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Tag: soy sauce

Pad See Ew (Thai Stir Fried Noodles)

This was yummy, yummy! We just got a new Asian store near our house and I am super excited to be able to buy all the yummy veggies like Chinese broccoli and fresh noodles, etc any time I want….

  • 16 ounces rice noodles (any variety will do. I was able to find the actual wide rice noodles), cooked according to package directions. Drain well and drizzle with some oil to prevent sticking together. Be careful not to over cook.

Sauce

  • 2 tablespoons sweet dark soy sauce (if you don’t have dark soy sauce, just add extra regular soy sauce with a bit of sugar)
  • 2 tablespoons oyster sauce (eliminate if vegetarian)
  • 2 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 2 teaspoons rice vinegar
  • 2 teaspoons sugar
  • 2 tablespoons water

Mix together and keep aside.

  • 2 to 3 chicken thighs (partly frozen so they can be sliced thin), sliced thin
  • 1 tablespoon soy sauce

Marinate chicken in soy sauce for 2 to 3 hours.

  • 2 tablespoons peanut oil
  • 3 garlic cloves, chopped
  • 1 bunch Chinese broccoli, leaves separated and chopped/stems chopped separately
  • 10 ounces Cremini mushrooms, sliced
  • 2 eggs, beaten
  • 3 green onions, chopped
  • ½ cup cilantro, chopped

Heat a wok like pan with the peanut oil. Add the Chinese broccoli stalks and garlic. Saute on a high heat for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the chicken and sauté on high heat for another 2 to 3 minutes. Add the mushrooms and repeat the process. Add the noodles and the sauce. Mix well and make room in the middle of the pan and add the eggs. Stir well as the egg cooks and coats all the noodles. Check for seasonings and add the green onions and cilantro. Serve warm.

Day Five- Kyoto Shrines and Temples

Kyoto is a very quaint city compared to Tokyo. Considering the size, I am still surprised at the amount of French cafes and patisseries. Everywhere we go, there is another one to look at and maybe try some kind of a confection. Today, we took all kinds of buses to get around Kyoto. Just like the subway system in Tokyo, the buses here are very well run and quite easy to track. We started the day at the Golden Pavilion, which was gorgeous. A rock garden and the silver pavilion later it was time for lunch. It was a hilly area around the silver pavilion, lined with restaurants as well as homes. We scoped out a few while walking towards the temple. As we came back, we chose a small, quaint restaurant which seemed to be run by a family. We ordered bowls of rice with pork cutlet and egg for me and tofu and egg for my husband.

Rice Bowl with Tofu and EggRice Bowl with Pork Cutlet and Egg

We relaxed with some beer and sake. The meal was simple, yet delicious. It is amazing how different the portion sizes are when you leave the US… As we walked out, I remembered I wanted to have a soft serve cone with green tea ice cream. I had noticed the shops everywhere and kept forgetting to try one. Well, it was out of this world- creamy with a fabulous earthy, green tea flavor. Not too sweet- just perfect. I am really loving all the confections made with green tea- they are all over the place.

For dinner, we actually did some research and checked on tripadvisor. The number one rated restaurant in Kyoto is called Issian. I am a big fan of tripadvisor since it has never lead us wrong. Well, we decided to go to the restaurant and asked our concierge to guide us and surprisingly we found it. It is part of the famous main street full of restaurants- which is kind of a maize since there are tons of restaurants and very hard to find. It is a Japanese stone grill and they cook all kinds of meat in front of you- to perfection. The meat and fish were delicious and yet again trip advisor did not disappoint us.

The meal started with shrimp and fish. Chicken came in between- and the meal ended with pork and beef. The taste of the meats was unbelievable. We dipped the meats either in salt or ponzu sauce. Miso soup and rice were served, including a salad. We finished off with a delicious sorbet.

Shrimp and Fish on the hot stone

 

Chicken Meatballs

Amazing Pork

Overall it was a great dinner and best of all, the chef told me about a 450 year old knife shop in Kyoto which is world famous- guess who will be buying herself a knife tomorrow??- stay tuned.

A Great Idea For Leftovers: Wonton Soup and Sauteed Dumplings

wonton-soup2

My daughter loves dumplings! She really didn’t start eating them until I practically forced her to try them at several different occasions. Now, she wants to go eat dim sum every weekend. We go to a local Chinese restaurant to have the delicious dumplings. We sit down and the dumplings start coming our way immediately- we are literally done in 15 minutes- no joke! Sia covets everything stuffed with shrimp. My favorite is a chive dumpling- it is absolutely delicious. It is shaped like a fat disk and I can’t get enough of them. 

Packing lunch for Sia has always been a challenge. She does not like/eat sandwiches. She likes proper food- that’s what I get for not giving her a sandwich when she was really young. Anyway, I am always struggling to come up with different ideas. Once she started eating dumplings- I began buying them from Trader Joes and Whole Foods. They come in all different varieties- some that include veggies in them as well. I cook a few for her and put them in her thermos- she loves it!

Sia has been asking me how they make the dumplings at the restaurant. I usually explain the procedure to her, but, I am not sure if it actually registers- the glazed look on her face is usually not a good sign. She kept wondering why we haven’t made them at home yet- I really didn’t have an answer for her- there really was no reason we couldn’t. Especially since I have watched many people use them to make dumplings on television as well as fresh raviolis!  So, when I saw the wonton skins at the store the other day, I grabbed them. I decided to use all the leftover proteins I had in the fridge and make a wonton soup- which she loves; as well as the classic sauteed dumplings. Well, she was thrilled to be able to watch me put the dumplings together and most importantly, she loved the way they tasted-mission accomplished. I can’t wait to make my own raviolis now!

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Grilled Vegetables with Peanut Sauce

roasted-vegetables-with-peanut-sauce My daughter loves going to Thai restaurants. Her favorite thing to eat are the gyozas and chicken satay. She can really pack away a number of skewers- if I let her. What she doesn’t like is the peanut sauce- very strange! For me it’s the peanut sauce that is the interesting part- like the rest of Thai cuisine- it really assaults your palette. Sweet, salty, sour and spice happening at the same time. I think that is why I love the cuisine so much. I love anything that has the peanut sauce. I usually make a whole lot and keep in my fridge. It is very versatile- it is a great dipping sauce; it goes really well in cold noodles with shrimp and vegetables; it makes a delicious salad dressing- the sky is the limit! One of my favorite things to eat in the summer months is grilled vegetables. I like to grill all sorts of different veggies and serve them with different marinades. This particular one is my favorite way to eat them. The creamy peanut sauce goes really well with the smoky grilled vegetables. In this case I used red peppers, zucchini and a japanese eggplant. I loved the combination of all the veggies- the peppers bring a subtle sweetness; the zucchini is creamy and the eggplant is like a sponge- absorbing all the peanut goodness! I made this with the shrimp fried rice but the dish goes really well with burgers, hot dogs and steaks. 

If your kids like peanut sauce, this dish is a great way to give them vegetables- especially if they are grilled- I feel grilling and roasting brings out the natural sweetness of everything. In our case, I gave Sia the vegetables without the peanut sauce- I think she is a bit strange- but then I can’t really complain, she is a very good eater and loves food!

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