Kung Pao Chicken

Tags

Asian, bell peppers, chicken, food, kung pao chicken, main dish, stir-fry

Stir fry is one of the healthiest, quickest meals. Very little prep time required. Dinner on the table in 30 minutes flat. Thanks Stefan for the great recipe!

Kung Pao Chicken (from Stefan’s Gourmet Blog)

• 1/2 boneless skinless chicken thighs, cubed
• 2 yellow bell peppers, diced
• 2 green onions, sliced
• 1/4 cup roasted, unsalted peanuts
• dried chile peppers (1 = mild, 2 = medium, 3 = hot, 4 or more = very hot)
• 1 tsp sichuan peppercorns
• 1 clove garlic
• 3 tbsp oil for stir-frying

For the marinade:

• 1 tsp corn starch
• 1/2 tsp sesame oil
• 1 tsp soy sauce
• 1 tsp shaohsing rice wine

For the sauce:

• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp shaohsing rice wine
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 tsp rice vinegar (optional)

Combine the chicken in a bowl with 1 tsp corn starch, 1/2 tsp sesame oil, 1 tsp soy sauce, and 1 tsp shaohsing rice wine. Stir until well mixed and the chicken is coated with the marinade on all sides. Cover with plastic wrap and marinate for about 25 minutes at room temperature. Meanwhile, prep the veggies. Clean the bell peppers and cut into pieces about the size of the chicken. Chop the green onions and separate the green part. Mince the garlic. Roughly chop the dried chile peppers and remove the seeds. Mix the ingredients for the sauce (2 Tbsp soy sauce, 1 Tbsp shaohsing rice wine, 1 tsp sugar, 1 tsp rice vinegar) in a small bowl. Whole sichuan peppercorns are not nice to have in the final dish because of the texture. To extract their flavor, heat the oil in a wok, add the sichuan pepper corns, lower the heat, and allow the sichuan peppercorns to flavor the oil. Remove the sichuan peppercorns with a slotted spoon before you continue. Now heat the oil over very high heat. Add the chicken when the oil is very hot. Stir-fry just until golden. Remove the chicken with a slotted spoon. It should be only 80% cooked at this time. Chicken should be cooked through, but do not overcook it or it will become dry and tasteless.  Add the bell pepper, chile peppers, garlic, and white part of the green onions to the wok. Add the peanuts as well if using raw peanuts. If you like your peanuts well-roasted, you could even start by roasting them first. Stir-fry for a few minutes. Lower the heat and add the sauce. Stir and cook for a minute until the sauce has reduced somewhat. Add the chicken and green part of the green onions. This is where you add roasted peanuts if using. Stir and cook for another minute until the chicken is coated with the sauce and warmed through.

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Beef, Shiitake, and Snow Pea Stir-Fry

Tags

Asian, beef, peas, shiitake, stir-fry

I got lucky this week. Snow peas and shiitake mushrooms on serious manager discount at the grocery! Think at least $5 savings!

Beef, Shiitake, and Snow Pea Stir-fry (a variation from Bon Appetit, Oct 2010)

• 1 lb stir fry steak
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• 1 tablespoon minced peeled fresh ginger
• 12 ounces fresh shiitake mushrooms
• 1/2 orange bell pepper, sliced into strips
• 8 ounces snow peas
• 1 bunch green onions, sliced, divided
• 1 cup fresh cilantro leaves, divided
• 5 tablespoons hoisin sauce
• 2 teaspoons chili-garlic sauce
• 1/4 teaspoon Chinese five-spice powder

Sprinkle beef with salt and pepper. Heat oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add ginger and mushrooms; stir-fry until mushrooms are tender, about 3 minutes. Add beef to skillet; stir-fry until beef browns but is still pink in center, about 1 minute. Add snow peas, orange pepper, half of green onions, and half of cilantro; stir-fry 1 minute. Stir in hoisin, chili-garlic sauce, and five-spice powder; sauté until peas are crisp-tender, 1 to 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with remaining green onions and cilantro.

Spicy Pork with Asparagus and Chile

Tags

Asian, asparagus, chile, Dinner, food, stir-fry, Supper

This recipe comes from Bon Appetit, though my version below is somewhat different. I usually adjust to what I have in the pantry or our preferences. I really like that the pork is tender, lean- not grisly like beef or dry like turkey can be. It is not the typical go-to ground meat. and is probably under used in most kitchens. I intend on using it more in the future.

Spicy Pork with Asparagus and Chile

• 3 tbsp soy sauce, divided
• 1 tbsp rice wine or chicken broth
• 2 tsp cornstarch
• 12 ounces ground pork
• 3 tsp Asian sesame oil, divided
• 12 ounces thin to medium asparagus spears, trimmed, cut on extreme diagonal into 1/2- to 3/4-inch pieces
• 1/2 can baby corn
• 1 can sliced mushrooms
• 1 tbsp garlic chili sauce
• 1 tbsp minced peeled fresh ginger
• 2 tbsp oyster sauce
• 1 tsp honey
• 2 green onions, thinly sliced on diagonal

Whisk 1 tablespoon soy sauce, rice wine, and cornstarch in medium bowl. Add pork; toss to blend. Heat 2 teaspoons oil in heavy large wok or deep skillet over high heat. Add asparagus, chile sauce, and ginger. Toss until asparagus is crisp-tender, about 3 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer asparagus mixture to plate. Add remaining 1 teaspoon oil to wok. Add pork mixture and stir-fry until browned, using spoon to break up pork into small pieces, 2 to 3 minutes. Return asparagus mixture to wok. Add baby corn and mushrooms. Add remaining 2 tablespoons soy sauce, oyster sauce, and honey; stir-fry until pork is cooked through, adding water by tablespoonfuls if dry, about 2 minutes. Add green onions; toss to incorporate. Garnish with cilantro leaves if desired.

Asparagus and Beef Rice Bowl

Tags

Asian, asparagus, beef, blogger, Dinner, main dish, novel, stir-fry, Supper

This week I read a novel called How to Be An American Housewife by Margaret Dilloway, a fellow wordpress blogger. It was fantastic (you totally should read it!!) and put me in the mood for Asian food. A quick search of one of my favorite bloggers revealed a great recipe- Asparagus and Beef Rice Bowl. This is of course a slight variation (does anyone every really follow the recipe exactly?).

Asparagus and Beef Rice Bowl

• 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• Crushed red pepper flakes
• 3/4 pound cubed beef (I used stew meat)
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 2 tbsp sesame oil, divided
• 2 green onions, finely chopped or 2 tbsp diced red onion
• 1 tbsp hoison sauce
• 1 tablespoon sherry (or sake if you have it)
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 10-15 asparagus spears, trimmed
• 5 large white mushrooms, sliced
• 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
• 2 cups freshly cooked white rice (I used half low-sodium beef broth and half water)
• 2 tbsp coarsely chopped cilantro
• srirachi to taste

Toast sesame seeds in small skillet over medium heat until golden brown, stirring often, about 3 minutes. Transfer sesame seeds to small bowl to cool. Add salt and crushed red pepper. 

Whisk together soy sauce, one tablespoon sesame oil, hoison sauce, onions, garlic, sherry. Toss beef in soy mixture. Let marinate at room temperature 30 minutes, tossing occasionally.

Bake asparagus at 350 degrees on a baking sheet until tender, about twelve minutes. Sprinkle sesame salt over; drizzle with remaining tablespoon sesame oil, toss to coat.

Brush griddle or frying pan with extra virgin olive oil. Using just enough marinade to coat the beef, cook meat and mushrooms until done, about five minutes.

Divide warm rice between two bowls. Top with asparagus, then beef. Top with cilantro and sriracha, if desired.

Veggie Stir-Fried Rice

Tags

Asian, Dinner, stir-fry, Supper, vegetable

Simple tasty stirfry. Endless combinations of vegetables and meat are possible. Excellent served with the lettuce wraps previously posted.  

Veggie Stir-Fried Rice

• 2 1/4 cups water
• 1 1/2 cups long-grain white rice
• 2 1/2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 4 eggs, beaten
• 2 carrots, peeled and thinly sliced
• 3 cups thinly sliced bok choy stems and leaves
• 4 oz fresh mushrooms, sliced
• 1/4 pound snow peas, sliced
• 1 yellow sweet pepper, sliced into bite-sized chunks
• 1 1/2 tbsp sesame oil
• 3 green onions, sliced
• Soy sauce to taste

Bring 2 1/4 cups water to boil in medium saucepan. Add rice and bring to boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and cook until water is absorbed, about 20 minutes. Fluff with fork. Transfer to bowl and cool completely. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate.)

Heat 1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil in wok or heavy large skillet over high heat until hot but not smoking. Add eggs and scramble. When cooked, break into quarter-sized pieces.

Heat remaining 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in wok over high heat. Add slivered carrots and stir-fry 1 minute. Add sliced bok choy, sliced shiitake mushroom caps and slivered snow peas. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and stir-fry until vegetables just begin to soften, about 4 minutes. Add sesame oil and heat mixture, then add cooked rice and stir-fry until heated through. Stir in eggs and sliced green onions. Season with desired amount of soy sauce. Serves 4.