directions: In a pan, pour about two inches of oil and heat on medium heat till hot. Cut chicken on the diagonal into thick strips, about two inches wide. In a bowl, beat eggs. In another container, place flour.
Coat chicken strips in egg mixture first, then generously pat with flour, covering all sides. (I will often give it a couple of coatings) There should be a thick layer of batter on the chicken pieces.
When oil is hot, fry chicken pieces (about 3 minutes on each side) till golden brown. Remove chicken, and let rest on a paper towel to drain the oil.
To make candy sauce, place soy sauce and sugar in a bowl and mix together, about 30 seconds. The sugar will not completely dissolve, but the mixture should be thick, and not grainy. Add sesame seeds and mix to incorporate.
Dip chicken in sauce, covering all sides. Repeat, till all pieces are covered. Serve with rice, drizzle remain sauce over chicken. Garnish with sliced scallions.
Today marks the start of the new year, the year of the tiger.
So as the ever so popular Tony the Tiger would say,
I hope your new year will be "grrrrreeeeaaaat!!!!"
So I belong to a family who celebrates Chinese New Year. I'm pretty sure it's because we love playing MahJong together. But I also think we love to devour all the yummy though very bad for you, thus only eaten once a year, fried Won tons and Crab Rangoonsmy aunt makes. My yearly assignment, this yummy Chinese Chicken Salad that joined our family at least twenty years ago. OK, so it's not a recipe handed down for generations, but it has been handed down a generation. You gotta start somewhere right?
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Chinese Chicken Salad
The Salad (or as we say, The Weed)
2-3 chicken breasts, cooked (boiled) in water, ginger and then shredded. ( I like lots of Chicken, I think the original recipe just calls for 1 breast)
Won ton skins – about 1/3 of the package. Cut and fried. (these freeze well, so don't feel like you have to use the whole package so as not to waste. Just freeze the rest.)
1 head lettuce
8 stalks green onion
4 T sliced almonds
4 T toasted sesame seeds
Mix everything together, but the won tons so they don't get soggy, when ready to serve.
Dressing
4 T sugar
2 t salt
1 t pepper
6 T vinegar (this year I used Apple Cider Vinegar, it was so good, and you don't need as much sugar. I only used about 1 1/2 T sugar)
¼-1/3 t sesame oil
½ c olive oil
Mix the dressing really well.
Pour the dressing on the salad and toss and then add the won tons just before serving.
*Some of my tricks. I cook and shred the chicken, mix the dressing and slice the green onions the night before. I put all the chicken and the onions in a bag. Shake it to mix them, and then add maybe a 1/3 of the dressing and shake it up well so as to get all the chicken (you may need more, you may need less dressing.) I allow it to sit overnight and all day. Then when I make the salad, I only pour about half the remaining dressing onto the salad and toss the salad really well. Because the chicken is already seasoned, I don't really need all the dressing, though you can put the rest on the table in case your family or guests like a "wetter" salad.
And then the cookies. These aren't cookies per say, but they are yummy. Though this one has passed along two generations - my grandma, to my mother, to me...
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Chinese Cookies (for lack of a better name)
Ingredients
1 - 12 oz bag Butterscotch Chips
1 - 12 oz bag Chow Mein Noodles
1/2 - 1 c peanuts
Instructions
Line 2 cookie sheets with wax paper (or just on really long sheet or two sheets of wax paper on the counter.
Melt the butterscotch chips (I use a double boiler to do this)
Add the peanuts
Stir in the noodles (I start with half the package and then gradually add the rest, stirring to be sure they are all coated well.)
Spoon out clumps of the coated noodles, what ever amount looks sufficient for your desired cookie size, and set on the wax paper to cool.
1/2 lb. beef steak 1 T. cornstarch 4 T. soy sauce 1 tsp. sugar 1 tsp. ginger 1 clove garlic, minced 1 lb broccoli 1 1/4 c. water 4 tsp. cornstarch 3 T. vegetable oil 1 onion, chunked 1/2 c. sliced carrots
Cut beef into thin slices. Combine sugar, ginger and garlic with 1 T. of soy sauce and 1 T. cornstarch. Then add raw beef. Let stand 15 min. Cut veggies lengthwise. Combine water, 4 tsp. cornstarch and 3 T. soy sauce; set aside. Heat oil. Add beef and stir fry for 1-2 min. Add veggies; stir fry 4 min. Add soy sauce mixture. Cook and stir until mixture boils and thickens. Serve over hot cooked rice.
**Does anyone know a trick to getting the slices of beef extra tender?? That's the only thing I would change about this recipe: the tenderness of the beef. Would using a meat tenderizer do the trick or marinating? I dunno, any thoughts?
1Tbsp. Ginger (I would recommend using less, it was a little strong)
1tsp. garlic cloves or powder
1 can of chicken broth
crushed red peppers to taste
Orange Sauce:
1 orange
1 1/2 Tbsp. soy sauce
1 1/2 Tbsp. water
5 Tbsp. sugar
5 Tbsp. chicken broth
Directions:
mix egg, salt, and pepper in a small bowl. mix cornstarch and flour in another bowl. put all the pieces of diced chicken into the egg mixture, and cover the chicken, I do this just with my hands. then move it to the flour mixture and coat the chicken. fry chicken in a fry pan using a little bit of oil. once chicken in a golden brown color and is cooked through add ginger, garlic, red pepper, and chicken broth (only about 1/2 the can) simmer for about 10-15 min. or until most of the liquid is absorbed.
in another small bowl mix ingredients for orange sauce, soy sauce, water, sugar, and chicken broth, then zest the outside of an orange until it is completely bald and add to mixture. if you want a lot of the orange taste you can cut the orange in half and squeeze the juice into the mixture as well. stir mixture and add to your chicken, mix until coated with the sauce.
Serve with white rice or ham fried rice, recipe to follow. Enjoy! This might seem a little over whelming but it really was quiet easy, and way delicious, you can call me if you have any questions.
Ingredients: 1-2 chicken breast (diced) 3 scrambled eggs 1/2 white onion (finely chopped) 1 1/2 cups frozen carrots and peas 1/2 cup butter (I usually use less) 1 tsp. garlic 2 cups white rice (not instant) soy sauce to taste
Directions: marinate chicken in soy sauce for a few hours, if you don't have much time, mix it with chicken before cooking. cook chicken in a small amount of oil, add onion and saute until clear. add frozen vegetables and cook until soft. in a separate pan scramble the eggs and chop finely, then add to mixture. I cook my rice in a rice cooker then add it to the mixture. melt butter and add garlic to it, then pour over mixture. mix altogether well and add soy sauce to taste.
Side note this can be a meal all on it's own, or notice above I have substituted the chicken with cubed ham and made it with the orange chicken, delicious.
Sorry I don't have a pic..but this is a good recipe so I thought I would post it anyway
1lb. Petite Sirloin Steak 2pkg. Oriental ramen noodles (broken up) 1 1/2 tsp. cornstarch dissolve in 1/2 cup water 2 Tbsp. Vegetable oil 1/2lb. fresh broccoli 2 med carrots
Start off by cutting your beef into thin strips not too long you want them to be bite size. Then combine ramen seasoning with the cornstarch water mixture. Add this to your beef and stir..then set aside. Use 1T. oil to stir fry your veges for about 1 minute. Then add your noddles and 1 1/2 cup water, and bring to a boil. Simmer for 3-5 minutes then remove. Add your remaining oil, drain your beef from the mixture and brown it in the oil. Then add together with your veges and noodles.
This is served great by itself or with Fried Rice. Check back for a great Chicken Fried Rice recipe.
