Tag: chinese cuisine
Kale Fried Rice
This simple dish can be served with the Asian stew I made yesterday. I love making fried rice- like quesadillas, you can add anything to the mix and it comes out delicious. I love emptying out my fridge and coming up with a delicious fried rice. Sometimes when I am really lazy, I take out a box of frozen brown rice which I always have on hand, and use it for the fried rice.
I had kale in my fridge which needed to be cooked. I had eggs in the fridge and of course the brown rice. I find the brown variety an ideal choice for fried rice. My daughter doesn’t seem to be able to tell the difference especially since fried rice has a honey color from the soy sauce- so using brown rice is ideal. I kept it very simple- garlic, ginger, shallots, tamari and some oyster sauce.
It was done before I knew it.. It can also be served as a meal since it has a vegetable and protein from the egg and whole grain from the brown rice. It is a well balanced meal and a great thing to pack for a school lunch the next day!
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Chinese Style Beef Stew with Chinese Broccoli
This dish is delicious. I had some lovely stew beef pieces in my freezer which I bought from Eataly in NYC. If you haven’t been to this huge space filled with delicious food- you must go. I admit, it is overpriced but there is a certain thrill about being in a place surrounded with amazing cooked food and ingredients to cook delicious foods. I love spending a few hours in there and buy fresh pasta, meat and cheese from there. A while ago I bought Prosecco jelly to be served with cheese. I was very curious to try it and it was delicious…
Anyway, I wanted to make a stew and decided on an Asian style dish. I started thinking of the spices and came up with Chinese five spice powder, a cinnamon stick and tamari for the savory component. I also chose shitake mushrooms, green onions and ginger- and also mirin. It is used in Japanese cuisine and is a sweet rice wine- it has a very distinct flavor- perfect for what I was looking for. Well, the stew was amazing. I decided to serve it with some soba noodles and sauteed Chinese broccoli.
Try this different kind of stew- you may never make your old one…
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Healthy Chicken & Broccoli
Here is another healthy dinner for you to make. I have made chicken and broccoli before but this version is a bit quicker and healthier. I used frozen broccoli instead of fresh- you can use either one. I happen not to find fresh broccoli so I used the frozen.
I drizzled a bit of oil on the broccoli and roasted it to get rid of excess moisture.
In the meantime I mixed up a quick sauce and instead of my usual chicken thighs, I used chicken breast. I sliced the breast pieces really thin and marinated them. Obviously chicken breast has less fat and is healthier than thighs. Personally I prefer the taste of dark meat but to be healthy- I used the breast.
Overall the dish was delicious and I served it with brown rice- enjoy!!!
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Fried Rice with Snow Peas and Carrots
My daughter’s new favorite vegetable is snow peas. She takes five of them everyday with lunch to school. She loves the crunch and sweetness they impart.
I always have them in the fridge- we go through at least a pack a week if not two.
The other day, I had a few cups of cooked white rice. So, of course- what comes to mind- that’s right- fried rice. The problem was I didn’t have any vegetables- at least that is what I thought until I saw the snow peas. I chopped a whole lot of them and carrots- I always have baby carrots in the fridge as well.
I love making fried rice- it is super simple, quick and best of all- it is a one pot meal.
It was delicious with the garlic, green onions, eggs, tamari and the a bit of the sriracha sauce. It is also perfect to pack for lunch- perfectly balanced. If you want to make it healthier, use brown rice.
Either way, fried rice with snow peas an carrots is a delicious dish.
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Orange Chicken with Sauteed Gai Lan (Chinese Broccoli)
I felt like eating the really unhealthy Chinese dishes like the orange chicken. The amount of fat, salt and all the other bad stuff turned me off- plus who can afford the calories??
I decided to make my own. I got some boneless, skinless chicken breast; cut it in small pieces and marinated them in tamari. I then sprinkled them with corn starch and sauteed them- instead of deep frying. I saved loads of calories by simply sauteing the chicken pieces.
I then assembled the sauce with fresh navel oranges, rice wine vinegar, tamari, garlic and honey. With the help of some more cornstarch, I had a delicious, thick sauce- perfect for orange chicken.
While shopping for the chicken, I found Chinese broccoli (at Whole Foods). My husband and I usually buy the greens in Chinatown in NYC and love eating it as often as we can. So, when I saw it in the market, I was super excited. I simply sauteed it with garlic and served it with the chicken and brown rice.
It was a delicious meal- my daughter and husband loved it.
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Vegetable Stir Fry
I can’t think of a better way to use up a bunch of left over vegetables in the fridge. I had half a cauliflower head, yellow and red pepper, asparagus and most importantly, I had green onions. I love using them for their mild oniony flavor and beautiful green color.
I doused the cauliflower florets with some tamari and roasted them. I then sauteed the vegetables with ginger and garlic. I went through my pantry and hoisin sauce stood out. I added some rice vinegar and honey to finish off the sauce.
It was simple, quick and most of all delicious. It was a perfect pairing with the sausage fried rice. My daughter ate all the vegetables except the peppers- she does not like them. I have learnt to pick my battles with her. She is such a good eater and everyone is allowed not to like a few things.
Next time you have left over vegetables, try this delicious stir fry.
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MaPo Tofu- Silken Tofu Cooked with Ground Turkey
My husband introduced this Chinese dish to me. I had never heard of it. He loves tofu- in any form. Before meeting him, I wasn’t much into tofu- not sure why but I just wasn’t interested.
We usually have this szechuan dish in restaurants. I like it a lot- definitely not a combination that comes to mind easily. I never think of pairing two proteins together. In this dish it works really well.
I was thinking of what to make and Chinese food came to mind. I typically make a broccoli and chicken stir fry but I wanted to make something different and so this dish came to mind. I went shopping for some chili paste, etc. While I was researching the dish- most of the recipes had lots of heat in them. I can’t really do that since neither my husband nor my daughter eat very spicy dishes. I still wanted to have great flavor so I decided on a black bean sauce and a chili paste I picked up in Whole Foods. I prefer tamari to soy sauce- it is more concentrated and has more flavor. The sauce is quite simple to make and so is the dish.
I served roasted broccoli and brown rice with it. My daughter looked at the dish and wasn’t very happy. I have to say- it doesn’t look very appetizing but it is delicious. She thought so too once she tasted it. I keep telling her not to judge a book by it’s cover but somehow it doesn’t register… Anyway, I would highly recommend MaPo Tofu- good for you and easy to make.
- 1 block silken tofu, drained
- 2 tablespoons extra light olive oil
- ½ to ¾ pound ground turkey (dark meat)
- 3 garlic cloves, sliced thin
- 4 green onions, whites and greens separated
Sauce
- 3 tablespoons tamari
- 1 tablespoon black bean sauce
- 1 tablespoon chili bean paste
- 1 tablespoon sweet chili sauce
Mix well and keep aside.
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 2 teaspoons corn starch
Add the cornstarch to the chicken broth and mix well.
Heat a wok like pan with the olive oil. Add the ground meat and separate it with a wooden spoon and sauté until crispy and golden brown. Reduce the heat to medium and add the garlic and white part of the green onion. Saute 2 to 3 minutes. Add the tamari sauce and sauté for a minute. Add the silken tofu and break it into small pieces with the spoon. Add the cornstarch mixed with the chicken broth. Bring to a boil and check for seasonings. Garnish with the green parts of the green onions. Serve with roasted broccoli.