Tag: rice vinegar
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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Chicken Breast with Kumquats
This was a great dish to make. Someone mentioned kumquats a while ago and how the didn’t know what to do with them. Kumquats look like tiny little oranges. They are quite tart if eaten raw but provide a great tangy citrus flavor if cooked correctly. It reminded me of a chicken and kumquat dish I had at Spice Market in NYC. It was a very memorable and delicious meal- I am sure the yummy cocktails helped a lot.
I started thinking of that dish and decided to look it up online. After a lot of visualizing, I came up with this recipe. I first put the dressing together. I was able to get fresh lemongrass at whole foods. The kaffir lime leaves are available at the Asian stores. I bought a big pack and have them stored in the freezer. These two flavors are quite important to this dish.
I coated the chicken with a spice mix and marinated it for a few hours. All together, this dish has a few steps but it is very worth it.
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Shrimp Cauliflower and Mushroom 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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Cucumber Salad
I decided to continue the vegetarian theme. This vibrant looking salad is delicious and extremely flavorful. It would be perfect with the lentils from yesterday. Although the salad is made with rice vinegar which has more of a Chinese or Japanese flavor.. but I think it would stand up very well with the delicious cumin and mustard seeds flavors.
The trick is to first buy an English cucumber instead of the regular variety. The English variety is leaner and longer and has less seeds. I cut it in half length wise and then scoop the seeds out with a spoon. In order to get the cucumbers super crispy, one can sprinkle some salt on them, place them in a colander over a bowl. The salt will extract the extra moisture out of the cucumbers and make them crunchy. This step is optional and skipping it will not lessen the flavor.
The salad has very few ingredients including the rice vinegar, serrano chilies and cilantro. Try this simple yet delicious salad…
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Pork and Kumquat Stir Fry
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….
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Orange Pork Chops with Smoked Paprika
It is smoked paprika week.. all the recipes have the delicious spice. I have decided on taking the spice with me if I ever get stranded on a deserted island.
I bought some center cut, thin pork chops. I don’t like making them too often since they tend to dry out very quickly- but then I realized if I brine them, they come out super juicy.
For the brine, I mixed orange juice, apricot jam, vinegar and of course smoked paprika. The liquid has a delicious sweet, savory and tangy component- perfect for a sauce for the pork chops.
I marinated them for a few hours in the liquid. I then browned them and added the liquid back. I realized, cooking them in the liquid keeps them soft and tender. The chops came out delicious. I roasted potatoes on the side with some garlic powder, salt and of course, smoked paprika. I also roasted asparagus on the side and I had a perfectly balanced meal.
Everyone enjoyed the meal with a yummy glass of red wine…
- 4 to 5 center cup pork chops
- ¼ cup apricot jam, softened in microwave
- ½ cup orange juice
- 2 garlic cloves, grated
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon salt
Mix the jam, juice, garlic, vinegar, paprika and salt in a small bowl. Add the chops and mixture to a zip lock bag and marinate for 4 to 5 hours. Save the marinade for later.
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
Heat a non-stick pan with the oil. Brown the pork chops on both sides on high heat. Take out of the pan and add the marinade. Bring to a boil and add the pork chops. Cook for a few minutes till the chops are done (careful not to overcook). Serve the chops with the sauce, potatoes and asparagus.
Top Ten Vinegars To Have In Your Pantry
I love collecting vinegars. They are relatively inexpensive and last a long time. Well, I guess depends how often you use them. I do end up making salad dressing at home but also have a bunch of store bought salad dressings in my fridge. So, the point of this list is not to make you feel guilty if you don’t make your own dressing. Although it is the most easy thing you could do. It takes all of 5 minutes to whip up a yummy dressing. Especially if you have the necessary ingredients- hence the vinegar list.
I recently bought the muscat orange champagne vinegar from Trader Joes. It is delicious. I made a blood orange salad and used this vinegar and it was unbelievable. I paired it with extra virgin olive oil and a bit of honey. The vinegar is very soft and subtle, yet very flavorful.
I would love to know which vinegars you have in your pantry…
- All purpose white vinegar- it really is an all-purpose vinegar. It can be used for cooking and cleaning. If you ever run out of a particular vinegar- use this one.
- White wine vinegar- delicious in any salad dressing and/or a sauce.
- Balsamic vinegar- I use this for everything, mostly an everyday salad dressing. A bit of balsamic vinegar, honey, salt and pepper – just drizzle some extra virgin olive oil and you are done…
- Rice vinegar- Great for stir fry sauces, etc.
- Red wine vinegar- I consider this an all-purpose vinegar as well. Good have.
- Sherry vinegar- Special vinegar- for spanish dishes and to give a kick to your usual salad dressings.
- Malt vinegar- I used it for some Indian recipes.
- Raspberry vinegar- Same as sherry vinegar. Great to have. This goes fabulously well with walnut oil and makes a great salad dressing.
- Champagne vinegar-Special occasion vinegar- love it.
- Apple Cider vinegar- Any time I add apples to a salad, I use this vinegar to make the salad dressing.