I have alluded to the role food has played in my family upbringing and the little traditions we shared with food. I find that every time I think of a new post I end up thinking about some food memory that I have had in my childhood or even in my more recent history. I grew up in a house with three other siblings and busy parents. Somehow my parents still got us all to sit down at the table each night for dinner. They must have had super powers.
I really have no idea how my mom had the strength to go to work and then come home and cook a meal for six people. Sometimes I can’t even muster the strength to come home and cook dinner for me and the hubby. Enter stir-fry, I feel like stir-fry was mom and dad’s way of saying they didnt want to think too hard about what to feed us so they threw stuff in a pot added some soy sauce and called it stir-fry. Truth be told it was always delicious and they usually had us working in the kitchen to help prepare it.
My dad would pull out the wok that they still have to this day, it might be older than me. A well seasoned wok that has seen lots of use is typically the best way to go when stir-frying. In my family you could put anything in the wok and call it a stir-fry. We would dice and slice all our fave veggies, mom would steam up some rice and at the end of it all we would have homemade Asian fare! Sometimes when we go home for a visit we still break out the ol’ wok and get to it.
Over the years I have experimented with my own stir-fry combos, sometimes tossing together whatever is sitting in the fridge. I have also started branching out with my Asian repertoire. I have made my own dumplings, fried rice and egg rolls. If you really want the take out experience you can do it all and you don’t have to wonder what strange ingredients have been added. No post MSG headache but still oh so comforting and delicious.
Don’t fret about making egg rolls, they are extremely easy and because I like to watch the calories I don’t even put these bad boys in a fryer. Baking egg rolls can still result in a nice crunch so before you give me that skeptical look you should give it a try, I promise you’ll love it.
Also, can we talk about leftovers! I cannot tell you how excited I was to take the leftovers to work. I even made certain not to forget my lunch, however barely had time to eat so I ended up scarfing it down. It was still soooo yummy!
Chicken Egg Rolls
Serves – Many
Ingredients:
1 Pack Egg Roll Wrappers
1 Pkg. Ground Chicken
1 Bag Shredded Cabbage
2 Carrots Julienned
2 Garlic Cloves Minced
1 Tsp. Ginger Grated
2 Green Onions Diced
2 Tsp. Peanut Oil
Soy Sauce
Hoisin Sauce
Sambal – Chili Sauce
Salt and Pepper
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 450. Heat a skillet or wok over medium heat. Add your peanut oil and let heat up just to the point where it sizzles when you drip a little water. Too hot and it will burn your garlic. Add your garlic and ginger to the pan. Stir for a minute, do not let the garlic burn. Add your ground chicken to the pan. At this point you can add your seasonings/sauces. Add as much or as little as you want depending on your taste preference. I usually reserve the Hoisin Sauce until the end. Once your chicken is cooked taste to see if you like the seasoning level. Rinse your cabbage and add the entire package to the pan, cabbage cooks down so it wont be that much. Stir the cabbage and the chicken together, add your green onions and Hoisin sauce. Allow your egg roll mixture to cool a good amount, if you try to wrap them with a hot filling it will make the wrapper fall apart.
To wrap your egg rolls you need a small bowl of water and a tablespoon. Place the wrapper on an angle so it looks like a diamond in front of you. Place some carrot pieces on the wrapper and then take a tablespoon of the filling and place on the wrapper towards the bottom point, don’t put right in the middle (see picture below).
Take the lower corner and wrap it over your filling, try to tuck it around the filling. With your finger dab some water on the two sides that form the top point. Fold in the sides to meet in the middle and then continue to roll everything towards the top point. The water will keep everything together. Place the rolls on a tray with the seams facing down. Brush each roll with olive oil which will help give it a good golden color. Bake in the oven about 20 minutes or until they turn golden brown.
Chicken Stir-Fry
Serves 4
Ingredients:
1 Pkg. Chicken Tenders Diced
1 Red Bell Pepper Sliced
2 Carrots Julienned
1 Cup Sugar Snap Peas (trim ends if need be)
1 Can Water Chestnuts (Optional)
2 Cloves Garlic Minced
1 Tsp. Ginger Grated
2 Tbsp. Soy Sauce
1 Tsp. Ponzu
1 Tbsp. Hoisin Sauce
Salt and Pepper
2 Tsp. Peanut Oil
Instructions:
I use chicken tenders because they are tender, duh! I also feel like they don’t dry out like chicken breast does and they are really easy to cut into small peices. Place your diced chicken in a bowl and add 1 Tsp. Soy Sauce, 1 Tsp. Ponzu, and Salt & Pepper. Allow the chicken to marinate while you heat up your wok. Add 1 Tsp. of the Peanut oil to the wok and swirl to coat the pan. Add your garlic and ginger to the pan. Saute very briefly, don’t let your garlic burn. Add your marinated chicken pieces and cook all the way through. Once the chicken is cooked remove it from the wok and set aside.
Add the remaining peanut oil to the pan. Add your snap peas to the pan, allow them to saute for two minutes or so, constantly stirring or tossing is good. They may get some scorch marks but they wont be burnt. Add your red peppers to the pan and saute a few minutes. Add your carrots and finally your water chestnuts. Return the chicken to the wok and allow all of the ingredients to heat through. Add your remaining soy sauce, ponzu and hoisin to the wok and stir together. Allow everything to simmer in the wok for a few minutes on low heat. Taste for seasoning, add more soy sauce if preferred. Enjoy over some rice or with noodles.
Note: I use lots of ingredients that represent different Asian cuisines so I am well aware that not everything is considered a Chinese ingredient. They still make everything taste delicious.
