Tag: East Asian
Cashew Chicken
Cashew Chicken
Cashew chicken is another popular Chinese American stir fry dish that is on just about every menu. While I still love good quality Chinese takeout, it costs half the price to make double the quantity at home. Plus, you can make cashew chicken with 10 minutes prep time, 10 minutes cooking time.
Servings: 4
Ingredients
Chicken ans Marinade
- 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast or thighs cubed
- 3 tbsp water
- 2 tsp oyster sauce
- 1 tsp vegetable oil
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
Sauce
- 1/2 cup chicken stock
- 1 1/2 tbsp honey
- 2 tbsp light soy sauce
- 1 tsp dark soy sauce
- 1 tsp hoisin sauce
- 1/2 tsp rice wine vinegar
- 1/2 tsp sesame oil
- 1/8 tsp white pepper
Stir Fry
- 3 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 tsp ginger grated
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1/2 cup red and green bell pepper cubed
- 2 ribs celery chopped
- 1/2 cup whole water chestnuts cut in half
- 2 green onions chopped
- 2 tbsp shaoxing cooking wine
- 1 cup cashews
- 2 tbsp cornstarch mixed with 2 tbsp of water
Instructions
- Mix all of the sauce ingredients together. Set aside.
- Marinate the chicken with the marinade ingredients for 10 minutes.
- Heat up the cooking oil in a large sauté pan over medium high heat. Add in the chicken. Cook for 6 minutes until cooked through. Remove from the pan.
- Add in the garlic and ginger. Sauté for 30 seconds until aromatic.
- Add in the bell pepper, celery, and water chestnuts. Sauté for 30 seconds.
- Toss in the green onions and chicken. Deglaze the pan with the cooking wine. Pour in the sauce. Continue stir frying for 1 minute.
- Add in the cashews. Cook for a minute.
- Stir in the cornstarch slurry and cook for 1 more minute. Take off the heat.
Steamed Watercress Meatballs
Steamed Watercress Meatballs
Watercress meatballs are a common item that can be found on dim sum menus. You pretty much mix all of the ingredients in a food processor, form the meat into balls, and steam them on a bed of watercress. Watercress happens to be highly nutrient dense, making these healthier then your average meatball.
Equipment
- food processor
- bamboo steamer
Ingredients
- 2 bunches watercress
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1/2 tsp ginger grated
- 1 green onion finely chopped
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1/4 tsp sesame oil
- 1/4 tsp white pepper
- 2 tsp shaoxing cooking wine
- 1 1/2 tsp dried tangerine peel
- 1 egg
- 1/4 cup cilantro
Instructions
- Blanch 1 of the bunches of watercress for 1 minute. Shock in cold water. Finely chop.
- Place all of the ingredients except the watercress and cilantro in a food processor. Process until smooth.
- Mix in the watercress and cilantro by hand.
- Line a heat proof plate with the other bunch of watercress. Form 12-14 meatballs and place them on the watercress. Place the plate inside the steamer.
- Cover and let steam over medium high heat for 15 minutes.
Sichuan Mala Chicken
Sichuan Mala Chicken
This is real deal authentic Sichuan food. Mala chicken is Sichuan-style spicy fried chicken. While hot and numbing in the best way, the chicken looks and sounds spicier than it really is. It’s definitely not Thai-spicy. Chunks of chicken are marinated and coated with spicy seasoned cornstarch. The pieces are shallow pan fried, then tossed with sautéed whole Sichuan dried chilies, garlic, ginger, and green onions. The Sichuan peppercorns that are infused in the oil, and also ground in the cornstarch coating, adds a numbing sensation to the dish that makes the chicken highly addictive.
Ingredients
Marinade and Coating
- 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast or thighs cubed
- 1 tbsp shaoxing cooking wine
- 1 tbsp light soy sauce
- 1/4 cup cornstarch
- 1 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1 tsp ground Sichuan peppercorns
- 1 tsp salt
Spice Mix
- 1 cup whole Sichuan dried chilies
- 2 tbsp Sichuan chili flakes
- 1 tbsp sesame seeds
- 1 tsp sugar
To Cook
- vegetable oil for frying
- 2 tsp Sichuan peppercorns
- 5 garlic cloves thinly sliced
- 1 tbsp ginger grated
- 4 green onions chopped
- 1 cup cilantro
Instructions
- Marinate the chicken with the shaoxing cooking wine and soy sauce for 15 minutes.
- Mix together the cornstarch, cayenne, ground Sichuan peppercorns, and salt.
- Toss the marinated chicken with the cornstarch mix, making sure the pieces are evenly coated.
- Heat up 1/2” of cooking oil in a large sauté pan over medium high heat. Add in half of the coated chicken in a single layer, making sure to not overcrowd the pan.
- Fry the chicken in 2 batches, for 4 minutes a side. Drain grease on a rack.
- Save 2 tbsp of the cooking oil. Toast the Sichuan peppercorns in the oil for 1 minute. Remove the peppercorns from the pan.
- Add in the garlic, ginger, and green onion. Sauté for 1 minute.
- Toss in the spice mix. Sauté for 1 minute.
- Add the chicken back. Toss with the whole chilies.
- Turn off the heat. Toss in chopped cilantro.
