As lots of you know I was born in San Francisco, grew up and
spent most of my life just south of SF near Stanford University.
Because of its cultural diversity the San Francisco Bay Area
is home to some really fine ethnic restaurants, including
some top quality Chinese cuisine, which I LOVE.
Several years ago when I moved to this area of the Pacific Northwest,
I was dismayed to learn that the Chinese restaurants here
are abysmally bad. But my love of Asian inspired food
remained (and still remains) as strong as EVER ...
so when we long for Chinese food, I make it myself.
This is one of my favorites, and I've
posted about it before (clickable link) ~
It is really not difficult to make at all, and it always
satisfies my craving for Chinese food.
You can get a
printable copy of the recipe over on my
recipe blog by clicking here.
Gluten Sensitive?
The good news is the coating used for the chicken is
made with cornstarch, not wheat flour, so it is naturally gluten free.
However the sauce does contain soy sauce, so
substitute tamari (verify that it is wheat free.)
I usually serve it with steamed rice and a simple
vegetable (this time steamed broccoli.)
If it sounds like something you might like,
I hope you'll give it a try!
Do you have a favorite Chinese dish that
you make, or that you like to order?
I'd LOVE to hear your favorites!
I'm linking to Foodie Friday at Rattlebridge Farm
please come see!
Thank you for stopping by today.
xo~m.
When rice is on the menu I always steam enough for
leftovers so I can make Fried Rice.
(Leftover, cold rice makes the best quality fried rice.)
It's one of my favorite dishes and I usually load it up
with healthy things so it is a one bowl meal. Another
reason I love it is because it is the perfect opportunity
to use up leftovers.
This time I didn't really use leftovers (except the cold rice),
as our dear neighbors generously share fresh asparagus
from their garden . . . (Thank you P & J!) So I wanted
that to be the star of the dish, and I added a few
medium size shrimp along with the things I always
include in Fried Rice.
If you've made Fried Rice you know the steps and this
never really needs a recipe, but generally I follow this
method:
Heat about a tablespoon or so of vegetable oil in a large skillet or wok
Yellow or white onion - diced, saute until translucent
Garlic (optional sliced) add when the onions are almost done
Carrots - diced or sliced
Celery - diced or sliced (I like lots)
I allow those veggies to saute for just a minute or two
(to retain some crispness)
Next add the remaining ingredients:
Asparagus - or other vegetable (as much or as little as you like),
sliced on an angle in small pieces so it cooks quickly
Cold rice (may need to add a little more oil to the pan
before adding rice)
a little salt
Stir the rice until the vegetables are distributed evenly through the rice
and all ingredients are hot.
At this point I push the rice to the side and add a teaspoon or
so of vegetable oil, then add one or two (or more) beaten eggs
to the cleared area of the pan ~ cooking and stirring until the eggs are lightly scrambled,
then stir them into the rice mixture.
Usually if I'm adding shrimp I cook them separately,
(I poach the shrimp in lightly salted water for just one or two minutes until they just turn pink.)
Add the shrimp and
fresh or frozen peas, snow peas, or edamame to the rice mixture,
and allow to heat through (usually takes less than a minute.)
If using frozen peas I don't bother cooking or thawing them as the residual heat
will do the job.
For best flavor serve the delicious rice up right away
and sprinkle with thinly sliced scallions/green onions-- both white and green parts.
If desired garnish with cilantro, toasted sliced almond and/or
toasted sesame seeds.
Something that you may find surprising?
My Fried Rice is not the usual kind you'll find in most
Chinese-American restaurants - because it isn't cooked with
soy sauce.
I learned many years ago from a cooking lesson conducted by a
native Chinese woman that authentic Fried Rice is not cooked with
soy sauce so I do not add it, but instead pass it at the table
for anyone who would like it.
(I usually add some to my bowl at the table because that's the way I grew up eating it.) ;o)
This is just an outline of how I make Asparagus- Shrimp Fried Rice,
truly the variety of vegetables and/or protein you can use is enormous.
I usually make some form of Fried Rice about twice a month,
many times with brown rice rather than white and we
always look forward it.
Bonus! When you make it yourself, you can be extra generous
with the add ins!
If you give it a try, I hope you love
it too.
Do you have favorite version of Fried Rice? I
would love to hear about it-- whether you make your own
or order it -- I'm always up for new ideas.
Please come visit Foodie Friday over
at Rattlebridge Farm blog for more
great recipes!
Thank you for stopping by today!
Blessings, ~Mari
~ A drizzly Spring day in the garden ~
"Carding Mill" English rose bred by David Austin (UK)
(This rose was named after Carding Mill "an extremely beautiful valley
in the Long Mynd just to the west of the David Austin
nursery in Shropshire", UK.)
A redux post from a couple of years ago . . .
It was a special tea party.
I decided to share it again as it is a favorite dessert
around here, and I am making this same cake today.
You can choose almost any fruit topping, (or leave it off entirely), I like the combination of the
lemon cake with strawberry topping and that's
the way I usually make it.
My mom began making it back in the 1970's, when it was originally called "French Lemon Cake" ~ I'm
not sure why "French"... perhaps because it is only one layer?
It's one of those that you can put together VERY quickly as it is mixed in the food processor.
After it is baked sweetened lemon juice is drizzled over the top, intensifying the luscious lemon flavor.
It can be served plain, and it's very good that way ~ but I usually dress it up a bit by adding a thick Strawberry glaze, made with melted Strawberry jam, and then I pipe on, or serve the cake slices with slightly sweetened whipped cream.
So simple to make, but so good!
If you'd like the recipe, a printable copy is available
HERE on my recipe blog.
Click the link below to see all the
wonderful recipes for this weeks
Foodie Friday hosted by
Rattlebridge Farm!
Click HERE.
~*~*~*~*~
Thank you for stopping by for a visit today.
xo~mari
One of my favored ways of using my homemade Red Chile Sauce
is in Chile Colorado. Chile Colorado is made with chunks of
beef, red chili sauce and just a few other simple ingredients.
Unadulterated, pure form of the dish we know in
the United States as Chili.
You can use stew meat cubes from the market, or cut
your own from Chuck Steak or any of the less expensive
cuts of beef; those which benefit from a long, slow cooking time.
The method is much the same for making beef stew.
(I usually make mine in a pressure cooker, but you
can make it in a traditional pot on the stovetop as well.)
Here's the method:
Heat a little vegetable oil in a heavy pot until quite hot, season the meat
cubes with salt and pepper and brown in batches (don't crowd or
the meat won't brown properly.) Turn occasionally so the cubes of
meat are evenly browned on all sides. Remove the browned meat
to a large plate or platter and repeat until all the meat is browned.
Add a large white or yellow onion (diced) to the pan, and
cook until translucent, you may add a minced clove of garlic
(or two) at the end of cooking time. Place the meat back in
the pot, add some of the red chili sauce (a cup or three,
depending upon how much meat you have), and add enough
water or beef broth to just cover the meat.
Bring to a boil, reduce heat to barely a simmer and place
lid on pan (slightly askew so steam can escape), and
slowly simmer for 2 hours, stirring occasionally, until
beef is almost fall-apart tender. Add more liquid if during the
cooking time if it is evaporating too quickly.
At the finish you want enough chili 'gravy' to
generously coat the meat, with some extra to serve with
rice and tortillas, if desired.
I truly like this better than chile con carne!
I usually serve this with sliced avocados, a few slices of lime,
rice and beans; and any other condiments you like.
I always offer pinto beans from the pressure cooker,
cookedwith just a chopped onion, a little garlic, salt and pepper
and water, cook until tender.
Hope you enjoy!
If you make enchiladas, tamales, or any
Mexican or Tex-Mex style dish that requires
red chili sauce, I urge you to bypass the canned
stuff and make your own sauce from scratch.
It goes together very quickly, with just a couple of ingredients
and is far tastier than canned, plus you can adjust the level of
heat according the the chilies you use.
(Most well stocked grocery stores
carry dried peppers in the Mexican food/ingredient
section.)
The method is much easier than you might imagine:
- Simply rinse the peppers, remove the seeds
and stems (discard.)
- Lightly toast the peppers in a dry skillet to bring out their flavor.
- Remove from skillet and place in a small sauce pot with
water, bring to a boil and remove from heat.
Allow to soak for 10 minutes.
- Puree the softened pepper in a blender with some of the
soaking water (or plain water if the soaking water seems
bitter)
- Add 1 large clove of garlic, 2 whole cloves, 2 pepper corns,
1 or 2 teaspoons dried Mexican oregano, and salt.
Continue to blend until sauce is smooth.
- Pour the sauce through a sieve into a skillet, add a
tablespoon of vegetable oil. Stir and simmer over medium
heat for about 10 minutes. Taste for seasonings.
Use immediately in your favorite recipe or cool and
store in a glass container then refrigerate or freeze.
Elise, over at Simply Recipes has a wonderful
step-by-step pictorial, with the type of chilies to
select as well as the recipe.
Next up, I'll show you one of my favorite ways of
using this Red Chili Sauce.
Thank you for stopping by, and for any comments you
would care to share! Have a wonderful week.
xo ~mari :o)
