Cold Sesame Noodles

Every now and again I get a craving for cold sesame noodles.I remember the first time I had this dish, I didn't think I was going to like it at all, but with every bite I fell in love. The creamy sauce with all the crunchy veggies makes it for an amazing meal. These have a distinctive sesame flavor. I love these with bean sprouts. green onions, shredded carrots and cucumbers. I hope you'll give it a try. This recipe comes from Tyler Florence and like all the others I've tried from him, was spectacular!



* 12 ounces angel hair pasta ( I used udon noodles)
* 3 tablespoons dark sesame oil
* 2 tablespoons peanut oil
* 1-inch piece fresh ginger, minced
* 3 garlic cloves, minced
* 1 teaspoon red chili paste, such as sambal
* 1 lime, juiced
* 2 tablespoons brown sugar
* 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
* 3 tablespoons rice vinegar
* 3 tablespoons soy sauce
* 6 tablespoons hot water
* 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds
* 2 green onions, thinly sliced on the diagonal
* Fresh chopped cilantro leaves, for garnish

Directions



Cook the noodles in large pot of boiling unsalted water over medium heat until barely tender and still firm. Drain immediately and rinse with cold water until cold. Drain the noodles really well and transfer to a wide bowl; toss with the sesame oil so they don't stick together. Chill.

In a blender combine the peanut oil, ginger, garlic, chili paste, lime juice, brown sugar, peanut butter, vinegar, soy sauce, and hot water. Blend. Toss the noodles with the peanut sauce until well coated. Serve at room temperature or chilled; garnish with the sesame seeds, green onions, and cilantro.

Chinese New Year-Dan Dan Noodle Soup & Gift

Chinese New Year, Lunar New Year, or Spring Festival is the most important of the traditional Chinese holidays. It is commonly called "Lunar New Year", because it is based on the lunisolar Chinese calendar. The festival traditionally begins on the first day of the first month in the Chinese calendar and ends on the 15th; this day is called Lantern Festival.

Chinese New Year is the longest and most important festivity in the Chinese Lunar Calendar. The origin of Chinese New Year is itself centuries old and gains significance because of several myths and traditions. Ancient Chinese New Year is a reflection on how the people behaved and what they believed in the most.

This year is specially important in our house because is the year of the TIGER. My husband was born the year of the Tiger. Tiger year is traditionally associated with massive changes and social upheaval. Therefore, 2010 is very likely to be a volatile one both on the world scene, as well as on a personal level. The horoscopes say (for those of you who believe in that sort of thing) that those compatible with the Tiger — the Dragon (ME) and the Horse in particular — may also find 2010's erratic circumstances inspiring them to ever bolder action, and ultimate success. With that I hope you have a GREAT TIGER YEAR!!!

I almost forgot...For a few months now I've been wanting to get new self scraping paddle attachment for my Kitchen Aid mixer and couple of days ago my LOVELY HUSBAND surprised me with one. I was so excited I had to tell my friend about it...She listen and said that I act as if he's given me diamonds...LOL Is there anything better than a man who listens to his wife's needs and wants??? I'll take him over diamonds any day!!!



Dan-Dan Noodle Soup



* 1/2 cup sesame seeds, toasted
* 4 tablespoons toasted sesame oil, plus more for serving
* 1 tablespoon plus 1/2 teaspoon sugar
* Kosher salt
* 2 half-sour dill pickles
* 1 clove garlic, minced
* 1 tablespoon minced peeled ginger
* 4 scallions, finely chopped
* 3 tablespoons soy sauce
* 1 1/4 cups low-sodium chicken broth or stock
* 8 ounces ground pork
* 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
* 2 to 4 teaspoons Chinese chili oil, plus more for serving
* 2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
* 9 ounces dried Chinese egg noodles
* 1 medium head bok choy, sliced crosswise

Directions

Bring a pot of water to a boil. Pulse the sesame seeds in a mini food processor with 2 tablespoons sesame oil, 1 tablespoon sugar and 1/4 teaspoon salt until powdery; set aside.

Prepare the stir-fry: Quarter, seed and finely dice the pickles and put in a bowl. In another bowl, mix the garlic, ginger, scallions, 1/2 teaspoon salt and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon sugar. Mix 1 tablespoon soy sauce and the broth in a third bowl. Mix the pork with 1 tablespoon soy sauce and 1/2 teaspoon salt in another bowl. Place the four bowls by the stove.

Place a large skillet over high heat. Add 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, then the pork, breaking it up with a wooden spoon, until cooked but not dry, 4 minutes. Transfer the meat to a bowl and toss with the remaining 1 tablespoon soy sauce.

Add the remaining 1 tablespoon vegetable oil to the skillet; stir-fry the pickles for 1 minute. Add the garlic mixture and fry 30 seconds. Add the broth and boil until reduced by half, 4 minutes. Divide the broth among bowls and drizzle with the chili oil and vinegar.

Meanwhile, add the noodles and bok choy to the boiling water and cook until just tender, 2 minutes. Drain and toss with the remaining 2 tablespoons sesame oil. Season with salt, then divide among the bowls. Top with pork and sprinkle with sesame powder. Serve with more sesame and chili oil.

Beef Cinnamon Noodles

Beef Cinnamon Noodles is something I've made for many years now. I found this recipe in Cooking Light in 2001 and loved it. I make this dish when I feel like I need something comforting. It is rich and flavorful and healthy at the same time. I serve mine with rice noodles, but you can use your favorite side dish to accompany it ( I thought that the thin noodles weren't as good as the wide but I did not have any other variety on hand) The meat is simmered in a soy sauce-based mixture for a long time until tender. Seasoned with ginger, garlic, and cinnamon for extra flavor. I know that cinnamon and beef combination is not necessarily the first thing that comes to mind but it is FABULOUS! Give it a try and let me know what you thought.... I think you'll be impressed, with how little effort yields such a great result!

Beef Cinnamon Noodles



* 5 cups water
* 1 1/2 cups rice wine or sake
* 3/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
* 1/4 cup sugar
* 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
* 2 pounds beef stew meat, cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes
* 8 green onions, cut into 1-inch pieces
* 6 garlic cloves, crushed
* 2 cinnamon sticks
* 1 (1-inch) piece peeled fresh ginger, thinly sliced
* 1 (10-ounce) package fresh spinach, chopped
* 4 cups hot cooked wide lo mein noodles or vermicelli (about 8 ounces uncooked pasta)

Preparation

Combine first 4 ingredients in a large bowl; stir with a whisk. Set aside.

Heat 1 teaspoon oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat; add half of the beef, browning on all sides. Remove from pan. Repeat procedure with remaining oil and beef. Return beef to pan; add water mixture, onions, garlic, cinnamon, and ginger. Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat, and simmer 2 hours or until beef is tender. Discard ginger slices and cinnamon. Stir in spinach; cook 3 minutes or until wilted. Serve over noodles.

Braised Eggplant in garlic sauce

I was talking to my mother in law today about cooking eggplant...We went out to lunch and among all the goodies we ordered was a braised eggplant-sooo yummy!!! I've never eaten eggplant growing up but enjoy it great deal in the past few years. I generally serve it grilled, in a salad or in Moussaka (traditional eggplant-based dish that comes out of the Mediterranean, made with eggplant, ground meat and tomatoes, onions and some kind of pepper) but have never braised it. I feel a little intimidated when it comes to asian dishes, it just seems so complicated when you looking at the recipe. Those of you who know me, know that I do not shy away from the challenge and since there is no time like a present, I decided to make my own version of braised eggplant in garlic sauce... The outcome was delicious!! It was a bit spicy but I think it gives the eggplant a little zip, which is needed.



4 Asian eggplants or 1 large regular eggplant (about 1 1/4 lbs)
1 tsp salt

Sauce:
3/4 cup chicken broth
2 Tbsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp dry sherry or Chinese rice wine
2 tsp seasame oil
2 tsp hoisin sauce
2 tsp chili paste

2 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 Tbps minced garlic
1 tsp minced ginger
2 green onions (including tops) thinly sliced
2 tsp cornstarch disolved in water
4 tsp water
Slivered green onion for garnish



Directions

Peel the eggplant and cut it into 1/2 inch cubes. Place in a medium bowl, sprinkle with salt, and toss gently to mix. Set aside for 30 minutes.
Combine the sauce ingredients in a medium bowl. Drain and rinse the eggplant and squeeze it dry. Place a wok or wide frying pan over high heat until hot. Add the vegetable oil, swirling to coat the sides. Add the garlic and ginger and cook, stirring until fragrant, about 10 seconds. Add the eggplant, green onions, mix well. Add the sauce. Reduce the heat to medium, cover the pan and braise until the eggplant is tender and the liquid is slightly reduced, about 10 minutes. Add the cornstarch solution and cook, stirring, until the sauce boils and thickens. Garnish with slivered green onions.

Beef stir-fry

I've been on an asian kick lately trying variety of different recipes. My hubby love stir fries and beef so that is what brings us to this one. This recipe was adapted from Gourmet magazine, October 1990 issue. The only changes I've made were to substitute the flank steak (one of my favorite cuts of beef) for siriloin and I've added variety of different veggies to it. Here is the recipe:

For the beef

* 2 teaspoons soy sauce
* 1/4 teaspoon sugar
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 3/4 pound of flank steak cut across the grain into 1/4-inch-thick slices


For the sauce

* 1 tablespoon cornstarch
* 1 tablespoon soy sauce
* 1 tablespoon medium-dry Sherry or Scotch
* 1/4 cup chicken or beef broth or water
* 1 teaspoon sugar
* 2 teaspoons Oriental sesame oil


* 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
* 1 tablespoon minced peeled fresh gingerroot
* 1 tablespoon minced garlic
* a 4-inch fresh red chili, seeded and minced (wear rubber gloves) or 1/2 tablespoon dried hot red pepper flakes
* 1 pound broccoli, cut into flowerets and the stems peeled and cut into 1/2-inch-thick
* 2 bell peppers different colors

Prepare the beef:

In a small bowl stir together the soy sauce, the sugar, and the salt, add the beef, and let it marinate for 20 minutes.


Make the sauce while the beef is marinating:

In a small bowl dissolve the cornstarch in the soy sauce and stir in the Sherry, the broth, the sugar, and the sesame oil.

Heat a wok or large heavy skillet over high heat until it is hot, add 2 tablespoons of the vegetable oil, and heat it until it just begins to smoke. Stir-fry the beef in the oil in batches for 1 minute, or until it is no longer pink, and transfer it as it is cooked with a slotted spoon to a plate. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon vegetable oil to the wok, heat it until it is hot but not smoking, and in the oil stir-fry the gingerroot, the garlic, and the chili for 30 seconds, or until the mixture is fragrant. Add the broccoli and stir-fry the mixture for 1 minute. Add 1/3 cup water and steam the broccoli, covered, for 1 1/2 to 2 minutes, or until it is crisp-tender. Add bell peppers and stir fry couple of minutes. Stir the sauce, add it to the wok with the beef and any juices that have accumulated on the plate, and cook the mixture, stirring, for 2 minutes, or until the sauce is thickened and the beef is heated through. Transfer the mixture to a heated platter and serve it with the rice.

Chinese dumplings/potstickers

I've always wanted to try to make potstickers but never had the courage to try...
When I joined Daring Kitchens earlier this month, their May challenge was Chinese dumplings but I was too late signing up to participate. I decided that I'll try to make them anyway... My husband is Chinese and he grew up on these. We always have a bag of them in our freezer but as somebody pointed out they are just not the same as the home made version. This recipe makes a lot of dumplings, so unless you have a large group of people over for dinner, you can freeze them for future use. Enjoy!

This recipe is from www.thedaringkitchens.com




Dough:
(double this for the amount of filling, but easier to make it in 2 batches - or just halve the filling recipe) 2 cups (250g) all-purpose flour 1/2 cup (113g) warm water flour for work surface

Make the dough: Place the flour in the work bowl of a food processor with the dough blade. Run the processor and pour the warm water in until incorporated. Pour the contents into a sturdy bowl or onto a work surface and knead until uniform and smooth. The dough should be firm and silky to the touch and not sticky.[Note: it’s better to have a moist dough and have to incorporate more flour than to have a dry and pilling dough and have to incorporate more water).



Fillings:

pork filling:

1 lb (450g) ground pork 4 large napa cabbage leaves, minced 3 stalks green onions, minced 7 shitake mushrooms, minced (if dried - re hydrated and rinsed carefully) 1/2 cup (75g) bamboo shoots, minced 1/4 (55g) cup ginger root, minced 3 tbsp (40g) soy sauce 2 tbsp (28g) sesame oil 2 tbsp (16g) corn starch

Shrimp filling:

1/2 lb (225g) raw shrimp, peeled, deveined, and coarsely chopped 1/2 lb (225g) ground pork 3 stalks green onions, minced 1/4 cup (55g) ginger root, minced 1 cup (142g) water chestnuts, minced 1 tsp (5g) salt 3 tbsp (40g) sesame oil 2 tbsp (16g) corn starch

Combine all filling ingredients in a large mixing bowl and mix thoroughly (I mix by clean hand). Cover and refrigerate until ready to use (up to a day, but preferably within an hour or two).

dipping sauce:

2 parts soy sauce 1 part vinegar (red wine or black) a few drops of sesame oil chili garlic paste (optional) minced ginger (optional) minced garlic (optional) minced green onion (optional) sugar (optional)

Vegetarian Bao (Chinese Buns)

These are one of my husband's favorites. You can only get them in Asian bakery or Asian supermarket, but they are not always available...So I've decided to give them a try myself, how hard could it be, right? Turned out not as hard as I thought... Here is the outcome of my BAO experiment...



Dough:

2 TBSP of sugar
1 Package of dry yeast
3/4 cup plus 2 TBSP of warm water (100-110'F)
1 tsp of sesame oil
2 3/4 cup of AP flour

Dissolve sugar and yest in 3/4 cup plus 2 TBSP of warm water, add 2 TBSP of sugar and let it stand for 5 minutes. Add 1 tsp of sesame oil and 2 1/2 cups of AP flour. Kneed the dough adding more flour as needed 1 TBSP at the time. Dough is going to be sticky. Knead for dough 10 minutes till smooth. Spray the surface of the dough with cooking spray, cover and let it rest for 10 minutes. After dough rests, cut it in 8 equal pieces and roll it out into circles. Dough should be thinner at the edges and slightly thicker in the center.

Filling:

2TBSP of vegetable oil
1/2 head of cabbage shredded
12 shittake mushrooms, cut in small pieces
1 squares of soy bean cake or bake tofu, you can find it in Asian market, cut in bite sized pieces
1 tsp on sesame oil
3 TBSP of soy sauce
1 tsp of Worchestershire Sauce
salt & pepper to taste

Note: These buns can be filled with many different savory fillings.





Head oil in a pan and add cabbage,mushrooms and baked tofu and saute till soft, add soy sauce & Worchestershire sauce, and cook till soft. Season to taste with salt and pepper and add sesame oil at the end of cooking. Cool the filling.

After the filling is cooled, assemble the buns. Take the dough rounds, fill them with 2 TBSP of filling, bring up the sides to cover the filling, twist and pinched to seal. Buns will be very full.

You can steam them immediately or put them in the fridge to rest for couple of hours, making sure that they are not sticking together (they will rise in the fridge so I put some wax paper in between them, so they do not stick and tear)

Steam for 10-18 minutes & ENJOY!!!