Saucy Broccoli and Tofu Stir-fry

We eat a lot of broccoli in this house. It’s one of the vegetables my son will actually eat without a lot of bitching and moaning. It might be a bit boring as far as vegetables go, but it does often save me a trip to the Asian market because it’s a good substitute for Asian broccoli. Not quit as sharp as the Asian varieties, but that’s made up for with a wonderful texture. If you haven’t tried biting into a tender-crisp piece of stir-fried broccoli, the sauce that’s trapped in the floret releasing into your mouth, then you’ve missed out. That’s not an exaggeration.

Try this easy stir-fry and you’ll see what I’m talking about.



I found this stir-fry in Martin Yan’s latest cookbook, Martin Yan's China. He originally presents this as a shrimp stir-fry, but in an effort to eat less meat, I decided to use tofu and broccoli. In fact, if you substitute the chicken stock with vegetable stock or water, this would be a vegan dish! Imagine that?!

Saucy Broccoli and Tofu Stir-fry
Adapated from Martin Yan’s China
Serves 3

• 1 block firm tofu, drained and cut into cubes
• 2 to 3 cups of broccoli (more if you’d like), cut for stir-frying
• 1 tbs minced garlic
• ¼ cup ketchup (see note)
• ¼ cup Chinese rice wine
• ¼ cup chicken broth
• 2 tsp cornstarch
• 1 to 2 tbs chili garlic sauce (see note)
• ½ tbs sugar (more to taste)
• squirt of toasted sesame oil
• 1 tsp soy sauce (more to taste)

Note: Those who turn their noses up to using ketchup in Asian cooking should not be so snobby. It can work beautifully, like in this dish. Remember, if it's good enough for Martin Yan, it's good enough for you. Also, if you haven’t figured it out, there is a difference between the Chinese andd Vietnamese version of chili garlic sauce. Lee Kum Kee is probably the most popular Chinese version here in the States. We don’t think it’s very spicy and are able to use the full 2 tbs in this dish. The Vietnamese version is a heck of a lot spicier, and the one I prefer, but if I use 2 tbs in anything, Sonny wouldn’t be able to eat. The choice is yours; both work well.

Start by heating a wok over medium-high heat. Add 2 to 3 tbs oil and when hot add the tofu. Fry the tofu, turning only every minute or so. This will allow it to sear so that the outside is semi-crisp and the inside is soft. It may take 10 minutes to get them browned to your liking.

While the tofu is cooking, make the sauce. Start by dissolving the cornstarch in the broth and soy sauce. Add the ketchup, rice wine, chili garlic sauce, sugar and sesame oil. Stir to dissolve the sugar. Adjust the flavor to your liking by adding more of any of the ingredients. Bare in mind that the rice wine may seem strong, but it will evaporate once cooked. Set aside until needed.

Once the tofu is browned to your liking, add the broccoli and stir-fry until crisp-tender, about 2 minutes. Better to undercook than overcook because you’ll be giving it a little more time at the end. Remove everything to a bowl.

Turn up the heat. To the wok, add another tbs of oil and the garlic. Fry for just a few seconds, making sure it doesn’t burn. Add the sauce mix and allow to reduce until it thickens. This shouldn’t take too long if your wok is hot. Add the tofu and broccoli back in and stir to coat. Cook for about another minute. There should be a nice sauce and it should be quite thick. Remove from heat and serve immediate with steamed rice.


I'm submitting this dish to Weekend Wokking, a food blogging event created by Wandering Chopsticks that spotlights a theme ingredient. The host this round is Wiffy of Noob Cook and the theme ingredient is broccoli. If you're interested in participating in the future, check out Wiffy's blog for the round-up, which will be posted on Dec 3. You'll get to see all the delicious entries and the next secret ingredient will be revealed!

White fish in Chili Black Bean Sauce

I’ve always loved fish. We ate it regularly when I was growing up and I could never understand why so many of my friends didn’t like it. I don’t want Sonny to be one of those kids that grows up hating fish, so I try to make it at least once a week.

Tonight I threw together this Chinese-style fish in 30 minutes. I used orange roughy, but any other firm white fish, such as cod, will do. You could also bake or steam the fish, if you prefer. Just omit the flour.




White fish with chili black bean sauce

• 1 pound white fish
• 1 tbs lime juice
• flour for dusting
• 1/2 to 1 tbs grated ginger
• 2 bunches scallions, greens and whites separated, finely sliced on the diagonal
• 1 tbs Chinese chili black bean paste
  
• 1 tbs black soy sauce
• 1 tbs Chinese rice wine or dry sherry
• ½ to 1 tsp sugar, depending on taste
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• ¼ to 1/3 cup water to de-glaze

Rub lime juice on the fish and let it sit for a couple of minutes. Pat dry and dust with flour. Pan fry in a skillet over medium-high heat. You only have to use enough oil to coat the bottom of the pan. When done, put it to the side and keep it warm.

While the fish is cooking, combine the chili black bean paste, soy sauce, rice wine, sugar and sesame oil in a small bowl. Whisk well to dissolve the sugar.

Chili black bean paste can be found at Asian markets.

In a wok over high heat, add a tablespoon or two of oil. Fry the ginger for about 20 seconds, until it’s fragrant and browning a little (don’t let it burn!). Add the whites of the green onions and stir-fry for about a minute or two. Don’t over-stir them; give them a few seconds to brown between stirs. Add the sauce mix. It should caramelize and get a little thicker quite quickly. Add the remaining green onions and ¼ to 1/3 cup of water to deglaze the wok (drizzle the water down the sides of the wok). Quickly check the seasonings, and if you’re happy, spoon the sauce over the fish. Serve immediately with steamed white rice.

Clean-Out-the-Freezer-Challenge Day 2

Today’s freezer item was Isaan-style sausage. We finished the last three links from a batch mom brought with her the last time she visited in September. To go with the sausages, I made Chinese-style scrambled eggs with shrimp and sautéed broccoli on the side.

No, these sausages aren't burnt.

The first food I probably learned to cook (not including rice) was a basic Thai-style omelet (which always turned out to be scrambled eggs). It was just eggs, fish sauce and green onions. If I was in the mood, I’d add sliced tomatoes. I loved it with sticky rice and naam prik phao.

The basic Chinese omelet (scrambled eggs) is just as easy. Just replace the fish sauce with oyster sauce. When I worked at a Chinese take-out joint, I often asked my boss to make this for my dinner. He made it extra special by adding shrimp. Served with steamed rice and hot chili oil, there really was nothing better.

Whenever I make this dish, I like to brine the shrimp. The brine recipe I use comes from Alton Brown. It’s quite simple to do and it doesn’t take long to get a good effect—maybe 20-30 minutes for medium to large shrimp. The huge jumbo shrimp take about 45 minutes. Brining adds a little flavor to the shrimp and it complements the eggs so well. It also prevents the shrimp from drying out. Really it’s completely up to you, though.

Chinese Scrambled Eggs with Shrimp
Serves 2 adults (or 4 if part of a multi-course meal)

• 4 eggs
• 1 tbs oyster sauce
• approx. ½ tbs soy sauce (low sodium okay)
• 1 tsp rice vinegar
• 3 green onions, sliced thinly on the diagonal
• ½ pound medium (21/25s) raw shrimp, peeled and de-veined
• 1 handful of cilantro, roughly chopped for garnish

For the brine (optional)

• ¼ cup sugar
• ¼ cup salt
• 1 cup water
• 1 pound ice

If you’re going to brine the shrimp, dissolve the sugar and salt in the water (on the stove top or in the microwave). When the solids are dissolved, pour them into a large bowl with the ice. When the ice melts, add the shrimp and soak for about 20-30 minutes. It’s important to wait until the ice melts, even if the solution is cold. Otherwise the brine will be too concentrated, resulting in very salty shrimp. When the shrimp are done soaking, rinse them briefly (you don’t want to undo all your work) and pat them dry thoroughly. They should be used immediately.

Just before you’re ready to cook, beat the eggs with the oyster sauce, soy sauce and vinegar until frothy.

Heat up a wok over medium-high heat. Add about 3 or 4 tbs oil by drizzling down the sides of the wok. You want to coat the sides to keep the eggs from sticking. Add the green onions and allow them to sizzle undisturbed for about 20 seconds. Add the shrimp and allow to sizzle undisturbed for another 20 seconds. Add the eggs. Avoid overworking them. You want them to get a little browned on the bottom. The eggs should set at about the same time the shrimp are done (maybe 4 minutes or so). Garnish with the chopped cilantro and serve over steamed rice with hot chili oil.

This is good for breakfast too!

Easier Than you Think: General Tsao's Chicken

I have 3 Chinese cookbooks and not one of them contains a recipe for General Tsao’s Chicken. But walk into any Chinese Restaurant in America, and you’ll find it on the menu. Is this a Chinese-American invention or is it actually genuinely Chinese? Anyone with an answer, please speak up.

Whatever it’s origins, it’s definitely a crowd pleaser. That’s why I was thrilled to find a recipe for it here on Slashfood. If you think it’s difficult or time consuming to make, it’s not! I think it’s the deep-frying bit that turns people off to making this at home. Personally, I find deep frying a lot neater than frying up a steak or pan searing chicken; it just takes a little longer. Still, this dish can be done in about 30 minutes.

I pretty much followed the recipe since this was my first time, and it turned out great. The only things I did a little differently were double the sauce (because God forbid there isn’t enough sauce to go around) and wok-caramelized the chicken in the sauce to give it that extra touch. Of course you can just toss the chicken in the sauce and serve it that way.

There are a couple of important things to remember: 1) Even though the sauce may taste very salty by itself, the chicken is not seasoned, so it all mellows out in the end. Serving with steamed rice also cuts the saltiness. 2) Use whatever cuts of chicken you like. Contrary to what people think, using breast meat will not be too dry. In fact, it won’t be dry at all. The cornstarch prevents that. It’s the Chinese secret to any stir-fry and deep fry. 3) The batter will look similar to a tempura batter, but the chicken will never get as “crunchy” due to the egg. Don’t worry. The result will not be soggy, especially after you give it a quick turn in the sauce in your wok.

General Tsao’s Chicken

• 1 lb skinless, boneless chicken, cubed or sliced
• 1/3 cup cornstarch
• 2 eggs
• ½ cup soy sauce (low sodium is fine)
• ¼ cup rice wine vinegar
• 1 tbs cornstarch
• ¼ cup sugar (more or less to taste)
• 1-2 tsp sambal oelek or 1-2 chili peppers split lengthwise (or more to taste)
• 4-5 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tbs minced ginger
• 1 bunch green onions, sliced in long on the diagonal (save 1 to slice finely for garnish)
• vegetable oil for deep-frying (I do not recommend olive oil)

Set the oil on the stove to heat while you prepare the chicken and batter. Depending on the size of the pot, you may need about 3-5 cups of oil.

Start by making the batter. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs until they are well scrambled. Slowly add the cornstarch in batches while whisking vigorously to prevent clumping. When you get a uniform mixture, add the chicken and turn to mix well. When the oil reaches 350º, it’s ready. Don’t worry if you don’t have a thermometer, just add a drop of the batter to the oil. If it starts to sizzle, the oil is ready. Fry the chicken in batches, making sure not to crowd the pieces. Use a spider to separate the pieces as they will have a tendency to stick together, even if they are not crowded. It will probably take about 2 minutes per side, so a total of 4 minutes per batch. The chicken should be golden brown and cooked through. I recommend draining on a rack set above a cookie sheet, but draining on paper towels is okay too.

As you’re frying up the chicken, you can begin to make the base for the sauce. In a small sauce pan, add the soy sauce, vinegar, cornstarch and sugar. Whisk to dissolve the cornstarch. Put the pot over a medium-low heat and simmer until the sauce thickens. Stir it as needed. Add more sugar or vinegar according to your taste. Once it gets thick, turn off the heat and put the lid on to keep it warm until needed.

Once the chicken is done and the sauce is ready, heat up your wok on high heat. Add about 1 tbs of oil (you can use some of the oil from deep-frying) then add the garlic, ginger and sambal or chili. Stir-fry for about 30 seconds or until the mixture is fragrant. Add the green onions and continue to stir-fry for about 1 minute. Add the chicken and continue cooking. Add the sauce (about ½ cup or more to your taste) and quickly turn the chicken it in. You need to work quickly because the sauce will become very thick and caramelize quickly. Once the chicken in well coated, you’re done. Garnish with the sliced green onion. Serve immediately with steamed rice and a vegetable.

TIP: One thing you can do is to cook a vegetable like asparagus or broccoli in the wok after you have removed the chicken. Add the vegetable and a little water to release the caramelized sauce. Put a lid on the wok and steam/simmer the vegetable until tender-crisp.

I Like Thai-nese Food

A friend asked how I learned to cook Chinese food. I thought about this a lot and I realized I learned by osmosis, if you can believe it. See, teachers aren’t right about everything!

When I was 14 (and a half) I got a job working at a take-out Chinese restaurant. In the beginning, my job was to take orders, be the cashier, and keep the front of the restaurant nice and tidy. When it wasn’t busy, I made egg rolls, wontons and prepped veggies. I got to see how to cook using a wok and using Chinese cooking techniques. So you see I’m not kidding: I really did learn just by being there. Still wondering why this method didn’t work for physics class??

Most of the cooking I do now is not strictly Thai or Chinese (the inside joke is it’s actually Thai-nese). I mix all kinds of stuff and hope for the best. I’m not one of those that’s hung up on producing authentic dishes. Who cares as long as it tastes good?

Speaking of tasting good, I’m going to Cancun tomorrow. I know I’m the only one who understands the previous sentence. I guess what I’m trying to say is that 1) my head is so full of checklists, I’m unable to formulate a coherent thought, 2) I won’t be posting until I return, sometime after November 1st, 3) I’m leaving you with an easy, delicious stir-fry idea using chicken, hoisin, lemongrass and kaffir lime leaf.

Enjoy! I’ll be thinking about some of you as I sip cocktails by the pool.

Chicken Stir-fry with Lemongrass and Kaffir Lime Leaf
Feeds 2 adults and 1 preschooler.

• 1 tbs hoisin
• 1tbs fish sauce
• 1 tbs oyster sauce
• 1 tbs brown sugar
• 10 smaller Asian shallots, peeled and halved (red pearl onions are fine)
• 2 stalks lemongrass, whites only, finely sliced or chopped
• 2 Kaffir lime leaves, cut into thin strips
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1-2 seeded chilies, cut in half lengthwise (optional)
• 2 chicken breasts, cut into small cubes

In a small bowl, mix the hoisin, fish sauce, oyster sauce and sugar. Set aside until needed.

In a very hot wok over high heat, add a little oil. Add the shallots and stir-fry until they take on some color, about 1 minute. Add the garlic, chili, lemongrass, lime leaves and chicken. When the chicken is almost done, add the sauce mix. It should begin to caramelize quickly. Stir-fry until the chicken is done. Garnish with the sliced chilies and serve with steamed jasmine rice.

Food Fit for a Power Ranger

This evening at dinner Sonny said, “This is so yummy, I bet even Power Rangers would eat it!” If you knew how obsessed my son is with Power Rangers, you’d understand what a huge compliment that was. But don’t get the wrong idea, he wasn’t talking about mac n’ cheese or pizza (which we’ll have tomorrow night). He was talking about yakisoba stir-fry.

This is such a versatile dish because you can basically use just about any meat or vegetable you like. The sauce is slightly sweet due to the hoisin, but that’s balanced by the black soy sauce (which is very salty) and chili bean paste. (don’t worry, this is not at all spicy). To further balance the hoisin, I recommend a strong veggie like mustard greens, bok choy, asparagus or even broccoli. For the meat, I used chicken, but you could just as well substitute pork, beef or tofu.

This recipe easily serves 6 (8 if it’s part of a multi-course meal).

Yakisoba Stir-fry with Chicken and Mustard Greens

• 3 tbs hoisin sauce
• 2 tbs black soy sauce (regular soy sauce is fine too)
• 1 tbs Chinese chili bean paste (or chili garlic sauce will do fine)
• ½ tbs brown sugar
• 1 tbs sesame oil
• 1 tbs minced garlic
• 1 tbs minced or grated ginger
• 1 bunch mustard greens, roughly chopped
• 1 ½ to 2 chicken breast, sliced for stir-fry
• 2 bunches green onions, thinly sliced on the diagonal
• 1 (32 0z) package of yakisoba noodles

Start by separating the noodles. They come compressed together and it can be hard to separate them when they are cold. You could dunk them into boiling water for about 10 or 20 seconds, but that’s too much work for me. I’m also afraid they will get too soft and become soggy when I stir-fry them. What I normally end up doing is putting them into my stockpot and filling that with lukewarm water and carefully trying to separate the noodles with my hands. Every strand doesn’t have to be separated, but they should be loose. Drain them and keep them in a colander until ready to use. They come lightly coated with oil so they shouldn’t clump together and stick.

Make the sauce mix by combining the hoisin, soy sauce, chili bean paste, brown sugar and sesame oil. Mix well to dissolve the sugar and set aside until it’s needed.

Heat a wok over high heat. When it’s very, very hot add a splash of oil (about 2 tbs). Add the garlic and ginger and fry for about 10 seconds. Add the chicken and then the mustard greens. Stir-fry for about 2 minutes, until the chicken is almost done. Add the drained noodles and stir-fry until everything is well mixed, about 1 minute. Add the sauce mix and continue to stir-fry until the noodles are coated with the sauce, about a minute or two more. Turn off the heat and throw in the green onions. Toss a couple more times and you’re done! Serve immediately. Even though this is well seasoned, I always serve noodles with fish sauce, lime wedges and sambal oelek on the side just in case anyone wants to a little extra seasoning.






We scored this costume at the local Goodwill. Nevermind the costume is for the black ranger and the mask belongs to the green ranger. What can you ask for for $6.99?? He'll probably wear the Darth Vader mask we picked up at the same time anyways. Don't you just love the poses?

Got Eggplant?

My fridge is full of eggplant. Between my CSA share and what I’m taking from my own backyard, we’ll probably be eating eggplant 3 or 4 times this week. I’m not complaining, though. I love the stuff. The problem is deciding what I want to make with it.

Today I decided on a Chinese-style spicy eggplant. The inspiration for this came from my current favorite Chinese cookbook. I added chicken and baked the eggplant instead of deep frying it. The result was still tender and flavorful, without all the guilt.

Spicy Eggplant with Chicken

• 1/3 cup chicken stock
• 1 1/2 tbs hoisin sauce
• 1 tbs soy sauce
• 2 tsp lime juice
• 1 tsp plum sauce
• 1 lbs eggplant (Chinese variety is good, but any should be fine)
• 10 oz chicken breast or thighs, minced
• 3-4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tsp minced ginger
• Chili pepper, quartered lengthwise (use whichever and how much you want)
• Handful of basil leaves (make sure they’re dry)
• 3 green onions, sliced thinly on diagonal

Cut the eggplant into wedges (if using a large eggplant, cut into 6 wedges; for Chinese eggplant, split in half lengthwise). Toss them with oil and salt. Bake them in a 350º oven for about 30 minutes. They should be soft and a little browned. Remove from heat and set aside until needed. This part can be done a day in advance and the eggplant stored in the fridge until needed.

In a small bowl, combine the stock, hoisin, soy sauce, lime juice, and plum sauce. Set aside until needed.

In a hot wok over high heat, add about 1-2 tbs oil. When the oil starts to smoke add the chili, basil, garlic and ginger. Stir-fry for about 15-20 seconds (don’t let it burn). Add the chicken and continue to fry until the chicken is just about done, about 2 minutes. Add the eggplant and fry for a minute to get everything combined. Add the sauce by drizzling it down the side of the wok so it can caramelize. Continue to cook until everything is well combined and heated through. Turn of heat and stir in the green onions. Adjust seasonings with soy sauce or salt, if necessary. Serve with steamed rice.

Fried Rice Revisited

Since I had leftover Chinese sausage, I decided to make fried rice. I’ve previously expounded the virtues of fried rice so I'll spare ya'll another expounding. What I wanted to do was try a recipe using black soy sauce, which I normally avoid because it’s so salty (see this post for the Cliff notes). However, I’ve found it inexplicably enhances the flavor of Chinese sausage, and rice can definitely tolerate a little salt.

Fried rice with Chinese sausage

• 1 large carrot, diced small like confetti
• 1 cup frozen peas
• 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 scallions, finely sliced
• 1 link Chinese sausage, diced small like confetti
• 6 oz pork sirloin or 1 large breast chicken, coarsely minced
• 1 tbs sesame oil
• 3 tbs black soy sauce
• 4 tbs oyster sauce
• 6-8 cups cold cooked rice, broken into small clumps

Combine the black soy sauce and oyster sauce in a small bowl. Set aside until ready to use.

Set a wok over high heat. When hot, add 1-2 tbs vegetable oil and use your spatula to push the oil up the sides. Add the carrots, peas and garlic and quickly stir-fry for a minute or so. Add the diced Chinese sausage, minced meat and sesame oil. Stir-fry until the minced meat is just about done, about 2-3 minutes. Add the crumbled rice and use your spatula to break it up further. Don’t stir the rice constantly; give it a few seconds (about 15-20) to brown before turning it. When most of the clumps are broken up, add about 2/3 of the sauce mix. Continue stir-frying until the rice is uniformly coated with the sauce. You may need to add the remaining sauce. Continue to cook until all the clumps are broken up and the rice is heated through. Turn off the heat and stir in the scallions. Enjoy warm with a squirt of Sriracha.

Sometimes You Gotta Make Due

Ever tasted a Chinese sausage? I didn’t like it the first time I tried it. It was sweet, hard and an alarming shade of red-brown. It made Spam look healthy and natural. Now I appreciate the Chinese variety (even though they are about as healthy as Spam...everything in moderation, right?) and use them in different dishes, such as fried rice and hot pot. Here I’ve used Chinese sausage in shu mai with a twist. These dumplings can have a variety of fillings and I've yet to taste one I didn't like.

Shu mai with Chinese sausage filling

• 1 lbs ground pork
• 1 link Chinese sausage, finely chopped
• 3 scallions finely chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• ½ tsp cornstarch
• 1 egg
• 1 cup peas (optional)
• 1 pack shu mai wrappers (thinner than goyoza wrappers)

Combine the filling for the dumplings. Use about 2 tsp of filling for each wrapper (keep unused wrappers under a damp cloth to prevent drying out). Shu mai, unlike potstickers, are not sealed shut. The filling is exposed at the top. It may take a little practice to get the wrapper to form pleats around the filling and to keep in place. You may find it helpful to use a lightly moist finger to shape the wrapper. Keep finished dumplings under a light damp cloth to keep the wrapper from drying up. To cook the dumplings, steam them in a bamboo steamer lined with lettuce or cabbage leaves for 10 to 12 minutes (or until done). They are ready to enjoy with your favorite dipping sauce. If you’ve made more dumplings than you plan to eat, freeze them (before they are cooked) on a cookie sheet then transfer to a plastic bag.

Here’s the twist. I went to my Asian grocer and they were out of shu mai wrappers! Instead of driving out to the burbs to find wrappers, I decided to use the phyllo sheets I had leftover from making a strudel. While the end result was excellent, it took a lot of work because I’m not used to working with phyllo and it dries out so quickly, even when greased up. Cut the phyllo into 3x3 squares and use at least 2 layers to wrap the filling. To cook the dumplings, I put them into a 350º for 20-25 minutes, or until nice and brown. These should be eaten immediately.