and red pepper flakes. Cook beef in hot oil until no longer pink. Add pepper slices and garlic to pan and stir fry for 1-2 minutes or until peppers are crisp-tender.
Stir in sauce and cook until thickened. Season to taste if necessary.
Serve over rice.
Remember the wontons that were going to make a reappearance so they didn't get wasted? Well, here they are! And, even for their original purpose!
I decided to make some potstickers/dumplings with the leftover wonton wraps. I tried about 4 different sealing techniques before I realized I was absolutely terrible at all of them and went the super easy, albeit not terribly pretty, triangle route.
I got this recipe from Shawnda and modified it. The filling was great although, thanks to my unlevel stove, the frying/steaming didn't go QUITE so smoothly.
I then just made up my own dipping sauce.
Pork Potstickers
Adapted from Confections of a Foodie Bride
1/2 lb. ground pork
2 Tbsp. soy sauce
2/3 cup green onions
1 cup napa cabbage, sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp. fresh ginger, minced
1 Tbsp. toasted sesame oil
Wonton wrappers (about 30)
1 Tbsp. vegetable or canola oil
Most potsticker recipes do not call for cooking the pork, so if you want, you can just mix all the ingredients together (except the vegetable oil) and start stuffing/wrapping.
But, like Shawnda, I am a little scared of raw pork so I cooked mine first. If using this method: cook the ground pork over medium heat until done and drain. Add the garlic and ginger and saute until just fragrant. Add the onions, soy sauce and cabbage and cook until the greens are wilted. Off the heat, add the toasted sesame oil and stir to combine.
Let mixture cool just a bit and add it to the bowl of a food processor. Process the filling until it reaches the desired consistency.
Lay a wrapper on a flat, dry surface put a Tbsp of mixture in in the middle. Using your fingers or a pastry brush, wet the wonton wrapper surrounding the filling and fold the dumpling...well, any way that is easiest for you.
Add oil to a clean skillet over medium heat. Add dumplings and brown them on one side, about a minute or two.
Add 1/3 cup water to the pan and cover tightly. Remove from heat when the dumplings are golden brown on one side and the wrappers are cooked, about 4 minutes.
Ginger-Soy Dipping Sauce
1/4 cup lite soy sauce
2 Tbsp. rice wine vinegar
2 tsp. toasted sesame oil
2 tsp. fresh ginger, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
2 Tbsp. green onions
Combine all ingredients (I make this before the dumplings so the flavors can meld for a while) and serve with potstickers.
Since I only cook for two 99% of the time, one of the ways I try to save money...or, at least, not waste money, is to make different meals with the same ingredients. So, if I buy a container of sour cream for enchiladas I will probably plan to make stroganoff the same week. This week I bought cabbage, ginger, and some other vegetables, so I planned to make a couple meals utilizing these ingredients to be sure we didn't waste them. And, since I opened a package of wonton wrappers earlier this week, you can be sure those will make a reappearance here soon :)
Tonight, we had an Asian-themed dinner. We had brown rice, steak that was marinated in Soy Vay (my favorite) teriyaki and grilled...nothing terribly new or exciting there. What I did make that has not yet entered the blog is a quick Asian veggie stir fry.
1 tsp. canola oil (or spray oil)
1/3 cup onions, sliced
1/2 cup mushrooms (shiitake makes the most sense but I didn't have those :), sliced
1/3 cup carrots, sliced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp. fresh ginger, minced
1/2 cup peapods
1/3 cup bean sprouts
1 cup napa cabbage, shredded
1 Tbsp soy sauce
splash of rice or white wine vinegar
2 tsp toasted sesame oil
2 tsp sesames
Heat a skillet over moderate heat and add oil.
Cook onions, mushrooms and carrots until tender.
Add garlic and ginger and saute until fragrant, about 30 or 40 seconds.
Add peapods, bean sprouts, cabbage, soy sauce and vinegar and saute about a minute or two until vegetables are tender-crisp. Season to taste.
Drizzle with toasted sesame oil, sprinkle with sesame seeds and serve.
Surprisingly, I have never made a beef stir fry. I have made chicken stir fry and I have made flank steak teriyaki, but never a beef stir fry. I had the fixins for a stir fry so I decided to make one. I must say, it was SO delicious.
Unfortunately I didn't realize until about 4pm that I didn't have any fresh ginger, and I really didn't feel like picking up any after work. To sort of compensate, I used a little five spice powder. If you have fresh ginger, you should add it the same time you add the vegetables and garlic to the wok.
Serves 2
1/2 lb. flank steak, cut into strips against the grain
2 Tbsp. low-sodium soy sauce, divided
1.25 tsp. sugar, divided
1 Tbsp. cornstarch
1 Tbsp. sherry
1/2 tsp. Chinese 5-spice powder
1/3 cup beef broth
1/2 Tbsp. oyster sauce
1 Tbsp canola or vegetable oil
2 cups fresh veggies you prefer (I used red and green bell pepper, snow peas, mushrooms, carrots, baby corn, bean sprouts, broccoli)
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes, or to taste
salt and pepper
In a bowl, marinate the flank steak strips in 1 Tbsp soy sauce, 1/4 tsp. sugar and some freshly ground pepper. Let sit for 20-30 minutes.
In the meantime, make the sauce. In a small bowl, dissolve the cornstarch in the remaining 1 Tbsp. soy sauce. Stir in the five spice powder, beef broth, remaining 1 tsp. sugar, sherry, and oyster sauce.
Heat wok or skillet over high heat. Add oil and heat until it begins to smoke.
Cook beef in hot oil until no longer pink, just a minute or two. Add vegetables, garlic and red pepper flakes (and more oil, if necessary) to wok and stir fry for 1-2 minutes or until vegetables are crisp-tender.
Stir in sauce cook an additional 1-2 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Serve over rice.
I haven't quite figured out where the best place to take a picture is yet in our new place. Of course natural light is the best but I rarely have that come dinnertime...let alone on a gloomy day like today. So, this is a little dark, but I tried to compensate by sticking it on top of a hot pink dishtowel. LOL
Happy New Year!
Well, like 90% of the planet, we are on a health kick. Typically we eat fairly healthy foods but we fell off (and subsequently got run over and dragged by) the wagon the last couple of months. I haven't cooked in a long time because of the holidays/traveling and as a result my jeans are right.
So, as for tonight, one more freezer/pantry dinner before we finally get groceries. I wish I had some veggies to throw in with this, but no dice. We had sesame chicken over brown rice. I used Soy Vay teriyaki sauce, my favorite ever.
This recipe is slightly adapted from Allrecipes.
Sesame Chicken
1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup toasted sesame seeds, divided
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp Chinese 5 spice powder
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
2 chicken breast halves, cut into bit sized chunks
1.5 tablespoons vegetable or canola oil
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons teriyaki sauce/marinade
In a ziplock bag, combine flour, 2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds, 5 spice powder, red pepper flakes, and black pepper. Add chicken pieces and shake until coated.
Heat vegetable oil in a skillet over medium high heat. Add chicken and cook through.
Add remaining sesame seeds, teriyaki and honey and stir until thickened.
Normally, I add vegetables to this (I like peapods and green peppers), but since we had no groceries...well, we had no groceries. If you want to do that, either cook the veggies with the chicken, or remove the chicken once cooked, add the veggies to the same skillet and cook, then re-add chicken and sauce mixture to skillet.
