Your Cooking Coach
Show MenuHide Menu

Tag: chinese food

Shrimp Cauliflower and Mushroom Stir Fry

Shrimp Mushroom Carrot Stir Fry I had lunch with a friend and we shared a stir fry which included small shrimps, broccoli, mushrooms and carrots. It was delicious and I thought a great combination.. so I replicated it at home a few days. I used cauliflower instead of broccoli. I used shrimp, mushrooms and carrots. I made a simple sauce to complement the veggies. I served the delicious stir fry with brown rice but I had it on its own- which was great.. I didn’t feel I was missing any rice. Try this one- it is delicious!!
read more …

Lo Mein with Chinese Broccoli and Mushrooms

Lo Mein with Chinese Broccoli and Mushrooms I served these noodles with the sweet and sour fish dish I posted last week. Since the fish didn’t have any veggies, I decided to pack the noodles with mushrooms and Chinese broccoli. Unfortunately Chinese broccoli is not available in all supermarkets, so, one can substitute baby spinach for it. I like to visit an Asian store in a neighboring town once a month. I love going through the aisles, not recognizing most of the ingredients. I love buying lots of bottles; dried noodles and fresh vegetables. A must purchase is the Chinese broccoli. I love the sweet, earthy and almost bitter taste of these delicious greens.

I love all kinds of noodles- especially the Chinese egg noodles. I used fresh ginger, green onions as aromatics. I also used flavorful sesame oil to give the dish great taste.

All in all- the dish is self sufficient and great as an entree but it is fabulous with the chili fish…
read more …

Chinese Chilli Fish

Chinese Chilli Fish I had to interrupt Asian week to add a cupcake recipe for Valentines Day yesterday… but today I am back with another delicious Asian dish. I think one of the reasons Thai food is one of my favorite cuisines is because it incorporates sweet, savory, spicy and sour beautifully. I love a bit of sweet in my savory food.

Sweet and sour dishes are one of favorites to order in Chinese restaurants but most of the time they are overly sweet and usually fried- not the healthiest option. So, I made my own.

I coated some beautiful wild cod in cornstarch and sautéed them in some peanut oil. I made a delicious sweet and sour sauce with healthy agave.

Overall the dish was unbelievable.
read more …

Tofu Noodles with Peanut Sauce

Tofu Noodles with Peanut Sauce

I have been buying a lot of tofu noodles from the Asian store. I love the idea of having noodles that have no carbs and are full of protein. The great thing is that my daughter loves them as well.. so I try to make them as often as I can.

This particular dish is a one pot meal- which is my favorite to make! I decided to add all sorts of veggies including mushrooms and bok choy. For protein I used chicken- but any meat or fish can be used. One can keep it vegetarian and eliminate the meat altogether.

I made a delicious sauce with peanut butter, tamari, lime juice, palm sugar, fish sauce.. etc. I basically took out what I had in my pantry and added it to the sauce.. it was delicious. My daughter who is not a peanut butter fan loved the noodles… somehow she didn’t notice the peanut flavor…

This is a great noodle dish to make through the week…
read more …

Pork and Kumquat Stir Fry

Pork and Kumquat Stir Fry1 This is another yummy recipe using kumquats. I had a pack in my fridge needed to be used. I looked around online for a good recipe and found one on Epicurious. It was a Chinese inspired stir fry with pork and used a delicious spice I don’t use very often. It used Chinese five spice powder- which includes a mixture of cloves, fennel, cinnamon, star anise and Szechuan peppers. Szechuan peppers have an interesting numbing effect to the tongue. The five spice powder has the same flavor and effect. It is a delicious way to make stir fries, stews and curries.

I started with center cut pork chops and marinated them in hoisin and oyster sauce. I then made a sauce with orange juice, chicken broth, rice vinegar and the five spice powder. The kumquats need to be halved and deseeded. I sprinkled some sugar on them to sweeten them further.

The stir fry was delicious. I served it brown rice and sauteed bok choy. My daughter ate the dish but didn’t care for the little oranges… so, we kept them aside and went on with the evening….
read more …

Fried Rice with Green Beans

Fried Rice with Green Beans

This fried rice dish is perfect for the fish recipe I posted yesterday. I love making fried rice for meals- especially since I can incorporate lots of different vegetables and feed my family.

My daughter loves all versions I have made in the past- well, almost all of them.

For this one, I bought a bunch of green beans from the farmers market. They were lovely looking and I couldn’t help buying them. As I thought about what to make for dinner, I was flipping through a food magazine and came across a fried rice dish. That is when I decided to chop the green beans really small and make a delicious rice dish with them.

You can’t make fried rice without first making plain rice. How do you make your rice? I make mine with chicken broth. It imparts delicious flavor without much effort and I am always looking to add flavor into anything I can. The rice comes out yummy- lightly salted and nutty and it is perfect and ready to use for the fried rice.

I sauteed the plain rice with your usual suspects and in no time had a delicious fried rice dish. Try this recipe next time you are in the mood for some healthy Chinese food.
read more …

Orange Beef with Sauteed Bok Choy and Garlic

Orange Beef with Bok Choy This was a delicious meal. I had some tenderloin steak in my freezer and decided to use it. I wasn’t in the mood to make a regular, run of the mill steak with vegetables and potatoes (not that any thing is wrong with that). I was in the mood for something sweet, salty, sour and spicy- essentially something that will assault my taste buds- all the way.

Chinese food came to mind. I went food shopping and found great looking packs of baby bok choy. If you haven’t yet tried this vegetable, consider doing so. It is a sweet, crunchy green with a turnip like flavor- definitely one of my favorites. It is my husbands favorite as well. Sia will eat it- she doesn’t love it but she will eat it.

I marinated the steak and cooked it with long green onion cut on a bias- just like they do at restaurants. I made a sauce with orange juice, tamari, vinegar, etc. I was thinking of the orange beef served at Chinese restaurants. The problem is that it is fried and quite unhealthy- not my cup of tea at the moment. I decided to make a sauce instead infused with major orange flavor.

I sauteed the beef and added the sauce and corn starch. I cooked the bok choy separately and served it on the side. I find the green parts of the bok choy get quite wilted and soft if served in a sauce. It was delicious on the side especially with a serving of brown rice.

The healthy cooking continues… For those who want to make the dish healthier, use chicken or shrimp instead. For vegetarians, I would do a firm tofu and treat it the same way as the beef.

  • 1 pound skirt steak (tenderloin steak is great as well), cut into thin strips
  • 2 tablespoons tamari
  • 2 teaspoons garlic, minced
  • 2 tablespoons cooking rice wine

Marinate the steak with tamari, garlic and the rice wine for 4 to 5 hours.

Sauce

  • 2 cups orange juice

Pour the orange juice in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil and simmer for 20 to 30 minutes or till it reduced to one cup or even less.

  • 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon honey
  • 2 tablespoons tamari
  • 2 teaspoons sweet chili sauce

Mix the reduced orange juice, rice vinegar, honey, tamari and chili sauce. Keep aside.

  • 2 teaspoons cornstarch, mixed with 2 teaspoons water
  • 4 green onions, cut at a bias
  • 2 tablespoons extra light olive oil

In a wok like pan, heat the olive oil on high heat. Add the green onions and sauté for a minute. Add the marinated steak and sauté for 4-5 minutes till golden brown. Add the sauce and the cornstarch. Bring to a boil and cook till thickens. Taste for seasonings and serve with bok choy and brown rice.

Orange Beef

Sauteed Bok Choy with Garlic

  • 2 large heads of bok choy or 6 small ones, chopped, the greens and whites separated
  • 1 tablespoon extra light olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon garlic, minced
  • Salt

In a large frying pan, add the olive oil. Add the white parts of the bok choy. Saute for 2-3 minutes on a high heat. Add the greens and garlic. Saute for 4-5 minutes or till the whites are tender. Add salt and serve.
Bok ChoyBok Choy1