Sesame Beef and Asparagus

1/2 lb. asparagus, cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces
water, for boiling

3 Tbsp. sesame oil, separated
1 1/2 lbs. steak, thinly sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp. ginger, minced
3 Tbsp. oyster sauce
3 Tbsp. soy sauce
1 tsp. Chinese 5 Spice powder
3 Tbsp. rice vinegar
black pepper, lots
4 Tbsp. brown sugar
1 Tbsp. cornstarch
1/4 c. water
1 can sliced water chestnuts, drained
sesame seeds
hot cooked rice

Sauce

First blanch the asparagus in boiling water for 3-4 minutes. Drain. Immediately run very cold water over the asparagus for a minute or two. This retains the color of the asparagus. Set aside.

Heat a wok or skillet to high heat. Pour in 2 Tbsp. of the sesame oil. Cook the beef until most of the pink is gone. Remove the beef from the wok/skillet. Set aside.

In the same wok/skillet, add the ingredients for the sauce: garlic, ginger, oyster sauce, soy sauce, 5 Spice, rice vinegar, pepper, brown sugar, and the remaining 1 Tbsp. of sesame oil. Bring to a boil for 1 minute. Reduce heat.

Mix together the cornstarch and water to make a slurry. Pour into the sauce. Stir constantly for a minute or two while the sauce thickens.

Add the beef, asparagus, and water chestnuts to the sauce. Stir to coat it all. Let it simmer for several minutes so the beef, asparagus and chestnuts can get heated through.

Sprinkle with sesame seeds. Serve over hot cooked rice. Delicious.

Here's a link to the recipe I used: http://www.nlrockrecipes.com/2013/10/super-quick-sesame-beef-and-asparagus.html

Honey Sesame Chicken

Sauce:
2/3 c. chicken broth

Sauce before cooking

1/2 c. honey
2 tsp. sesame oil
3 Tbsp. soy sauce
1 tsp. white vinegar
4 Tbsp. onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 tsp. ginger, minced
lots of black pepper
1 1/2 Tbsp. cornstarch
1 1/2 Tbsp. cold water

Sauce after cooking

2 eggs
1 c. cornstarch
1 tsp. baking powder
1 lb. chicken, cut into large cubes
oil, for frying
sesame seeds
hot cooked rice

In a small saucepan, combine all of the sauce ingredients except the cornstarch and water. Bring to a boil. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, mix together the cornstarch and water until blended.

Chicken with sauce

Once the honey mixture has come to a boil, whisk in the cornstarch and water mix. Reduce heat to medium low, cook, stirring constantly for 3 minutes. Sauce will thicken. Remove from heat and cover with a lid to keep warm.

Beat the eggs together in a shallow bowl.


Mix the 1 c. cornstarch and baking powder together in a separate shallow bowl.

Pour the oil into a deep skillet or large saucepan. Bring to about 350 F.

Dinner is ready!

Working in batches, dip the chicken pieces first in the eggs, then the cornstarch mixture. Place into the hot oil, and cook about 5-7 minutes, cooking on all sides. Remove to a paper towel lined plate. Repeat until all the chicken is cooked.

Put all the cooked chicken in a bowl, and pour the honey sauce over. Coat the chicken completely. Sprinkle with sesame seeds.

Serve over hot cooked rice.

Here is a link to the original recipe: http://www.cookingclassy.com/2013/03/honey-sesame-chicken/?fb_source=pubv1

Chinese Stuffed Jalapenos

10 jalapeno peppers, halved the long way, de-seeded and de-ribbed
Sesame seeds 

Filling:
1/3 lb. raw ground pork
1 egg
1 tsp. fresh ginger, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 1/2 Tbsp. soy sauce
1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
2 Tbsp. bread crumbs

Sauce:
1 Tbsp. corn starch
3/4 c. cold water
1/3 c. soy sauce
2 tsp. oyster sauce
1 tsp. sesame oil
1/8 tsp. garlic powder 


Preheat oven to 350 F.

Dust insides of jalapenos with corn starch.

Mix all the ingredients for the filling together in a bowl. Fill jalapenos with a heaping amount of the filling mixture.

Place on cookie sheet, bake for 20 minutes or until meat is browned on top and cooked through.

To make the sauce: Simmer all ingredients over med-low heat until sauce thickens. Spread sauce over cooked jalapenos. Sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds. Enjoy!

Kung Pao Chicken

4 chicken breasts, diced
4 Tbsp. peanut oil, divided
4 cloves garlic, minced
ground black pepper, lots and lots
2-4 whole red chilies (I used dried)

chilies in the sauce

1/4 c. rice wine
2 Tbsp. Hoisin sauce
2 Tbsp black bean sauce
3 Tbsp. sugar
1 Tbsp. ginger root, grated
multiple dashes of coriander, allspice, and dry mustard
dash of cumin
1 tsp. sesame oil
3 Tbsp. soy sauce
1 Tbsp. cilantro, chopped
1 red or green pepper, diced
1 oz. water
1 tsp. cornstarch
hot cooked rice
cashews (optional)

In a hot wok, heat 2 Tbsp. of the peanut oil, saute the chicken and garlic. Season with pepper while it's cooking. Remove chicken from wok when it is almost completely cooked. Set aside.

Kung pao chicken!

Add the rest of the peanut oil to the wok. Add the chilies and toss for a minute before adding quickly the rice wine, hoisin, black bean sauce, sugar, ginger, spices, sesame oil, soy sauce, cilantro, and pepper. Reduce heat to medium, and bring the sauce to a simmer. Then add the chicken and bell pepper to the cooking sauce. Cook for another minute or two.

Combine the water and cornstarch in a small bowl. Add to thicken the sauce. Cook for another minute or two.

Serve over the hot rice, and add cashews if desired.

Here's a link to the original recipe I adapted; it's one of my favorite food sites: http://rockrecipes.blogspot.com/2009/10/kung-pao-chicken.html

Egg Drop Soup

1 Tbsp. canola oil
2 Tbsp. garlic clove, minced
2 tsp. fresh ginger, minced
1/2 can water chestnuts, finely chopped

16 c. chicken broth
2 Tbsp. soy sauce
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
Lots of black pepper
3/4 tsp. cornstarch
1/2 c. cold water
4 green onions, chopped fine
1/4 c. cilantro, chopped fine
6 large eggs, whisked

Add oil to large stock pot over medium high heat. Stir in garlic, ginger, and chestnuts until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the chicken stock, soy sauce, salt, and pepper. Simmer for 10 minutes. I added the cilantro at this step because I prefer to give it time to cook in. The original recipe adds it at the end.

Mix together the cornstarch and cold water. Whisk thoroughly. Pour a teaspoon or so of the cornstarch mix into the whisked eggs. Add half of the remaining mix to the soup and stir in. Cook for 2 minutes. Add more of the cornstarch mix if desired. Cook additional 5 minutes until thickened completely.

Turn the heat off and gently pour the eggs in a thin stream around the pot. Do not stir. Allow to cook undisturbed for 3-4 minutes and then gently stir in the cilantro (if you haven't already added it) and green onions. Serve. Makes 16 servings

Adapted from Doriola's Soups and More Cookbook

Orange Chicken

Sauce:
1 1/2 c. water
1/4 c. orange juice
1/4 c. lemon juice
1/3 c. rice vinegar
2 1/2 Tbsp. soy sauce
1 Tbsp. orange zest
1 c. packed brown sugar
1/2 tsp. fresh ginger root, minced
1/2 tsp. garlic, minced
2 Tbsp. green onion, green
1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes  
3 Tbsp. cornstarch
2 Tbsp. water

2 chicken breasts, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 c. all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
2 Tbsp. olive oil

Pour 1 1/2 cups water, orange juice, lemon juice, rice vinegar, and soy sauce into a saucepan and set over medium-high heat. Stir in the orange zest, brown sugar, ginger, garlic, chopped onion, and red pepper flakes. Bring to a boil. Remove from heat, and cool 10 to 15 minutes.

Place the chicken pieces into a resealable plastic bag (or deep bowl). When contents of saucepan have cooled, pour 1 cup of sauce into bag. Reserve the remaining sauce. Seal the bag, and refrigerate at least 20 minutes - 2 hours. In another resealable plastic bag, mix the flour, salt, and pepper. Add the marinated chicken pieces, seal the bag, and shake to coat.

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Place chicken into the skillet, and brown on both sides. Drain on a plate lined with paper towels.

In a second skillet add the sauce. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Mix together the cornstarch and 2 tablespoons water; stir into the sauce. Reduce heat to medium low, add the chicken pieces, and simmer, about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Serve over hot white rice.

Lemon Chicken

Sauce:
1 c. lemon curd
3/4 c. warm water
1/2 Tbsp. cornstarch + 1/2 c. cold water
Yellow food coloring (optional)

Chicken:
2.5 - 3 lbs. thawed raw chicken, cut into 1" cubes
2 Tbsp. soy sauce
4 eggs
1/2 c. cornstarch
1 Tbsp. baking powder
Dash white pepper
Half dash salt
Deep fryer with oil, or large skillet with enough oil for pan frying

To make the sauce:
Bring lemon curd and warm water to a boil over medium heat (in teflon-coated saucepan - no exposed metal!), stirring constantly. When lemon curd is completely dissolved into water, add cold water and cornstarch, stirring quickly until mixture reaches a rolling boil. Reduce heat and simmer until sauce reaches desired thickness. You may choose to add a few drops of yellow food coloring if you want more color to the sauce.

To make the chicken:
In a large bowl, toss together chicken and soy sauce. Let marinate ~ 10 minutes, then pat chicken dry with paper towels.
Whisk together eggs, cornstarch, powder, pepper, and salt. Combine chicken and batter in large bowl, and either deep fry or pan fry battered pieces (5-7 minutes per batch). Place cooked chicken on paper towels to absorb excess oil.
When all chicken has been battered and fried, pour lemon sauce over chicken (after removing paper towels) and serve.

Chow Mein

I used this recipe, but left out the chicken and dry won ton noodles. I did put dry chow mein noodles on the top, though. You can either have a meat dish or just a vegetable dish. The sauce was great! I also added minced garlic and ginger when I was cooking the onion. Next time I may also add cilantro.


http://www.cdkitchen.com/recipes/recs/1162/Chicken-Chow-Mein140488.shtml

Chow mein cooking

Ready to eat!

Sesame Pork

2 Tbsp. sesame seeds
3 Tbsp. peanut oil
1 1/4 lbs. pork fillets, thinly sliced
2 Tbsp. hoisin sauce
2 Tbsp. oyster sauce
2 tsp. cornflour
1 Tbsp. water
2 tsp. sesame oil
8 spring onions, sliced
4 garlic cloves, crushed
2 tsp. fresh ginger, finely grated
2 carrots, julienned
6 oz. snake beans, cut into short lengths

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Place the sesame seeds on an oven tray and bake for 5 minutes, or until browned. Heat a wok until very hot, add 1 Tbsp. oil and swirl to coat. Add half the pork and stir-fry for 3 minutes, or until browned. Remove. Repeat with the remaining pork. Remove.

Combine the hoisin and oyster sauces, cornflour and water, and mix until smooth.

Reheat the wok until very hot, add remaining peanut oil and the sesame oil, and swirl to coat. Add the spring onion, garlic, and ginger, and stir-fry for 1 minute, or until fragrant. Add the carrots and beans, and stir-fry for 3 minutes, or until almost cooked but still crunchy.

Return the pork to the wok, add the cornflour mixture and stir until the sauce boils and thickens. Simmer until the meat is tender and the vegetables are just cooked. Toss through the sesame seeds and serve immediately. We served it over hot cooked rice.

Adapted from The 1000 Best Recipes

Beef and Broccoli with Oyster Sauce

Beef marinating

6 oz. round steak, sliced thick
1 Tbsp. vegetable oil
2-3 bunches of broccoli, cut into florets
1 onion, chopped

Marinade:
1 Tbsp. soy sauce
2 tsp. cornstarch
1/3 c. oyster sauce (more if you want)
fresh ginger, minced
5 cloves garlic, minced
ground black pepper (lots and lots!)

Beef and broccoli cooking

Combine all the marinade ingredients in a bowl. Add beef to the marinade and let sit about 10 minutes. Heat oil in wok or frying pan on high heat. Add meat, cook until mostly done. Remove from pan and set aside. Add more oil to the pan, stir-fry broccoli and onion until cooked but still crisp. Add beef and perhaps a bit more oyster sauce. Stir to coat. Add more black pepper to taste. Serve over hot rice.

Ready to serve

When I make this, I will marinate the beef, but then put the marinade in the frying pan with the beef when I'm cooking it, which means it may have to cook a bit longer to cook the juices off. I think it's worth it.

Broccoli Beef

*Very quick and easy recipe!

1 bunch fresh broccoli, washed, trimmed, and cut into bite size
1 lb top round steak, thinly sliced

1/4 c. oil
5 cloves garlic, minced
6-8 green onion, sliced
3 Tbsp. soy sauce
1/2 c. water
1/4 c. sherry (or wine)
2 tsp. cornstarch
1 Tbsp. sugar
1/4 tsp. powdered ginger (or fresh!)
hot cooked rice

Heat 2 Tbsp. of the oil in a wok or skillet. Add beef and saute; remove beef and set aside. Add remaining 2 Tbsp. of oil to the skillet. Saute the garlic for about 2 minutes, then add the broccoli and onion. Saute for 5 minutes. In a small bowl or measuring cup, stir together the water, soy sauce, sherry (I use a cream sherry), and cornstarch; add sugar and ginger (if you use fresh ginger, saute it with the garlic). Pour mixture over vegetables; add meat and  bring to a boil for 2 minutes. Cover the pan. Reduce heat to a simmer; cook until the broccoli is tender, about 5 to 10 minutes. Serve over hot cooked rice.

Honey Chicken

oil, for cooking
1 lb. chicken, cubed
1 egg white, lightly beaten
1/3 c. cornflour
1 onion, thinly sliced
1 green pepper, cubed
2 carrots, julienned
3 1/2 oz. snow peas, sliced
1/4 c. honey
2 Tbsp. almonds, toasted

Heat wok until very hot, add 1 1/2 Tbsp. of oil, and swirl it around to coat the side. Dip half of the chicken into egg white, then lightly dust with cornflour. Stir-fry over high heat for 4-5 minutes, or until the chicken is golden brown and just cooked. Remove from the wok and drain on paper towels. Repeat with the remaining chicken, then remove all the chicken from the wok.

Reheat the wok, add 1 Tbsp. of oil, and stir-fry the sliced onion over high heat for 3-4 minutes, or until slightly softened. Add the green pepper and carrot, and cook, tossing, for 3-4 minutes, or until tender. Stir in the snow peas and cook for 2 minutes.

Increase the heat, add the honey and toss the vegetables until well coated. Return the chicken to the wok and toss until it is heated through and is well coated in the honey. Remove from the heat and season well with salt and pepper. Serve immediately, sprinkle with almonds.

You can serve it over rice or just on its own.

If you don't have a wok, use a frying pan, just reduce the heat and cook longer.

From The 1000 Best Recipes

Chinese Fried Noodles

Just made this, and it turned out well!

16oz. package of Chinese noodles
1 lb. beef, cut into thin strips
4 Tbsp. sesame oil, divided
1-2 tsp. ginger, minced
2 carrots, julienned
4 green onions, chopped
1 can water chestnuts, drained
1 Tbsp. cilantro, chopped
2 c. broccoli, cut into florets
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbsp. oyster sauce (keep it handy in case you need more!)
1 Tbsp. soy sauce
1 Tbsp. Hoisin sauce
1/2 tsp. sugar
black pepper, to taste (aka: a lot)

Marinade:
2 Tbsp. soy sauce
2 Tbsp. rice wine 
1/2 tsp. sugar
1 Tbsp. cornstarch
1/4 tsp. white pepper 

Bring a pot of water to boil. Boil the noodles. Stop cooking the noodles when there is still a good chew. Drain. Rinse with cold water. Drain again. Set aside.

Noodles with sauce

While the noodles are cooking, combine all ingredients for the marinade in a bowl. Add the sliced beef to the bowl. Stir to coat. Set aside for 10-15 minutes.

When the meat is ready, heat a Tbsp of sesame oil in a skillet over high heat. Add the ginger, cook for a minute or two. Add the meat and stir fry until it's almost cooked through. Remove to a bowl and set aside.

In the same skillet, heat another Tbsp of sesame oil over high heat and add all the veggies and garlic. Season with black pepper. Stir fry until the vegetables are cooked, but not mushy. They should still be a bit crunchy. At this point, add the meat and finish cooking with the vegetables. Set aside in a bowl.

Delicious!

Heat 2 Tbsp oil in the cleared skillet over medium high heat. Add the noodles. Toss them around in the oil until well coated, breaking up any clumps. If it's too clumpy, add more oil. Pan fry the noodles, stirring and flipping them frequently until some noodles get a golden exterior. Season the noodles with the oyster sauce, soy sauce, Hoisin sauce, and sugar. Toss the noodles and make sure everything is coated with the sauce. Add some pepper. Feel free to add more oyster or Hoisin sauce. Add the vegetables and meat to the noodles. Toss until everything is evenly distributed. Serve hot.

Here's a link to the recipe I adapted: http://nookandpantry.blogspot.com/2008/02/chinese-fried-noodles.html

Won Ton Soup

Pork mixture

Won Tons:
1/2 lb. ground pork
2 Tbsp. green onions, chopped
1 Tbsp. hoisin sauce
2 tsp. soy sauce
3 garlic cloves (or more)
20-30 won ton wrappers

Soup:
2 tsp. sesame oil
1/4 c. green onions, chopped

Pork mixture on the wrapper

2 Tbsp. fresh ginger, minced
3 c. water
salt and pepper to taste
2-3 c. chicken broth (or bouillon)





To Prepare Won Tons:

Soup without the won ton

Place first 5 ingredients in a food processor. Process until well-combined, scraping sides of bowl once. Working with 1 won ton wrapper at a time, spoon about 1 Tbsp pork mixture into center of each wrapper. Moisten edges of dough with water. Bring 2 opposite corners to center, pinching points to seal. Bring the remaining 2 corners to center, pinch 4 edges together to seal. Place the dumplings on a plate. Set aside. You may choose to cover them with a towel to keep them from drying out if you want.

Won tons

To Prepare Soup:
Heat oil over med-high heat until hot. Add green onions and ginger.  Saute for 3 minutes. Add the rest of the ingredients, and bring to a boil. Add won tons. Reduce heat, and simmer for 6-10 minutes. Serve.

Cauliflower Manchurian

Purple cauliflower

One of my favorite recipes!

1 head of cauliflower, broken into florets

pinch of msg

oil for deep frying

Batter:

1 c. refined flour

1/2 c. cornflour

1/2 tsp. chili powder

salt to taste

water as needed

(May need to double this depending on how much cauliflower you have)

Sauce makings

Sauce:

2 Tbsp. oil

2 Tbsp. chopped garlic (sometimes I use more)

1 Tbsp. chopped fresh ginger

1/4 tsp. white pepper

black pepper (a lot!)

2 Tbsp. soy sauce

1/4 tsp. sugar

2 Tbsp. cornflour mixed with 1/2 c. water

1 c. vegetable stock or water

salt to taste

Wash the cauliflower florets, sprinkle with a little salt and msg, and set aside for 5 minutes. Combine all the ingredients mentioned under batter. Beat well and prepare a thick coating batter.

Heat the oil in a deep pot or deep fryer. Dip the florets one by one in the batter and deep fry. Drain when golden brown. Set aside. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a pan. Add the ginger and garlic. Fry for 1/2 minute. Add the stock, pepper, soy sauce, sugar, and salt.

Simmer uncovered for 1 minute. Add the cornflour mixed with water and stir continuously, so that the sauce becomes thick. 

Sauce, ready for drizzling

Ready to eat!

You can either drizzle the sauce over the fried florets or use it as a dipping sauce. You can either just have the fried florets or you can serve them over cooked white rice. Either way it is delicious!

Steamed Pork Bao

Filling:
2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
2 tsp. grated, fresh ginger root (or powder)
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 Tbsp. soy sauce
1/2 tsp. sesame oil
1 1/2 Tbsp.oyster sauce
1 Tbsp. cornstarch
1/2 c. cold water
2 Tbsp. hoisin sauce
1 tsp. sugar
1/2 c. cooked, diced pork (barbecued pork is ideal, and we just made breakfast ones, so we used pork sausage and scrambled eggs)

Dough:
3 c. all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 c. vegetable shortening
1 tsp. white vinegar
3/4 c. cold water

To prepare filling:
Heat oil in wok or frying pan over high heat. Stir-fry ginger and garlic in oil 30 seconds. Add in salt, soy sauce, sesame oil, oyster sauce, and cornstarch mixed with 1/2 c. cold water to wok. Cook and stir until thick and clear. Remove from heat and stir in hoisin sauce, sugar, and pork (or whatever). Cool completely.
 
To prepare dough:
Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in bowl. Cut in shortening until mixture resembles bread crumbs. Combine 3/4 cup of cold water and the vinegar and mix into the flour until dough sticks together. Add small amount of water if necessary. Shape dough into ball. Knead on lightly floured surface approximately 8 or 10 times. Cover with plastic wrap or towel and let stand 20 minutes. Uncover and knead approximately 10 or 12 times.

To prepare bao:   

Filling on rolled out dough.

Divide dough into 12 equal portions. Shape each portion into a ball, then roll out 5 to 6 inches in diameter. Brush around edges lightly with water. Spoon a heaping tablespoon of pork and egg mixture onto center of each circle. Bring up edges to enclose filling, making folds at top pinching to seal and twisting. Cut parchment paper or waxed paper into 12 small squares (big enough for the bao to fit on). Place a bao, seamside down on each square. Fill wok with about 1" of water. Heat to boiling. Place bao with paper in Bamboo Steamer. Don't crowd them; they'll expand. In an average size steamer, you should be able to fit about 5 bao. Place in wok. Cover and steam 20 to 30 minutes, or until dough has cooked. Serve warm. Makes 12 bao.

Wok with 1" water

Uncooked bao in steamer with wax paper.

Steamers

Steamer with lid sitting in the wok, cooking the bao