A Life, Lived

Chicken and Broccoli Stir Fry

I had some broccoli that needed to be eaten or tossed (and I hate tossing veggies). When I was planning the menu I realized that I hadn't made a stir fry in some time. I turned to google and this recipe from a food blogger I recently discovered popped up.

I was a bit worried that there would be no flavour because the sauce consists of mostly water. That being said, anything I have made from this blog turned out well so I decided to give it a try.

This is a quick and easy recipe for a chicken broccoli stir fry that has just about the least number of ingredients you can get away with but still deliver a dish tastes delicious. Yes, it has plenty of savoury homemade stir fry sauce which is great - we really like a saucy stir fry so that the rice is soaked in deliciousness.

Chicken and Broccoli Stir Fry

2 tbsp cornstarch
3 tbsp soy sauce, all purpose or light
1 1/2 tbsp Chinese cooking wine or Mirin or Sherry if unable to find Mirin
3 tbsp oyster sauce
2 tsp sesame oil
Dash of white pepper (sub black)
2 tbsp oil , peanut, vegetable or canola
1/2 onion , sliced
2 garlic cloves, finely minced
500g/1 lb chicken thighs or breast, thinly sliced
400g/ 14 oz broccoli florets, broken/cut into small bite size pieces (2 medium heads, ~5 cups)
1 1/4 cups water

Steam or boil the broccoli using preferred method until cooked to your taste. (I microwave steamed it for 3 minutes on high.) Drain well.

Mix cornstarch and soy sauce, then mix in remaining ingredients.

Heat oil in a large skillet or wok over high heat. Add garlic and onion, stir for 10 seconds until garlic starts to go golden.

Then add chicken and cook for 2 minutes or until the chicken is just cooked through.

Add broccoli, Sauce and water. Stir well and cook for 1 to 2 minutes until the Sauce thickens and becomes glossy, and coats the ingredients.

Serve over rice.

Garlic Pork with Bok Choy

Our CSA has been delivering huge Bok Choy for the past few weeks. As far as I am concerned this is a great thing because it adds amazing crunch to a stir fry and stir fries are likely the ultimate weeknight meal. They come together quickly and if you are lucky you will have lots of yummy left overs to take to work for lunch the next day!

One thing I always loved about Chinese food was the texture they achieved with meat in their stir fry dishes. It was always tender and melted in your mouth. I discovered they used a process called velveting. The classic way to velvet is using egg whites and cornstarch. Experts say this is the best way to velvet chicken.

However, most restaurants use a cheaper method that works with all meats. This method uses baking soda and cornstarch. This is the method I use because the ingredients are always readily available. Plus I never really find a use for that lone egg yolk so it’s less wasteful.

You velvet the meat for up to one hour so it does add a bit of prep time, but I find it’s well worth it. Of course you don’t have to do this if you want dinner on the table in about 20 minutes. The dish will still taste great but the meat will have a different texture.

 

Garlic Pork with Bok Choy

1 lb lean pork loin, sliced in strips
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 cups sliced bok choy (including the green leaves)
2 cups fresh mushrooms, sliced (I used sliced king oyster mushrooms)
3 tbs oil
Marinade:
¼ cup soy sauce
2 tbs white wine
2 tsp cornstarch
1 tsp baking soda
Stir Fry Sauce:
1 cup top-quality chicken stock
¼ cup low-sodium soy sauce
2 tbs mirin -OR- white wine (if using white wine, add 1 tsp sugar)
1 tsp dark sesame oil
2 tbs corn starch

Place pork in plastic zipper bag. Mix marinade in a small bowl then pour over the pork. Seal the bag and and mush to distribute marinade. Marinate for 1 hour.

In a small bowl, mix all stir fry sauce ingredients; set aside.

In a large deep skillet or wok, heat oil over high heat. When oil shimmers, add the pork and the garlic. Stir fry until pork begins to brown.

Add the bok choy and mushrooms (if using). Stir fry until green bok choy leaves are bright green. Stir in sauce and cook until sauce bubbles and thickens; cook for 1 minute.

Serve over jasmine or basmati rice.

Spicy-Sweet Chicken and Vegetable Stir Fry

This colorful chicken and veggie stir-fry, from the folks at Cooking Light,  features a sweet-spicy sauce and a topping of dry-roasted peanuts, which add delicious crunch. It comes together quickly (once you've done all of your chopping and measuring) making it perfect for a quick weeknight meal. The fact that it tasted amazing is another bonus. Then there is the calorie count . . . 349.

Sign me up!

    Spicy-Sweet Chicken and Vegetable Stir Fry

3 tablespoons dark brown sugar

1 1/2 tablespoons lower-sodium soy sauce

1 tablespoon fish sauce

1 tablespoon rice vinegar

1 tablespoon sambal oelek

1 teaspoon dark sesame oil

3/4 teaspoon cornstarch

2 tablespoons canola oil, divided

1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast, cut into bite-sized pieces

8 ounces sugar snap peas

1 red bell pepper, sliced

1/2 medium red onion, cut into thin wedges

1/4 cup sliced green onions

1/4 cup unsalted dry-roasted peanuts

 

Combine the first 7 ingredients, stirring well; set aside.

 

Heat a large wok or large heavy skillet over high heat. Add 1 tablespoon canola oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add chicken; stir-fry 4 minutes or until browned and done. Remove chicken from wok. Add remaining 1 tablespoon canola oil to wok; swirl to coat. Add sugar snap peas, bell pepper, and red onion; stir-fry 3 minutes or until vegetables are crisp-tender. Stir in brown sugar mixture; cook 1 minute or until thickened. Stir in chicken; toss to coat. Sprinkle with green onions and peanuts.

Mango Chicken

The combination of heat and sweet is a roller coaster for our taste buds and a partnership that lurks behind—knowingly or not—our affection for so many Asian dishes. Here, that combination upgrades a basic chicken stir-fry to something special with just two ingredients: The heat comes from a lashing of chili sauce (look for the bottle with the Red Rooster and a green screw-on cap) and the sweet from a thin coating of quick-cooked mango chunks.

As with all stir fries, this comes together quickly. You should have all of your ingredients prepped and ready to go BEFORE you turn on the stove.

Not only does this stir fry taste amazing but it has only 260 calories per serving. SCORE

Mango Chicken

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs, chopped into 1/2" pieces
1 Tbsp cornstarch
1 Tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
½ Tbsp sesame oil
½ Tbsp peanut or canola oil
1 red onion, chopped
1 Tbsp grated or minced fresh ginger
2 cups sugar snap peas
1 mango, peeled, pitted, and chopped
1 Tbsp chili garlic sauce (preferably sambal oleek)
Black pepper to taste

Combine the chicken, cornstarch, soy sauce, and sesame oil in a mixing bowl and let sit for 10 minutes.

Heat the peanut oil in a wok or large skillet over high heat. Add the onion and ginger and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, until the onion is translucent. Add the sugar snaps and stir-fry for 1 minute, using a metal spatula to keep the vegetables in near-constant motion. Add the chicken, along with its marinade, and stir-fry for about 2 minutes, until the meat begins to brown on the outside. Add the mango, chili sauce, and black pepper and stir-fry for 1 minute longer, until the chicken is cooked through and the mango has softened into a near sauce-like consistency. Serve over brown rice.

Pork and Sweet Potato Curry

Our CSA shipment has been offering up plenty of sweet potatoes lately. Since we were not really sweet potato eaters growing up neither Paul or I have a repertoire of recipes to use. I spend a lot of time on google trying to find new ones. Turns out this one was on the cookbook shelf all along - in the Donna Hay Simple Dinners book.

Pork and sweet potatoes are classic comfort foods that get a real boost in flavor from spicy red curry paste, fish sauce, some fresh lime and creamy coconut milk in this easy, quick-to-fix Thai curry. Serve with a cucumber salad and steamed jasmine rice for a satisfying dinner.

The only change I made was to up the curry paste. I used the required amount and thought the flavour was 'blah'. In the end I think I use 2/3 a cup. Thai curry paste isn't necessarily spicy but it is flavourful so you want to gt that balance right.

Pork and Sweet Potato Curry

1/4 cup red curry paste
2 pounds pork stew meat ( or 1 KG pork shoulder trimmed and cut into bite sized cubes)
1 TB grated fresh ginger
8 kaffir lime leaves, lightly crushed
2 cups coconut cream
2 cups chicken stock
1 3/4 pounds sweet potato, peeled and cubed
2 TB lime juice
1 TB fish sauce
1 TB brown sugar
1/2 cup cilantro leaves
1/2 Thai basil leaves
1/2 cup mint leaves
2 green onions, trimmed and shredded
steamed jasmine rice, to serve

Heat a large, deep, non-stick frying pan or wok over medium high heat.

Add the curry paste and cook for 1 minute or until fragrant.

Add the pork to the curry paste. Cook, stirring, until the pork is well coated.

Add the ginger, lime leaf, coconut cream and stock. Simmer, covered, for 20 minutes.

Add the sweet potato, cover, and simmer for a further 20 minutes or until the sweet potato and pork is cooked through.

Mix in the lime juice, fish sauce, and brown sugar. Check for a balance of flavours.

Spoon the curry into bowls with rice. Serve with cilantro leaves, Thai Basil leaves, mint leaves and shredded green onion as a garnish.

Thai Blackberry Basil Chicken

Let's clear one thing up good and fast - there is nothing Thai about this other than a few flavours. I doubt you'd find a blackberry anywhere in Thailand other than a phone.

That aside it was a yummy addition to the menu.

I had planned on making this weeks ago but it kept getting pushed aside by work and life. Last night, when Paul came home from visiting his mother in the hospital, we had a delicious dinner.

I followed the recipe as written but used Thai Basil instead of the regular kind. This was what drew me to the recipe in the first place - I really wanted to use up some of the Thai Basil growing in the pot out front. It has been a very good year for it.

Paul really appreciated the mix of sweet blackberries and the savoury sauce.

Next time I might leave out the soy sauce and double the hoisin sauce - I thought the dish was just a tad on the salty side.

Thai Blackberry Basil Chicken

3-4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite size pieces
2 tablespoons fish sauce
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon hoisin sauce
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 teaspoons sugar
1 cup blackberries
handful fresh basil leaves, thinly sliced (I used Thai Basil)
2 tablespoons roughly chopped cashews

In a small bowl whisk together fish sauce, garlic, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, rice vinegar, red pepper flakes, sugar.

Drizzle a large pan or skillet with oil and bring to medium heat. Add chicken and stir 4-5 minutes until browned.

Add sauce to pan and continue to stir over heat for 3-4 more minutes until chicken is cooked through.

Add blackberries and basil and stir another 1-2 minutes. Sprinkle with cashews and serve immediately.

Sesame Beef with Snow Peas

Here's a stir-fry far better than most take-out Chinese, and you can make it with any lean cut of meat — flank steak, London broil, tenderloin, sirloin or skirt steak — so long as it is cut thin against the grain. The recipe called for snow peas, but sugar snaps are juicier and more succulent, and just as crunchy. (Their downside is that they are slightly more work: they need to be thinly sliced.)

This recipe comes from one of my favorite long-time blogs Back Road Journal. My experience with her recipes is that they are flavourful and generally more healthy than others you'll find online.

Paul had everything prepped and ready to go when I came home from work the other day. 30 minutes later we were sitting down to a wonderful dinner.

Sesame Beef With Snow Peas In A Garlic Ginger Sauce

1 lb. of sirloin or steak of your choice, sliced 1/4 inch thick against the grain into bite size strips (you can buy pre sliced or slightly freeze the steak for easier cutting)
6 Tbsp. peanut or canola oil
2 onions, cut into quarters and then cut into 1/4 inch slices
2 Tbsp. freshly grated ginger
4 Tbsp. minced garlic, about 4 or 5 cloves
2 c. snow peas, cut in half on the diagonal
2 Tbsp. toasted sesame seeds
2 Tbsp. corn starch
1/2 tsp. white pepper
2 tsp. sesame oil
1 tsp. corn starch
4 Tbsp. water
4 Tbsp. oyster sauce
2 Tbsp. tamari or soy sauce
3 Tbsp. chili sauce with garlic 
4 Tbsp. Shaoxing Chinese rice wine, sherry or white wine
3 tsp. sesame oil
1 Tbsp. brown sugar

Marinate the beef by sprinkling with the corn starch and stir to coat. Add the pepper and sesame oil, stir and let marinate at least 30 minutes and up to an hour. (This Chinese technique helps to tenderize the meat).

In the meantime, prepare the sauce by dissolving 1 tsp. corn starch in the water then add the remaining sauce ingredients. Mix well and taste for flavor, if necessary adjust to your own taste and then set aside until ready to cook.

Heat the peanut oil in a large skillet until very hot. Cook, not stirring the beef, in batches so that the meat browns and doesn’t steam, about 30 seconds on each side. As each batch is finished, remove to a paper towel to drain.

Add the onions to the skillet and cook until translucent, then add the ginger, garlic and snow peas and cook until the peas are just starting to get tender. Remove to a bowl and set aside. Wipe out any remaining oil and add the sauce to the skillet. Cook until it thickens slightly. Add the meat back to the pan, stirring until just heated through. Then add the vegetables, sprinkle with the sesame seeds and stir until heated through. Remove the stir fry to a large platter and serve.

Ginger Sesame Chicken with Bok Choy and Mushrooms

It has been a mild fall here and as a result out CSA continued to deliver fresh from the ground veggies far later in the year than normal. In particular, a regular supply of beautiful bok choy. I decided on this stir fry from Food and Wine as a vehicle to enjoy it.

I really liked this dish, but I was hoping for more vegetables overall, especially more bok choy. The sauce had some nice heat without being too spicy (although I would have been happy with more :-) ), so I will definitely try this recipe again with more veggies - likely more bok choy, some onion, and some more peppers.

Ginger Sesame Chicken with Bok Choy and Mushrooms

1/2 cup chicken broth

3 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce

1 tablespoon sherry

1 tablespoon sugar

1 teaspoon cornstarch dissolved in 1 tablespoon water

1/2 teaspoon unseasoned rice vinegar (I only had seasoned, so I used that)

1/2 teaspoon Asian sesame oil

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper

3 tablespoons olive oil, divided

1 pack of button mushrooms, sliced (feel free to use the pre-sliced kind)

1 pack of chicken tenders, cut into 1 inch pieces

Salt and freshly ground pepper

2 bunches of bok choy, thickly cut crosswise

1 small red bell pepper, sliced with seeds removed

2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh ginger

1 garlic clove, minced

 

To make the sauce, combine the chicken broth, soy sauce, sherry, sugar, dissolved cornstarch mixture, rice vinegar, sesame oil, and crushed red pepper in a medium-sized jar. Shake well.

 

Prepare all your vegetables, ginger, and garlic.

 

In a large sauté pan, heat 2 teaspoons of olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned and tender, about 6 minutes.

 

Transfer the mushrooms to a large plate or bowl. Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Add another 2 teaspoons of oil to the pan. Once heated, add the chicken and cook until just barely cooked through, about 4 minutes.

 

Transfer to the same dish as the mushrooms. Add 1 tablespoon oil to the pan and add the bok choy and red pepper. Cook for about 3 minutes

 

Transfer to the dish. Add the remaining 2 teaspoons to the sauté pan. Add the ginger and garlic and cook for 1 minute, or until fragrant.

 

Return the chicken and vegetables to the pan. Shake the sauce in the jar and add to the pan.

 

Bring to a boil and simmer until slightly thickened, about 1 minute.

 

Transfer to a bowl and serve.

 

Pad Kee Mao (Spicy Chicken and Rice Noodles)

It is official - the last of the Thai basil is gone. The cool weather was wreaking havoc on it so I used it all up in this recipe and we are done until spring.

How sad is that?

The literal translation of Pad Kee Mao is “Drunken Noodles” because the theory is that these spicy noodles are perfectly accompanied with an ice cold beer and also that they are a great cure for hangover. I can not confirm that either of these is true -we enjoyed this dish with a delicious reisling.

There are all sorts of variations of Pad Kee Mao in Thailand and even more in the western world. In Thailand the two constants are chicken and Thai Basil, and quite often it came with baby corn as well, though from my research I couldn’t confirm that this was a “must have” in this dish. Thai Basil is different to ordinary sweet / Italian basil, it has a mild aniseed and mint flavour. Die-hard Thai purists will tell you that you must use Thai Basil or Thai Holy Basil to make this recipe, otherwise don’t bother. I say that it’s not a make or break. While you can definitely taste the difference if you eat the leaves plain, once stir fried with the other ingredients and the sauce, I bet most people wouldn’t be able to tell whether it’s ordinary or Thai Basil.

I made this for dinner on Friday and LOVED it! Yes, it was THAT good.

Pad Kee Mao (Spicy Chicken and Rice Noodles)

• 1 (14-ounce) package wide rice noodles
• 1/4 cup oyster sauce
• 1/4 cup fish sauce
• 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice (from about 2 limes)
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 medium shallots, peeled and thinly sliced
• 3 medium garlic cloves, peeled and coarsely chopped
• 1 pound ground chicken
• 2 medium red or green bell peppers, thinly sliced
• 3 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 2 medium jalapeño peppers, thinly sliced
• 1 cup loosely packed Thai basil leaves

Place noodles in a large bowl and cover with boiling water. Soak for about 15 minutes, until loose and pliable but not soft; drain and set aside. Meanwhile, combine oyster sauce, fish sauce, and lime juice in a medium nonreactive bowl, mix well, and set aside.

Heat oil in a large (12-inch) frying pan over medium-high heat. Once heated, add shallots and garlic and cook for 2 minutes or until softened but not brown. Add ground chicken and break into small pieces. Cook until chicken is white and almost cooked through, about 3 minutes.  Add bell peppers and stir-fry just until they begin to soften, about 5 minutes.

Push chicken mixture to one side of the pan and add eggs to the center. Scramble with a spatula until eggs are set and don’t run, about 1 minute. Push eggs to the side and add reserved sauce mixture. Once the sauce is boiling, add the drained noodles and toss to coat. Remove from heat, add jalapeños and basil, and toss to combine; serve immediately.

Spicy Thai Basil Beef

Here is another recipe for those looking for ways to use up a bumper crop or Thai basil . . . or for those of you just looking for something yummy to make!

This came together quickly and was good . ..but not quite great. For greatness I think it needs more chillies and Thai Basil.

Spicy Thai Basil Beef

3 T fish sauce
1 T soy sauce
1 t lime juice
1 T brown sugar
1 T cooking oil (canola works fine)
2 large cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1-2 Thai chilies, finely chopped (jalapeños or serranos will work as well)
1 lb ground sirloin
1/2 lb fresh green beans (cut into 1″ pieces)
1/2 c red bell pepper strips
1 c Thai or sweet basil (loosely packed)
2 c cooked rice

In a small bowl, whisk together the fish sauce, soy sauce, lime juice and brown sugar. Set aside. Heat the oil in a large skillet or wok and add the garlic.  Cook over medium high heat for about a few seconds, then add the chilies and cook for about a minute or so.

Add the ground beef to the garlic & chilies.  Break up the meat with your spoon as it cooks, taking care to brown completely. Once browned, add the green beans and bell pepper strips, and cook for about 2-3 minutes, until tender. Add the sauce and mix until completely incorporated. Cook for about 30-60 seconds and remove from heat.  Finally, add the basil and mix well.

Serve over cooked brown or white rice. Garnish with a couple extra sprigs of basil and some lime wedges if you like, and enjoy!