Nicki's Cookbook

Category Archives: Asian dishes

Asian cuisine

Beef Ramen Miso with Enoki Mushrooms

on by in Asian dishes, Soups ⋅ Leave a comment

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This recipe is not the healthiest, but sometimes I just love to try for authentic type delicious flavor! My test “dummies” loved it! So, here’s my first version of real ramen!

 

Makes: 8 1 cup portions

Ingredients:

1.5 Lb. flank steak
2 tsp. olive oil
8 oz. choy sum, washed and stems diced, leaves loose chopped
1 Tbs. minced garlic
6 green onions, sliced thin, greens separated from whites
4 oz. enoki mushrooms, bottom clump cut off
1 tsp. ground ginger
3 tsp. better than boullion beef
6 Tbs. white miso paste
4 Tbs. low sodium soy sauce
1/4 cup hoisin sauce
9 oz. dried ramen noodles (japanese wheat noodles)
8 cups water + 2 pots of boiling water

Method:

Prep all ingredients before starting to cook. The recipe moves fast once started. In 1 pot of boiling water, drop in ramen, stirring occasionally until desired doneness. It can take anywhere from 2-5 minutes. Drain and set aside. Meanwhile, in large skillet, sear flank steak in lightly oiled or nonstick skillet about 3-4 minutes on each side for rare (which is shown) or longer for desired doneness of meat. Set aside to rest on cutting board. In another large stockpot on high, add 2 tsp. olive oil and saute garlic, ginger and whites of onions, about 2 minutes. Add choy sum and stir continuously until leaves are wilted, about 2 minutes. Add 4 cups of water, mushrooms, miso paste, boullion and soy sauce. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low before adding cooked noodles. Let simmer 5 minutes and then remove from heat.  In second pot of boiling water, carefully drop eggs and let cook to soft boiled, about 5-7 minutes. Run under cool water immediately and peel, slicing in half.

Cut flank steak into 1/4 inch slices. Add to medium sized bowl with hoisin sauce and coat meat  with sauce.

Add 1 cup soup to each bowl with portion of noodles. Garnish with egg, beef and greens of onions. Serve immediately.

ramen

New Orleans Style Bourbon Chicken

on by in American, Asian dishes, Crock Pot Easy ⋅ Leave a comment

bourbon chicken

Though sold in chinese restaurants, bourbon chicken is 100% made in America!

Serves 6

Ingredients

4 skinless, boneless chicken thighs, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 tsp. ground ginger
3 oz. Jim Beam bourbon whiskey
1/2 c. reduced sodium soy sauce
1 Tbs. minced garlic
1/2 c. light or dark brown sugar
1 Tbs. minced shallot
2 green onions, sliced 1/8″ thick

Method

In medium bowl, whisk together ginger, whiskey, soy sauce, garlic, sugar and shallot until incorporated. Add chicken and toss until covered. Add all to crock pot on high setting. Cook 3-4 hours or until chicken is fork tender.

 

Serve over rice or ramen style noodles. Garnish with green onions.

Asian Gingered Chicken

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asian chx

Delectably sweet and easy to make!
Makes 8 chicken thighs

Ingredients

8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
6 Tbs. apricot preserves
1 tsp. ground ginger
2 Tbs. soy sauce
2 Tbs. minced garlic
1 Tbs. extra virgin olive oil
4 cups of rice or noodles, prepared as desired

Method

In extra deep skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add chicken and cook until internal temp. is 165 degrees. In small saucepan, add preserves, ginger, soy sauce and garlic. Bring to simmer. Pour over chicken thighs and toss to coat. Serve over rice or noodles with extra sauce on the side.

Sesame Chicken over Fried Rice

on by in Asian dishes, Dinners ⋅ Leave a comment

IMG_1898 Oh it’s fattening, and delicious! My kids prefer it over our local chinese take out!

 

Makes: 6 servings

Ingredients:

2 Tbs. all-purpose flour
1/4 cup + 2 Tbs. corn starch
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. baking powder
4 Tbs. low-sodium soy sauce
1/3 cup splenda brown sugar
1 Tbs. white wine
2 Tbs. white distilled vinegar
1/2 cup + 2 Tbs. water
2-4 cups + 1 tsp. extra virgin olive oil (for frying, or use deep fryer)
2 Tbs. sesame oil
1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into 1-inch cubes (roughly)
1 cup low sodium chicken broth
1 tsp. siracha chili sauce
1 tsp. minced garlic
2 Tbs. toasted sesame seeds

for rice:

2 cups cooked brown rice
1 Tbs. margarine
4 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup diced vidalia onion
1/4 cup soy sauce

Method:

In bowl, add flour, 2 Tbs. corn starch, baking soda, and baking powder. Whisk to incorporate. Add 2 Tbs. soy sauce, wine, 2 Tbs. water, 1 tsp. olive oil and dash sesame oil. Whisk to smooth. Stir in raw chicken cubes, coating with batter then refrigerate for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, in small sauce pan, add chicken broth, sugar, vinegar, rest of soy sauce, rest of sesame oil, siracha and garlic. Bring to boil over high heat. Dissolve corn starch in water and add to boiling sauce until thickens to desired thickness (I didn’t use all of mine). Reduce heat to low and keep sauce warm so it doesn’t clump.

Heat olive 2-4 cups olive oil in sauce pan (or deep fryer to 375) until near smoking. Remove chicken from fridge. Drop battered pieces into oil, a few at a time, careful not to crowd and fry 3-4 minutes or until chicken “rises” to the top of the oil. Remove to paper towel lined plate to rest.

Prepare rice. In frying pan, add margarine, onion and egg on high heat, scrambling eggs until cooked. Add rice and mix thoroughly until heated to piping hot (if using cold rice, great left over use for rice!)

Spread rice over 6 dinner plates. Separate chicken into equal portions over rice. Cover all portions in sauce. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and serve immediately (otherwise your chicken will lose it’s crispness and get soggy).

Tip: To help counter sogginess of chicken, serve sesame sauce as a side dish to dip chicken into. However, my family eats this so fast it doesn’t have any time to get soggy!

 

Crockpot Orange Chicken

on by in Asian dishes, Crock Pot Easy ⋅ Leave a comment

IMG_1833 I have seen many variations of this recipe and this one is mine! Be aware that I take a photo of each recipe I make, not steal them off the internet and pretend that it’s what the food is going to look like!

Makes 7 1-cup servings

orangechicken

Ingredients

1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breast
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
3 Tbs. extra virgin olive oil
4 Tbs. Splenda blended brown sugar
3 Tbs. no salt Ketchup
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1 Tbs. chipotle chili powder
6 oz. frozen 100% orange juice concentrate
1 red bell pepper, cleaned and cut into chunks
1 yellow bell pepper, cleaned and cut into chunks
1 small vidalia onion, sliced (optional)

Method

Cut up chicken into 1″ chunks. Heat oil in frying pan on high heat. Bread chicken chunks in flour and sear in frying pan until outside is browned and crispy. (Chicken does not have to be cooked through, the crockpot will do that for you!)

In crockpot, add all other ingredients. When chicken is done, throw that on top! Mix with a spoon (doesn’t have to be masterful mixing). Cover and cook on high for 4 hours. (If you want a thicker sauce, use cornstarch the last 1/2 hour of cooking).

Serve over your favorite rice or pasta!

Tips: This orange chicken has a very powerful orange flavor! If you’re not that crazy about orange, then make the orange juice according to the can and add 6 oz. prepared orange juice instead.

Curried Singapore Noodles

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IMG_1811 This is my take on this popular dish which removes a lot of calories to make it healthy and still delicious! Believe it or not, Singapore noodles are not from Singapore at all, but an adaptation right here in the USA.

Makes 4 servings

maifun

Ingredients

5.5 oz. mai fun noodles, dried
2 tsp. low sodium soy sauce
2 tsp. rice wine vinegar
2 Tbs. curry powder
1 Tbs. oyster sauce
3/4 cup low sodium 100% fat free chicken broth
2 eggs
2 tsp. minced garlic
1 tsp. ground ginger
1 sweet red bell pepper, cleaned and julienned
8 oz. can bamboo strips in water, drained and julienned
3 green onions, sliced thin
4 oz. small precooked, tailed and deveined shrimp

Method

Fill large bowl with very hot water from tap and soak mai fun noodles for 5 minutes or until they pull apart and become more maliable. Pull noodles apart and rinse in cold water, draining and setting aside. (We’re still going to cook them so don’t try to soak cook them!)

In small bowl, add soy sauce and vinegar to shrimp and toss. Set aside in marinade.

In another small bowl, combine oyster sauce and chicken broth. Mix and set aside.

Measure out curry powder and set aside. This dish cooks very quickly so keep all of your dishes near by!

In large skillet, heat over medium-high heat and scramble eggs. Once fully cooked, remove from pan and set aside.

In hot skillet, add shrimp with marinade, garlic and curry powder. Saute about 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add bell pepper, bamboo and onion. Saute about 3 minutes. Add chicken stock mixture and stir, then add noodles to pan and mix thoroughly, turning noodles over to get them fully coated, about 5 minutes. Add scrambled egg and toss noodles, removing from heat. Serve immediately.

 

Baby Bok Choy with Sweet Peppers

on by in Asian dishes, Meat Free!, Side Dishes ⋅ Leave a comment

IMG_1814 I love bok choy! It has a very refreshing, crunchy texture and a nice spinach flavor! Of course, any reason to eat a sweet pepper is a good reason to me!

Ingredients

1 Tbs. sesame oil
1 yellow bell pepper
4 green onions
1 lb. baby bok coy

Method

Chop bottom off baby bok choy and rinse, chopping bigger leaves in half down the ribs. Clean and slice into strips, bell pepper. Chop green onions all the way down to the “nub” and throw away the stringy root part.

Prepare large frying pan on high heat with sesame oil. Once oil is hot, add bell pepper and onions. Saute for about 5 minutes and then add bok choy. Continuously toss vegetables about 1-2 minutes, or until bok choy leaves are wilty. Remove to bowl and serve!

Pa Jun (pronounced pah dahn)

on by in Asian dishes, Meat Free! ⋅ Leave a comment

IMG_1759 This korean “street food” is delicious, filling and very healthy!  They are quick and easy to make especially when prepping vegetables. You can bag up the extras in sandwich bags for all week cooking! Prepped veggies will keep up to a week!

Makes 2 servings or 1 large pancake: pancake 278.2 calories per serving, sauce 30 calories per serving total: 308.2 calories

Ingredients

2 tsp. extra virgin olive oil
2 large eggs
1/2 cup rice flour (or all-purpose flour, unbleached)
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/4 cup julienne sweet baby bell pepper
1/4 cup broccoli slaw mix
2Tbs to 1/4 cup chopped green onion (depending on your taste for onion)
1/2 cup cold water
3 Tbs. rice wine vinegar
3 Tbs. low sodium soy sauce
1 1/2 tsp. sugar

Method

For dipping sauce, add rice wine vinegar, soy sauce and sugar in sauce bowl and mix well. Set aside.

In medium sized bowl, whisk eggs until just frothy. Add flour and salt and whisk to combine. Add vegetables and incorporate. Add water as needed to loosen up the batter and make it somewhat thin (thinner than pancake batter). I usually end up using all of the water.

In a medium sized frying pan, heat oil on medium heat. Once oil is ready, add pancake mixture into pan and let cook until brown and crispy on bottom. An easier way to do this is to watch the center of the pancake. Once you can see it hardening about half way, it’s time to flip it.

Using your magic pancake flipping skills, flip pancake. If your skills aren’t that great, use 2 spatulas, carefully lifting and flipping the pancake. It will break easily. Cook through until crispy on bottom. (Poke into the pancake with a fork and look for the batter being completely cooked through.

Slide pancake onto a plate and slice like a pizza. Serve hot with dipping sauce.

You can eat these with your fingers or a fork, but they are a finger food in Korea, like buying a slice of pizza in Brooklyn!

Tips:

For added flavor, (also known as Buchu Pa Jeon) add a 1/4 cup of chopped meat of your choice. I prefer small precooked, cleaned and de-tailed shrimp but you can use any left over meats you may have available and precooked in your fridge!

Korean Jap Chae (pronounced chop chay)

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IMG_1795

Jap Chae is a sweet Korean dish that serves as a filling meal. All ingredients were found in my local food store.

 

Makes 6 servings:  257 calories per serving

Ingredients:

1/2 small sweet onion
2 boiled eggs
4.6 oz. saifun noodles (or 3 bundles)
3 sweet baby bell peppers (1 red, 1 orange, 1 yellow)
12 oz. lean beef (I used T-bone trimmed of all fat, fillet mignon will also work well)
3 shittake mushrooms (if using dried, allow 3 hours to rehydrate in 2 cups of cold water)
2 cups fresh baby spinach
1/3 large carrot
fresh ground pepper (a few dashes or 1/8 tsp being 1 dash)
4 Tbs. + 1 and 1/2 tsp. soy sauce
1/2 Tbs. white wine
2 Tbs. olive oil
2 Tbs. sesame oil
1 and 1/4 tsp. minced garlic
1 and 1/2 Tbs. + 2 and 1/2 tsp. white granulated sugar

Method:

Julienne lean beef and marinate in bowl with 1/2 Tbsp Soy Sauce, 1/2 Tbsp Cooking Wine, 1 tsp Garlic, 1 1/2 tsp Sugar and a pinch of black pepper for 12 minutes or more. While waiting for beef to marinate, start 2 cups of boiling water to a rapid boil to cook the fresh spinach.

Cooking the Spinach: Drop baby spinach into boiling water, pushing down with spoon for 30 seconds. Immediately remove and drain in strainer with cold water to stop cooking process. Squeeze excess water from spinach and place in small bowl with 1 tsp. soy sauce and 1/2 tsp. sugar. Set aside.

Start boiling water for noodles. Saifun are a lot like regular spaghetti noodles only infinately better for you and have an interesting texture. They will turn clear like glass as they cook. While waiting for the water to boil, gather together sweet onion, carrot, sweet bell peppers and julienne with either a sharp knife or mandoline. Mix together in a bowl and set aside.

Start boiling noodles. It takes 11 minutes in rapid boiling water with frequent stirring to prevent sticking. While your noodles are cooking, gather mushrooms and remove stems (if using dried, remove from water, squeeze out excess water, remove stems) and julienne placing in small bowl with 1 1/2 tsp Soy Sauce, 1/2 tsp Sugar, 1/4 tsp garlic.

Also, have a large frying pan handy, you’re going to need it with heated olive oil when the noodles are done! Once your noodles are done, strain and drop directly into frying pan with 2 Tbsp Soy Sauce and 1/2 Tbsp Sugar. Fry for about 3 minutes and slide into very large bowl.

Return frying pan to heat.  Drop marinated beef with marinade into pan and fry until fully cooked through, about 4-5 minutes or until done. Add to noodles.

Return frying pan to heat. Drop in mushrooms with marinade and saute about 2 minutes or to desired doneness. Add to noodles.

Return frying pan to heat. Add a drizzle of olive oil and drop in fresh vegetables, sauteing for 1 minute. Add to noodles.

Add spinach to noodles.

Julienne 2 boiled eggs and add to top of noodle pile. (It will be a pile of food!) In noodle mixture, add 1 1/2 Tbsp Soy Sauce, 2 Tbsp Sesame Oil, 1 Tbsp Sugar, and 1/8 Tsp Black Pepper.

Using your hands (or tongs as the mix may still be a little too hot to handle) mix gently all ingredients until well incorporated; then it’s ready to serve up and eat!

Leftovers can keep for 2 days and are just as delicious nuked in the microwave later as fresh out of the pan!

Enjoy!

 

Tips:

For those newer cooks that don’t have the best of knife skills, a mandoline is an inexpensive, quick way to get the beautiful julienne vegetables in a short amount of time. A cheap mandoline is around $8.00 and an invaluable tool for new cooks to keep all of their fingers!

Sesame oil is usually found in the ethnic aisle in your local food store next to soy sauce and saifun noodles also known as cellophane noodles. This is much less intimidating than going into an Asian food store to shop.

Garlic can be a pain in the thumb so instead of buying bulbs of fresh garlic, look for jarred “minced garlic” in your local grocery store (usually in the produce aisle). It’s inexpensive, keeps for months and takes the headache out of peeling and dicing garlic bulbs!