Tag: Chinese Inspired
Ma Po Tofu with Peas
This is my husband’s favorite thing to order in Chinese restaurants. It is a Szechuan dish and so not really available in a lot of the restaurants. The dish is also on the greasy side- like any other that we tend to order in the restaurant. As usual I try to make it at home. It doesn’t taste exactly the same but it tastes good and I know it is healthy.
Usually the dish is made with ground pork and soft tofu with a delicious sauce. I used my usual ground turkey, which is my ‘go to’ ground meat. It is much healthier- I use dark turkey meat so the taste is really good.
I marinated the meat with some tamari and corn starch. The corn starch was to thicken the sauce while cooking the dish. I then prepared a sauce consisting of black bean sauce, chili garlic sauce, ketchup and vinegar. I made a delicious sauce and got the tofu ready. I decided to make the dish a one pot meal and added some peas to it. I thought it was a good addition to the dish and I didn’t have to worry about serving a vegetable on the side.
Try this dish- it is easy, quick and super delicious….
- ½ pound ground turkey
- 3 teaspoons tamari
- 2 teaspoons corn starch
Mix the tamari with the cornstarch. Marinate the turkey meat with the cornstarch mixture for 2 to 3 hours.
- 1 tablespoon tamari
- 2 teaspoons black bean sauce
- 1 teaspoon chili garlic paste
- 2 teaspoons ketchup
- 2 teaspoons rice vinegar
- 1 teaspoon honey
Mix the tamari, bean sauce chili paste, ketchup, vinegar and honey in a small bowl. Keep aside.
- 1 pound silken or firm tofu, cut into 1 inch squares
- 1 tablespoon extra light olive oil
- 1 cup frozen peas
- 2 teaspoons corn starch
- 2 teaspoons water
Mix the cornstarch and water in a small bowl and keep aside.
Heat a wok-like saucepan with the oil. Add the ground turkey and sauté on high heat and separating the meat with the back of the spatula. Cook on high for 4 to 5 minutes till golden brown. Add the tamari sauce and mix well. Add the tofu and frozen peas. Mix well and bring to a boil. Add the cornstarch mixture and bring to another boil. Check for seasonings and serve with brown rice.
Sweet Corn Chicken Soup
This soup is very close to my heart. I grew up eating it and have very happy memories of my Mom making it for us. It is very popular in India at the Chinese restaurants. We would have the soup with chicken sandwiches- I still think of those delicious mouthwatering sandwiches! In India very much like Europe, the sandwiches don’t have a lot of filling- just enough to give you a taste of the main ingredient as well as the delicious soft white bread! Those were the days when there was no awareness about eating whole wheat bread! My Mom would start by spreading a thin layer of butter on each slice and then spread a layer of shredded chicken with some salt and pepper- it was absolutely delicious- I digress- I think the reason we would have the soup and sandwiches together was because my Mom would poach some chicken and then use it for both the dishes. I usually do that on the weekends- have some chicken breast cooked in the fridge. This time I roasted the chicken breasts with salt, pepper and olive oil in the oven (rotisserie chicken can be substituted). They came out nice and juicy ready to be used for numerous dishes- another dish coming tomorrow!
I introduced this soup to my daughter a few years ago- she loved it, especially because it had corn in it. We also found it at a local Chinese restaurant- she has ordered it so often now, that whenever she enters the place, they know what she is going to eat. We made it together on the weekend and she was not convinced it would turn out as yummy as the soup she eats at the restaurant, well- she was pleasantly surprised! I urge you to try this soup it’s fabulous!
- 32 ounces- 4 cups chicken broth
- 1 14¾ ounces can creamed corn
- 1 cup shredded chicken
- 1 egg, beaten with pinch of salt
- 3 teaspoons cornstarch, divided
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
- 2 teaspoons salt or to taste
- 1 scallion, chopped finely
In a medium pot, heat the chicken broth. Add the creamed corn. Bring to a boil. In a small bowl mix 2 teaspoons cornstarch with 2 tablespoons water, mix well. Add to the boiling chicken broth. The mixture will begin to thicken as it comes back to a boil. Add the shredded chicken. In a small bowl mix one teaspoon cornstarch with 1 tablespoon water, mix well and add to the beaten egg mixture. Lower the heat to a medium low and add the egg mixture in a slow drizzle while whisking the broth. Finish the soup with salt and scallions.
Chicken and Broccoli Stir-Fry
This is a kid friendly recipe! I know for a lot of us that attribute is very important in a dish, especially since we don’t want to be cooking five different things for dinner every night! My daughter was having a dinner and movie night with a friend. I wanted to steer clear of pizza and mac-n-cheese.. so I started to think what to make. Most kids like chicken and broccoli- and enjoy this dish in Chinese restaurants. I decided to tone the spices down but tried to make it as flavorful as possible. I marinated the chicken for several hours in tamari and cooking rice wine. I also minced the ginger and garlic so the flavor came through but not the texture. Overall it was a delicious meal enjoyed by adults and kids! My husband and I ate the dish with a crisp Riesling! Both the girls ate the meal without complaints, don’t know if anticipation of ice cream made that possible!
Marinade
- 1 pound chicken thighs or breast, cut into 1 inch pieces
- 3 tablespoons tamari
- 1 tablespoon cooking rice wine
Add the chicken pieces to the tamari and cooking wine and marinate for at least 2-3 hours.
Sauce
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon garlic chili sauce
- 3 tablespoons tamari
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- ½ cup chicken broth mixed with 2 teaspoons corn-starch
Mix all the ingredients and keep aside.
Stir Fry
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 inches ginger, minced
- 1 to 1½ pound broccoli, cut into florets
In a wok or a wok shaped pan, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil. Add minced ginger and garlic and sauté on high heat for a minute. Add the broccoli and stir-fry over high heat for 2-3 minutes. Take out of the pan. Add the remaining one tablespoon olive oil and one teaspoon sesame oil to the same pan. Add the chicken minus the marinade and cook on high heat till it is golden brown. Add the broccoli and the sauce, cook on high. Once the sauce comes to a boil and thickens, turn the heat down and cover to cook the chicken completely. (It is important to cover if using thighs) Taste for seasoning. Serve with white or brown rice.
Quick Orange Chicken
I have known this recipe for many years, can’t remember where I heard it. Probably on some talk radio show. They were talking about fabulous appetizers for parties and this came up. Since then I have made it a few times and have tweaked it. The tamari and orange juice give it a lot of flavor, especially if you marinate it over night. I decided to use the marinade as a sauce and use treat it as a main dish instead of an appetizer. I had the chicken with the chow mein I made yesterday and it was a nice combination. I added hot sauce to my portion since I like things spicy!
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into 2 inch squares
- 4 ounces tamari
- 6 ounces concentrated thawed orange juice
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 green onion, chopped
Marinate the chicken with tamari, orange juice and garlic over night or for at least 3 hours. Spread the chicken on a lined cookie sheet and drizzle with the olive oil, make sure to set the marinade aside. Broil the chicken in the oven for 15- 20 minutes turning once to make sure all sides are golden brown.
Mean while bring the marinade to a boil in a pan. Adjust seasonings and set aside. Once the chicken is done, drizzle the sauce and garnish with green onions.
Szechuan Chicken and Asparagus
- ½ cup raw cashews
- One and a half pounds, boneless chicken breast, cut 1-inch pieces
- Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
- 4 tablespoons tamari (Japanese soy sauce)
- 1 tablespoon Chinese rice cooking wine
- 3 tablespoons peanut oil
- 1 tablespoon dark sesame oil
- ½ cup chicken broth
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon light brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon sweet chili sauce
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 pound asparagus, sliced on the diagonal, 1 inch thick
- 1 inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and minced
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spread the cashews in a pie plate and toast in the oven for about 8 minutes, until they are nicely browned and fragrant. Let cool.
In a medium bowl toss the chicken with one tablespoon tamari, one tablespoon Chinese rice cooking wine, salt and pepper. Set aside for 1-3 hours.
Combine chicken broth, rice vinegar, light brown sugar, sweet chili sauce and 3 tablespoons tamari in a bowl and keep aside.
Combine the cornstarch with 3 tablespoons of water and keep aside.
In a wok or large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon peanut oil and ½ teaspoon dark sesame oil. Add the asparagus and cook for 2-3 minutes on high heat. Transfer to a plate. Heat 1 tablespoon peanut oil and ½ teaspoon dark sesame oil and add the chicken in an even layer and cook over high heat, turning once, until browned. Remove from pan and transfer to plate. Heat pan with remaining peanut oil and dark sesame oil and add the ginger and garlic with the cooked asparagus. Saute for 2-3 minutes. Add the chicken broth sauce and the chicken. Add the cornstarch and bring to a boil and cook until the sauce is thickened. Top the dish with the roasted cashews.
Serve with white or brown rice.