Asian Cuisine

Chinese Pork and Asparagus Soup

6 ounces dried chow mein noodles
5 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 tablespoon finely grated fresh ginger
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 pork tenderloin (about 1 lb.), fat trimmed
1 pound asparagus, ends trimmed, cut into 1-in. pieces
1/4 cup sliced green onions
Sriracha

Cook noodles according to package directions; drain, then set aside. Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, combine broth, ginger, and soy sauce and bring to a simmer over medium heat.

Thinly slice pork, then add to broth along with asparagus. Stir to separate meat slices and cook until pork is no longer pink, 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in green onions and noodles. Serve with Sriracha. Look for Sriracha, an Asian red chili sauce, in your market's Asian foods aisle. Serves 4

Miso Chicken with Brown Rice

2 tablespoons miso (soybean paste)
1 1/2 tablespoons minced peeled fresh ginger
2 garlic cloves, minced
4 (4-ounce) skinned, boned chicken breast halves
Cooking spray
5 large egg whites, lightly beaten
1 cup finely chopped onion
1 cup thinly sliced carrot
1 tablespoon fish sauce
2 1/2 cups cooked brown rice
1 cup diced shiitake mushroom caps (about 3 ounces)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
2 tablespoons chopped green onions
1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
1 1/2 cups chopped spinach

Combine first 3 ingredients in a small bowl. Rub miso mixture over both sides of chicken breast halves. Wrap each breast half securely in plastic wrap. Arrange the packets in steamer rack; place rack in a Dutch oven.

Steam packets, covered, 20 minutes or until done. Remove packets from steamer; let stand 5 minutes. Remove chicken from packets, reserving liquid from packets. Dice chicken; set aside. Discard water in pan; wipe pan dry with a paper towel.

Place a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat until hot. Add egg whites, and cook 2 minutes or until done. Remove egg whites from skillet; coarsely chop.

Add reserved cooking liquid, chicken, onion, carrot, and fish sauce to Dutch oven, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium; cook 5 minutes or until liquid almost evaporates. Add rice, mushrooms, parsley, green onions, and soy sauce; cook 3 minutes. Stir in egg whites and spinach. Makes 4 servings

Spicy Orange Beef

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 pound round steak, cut into thin strips
on the diagonal
1/4 cup orange peel, cut into slivers
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 cup beef broth
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup sherry
1/4 cup orange marmalade
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

In a wok or skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add beef strips 1/3 at a time. Stir-fry for 3 minutes or until browned, removing the done pieces to a plate lined with paper towels.

Return all the beef to the wok. Stir in orange peel, garlic, and ginger; stir-fry 1 minute. In a medium bowl, combine cornstarch, broth, soy sauce, sherry, marmalade, and red pepper. Pour this mixture into the beef, stirring constantly. Bring to a boil over medium heat and cook for 1 minute. Serve hot. Makes 4 servings

Chinese Tea Leaf Eggs

8 eggs
1 teaspoon salt
3 cups water
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon black soy sauce
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons black tea leaves
2 pods star anise
1 (2 inch) piece cinnamon stick
1 tablespoon tangerine zest

In a large saucepan, combine eggs and 1 teaspoon salt; cover with cold water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 20 minutes. Remove from heat, drain, and cool. When cool, tap eggs with the back of a spoon to crack shells (do not remove shells).

In a large saucepan, combine 3 cups water, soy sauce, black soy sauce, salt, tea leaves, star anise, cinnamon stick, and tangerine zest. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 3 hours. Remove from heat, add eggs, and let steep for at least 8 hours. Makes 8 servings

Chinese New Year Chocolate Candy

2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
2 cups butterscotch chips
2 1/2 cups dry-roasted peanuts
4 cups chow mein noodles

Butter a 9x13 inch dish. Melt chocolate and butterscotch chips in the top of a double boiler over simmering water. Remove from heat and stir in peanuts. Stir in noodles until all is well coated. Press into prepared dish. Chill until set; cut into squares. Makes 24 servings

Egg Foo Yung

8 eggs, beaten
1 cup thinly sliced celery
1 cup finely chopped onion
1 cup bean sprouts
1/2 cup diced fresh mushrooms
1/3 cup chopped cooked chicken breast
1/3 cup cooked and crumbled ground beef
1/3 cup chopped cooked pork
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

Foo Yung Sauce
2 cubes chicken bouillon
1 1/2 cups hot water
1 1/2 teaspoons white sugar
2 tablespoons soy sauce
6 tablespoons cold water
1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch

Beat eggs in a large bowl. Add the celery, onion, bean sprouts, mushrooms, chicken, beef, pork, salt and pepper. Mix together. Heat oil in a medium skillet or wok and brown egg mixture 1/2 cup at a time. When all of the mixture is browned, set aside.

To Make Sauce: Dissolve the bouillon in the hot water in a small saucepan; add sugar and soy sauce and blend well over medium heat. Add cold water and cornstarch and stir until thick and smooth. Serve with Egg Foo Yung. Makes 4 servings

Chinese New Year Turnip Cake

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
8 ounces Chinese dried mushrooms, soaked overnight in water
1/3 cup dried shrimp, soaked in water overnight and drained
1 pound pork sausage, sliced
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 slices fresh ginger root
3 turnips, shredded
1 1/2 teaspoons Chinese five-spice powder
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon chicken bouillon granules
1 tablespoon ground white pepper
2/3 pound white rice flour

Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a wok or large skillet over high heat. Add mushrooms, shrimp and sausages and saute for 1/2 minute. Remove from skillet and set aside. Heat 1 more tablespoon oil in wok/skillet. Add ginger and saute a bit. Add shredded turnips and stir fry for about 3 minutes (do NOT remove turnip water). Add 5-spice powder, salt, chicken bouillon and white pepper and toss all together until evenly distributed. Extract ginger slices from mixture.

Turn off heat. Top turnip mixture with rice flour and use chopsticks to toss and mix flour in evenly. Add reserved sausage mixture and toss to mix in. Remove mixture from wok/skillet and place into a 9x2 inch deep round cake pan.

Clean wok/skillet, fill with water and bring to a boil. Place cake pan on a round wire rack over boiling water. Reduce heat to low and let simmer, steaming cake 'batter', for 45 minutes. (Note: you can also use a large bamboo steamer if you have one). When 'cake' is steamed through, slice into pieces and serve hot OR cool on wire rack before covering tightly with plastic wrap and placing in refrigerator to chill. Makes 6 servings

Pork Dumplings

100 (3.5 inch square) wonton wrappers
1 3/4 pounds ground pork
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger root
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons thinly sliced green onion
4 tablespoons soy sauce
3 tablespoons sesame oil
1 egg, beaten
5 cups finely shredded Chinese cabbage

In a large bowl, combine the pork, ginger, garlic, green onion, soy sauce, sesame oil, egg and cabbage. Stir until well mixed. Place 1 heaping teaspoon of pork filling onto each wonton skin. Moisten edges with water and fold edges over to form a triangle shape. Roll edges slightly to seal in filling.

Set dumplings aside on a lightly floured surface until ready to cook. To Cook: Steam dumplings in a covered bamboo or metal steamer for about 15 to 20 minutes. Serve immediately. Makes 6 servings

Baked Sesame Chicken

3-4 chicken breasts, cut into bite size pieces
1 cup corn starch

Sauce

6 tablespoons honey
4 tablespoons ketchup
3 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon brown sugar
2 tablespoons white vinegar
3 tablespoons soy sauce
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon cold water + 2 tablespoons corn starch
Sesame seeds, for topping

Preheat oven to 375 and spray a 9x13 inch baking dish with cooking spray. In a bowl, whisk together all sauce ingredients, set aside. Add chicken and 1 cup corn starch to a large ziplock bag. Seal and shake to coat chicken. Transfer chicken to a large pan or skillet drizzled with oil. Saute chicken over medium high heat until browned (2-4 minutes).

Toss chicken in the prepared sauce. Transfer to baking dish. Bake for 20-25 minutes until chicken is cooked through. Serve with sesame seeds and green onions for garnish if desired. Enjoy! Serves: 4

Sweet and Sticky Sesame Chicken

3-4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, chopped into 1.5 inch pieces
1 tablespoon oil
6 tablespoons flour
1 egg, lightly beaten
3 tablespoons corn starch
Sesame seeds
3-4 cups cooked white rice
Optional: fresh green onions, chopped

For the sauce

6 tablespoons honey
4 tablespoons ketchup
3 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon brown sugar
2 tablespoons white vinegar
3 tablespoons soy sauce
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon cold water + 2 tablespoons corn starch

Whisk all sauce ingredients together, set aside. Place beaten egg, 3 tablespoons corn starch, and flour in three separate bowls. Dip chicken pieces in egg mixture, then flour (toss to coat), and lastly in corn starch (toss to coat). Heat oil over medium heat in a large pan or skillet. Add chicken and cook, stirring throughout to ensure even cooking, 5-10 minutes until cooked though.
 
Add sauce to your skillet and bring to a boil. Whisk cold water and 2 tablespoons corn starch together in a small bowl until corn starch is dissolved. Add corn starch mixture to skillet. Stir until sauce thickens. Serve over rice and top with sesame seeds and green onions. Enjoy! Serves: 4

Notes. The sauce recipe will make enough to coat the chicken but, if you like your dishes really saucy, double the sauce recipe!