Ding How

I don’t know about you, but I LOVE Chinese food.  In the past, it seems that whenever I’ve tried to make it at home, it just doesn’t come out as tasty as take-out.

Thanks to Bon Appetit, that is no longer the case.

This dish is perfect.  It will have your family and friends asking for seconds, so you might want to double the recipe.  (We fought over the leftovers.)

Beef, Mushroom & Snow Pea Stir-Fry

• 1lb. sirloin steak, sliced into thin strips
• 1TBS Asian sesame oil
• 1TBS minced (and peeled) fresh  ginger
•  2 large handfuls of mushrooms (I used Cremini, but the original recipe called for Shiitake — use what you like!)
• 1 large handful of fresh snow peas
• 1 bunch green onions, sliced, divided
• i cup fresh cilantro, roughly chopped and divided
• 5TBS Hoisin sauce
• 3 cloves fresh garlic, roughly chopped
• 1TBS Sriracha
• 1/4TSP Chinese five-spice powder (You can find this at the grocery store, but I made my own)

Sprinkle beef with salt and pepper.  Heat oil in a large nonstick pan over med/hi heat.  Add ginger and mushrooms; stir-fry for about 3 minutes.  Add beef to skillet and stir-fry for another minute.  Add snow peas, half of the onions, half of the cilantro and stir-fry for 1 minute.  Stir in hoisin, Srircha, garlic and five-spice powder. Saute  until peas are crisp tender, about 2 minutes. 

Serve over brown rice and top with freshly chopped cilantro and green onions.

Bon Appetit!

 

The Wonders of Won Tons

I love potstickers. I especially love the yummy dipping sauce you dredge them in before popping them in your mouth.  Below is a recipe for both. 

Enjoy.

Oh, and don’t forget the wasabi.

Chicken and Lemon Pot Stickers with Soy-Scallion Dipping Sauce

Yield: 12 servings (serving size: 2 pot stickers and about 2 teaspoons sauce)

 Ingredients

Pot stickers:

1/2  cup  dry sherry

1/2  cup  water

1/2  ounce  dried shiitake mushrooms

3/4  cup  finely chopped bok choy (about 1/2 pound)

1/3  cup  chopped green onions

1/4  cup  finely chopped water chestnuts

1  tablespoon  low-sodium soy sauce

1  teaspoon  salt

2  teaspoons  minced peeled fresh ginger

2  teaspoons  grated lemon rind

1  teaspoon  dark sesame oil

Dash of hot sauce

1/2  pound  ground chicken or turkey

24  wonton wrappers

2  tablespoons  cornstarch

1/4  cup  vegetable oil, divided

1  cup  water, divided

 Sauce:

5  tablespoons  mirin (sweet rice wine)

1/4  cup  low-sodium soy sauce

1/4  cup  seasoned rice vinegar

3  tablespoons  chopped green onions

1  teaspoon  chile paste with garlic

Preparation

To prepare pot stickers, bring sherry and 1/2 cup water to a boil in a small saucepan. Remove from heat; add mushrooms. Cover and let stand 30 minutes or until mushrooms are tender. Drain and discard liquid. Finely chop mushrooms. Combine mushrooms, bok choy, and the next 9 ingredients (bok choy through chicken), stirring well.

Working with 1 wonton wrapper at a time (cover remaining wrappers with a damp towel to prevent drying), spoon about 1 1/2 teaspoons chicken mixture into center of each wrapper. Moisten edges of dough with water; bring 2 opposite corners to center, pinching points to seal. Bring the remaining 2 corners to center, pinching points to seal. Pinch 4 edges together to seal. Place pot stickers on a large baking sheet sprinkled with cornstarch.

 Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add half of pot stickers; cook 2 minutes or until bottoms are golden brown. Carefully add 1/2 cup water to pan; cover and cook 4 minutes. Uncover and cook 3 minutes or until liquid evaporates. Repeat procedure with remaining 2 tablespoons oil, pot stickers, and 1/2 cup water.

 To prepare sauce, combine mirin and the remaining ingredients. Serve with the pot stickers.

 

Won Ton wrappers

Meat mixture

After adding filling, pinch two opposite corners together

Pinch two remaining corners

Be sure to set in cornstarch before frying

Fry in oil before adding water and lid and steaming the rest of the way

Sprinkle with chopped green onion and serve with dipping sauce