Lo Mein

In my never-ending quest for easy meals that are also tasty, I came across this little gem. It's originally from Rachael Ray, although I've modified it just a bit here. Lo mein is without a doubt Bob's favorite Chinese entree, and he usually makes a more elaborate version. But even he gave this one a thumbs up (each of us agrees that dinner always tastes better if the other person cooked it).

I was surprised to find that the 30 minute prep time estimated in the recipe is actually pretty accurate--15 minutes for chopping and making the sauce and another 15 minutes for cooking it and putting it together. I think this was universally popular at our house, and is destined to be a regular on our menu.

Lo Mein
Sauce:
3 rounded tablespoons hoisin sauce (you'll find it in the Asian section of your grocery store)
3 tablespoons soy sauce
3 tablespoons of water
1/4 teaspoon Sriracha sauce (Sriracha sauce is a Vietnamese hot sauce. It's very hot, but I felt it should be used in this recipe because it is, afterall, Asian food. The original recipe just said hot sauce and called for 2 teaspoons. I put in 1/2 teaspoon and it was a little too hot for us. So proceed at your own risk; tabasco sauce is somewhat more mellow than Sriracha, so you might want to add a little more, depending on your tastes).

Noodles:
1 16-ounce package of spaghetti (this was one of the things I loved most about the recipe; no bewildered looks from the staff at the Asian market when I asked them what kind of noodles I needed for lo mein. I already had maybe 20 pounds of it in my basement!)
1/4 cup vegetable oil, divided
2 large eggs, beaten
3 chicken boneless, skinless chicken breasts, thinly sliced into strips
Black pepper
2 teaspoons ground coriander
2 inches fresh ginger, chopped or grated
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
6 green onions, cut into 3-inch lengths then sliced lengthwise
1/2 pound mushrooms, chopped (the recipe calls for shitakes; we don't care for shitakes all that much so I used regular button mushrooms)
1 red bell pepper, cut into quarters, seeded, the sliced
1/2 pound shredded cabbage

Directions
Mix together sauce ingredients and reserve.

Bring pasta water to a boil, ad a little salt and cook spaghetti according to package directions.

While noodles cook, heat a tablespoon of vegetable oil in a large, nonstick skillet over high heat. WHen oil ripples, add beaten eggs and scramble them to light golden brown. Remove and reserve.

Season the meat with salt, pepper and coriander. Heat the remaining vegetable oil to a ripple, then add meat and stir-fry 4 minutes. Push meat to the side and add ginger, garlic and veggies. Stir-fry veggies 2 minutes, then drain and add pasta and eggs back intothe skillet. Pour sauce over the spaghetti and toss to combine. Turn off pan. Toss 30 seconds and let the liquids absorb.

A couple of notes: the original recipe calls for 3 thin cut pork chops, thinly sliced into strips. I think this would be delicious and would make it a heartier meal. I didn't include it in my version this time.

Also, we've found that powdered ginger works every bit as well as fresh ginger, but the fresh ginger will make your house smell great, so it might be worth the few cents and few minutes it takes to use it.

Honey and Black Pepper Beef

True confessions: I recently started a new job. After working from home for seven years, I'm back in the office from 9 to 5 (well, actually 7:30 to 4:00 or maybe a little later). The first week I worked, dinner times were, shall we say, highly informal at our house. But last week I realized that I really missed cooking dinner every night. More than that, I miss having everyone around the table for at least one meal a day. I convinced myself that I could find meals simple and fast enough that I could make them, even in my post-work state. And you know what? I was right.

This recipe comes from one of my new favorite cookbooks, Homestyle Asian. It honestly took me somewhat less than 30 minutes to put it together (okay, I have to admit that Bob cut the meat up before I got home). It was delicious. We served it over jasmine rice. There were no side dishes, but perhaps we'll work up to that in the coming weeks.

We made a number of revisions from the original recipe. The book calls for 2 pounds of round steak. Bob found some boneless ribeyes on sale that were heavenly; we used two of them, cut into strips. I think any cut of beef that doesn't require long cooking times to become tender would work. I couldn't see our bunch eating snow peas, although that was part of what initially attracted me to the recipe. So I used broccoli, which looked and tasted great. I also put in some red bell pepper strips for color. As a bonus, they also added great flavor. I think my favorite part was the sauce--some sweetness from the honey, some heat from the pepper and some soy to tie it all together.

Honey and Black Pepper Beef
1-2 tablespoons of vegetable oil
2 pounds round steak, cut into thin strips
1 large onion, sliced
1 pound or so of trimmed broccoli florets
1/2 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup oyster sauce
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Heat the wok until very hot. Add 1 tablespoon of the oil and swirl it around to coat the side. Stir-fry the beef in batches over high heat. Remove and drain on paper towels.

Reheat the wok and add 1 tablespoon of the oil and stir fry the garlic, onion, broccoli and peppers until softened. Remove from the wok and set aside.

Add the honey, soy sauce, oyster sauce and black pepper to the wok. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 3-4 minutes or until the sauce thickens slightly.

Increase the heat, return the meat and vegetables to the wok, and toss for 2-3 minutes or until well combined and heated through.

Eggrolls

About a year ago we realized one of Bob's lifelong dreams: to become proficient in the making of eggrolls. It was actually easier than we had imagined, especially with numerous children to help roll them up. We invited a friend of ours to teach us how to make them; her parents are from the Phillippines, and her eggroll-making prowess is legendary in our neighborhood. We've been making them ever since.

The possible variations with eggrolls are endless. On the night we learned how to make them, we used simple hamburger as the filling. Because Bob wanted to make more of a Vietnamese-style eggroll, we've since settled on using a combination of shrimp and ground pork most of the time. You can also use ground turkey or chicken (or any other type of ground meat) or make them completely vegetarian. If you want to speed up the process, you can buy coleslaw mix and shredded carrots at the grocery store in the produce section.

Eggrolls freeze well before they're cooked. In fact, we've often been surprised that they seemed to taste even better when we take them straight from the freezer to the frying pan (better than when we cook them fresh, that is). This recipe makes quite a large batch, even for our large tribe. We usually freeze at least half of them and serve them for a second meal.

Cooked eggrolls can also be rewarmed for a tasty snack, although I'm warning you: don't heat them in the microwave. They'll turn into a droopy mess and won't really taste good. Try putting them in the regular oven for a few minutes at 350 degrees.

There are also a variety of possible dipping sauces for eggrolls. Some of us like hot mustard (you can buy it in powdered form either at the Asian market or sometimes in the Asian section at the grocery store; mix it with water and drip it on the eggroll. Believe me, you'll only need a few drops). We also like sweet chili sauce, which can also be found at the Asian store. A favorite way of eating them is to wrap an eggroll in a leaf of iceberg lettuce and dip it in nuoc cham sauce (scroll down to the bottom of the bahn mi recipe to find it.

Eggrolls

(Makes about 50 eggrolls)

1 lb. ground meat (beef, pork, turkey or any combination of the three. We usually use about a pound of ground pork and add some finely chopped shrimp sautéed in butter and garlic).
½ + head cabbage, finely shredded
2+ large carrots, finely shredded
1 bunch green onions, finely chopped
1 T. garlic, finely minced (or garlic powder)
1 ½ teaspoons ginger, finely minced (or powdered ginger)
1 bunch cellophane (bean thread) noodles, available at Asian markets. Cook according to package directions. Chop cooked noodles into thirds or fourths.
Salt and pepper to taste
Oil for frying
Two packages spring roll wrappers (use the kind from better Asian stores rather than the grocery store brand. They stretch a little more and are a little more durable. They also don't bubble as much during frying.)

Brown the meat in a large skillet. Drain off the fat. Add the carrots and cabbage. Gently stir fry until the vegetables are softened. Add the onions, cook for an additional 1-2 minutes. Add garlic, ginger, salt and pepper. Mix gently to distribute seasonings. Add bean thread and mix lightly. Let cool.

Put wrapper on a flat surface. Starting at the bottom corner, put about 1 generous tablespoon of filling. Roll upwards until you reach the middle of the wrapper. Fold in the two side corners and continue rolling upwards. Once you have about 1-2 inches of wrapper left, moisten the top sides of the wrapper with water to seal the eggroll. Here is a guided tour of how to fold up an eggroll:

1. Put the tablespoon of filling toward the bottom corner of the wrapper.

2. Fold the wrapper over to cover the filling, and pull it tight with your fingers (this is where having a flexible wrapper comes in handy).

3. Fold the sides of the wrapper in so that they form two parallel lines (much as you would fold a burrito).

4. Roll the wrapper up the rest of the way, keeping it tight. Then seal the remaining open corner with a bit of water, pressing it until it stays closed (believe me, you don't want it coming open while it's frying).

Heat oil (about 1-inch in depth) in a frying pan. Fry eggrolls in small batches until golden brown (about 3-5 minutes). You are frying them until they look the way you want them to; the filling is already cooked, so you don't have to worry about food safety issues.

Serve with sweet and sour sauce.

Other ingredients that you can add to the filling are water chestnuts, mushrooms, diced potatoes, or any other vegetables that you like.

Chicken Stir Fry

My last post was on Kirkland Stir Fry Vegetables, so it's no surprise that this post is an actual stir fry recipe.

This recipe grew out of our desire to both eat healthier food and eat more Chinese food. We found this recipe somewhere on line and have (of course) modified it a bit. We usually use the Kirkland mix for most of the veggies, although we have made it from scratch, which gives you a lot more control over which vegetables are actually included.We've tried it with both chicken and beef; both are good, although we still need to perfect the beef version. We also like to add a handful of cashews just before we serve it. As with most Chinese dishes, we prefer this one over steamed white rice or a lovely brown rice pilaf.

Chicken Stir Fry

1 bunch broccoli

1 sweet red bell pepper

2 large green onions or 1 medium yellow onion, julienned

3 chicken breast halves

1/2 cup chicken stock (divided)

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1 tablespoon oyster sauce (available in the Asian section of most grocery stores)

1 teaspoon sesame oil

Dash of dried red pepper flakes

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger root, or 1 1/2 teaspoons dried ginger

1/4 cup cashew nuts (optional)

1. 
   
   Chop vegetables into thin strips. Cut chicken into thin strips. Set aside.
   
   
   
2. 
   
   Whisk together 1/4 cup of the chicken stock, soy sauce, cornstarch, oyster sauce, sesame oil and red pepper flakes; set aside.
   
   
   
3. 
   
   Heat wok or deep skillet over high heat. Add 1 tablespoon vegetable oil; heat for 30 seconds, swirling to coat pan. Stir-fry half the chicken for 3-4 minutes or until no longer pink inside; remove and set aside. Repeat with remaining chicken, adding some of the remaining oil if necessary. Add to reserved chicken.
   
   
   
4. 
   
   Add remaining oil to wok. Stir-fry garlic and ginger for 10 seconds or until fragrant; avoid overcooking because the garlic will burn and become bitter. Add vegetables and stir fry for two minutes. Pour in remaining chicken stock; cover and steam. Stir once; cook for two minutes or until broccoli is tender crisp.
   
   
   
5. 
   
   Stir chicken back into wok; push to side of pan. Pour soy mixture into the center of the wok; cook, stirring, for 1-2 minutes or until thickened. Stir chicken mixture into sauce until coated. Sprinkle with cashew nuts. Serve over rice.
   
   
   

Sesame Chicken

Our family loves Chinese food of any kind. I don't remember how I came across this recipe for sesame chicken; I don't think I had ever eaten this dish at a restaurant, so I can't imagine that I was actively searching for it. I do know that I found it on some random website, and am sorry that I'm a poor record keeper and can't give appropriate attribution. But this is a relatively quick and inexpensive meal that looks great and tastes even better.

Sesame Chicken
(Serves 8, or in our case, 9)

1 cup flour
2 teaspoons garlic powder
2 teaspoons paprika
2 pounds bloneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds*
1 bunch green onion stem, cut into 1-inch slices
4 tablespoons vegetable oil

Sauce:
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup sugar
2 teaspoons sesame oil

Heat the vegetable oil in a wok or skillet. Combine flour, garlic powder and paprika. Dredge small chicken chunks in flour. Fry pieces in oil until juices run clear.

Meanwhile, in another pot, bring ingredients for the sauce to a boil. Simmer for about 15 minutes.

Pour the sauce over the chicken in the skillet or wok and mix together. Top with toasted sesame seeds and chopped green onions. We like it served with hot rice.

*If you don't have pre-toasted sesame sauce, you can toast the regular kind by tossing them in a hot, oil-free pan for a few minutes over medium heat until they begin to turn golden brown.