Tag: main course
Kung Pao Tofu
Kung Pao Tofu
The purpose of my site is to get people excited about ethnic cooking. Chinese food is hands down my favorite ethnicity to cook. This recipe is what excites me. Better than restaurant quality Kung Pao tofu. Twice the amount that you would get for takeout for less then half the price. Once you have certain ingredients in your pantry such as soy sauce, chinkiang black vinegar, and shaoxing cooking wine, you can make these dishes for a fraction of restaurant prices; plus control over sodium, fat content, and whether it will be vegetarian or not.The best type of tofu to use for this dish is firm or extra firm. You don’t have to squeeze out the liquid when preparing this dish, since it’s going to sit in a marinade for 15 minutes anyway. The cornstarch will help create a nice crust when you sauté it. The most important thing when sautéing the tofu is to not move it. Let it be and develop that crust. Same when you flip them. Don’t touch it. Crust is good. If you’d rather use meat instead of tofu, marinate and toss in cornstarch the same way you did the tofu. You can use beef, pork, chicken, or shrimp as substitutes.
Ingredients
Tofu Marinade
- 1 brick extra firm tofu cut into 1” cubes
- 2 tbsp light soy sauce
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
- 6 tbsp cornstarch
Kung Pao Sauce
- 3 tbsp Chinkiang vinegar
- 2 tbsp light soy sauce
- 2 tbsp shaoxing cooking wine
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 2 tsp cornstarch
Kung Pao Tofu
- 3 tbsp vegetable oil
- 2 tsp sichuan peppercorns
- 1 tbsp garlic minced
- 1 tbsp ginger minced
- 2 tsp fermented bean paste
- 5 dried chilies
- 1/2 green bell pepper chopped
- 1/2 red bell pepper chopped
- 4 green onions cut into 1” pieces
- 1/3 cup roasted peanuts
Instructions
- Mix all of the sauce ingredients together. Set aside.
- Mix together the soy sauce and maple syrup. Pour in a ziplock bag with the tofu cubes. Marinate for 15 minutes.
- Pour out the marinade. Toss the tofu with cornstarch in a bowl.
- Heat up 2 tbsp of cooking oil in a large sauté pan or wok over medium high heat. Add in the tofu in a single layer. Let fry for 2 minutes without moving. Flip them over with a pair of tongs at let fry for 2 minutes on the other side.
- Set the tofu aside.
- Add in the last tbsp of cooking oil. Stir in the Sichuan peppercorns. Let cook for a minute until the oil smells aromatic. Discard the peppercorns.
- Sauté the garlic, ginger, bean paste, and dried chilies for 1 minute.
- Stir in the peppers and green onions. Cook for 2 minutes.
- Pour in the sauce. Give it a couple of stirs. It will thicken fairly quick.
- Stir in the tofu and the peanuts. Cook for 1 minute, then take off the heat.
- Serve with steamed rice.
Orange Pork Chops
Orange Pork Chops
This recipe is dummy proof. If you want to use 1/2” thick chops, sear them for 4 minutes a side. I still prefer a 1” thick chop. These chops can be grilled or broiled as well. They just need to be finished off in the orange sauce in another pan.If you have children and want to use boneless pork chops: SHAME!!! You deserve to be paraded naked down the street and ridiculed just like Game of Thrones’ Cersei. Teach your children to clean them bones. Let them know that boneless is for classless people who don’t like flavor. If you don’t like bone in chops yourself: SHAME!!! But in all seriousness: stop being a little bitch and eat bone in pork chops. SHAME!!!
Ingredients
- 2-4 bone in pork chops 1” thick
- salt
- pepper
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 cup orange sauce
Instructions
- Season both sides of the pork chop with salt and pepper. Heat up cooking oil in a large sauté pan over medium high heat. Add in the pork chops. Don’t over crowd the pan. If cooking more than 2 chops, cook in batches.
- Cook the chops for 6-7 minutes a side. Do not move them when cooking. Let them sear on each side without being touched.
- Add in the orange sauce. Cook for 2 minutes, making sure that the pork is coated in sauce on both sides.
- Cover, pull off the heat, and let rest for 5-10 minutes before serving
- Add more of the sauce from the pan to the pork chops when serving.
Orange Sauce
Orange flavored stir frys are a popular menu item in Chinese American restaurants. In China, oranges aren’t available. Tangerine peel and juice is what’s used. So you’ll see tangerine chicken, shrimp, etc, instead of orange. The tangerine peel usually is found dehydrated. It requires soaking in warm water for 20 minutes before being chopped up.So this particular recipe will use freshly squeezed orange juice and zest. It’s pretty straight forward from here on out. The cornstarch is used a a thickening agent. Constantly whisk while it thickens to break up any lumps. When it is finished, the orange sauce should be able to coat the back of a spoon.Orange Sauce is very versatile. It works with any protein, tofu, or vegetables. Keep it in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup orange or tangerine zest
- 1 cup orange juice
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 1/4 cup rice cooking wine
- 3/4 cup rice vinegar
- 2 1/2 tbsp cornstarch
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 2 tbsp ginger minced
- 6 garlic cloves minced
Instructions
- Mix together the zest, orange juice, sugar, soy sauce, cooking wine, rice vinegar, and cornstarch. Set aside.
- Heat up cooking oil in a small pot over medium high heat. Stir in the garlic and ginger. Cook for 1 minute.
- Pour in the orange mixture.
- Cook for 4 minutes until it thickens; constantly stirring with a whisk. Take off the heat.
- Store in a container. Let cool. Store in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
Five Spice Pork Loin Roast
Five Spice Pork Loin Roast
This recipe uses a very basic Chinese spice blend of five spice powder, salt, brown sugar, garlic, and cayenne. This dry rub is great on pork, chicken, beef, lamb, numerous types of fish and seafood, as well as tofu.Let’s talk about pork anatomy. The pork loin can be found bone in or boneless, with boneless being more common. The rib end of the pork loin starts at the very bottom of the shoulder and runs down the whole back of the pig on both sides of the spine. It eventually ends at the top part of the butt, the sirloin. If this was a cow, it would be the ribeye turning into a ny strip turning into sirloin. Take the bone in loin and cut 1” thick chunks out of it, you get bone in pork chops. Starting half way down the pig’s back going towards the butt, on the other side of the rib bone, is the pork tenderloin. The bones that the pork loin sat upon are the baby back ribs.While I do prefer a bone in pork loin roast, you usually have to have them custom cut. There happened to be a sale on boneless pork loin in the bag for $1.99lb, so I really couldn’t pass that up. This pork loin was 4lbs, taking about 80 minutes to roast(20 minutes per lb.) Roasting on a rack helps cook the roast more evenly. Once finished, let rest for 15 minutes before slicing. Leftover pork is great in fried rice, omelettes, tacos, sandwiches, plus countless other uses.
Ingredients
- 4 lb boneless pork loin roast
- 1 1/2 tbsp five spice powder
- 1/2 tbsp brown sugar
- 2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
Instructions
- Mix all of the spices together.
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Rub the spice blend all over the pork loin roast. Place the roast on a rack on a baking pan lined in foil. Roast for 20 minutes per lb.
- Let rest for 15 minutes before carving.
