After the hustle and bustle of Christmas cooking, it is nice to have fun in the kitchen with new recipes.
It is essential in Asian cooking to have all the ingredients prepared and sitting on the countertop ready to be added as needed. This is called mise en place.
Substitutions are perfectly fine. Use what is easily available or already in your kitchen.
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Bean sprout stir fry
- 1 lb. Asian bean sprouts 500 g
- 2 stalks green onion, cut into 2-inch/5 cm sections
- 4 oz. cremini mushrooms 125 g
- 1 can bamboo shoots, cut in batons
- 3 tbsp. vegetable oil 45 mL
Sauce
- 1 tbsp. chopped garlic 15 mL
- 2 tsp. sesame oil 10 mL
- 1 tbsp. light soy sauce 15 mL
- 1/2 tsp. salt 2 mL
- 1 tsp. sugar 5 mL
- dash of white pepper
Remove bean sprouts from the packaging and rinse in cold water. Then drain in a colander to remove excess water. Wash and slice the mushrooms. Drain bamboo shoots.
Prepare the chopped garlic and cut the green onions into two-inch (5 cm) sections.
Measure the sauce ingredients into a small bowl and stir to combine.
Heat oil until it shimmers in a large wok or skillet with raised edges.
Add mushrooms and saute until they are browned and begin to let off some of their water, about two to three minutes. Add the chopped garlic and saute until fragrant, about one minute.
Add the bean sprouts and bamboo shoots to the pan. Turn up the heat to medium-high and continue stir-frying for a minute.
Pour the seasoning into the bean sprout mixture, and continue stir-frying for a minute or until they are just crisp-tender.
Add the green onions and fry for 10 seconds.
Pour onto a serving dish and serve immediately.
Ginger chicken
- 1 lb. skinless boneless chicken thighs 500 g
- 1/4 c. canola oil 60 mL
- 1/3 c. cornstarch 75 mL
- 1 green onion finely chopped, for garnish
- 1/2 tsp. toasted sesame seeds 2 mL
Seasoning
- 2 tsp. soy sauce 10 mL
- 1 tsp. fresh ginger, peeled and grated 5 mL
- 1/4 tsp. white or black pepper 1 mL
Sauce
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tbsp. brown sugar or honey 30 mL
- 2 tbsp. soy sauce 30 mL
- 2 tbsp. hoisin sauce 30 mL
- 1 tbsp. fresh ginger, peeled and grated 15 mL
- 2 tsp. toasted sesame oil 10 mL
- 1 tbsp. cornstarch 15 mL
- 1 tsp. chicken stock 5 mL
- 1/2 c. chicken stock 125 mL
In a small bowl, combine sauce ingredients. Set aside.
Dice chicken thighs into 1.5-inch (3.8 cm) cubes. Transfer diced chicken pieces to a large bowl. Then stir in the seasoning ingredients.
Sprinkle cornstarch over the diced chicken and toss until each piece of chicken is evenly coated.
Heat vegetable oil in a large pan on medium-high heat. Fry chicken in small batches until golden brown and crispy, about seven to nine minutes in total. Remove each batch of fried chicken from pan and drain on a cooling rack placed in a sheet pan.
When all of the chicken has been cooked, reduce to medium heat, and pour prepared sauce into the pan. Simmer to thicken.
Once sauce has thickened, toss in cooked chicken. Remove from heat and put it on a serving plate. Garnish with sliced green onions and sesame seeds. Serve immediately.
Chinese steamed rice
Making Chinese steamed rice with just the right amount of stickiness can prove to be elusive. Begin with the right rice. This recipe works perfectly. Follow it to a T.
- 2 c. uncooked Thai jasmine medium grain rice 500 mL
- 3 1/2 c. water 875 mL
Rinse the rice several times until the water runs clear and most of the starch is gone.
Add the rice and fresh water to a pot and bring to a boil, uncovered, letting it boil until almost all the water on the surface is gone and you can see between the grains of rice.
Cover and reduce to a simmer for 10 minutes. Do not fluff rice because it will disturb the stickiness. Remove from the heat, remove lid and place a clean kitchen towel over the pot and replace the lid until served.
Egg drop soup
- 4 c. chicken stock 1 L
- 1/2 tsp. sesame oil 2 mL
- 3/4 tsp. salt 3 mL
- 1/8 tsp. sugar .5 mL
- 1/8 tsp. white pepper .5 mL
- 1/2 tsp. turmeric, optional 2 mL
- 3 eggs, lightly beaten
- 1 green onion, chopped
Bring the chicken stock to a simmer in a medium soup pot. Stir in the sesame oil, salt, sugar and white pepper. Add in the turmeric, if using. This will give the soup that rich restaurant-style yellow colour. Taste the soup and adjust the seasoning, if needed.
Use a large spoon or spatula to stir the soup in a circular motion, and slowly drizzle in the egg until you have added it all.
Ladle the soup into bowls, top with chopped green onions and serve.
Stir-fry garlic bok choy
Use this sauce with any vegetable.
- 1 lb. baby bok choy 500 g
- 4-5 cloves garlic
- canola oil
- ice bath
Sauce
- 1 tsp. oyster sauce 5 mL
- 1/4 tsp. salt 1 mL
- 1/8 tsp. white pepper .5 mL
- 1 tsp. cornstarch 5 mL
- 3 tbsp. water 45 mL
Prepare a pot of water and bring to a boil. Make sure it has enough water so that the bok choy can be fully submerged.
In the meantime, slice the bok choy into halves and wash.
Slice peeled garlic into 1/4 inch (.6 cm) slices.
Mix together the stir-fry sauce.
Prepare an ice bath by putting ice cubes and cold water in a large bowl.
Blanch the bok choy by adding one tablespoon (15 mL) of canola oil to the boiling water. This helps preserve the green colour of the bok choy.
Blanch the bok choy for about 90 seconds. If the bok choy has a really thick core, you may need to increase this by 30 seconds, but do not blanch for more than two minutes in total.
After 90 seconds, drain the bok choy and place in the ice bath. This preserves the bright green colour of the vegetable and also prevents it from overcooking.
Heat up a wok or pan to medium high heat. Once heated, add oil and sliced garlic and stir fry for one minute or until lightly golden.
Drain the bok choy and add to the hot pan. Season with a small pinch of salt and add the stir-fry sauce.
Toss to coat the bok choy in the sauce and then stir-fry for another minute or until the sauce has thickened. Serve immediately.
Sarah Galvin is a home economist, teacher and avid supporter of local food producers. She has been a market vendor, grew up on a farm in southeastern Saskatchewan and is a member of TEAM Resources.
