Macau Cafe

Macau Cafe

4406 Del Rio Road, Sacramento, CA 95822. (916) 457-8818

My dad left Tuesday morning and I'll admit I'm a bit blue about it. We had a great time during the week he was here, puttering about town. Since he loves Chinese food, we popped over to South Land Park and visited Macau Cafe on Monday for lunch. Macau Cafe offers both Chinese and Portuguese dishes so I figured it would be a good bet that he could find something he'd like there. I hadn't been there in quite awhile so I crossed my fingers and hoped that the food there was still good. I had forgotten about the Sunflower Market opening up in the same shopping plaza; but luckily, parking was still plentiful. The interior of the Macau Cafe had changed very little since my last visit- casual, clean atmosphere, walls covered in colorful photographs of their food and an entirely Asian clientele (always a good sign). My Pops and I were sat immediately at a large table to the right, next to a man happily gnawing his way through a plate of whole crab in chili sauce. The table was nice and roomy but it made it a bit difficult to chat. (At some points during our lunch I felt like we were like the two guys from the Muppets yelling at each other across the table.) We were each handed a large book-like menu. Pops was pretty impressed that such a little restaurant had such an extensive menu. There had to be over 200 dishes in the book. It took awhile for us to look over the vast array of offerings. Their menu ranges from authentic dishes to the more mainstream. Congee, Portuguese style curry, stir-fried frog with bitter melon, lobster e-fu noodles, pan fried duck bills, goose intestines in black bean sauce and Macau style crispy pig knuckles are just a few of the more exotic dishes offered at the Macau Cafe. If you tend to be a bit of a timid eater though, don't let those dishes scare you off; they do offer an array of clay pot, soup and noodle dishes as well.

The last time I was there, I decided to try the steamed flounder along with a plate of pan-fried turnip cakes in XO sauce. The flounder was perfectly cooked and took center stage- it softly flaked away from the bones as we jabbed our chopsticks into the flesh. The fish was moist and tender with a nice, robust ginger flavor. The turnip cakes on the other hand, fell flat. The cakes were soggy and luke-warm and the sauce lacked any sort of flavor. This visit though, I was craving some clams. I ordered the clams in black bean sauce and my Pops went with the shrimp in lobster sauce. Our waitress brought out my dish first and I knew immediately that she had misunderstood my order. I had wanted the clams in black bean sauce entree but she had mistakenly ordered me the clams in black bean sauce over chow fun, which was one of the day's specials. Instead of sending it back, I decided to go with it- especially since the chow fun noodles looked quite appetizing. My Pop's food hadn't come out yet but he encouraged me to start eating, so I did. Halfway through eating my lunch I stopped, as I noticed he still hadn't received his food. It took about a good, long 15 minutes after my order came out for his to arrive at the table and I think that was only because I sat there staring at the waitress until she acknowledged that the food was going to be coming out (easing my fears that she had forgotten to put in his order). I resumed eating once his dish hit the table but was a little perturbed as my food had cooled down considerably by then. Service throughout our meal was spotty but the portions and quality of the food didn't disappoint. The servings are generous (we had leftovers to bring home) and both of us enjoyed our orders. My dish had about 10-12 clams nestled on top of a hearty serving of stir-fried chow fun noodles. There was just enough black bean sauce and onion slices to add flavor but not so much so that it overwhelmed the dish.

Overall, I was glad we decided to lunch at Macau Cafe. The Pops enjoyed his meal and said it was one of the best Chinese meals he'd eaten since leaving New York (high praise indeed!). Definitely, keeping it on the "must return" list.

Mamma Mia! Ginger-Shrimp Potstickers

Mamma Mia! Ginger-Shrimp Potstickers

If you follow my blog's Facebook page, you've probably seen me post a status every so often to the effect of baking/making/cooking while singing along to Mamma Mia. It's one of my favorite musical soundtracks and is such a fun one to belt out while in the kitchen. Well, last night I got to get my ABBA on at the Community Center Theatre and see Mamma Mia live for a second time (the first time was a few years ago). This production was just as great as the first one and restored my faith in the musical (I was a bit brokenhearted after that craptastic film version with Streep came out). Anyhow, I'm looking forward to gettin' down to some more, "Dancing Queen," and "SOS" while making another batch of these ginger-shrimp potstickers. The first batch were so dang good (we paired it up with some Trader Joe's peanut satay sauce), they were scarfed up in a blink of an eye!

(This would be a good recipe to make a double or even triple batch of...you can freeze them and cook as needed.)

Ginger-Shrimp Potstickers (recipe from Cooking Light, March 2008)

Ingredients

Pot stickers:

3/4 cup shredded green cabbage

1/3 cup chopped green onions

1/4 cup matchstick-cut carrots

2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce

2 teaspoons minced peeled fresh ginger

1 teaspoon dark sesame oil

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 pound cooked peeled small shrimp

Dash of hot sauce

24 wonton wrappers (fresh or store-bought)

2 tablespoons cornstarch

1 tablespoon canola oil, divided

1 cup water, divided


Instructions

1. To prepare pot stickers, combine first 10 ingredients in a food processor; pulse 4 times or until coarsely chopped. Working with 1 wonton wrapper at a time (cover remaining wrappers with a damp towel to prevent drying), spoon about 1 1/2 teaspoons shrimp mixture into center of each wrapper. Moisten edges of dough with water; bring 2 opposite corners to center, pinching points to seal. Bring remaining 2 corners to center, pinching points to seal. Pinch 4 edges together to seal. (I used a gyoza press instead. You can buy these for under $2 at most Asian markets.) Place pot stickers on a large baking sheet sprinkled with cornstarch.

2. Heat 1 1/2 teaspoons canola oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add 12 pot stickers to pan; cook 2 minutes or until bottoms are golden brown. Slowly add 1/2 cup water to pan; cover and cook 4 minutes. Uncover and cook 3 minutes or until liquid evaporates. Repeat procedure with remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons canola oil, 12 pot stickers, and 1/2 cup water.

3. Serve hot with favorite dipping sauce.

Gai Lan and Oyster Mushroom Noodle Stir Fry

Gai Lan and Oyster Mushroom Noodle Stir Fry

So, recently I bought a pound of fresh stir fry noodles on my excursion to the Mei Mei Noodle Factory. I couldn't wait to cook them up in some sort of tasty noodle creation. After some hemming and hawing, I decided to take one of my favorite recipes from the book, "Noodles Every Day," for gai-lan (Chinese broccoli) and beef noodle stir fry and vegetarianize it a bit by subbing in some oyster mushrooms for the beef. I figured with the oyster mushrooms' firm, meaty texture I could marinate them just like I usually do with the beef. Bingo! It worked like a charm and tasted delicious.

Gai-Lan and Oyster Mushroom Noodle Stir Fry (adapted from, "Noodles Every Day," by Corinne Trang)

Ingredients

3 tablespoons soy sauce

3 tablespoons oyster sauce

3 tablespoons Shaoxing wine or sake

1 tablespoon sugar

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1 teaspoon dark sesame oil

6 oz. oyster mushrooms,stemmed

1 pound fresh noodles

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

3 large garlic cloves, crushed and finely chopped

1.25 cups vegetable stock

1 pound gai lan (Chinese broccoli), cut into bite-size pieces

Freshly ground black pepper


Instructions

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together 1 tablespoon each soy sauce, oyster sauce and sake (or Shaoxing wine). Add the sugar and continue to whisk until completely dissolved. Stir in the cornstarch and continue stirring until smooth. Add the sesame oil and oyster mushrooms, and mix well. Marinate for 20 minutes. Drain and discard the excess marinade.

2. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cook the noodles until 1 minute shy of done and drain. (We'll finish cooking the noodles at the end.)

3. Heat 1 tablespoon of the vegetable oil in a skillet or wok over high heat and stir-fry the garlic until fragrant, about 10 seconds. Add the mushrooms and stir-fry until tender, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer to a plate. Add the remaining tablespoon of oil and when hot, add the gai lan, stir frying so that the oil coats the gai lan. Pour in the 1/4 cup of the stock, turn the heat to medium-low and cover with a tight fitting lid. Cook the gai lan until tender, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer the gai-lan to the same plate.

4. Add the remaining cup of stock and the remaining 2 tablespoons each of soy sauce, oyster sauce, and rice wine to the same skillet and bring to a boil over high heat.

5. Add the noodles and cook until the liquid has almost completely evaporated, leaving the noodles lightly moistened, 2 to 3 minutes. Return the gai lan and mushrooms to the skillet and toss to mix the ingredients thoroughly. Season with pepper to taste and serve.

Veg Manchurian

Veg Manchurian

मराठीमध्ये वाचण्यासाठी इथे क्लिक करा

I like Indian style Chinese a lot and I make it very regularly. But after loosing Kitchen to Mom :), it was while since we had Chinese. So on Friday, I decided to take the kitchen in control and make Chinese menu for dinner. I have made Veg Machurian so many times but every time I had trouble with photo, so this time since the photo also came out okayish, here is the recipe.


Ingredients
2 Cup Cabbage
2 Cup Carrots
2 Cup Beans
1 Bell Pepper
1 Green Chilli
3 Spoon Corn Flour
5 Spoon Maida
1 Spoon Garlic Paste
2 Garlic Cloves
3 Stems of Spring Onions
1/4 Cup Sweet Chilli Sauce
1/4 Cup Soy Sauce
2 Spoon Hot Chilli Sauce
Salt to taste
Oil

Method

• Chop cabbage, carrots, green chillies, beans and pepper into fine pieces.


• Add in salt to taste and mix well.


• Add in garlic paste, 4 spoon of Maida and 2 spoon of corn flour. Knead well to make the dough


• Make small balls from this dough and roll each of them into the remaining Maida and fry in the medium hot oil till golden in color. Keep aside.


• Heat oil in pan and add in finely chopped garlic cloves, spring onion's white part and fry till light brown in color.


• Add in sweet chilli sauce, hot chilli sauce, soy sauce and mix well.


• Take 3 cups of water and mix in 1 spoon of corn starch. Add it to the sauce that is boiling in the pan. Mix well


• Add in the Manchurian balls made earlier and cook for couple of minutes. Garnish with spring onion's green part and serve.

Notes
Normally I add in salt and keep aside the mixture of finely chopped vegetables aside so that i don't need to add extra water nor do the dough loosens after a while because of all the water that salt would come from the vegetables.
Instead of using sweet chilli and and hot chilli sauces, I have also used 3 spoon chilli flakes, 1/4 Cup Vinegar and 2 spoon sugar instead.

Spicy Ma Po Tofu for the Bachelor

Spicy Ma Po Tofu for the Bachelor

Some of my guy friends are amazing cooks, some have completed culinary school, some even cook professionally and well...some of my other guy friends microwave daily and are known on a first name basis at their neighborhood Chinese takeout joint. When I suggest that they tag along with me to the farmers' market, I can see the sweat start to bead up on their forehead and a look of panic start to wash over their face. They get that deer in the headlights look and start hightailing it for the nearest exit. So this recipe is for you, dude friends- it's simple, it's really quick and doesn't involve any fancy French words. You can whip it up in mere minutes and return to the safety of your man cave before anyone assaults you with words like locavore, food revolution or Richard Blais.

Ma Po Tofu

Ingredients

1/2 lb. ground pork

1 package Ma Po sauce

1 block silken firm or extra-firm tofu, drained, cut into 2cm cubes

3 scallions, chopped (whites & greens)

1 garlic clove, minced

1 teaspoon chili oil or sriracha (optional)

1 tablespoon oil


Instructions

- Heat a tbsp of cooking oil in a wok under medium high heat. Add ground pork, cook until it's browned.

- Reduce heat to medium-low. Add sauce, tofu and scallions. (Add chili oil or sriracha at this point, if you wish.) Stir-fry, blend well.

- Serve with steamed rice.

Chinese Beef and Green Onion Pot Stickers

Chinese Beef and Green Onion Pot Stickers

Over a year ago I cracked the code for making my own gyoza (Japanese pot stickers) at home.  It's a bit time consuming, but really couldn't be easier.  I love to get together with my Dad and make a huge batch and store them in my freezer (and his) for a super quick 15 minute supper pulled from the freezer.  My Dad loved the recipe so much, he bought me a copy of Asian Dumplings: Mastering Gyoza, Spring Rolls, Samosas, and More.  There are so many great dumpling recipes to choose from, but the Chinese Beef Pot Stickers caught my eye.  Lean ground beef is insanely cheap here, and I'm always looking for creative ways of making dinner with it.  I went ahead and made them and invited some friends over for a Chinese themed dinner, and we all loved them.

How can you not love pot stickers?

Recipe adapted from Asian Dumplings: Mastering Gyoza, Spring Rolls, Samosas, and More
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Makes about 48 dumplings
Serves about 6 as a main course and 8-10 as a snack/appetizer

1 lb lean ground beef

2/3 cup green onions, finely chopped

1 1/2 tbsp fresh ginger, grated

1/2 tsp salt

1/8 tsp black pepper

1/3 cup chicken stock or water

2 tbsp soy sauce

1 tbsp Shaoxing rice wine or dry sherry

1 1/2 tbsp canola oil

1 1/2 tbsp sesame oil

1 package of gyoza skins (also called Shanghai dumpling wrappers)
1/4 cup water
1 tsp cornstarch

Filling the Pot Stickers:
Before you start making the pot stickers, prepare your workspace. Get out a large baking sheet and moisten a clean kitchen towel or paper towel until just damp. In a small bowl mix together the water and cornstarch.

In a large mixing bowl mix together the ground beef, green onions, ginger, salt, pepper, chicken stock, soy sauce, rice wine, canola oil and sesame oil.  You can let this sit covered in the fridge for 30 minutes (or up to 24 hours) to develop the flavors.

To begin filling your pot stickers, hold a dumpling wrapper in one hand. Dip your finger in the cornstarch water and moisten all around the outside edge of the wrapper.

Place a heaped teaspoon of filling in the middle of the wrapper.

These photos are from when I made Japanese pot stickers.  It will show you the method, but obviously there will be no cabbage in your filling.

Fold the gyoza wrapper in half and pinch in the middle.

To make a pleat, you'll need to make a small fold to the left of the middle.

Pinch that together.

Make another fold to the left of the pleat you just made and pinch together.

It will look like this.

Make the same pleats pinching them together on the other side until the dumpling is completely sealed.

Your cute little pot sticker is now folded and ready to stand up....

In the palm of your hand or on a hard surface, stand the gyoza up and tap to make a flat bottom.

I've looked at pictures in dumpling cookbooks and they have many more pleats than I do but this works for me, takes less time and this is what ours look like at our local Japanese restaurant. You can get fancy and add more pleats if you like.

When you are all done folding and making the potstickers, you could at this point place your whole baking sheet in the freezer. The pot stickers will freeze in about an hour or two and can then be placed in a ziplock bag. This prevents them from freezing into a big potsticker ball. When you are ready to use them, just pull them out of the freezer and add an extra minute or two for cooking time.

Cooking the Pot Stickers:
Whether cooking these fresh or frozen, get out a large non-stick skillet that has a tight fitting lid. Place a couple teaspoons of oil in the pan and turn the heat up to high. Get a 1/2 cup of water ready and place on the counter beside you. Place the pot stickers in the pan on the flat side with their pleats sticking up. Depending on the size of your pan you should be able to fit about 12 or so into the pan (if I'm serving this as a meal for 4, I have two frying pans going at once). After about a minute or two the bottoms of the pot stickers will be browned and crispy. Grab the lid to the frying pan in one hand and the 1/2 cup of water in the other. Quickly pour the water into the pan and put the lid on. Turn the heat down to low and set a timer for 10 minutes. The dumplings will finish cooking in the pan by steaming.

After 10 minutes remove the lid of the pan. If not all the water is gone let them sit another minute or two to let the water evaporate and let the bottoms of the pot stickers get crispy again. Remove to a serving dish.

Serve the pot stickers with your choice of dipping sauce:

#1 Soy Sesame Dipping Sauce

2 tbsp rice vinegar
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp sesame oil

Mix ingredients together in small bowl and serve with gyoza.


#2 Tangy Chili Dipping Sauce

3 tbsp rice vinegar
1 tsp chili oil (Layu chili oil)
Dash of chili pepper (Ichimi togarashi)

Mix ingredients together in small bowl and serve with gyoza.


Sauce #1 is made with easily accessibly ingredients that most people already have in their pantry. Sauce #2 is the same as the one served in our Japanese restaurant and I found the chili oil and chili pepper at our little Asian market. Both are great dipping sauces. I serve both to give my guests choice. My personal favorite is the two sauces mixed together.


Click here for printable version of Chinese Beef and Green Onion Pot Stickers
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THE RESULTS?
I really wasn't sure how I would like beef pot stickers because I love the sweet and juicy pork filled Japanese ones.  Definitely a great variation!  The addition of all the green onions is fabulous with the beef.  As with any pot sticker, the crispy bottoms combined with the succulent steamed filling is fantastic.

Meal Ideas:

• Chinese Beef and Green Onion Pot Stickers + Rice + Broccoli

• Chinese Beef and Green Onion Pot Stickers + Won Ton Chicken Salad

• Chinese Beef and Green Onion Pot Stickers + Fried Rice + Sauteed Green Beans with Almonds

Gung Hay Fat Choy! : Chinese 'No Clay Pot' Chicken Casserole

Gung Hay Fat Choy! : Chinese 'No Clay Pot' Chicken Casserole

"I like rice. Rice is great if you're hungry and want 2000 of something." ~Mitch Hedberg

Yesterday kicked off the first day (of fifteen) for the Chinese New Year. To celebrate the Year of the Rabbit, I thought it would be fun to cook Mr. S. a Chinese inspired dish for dinner last night...I decided to go with this Chinese 'No Clay Pot'  Chicken with Soy and Ginger, which had just won the Best Healthy Casseroles Contest recently on Apartment Therapy. It's a simple dish but quite hearty and aromatic The kitchen smelled so delish during the preparation that Mr. S. kept wandering in, wanting to "help." I did tinker with the recipe a tiny bit so if you want the original version, you can find it here: The Kitchn. Anyhow the end result was a flavorful, versatile rice dish that can be eaten alone or used as a main dish (pair it with some yummy veggies like sauteed gai-lan) or as a side dish (would work well with some roasted duck).

Chinese No 'Clay Pot' Chicken Casserole

serves 6

Ingredients

1/4 cup soy sauce

1 1/2 teaspoons sugar

2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil

2 teaspoons cornstarch

1 tablespoon shiro miso paste

2 boneless chicken breasts, about 1 pound, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

3 scallions, roughly chopped, plus extra to serve

3 garlic cloves, minced

1-inch piece fresh ginger, roughly grated

2 ounces good Italian salami, cut into 1/4-inch cubes

10 ounces fresh shiitake mushrooms, caps thinly sliced

1 tablespoon canola or peanut oil

2 cups Chinese long grain rice (* I would not try and sub in a different type of rice as it could get mushy)

1 teaspoon salt

4 cups vegetable stock


Instructions

1. Heat the oven to 350°F.

2. Whisk together the soy sauce, sugar, sesame oil, and cornstarch in a medium bowl.

3. Stir in the chicken, scallions, garlic, ginger and miso paste and toss so that they are coated thoroughly with the liquid.

4. Place this mixture in the refrigerator and let marinate for at least 15 minutes while you cook the mushrooms.

5. Place an oven-safe pan, like a 3-quart Dutch oven, over medium high heat on the stove.

6. When it is hot, add the sausage and turn the heat down to medium-low.

7. Let the sausage slowly release its fat. When the bottom of the pot is slick with the sausage fat, add the mushrooms.

8. Turn the heat back up to medium high heat and let the mushrooms cook, without stirring them, for 5 minutes. Flip them over and cook for another 3 minutes.

9. Add 1 tablespoon oil to the pot, and sauté the rice briefly to develop some toasty flavor (you don’t want to brown the rice here, just sauté it for 1 minute or so), then add the salt and the chicken mixture from the fridge.

10. Pour in the stock. Bring to a boil.

11. Turn off the heat, cover with a lid or with foil and bake for 45 minutes. Make sure to taste the rice for doneness before taking it out of the oven. Let stand 5 minutes, covered, before serving.

12. Stir up the rice before serving, as the chicken and mushrooms will have risen to the top during baking (see photo below). Stir thoroughly so that they are incorporated throughout the rice.

13. Garnish with chopped scallions and serve with extra soy sauce and chili garlic sauce, if desired.

Okra Fry

Okra Fry

मराठीमध्ये वाचण्यासाठी इथे क्लिक करा

The Inchin bamboo garden here serves this dish and its Ajoy's favorite. Of course it was Milind who introduced us to this dish given his liking for Okra. I wanted to try this out when he was staying with us but somehow it just remained a wish. Today finally I try this and I am glad I did. The dish turned out very nice. Worth making it multiple times.


Ingredients
5 Cups Okra
4 Spoon Maida
4 Spoon Corn Flour
1 Onion
1 Green Chili
3 Dried Red Chillies
2 Garlic Cloves
2.5 Spoon Soy Sauce
1/2 Spoon Red Chili Powder
1/4 Spoon Garlic Paste
Oil
Salt to taste

Method

• Mix in Maida, corn flour, red chili powder, garlic paste and salt to taste toegether.
• Add in water and make a running consistency batter for pakodas.
• Add in handful of okras in the batter and take them out into hot oil.
Fry them in oil on medium - high heat till the okras are golden in color. Keep aside on tissues to drain the oil. Fry all of the okra pieces similarly.
• Heat couple spoon of oil and add thinly sliced onion, green chili and garlic cloves. Saute till it turns light brown in color
• Add in dried red chillies crushing them by hand, soya sauce and saute.
• Add in fried okras and stir. Serve immediately

Notes
If you are going to serve this to guests, it would be good idea to keep fried okra ready but saute them in the sauce only just before serving that would help in keeping the crunchy, crispiness of the okra.

Stir-fried Chinese Long Beans

Stir-fried Chinese Long Beans

I was perusing through the farmers' market recently and had to do a double take. At the table where I usually buy my Chinese Long Beans (aka Yard Long Beans) there was something amiss. I inched closer to get a good look and next to the green Chinese Long Beans were a few bundles of  beans…similar in length and texture but a vivid purple in color! Curious, I asked the young girl behind the table, “Are these beans supposed to be purple? Is there a difference in flavor?” She confessed that she had never eaten them before and was just helping out at the table for the day.  So I figured for $1 a bundle, I’d give these Barney looking beans a shot.

For those of you unfamiliar with Chinese Long Beans, they are much longer (on average 12"-30" in length), wrinklier and a bit chewier then your run-of-the-mill green beans. As for the purple beans, you can prepare them the same way you would the green Chinese Long Beans. My favorite method is to stir fry them.

Just in case you were curious as to how the beans look in comparison I found a pic online with the two varieties of beans side by side.

 Photo Source

Stir-fried Chinese Long Beans

1 lb. Chinese long beans, trimmed and cut on the diagonal into 3 inch lengths

1 T oyster sauce

2 t minced fresh garlic

1 t soy sauce

¼ cup water or low sodium vegetable broth

- Heat 1 T of canola oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
- Add minced garlic. Cook, stirring until garlic starts to change color (about 1 minute)
- Add the long beans. Saute for about 30-45 seconds until they soften.
- Add water or broth, soy sauce and oyster sauce.
- Cover and cook until beans are tender (but not mushy).
- Remove the lid. Cook, allowing excess liquid to evaporate.
- Add salt if so desired.

Chinese Orange Chicken

Chinese Orange Chicken

Last night if I hadn't already met my daily quota of pillowy carbs and bundles of meat I definitely tripled it from all the dumplings I ingested. We celebrated Valentine's Day by getting together with two other couples and creating a Dim Sum feast for Chinese New Year. I made Chinese Steamed Spareribs in Black Bean Sauce and a Beef and Chinese Chive version of these potstickers that I could've eaten until my stomach exploded.

Because my stomach is still in the Chinese food spirit I thought it was time to post this recipe. And while this Orange Chicken may not be authentically Chinese, it is authentically satisfying and authentically mouth watering. It's amazing how easy this popular North American Chinese take-out favorite is to make at home; and without all the MSG and subsequent gut-bloating/hungriness half an hour later.

Recommended by Thoughts from a Wanderer and adapted from Allrecipes.
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Serves 4


Sauce:
1 1/2 cups water
2 tbsp orange juice
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/3 cup rice vinegar
2 1/2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp grated orange zest
1 cup brown sugar, packed
1/2 tsp fresh ginger, grated
1/2 tsp garlic, minced
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
3 tbsp cornstarch
2 tbsp water

2 chicken breasts, cut into bite sized pieces
1 cup flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
Canola oil

1 head of broccoli, cut into florets
2 green onions, chopped


In a saucepan over medium-high heat combine all ingredients for the sauce except for the cornstarch and 2 tbsp of water. Bring to a boil and stir to combine. Turn heat to low and let simmer, stirring occasionally while you make the chicken and broccoli.

In a bag or on a large plate, combine the flour, salt and pepper. Add the chicken and toss until coated with the flour mixture. In a medium pot over medium heat add enough oil to come up the side of the pot about 1-2 inches. Divide the chicken and add in small batches so the temperature of the oil doesn't drop. Cook for about 3-5 minutes, or until the chicken turns golden and crispy and is no longer pink on the inside. Remove with a slotted spoon to a paper towel lined plate. Continue cooking chicken in batches until all chicken is golden.

In a separate pot or in the microwave, steam broccoli florets for about 5-6 minutes until tender crisp.

Turn the heat on the sauce back up to about medium. Stir together the cornstarch and remaining 2 tbsp of water and add to the sauce. Stir for a minute or two until thickened then remove from heat.

In a large bowl toss together broccoli, chicken and sauce. Top with chopped green onions. Serve over rice or along side fried rice.


Click here for printable version of Chinese Orange Chicken.

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THE RESULTS?
I'm not gonna lie, when I originally read the recipe I was tempted to mess with it and cut the brown sugar and up the orange juice and cut the lemon juice and up the ginger and and and....BUT I held back and made the sauce according to the original. The orange taste is subtle yet bright. The combination of sour acids is balanced with rich brown sugar giving the sauce a smooth tang. It really is delicious and tastes just like Orange Chicken from a North American Chinese restaurant.

My addition of the broccoli ups the nutritional value and adds a great texture and crunch. This is a great recipe for pleasing everyone in the family, including the kids.


For more excellent Chinese recipes made at home, check out:

• Beef and Broccoli
• Cashew Chicken
• Fried Rice
• Lemon Chicken
• Won Ton Soup

For inexpensive meal ideas, visit $5 Dinner Challenge and Gayle's Grocery Cart Challenge.

Vegetables Stir Fry

Vegetables Stir Fry

मराठीमध्ये वाचण्यासाठी इथे क्लिक करा

I had been having lots of vegetables in the freeze for quite some time. So today when we planned for quick lunch before heading out to cycling, how to quick something nice and yet something quick. Indo-chinese being my favorite cuisine I came up with this.


Ingredients
Handful of Ladies Fingers
Handful of Eggplant pieces
Handful of Cabbage
1 Cup Beans
1 Onion
1 Pepper
2 Spring-onions
6 Garlic Cloves
1 Spoon Garlic Paste
1/4 Spoon Ginger Paste
1/2 Lemon
5 Spoon Soya Sauce
1 Spoon Ketchup
2 Spoon Corn Flour
Salt
Oil

Method

• Fry Ladies fingers in the oil and keep aside
• In a pan heat oil and add onions. Fry them till translucent
• Add in garlic cloves, chopped to fine pieces, eggplant pieces, beans, Pepper chopped, cabbage and cook them with constant stirring till the vegetables are cooked well.
• Add in fried ladies fingers, garlic and ginger paste and Lemon juice and stir again
• Add ketchup and soya sauce and stir for couple of minutes
• Mix corn flour with 6 cup of water and add in the vegetables. Cook till gravy thickens
• Add in salt and spring onions and stir for a minute. Serve with rice or noodles

Notes
To give it a little tangy taste, I used lemon but if you are not big on tangerines then you can just skip it. You cna also substitute lemon by a spoonful of Vinegar if you don't have lemon in stock.
I also wished I had some baby-corns and brocollies to add the taste, but never mind, there is always next time :)

Chilli Prawns

Chilli Prawns

मराठीमध्ये वाचण्यासाठी इथे क्लिक करा

I was looking to make something quick yet something different from the normal preparation (Prawns Masala) and then I came up with this.


Ingredients
300g Cleaned Prawns
1 Spoon Garlic Paste
1 Onion
4 Green Chillies
4 Spoon Dark Soya Sauce
2 Spoon Tomato Ketchup
2 Spoon Corn Flour
Salt to taste
Oil

Method

• Marinate the prawns with garlic paste and salt.
• Deep fry them in oil few at a time for a minute
• In same oil, add halved green chillies, onion and cook them with constant stirring
• Add soya sauce, ketchup and again cook for couple of minute
• Add prawns and stir for another minute
• Mix corn flour in two cups of water and add it to the cooking prawns
• Cook for 3-4 minutes till gravy thickens and prawns become tender

Notes
Well I didn't have spring onions to garnish otherwise I might have added it a bit for garnishing.

Egg Roll Stir Fry

Egg Roll Stir Fry

On a trip a year ago to visit my Dad, the culinary genius, I had introduced him to the blog Steamy Kitchen where he proceeded to bookmark and print off all the recipes that made him drool on his computer screen. We spent an entire Saturday afternoon making and rolling her mother's famous Egg Rolls, as well as Firecracker Shrimp. We had a feast of Fried Rice, Beef & Broccoli, Lemon Chicken and those crispety, crunchety, delectable egg rolls. My mouth wouldn't stop eating the egg rolls even though my stomach was making things perfectly clear that it was FULL. Just. one. more.

I attempted to make them once on my own but got the wrong wrappers and really didn't know my way around a deep fryer, so I decided that my Dad was a necessary component to the long drawn out egg roll making process.

So when he came to visit me a few weeks ago, there was one thing on both of our minds. EGG ROLLS. We spent two afternoons rolling two different batches (we defs needed extra for the freezer). As I rolled I would sneak bits of the cooked pork/cabbage/carrot filling. With every mouthful I would exclaim "mmmmmm.....this is sooooo good". On the second day of rolling, I thought what a shame it was that the egg rolls took such a long time to make. As I reached for my 18th bite of filling and popped it in my mouth I thought "THIS is so good on it's own, I should just turn it into a stir fry"....as the wheels of my brain started to turn I started to compose a recipe in my head right there on the spot. I dropped my egg roll mid-roll and ran to my recipe journal to write it down.

I have since made this recipe a few times, each time perfecting and working on the sauce. My family and I all agree now that this stir fry is an absolute keeper.


Recipe inspired by Steamy Kitchen
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Serves 4


Pork Marinade:
3/4 lb pork chops, cut into thin strips
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp cornstarch
1 tsp sesame oil
1/2 tsp sugar

Stir Fry:
1 tsp fresh ginger, grated
2 cloves garlic, grated
1/2 head napa cabbage, cut into thin ribbons (about 2 cups)
3 carrots, peeled and julienned
1 cup bamboo shoots, julienned (buy these canned in the International food aisle)
1 cup mushrooms, sliced
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp oyster sauce
1 tsp sesame oil
1/2 tsp sugar
1/2 tbsp rice vinegar

4 egg roll wrappers, cut into 1/2 inch x 2 inch strips
2 green onions


In a medium mixing bowl, mix together all pork marinade ingredients. Let the pork marinade on the counter for 20 minutes or in the fridge up to overnight.

In a wok over high heat, add a tbsp of vegetable oil. Add the pork and all the marinade as well as the fresh garlic and ginger. Stir fry for 2-3 minutes until the pinkness in the meat is gone. Add the cabbage, carrots, bamboo shoots and mushrooms and continue to stir-fry for 3-4 minutes until the veggies have softened slightly. While they are cooking, mix together the soy sauce, oyster sauce, sesame oil, sugar and rice vinegar in a measuring cup or small bowl. When the veggies are slightly softened pour in the sauce and continue to stir fry for 2-3 minutes to let the sauce heat through and thicken slightly. Remove from the heat.

In a small pot with high sides, fill with canola or vegetable oil until the pot is half full (don't go over half full or you'll risk the oil spilling over the sides). Turn the heat to medium-high and let the oil come to between 350 and 375 degrees. I like to use a food thermometer for this so I know for sure how hot my oil is. When it's in this temperature range your food gets crispy but not oily. Once the oil is hot, add a 1/4 of the cut up pieces of egg roll wrapper. It's important that they be egg roll wrappers, since spring roll wrappers are much thinner. You won't get a nice crunch out of spring roll wrappers. The wrappers will crisp up really quickly and need only about 30-60 seconds in the hot oil. Remove with a slotted spoon to a paper towel lined bowl and then add another 1/4 of your egg roll wrappers. Continue until all wrappers have been crisped in the oil.

Serve egg roll stir fry over a bed of rice. Sprinkle with the crispy egg roll wrappers and chopped green onions. The flavor of this on it's own is fabulous, but you can also add a dollop of your favorite condiment for dipping egg rolls in. We love Thai Sweet Chili Sauce, but Plum Sauce would work here too.

Click here for printable version of Egg Roll Stir Fry

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THE RESULTS?
The flavors of this is phenomenal...it captures all the delicious flavors of Steamy Kitchen's egg rolls but in a quick and easy to prepare weeknight meal. I'm all about contrasting textures, so the crispy bits of fried egg roll wrapper on top make this dish for me. I also find that any time I make Egg Rolls or Firecracker Shrimp I always have leftover wrappers that I put in a plastic bag in the freezer. It's never enough wrappers for a full batch, so this worked out perfectly just using up the few that were left in the bag. What I would do if I didn't have leftover wrappers, is when I brought the package of egg roll wrappers home from the grocery store, immediately divide them up into 3 or 4 ziplock bags and then store in the freezer.

DELICIOUS!


For more recipes check out Gayle's Grocery Cart Challenge Recipe Swap and Erin's $5 Dinner Challenge.

Chicken Fried Rice

Chicken Fried Rice

Ingredients:

* 4 cups cold cooked rice
* 8 ounces cooked chicken (or substitute cooked turkey, etc.), chopped
* 2 eggs (more if desired)
* 1/2 cup green peas
* 1 medium onion, diced
* 1 green onion, diced
* Seasonings (add according to taste):
* Light Soy Sauce
* Oyster sauce
* Salt
* Pepper
* Oil for stir-frying, as needed

Preparation:
Beat the eggs lightly with chopsticks, add a dash of salt (Add a bit of oyster sauce if desired).

Chop the chicken meat and dice the onion and green onion.
Heat wok and add oil. When oil is ready, pour 1/2 of the egg mixture into the wok and cook over medium heat, turning over once. Cook the other half the same way. Cut the egg into thin strips, and save for later.

Stir-fry the onion on high heat for a few moments, remove and set aside. Do the same for the green peas.

Add oil, turn down the heat to medium and stir-fry the rice. Add the soy sauce, salt, pepper and oyster sauce. Add the chicken, onion and green peas and combine thoroughly. Serve chicken fried rice with the strips of egg on top and the green onion as a garnish. (Alternately, you can mix the green onion and egg in with the other ingredients).

CHINESE CHILI CHICKEN

CHINESE CHILI CHICKEN

Ingredients for chinese chilli chicken:



500 -600 gms Boneless Chicken
2 tbsp Soya Sauce
1 Egg
2 tbsp Corn Flour/Corn Starch
5-6 Chopped Green Chilies
2 Green Onion Chopped
1 tsp Garlic Paste
Salt to taste
1/2 tsp White Pepper Powder
1 tsp Sugar
A pinch of ajinomoto
2 cups chicken Broth/ Water
1 tbsp Oil
Oil to fry


Preparation:

* Cut the boneless chicken pieces into1 " cubes.
* Take 1tbsp. Soya sauce, 1tbsp. corn flour, salt, egg in a bowl and marinate chicken pieces in the the mixture for about 10-15 minutes.
* Heat oil and deep fry the marinated chicken pieces till golden brown.
* Now in a separate wok / kadhai heat 1 tbsp. oil and add garlic paste and green chilies and sauté for few seconds.
* Add 2 cups of chicken broth or water. Bring to boil and add sugar, pepper powder, salt , ajinomoto and remaining Soya sauce.
* Add fried chicken pieces to it and cook for few minutes.
* Dissolve the remaining corn flour in 1/2 cup water and add to the curry stirring constantly to avoid lumps.
* Cook for 2-3 minutes.
* Serve chinese chili chicken hot garnished with chopped green onion tops.
* Chinese chili chicken goes well with steamed / boiled rice.

GOBI MANCHURIAN

GOBI MANCHURIAN

Ingredients of cauliflower manchurian :


1 medium Gobhi (Cauliflower)
3/4 cup Flour (Maida)
1 tbsp Corn Flour
Salt to taste
1 Chopped green chili
11/2 tbsp Garlic Paste
11/2 tbsp Ginger Paste
1 cup finely Chopped Onions
Finely Chopped Coriander Leaves
1/4th tsp Ajinomoto
2 tbsp Soya Sauce
2-3 tbsp Tomato Ketchup
2 tbsp Oil

Preparation of gobhi manchurian :

* Make a paste of maida, corn flour and salt using water.
* Take a tsp. of ginger and garlic paste, add it to the paste.
* Dip the gobi florets in the paste and deep fry till golden brown. Keep aside.
* Heat oil in another pan and add the left ginger & garlic paste, chopped onions and green chili to it.
* Now, mix aginomoto, soya sauce and tomato sauce to it.
* Add fried Gobi kept aside and mix well. Garnish it with coriander leaves. Serve the gobi manchurian hot.

Cashew Chicken

Cashew Chicken

My friend Bree introduced me to this recipe a couple years ago. We absolutely loved it, especially my husband Steve the cashew freak, so I made sure to get her recipe so I could make it at home. She warned me that the flavor of the dish is dependent on the hoisin sauce that you buy.  I shrugged my shoulders and didn't really take her advice to heart. Why would the hoisin sauce matter? Wouldn't all hoisin sauces taste like...I dunno...hoisin sauce?

The answer is NO. Hoisin Sauce (also called Chinese BBQ Sauce) can be very different from brand to brand, some a little more heavy handed with Chinese five spice. When I got home, I bought any ol' bottle of hoisin sauce and made this dish and really didn't like it. Turns out I HATE five spice and this one was loaded with it. The one my friend used had no licorice flavor (which comes from the five spice) and was much more rich and sweet. I gave away the bottle of hoisin that I bought and then went out and found the brand Bree used (Asian Family by the way); I made the dish again and loved it.

It's all about personal preference...use whatever brand of hoisin you like.

Recipe adapted from Everyday Food: Great Food Fast
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Serves 4

2-3 chicken breasts or 5-6 chicken thighs, chopped up
3-4 tbsp cornstarch
Salt and pepper
8 green onions, chopped
3 cloves of garlic
3 tbsp hoisin sauce
2 tbsp rice vinegar
¼ cup water
1 cup raw cashews, toasted

Cut chicken into bite-sized pieces and season with salt and pepper. Toss the chicken in a bowl with the cornstarch until the chicken is nicely coated. Heat a wok or frying pan with a tablespoon or two of oil over medium-high heat. Once the pan is hot, add half of the chicken and fry until browned and crispy. Remove from the pan. Add another tablespoon or so of oil and stir-fry the rest of the chicken until crispy. Remove from the pan. Add the white part of the green onion as well as the garlic and stir-fry about a minute or so, then add the rice vinegar. Let the vinegar evaporate (about 30 seconds) then add the chicken back to the pan, along with the hoisin sauce and water. Cook for about a minute or so until the sauce is thick and the chicken is coated. Add the cashews and stir to incorporate. Remove to a plate and top with the green part of the onion. Serve over rice.

Click here for printable version of Cashew Chicken
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THE RESULTS?
Delicious. I love the ease of preparation of this dish. There aren't many ingredients and its fast and easy to prepare.  Thanks for the recipe Bree!

Meal Ideas: 

• Cashew Chicken + Rice + Edamame 

• Cashew Chicken + Fried Rice + Broccoli

Chinese Steamed Spareribs with Black Bean Sauce

Chinese Steamed Spareribs with Black Bean Sauce

Our International Dinner Club country this month was China in honor of Chinese New Year (Gong Hay Faat Choy! by the way). We prepared dim sum which was such a treat. I discovered this dim sum fave at Steamy Kitchen's website and my mouth was watering. Last summer I was a recipe tester for Steamy Kitchen's new cookbook...everything that woman makes is gold. She hadsn't let me down yet, so I was pretty sure this dish was going to be no exception.

Recipe by Jaden @ Steamy Kitchen
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Serves 4 as part of multi-course meal

1-1/2 lbs pork sparerib, cut into 1" ribs by the butcher (or sweet n' sour style pork spareribs)
2 tbsp black bean sauce
1 tbsp Chinese rice wine
2 tsp cornstarch
1/2 tsp grated ginger
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp cooking oil
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp sugar

Cut the ribs between each bone so that they are separated into individual ribs. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and add spareribs, tossing to coat. Let marinate for at least 1/2 an hour (I let mine marinate for 4 hours).

Using a large stove-top steamer (or a bamboo steamer basket), place the marinated ribs into the basket and set over boiling water. Steam on medium high heat for 18-20 minutes or until no longer pink. My steamer is small, so I steamed half of the ribs at a time so they could be arranged in the basket in a single layer. After the first batch finished I placed them in the oven at 200 degrees and steamed the second batch.

Click here for printable version of Chinese Steamed Spareribs in Black Bean Sauce.
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THE RESULTS?

WOW. The sauce on these ribs is incredible. I've never had a steamed rib before, and it's amazing how moist and tender they become. I have another 1 1/2 lbs of pork ribs in the freezer that I was going to try a different recipe with, but I'm really tempted just to make these again. So good. Jaden has done it again.

Won Ton Chicken Salad

Won Ton Chicken Salad

When I became a mom I was rather overwhelmed with all the new things my life had to offer, not to mention some of the boredom that ensued that came from hanging out talking to an infant all day. When a group of other mom's that I know decided to get together once a month for "Mom Time" to have a nice lunch, play a game and chat while our kids were taken care of by a babysitter, I was really excited for the "adult" interaction. The first Mom Time we had my friend Lindyl made this salad. It was quite a nice light, but filling lunch and I devoured mine so fast (and gobbled up seconds....and maybe even thirds) I knew I had to get the recipe from her.

While it isn't the most healthiest of salads, it sure satisfies me and knocks the socks off of my husband. And sometimes that's all I'm really looking for ;)

*Recipe from Lindyl Pankonin
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Serves 4

1 head of romaine
3 green onions, chopped
25-30 pork won tons (either frozen ones bought from the store, or homemade)
1 lb boneless skinless chicken thighs or breasts
1/3 cup sliced almonds, toasted

Dressing:
2/3 cup oil
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1/2 cup sugar
Salt to taste

Begin by mixing dressing ingredients in a clean jar. Slice the raw chicken into strips and place in a bowl. Pour a ¼ of the dressing over the chicken, mix and place in the fridge to marinate for 10-15 minutes (or longer). Preheat oven to 350 degrees. When chicken is done marinating, place on baking sheet, sprinkle with salt and pepper and bake 15 minutes or so until the chicken is done.

Heat up a wok on medium heat with about an inch or so of oil. Place the won tons in batches and fry until golden and crispy. Set aside.

Chop up romaine and green onions. Chop chicken into bite-sized pieces when they come out of the oven. Add to salad along with the fried won tons. In a dry pan, toast the almonds over medium heat until toasted. Add to the salad and dress with remaining dressing.

Click here for printable version of Won Ton Chicken Salad
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THE RESULTS?

Awwww yeah. So good. I think that a good salad always has good contrast of textures, so I love when there are crispy bits. This salad has both the crunchy toasted almonds and the crispy won tons, plus the sweet/sour flavor of the dressing...it all comes together so nicely. Not only did this win over the ladies at the luncheon, but I impressed my husband as well.

Beef & Broccoli

Beef & Broccoli

My husband absolutely loves this meal. Whenever he see's it on my Meal Plan on the fridge, he exclaims all week how he can't wait for Beef and Broccoli. I love this meal, not only because it tastes great, but because of how easy it is. The night before you will want to marinade your beef. At the same time, I make up the stir-fry sauce and store it in a jar so it's ready to go. If you want to go one step further you can cut your broccoli into florets and slice your green onions as well. Then when you get home and want to make supper it takes only 10 minutes to throw to together. Gotta love that.


*Recipe adapted from Sandi Richard
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Serves 4

Marinade:
1 tbsp cornstarch
1 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp water
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
½ tsp sugar
1 clove garlic chopped
1 lb of flank or sirloin steak cut across grain, into thin 2 inch strips

In a bowl combine the cornstarch, soy sauce, water, red wine vinegar, sugar and garlic. Slice the beef against the grain in strips approximately 2 inches long. Add to marinade bowl. Toss with a fork until well coated. Cover and leave in fridge overnight.

Stir-Fry Sauce:
1 tsp cornstarch
2 tsp oyster sauce
1 tsp sesame oil
½ tsp sugar
1 tbsp water
1 tbsp dry garlic rib sauce (or whatever garlic sauce or stirfry sauce you have....this time I used Honey Garlic sauce because it was in my fridge)
1 tbsp garlic
¾ cup chicken broth

Add all these ingredients in a jar and shake it up. Leave to sit overnight with the meat.


Stir-Fry:
2 tsp grated fresh ginger
½ tsp chili flakes
2 green onions, sliced
2-3 cups broccoli, cut into florets

Heat the wok to med-high. Add the ginger, drained beef and chili flakes. Then add onions and broccoli. Toss until meat browns. When meat is browned, add the stir-fry sauce and cook until thickened. Serve over plain rice or along side Fried Rice.

Click here for printable version of Beef & Broccoli
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THE RESULTS?

Absolutely wonderful. I love the ease of preparation of this meal as well as it's fabulous flavor. It's a great crowd pleaser...and by "crowd" I mean my 15 month old and my husband :)

If you want to have a Chinese night, try these as well:

• Lemon Chicken
• Fried Rice
• Won Ton Soup