Sesame Chicken: Take 2

Yep, this is a take two since I've posted about it before, but since I didn't do significantly better this time I'm not updating the recipe. This dish has caused me a certain amount of frustration, I can't quite seem to get it to be how I want. This time I got some help though, I recruited my niece Bethany, who has started a food blog called The Color Plate, to give it a whack and see what she could do. If you want to see how she did you'll have to go over there to The Color Plate. You should go over there anyway, she's quite good with a camera and much more charming than me. Expect me to mention her blog (The Color Plate) repeatedly. I believe that there was an implied threat if I didn't...

So, sesame chicken then. This time I didn't use carrots since I didn't have any and didn't feel like going to the store. I did have broccoli though, as is illustrated in the picture below, so I used that. I also had fresh ginger, which made a bit of a difference, and I decided to toss some sliced shallot in there for kicks. One thing I didn't have though was cornstarch and I didn't realize it until I had everything prepped. Whoops. Ah well, thin sauce then. Other than the fresh ginger the only other major change I made this time was to use some mirin. Great stuff, next time I'm going to cut back on the honey and use more of it, I think that will be an improvement. At this point I also noticed that I had completely neglected to cook rice. So what starchy goodness cooks in mere moments? Ramen. Perfect. Pro-tip: no counter space? Plate up your stuff in your empty dish drainer. No empty dish drainer? Do your chores before you cook, you slacker. Heh. That's it, sesame chicken, take two. I'm not done with this recipe yet though, it shall not beat me. I will emerge triumphant. Eventually.

But as for you, dear readers, why not go to The Color Plate, if you haven't already, and see what Bethany is up to? I have mentioned her, right? Heh.

Steamed Buns

So some time last year I made steamed buns with some kind of chicken filling. I know I did it not only because I remember eating them, but because I have pictures. Heh, pretty definitive proof there. What I don't have is a recipe. I know I had one, but I can't find it anywhere. Which sucks, because they were wicked good.

I googled around a bit but couldn't find anything that looked familiar. I have a general idea of what I did and I remember it taking a long time for all the various rises (which is why the last two pics are under my crappy kitchen light). What I did was this.

I made dough.Which needed a sponge, I believe, and then a second rise after kneading.
I made filling, which I recall me trying to make taste kind of like char siu since char siu bao is what got me wanting to make these. I wrapped the filling with the dough. I remember having to then let them rise again in the steamer. Then I steamed them. And they were awesome. But no, no recipe. So who out there has a good recipe for bao dough? I sure could use one.

Beef and Broccoli Stromboli

Just a quickie here, something that I made with some leftovers. The beef is actually one of those pre-marinated packs from Trader Joe's and I have to admit I was not impressed. Not impressed at all.

It claimed to be "Korean short ribs" and while the marinade might have been Korean, the meat wasn't ribs, it was chuck steak. Now I like chuck steak, don't get me wrong, but when I buy something that says it's one thing and it turns out to be another I'm not best pleased.

Course, I wouldn't have cared if it had tasted good... Now, it wasn't awful, but it wasn't something I'd buy again. Or recommend to others. I wasn't going to just throw it out though, it wasn't that bad, so I did my old standby. I wrapped it in pizza dough. The marinade it was in reminded me of the beef and broccoli from a Chinese restaurant I used to go to so I figured I would toss some broccoli and onion in there and call it a meal. It filled my stomach even if it didn't thrill my palate, so at least it wasn't a total waste.

Despite the lackluster protein, I liked the concept of Asian goodie filled pizza dough. It reminded me of steamed buns, but crispy on the outside and with more flavor in the bread. This is something I'm going to do more with, but next time I'm making my own marinade.

Italian Fried Rice

-2 Italian sausages (~1/3 lb)
-1/2 cup chopped onion
-1/2 cup chopped pepper
-2 cups leftover rice
-1 tsp chopped fresh oregano
-1/2 tbl chopped fresh basil
-2 tbls fresh parsley
-2 cloves of garlic, minced
-1/4 tsp ginger, minced
-2 tbls parmesan cheese, grated
-pinch of red pepper flakes
-salt and pepper

Heat up a nonstick wok, stir fry pan or saute pan over medium/medium-high heat. Brown the sausage breaking it up into small pieces as you do. Once it's cooked transfer it to a paper towel lined plate, leaving a little of the fat in the pan. Add the onions and cook them until slightly soft and browned. Add the garlic and ginger and cook until fragrant, about 30-40 seconds. Add the peppers and cook them until they are as soft as you like. Transfer the vegetables to the same plate as the sausage. Add about a tablespoon of olive oil to the pan, let it get hot and add the rice. Stir it around to coat it with the oil and then let it sit for a minute to get crispy. Stir and repeat until it's as crispy as you want. Add the oregano, parsley, basil, parmesan, red pepper flakes and salt and pepper to taste. Mix it to combine then add the vegetables and sausage. Mix it up again and let it cook for a little bit to make sure every thing is hot.

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When I made the garlic pan fried noodles last week there was quite a bit of interest in some Italian/Asian fusion. Sure, a lot of the interest was from me, but that's fine. I'm going to explore the idea anyway. Heh. We got some Chinese take-out the other day and ordered extra rice so I would have some leftovers to play with. I decided to Italian it up, see how it went. It went quite well. Quite well, indeed. I basically just used an asian method of using leftover rice with Italian style stuff. Like standard fried rice you could use anything you want, really. It's like stew or casserole, clean out the fridge.

First, I cooked up a couple Italian sausages. I like nonstick for making fried rice. You don't get quite as good a texture but you don't have to use anywhere near so much oil, making it less heavy. Once the sausage was browned, cooked through and broken up I moved it to a paper towel lined plate. I left about a half a tablespoon of fat in the pan to cook the vegetables in. Which is what I did next. First the onions, then I added the garlic and ginger, then finally the peppers. I just heated the peppers through, pretty much, since I don't like squishy peppers. I moved the veggies to the plate with the sausage and heated up some olive oil in the pan. You want to use just enough to lightly coat the rice, but not so much that it gets all oily. I used about a tablespoon, I think. Maybe a little less. Should have measured it, sorry about that. Then I tossed the rice in there and stirred it to coat everything. I let it sit for a minute, then stirred it and let it sit again. I did that a couple times until there was some browning on the rice. I know you can't see it, but I assure you there was some. Then I added the sausage and veggies back in, as well as the herbs and cheese. Stirred it around to combine and make sure everything was hot and that's it. Italian fried rice. It was wicked good. Next time I will be making some changes, of course. I liked the ginger in there, it added some nice flavor, I might add a little more. But I'm not sure, I don't want it to become overpowering. A splash of white wine would have been good, so would some tomatoes somewhere in there. I was thinking maybe a little balsamic vinegar, maybe some broccoli and chopped spinach. Chopped prosciutto or salami would be good too, I expect. Maybe some of those pickled hot peppers whose name I can't remember. What do you kids think, what else would be good in Italian fried rice?

Garlic Pan Fried Noodles

There is a Chinese place around the corner from me that has garlic pan fried noodles on the menu. I've ordered them several times, the first they were spectacular, garlicky and rich (but not greasy) with some bits of noodle crispy and some still soft. Every other time they have been greasy and tasted like burnt garlic. This angered me. So I decided I would try to make them myself, as I have a wont to do. I'm not going to post a recipe since I don't have one yet as this is really a work in progress. But it's a sound concept and makes a good side dish, so I figured I'd share the idea with you folks.

First I cooked up a package of ramen, no seasonings. I love this stuff. Then I heated up some olive oil (next time I'm going to use my garlic/ginger infused stir fry oil) over medium high heat and pressed a clove of garlic in there. I also love my garlic press. Heh. I let it cook for just a minute and then tossed in the noodles. I added a pinch of salt and a twist of fresh black pepper and gave it a good stir. I tasted it and it didn't have as much garlic flavor as I wanted so I minced up another clove real fast (I had already put my garlic press in the dirty sink, of course, and really didn't feel like washing it) and tossed it in there. This wasn't the best choice. Even though I added it off to the side and gave it a quick saute it still added some raw garlic flavor. It also needed more oil so there was enough to lightly coat the noodles so I added a bit. The noodles got some nice texture and the end product was good, if not great. I also wound up tearing that basil I used as a garnish into bits and adding that in. That was a nice touch. Maybe next time I'll do a total Chinese/Italian fusion thing. One thing I think I'm going to do is make a quick garlic infused oil to use instead of pieces of garlic. That way I won't have to worry about burning it. And I'm going to sprinkle some sesame oil over it at the last. Because it smells awesome.

And I'm submitting it to Presto Pasta Nights! Hosted by Girlichef

Repost: Chicken With Cashews

1 1/2 lbs boneless/skinless chicken breast
3 tbls hoisin sauce
2 tbls soy sauce
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp sherry or 1/2 tsp of rice wine vinegar
1 tbl cornstarch
1 can water chestnuts
1/2 - 1 cup roasted, unsalted cashews
sesame oil

Cut up the chicken into bite sized chunks. Toss it with the cornstarch and sherry or vinegar. Mix together the hoisin, sugar and soy sauce. Heat up a nonstick stir fry pan or skillet over med/med high. Cook the chicken in batches if you want browning or all together if you don't care. When the chicken is almost done add the sauce mixture. Cook over med/med-high for a minute or so, then add the water chestnuts. Cook till the chicken is done then add the cashews. Stir it up and serve over rice, sprinkle a little sesame oil over the top right before eating.

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Stuff has been wicked busy lately so you kids are getting a repost. I originally did this way back at the beginning of my blog and it wasn't very well done. The post, I mean. The dish hasn't changed a bit, it's awesome, but the pictures I put up make me want to cry. If you really want to see it, it's here. Anyway, I don't have step by step shots this time around but it's so easy I don't think they are needed. Which is convenient since I don't have them. Heh. This is one of the easiest and simplest stir fries I make and also one of my favorites. It's great over rice or noodles or even by itself, if you aren't feeling it for carbs. Put it in a wrap with some carrots and lettuce, that would be good too. Or toss some chow mein noodles on there for some additional texture.

Speaking of texture, the water chestnuts are key to this. They lighten up the flavor a bit and give a great contrast to the tender chicken. But then, I love water chestnuts. It's another one of those things I've noticed people either love or hate, where do you folks stand?

Potato Flat Bread (Paratha)

1/2 cup of cooked, peeled potato
1 cup flour*
1 tsp fresh chopped cilantro
1/2 tsp dried onion
1 tsp sugar
1/2 cup warm water
salt and pepper
melted butter

Mash the potato well with a fork. Add salt, pepper, cilantro and sugar, mix well. Add the flour and water and mix until the dough forms a ball (it'll be pretty sticky). Heat a griddle to medium heat. Pinch off 1/4 cup balls of dough and roll it out about 1/4" thick on a well floured surface. Brush one side with melted butter and place it, buttered side down, on the griddle. Brush the other side with butter. Once it's browned on one side (about a minute) flip it and brown it on the other side (about another minute).

Makes 4 breads

*Atta is the authentic choice, but whole wheat is fine if you have it. I used plain, white, AP flour and they came out delicious.

(lightly adapted from here)

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I've been on a quest for the perfect, easy and most important, quick flat bread. Something I can whip up on a moments notice whenever flat bread is desired. With this recipe I am one big step closer to my goal. I made quick flat bread once before and wasn't too thrilled with the results. The recipe had baking powder and baking soda in it and it gave it a pancakey taste that didn't do it for me. But this one, man, this one was awesome. The texture was great, a bit chewy, which I like and the flavor was wicked good. I did bland the recipe down a bit from the original since I didn't want it too... ok, I just don't really like Indian food. It's too heavily spiced for me. It's not the heat of it that get's me (I like spicy), it just all seems far too seasoned. So if you like Indian food you might want to try the original, but if you don't then this version is probably more up your alley. I'm not done tweeking this recipe yet and eventually I want to make one that doesn't use potato so it's even faster. But in the meantime I'll be making these over and over. What's that? You want step by step instructions with pictures? Well, sure!

First, mash up a half cup of potato. I used Yukon gold, because that's what I had. And I boiled it, because that's how I felt like cooking it. Then I just tossed everything else in there and mixed it up. One thing I liked about this recipe is there is no kneading (even though I do enjoy kneading) and no resting. Cooking the potato is the longest part of the prep, if you happen to have a leftover baked potato then it would be even faster. Now you just take quarter cup chunks of dough and roll them out. Brush one side with butter. And now I'm afraid I'm going to ramble for a bit, bear with me please (or go ahead and skip down to the next picture, that's when the action picks up again). During the course of my reading about paratha I found that some people insist (in a couple cases quite, er, insistently) that you not brush butter on them when they are uncooked. Often this meant flipping the bread four or more times in the pan, once per side unbuttered and once per side buttered. I couldn't do that, I have a phobia of stuff sticking. I could have used my anodized aluminum pan (most of these folks were using cast iron), but I really wanted good browning. While the anodized aluminum browns a lot better than nonstick, it still isn't half as good as steel.

So I buttered it first. I don't know what the difference is, since I haven't tried it the other way yet, but it seemed that the sites who said to start it unbuttered were the more authentic ones. You know, the ones made by Indians instead of white dudes like me and the guy I got this recipe from. At some point I'm going to be brave and make them the other way. When I do I'll do an update post to let you kids know how it goes.

This is also the simplest method I found, there are a lot that are stuffed or twisted or layered and they look like a good time, too. But, back to the ones I actually did make. Butter side down in the hot pan. More butter on the other side (but no picture), cook it for a minute or so and then flippsies. Cook it until it's brown on that side (about another minute) and that's it. Eat as soon as it's cool enough to not do you too much harm. They're best as fresh as possible, but they reheat well too. Just gently wrap them in foil and toss them in a 350 degree oven for a minute or so and it's all set. The texture of these was great. Flexible and ... toothsome? Chewy isn't really the right word, but they weren't exactly tender, either. You knew you were chewing them, but it wasn't difficult. I wrapped one around some spinach and carrots with a little spicy mustard. Hey, it's what I had on hand and it was good. Next time I'm going to use caramelized onion in them, instead of dried, I think that will be bad ass. They would be awesome for scooping up a nice thick stew too.

So, most of the people I know either love or hate Indian food. I like the breads, but not anything else, really. Heh, fortunately my girlfriend doesn't like it either, otherwise there would certainly be drama. Naan is the bomb though and I'm definitely a convert on paratha. Where do you folks stand?

Ja Jian Mein, Pantry Style

for the sauce:
1-2 tbls hoisin sauce
1-2 tbls soy sauce
pinch of ground ginger
pinch of garlic powder
pinch of red pepper flakes (optional)
1 tsp dried minced onion
splash of rice wine vinegar

everything else:
1 package of ramen noodles
1/2 cup of chopped roast pork
1-2 tbls of boiling water from the ramen

Any fresh vegetables you happen to have, thinly sliced and blanched if appropriate. Don't blanch cucumber or lettuce, clearly.

recommended toppings: carrots, cucumber, bean sprouts, peanuts, bell pepper, lettuce, radish, red onion, black beans, edamame, cabbage, egg, green onion, sliced water chestnuts, anything else you can think of

Put a pot of water on for the ramen. Mix the sauce ingredients together and set it aside. Heat a couple tbls of oil (I like garlic/ginger infused canola oil) in a small sauce pan over medium-high heat. Add the pork and stir fry till lightly browned. Add the sauce, reduce the heat to low. Put the ramen in the boiling water and let the sauce simmer while the noodles cook. When they are done add a 1-2 tbls of the noodle water to the sauce and stir it. Drain the pasta and put it in a bowl. Top with the sauce and any vegetables you have.

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I saw Ming Tsai make this (well, something like this) on his show a while ago and was intrigued. I wanted to make it but I didn't have much in the way of fresh stuff and going to the grocery store wasn't happening. So I had to do what I could with what I had on hand. I didn't have any fresh onion or garlic (I know, it's pretty bad), but I did have dried onion and garlic powder. Adequate. I always have ground ginger, hoisin sauce, soy sauce and usually at least one fresh vegetable on hand. I also often have a package or two of ramen and while they aren't really the authentic choice, I wasn't too worried about authenticity. I thought to myself, "Self, you can do this." So I did.

I happened to have some baby carrots, I quartered them the long way and set them aside. Meat was a bit of a problem. I didn't have ground pork on hand. Then I remembered that I had a simple pan seared pork chop in the freezer. So I pulled it out and defrosted it. I also think leftover roast pork, the kind you get as an appetizer from Chinese-American restaurants, would work great in this. I chopped it up pretty small and then tossed it into a medium-hot nonstick pan that had some garlic/ginger canola oil in it. Browned it up a little bit, then turned the heat down a bit and added the hoisin and soy sauce. I know this isn't how I have it up top but that's because that is the better version that I came up with after doing it this way. Added a splash of rice wine vinegar, ground ginger and garlic powder, and then the minced onion. And the pepper flakes, although there isn't a picture of that. Mixed it all together and turned it down to low while I cooked the ramen. Ah ramen. At this point I realized there wasn't a lot of sauce going on so I thought I'd try adding some pasta water, like you do in some Italian dishes. It didn't work quite how I wanted, but I think that's partly because I let it sit a bit too long and too much evaporated. Anyway, I dished the whole thing up. It was good. Sure it wanted more sauce, but all in all it was a good time. Sweet and a bit spicy with great texture contrast. I'm going to make it again, but planned out this time so I have proper ingredients. I don't think I've ever seen it on a menu, has anyone had it at a restaurant? It's also known as zha jiang mian and probably a couple other things too...