String Beans With Ginger And Garlic

This is the perfect accompaniment to any Chinese entree.  It is also wonderful with grilled steak.


Ingredients


Salt

2 1/2 pounds string beans (French-style slim haricots verts work especially well), trimmed

4 tablespoons vegetable or sesame oil

1/4 cup minced fresh ginger (about 6 inches ginger root, peeled)

4 medium-size garlic cloves, minced

Soy Sauce (optional)


Preparation


1.Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, and fill a large bowl with ice water. Working in two batches, boil beans until just tender but still crisp and bright green. Start testing after 4 minutes or so, being careful not to overcook. When done, plunge beans into ice water to stop cooking, lift out immediately when cool and drain on towels. (Recipe can be made to this point up to a day in advance and kept refrigerated, wrapped in towels.)

2.When ready to cook, heat 2 tablespoons oil in a wide skillet over high heat. Add half the beans, half the ginger and half the garlic, and cook, stirring and tossing constantly, until beans are heated through and ginger and garlic are softened and aromatic. Sprinkle with salt, and remove to a serving dish. Repeat with remaining oil, beans, ginger and garlic. Serve.

Add soy sauce if you wish

YIELD 10 servings .

No Takeout? No Problem!...Mongolian Beef

This Mongolian beef recipe is very close to the taste of PF Chang’s, except that  leeks are substituted for scallions. If you are not a fan of leeks, or can’t get them where you live, scallions work, too.

If you have a yen for Chinese after a weekend of bbq and no decent takeouts are to be found where you live, try this easy and quick recipe.  Maggi sauce, which is found everywhere nowadays, is used by Chinese chefs for a very authentic taste.  It  is wonderful as an addition to soups and stews so it won't go to waste.



Ingredients:

8 oz beef tenderloin (thinly sliced)

2 tablespoons cooking oil

2 stalks leeks (sliced diagonally) or leeks

1 inch ginger (finely chopped)

3 cloves garlic (thinly sliced)

1 stalk shredded scallion (white part only for garnishing)


Marinade:

1 teaspoon corn starch

1 teaspoon soy sauce

1 tablespoon water

1 teaspoon Chinese cooking wine (rice wine or Shaoxing wine)


Sauce:

2 teaspoons oyster sauce

2 tablespoons sweet soy sauce (ABC Kecap Manis)

1/2 teaspoon dark soy sauce

3 dashes white pepper powder

1/8 teaspoon sesame oil

1/4 teaspoon Maggi seasoning

Salt and sugar to taste


Method:

Marinate the beef slices with the seasonings for 30 minutes. Heat up a wok with 1 tablespoon of oil and stir-fry the marinated beef until they are half-done. Dish out and set aside.

Heat up another 1 tablespoon of oil and saute the garlic and ginger until aromatic. Add the beef back into the wok and then the sauce. Continue to stir-fry until the beef slices are almost done, then add the leeks into the wok. Do a few quick stirs, add salt and sugar to taste, dish out and garnish with the shredded scallions.

Serve hot.

Adapted from The Essence of Shangri-La via rasamalaysia.com

Poker Night At The Lake...General Tso's Chicken

Let's face it, when you live by a lake, sometimes things get pretty slow.  I haven't made too many friends since I've been here and frankly, that has been by choice.  Luckily, we have been blessed with wonderful young neighbors who are lots of fun and keep me entertained with outings on the lake and what have you.  One of the things I miss dearly though is playing cards.  I am a bridge player and used to play at least twice a week when I lived in New York and Miami.  Now I play on the computer, but that gets kind of boring sometimes.  I miss the feel of the cards in my hands.  I have found a duplicate group nearby and next week I think I'll check it out.  Unfortunately, duplicate bridge these days is full of, shall we say, older people?  Not very conducive to fun, especially on weekends!

 Last Saturday I organized a poker game here at the house and what better food to serve my friends than Chinese.  One of my neighbors adores General Tso's chicken and Chinese takeout is  hard to come by where we live.  You may have noticed the abundance of Chinese recipes here on the blog and that is for a good reason...if and when we want Chinese the only way to get it is by cooking it ourselves.

There are two versions of General Tso's chicken.  On one the chicken is coated and deep fried and on the other it is simply stir fried.  The traditional one and the one served most often in Chinese takeouts is the former and that is the one I served last weekend.  Both are wonderful so when you want a lighter version, go for the stir fried.

This recipe, although classified as Hunan, is really an American invention.  You will be hard pressed to find it in China.  You will also have a hard time finding it in most good Chinese cookbooks.  The recipe below is Martin Yan's stir fried version

Makes 4 servings

Ingredients

Marinade

3 tablespoons Chinese rice wine

or dry sherry

1-1/2 tablespoons oyster-flavored sauce

2 teaspoons cornstarch

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs,

cut into 1-inch pieces

Sauce

1/4 cup chicken broth

1 tablespoon rice vinegar

1 tablespoon regular soy sauce

1 tablespoon dark soy sauce

1 tablespoon sugar

2 teaspoons sesame oil

2 tablespoons cooking oil

6 small dried red chilies

1 tablespoon minced garlic

2 teaspoons minced ginger

2 green onions, cut into 1 inch lengths

1/2 teaspoon crushed dried red chilies

1-1/2 teaspoons cornstarch

dissolved in 1 tablespoon water

1/4 cup roasted peanuts, coarsely chopped



Getting Ready

Combine marinade ingredients in a bowl. Place chicken in marinade and turn to coat. Let stand for 10 minutes.

Combine sauce ingredients in a bowl.

Cooking

Place a wok over high heat until hot. Add oil, swirling to coat sides. Add chilies and stir-fry for 10 seconds. Add chicken and stir-fry for 2 minutes. Add garlic, ginger, green onions, and crushed chilies; stir-fry for 1 minute.

Add sauce and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add cornstarch solution and cook, stirring, until sauce boils and thickens.

Place chicken on a serving plate and sprinkle with peanuts.

This recipe was slightly changed on 10/26/10

Sesame Garlic Scallops

Scallops are delicious mussels that have amazing flavor and texture when selected and cooked properly. Scallops can usually be purchased at almost any local grocery store. They are found either fresh at the sea food counter, or in bags in the frozen section. There are two main varieties that are widely available. There are sea scallops, which are the large scallops, and then bay scallops, which are tiny in comparison. The best scallops to purchase are the fresh, large sea scallops. They are about 2 inches wide and must be used within a day or two. In this recipe, I substituted bay for sea scallops. When selecting fresh scallops make sure they are quite dry with no apparent liquid on or around them. Smell them to make sure that they are either odorless or have only a light sweet scent. Any strange or fishy odor is a definite sign that they have spoiled.

Cooking scallops is actually quite simple. They can be pan fried, grilled, baked, or broiled. Then main goal when cooking scallops is to make sure that they do not overcook. Scallops take just several minutes to cook and should be removed from the heat as soon as they turn opaque. Overcooked scallops will become chewy and rubbery in texture. The recipe below is a quick and simple way to make delicious scallops.   Enjoy!

Serve it with white rice and Stir Fry Beef With Snap Peas and Red Peppers coming out next in Lindaraxa's Garden, my main recipe blog.


Makes about 3 servings

Ingredients

15 sea scallops (I used 1 lb. frozen bay scallops)

¼ cup soy sauce

1 tbsp sherry

1 tsp hot chili garlic sauce

1 tsp pre chopped jarred garlic

1 tbsp honey

2 tsp sesame oil

1 tsp cornstarch

1½ tbsp peanut oil


Directions

1.Rinse the scallops under cold water and then dry them thoroughly with a paper towel. Lightly sprinkle each side with salt and pepper and set them aside.

2.In a large cup or bowl, mix together the soy sauce, sherry, hot chili garlic sauce, pre chopped garlic, honey, and sesame oil and set it aside.

3.In a small cup mix the cornstarch with just a little water until it dissolves. Set it aside.

4.Begin cooking the scallops by heating a non stick pan or wok on high. Add the peanut oil. Once the oil is hot add the scallops in a single layer in the pan or wok. Let them sit for 2 minutes or until they are brown. Then flip them over and let them once again sit for 2 minutes or until the other side is brown.

5.Once the scallops are brown, remove them from the pan and set them aside.

6.Without wiping out the pan or wok, add the sauce mixture and bring it to a boil.

7.Then add the cornstarch mixture and stir until thick. Turn the heat to medium.

8.Return the scallops to the sauce and let them simmer for about 2 minutes or just until they turn opaque.


Recipe adapted from Bellaonline

Chinese New Year...Minced Chicken with Walnuts in Lettuce Cups

This week we are hitting the trifecta of the food world.  Valentines Day, Mardi Gras and Chinese New Year.  If you publish a food blog, you could easily be a good candidate for a heart attack.  Fortunately Im not celebrating any of them in my house this year, but if I were, I would be sure to have plenty of these on hand.  They are delicious and a good alternative if you are trying to cut back and get ready for the big one, Valentine's Day!

This is my version of a favorite banquet dish that's often served on festive occasions as a symbol of longevity. The crisp, chilled lettuce makes a wonderful contrast to the warm filling, and the sweetness of the hoisin sauce.  If you like Chinese food, I encourage you to try this...you won't be sorry!

4-6 servings
Ingredients

6 fresh or dried shiitake mushrooms (or dried black mushrooms)
3/4 cup walnuts
1/2 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast or duck meat
1 tablespoon oyster-flavored sauce
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon minced ginger
1 clove garlic
 scallions chopped fine
1 small carrot, finely minced
1 small stalk celery, minced
1 cup diced water chestnuts
1 tablespoon Chinese rice wine OR dry sherry
1 teaspoon sesame oil
vegetable oil
Hoisin sauce
Soy Sauce
12 small iceberg lettuce cups


Directions

Clean mushrooms, discard stems and chop caps.

Spread walnuts in a pie pan. Toast in preheated 350-degree oven, stirring once or twice, until lightly browned, about 10 minutes. Let nuts cool, then coarsely chop.

Cut chicken or duck into 1/4-inch pieces. Place in a bowl with oyster-flavored sauce; stir to coat. Let stand 10 minutes.

Place a wok over high heat until hot. Add vegetable oil, swirling to coat sides. Add ginger and garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 10 seconds. Add chicken or duck and stir-fry 1 minute. Add carrot, celery, scallions and water chestnuts; stir-fry 30 seconds.

Cook until vegetables are tender-crisp, about 2 minutes. Add wine and sesame oil; cook until heated through. Add walnuts and toss to coat. Add 1 TB soy sauce and 1 TB hoisin sauce. Toss to coat.

To serve, spread hoisin sauce on a lettuce cup, spoon in some of chicken mixture, in lettuce cup and eat out of hand.

Photo: Serious Eats

Dress Simply...Jean Georges Fried Rice

From Jean Georges via Mark Bittman comes this delightful recipe and a video to boot! Now, fried eggs over white rice is a long standing Cuban tradition, or is it? Got me thinking wether we might not have arrived at it through the large influx of Chinese to Cuba in pre-Castro days.  In any event, who cares who claims credit for this wonderful combination.  If you have never had an egg on  rice, this is a good way to start!

Yield: 4 Servings

Ingredients

1/2 cup peanut oil

2 tablespoons minced garlic

2 tablespoons minced ginger

Salt

2 cups thinly sliced leeks, white and light green parts only, rinsed and dried

4 cups day-old cooked rice, preferably jasmine, at room temperature

4 large eggs

2 teaspoons sesame oil

4 teaspoons soy sauce.


Directions

1. In a large skillet, heat 1/4 cup oil over medium heat. Add garlic and ginger and cook, stirring occasionally, until crisp and brown. With a slotted spoon, transfer to paper towels and salt lightly.

2. Reduce heat under skillet to medium-low and add 2 tablespoons oil and leeks. Cook about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until very tender but not browned. Season lightly with salt.

3. Raise heat to medium and add rice. Cook, stirring well, until heated through. Season to taste with salt.

4. In a nonstick skillet, fry eggs in remaining oil, sunny-side-up, until edges are set but yolk is still runny.

5. Divide rice among four dishes. Top each with an egg and drizzle with 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil and 1 teaspoon soy sauce. Sprinkle crisped garlic and ginger over everything and serve.



The Minimalist: Fried Rice, Dressed Simply (January 27, 2010)
Photo Credit: Evan Sung The New York Times