Tag: food from other lands

General Tsao’s Chicken

Like many of you, my favorite Chinese take out dish is General Tsao’s Chicken.  I’m also a big fan of chow mein, fried rice, beef and broccoli, and egg rolls.  But I don’t think I’ve ordered Chinese take out without getting some form of General Tsao’s Chicken.  There’s just something about that crispy breaded chicken slathered in that sweet and tangy, sometimes spicy suace that gets my taste buds going.

Now, I’m pretty sure that even though it is a “Chinese” dish, I’m almost positive that they don’t have General Tsao’s Chicken in China.  It’s one of those dishes that is totally Americanized, but we like to pretend that we’re actually eating Chinese food.

I was watching a segment on TV one time where these journalists were walking around some of the busiest cities in China handing out fortune cookies asking the locals if they knew what it was.  Almost 100% of the people they talked to had no clue what a fortune cookie was, and the ones that actually took a bite were shocked to find a piece of paper inside the cookie.  If that doesn’t give you a clue as to where our “Chinese Food” actually originated, I don’t know what does.

Ok enough rambling.  Now that I’ve completely gone off on a tangent, how about a delicious new recipe to add to your repertoire?  Can you guess what that recipe is?  That’s right!!!!  General Tsao’s Chicken!  Did the title give it away?

Here’s what you’ll need: (serves 2)

  • 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
  • 2 Tbsp sherry
  • salt
  • 1/3 cup cornstarch
  • 1 cup broccoli (chopped)
  • 1 cup green or red bell pepper (chopped)
  • peanut oil, enough to coat the pan (I didn’t have this so I used olive oil)
  • 1/3 – 1/2 cup General Tsao’s sauce (found in the international foods aisle at your grocery store)

Chop bell pepper into thick strips (about an inch thick).

 

Then turn the pepper to the side and chop again into bite sized pieces. (Steve took this picture for me so I could use both hands…..how nice of him!)

 

Here’s a nice little pile of chopped bell pepper.  This Christmas, Steve gave me a new WONDERFUL lens for my camera, as well as a tripod, so my pictures are turning out clearer than ever!  Thanks, Baby!

 

Next, chop up some broccoli into bite-sized pieces.

 

Chop your chicken into……you guessed it…..bite-sized pieces.  Place in a bowl, add the sherry, and mix around with your fingers so that each piece of chicken is coated in the sherry.  Let sit for 15 minutes.  (You could do this step first so the chicken can marinate while you’re chopping your veggies, but I was waiting for my chicken to defrost, so that is why I waited until now).

 

Add cornstarch to a plate.

 

Once the chicken has finished marinating, add to the cornstarch and toss to coat.  Make sure every piece is completely covered and there are no wet spots.  You may want to scoop the chicken out of the bowl by hand instead of just dumping it onto the plate.  It will probably help keep the wetness to a minimum.

 

Add your cooking oil to a large skillet and heat over medium high heat.  Add your chicken in a single layer to the hot oil.

 

Make sure you turn chicken periodically during cooking so that all sides get browned.  Once chicken is golden brown, remove and transfer to a paper towel lined plate.

 

Add broccoli and peppers to the hot skillet and let cook for about a minute or so.  If you like your broccoli a little softer and not so crunchy, you can boil it for a few minutes prior to adding it to the skillet.

 

Add chicken back to the pan.

 

This is the General Tsao’s sauce that I picked up at the grocery store.  It was really tasty!  I had a recipe to make the sauce from scratch, but I couldn’t find one of the ingredients, so I decided to take the easier route and use the pre-made stuff instead of chancing that the absence of this one ingredient would completely ruin the sauce.

 

Add about 1/3 – 1/2 cup of the sauce to the chicken and veggies and stir to coat completely.

 

Doesn’t that just look divine!!!?  By the way….this is not a low calorie meal.  So just keep that in mind. 😉

 

Add chicken and veggies to a bowl on top of a fluffy bed of white rice.  The crispiness of the chicken really added great texture to the dish!  It is definitely a repeater meal in our house!  Enjoy!

Beef Enchiladas

If you’ve been reading my blog for a while, you know that I’m a big fan of The Pioneer Woman, and I love trying new recipes from her blog and cookbook.

Last night I decided to try my hand at making her enchiladas.  I was a little surprised when I realized that I had never made enchiladas before.  Of course, my mom made them a few times when I was growing up, and I’ve had them at restaurants before, but I had never made them myself.  This recipe looks complicated, but it’s really pretty easy.

Here’s what you’ll need:

  • 1 tbsp canola oil (plus more for frying)
  • 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
  • 1 can (28oz) of enchilada or Mexican red sauce
  • 2 cups chicken broth
  • salt & pepper
  • 2 tbsp chopped cilantro, plus more for serving
  • 1 lb ground beef
  • 1 medium onion
  • 2 cans (4 oz) diced green chilies
  • corn tortillas
  • 3 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese
  • 1 can of re-fried beans (optional)

Start with a tablespoon of canola oil in a sauce pan, along with 2 tablespoons of flour over medium-high heat.  Don’t make the mistake I did and use a sauce pan that is too small.  You’re going to need one that is big enough to hold a 28 oz can of enchilada sauce, plus 2 cups of chicken broth, so plan accordingly.

Whisk oil and flour together and let bubble for one minute.

This was the enchilada sauce I used….because it was the only enchilada sauce I could find in my grocery store.  If you have another brand you like, go for it!

Pour sauce into flour and oil mixture and stir.  After I poured this in and looked over at the 2 cups of chicken stock waiting for me, I realized I needed a bigger pot.

So I transferred the sauce in to a much more appropriate pot, and proceeded to add the chicken stock (or broth if that’s what you have).

Season with salt and pepper and give it a stir.  Bring the sauce up to a boil, then lower the heat and let it simmer while you prepare the rest of the food.

Chop up some onion and add it, along with the ground beef, to a large skillet, and cook until browned.

When your meat is browned, drain the fat, then add the green chilies.  The recipe calls for 2 cans, but I only used one since I didn’t know how we would like it.  Give the chilies and meat a stir until it’s well combined.  Then, turn off the heat and set aside.

Here’s what the can looked like in case you’ve never bought green chilies before.  I hadn’t.

Here comes the fun part, frying the tortillas!  Coat the bottom of your pan with canola oil.  I fill it so that it’s about a centimeter high.  Enough so that your tortilla can be thoroughly submerged.

You’ll know your oil is hot enough for frying when you stick the end of a wooden spoon in the oil and little bubbles form around it.

Fry your tortillas just long enough so that they are soft and bendable.  You don’t want them to be crispy like you’re making tacos.

When you’re done frying a tortilla, lay it on a paper towel-lined plate, and put another paper towel in between each tortilla.

Pour some sauce in your baking dish, enough to cover the bottom.

Dunk each tortilla in the sauce, then lay on a cookie sheet.

Fill tortillas with meat and cheese.  You can also add re-fried beans (like I did), olives, or green onions.  Whatever floats your boat.  Just don’t fill them too much or you won’t be able to close them.

Fold the tortilla closed, leaving the ends open.

Place seam side down into your baking dish.  It’s ok if they fall apart a little.  It’s going to be covered in sauce and cheese so no one will know!  It’ll be our little secret.

Add some chopped cilantro to the sauce, and stir.

Pour the sauce over the enchiladas so that they are completely covered.

Sprinkle a generous helping of cheese on top of the enchiladas.  Look at that yummy goodness!

Bake at 350° for 20 minutes, or until nice and bubbly.

Sprinkle some cilantro over the top, and you’re ready to serve!

Don’t these look delicious!?  Add a little hot sauce and cheese to some re-fried beans and use as a side dish.

Go ahead, take a bite.  You know you want to!

 

Teriyaki Chicken & Pineapple Bowls

I don’t know about you, but I’m always looking for more chicken recipes.  And when we don’t want to go out to a Japanese or Chinese Restaurant but still want some teriyaki chicken, I make this delicious teriyaki chicken & pineapple bowl.  But if you think I just throw some chicken and pineapple in a pan and pour on some teriyaki sauce, you’d be terribly mistaken.  I make this teriyaki sauce with chicken stock, honey, sesame oil, and finally, the ingredient that is this recipe’s namesake….teriyaki sauce!

Here’s what you’ll need:

1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1 cup white rice (or brown if it suits your fancy)

1 cup chicken stock (choose low sodium stock if you’d like a healthier option)

1/4 cup honey

1 tsp sesame oil

1/3 cup teriyaki sauce

Can of pineapple chunks, drained


Start by pouring the chicken stock into a small sauce pan.

This is the stock I use.  It’s unsalted, cuz who needs more sodium?  Pretty sure Americans get way more sodium than is healthy, and plus, salt makes you retain water and feel bloated, and lets face it…..bloated is not a good look for me.  (Was that a run on sentence?)

Bring stock to a boil.

Then add the honey.  I’ve found that it pours alot easier if you take the cap off.  Thick honey and that tiny little pouring hole do not go well together.

Next you’re going to add the sesame oil.  You can find this on the international foods aisle at your local grocery store.  Don’t skip it, cuz it add a really nice flavor to the sauce.

I poured it in without measuring, but if you’re not a good eyeballer make sure you measure the sesame oil because a little goes a loooooooong way!  It’s a very strong flavor and if you add too much it could overpower the sauce.  Since you probably will only use sesame oil for a couple recipes you might want to keep it in the fridge.  It’ll keep longer that way.  But don’t worry, it lasts for a pretty long time.

Now add the teriyaki.  Normally I don’t use this particular teriyaki sauce.  I like to use a thicker sauce that has the consistency of ranch dressing or something like that.  Sorry, that was probably a bad comparison because teriyaki sauce and ranch dressing taste nothing alike, but just keep the thickness and consistency in mind when you are looking for a teriyaki sauce.

Let that simmer for a little bit while you prepare the chicken.

Cut chicken breasts into bite sized pieces.

Add a little Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO) to a pan and heat to medium high.

Add your chicken and some salt and pepper.

Once your chicken is fully cooked, add drained pineapple and toss into pan with the chicken.  Pour enough of the teriyaki sauce mixture onto the chicken and pineapple to coat the bottom of the pan and surround the chicken.  Bring it to a bubble.

Cook for about 5 minutes, or until most of the liquid has evaporated.  You want the chicken and pineapple to fully absorb the flavor of the sauce.

Put some white (or brown) rice in a bowl and spoon the chicken and pineapple on top.  If you want ALOT of flavor, pour some of the left over sauce on top of the chicken and let it soak into the rice.  Sprinkle some sesame seeds on top, and you’ve got yourself a nice Asian dinner without the restaurant prices!  Now who doesn’t like that?