Kiy's Recipe Box

This year, Chinese New Year (Year of the Hare!) fell on February 3rd. With Emi's birthday on the 2nd, that was just too much going on in two short days. Add to that, both Jeff and Emi had the flu, no one was really interested in doing much except sleeping. So we decided to do our celebrating this weekend.

Planned menu:

1. Simple noodles - I found some fun curly long noodles and will serve them unbroken (long life) with soy sauce, which is Emi's favorite way to eat noodles
2. Eggrolls
   
3. New Year Dumplings
4. Asian-Style Grilled Tilapia - Emi has just recently rediscovered her love of Tilapia and since this marinade is SO amazing, it's a perfect fit for our special dinner
5. Chocolate Won-Tons
   

BTW, we made Chinese Tea Eggs last year. They were a lot of fun, but none of us really liked the taste. I've decided to not make them this year, mainly as time is getting away from me. But they are so fun to make, and the house smells so wonderful - so if you have time, go for it! (Emi and I may make them for a 'rainy day' project later this week, not to eat, just to do the project and then display them. They really are quite pretty!)

We aren't doing the entire menu that many do, there are just the three of us after all. But, if you are looking for a good go-to menu, more ideas or just "why eat that for CNY", I found this post: What to Eat for Chinese New Year. I am sure in years to come we will attempt each dish, they look amazing!

Udon-Beef Noodle Bowl

Cooking Light, MAY 2002

This entrée falls somewhere between a soup and a noodle dish. You can eat it with chopsticks, but be sure to have spoons around to catch the broth.

8 ounces uncooked udon noodles (thick, round fresh Japanese wheat noodles) or spaghetti
1½ teaspoons bottled minced garlic
½ teaspoon crushed red pepper
2 (14¼ ounce) cans low-salt beef broth
3 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
3 tablespoons sake (rice wine) or dry sherry
1 tablespoon honey
Cooking spray
2 cups sliced shiitake mushroom caps (about 4 ounces)
½ cup thinly sliced carrot
8 ounces top round, thinly sliced
¾ cup diagonally cut green onions
1 (6-ounce) bag prewashed baby spinach

Cook noodles according to package directions; drain.

Place garlic, pepper, and broth in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil; reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes.

Combine soy sauce, sake, and honey in a small bowl; stir with a whisk.

Heat a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms and carrot; sauté 2 minutes. Stir in soy sauce mixture; cook 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Add vegetable mixture to broth mixture. Stir in beef; cook 2 minutes or until beef loses its pink color. Stir in noodles, green onions, and spinach. Serve immediately.

Yield: 5 servings (serving size: about 1½ cups)

NUTRITION PER SERVING
CALORIES 306 (16% from fat); FAT 5.6g (sat 1.8g, mono 2g, poly 0.4g); PROTEIN 22.4g; CARB 36.6g; FIBER 2.4g; CHOL 39mg; IRON 3.4mg; SODIUM 707mg; CALC 59mg;

Cooking Light, MAY 2002

New Year Dumplings
(Kiy Note: I cannot remember where I found this.)

1 small head Napa cabbage (about 1½ pounds)
1 teaspoon salt
½ pound lean ground pork or chicken
1/3 pound garlic chives or scallions
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1½ tablespoons toasted sesame oil
1 tablespoon rice wine or sake
1 ½ tablespoons minced fresh ginger
1 tablespoon cornstarch
Cornstarch for dusting
40 round won ton or gyoza wrappers
Vegetable oil (peanut is good) for frying

FOR DIPPING SAUCE:
½ cup soy sauce
¼ cup rice wine vinegar

1. Wash and dry the cabbage leaves. Stack and slice lengthwise and widthwise into a 1/4 dice. Toss the chopped cabbage with the salt and let sit for thirty minutes. Drain and squeeze out all excess water with your hands.

2. Mince the garlic chives or scallions and the ginger. Combine these with the drained cabbage, ground pork or chicken, soy sauce, sesame oil, rice wine or sake, and cornstarch.

3. Dust a cookie sheet or cutting board with cornstarch for a work surface. Place a small spoonful of the filling at the center of each round wrapper. Wet the edges of the wrapper and fold in half. Crinkle the edges of the half moon shape to seal.

4. Heat oil in a wok or large frying pan to 350 degrees. Have a cookie sheet lined with paper towels ready for draining the cooked dumplings. Carefully drop the dumplings into the hot oil using a slotted spoon. Do not crowd the dumplings. Fry them in shifts. Don't disturb them too much while they are frying. Turn once if needed. Remove the dumplings once they are golden brown, about 3-5 minutes. Reduce heat if oil starts to smoke. Drain on paper towels before transferring to a serving dish. Eat promptly with the dipping sauce.

Makes 40
Per dumpling (not including dipping sauce): 90 calories, 2 g protein, 6 g carbohydrates, 6 g fat, 5 mg cholesterol, 160 mg sodium, trace fiber. Calories from fat: 67 percent.

Sesame Chicken Satay
Recipe courtesy Dan Smith and Steve McDonagh

Recipe Summary
Difficulty: Easy
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes

1 cup rice wine vinegar
1 cup creamy peanut butter
1 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup vegetable oil
Sesame oil
1/3 cup sugar
2 tablespoons freshly grated ginger
25 chicken tenders, halved on the bias
½ cup chopped scallions plus 2 tablespoons, for garnish
½ cup chopped cilantro leaves
¼ cup black sesame seeds, for garnish
1 tablespoon cilantro, chopped for garnish

Special Equipment: 6-inch bamboo skewers

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Combine vinegar, peanut butter, soy sauce, vegetable oil, sesame oil, to taste, sugar and ginger in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade and process until smooth. Toss 1½ cups of the peanut butter mixture with the chicken tenders in a bowl until the chicken is well coated. Spread the chicken out in a baking pan in a single layer. Bake until the tenders are firm to the touch, about 30 minutes. Let cool.

Thread a skewer into each tender. Arrange on a platter and garnish with sesame seeds and chopped herbs. Put the remaining sauce into a small bowl and serve.

Orange-Ginger Chicken
Cooking Light, June 1997

Ingredients:
1 teaspoon dark sesame oil
½ teaspoon chili oil
4 (4-ounce) skinned, boned chicken breast halves
½ cup orange marmalade*
3 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon minced peeled fresh ginger
1 tablespoon water
2 garlic cloves, minced

Preparation:
Heat oils in a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add chicken; cook 6 minutes on each side or until chicken is done. Add marmalade and remaining ingredients; cook 2 minutes or until thick and bubbly. Remove from heat.

*Kiy Note: I use low-sugar marmalade and add a bit of orange peel (spice or fresh)

Yield: 4 servings

Nutritional Information:

CALORIES 247(11% from fat); FAT 3.1g (sat 0.6g,mono 1.2g,poly 0.9g); PROTEIN 27.1g; CHOLESTEROL 66mg; CALCIUM 33mg; SODIUM 547mg; FIBER 0.0g; IRON 1.2mg; CARBOHYDRATE 28.3g

Pan Seared Scallops with Sesame Sauce and Cellophane Noodles
Robin Miller, 2007

*Updated below*

8 ounces cellophane noodles
¼ cup reduced-sodium soy sauce
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons sesame oil
1 teaspoon cornstarch
¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon olive or vegetable oil
1½ pounds large sea scallops, about 12
Ground black pepper
¼ cup scallions, chopped

Soak cellophane noodles in hot water for 10 minutes, until tender. Strain and set aside.

While the noodles are soaking, in a small bowl, whisk together soy sauce, garlic, vinegar, sugar, sesame oil, cornstarch, and red pepper flakes. Set aside.

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add scallops and season the tops with black pepper. Cook 2 minutes, until golden brown. Flip with spatula and cook 2 more minutes, until second side is golden brown. Add soy sauce mixture to pan and bring to a simmer, for 2 minutes, until sauce thickens and scallops are cooked through and have an opaque color.

Serve the scallops over all of the cellophane noodles and top with scallions.

*Update: Made this May 2, 2008: Seriously, whoa ... awesome. Probably the only change I would make is to use another pasta (linguini, most likely) as the cellophane noodles, while good, were hard for Emi to deal with. It was a pricey meal ($22 for 12) but had we gone out for this meal we would have more than doubled that so for a once-in-awhile splurge, well worth it.*

Chinese-Style Glazed Chicken Breasts
from Cooking Light, Sept 2001

¼ cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
2 tablespoons Hoisin sauce
1 tablespoon apricot preserves or fruit spread
4 (4-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
½ teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon vegetable oil

Combine first 3 ingredients in a small bowl; set aside.

Place each chicken breast half between 2 sheets of heavy-duty plastic wrap; pound to 1/4-inch thickness using a meat mallet or rolling pin. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper.

Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken, and sauté for 3 minutes on each side. Remove chicken from pan. Reduce heat; carefully stir in broth mixture. Return chicken to pan; cook 3 minutes or until done, turning to coat.

Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1 chicken breast half and 1 tablespoon sauce)

NUTRITION PER SERVING:
CALORIES 186(25% from fat); FAT 5.1g(sat 0.9g,mono 1.3g,poly 2.5g); PROTEIN 26.7g; CHOLESTEROL 66mg; CALCIUM 17mg; SODIUM 526mg; FIBER 0.3g; IRON 0.9mg; CARBOHYDRATE 6.9g

8 oz steak strips
1 tsp dark sesame oil, divided
1 cup sliced green onions
2 cups prepackaged coleslaw
2 pkgs beef-flavor ramen noodle soup (2 – 3oz)
½ cups water (+ ½ tbsp as needed)
1 tbsp soy sauce

Heat ½ tbsp oil in large non-stick skillet (wok) over med-high heat. Add steak and onions, stir-fry 1 minute. Remove steak mixture from pan; keep warm. Heat ½ tsp oil until hot. Add slaw; stir-fry 30 seconds. Remove slaw from pan; keep warm.

Remove noodles from packages; reserve 1 seasoning packet for another use. Add the water and remaining seasoning packet to pan; bring to a boil. Break noodles in half; add to water mixture. Cook noodles 2 minutes, or until most of the liquid is absorbed, stirring frequently. Stir in steak mixture, slaw and soy sauce, cook until heated through.

Serve.

Kiy Note: Honestly, it just doesn't get any easier than this recipe. I tend to use whatever meat I have in the freezer; chicken, beef, pork and then use the corresponding ramen noodle pack. Using prepackaged cole slaw makes this SO fast and easy. We love this dish!

This is one of THE easiest meals I make. I always have frozen chicken breasts on hand, and the ingredients are just naturally part of my pantry. Also, so easy to add portions for company or extra lunches later in the week. Everyone who has tried it, loves it!

Orange Mandarin Chicken
From Cooking Light

Serve with Asian noodles - such as soba, somen, or udon - and steamed snow peas.

2 teaspoons dark sesame oil
4 (4-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
1 (11-ounce) can mandarin oranges in light syrup, un-drained
½ cup chopped green onions
1 tablespoon finely chopped seeded jalapeño pepper (needless to say, I don't do this)
1 teaspoon bottled minced garlic
½ cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
2 teaspoons cornstarch

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. Add chicken to pan; cook 4 minutes on each side or until browned.

While chicken cooks, drain oranges in a colander over a bowl, reserving 2 tablespoons liquid. Add oranges, 2 tablespoons liquid, onions, jalapeño, and garlic to pan. Reduce heat; simmer 2 minutes. Combine broth, soy sauce, and cornstarch; add to pan. Bring to a boil; cook 1 minute or until slightly thickened.

Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1 chicken breast half and 6 tablespoons sauce)

Robin Vitetta-Miller
Cooking Light, JULY 2002

Asian Noodles

This is a recipe that I have used to great success. Easy and quick, a sure hit. It is a recipe that is a mix of about four different recipes that I have tweaked here and there over the years. Enjoy!

1 pk Phad Thai Noodles (13.2 oz)

1 can chicken broth/stock (I use low-sodium)
4 tbsp rice vinegar
4 tbsp soy sauce (I use low-sodium)
2 tbsp peanut butter (I use natural, chunky but probably any would do just fine)
4 tsp sugar (I tend to use Splenda, if I have it on hand)
2 tsp minced ginger (I use the kind in the jar, usually found in the produce section) * depending on how much ginger-kick you like, add more ginger (I tend to add another teaspoon)

1 tsp dark sesame oil
2 tbsp vegetable oil (I use canola)
1-2 tsp minced garlic (I use the kind in the jar)

Soak the noodles in a nice deep, wide bowl or pan in warm water for about 30-45 minutes (these directions are on the package, just follow those).

While the noodles are soaking, mix the next set of ingredients (chicken stock through ginger) in a medium size bowl. (Suggestion, spray your measuring spoon with cooking spray before scooping the peanut butter.) Use a whisk to mix this thoroughly.

Drain noodles well. Using either a wok or a wide non-stick pan, heat the two oils over medium heat. Add garlic and sauté about 45 seconds (try not to brown or burn, may need to lower your heat). Add the peanut butter mixture to the pan, cook while stirring constantly until hot and a bit thickened. Add noodles, tossing gently to coat. Cook until most of the sauce is absorbed into the noodles and the noodles are soft.

Optional: Toss in a small handful of cooked shrimp. Also, garnish with some chopped nuts, makes ALL the difference in this recipe!

Jeff thinks this needs a bit of oomph, so he adds a dash or two of red pepper flakes.