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House Special Fried Rice
House Special Fried Rice
On a Chinese American menu, house special fried rice is the king of all fried rice. It has all the proteins: eggs, beef, pork, chicken, and shrimp; with an assortment of vegetables. It happens to be very simple to make and a great way to use up leftover rice. Other options you can use for red meats are char siu bbq pork, ham, spam, and Chinese dried sausage.
Ingredients
- vegetable oil
- 3 large eggs beaten
- 1/4 lb beef or pork thinly sliced
- 1 leftover roast chicken thinly sliced
- 1/4 lb small shrimp peeled and deveined
- 1 small onion diced
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 1 cup frozen peas and carrots thawed
- 1 cup bean sprouts
- 3 cups day old white rice clumps broken up
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1/2 tsp sesame oil
- 1/2 tsp white pepper
- 4 green onions chopped
Instructions
- Mix together the soy sauce, sugar, sesame oil, and white pepper. Set aside.
- Heat up 1 tbsp of cooking oil in a large sauté pan or wok over medium high heat. Pour in the eggs. Let set for 30 seconds.
- Scramble up the eggs and place in a large bowl.
- Place the beef or pork in the sauté pan. Cook for a minute. Place in the bowl.
- Sauté the shrimp for 1 minute. Place in the bowl.
- Add 2 tbsp of cooking oil in the sauté pan. Sauté the onion and garlic for 2 minutes.
- Add in the peas and carrots and the leftover roast chicken. Cook for 1 minute.
- Add in the bean sprouts. Cook for a minute. Place everything in the bowl.
- Add a 2 tbsp of cooking oil to the sauté pan. Fry the rice in a single layer for 2 minutes. Flip over and fry for another minute.
- Pour in the sauce, making sure that all of the rice is evenly coated. Cook for a minute.
- Add all the ingredients from the bowl back into the rice. Cook for 2 minutes. Turn off the heat and stir in the green onions.
Beef and Broccoli
Beef and Broccoli
Beef and broccoli is one of the most popular Chinese American takeout menu items. It is also one of the easiest dishes to prepare; ready in 5 minutes. The broccoli gets steamed for a minute. Then beef gets sautéed for a couple minutes. The broccoli gets tossed back in with the sauce and cooked for another minutes. Serve with steamed rice.
Ingredients
- 1 lb top sirloin, flank, or skirt steak thinly sliced
- 1 tbsp light soy sauce
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
Sauce
- 1 cup beef stock
- 2 tbsp shaoxing cooking wine
- 2 tbsp light soy sauce
- 1 tsp dark soy sauce
- 2 tsp sugar
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
Stir Fry
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 head broccoli cut into florets
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 1 tsp ginger minced
Instructions
- Marinate the beef in the soy sauce, oil, and cornstarch for 10 minutes.
- Mix together the sauce ingredients. Set aside.
- Bring a 1/4 cup of water to a boil in a sauté pan over medium high heat. Add in the broccoli. Cover and steam for 1 minute. Remove from the pan and wipe clean.
- Heat up cooking oil in the same pan. Add in the beef in a single layer. Cook for 30 seconds a side.
- Add in the garlic and ginger. Cook for 30 seconds.
- Add in the broccoli and sauté for 30 seconds.
- Pour in the sauce. It will thicken quickly in less than a minute.
Beef Mechado
Beef Mechado
Traditionally, the beef in mechado is studded with small pieces of pork fat; making this beef stew rich. I chose to not do that to keep the calories down. The beef is simmered in a sauce of calamansi juice, tomato sauce, and soy sauce; with potatoes, carrots, and bell peppers.
Ingredients
- 2 lbs beef stew meat
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 2 medium potatoes peeled and cubed
- 2 medium carrots peeled and cubed
- 1 medium white onion diced
- 6 garlic cloves minced
- 1/4 cup calamansi juice
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 1 cup tomato sauce
- 2 cups water
- 3 bay leaves
- 1 small green bell pepper cubed
- 1 small red bell pepper cubed
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Heat up the vegetable oil in a Dutch over medium high heat. Sauté the potatoes and carrots for 8 minutes until lightly browned. Remove from the pot.
- Add in the onions and garlic. Sauté for 4 minutes.
- Add in the beef. Brown for 6 minutes.
- Pour in the calamansi juice and soy sauce. Simmer for 2 minutes.
- Pour in the tomato sauce and water. Add in the bay leaves. Cover. Reduce the heat to medium low and simmer for 1 1/2 hours.
- Add the carrots and potatoes back in. Simmer for 20 more minutes.
- Add in the bell peppers. Cook for 2 more minutes.
- Season with salt and pepper.
