Tag: asian cuisine

Kung Pao Chicken

This is one of the first spicy things I’ve made that my teenagers actually liked.

Kung Pao Chicken

Print Recipe
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Course Main Course
Cuisine Asian
Servings 5 people
Calories 400 kcal

Equipment

  • 1 Flat-bottomed wok or large frying pan
  • 2 mixing bowls
  • measuring cups and spoons

Ingredients
  

  • 1 1/2 pounds chicken thighs boneless, skinless, cut into bite-sized chunks
  • 1/4 cup tamari or soy sauce
  • 1 tbsp shaoxing wine or dry sherry
  • 1 tbsp cornstarch
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp pepper white or black
  • 1 tbsp rice vinegar
  • 1 tbsp sugar granulated
  • 1 tbsp sambal oelek
  • vegetable oil
  • 2 bell peppers diced large
  • 2 celery stalks sliced thin
  • 1 tbsp ginger, minced
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1/2 cup peanuts, roasted
  • 2 scallions sliced thin (optional)
  • 1.5 tsp sesame oil

Instructions
 

Marinate the Chicken

  • Add tamari or soy sauce, wine or sherry, cornstarch, sesame oil, salt, and pepper in a small bowl and whisk until the cornstarch is dissolved. Drizzle 2 tablespoons over chicken and mix.
  • Add the vinegar, sugar, and sambal to the remaining marinade and whisk until the sugar is dissolved.
    NOTE: if you're doubling the recipe because you have a lot of chicken, don't double the sambal or you may make it too spicy.

Stir Fry the Veggies and the Chicken

  • Heat pan over medium-high heat. Add tablespoon of oil, followed by the bell peppers and celery. Season with salt and stir fry until crispy-tender and browned in spots (about 4 minutes).
    Add garlic and ginger and stir fry another 30 seconds.
  • Transfer veggies to a plate.
  • Add a couple of tablespoons of oil to the pan, followed by the chicken. Spread evenly across the pan and let cook until golden brown and a little seared on the bottom, 3-4 minutes.
    Stir fry for a couple of minutes, until cooked through.

Combine Everything

  • Add vegetables back in, and add peanuts.
    Give the sauce a quick whisk and pour in. Stir fry until sauce thickens and coats everything, about a minute.
    Sprinkle in scallions and serve over rice.

Notes

Other veggies you can try: small mushrooms, zucchini, sliced carrots, and/or chopped onions.
We've also made it with tofu instead of chicken:
  • use extra-firm tofu;
  • squeeze the water out by wrapping in towels or a couple of paper towels, then putting on a plate and leaving something heavy on top for 20-30 minutes;
  • cube the tofu into bite-sized chunks
  • toss with a little cornstarch, then fry over medium heat until all sides are golden-brown.
  • Continue with rest of recipe.
Keyword bell pepper, chicken, garlic, ginger, peanuts, sambal oelek, tofu

Originally seen on The Kitchn.

Korean Beef Rice Bowls

 

Korean BBQ Beef Rice Bowls

Savory beef with a tiny bit of bite
Print Recipe
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes
Course Main Course
Cuisine Asian
Servings 4 people

Equipment

  • 1 Skillet
  • 1 mixing bowl

Ingredients
  

  • 1 pound ground beef
  • 3 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 bunch scallions sliced (for garnish)

Sauce

  • 1/4 cup brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup soy sauce reduced sodium is better
  • 2 tsp sesame oil
  • 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper

Instructions
 

  • Brown the hamburger and garlic in a pan. Break it up into crumbles as it browns.
  • While the hamburger is cooking, whisk the sauce ingredients (brown sugar, soy sauce, sesame oil, red pepper, black pepper)
  • When the hamburger is browned, drain off the fat and mix in the garlic. Simmer for a minute.
  • Pour in the sauce. Simmer for another couple of minutes. Mix in the scallions and serve.

Notes

Serve over rice with a side of broccoli to round out a complete meal
Keyword ground beef

This recipe was an instant hit.  I have to make a double batch if I want leftovers for the next day.

Adapted from therecipecritic.com

Stir-Fried Udon Noodles with Pork

Pan-fried Udon Noodles with Pork

Delicious noodles
Print Recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Course Main Course
Cuisine Asian
Servings 4 people
Calories 570 kcal

Equipment

  • 1 Skillet large, like 14" cast iron
  • 1 bowl heat-safe

Ingredients
  

  • 3 tbsp Sesame oil
  • 1 bag Slaw mix, dry or about 4 cups chopped cabbage
  • 14 oz Instant udon noodles discard flavor packets, if included
  • 1 pound Ground pork
  • 1 bunch Scallions roughly half-dozen stalks, chopped and separated green from pale
  • 2 tsp Ginger Finely grated or minced
  • 1 tsp Crushed red pepper flakes
  • 1/3 cup Mirin
  • 1/3 cup Soy sauce
  • 1 tbsp Sesame seeds optional

Instructions
 

  • Put on a pot of water to boil, for the noodles later
  • Heat a tablespoon of oil in your skillet over medium-high heat
  • Add cabbage/slaw to the skillet, tossing often, until edges are brown. Reduce heat and continue cooking until thickest parts of the cabbage are tender.
    Remove from heat and transfer cabbage to bowl
  • Wipe out skillet, add a tablespoon of oil, and bring back to medium heat
  • Add pork to skillet, break it up, and cook until browned. Once the meat is broken up, don't keep fussing with it, give it a chance to get browner bits.
  • Once water from step 1 is boiling, turn off heat and add noodles.
    Let noodles sit for 1 minute, then drain. Toss with 1 tablespoon of oil and transfer to bowl with cabbage. Mix together.
  • To the pork, add the pale scallion bits, ginger, and red pepper flakes. Toss for a minute or so, until scallions start to soften.
  • Add noodles and cabbage, mirin, and soy sauce to skillet. Mix until noodles are well-coated with sauce.
  • Remove from heat and toss in green scallion bits and sesame seeds (if desired).

Notes

  • Requires a large skillet.  Our 14″ cast iron is the perfect size.  It’s not quite a one-pot meal, because there’s a swap of ingredients in the middle, but it’s close.
  • Mirin is like sweet sake syrup.  The Japanese equivalent of cooking sherry, you should be able to find bottles of it in the grocery store.
  • The original recipe was pretty strict about amounts, but we’ve found that this recipe is pretty tolerant of variation.
Keyword cabbage slaw, ground pork, noodles

Adapted from https://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/stir-fried-udon-with-pork

Egg Roll in a Bowl

 

eggroll in a bowl

Egg Roll in a Bowl

The classic egg roll stuffing, without the deep-frying
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Course Side Dish
Cuisine Asian
Servings 5

Equipment

  • High-sided skillet

Ingredients
  

  • 1 tbsp Sesame oil
  • 1 pound Ground pork Ground chicken or turkey work well, too
  • 1 Onion, white, small Chopped or diced
  • 3 cloves Minced garlic
  • 1 tbsp Ginger Fresh minced or mashed
  • 14 oz Coleslaw mix, dry that's one bag of pre-made coleslaw cabbage
  • 3 tbsp Soy sauce Reduced sodium is fine
  • 1 tbsp Rice wine vinegar
  • 1 tsp Sesame seeds optional

Instructions
 

  • Heat a tablespoon of sesame oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add in the meat and onions.
  • When the meat is nearly done and onion is soft and translucent, stir in garlic and ginger.  Cook for a few more minutes, stirring on occasion.
  • Dump in soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, and slaw.  Stir frequently until everything is well-mixed, the soy sauce and rice wine vinegar reduce,and the slaw softens up.
  • Season with salt and pepper to taste, and sprinkle with sesame seeds.

Notes

Egg roll in a bowl is a family favorite.  It tastes great while being reasonably healthy.
It’s a pretty low maintenance dish, so you can easily cook it alongside other things. Bagged slaw saves a ton of time.
This makes a pretty good meal by itself, or goes great as a side dish.
This recipe is adapted from http://theskinnyfork.com/blog/chicken-egg-roll-bowl
Keyword cabbage slaw, ground pork