Cold Sesame Noodles Recipe

At once sweet, spicy, nutty, and cool, cold sesame noodles have always been one of my favorites on Chinese take-out menus. This is ideal picnic fare. The noodles will stay fresh for a few hours even if they're not refrigerated, and there's nothing in the dish that will spoil.

Ingredients:
1/4 cup smooth peanut butter
1 tbsp + 1 tspn rice vinegar
1 tspn soy sauce
1 tspn brown sugar
1/4 tspn minced garlic
1/2 tspn grated fresh ginger
1/2 tspn sesame oil
1 package ramen noodles, any flavor
1 tbsp sesame seeds plus more for garnish
1 scallion, green and light green parts, thinly sliced
1/4 cup diced peeled cucumber

Preparation:

1. In a small bowl, whisk together the peanut butter, rice vinegar, soy sauce, brown sugar, garlic, ginger, and sesame oil. Set aside.
2. Cook the ramen noodles in boiling water for 2 1/2 minutes (discard the ramen seasoning). Drain in a colander then return the hot noodles immediately to the pot. Add the sauce and stir to coat completely. Stir in 1 tbsp sesame seeds. To serve, place the noodles in a bowl and top with the scallions, cucumber, and additional sesame seeds. The noodles will keep, covered and refrigerated, for 2 to 3 days. If the noodles clump together, break them up a little with a fork before serving.

Serves 2

Recipe courtesy of Ramen To The Rescue Cookbook by Jessica Harlan

China [ print this recipe for Cold Sesame Noodles ]

Oyster Chicken Recipe

If you love Chinese food but feel guilty whenever you eat it, try making this oyster chicken. It has big flavor and it's not that bad for you - no MSG here. It is also really versatile. You can add your favorite vegetables and the end result is a great dish that you can prepare in a about a half an hour. Serve the oyster chicken over steamed rice.

Sauce:
1 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp oyster sauce
1 tbsp rice vinegar
1 tspn sugar
1 1/2 tbsp cornstarch
1/3 cup water
1 tspn sesame oil

Marinade:
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp mirin
1 tspn sesame oil
1 tbsp cornstarch

Other Ingredients:
1 pound chicken, cut into 1-2 inch pieces
1 cup medium grain rice
oil for frying
4 dried shiitake mushrooms, diced
2 green onions, diced
1 green pepper, diced
1 inch ginger, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup cashews, chopped

Preparation:

1. Mix all of the marinade ingredients together in a medium sized bowl. Add the chicken to the bowl and mix so that the chicken is covered with the marinade. Put into the refrigerator for 15-30 minutes.
2. Mix the ingredients for the sauce.
3. Prepare all of the vegetables that you plan to use.
4. Heat a wok or large skillet on high heat and add oil.
5. When oil is hot, add garlic, green onion, and ginger. Stir-fry for 1-2 minutes.
6. Add chicken and stir-fry until the chicken is lightly browned. Then remove this mixture from the wok. If there is excess oil, try to leave it in the wok.
   
7. Add oil to the wok and stir-fry the vegetables for 3-5 minutes on high heat.
8. Return the chicken to the wok mixing it with the vegetables.
9. Add the sauce to the chicken and vegetables.
10. Serve hot over steamed rice.
    

China

Mandarin Martini

My niece shared this recipe for Mandarin Martini with me last weekend. It just so happened that I had some extra Mandarin orange juice and a lime in the refrigerator so I gave it a try. It has great flavor and it's simple to prepare.

Ingredients:
1 shot vodka
juice from 1/2 a lime
2 shots of Mandarin orange syrup/juice
crushed ice

Preparation:

1. Mix all of of the ingredients in a cocktail glass.
2. Serve immediately.

China

Orange Chicken Recipe 陈皮鸡

Orange chicken is a dish originating from Hunan cuisine. It is similar to General Tso's chicken in appearance and in the way it is prepared. Orange chicken is battered chicken that is fried and then coated with a sweet, citrus flavored chili sauce.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups water
1/4 cup lemon juice
2 tbsp orange juice
2 1/2 tbsp soy sauce
1/3 cup rice vinegar
2 1/2 tbsp soy sauce
1 cup brown sugar
1 tbsp orange zest, grated
1 tspn fresh ginger, minced
3 cloves garlic, chopped
3-4 green onions, chopped
1/2 tspn red pepper flakes
3 tbsn corn starch
2 tbsp water
3-4 chicken breasts, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 cup all purpose flour
1/4 tspn salt
1/4 tspn pepper
extra virgin olive oil

Preparation:

1. Pour 1 1/2 cups of water, lemon juice, orange juice, soy sauce, and rice vinegar into a saucepan on medium high heat. Add the orange zest, ginger, brown sugar, chopped onion, garlic, and red pepper flakes.
2. Bring mixture to a boil. Remove from heat and let cool.
   
3. Put 1/2 inch pieces of chicken into a resealable plastic container. Pour 1 cup of sauce (after it has cooled) into the container with the chicken. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours. Save the remaining sauce in a separate container.
   
4. In a resealable plastic bag, mix the salt, pepper, and flour.
5. Remove the pieces of chicken from the marinade and put them into the bag containing the flour mixture. Seal the bag and shake the chicken so that it is coated with the flour mixture.
6. Heat some olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add some of the chicken to the skillet and cook it for about 4 minutes until golden brown. (You will probably need to cook about 3 batches this way in order to cook all of the chicken).
7. After each batch has cooked, remove the chicken and place it on a plate covered with paper towels. Cover the plate with a piece of aluminum foil.
8. After all of the chicken has been cooked, clean the skillet. Add the remaining sauce from step #3 to the skillet. Bring the sauce to a boil over medium high heat.
9. Add 2 tablespoons of water with the cornstarch and slowly add this mixture to the sauce then reduce the heat to low.
10. Add the chicken back to the sauce and stir so that all of the chicken is coated with sauce.
11. Serve over rice with fresh orange slices.
    

China