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Tag: corn starch

Ma Po Tofu with Peas

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.

Kerala Fry Shrimp

Kerala Fry Shrimp

  • 1 pound medium shrimp, cleaned and deveined

Dry Rub

  • 2 teaspoons cumin seeds
  • 1 teaspoon coriander seeds
  • ½ teaspoon fenugreek seeds
  • 2 teaspoons salt

Add the spices into a spice grinder and grind to a powder. Sprinkle the spice rub all over the shrimp and marinate in the fridge for 2 to 3 hours.

  • 1 tablespoon coconut oil
  • 2 tablespoons extra light olive oil
  • 3 tablespoons corn starch

Take the shrimp out of fridge and sprinkle with corn flour.

  • 4 to 5 garlic cloves, peeled and grated
  • 2 inches fresh ginger, peeled and grated
  • 8 to 9 curry leaves, sliced
  • ½ cup cilantro, chopped

Heat a wok like pan with the coconut and olive oil. Saute the shrimp in a few batches making sure not to over crowd the pan. Saute for about a minute or two and take out onto a platter. Reheat the pan on a simmer and add the garlic, ginger and curry leaves. Saute on a medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the shrimp and sauté for another few minutes on high heat until shrimp is done. Garnish with cilantro and add salt if necessary. Serve warm.

Beef and Broccoli

Beef and Broccoli My daughter love chicken and broccoli at our favorite Chinese restaurant. I decided to make a similar dish at home but used beef instead. It is delicious and very easy to make- and very quick…
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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!!
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Orange Chicken with Sauteed Gai Lan (Chinese Broccoli)

Orange chicken2 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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Mango Raspberry Crumble- A Memorial Day Dessert Recipe

Mango Crumble5 This is a dessert I recently made and think will be perfect for the upcoming long weekend. Next week I will be posting recipes for a burger and some side dishes including a fabulous drink- so stay tuned.

I love to make fruit crumble in the summer with all the gorgeous fruit in season. In this case I had tons of mangoes in my fridge. My daughter loves, loves mangoes and has at least 2 to 3 everyday.

We were going for a barbecue to a friend’s house and I offered to make the dessert. As I mentioned I had lots of mangoes- so that was a natural choice. I also had fresh raspberries and decided to pair them with the mangoes. I added some raspberry liquor which gave the fruit mixture a delicious flavor- yum!

As far as the crumble was concerned, I decided to doctor it up a bit. I had the usual suspects including oats, brown sugar and walnuts- I also added some sweetened, shredded coconut, ground ginger and nutmeg. Since I was using mangoes, I thought of coconut- a tropical theme.

I brought some vanilla ice cream along and the dessert was a big hit. Everyone enjoyed it. I thought the coconut was a great addition and I especially loved the raspberry liquor with the fresh fruit. Overall it was a huge success.

If you are having a big Memorial Day get together- definitely make this dessert- everyone will love it- guaranteed!
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MaPo Tofu- Silken Tofu Cooked with Ground Turkey

Mapo Tofu 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.