What's For Dinner?

Kung Pao Chicken

3/4 cup low sodium chicken stock
2 Tbls.  soy sauce
1 Tbls. balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup plus 1 Tbls. corn starch
1 Tbls. sesame oil
1 tsp. granulated sugar
1  1/2 # boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into small chunks
1/4 canola or peanut oil
1-2 tsp. hot red chile flakes(or more if you prefer)
2 Tbls. fresh ginger, minced
6 scallions, sliced thin (separate white from green parts)
1 red bell pepper, chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
1/4 cup dry sherry
1/4 cup, salted roasted peanuts,  rough chopped
salt and fresh ground pepper
1 cup white rice, rinsed and cooked

Combine together the following ingredients: the chicken stock, soy sauce, balsamic vinegar, sesame oil, sugar and 1 Tbls. of corn starch. Whisk together.  Put the chicken pieces in a separate large bowl, season with salt and pepper and then add the remaining 1/4 cup of corn starch. Toss.

Heat about half of the oil in a large skillet(12") over medium-high heat. It's best not to use a non stick pan. Saute the chicken for about 2 minutes on each side. It will likely stick to the pan and that's okay...even preferable. After 4-5 minutes, remove chicken from pan to a dish and set aside. It won't be fully cooked yet.

Add another Tbls. of oil along with the chile flakes, the whites of the scallions and the ginger. Stir and let cook for about one minute. Add the red pepper and the celery and continue stiring and cooking for about 5 minutes. Add the sherry and let it almost completely cook down so there is very little liquid remaining. This will help loosen some of the chicken that is stuck to the bottom of the pan. Add the chicken back to the pan along with the chicken broth mixture(stir first). The sauce should thicken right away. Continue stiring until chicken is fully cooked in a few minutes. Cut into a large piece just to be sure. Taste and add salt and pepper as needed. Serve over rice. Top with green scallions and peanuts. 

I have been pre-cooking my celery as I find it too crunchy if stir fried for just a few minutes. It is a matter of preference though. I just boil it for about 4 minutes prior to cooking. It does add another step but I like it better this way. Also, if you have any fresh basil leaves in the fridge, add them at the end. They add a lovely flavor to the dish. Here are some good Chinese Recipes.

Chinese Chicken with Broccoli Stir Fry

1 1/2 # white or dark meat chicken, cut into bite size pieces
3 Tbs. soy sauce
1 Tbs. dry sherry
1 Tbs. cornstarch
3/4 # broccoli florets (aboout 4 cups)
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbs. minced ginger
1/2 tsp. red chile flakes
2 Tbs. oyster sauce
1/4 cup canola or grapeseed oil
salt and pepper

In a bowl, whisk together 1 Tbs. of soy sauce, the cornstarch, and the sherry. Add the chicken and stir to coat and let sit for up to 30 minutes.  In a large, heavy bottomed skillet(not non stick) add 2 Tbs oil. When skillet is hot, add the chicken and let it cook undisturbed for 2-3 minutes. You can season it with salt and pepper at this time. After it has browned, flip over to the other side and do the same. It's okay and even preferable if the chicken sticks a bit. After the second side has cooked for about 2 minutes, remove the chicken from the pan and set aside. It should not be fully cooked at this time. Add the remaining Tbs. of oil and add the chile flakes, the ginger and the garlic. Stir for 1 minute making sure the garlic does not burn.  Add the broccoli to the pan and 3-4 Tbs. of water. This will incorporate some of the browned bits on the pan.  Stir fry the broccoli for a few minutes stirring frequently. You can put a lid on the pan to speed up the process. When the broccoli  is close to done, add the chicken and the oyster sauce and the rest of the soy sauce. Stir everything together for a minute or two longer. Cut into a piece of chicken to check doneness. Serves 4.

Serve with rice. It's easy to customize this recipe. You can use any protein you like and also adjust the chile flakes according to your preference. I used dark meat chicken in the above recipe/picture.
Oyster sauce is found in the Asian cooking section at the market.

Asian Pork And Cabbage

1-1/2 lbs. pork tenderloin
1/3 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup rice vinegar
3 Tbs. light brown sugar
2-3 medium cloves of garlic
1 1/2 Tbs. minced fresh ginger
1 Tbs. sesame oil
1 Tbs. red chile sauce
1 pound napa cabbage, sliced thin(4-6 cups)
1 cup grated carrot
4-6 scallions, sliced thin
4-6 Tbs. canola or grapeseed oil
salt

Trim the silverskin and fat off the pork tenderloin and cut into 1/2 inch thick slices.  Whisk the following ingredients together: the soy sauce, 2 Tbs. of the rice vinegar, the garlic and the ginger, 1/2 Tbs. of the sesame oil. and 2 tsp. of the chile sauce.  Pour about 1/3 cup of the mixture over the pork and set aside(in a bowl).

In another bowl, toss the carrot and cabbage together along with half the scallions. Make a dressing for this mixture by combining  1 Tbs. of oil, 2 Tbs. rice vinegar, 1/2 Tbs. sesame oil, 1 Tbs. brown sugar, 1 tsp. chile sauce, and 1/2 tsp. salt.  Toss the dressing with the cabbage mixture and set aside for a few minutes. Eventually transfer it to a serving platter.

Add 2 Tbs. oil to a heavy bottomed skillet and set to medium-high heat. When skillet is hot, add the pork slices and cook for about 2-3 minutes per side. Don't put all of the pork in at once as it will be too crowded and not cook properly. Two batches usually work or me. When second or final batch is almost cooked through, add the rest of the cooked pork and the rest of the marinade and finish cooking. This shouldn't take more than a minute or two. You can cut into a pork slice to check doneness. Spoon the pork  and sauce over the cabbage mixture and serve right away. Add the remaining scallions over the top of the pork. Serves 4.

Sometimes I find that I want more of the sauce so I double that part of the recipe.  Recently I made a broccoli stir fry as a side dish and added some of the extra sauce to that. It was delicious. Also, buy the lower sodium soy sauce. I may dilute the soy sauce next time I make this as I find that salty flavor a bit intense.  Feel free to add more sesame oil and chile sauce if you like those flavors. The amounts need not be exact.