This is probably the easiest Chinese stir-fry dish to make and it might be my favorite, if I had to pick a favorite. There’s something about the simple marriage of tender sliced beef and green onions that excites me. Soy sauce, brown sugar, ginger, and garlic is the only extra flavor you need to make this a spectacular dish.
I like to top the dish with chili garlic paste (Sambal Oelek) and cilantro. Just a little dab of chili garlic paste brightens the flavor and, if you are anything like me, you might even add a big dollop of Sambal Oelek.
This is the sort of dish that I can taste, just by imagining it. Rich, beefy lusciousness that is so satisfying!
Ingredients:
3 Tbs cooking oil
1 1/2 Tbs ginger, minced
4 or 5 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 lb flank steak, or any other lean cut of beef
1/3 cup cornstarch
2 green onions , sliced
Chili garlic paste, as much as you like 🙂
¼ cup cilantro
Directions:
Slice the beef into thin pieces, no more than a quarter inch thick, and toss with cornstarch. Set aside.
I’ve made hundreds of stir-fry beef dishes and I’ve made them many different ways. If I just tossed the beef strips in the wok without powdering them in starch first, the beef juices would cook out and sit at the bottom of the wok. The meat would steam in the juices, instead of frying, which would cause the beef to become tough and I would eventually have to add cornstarch or flour to the meat juices to thicken the sauce. Dusting the beef prior to stir-frying helps tenderize the beef as it cooks and the juice that runs out is absorbed by the cornstarch, which means that the meat, itself acts as a thickener for the sauce that is added later. Trust me on this.
Slice and chop the ginger and chop the garlic. Set aside.
Cut the roots off of the green onions and cut the onions into 2” pieces. Separate the white parts from the green stems. The white pieces will be used at the beginning of the stir-fry and the green parts will be added near the end of the stir-fry.
Heat oil in a wok at low-medium heat. Add the chopped ginger and garlic and stir for 30 seconds. Add the white parts of the green onion and stir for two minutes.
Remove the onion, ginger and garlic and reserve.
One at a time, add soy sauce, water and brown sugar to the wok and boil for about 5 minutes or until the sauce thickens. Remove the sauce to a bowl and set aside.
Place a tablespoon of oil in the wok and heat over medium-high heat. Add the beef and stir-fry for about 2 minutes. Cook to medium rare. Over-cooking the beef will make the meat tough and dry.
Return the sauce to the wok and turn the heat to high. Stir-fry for about 30 seconds, just to coat the meat. Add both parts of the green onions, ginger and garlic and stir-fry for another minute.
Add some steamed jasmine rice to individual serving bowls.
You know this is going to be good…there’s so many adjectives in the name!
Some recipes produce shy and gentle things and others, like this one, are boisterous and bold. I wanted something that was full of citrus flavors and exotic spices and this definitely fit the bill. This chicken dish is nothing short of a runaway flavor train! I intended on marinating the chicken for a few hours but plans changed and it marinated for about 30 hours. The result was bright, very tangy, lemony chicken. The thick orange glaze had a distinctly Asian taste which complemented the citrus flavor in the chicken. The only thing shy and gentle about this dish was the white rice!
For the marinade:
1 ½ lbs chicken breast, cut into 1” pieces
2 lemons (quartered)
1 orange (quartered)
2 Tbs sliced ginger
½ onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, chopped
¼ cup olive oil
For the Glaze:
1 cup orange juice (or juice of 3-4 oranges)
1/4 cup hoisin sauce
¼ cup soy sauce
1 Tbs Sriracha sauce
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 Tbs fresh ginger, grated
4 cloves garlic, smashed
Orange zest, about ¼ cup
1 tsp black peppercorns
3 star anise
1 cinnamon stick, split and broken
2 Tbs cornstarch
For the stir-fry:
1 cup cooking oil
1 ½ lbs marinated chicken, cut into 1” pieces
¼ cup cornstarch
1 Tbs cooking oil
½ yellow bell pepper, chopped
½ orange bell pepper, chopped
3 Tbs toasted sesame seeds
1 green onion, chopped
¼ cup cilantro
Toast sesame seeds in a hot, dry skillet.
Toss sesame seeds until browned.
Directions:
Prepare the marinade by cutting the lemons, orange and onion. Slice the ginger. Peeling the ginger is optional, since the ginger will only be used in the marinade.
In a large plastic storage bag, add all of the marinade ingredients, including the chicken. Squeeze the juice from the lemons and orange pieces as you toss them into the bag. Refrigerate for at least two hours.
To prepare the glaze, add all of the ingredients for the glaze, except the cornstarch to a sauce pan. Turn heat to low/medium stir to combine. Simmer and stir occasionally for 20 minutes.
Strain the solids from the sauce and return the sauce to the wok.
Remove a few tablespoons of the sauce and add to a small bowl. Add the cornstarch to the bowl and mix thoroughly. Add the cornstarch mixture back to the sauce and whisk to incorporate. Simmer for another 10 minutes or until the sauce thickens to a sticky glaze. Remove the glaze to a bowl and keep warm.
Remove the chicken from the marinade and discard the marinade. Add the chicken to a mixing bowl. Cover with 1/4 cup cornstarch. Mix thoroughly, to coat the chicken. Let the chicken rest for a few minutes before frying in a wok.
Add a cup of cooking oil to a wok and set the heat to high. Once the oil is hot, add the chicken and fry the chicken, stirring only occasionally, until the chicken is cooked and golden brown. Remove the chicken to a warm place.
Remove all but about 1 tablespoon of oil from the wok. Add the chopped bell pepper and stir for a few minutes.
Return the chicken to the wok and stir again.
Add the prepared glaze and stir. Finally, add the green onion and stir briefly.
Turn out to a serving bowl and sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds and cilantro.
I have to admit, I sometimes feel like Marco Polo when I visit an international food market. I imagine that I am a gallant adventurer, in search of spices and treasures from distant lands. There are so many strange and wonderful things to see, most of which I know little or nothing about. Fortunately, I almost always find a friendly proprietor that is happy to answer my questions and will guide me through the store, politely pointing out interesting things.
“Tell me about ghee,” I might ask. “Is it like clarified butter?” And then I might ask about the several different varieties of rice on a shelf and ask what properties they have that make them appropriate for some dishes but not suitable for others. Invariably, during my visit, I will reach a point where I run out of intelligent questions or the proprietor will begin to fidget and will look for a way to carry on with whatever they were doing before I captivated so much of their time.
It’s usually around that moment that I feel a sudden desire to return to my homeland, to share my stories and show my new treasures. I gather a few exotic wonders and pack them away in my sack, bid a fond farewell to my congenial friend, clasp my cloak about my neck and prepare for the arduous journey back home.
Ok, it’s really just a fifteen minute drive through a light drizzle that dampens the city streets but I like to believe that I am hoisting the sails of my sea bound schooner and that I am preparing to batten down the hatches, at a moment’s notice, in case the stormy seas start to surge.
I know the trade routes like the back of my hand and, in due time, I return to the happy harbor of my home. And that’s when the fun really begins…
Coconut Chicken Curry with Pesto Sauce
Ingredients:
1 ½ tsp salt
1 Japanese eggplant
1 Tbs olive oil
5 garlic cloves
1 lb chicken tenders (tendons removed)
¼ cup basil pesto sauce
juice of 3 limes
juice of 1 lemon
1 ½ Tbs fresh ginger, sliced
1 Thai chili, sliced lengthwise
1 ½ Tbs chili powder
1 carrot
1 Roma tomato, chopped
2 cups chicken broth
2 tsp Garam Masala
13.5 oz Thai coconut milk
3 green onions
Directions:
Using a sharp kitchen knife, remove the white tendon that runs down the length of the chicken tender.
Cut the chicken into 1” pieces and place them in a bowl.
Add the pesto sauce, lime and lemon juice, sliced ginger, Thai chili and chili powder to the bowl and mix by hand. Marinate in the refrigerator for at least one hour.
Cut the eggplant into 1” pieces and add them to a mixing bowl. Mince one clove of garlic and add it to the bowl, along with a tablespoon of olive oil.
Spread the eggplant out on a parchment lined baking tray and roast in the oven at 400° for 20 minutes, or until the eggplant has browned a little. Remove and set aside in a bowl.
In a large skillet, sauté the onion and the remaining garlic for one minute, over low heat.
Add the marinated chicken and turn the heat up to medium. Stir the chicken while it cooks.
Once the chicken has firmed and turned white, add the sliced jalapeños and carrots. Stir frequently.
When the carrots begin to soften, add the chicken broth and deglaze the pan.
Add the Garam Masala, ginger, lime and lemon zest, lime and lemon juice. Simmer for about 5 minutes.
Add the tomato and eggplant and stir.
Cover the skillet and simmer at low heat for 15 minutes.
At this point, I tasted the broth and determined that the jalapeños were spicier than I had expected. I removed them and used them as a side dish, for anyone that wanted a little extra heat.
Add the coconut milk and mix with a spatula. Simmer uncovered for another 5 minutes.
Remove to a serving bowl and keep warm until serving time. Serve in bowls, over basmati rice.
Spicy Shrimp Noodles
Ingredients:
1 lb shrimp (I used frozen shrimp, in the shell, de-veined)
2 Tbs basil pesto sauce
1 Tbs chili powder
2 Tbs fresh ginger, minced
1 lime
1 Tbs cooking oil
12 Thai chiles
5 cloves of garlic, chopped
¼ cup Asian stir fry sauce (I used General Tso sauce, but any kind will do)
1 Tbs Hoisin sauce
1 ½ Tbs oyster sauce
1 Tbs soy sauce
1 Tbs Vietnamese fish sauce
1 tsp Sriracha (or more, if you want it to be spicier!)
½ lb Vietnamese rice sticks
Directions:
Put the shrimp in a large bowl. Add just enough water to cover the shrimp. Add the pesto sauce, chili powder and minced ginger. Quarter the lime and squeeze the juice over the bowl. Add the rest of the lime to the bowl. Marinate for at least 30 minutes. Since I started with frozen shrimp, I marinated for one hour.
The rice sticks will need to soak in warm water for about 30 minutes, to soften. Vietnamese rice sticks tend to be very long so I broke them in half before soaking.
Heat a wok at high heat. Add the cooking oil and the chilies. Sear the chilies for about one minute, or until the outer skins begin to blister. Remove the chiles and set aside. I put them in a small dish to serve at the table.
Add the whole, unpeeled shrimp to the wok and stir-fry for one to two minutes. Remove the shrimp and allow them to cool before removing the shells and tails.
Set the shrimp aside and return the shells and tails to the wok. Stir the shells over high heat for about one minute, to extract their juices. Remove the shells and tails and discard.
Add the garlic to the wok and stir for about 30 seconds.
Add the Asian sauce, Hoisin sauce, oyster sauce, soy sauce, fish sauce and Sriracha. Turn the heat to low and stir to mix.
Drain the rice sticks in a colander and add the rice sticks to the wok. Stir to coat the rice sticks. Return the shrimp and mix briefly. Turn out to a serving bowl.
Every now and then the planets align (or maybe they un-align, I don’t know,) and we declare that it’s “make your own dinner” night. Everyone in my family is capable of fending for themselves so nobody goes hungry.
I stopped off at the grocery store this evening, after work, and was amazed to see that they had practically sold out of lettuce. I saw Rosemarie’s Butter Lettuce Chicken Wraps recipe earlier today and planned on making that tonight but, the last few heads of lettuce in the produce area were so pathetic and wilted that I was forced to change plans.
I was a little heart-broken but I recovered quickly. I brought out the wok and got busy. The whole thing took about one hour. If I was on my A-game, it might have only taken 45 minutes. This recipe could serve up to four but I ate two portions! The rest is sitting in the fridge, ready for me to take to work tomorrow, for lunch.
Sorry, no pictures this time. I was hungry and I didn’t think that this was going to be worthy of posting. I was so wrong. This dish exemplifies everything I love about southeastern Asian cuisine. It’s a conglomeration of several cuisines…Thai, Vietnamese, Chinese…
Ingredients:
4 chicken thighs
1/3 cup peanut butter
2 Tbs soy sauce
1 ½ Tbs Hoisin sauce
1 tsp Sriracha sauce
3 Tbs sambal garlic chili sauce
3 Tbs cornstarch
½ tsp sesame oil
1 ½ Tbs vegetable oil
2 Tbs fresh ginger, thinly sliced and rough chopped
½ onion, julienne sliced
½ bell pepper, sliced in ¼” strips
1 jalapeño, sliced in rings
½ cup peanuts
1 cup Vietnamese glass noodles (very thin rice noodles)
Directions:
Remove the skin from the chicken thighs and debone. Cut the chicken into tiny pieces.
Add the chicken to a large bowl.
Add the peanut butter, soy sauce, Sriracha sauce, Hoisin sauce, sambal chili garlic sauce and cornstarch to the bowl. Mix well and set aside to marinate for 15 minutes.
Boil 4 cups of water in a pot. Add the glass noodles and stir. Turn the heat off and wait for the noodles to become soft. Strain the noodles and shock with cold water. Set the noodles aside.
Heat a wok at medium/high heat. Add the sesame oil and vegetable oil. Add the ginger, onion, bell pepper and jalapeño. Stir fry a few minutes until the onions and peppers soften. Remove everything to a bowl.
Add the marinated chicken to the wok. Stir-fry at high heat for 3 to 4 minutes. Add a splash of soy sauce to deglaze and stir for another minute.
Add the peanuts and glass noodles. Turn the heat off and stir to coat everything with the sauce.
Turn out to a serving bowl.
Top with a little more sambal garlic sauce, (optional). Serve warm and enjoy the peace and quiet!
Tuna is best served rare or medium rare because overcooked tuna become flaky and dry. If you want canned tuna, buy a can of tuna. If you want tasty tuna, sear it.
Ingredients:
For the sauce:
2 Tbs soy sauce
1 tsp rice wine vinegar
¼ tsp Maggi Sesoning
Juice of ½ lemon
3 frozen tuna steaks (1” thick, 5 ounces each)
1 Tbs olive oil
1 green onion
2 tsp wasabi paste
5 small oranges (mini Mandarin)
Directions:
Thaw the tuna in the refrigerator overnight.
Mix the ingredients for the sauce in a small bowl. Set aside.
Slice the oranges and cut the the slices in half. Arrange the oranges on a serving platter place some small dollops of wasabi paste in the corners of the platter. Set the platter aside.
Chop the green onions and set aside.
Heat a large stainless steel skillet on the stove at very high heat
Brush the tuna with olive oil.
Gently lay the tuna onto the very hot skillet. Brush the other side of the tuna steaks with olive oil.
Turn the tuna over after 60 seconds. Sear for another 45 seconds.
The internal temperature of the tuna should reach about 120° after searing. The tuna should be white on the outside after searing and bright red in the center.
Top with green onions and serve with stir-fried rice and steamed vegetables.
Sometimes I conceive a meal by following my instincts,
rather than following a recipe. It makes
me feel like I am creating something brand new.
On this particular weeknight, I allowed my taste buds to tell
me what I wanted to make and my mind followed.
I knew I wanted to include shrimp, because I’ve been craving shrimp. I knew I wanted to use Cambodian rice
noodles, because I have had some in my pantry for a few months. From that launching point, my mind quickly assembled
the rest of the items that would bring the dish together. Pork, vegetables, sesame oil, peanuts, fish
sauce, garlic, green onions and so on.
I resisted the urge to look up recipes on the internet. I’m not saying that looking up recipes on the
internet is cheating but I sometimes find that internet searches just affirm
what I already know. Once a person has
made several stir-fry dishes, the process becomes instinctive and
intuitive. Deciding what to include in a
stir-fry is only limited by the imagination of the cook. My imagination and creativity runs deep and I
have learned not to think about “success” or “failure”, when cooking. Maybe that’s because I have become more comfortable
in the kitchen over the years, or maybe it’s because I pretend to be fearless when
I am creating something. It could be a little of both.
I approach stir-frying like I approach painting, in an
abstract style.
When I paint an abstract painting I usually follow this thought
process:
What is my state of
mind? How do I want to convey my
thoughts and emotions?
That leads to, what
colors would be best to get my point across?
What sort of shapes do I see?
What will be the focus of the painting, or will there be a main focus? Etcetera.
The thinking process goes on as long as I need it to and then my hands
start working quickly.
Mix the paint on the pallet.
Lay out my brushes. Act
quickly. Act without thinking. Let the creative part of my mind dictate my
actions but allow the reasonable part of my mind to make critical
decisions.
Is the finished work a masterpiece? That’s not for me to decide. The real question I ask is, “does this satisfy me?”
The same goes with cooking, especially stir-fry
cooking.
How am I feeling
today? What kind of meal would complete
this day in a meaningful way?
I decide what flavors I want to use. I decide what meats, vegetables and starches
will achieve what I want to convey my thoughts.
I decide how I want the finished dish to look, when it is presented.
Is the finished work a masterpiece? That’s not for me to decide. The real question I ask is, “does this satisfy me?”
Anyone who eats a meal or sees a painting leaves with their
own memories, thoughts and feelings. The
intention of the cook or the painter is irrelevant. I don’t know why that makes me so happy, but
it does!
Ingredients:
1 garlic clove, smashed
7 roots of green onion
1 Tbs sesame oil
1 lb lean pork, shaved thin
12 medium sized shrimp, peeled and de-veined
1 tsp sesame oil
5 oz thin Cambodian rice noodles
For the marinade:
¼ cup dark soy sauce
¼ soy sauce
¼ cup Vietnamese chili garlic paste (Sambal Olek works
nicely, too)
¼ cup Vietnamese fish sauce (smells funky, tastes great)
For the stir-fry:
2 carrots
7 green onions (just the greens)
¼ head of cabbage, sliced thin
2 Tbs ginger, sliced very thin
2 jalapeños, sliced
1 lime, quartered
For the peanut sauce:
¼ cup soy sauce
1 ½ Tbs Hoisin sauce
1 Tbs peanut butter
1 Tbs brown sugar
½ cup roasted peanuts, crushed
Directions:
Prepare the
vegetables:
Slice the garlic, ginger, cabbage, carrots, and jalapeños
and green onions. Arrange separately on
a large plate until needed.
Add 1 tablespoon oil to the wok and add the roots of the
green onion roots and garlic. Simmer at
low heat. Turn off heat after 1
minute. Continue to allow the onion and
garlic to flavor the oil.
Prepare the marinade:
Combine dark soy sauce, soy sauce, chili garlic paste and
fish sauce in a bowl.
Prepare the pork and
shrimp.
Remove the fatty edges of the pork and reserve.
Use the pork fat to flavor the oil
Slice the pork thinly and store in a bowl.
Peel and de-vein the shrimp.
Store in the bowl that contains the pork.
Add the marinade to the pork and shrimp. Store in the refrigerator until needed.
Add pork fat to the wok. Turn up heat and cook while stirring. Remove the onions, garlic and pork fat after they char (just a few minutes). Discard the garlic, onions and pork. Leave the flavored oil in the wok.
Use pork fat to flavor the oil
Discard after charring
Prepare the peanut sauce:
Add one tablespoon of peanut butter…not in photo.
Crush the peanuts with the broad side of a knife.
Combine soy sauce, Hoisin sauce, peanut butter, brown sugar and crushed roasted peanuts in a bowl. Transfer to a hot skillet and stir to combine for a minute. Set aside cooked sauce.
Quarter the lime and reserve until serving time.
Prepare the noodles:
Prepare the rice noodles, according to the instructions on
the package. In this case, I soaked the
rice noodles in cold water for about 5 minutes until they became soft, but not
mushy. Strain out the water and set the
noodles aside, until needed.
Time to stir-fry!
All of the prep work is essential. Make sure to have everything prepped before you crank up the wok. Seriously…there’s nothing worse than going full force into stir frying and realizing that you have forgotten to cut some vegetable or meat or realizing that you haven’t prepared a sauce. Take a moment to review all of the items that you are going to include in the stir-fry and make sure that they are ready to go! Take the marinated meat out of refrigerator and keep it close, on hand. Keep some oil near the wok. Make sure to have your serving plate ready to receive the finished food.
Now, go!
Add 1 tablespoon of sesame oil to the wok. Cook the shrimp and pork at high heat. Stir constantly until the shrimp and pork are cooked. This should only take a minute, or so. Remove to a bowl and store in a warm place.
Add a tablespoon of oil to the hot wok and add the sliced ginger and a little bit of green onion. Stir for a moment and then add the carrots and jalapeños. Stir for a minute, to allow the carrots to soften.
Add the cabbage and stir constantly. Once the cabbage has wilted and softened a little, remove all of the vegetables to a large bowl. Don’t remove the liquid from the wok.
Add the noodles and stir constantly. Once the noodles have absorbed some of the liquid in the wok, add the peanut sauce. Stir to incorporate.
Return the vegetables and shrimp and pork to the wok. Stir with the noodles and turn out to a large serving platter. Top with green diced green onion and lime slices.
Toothpick Tales 