Fried Rice

This is a great side dish to go along with Asian-style entrees (like this sticky chicken or these sweet and sour meatballs or these bacon-wrapped chicken and pineapple skewers or this orange chicken). It is also the perfect accompaniment for stir-fried vegetables and sweet-and-sour sauce (I know it might be weird, but I just love the sweet-and-sour sauce poured all over the rice). I make this all the time, sometimes with other entrees, sometimes just on it's own as a stand-alone meal. It's very easy to adapt to whatever meat (feel free to use ham instead of bacon or omit the meat entirely) or veggies you might have on hand. Here is my favorite version, but feel free to fiddle with it to make it how you like.

Fried Rice
serves 3-4

4 pieces bacon
1/4 cup finely chopped onions
1/4 cup finely chopped celery
1/4 cup finely chopped carrots
1/3 cup frozen peas
3 cups cooked rice
1 egg
1-2 Tb. soy sauce
salt and pepper to taste

1. Cook in large skillet until crisp. Remove bacon, set aside to cool and crumble.
2. Heat same skillet (without draining grease) to medium. Add onions, celery, and carrots and cook for 2 minutes. Add peas and cook for 3-4 more minutes, until veggies are translucent and peas are thawed.
3. Add rice and stir to break up and heat through.
4. In separate small bowl, beat egg. Pour over top of rice in skillet and continue stirring until egg is completely cooked through. Add soy sauce and salt and pepper to taste. Enjoy!

Sticky Chicken

My little sister Krista introduced this to us. It's delicious. It's pretty much a souped-up version of sweet-and-sour chicken. Make it. Enjoy it. And if there are more than four of you double the recipe. Even if there are only two of you, you might want to double it. It makes delicious leftovers! The sauce is also delicious over rice, with eggrolls, or with won-tons. Enjoy!

Sticky Chicken

Sauce:
2/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup white vinegar
1/2 cup ketchup
1 Tb. soy sauce
dash salt
1/4 cup pineapple juice
1 small can pineapple tidbits, drained (optional)
1 medium green pepper, chopped (optional)
1/2 medium onion, chopped (optional)

Chicken:
1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken tenders
2 eggs
1/4 cup cornstarch or flour
1/4 tsp. paprika
1/8 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. onion powder

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 9x13 inch baking dish with cooking spray.
Combine sauce ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Boil for 2 minutes. Set aside.
3. Beat eggs in a shallow dish. Combine cornstarch or flour, paprika, salt, and onion powder in another shallow dish.
4. Dip each chicken tender in cornstarch mixture, then in eggs. Fry each piece in oil until brown. Put into prepared pan. Repeat with remaining chicken.
5. Pour sauce over the chicken, making sure they are all well coated. Bake for 45 minutes. If using pineapple, green pepper and/or onions steam in microwave for 3 minutes, then stir into chicken/sauce mixture. Serve over rice with stir fried vegetables.

Red Curry Roasted Salmon with Green Beans and Red Peppers

Red Curry Roasted Salmon with Green Beans and Red Peppers
Serves 4

Ingredients-
4 6oz salmon fillets
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon olive oil
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
2 teaspoons Thai red curry paste
8 oz fresh green beans, trimmed
1 red bell pepper, cut lengthwise (the polar direction) into strips
1 small onion, cut lengthwise (polar direction) into strips

1 tablespoon fresh mint leaves, sliced very thin (aka chiffonaded)
1 tablespoon fresh basil leaves, sliced very thin (use Thai basil if you can get it)

Directions-
1- Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Line a very large, heavy, rimmed baking sheet with foil and spray with non-stick spray.
2- In a small bowl mix 1 tablespoon of olive oil with the lime juice and curry paste until it is a thick liquidy consistency.
3- Place the salmon fillets on one side of the baking sheet, coat them with the curry mixture.
4- Toss the green beans, red peppers and onions in a medium bowl with the remaining teaspoon of olive oil until they are well coated. Put them on the other side of the baking sheet. Sprinkle them with salt.
5- Put the baking sheet in the oven and let it roast until the salmon is just opaque in the center and the vegetables are a little tender. Should take about 12-14 minutes.
6- Plate the fish. Toss the vegetables with the pan juices, the mint and basil and serve alongside. I think it's especially tasty with coconut rice, but go wild and crazy with it. Garnish with lime wedges, and a bit of cilantro.

Teriyaki Swordfish with Orange-Mango-Tomato Salsa

I'd never eaten swordfish before making this, and I have to say that I quite enjoyed it. I think that the recipe would be just as good with tuna, so try it with that if you don't want to eat swordfish. This recipe is my tweaked and adapted version of one from the Bon Appétit cookbook.

Teriyaki Swordfish with Orange-Mango-Tomato Salsa
Serves 6

Ingredients-

Salsa:
3 oranges, peel and pith cut away, seeded and diced
1 mango, diced
1 1/2 cups chopped seeded tomatoes
1/4 cup minced red onion
1/4 cup fresh cilantro (substitute fresh parsley if you prefer)
2 tablespoons fresh orange juice
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons vinegar (I used sherry vinegar, but the original recipe calls for balsamic)
1 teaspoon fresh ginger, minced
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper (I like it hot, so I quadrupled this)

Marinade and fish:
3/4 cup bottled teriyaki sauce
2/3 cup fruit juice mixed with citrus juice (about a 3/1 ratio)- I used apple/pomegranite/lime juice
4 garlic cloves, mixed
2 teaspoons fresh ginger, minced
1 teaspoon seasame oil
6 5- to 6-ounce swordfish steaks (about 1 inch thick)

Directions-
For salsa:

Toss together all the ingredients in a large bowl. Throw some salt and pepper on there to your taste. Put in the fridge for at least an hour before serving. (It can stay in the fridge for up to four hours).

For marinide and fish:

1-Combine the teriyaki sauce and the next four ingredients in a small saucepan. Bring it up to a boil. Set it aside to cool.

2- Arrange the swordfish in a shallow glass baking dish. Pour the marinade over the swordfish, turn and coat evenly. Save out some of the marinade if you want to have some for drizzling on later. Cover the fish and put it in the fridge to marinade for 1 1/2 hours.

3- Preheat the grill (or I used a skillet on the stove) to medium-high heat. Make sure that you've cleaned and oiled the grill before hand.

4- Grill the fish until opaque in the center, about 4 minutes per side. Put it up on a plate with some salsa. (I served it with field greens and rice)

5- Eat pleae.

Sweet & Sour Sauce

This was a staple in our house when we were growing up. Honestly, I probably haven't made it for at least a year, but the other day I wasn't feeling well and felt like eating some comfort food so I turned to this...and promptly wondered why it had been so long since I'd made it! I love having sweet & sour sauce over rice with some stir fry veggies. It's great with chicken, too, or with homemade meatballs. Any way you have it is bound to be great!


Sweet & Sour Sauce
Adapted from a really old Betty Crocker cookbook

1/2 cup packed brown sugar
2 Tb. cornstarch
1/4 cup white vinegar
2 Tb. red wine vinegar
1 can (20 oz.) pineapple chunks or tidbits with juice
1 Tb. soy sauce
dash salt

1. In medium saucepan mix brown sugar and cornstarch until well combined. Add remaining ingredients.
2. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens and boils.
3. Serve with rice, veggies and/or chicken. Enjoy!

Asian Inspired Pâté Sandwiches (The Cyclo Special)

I have something of an obsession with Vietnamese Bánh mì sandwiches (like the ones served at Dew in Provo, I will pimp this place any chance I can get). In fact, I'm craving on right this very minute (about 1:30 am). But I'm also cheap and pretty lazy. So I don't usually feel like going out and buying special ingredients, or even a sandwich. So when I had leftover pâté (which is a fairly common ingredient in the sandwiches) in the fridge from New Year's I took it as an opportunity to make my own lazy man's recipe for Bánh mì. I only used ingredients that I had on hand, which I'll admit are somewhat more eclectic than some people (I do love the Asian food after all), but none of them are especially weird.

The Cyclo Special:
I don't have a clue how many it serves

Ingredients:
pâté de campagne cut into 1/4-inch thick slices (check the recipe here for help on this)
bread, toasted (a baguette is even better if you've got it)
cucumbers, thinly sliced
onions, thinly sliced into rings
fresh cilantro
mayo
dijon mustard
fish sauce (if you don't have this, it should be easy to find in an supermarket's Asian section)
vinegar (I used apple cider, but really whatever you prefer works)
hot sauce
salt and pepper

Directions-
1. First things first, you want to make a dijonaise. Mix together the mayo, dijon mustard and some fish sauce in a small bowl. I did about a 50/50 mix between the mayo and mustard with just a couple drops of fish sauce. But that may be a little mustardy for some, so adjust accordingly. Set aside.
2. Put in the sliced cucumbers and onions in a bowl, covering them with vinegar a little fish sauce and just a dash of hot sauce. You want to get just a lightly pickled taste on them. It may sound odd now, but you'll thank me later.
3. Fry the pâté in a skillet over medium-low heat. You shouldn't need any oil or anything, it's super fatty as it is. You're just trying to get both sides brown and a little crunchy.
4. Put together the sandwich with the bread, dijonaise, pâté, cucumbers and onions (drained) and cilantro. Add salt and pepper to taste.

It's a really simple recipe, and not completely authentic, but very, very tasty. Even for those that don't like pâté. I highly recommend it. If you don't want to go to the trouble of making a pâté, you could probably just cook some pork and bacon to substitute. I haven't tried it, but in theory it sound good.

Thai Chicken Soup

I love Asian food, especially southeast Asian (things like Thai and Vietnamese). There just seems to be a near perfect balance of sweet, sour, spicy and savory in most of the dishes. All with a wide variety of flavors and textures. It's just amazing stuff. This recipe is one of my favorites, it's a coconut based Thai soup that I've adapted from an America's Test Kitchen recipe.

Thai Chicken Soup:
serves 4

Ingredients-
1 tsp. vegetable oil
3 stalks lemon grass, tough outer leaves removed, bottom 5 inches halved lengthwise and sliced thin crosswise (other than at the Asian market, the only places I've found fresh lemon grass around here is at the Sunflower Market and some Whole Foods stores)
3 large shallots, chopped
8 sprigs fresh cilantro leaves, coarsely chopped
3 TB fish sauce (look in the Asian section of the supermarket)
4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
2 (14oz) cans coconut milk, well-shaken (you can substitute light coconut milk if you want it lower fat)
1 TB sugar
1/2 lb white mushrooms, cleaned, stems trimmed, cut into 1/4-inch slices
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts , halved lengthwise and sliced on bias into 1/8-inch-thick pieces
3 TB fresh lime juice from 2 to 3 limes
2 tsp. red curry paste (Thai)
Garnish
1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves
2 serrano chiles, sliced thin
2 scallions , sliced thin
1 lime, cut into wedges
Thai basil (optional)

Directions-
1. Heat oil in large saucepan over medium heat, adding lemon grass, shallots, cilantro, and 1 TB fish sauce when it's just starting to shimmer. Cook, stirring frequently until just barely softened (2 to 5 minutes). Don't let the vegetables brown!
2. Stir in chicken broth and 1 can coconut milk; bring to simmer over high heat. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer until flavors have blended (10 minutes).
3. Pour broth through fine-mesh strainer and discard solids in strainer. Rinse saucepan and return broth mixture to pan (I think this step is fairly optional, it will look prettier if you do it, but sometimes I don't)
4. Return pan to medium-high heat. Stir remaining can coconut milk and sugar into broth mixture and bring to simmer. Reduce heat to medium, add mushrooms, and cook until just tender (2 to 3 minutes).
5. Add chicken and cook, stirring constantly, until no longer pink (1 to 3 minutes). Remove soup from heat.
6. Combine lime juice, curry paste, and remaining 2 tablespoons fish sauce in small bowl; stir into soup.
7. Ladle soup into bowls, serve with garnishes of cilantro, chiles, scallions, lime and Thai basil (I serve them on the side and let people garnish for themselves, it's easier, more fun and more authentic).

If you want it to be more substantial then serve it over cooked noodles (I just use Ramen without any flavouring) or jasmine rice (about 3 cups worth).

Egg Rolls

1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
2 cups chopped cabbage
1 cup shredded carrots
1/2 cup minced onion
1 egg, separated
2 T. soy sauce
1/2 tsp. sugar
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1/2 tsp. salt
25 egg roll shells

1. Mix everything except egg white in large bowl. Spoon 1 1/2 - 2 Tb. filling down center of each egg roll shell. Fold up bottom of shell, then fold sides over and top down. Seal ends with egg white.
2. Deep fry at medium heat for 10 minutes or until golden brown OR spray pan and egg rolls with olive oil cooking spray and bake at 375 degrees for 10 - 15 minutes or until golden brown and crispy. Serve with sweet and sour sauce.

Sweet and Sour Meatballs

I got this recipe from my cousin Lori at my bridal shower, and it's been a staple in our menu ever since. It's simple but amazingly tasty. I hope you enjoy it!

Sweet and Sour Meatballs

Meatballs:
1 lb. extra lean ground beef
1 egg, slightly beaten
dash of pepper
1/3 cup milk
1/3 cup chopped onion
3/4 tsp. salt
1/2 cup oatmeal (quick cooking is best)
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

Sauce:
1 cup brown sugar
2 tsp. mustard
2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup vinegar
1/2 cup barbecue sauce (we prefer Bulls-eye brand)

Combine all ingredients for meatballs. Mix well with hands and form into 1 - 1 1/2 inch balls. Place in a 9 x 13 pan. Mix all sauce ingredients with a whisk and pour over the meatballs (make sure you cover each meatball so the sauce bakes into them). Bake at 350 degrees for 25 - 30 minutes or until no longer pink in the middle. Serve with rice and stir fry vegetables or broccoli.

Orange Chicken

This is another thing that I make that doesn't technically have a recipe. So there won't be any quantities on it. I just sort of make enough to fit the amount of chicken I have.

Orange Chicken


Ingredients

Flour (I usually start with about a cup)
Salt
Black Pepper
Ginger Powder
Garlic Powder
Onion Powder
Paprika
Chili Powder
4-5 egg whites
Chicken (as much as you want to make- I'd say about a 1 1/2 or 2 lbs for a cup of flour)- cut into bite sized pieces
Vegetable Oil
Orange/Ginger Sauce (you could make this yourself, but I always just buy the Iron Chef brand sauce at the store. It's very good and much easier that way.)
Green Onions- chopped- for a garnish
Cilantro- finely chopped- garnish
Almonds- very finely chopped- garnish (you can substitute other kinds of nuts for this if you want, or omit it all together)

Directions

1- Combine dry ingredients together in a shallow dish (I use a pie plate). This will make the breading for the chicken.
2- Put the egg whites in another dish. It's ok if there's a little bit of yolk. Just try to avoid it if you
can. It makes the texture weird if you include too much yolk.
3- Heat enough oil for deep frying in a large pot or deep pan.
4- Batter the chicken. Put it first into the egg wash and then into the flour mixture. Use the wet hand dry hand method.
5- When chicken is battered, put it into the hot oil. Let fry until it's crispy and light brown. Put it into a large bowl when done.
Repeat steps 4 & 5 until all the chicken is fried.
6- Pour the orange sauce over chicken and mix well, until all pieces are completely covered.
7- Garnish with green onions, cilantro and almonds.

Serve with rice. This amount will feed 4-5.

Sweet and Sour/Teriyaki Sauce

I tend to be something of an experimental cook. Which means that often times I'll take a recipe and modify it to something I think will be better. It's not always a very exact process. This is one of my favorite things to make. It started out as just my mother's sweet and sour sauce recipe, but has been changed so many times that it's barely the same.

My Sweet and Sour/Teriyaki Sauce.

About a 1" piece of fresh ginger- grated or minced.
1 large clove garlic- minced
1 teaspoon olive or vegetable oil
1/2 cup soy sauce (I don't usually measure this- just put it about this much)
Juice from one can (about 8 oz size) chunk pineapple.
1/2 teaspoon Oyster sauce. (this can be omitted if you want- but I like it)
1/2 teaspoon Sesame oil
1 tablespoon brown sugar.
pinch of black pepper

DIRECTIONS
1. In a sauce pan on medium to medium low heat saute ginger and garlic in oil until tender. About 2-3 minutes.
2. Add in soy sauce, pineapple juice, oyster sauce, sesame oil, brown sugar and black pepper. Whisk these ingredients in until fully combined. For a sweeter sauce decrease the amount of soy sauce and add in more pineapple juice. Leave on medium to medium low heat until it boils. Stir occasionally to prevent it from sticking to the pan.
3. When it reaches boiling turn down heat to low. Let simmer for 30-45 minutes. It should reduce by about 50%. Sort of a syrupy consistency. If you want it to be thicker, or to cut down on the cooking time, use a corn starch slurry to thicken.

And that's about it. You can modify this recipe many different ways:

Put the pineapple in with the sauce instead of just draining the juice. This gives you chunks of sweet pineapple.
I like to add about 1/2 teaspoon of sambal olek chili paste to give it a little bit of a kick. Also works with a little Tapatio.
A couple teaspoons of lime juice makes for an interesting addition. It gives it more of a Southeast Asian flavor.
Cinnamon. Just a little bit. Quite tasty.

So there you go. It's a versatile recipe.