Ginger Chicken and Broccoli

Stir fry fresh broccoli and tender chicken in a light ginger sauce for an easy and quick dinner in under 30 minutes!

Ingredients:

1 cup chicken broth

2-3 tbsps soya sauce

1 tsp fresh minced ginger

2 tbsps vegetable oil, divided

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cubed

2 cups broccoli florets

1 small onion, sliced

2 tbsps cornstarch

black pepper to taste

Mix broth, soya sauce and ginger together and set aside.

Heat 1 tbsp oil in a wok or skillet to medium high and cook the chicken 6-8 minutes. Remove to a plate. Then add the remaining 1 tbsp oil to the pan along with the onion and broccoli and cook 5 minutes. Add the cornstarch to the broth mixture, make a well in the center of the pan and pour it in, stirring all together. Add pepper to taste and bring to a boil. Return the chicken to the pan and reduce heat to a simmer, cooking until sauce thickens and everything is nicely coated.

Makes 3-4 servings

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Homemade Pork Dumplings

Jiaozi or Chinese dumplings are a food traditionally served during Chinese New Year to symbolize wealth and good fortune but can of course be made year round.  Irresistable little nuggets of tender pork, cabbage, garlic and ginger with a pungent soya, ponzu and rice wine vinegar sauce.  Serve as an appetizer, side dish or main.

Ingredients:

1 lb ground pork

1 tsp cornstarch

2 cups shredded and chopped cabbage or bagged coleslaw 

4 tsps minced garlic

4 green onions, sliced

2 tbsps hoisin sauce

1 tsp sesame oil

2 tsps fresh minced ginger

salt and pepper to taste

 

60 dumplings wrappers

2-4 tbsps vegetable oil for each batch

water

sliced green onions to garnish

 

Dumpling sauce:

1/4 cup soya sauce

1/4 cup ponzu sauce

3 tbsps rice wine vinegar

2 tsps sesame oil

1/2 tsp red pepper flakes 

 

Mix the pork, cornstarch, cabbage (chopped fine), garlic, green onions, hoisin, sesame oil, ginger, salt and pepper together in a large bowl. Have a small bowl of water ready. Unwrap only a few dumpling wrappers or skins at a time. Keep the rest wrapped so they don't dry out. Take a wrapper, wet your fingers in the water and moisten around the edge of the wrapper. Fill with 1 tsp of the prepared filling and fold over to seal. I used my dumpling/potsticker gadget but they can be easily made by hand. Place on a parchment lined pan and gently press down to flatten the bottom. 

I kept a clean dishtowel over the finished ones only taking it off for a pic, again so they wouldn't dry out.

You can continue cooking them from fresh or pop the baking sheets into the freezer for about 30 minutes to flash freeze then place in zipper top freezer bags. Remove as much air as possible and date them. They can stay in the freezer for up to 2 months.

To cook the dumplings heat 2 tbsps vegetable oil to medium/medium high heat. Put as many dumplings into the pan as will fit with space between as they will expand somewhat. Fry 1-2 minutes or until flat bottoms are golden then add 1/4 cup water and quickly cover with a lid to steam for 4-5 minutes. If they are being cooked from frozen you might just need 1-2 minutes more. Remove and keep warm. Add more vegetable oil to the pan to continue cooking the dumplings in batches.

Serve with dumpling sauce on the side for dipping or drizzle over the top. Add sliced green onions to garnish.

Makes 60

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Sriracha Shrimp and Green Beans

The addictive subtle, spicy taste of sriracha tempered with the sweetness of sweet chili sauce, crispy fresh green beans and plump shrimp stir fried together in a light sauce.

Ingredients:

600 g (21 oz) 16/20 size shrimp, peeled

12 oz fresh green beans

2 tsps sesame oil

1 carrot, julienned

 

Sriracha stir fry sauce:

6 tbsps soya sauce

6 tbsps sweet chili sauce

2-3 tbsps sriracha sauce

1 1/2 tbsps minced garlic

2 tsps fresh minced ginger

1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

3 green onions and black sesame seed to garnish

First blanch the green beans for 2-3 minutes, boiling them then plunging into a cold water bath. Drain. This can be done the day before and saves time when ready to cook but blanching is not a necessary step.

Whisk the sauce ingredients together and set aside.

Heat the sesame oil to medium high in a wok or skillet. Stir fry the green beans and carrots for 1-2 minutes or a little longer to tender crisp if not pre-blanched. Aren't these carrots beautiful? I picked them up at an Asian market... they're called fruit carrots and are a very deep orange colour, almost red!

Add the shrimp to the hot pan and cook until they are all pink stirring regularly. Add the sauce and on medium heat cook until slightly thickened.

Remove from heat and garnish with sesame seeds and sliced green onions.

Serves 4-6

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Chop Suey with Ramen

A heaping serving of ground beef, bean sprouts and assorted other veggies in a generously juicy sauce commonly served over white rice, but this time I opted for ramen noodles as the carb. 

Ingredients:

 t tbsp vegetable oil

1 lb ground beef

2 tsps minced garlic

1 ramen noodle cake (discard flavour packet)

218 ml (7 oz) can sliced water chestnuts 

1 carrot, shredded

3 green onions, sliced and divided white and green

2 celery stalks, sliced

370 g (13 oz) bean sprouts

1 cup water

salt and pepper to taste

 

Sauce:

1 1/2 tbsps soya sauce

1 1/2 tbsps oyster sauce

1 tbsps mirin or red wine vinegar

2 tsps sesame oil

1/2 tsp sugar (if using red wine vinegar)

 

Combine the sauce ingredients and set aside.

Heat oil to medium high in a wok or skillet. Add the beef and garlic and cook until no pink remains in the beef. Add the sauce and cook for 1 minutes. Add the carrot, celery, water chestnuts and white part of the green onions. Cook 1-2 minutes. Then push everything to the sides making a well in the center. Add water and place the ramen in the center pressing down to get into the water. (It won't be completely covered by the water, that's ok). Cover and leave to simmer for 1 minute then flip the ramen and cook 1 minute longer. You could use 2 ramen cakes for a more noodly dish but I wanted to highlight the veggies!

Separate the noodles with a fork and add the bean sprouts, green slices of green onion, salt and pepper. Stir together and cook 2 minutes longer.

Serves 4-5

Happy Year of the Dragon!

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Clear Out The Fridge Beef Chop Suey

A great way to use that lonely carrot or abandoned celery stalk left in your vegetable crisper. Make this very customizable recipe your own with what's in your fridge. Of course, bean sprouts are a must but you can use mushrooms, snow peas, broccoli, whatever is left behind in that drawer in your fridge!   

Ingredients:

1/2 lb ground beef

1/2 onion, diced

1 or 2 celery stalks, sliced

1 carrot, julienned

1/2 bell pepper, diced

1 tsp minced ginger

2 tsps minced garlic

2 cups shredded cabbage or bagged coleslaw

2 cups bean sprouts

a handful of chopped spinach

salt and pepper

1/2 cup beef broth

1/4 cup soya sauce

1 1/2 tbsps cornstarch

sliced green onion to garnish

In a wok or large skillet, brown the beef on medium high heat until no pink remains. Add some salt and pepper along with the onion, celery, carrot and bell  pepper. Stir fry 4-5 minutes.

Then add the ginger, garlic, cabbage, bean sprouts and spinach and cook for 2-3 minutes.

Combine the beef broth, soya sauce and cornstarch. Make a well in the center of the pan, pour the sauce in and whisk then stir together. Cook on medium heat until slightly thickened.

Give it a little taste to see if you want more salt, pepper or soya sauce.

Serves 2-3

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Sweet Potatoes and Greens

A very simple oven baked vegetable dish that you can serve with or without a garlic almond butter sauce. I prefer the vegetables on their own but my daughter likes the added layer of flavour with the sauce drizzled on.

Ingredients:

1 medium sweet potato, cut in 1/2 - 3/4" cubes

1 medium onion, sliced

1 1/2 tbsps vegetable oil

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

4 shanghai tips or baby bok choy, halved

2 cups roughly chopped spinach

1 celery stalk, sliced

Sauce: (optional)

5-7 tbsps water

4 tbsps almond butter

1 1/2 tbsps lemon juice

1 1/2 tbsps soya sauce

2 tsps minced ginger

2 tsps minced garlic

2 pinches red pepper flakes

shredded coconut and sliced green onion to garnish

Preheat oven to 425°F. 

Toss the sweet potatoes and onion with vegetable oil, salt and pepper and spread out in an oiled 13 X 9" baking pan and bake for 15 minutes. Then add the shanghai tips and celery, toss and return to the oven for 10 minutes.

Remove from the oven and mix in the spinach, stirring until it wilts. It's ready to serve as is or try the sauce on it.

Combine the sauce ingredients in a small saucepan, whisking until smooth and bring to a boil. Then simmer 5-10 minutes, adding extra water if needed then drizzle over the veggies. Sprinkle with shredded coconut and sliced green onions.

Serves 2-3

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Easy Homemade Char Siu

This Cantonese style BBQ pork originates from the province of Guangdong in China and is pronounced chaw see-u, which translates to "fork roasted" but should mean insanely flavourful! Roast it in the oven, then under the broiler for a bit to give this savory and sweet spiced pork a caramelized finish. Can't wait to try this recipe in the summer on the barbecue!

Ingredients:

2 pork tenderloins (2 - 2 1/2 lbs or 1 kg)

1/4 cup soya sauce

1/4 cup Shaoxing wine or rice wine vinegar

1/4 cup hoisin sauce

1/4 cup oyster sauce

1/4 cup sugar

2 tbsps molasses

2 tsps minced garlic

1 tsp five spice powder

3/4 tsp salt

10 drops red food colouring (optional)

2 tbsps honey

Prep the marinade and glaze at least one day before cooking. (You can double the marinade and have extra ready to try on something else, like maybe chicken?) Combine everything except the honey then take about half the mixture and pour it into a resealable plastic bag along with the pork. Remove as much air as possible and massage the marinade into the pork. Refrigerate anywhere from 12 hours to 3 days. Take the remaining marinade and pour it into a small saucepan along with the honey and heat to medium to melt the honey. Simmer 5 minutes, then cool. Place cooled glaze in a jar or container in the fridge.

When ready to cook line a large baking tray with foil and place a rack in it. This will ensure even roasting. Add about 1/4" of water into the pan. Drizzle some of the marinade over the meat then into a 450°F oven for 10 minutes. Brush some of the glaze that you have in a jar all over the meat then back in the oven for 10 minutes. Remove and glaze again and again back to the oven for 5 minutes. At this point the internal temperature in the the thickest part of the pork should read 145°F. If not, pop it in the oven a few more minutes. Then finish with a 3 minute broil, flip, baste with glaze again and broil another 3 minutes.

Cover loosely with foil and rest 10-15 minutes before slicing. Serve hot or at room temperature.

We sliced one tenderloin thinly and the other was cut in thick slices.

We had it along side these dishes...

Vegetable Chow Mein

https://hotandcoldrunningmom.blogspot.com/2023/01/vegetable-chow-mein.html

and Shanghai Tips

https://hotandcoldrunningmom.blogspot.com/2023/01/shanghai-tips-bok-choy.html

And leftovers can be added to a Pork Fried Rice or Chow Mein.

Serves 8

Original recipe from: omnivorescookbook.com

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Vegetable Chow Mein

A stir-fry of unbroken noodles is a tradition believed to bring good health and luck in the New Year. All these veggies can't hurt either! Happy Year of the Rabbit 🧧🐇

Ingredients:

1 tbsp vegetable oil

1/2 tsp sesame oil

1 tbsp chopped garlic

2 carrots, thinly sliced

1 medium onion, thickly sliced

2 cups shredded cabbage or bagged coleslaw mix

2 celery stalks, sliced

1/2 red bell pepper, thickly sliced

1/2 green bell pepper, thickly sliced

2 - 2 1/2 cups bean sprouts

2 green onions, slice and separate the white and green

About half box (500g pkg) Yet Ca Mein asian wheat noodles (or sub spaghetti)

salt and pepper to taste

Sauce:

3 tbsps hoisin sauce

3 tbsps soya sauce

1/2 tsp sugar

1/3 cup vegetable or chicken broth

1 tbsp cornstarch

Cook and drain the noodles, rinse with cold water and set aside in a bowl. Cut all the veggies and garlic. Combine the hoisin, soya sauce, sugar and broth in a bowl (not the cornstarch yet) and set aside. I prepped everything in the morning and grouped my vegetables as they would be needed in the recipe.

Heat vegetable oil and sesame oil in a wok or large skillet to medium heat and add the garlic for 30 seconds. Add the carrots and onion and stir for 1 minute before adding the rest of the vegetables, including the white slices of the green onion. Reserve the green for garnishing. Cook the veggies for 2-3 minutes. Whisk the cornstarch into the bowl with the sauce. Make a well in the center of the wok and add the sauce. Stir together and cook 1-2 minutes. Add the drained noodles to the pan along with salt and pepper. Stir well. (Note: if the noodles are a little clumped before adding them, just pour water over and drain again to loosen.) Taste and adjust, maybe adding more salt, pepper or soya sauce if needed.

Pour everything onto a serving platter and top with sliced green onion.

Serves 4 as a meal or 8 if serving with other dishes.

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