Gutsy Cooks Club - Menu 25 - An Asian Inspired Dinner

The Gutsy Cook's Club is at week 25, hence menu #25, and an Asian theme. Cooking out of Victoria Blashford-Snell's cookbook, The Illustrated Kitchen Bible, each of the Gutsy group members take turns assembling menus for each week from the recipes presented in a 544 page collection of recipes from around the world.

This weeks Menu:



Sesame Shrimp Toasts found on page 50;



Thai Noodle Stir-fry found on page 200; and



Sweet and Sour Chicken found on page 303. With permission retrieved by Monica of the blog SweetBites (creator of the Gutsy Cook's Club), I will be posting the recipes below.

Before I continue with posting the recipes, I would like to add that I actually followed each recipe down to the tablespoons and only altered ingredients when adding more soy sauce and fish sauce. I am notorious for playing with recipes and changing them to my own tastes but this time I wanted to see if the recipes chosen pulled their own weight in flavor. To my surprise, we enjoyed each one immensely. My intent is not to sound negative about Victoria's cookbook but some recipes in the past seem to be bashful in the seasoning/flavor department.

Our menu starts with an Appetizer, the Sesame Shrimp Toasts.


Ingredients:
9 oz. medium shrimp, peeled and coarsely chopped
2 scallions, roughly chopped
one 1/2-inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and shredded (I used fresh ginger puree)
1 t. soy sauce (I used 1 T.)
1/2 t. sugar
1/2 t. Asian sesame oil (I used 1 1/2 t.)
1 large egg white, beaten
1/8 t. freshly ground black pepper (I was pepper happy and used about 1 t.)
3 large slices firm white sandwich bread, crusts trimmed (I used 4 slices)
2 T. sesame seeds (I used toasted sesame seeds)
vegetable oil, for deep-frying
fresh cilantro, to garnish



Directions:
Prepare ahead: The toasts can be prepared to the end of step 2 up to 4 hours in advance, ready to be fried just before serving.

1) Combine the shrimp and scallions, white and green parts in a food processor and process until they form a paste. Transfer to a bowl and stir in the ginger, soy sauce, sugar, sesame oil. and enough egg white to bind the mixture together. Season with the pepper.



2) Spread the bread thickly with the shrimp paste. Cut each slice into four triangles. Sprinkle the sesame seeds evenly over the top.

3) Pour enough oil into a deep-fryer or skillet to come halfway up the sides, and heat to 350 degrees F (180 C). In batches, add the toasts, shrimp sides down, and deep-fry for 2 minutes, until the shrimp paste is puffed. Carefully turn them over and deep-fry until the toasts are crisp and golden brown.

4) Using a slotted spoon, transfer the toasts to paper towels and drain briefly. Serve hot, garnished with coriander.

Note: Good with sweet chili sauce and chilled sake or a cold beer.

Next, Thai Noodle Stir-fry:

Ingredients:
6 oz. cellophane (mung bean) noodles
3 T. peanut or vegetable oil
3 skinless and boneless chicken breasts, cut into thin strips
1 onion, sliced
4 oz. shiitake mushrooms, sliced
1 red bell pepper, seeded and sliced
1 lemongrass stalk, peeled and bottom part minced (I used ground, dried lemon stalk)
1 t. peeled and finely grated fresh ginger (I used pureed ginger)
1 fresh hot Thai red chile, seeded and minced
1 head of bok choy, shredded
2 T. soy sauce (I used 3 T.)
1 T. Asian fish sauce (I used 1 1/2 T.)
1 t. sweet chili sauce (I used 1 T.)

Directions:
1) Soak the noodles in a bowl of very hot water about 10 minutes, until softened. Drain well and rinse under cold running water. Cut into manageable lengths with kitchen scissors.

2) Heat 2 Tablespoons of the oil in a wok over high heat. Add the chicken and stir-fry about 3 minutes. or until lightly browned. Transfer to a plate.

3) Reduce the heat to medium and add the remaining 1 Tablespoon oil. Add the onion and stir-fry for 2 minutes. Add mushrooms, bell pepper, lemongrass, ginger, and chili, and stir-fry about 2 minutes, or until the bell pepper softens.

4) Add the bok choy and stir-fry for about 2 minutes, or until wilted. Return the chicken to the pan and add the noodles. Pour in the soy sauce, fish sauce, and sweet chili sauce, and toss everything together over the heat for 2-3 minutes, or until piping hot. Serve hot.

Last, Sweet and Sour Chicken:
Ingredients:
For the Batter:
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 t. baking powder
1/8 t. salt
1 cup lager beer

For the Sauce:
1/2 cup chicken stock
3 T. soy sauce
3 T. rice vinegar
2 T. ketchup
1 T. honey
one 3/4" piece fresh ginger, peeled and shredded (I used fresh ginger puree)
1 t. cornstarch dissolved in 1 T. cold water (I used 2 t. cornstarch in 2 T. cold water)

4 skinless and boneless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces
vegetable oil, for deep-frying
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 T. unsalted cashew nuts or whole blanched almonds
1/2 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
8 scallions, cut into 1 inch lengths
1/2 cup cubed fresh or drained canned pineapple

Directions:
Prepare ahead: Steps 1 and 2 can be completed several hours in advance.

1) To make the batter, sift the flour, baking powder, and salt into a large bowl. Make a well in the center, add 1/2 cup of the beer, and whisk, gradually adding the remaining beer. Let stand for 30 minutes.

2) To make the sauce, stir the stock, soy sauce, vinegar, ketchup, honey, and ginger in a small saucepan over low heat until the honey is melted. Stir in the dissolved cornstarch and bring to a simmer. Cook, stirring often, until just thickened. Set aside.

3) Preheat the oven to 200 degrees F (95 C). Fill a wok halfway with oil. Heat to 350 degrees F. (180 C.). Place the flour in a bowl. In batches, toss the chicken in the flour, then coat in the batter and add to the hot oil. Deep-fry about 3 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a baking sheet lined with paper towels and keep warm in the oven.

4) Pour all but 2 T. oil from the wok and return to high heat. Add the cashews and sit-fry for 30 seconds. Transfer to the baking sheet. Add the red pepper to the oil and stir-fry 2 minutes, or until crisp-tender. Add scallions and pineapple and stir-fry for 1 minute.

5) Pour the sauce into the wok, add the chicken and stir until coated. Transfer to a serving platter, sprinkle with cashews, and serve hot.

Check out the rest of the Gutsy Cook's Club members dishes by clicking here.

Ode to the Olympic Games. . .Chinese Food It is

I have a friend that just went to Beijing, China about 3 weeks ago and she came back with the most incredible stories. Her husband is a doctor in dermatology AND plays the clarinet in an orchestra. The orchestra was invited to play in China and Beijing was one of the places a concert was held. In 2 weeks time, he played in 10 concerts. Mrs. Fox calls herself the orchestra groupie...too cute! Would you believe she got to go through a silk factory and see the silk worm cocoons? She watched as the cocoons were unraveled, literally. A cocoon would contain a silk thread to be unraveled for meters. Mrs. Fox makes artistic quilts that tell a story. She is such a talented lady! So here she is at this factory, looking at the worms, the cocoons, and THEN she gets to go through the silk shop. . . all FOUR floors containing every color imaginable of silk. She had a terrible time trying to explain that she only wanted 1 meter of a select number of colors for her quilts because the factory people are used to selling several meters of fabric for making clothes. Then her next hurdle was that she didn't want to carry all the fabric with her on the airplane. The hotel concierge wrote her a note in Chinese to give to her taxi driver, telling him to take her to the local post office. She gets to the post office and NO ONE speaks English. In fact, she is the only American in the post office so everyone is watching her. She gets up to the counter and the post office worker makes a waving motion as if going over seas and she shakes her head "no" and tucks her elbows to her side and makes flapping motions with her hands for sending by air. The whole group of people in the post office bust up laughing and everyone is making flapping motions and patting her back.

Mrs. Fox also said that everyone is so friendly and all of Beijing is immaculate. There is even a carpool lane with the Olympics symbol painted on the road to indicate that buses carrying people to and from the Olympics are the only ones allowed in this lane. The excitement is building and I think that China is trying to give their best impression of a welcoming country.

Before I get any further, My Kitchen, My World cooking group is showing support for the Olympics in China by all of us getting together in our separate kitchens and creating a meal of Chinese food. Would you believe I found over 30 dishes that I wanted to make? Time gets pretty limited when we have other not-so-fun duties, like work, so I went with time efficient dishes that were fun to put together. I made wontons for the first time and found that I loved making them. Very easy to make and the possibilities are limitless for fillings. What I really loved was finding out I could make oodles of wontons, freeze them, then take out what I wanted for dinner and throw those in boiling water, then into the waiting broth or sweet-and-sour base for soup. Easy, fast, and delicious! My Dinner consisted of:

Wonton Soup

Vegetable Lo Mein

Szechwan Shrimp

Wonton Soup in Chicken Broth - Easy and Fun










Vegetable Lo Mein - Using Spaghetti








Szechwan Shrimp - Simple and Very Impressive







The wontons were stuffed with ham and shrimp finely diced, a little Sake, some soy sauce, and a little ginger root. I had so much fun making the cute little wontons and the soup smells just like fresh chicken broth, the flavor is kitchen fresh, and being able to serve a soup that looks this pretty was the best part.


Wonton Soup
Ingredients ~
1/2 pound pork loin or ham, coarsely chopped
2 ounces peeled shrimp, finely chopped
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon Chinese rice wine
1 tablespoon light soy sauce
2 teaspoon finely chopped green onion
1 teaspoon chopped fresh ginger root
24 wonton wrappers
4 cups chicken stock
1 T. instant chicken bouillon granules
1/8 cup finely chopped green onion

Directions ~

In a large bowl, combine pork, shrimp, sugar, wine, soy sauce, 1 teaspoon chopped green onion and ginger. Blend well, and let stand for 25 to 30 minutes.


Place about one teaspoon of the filling at the center of each wonton skin. Moisten all 4 edges of wonton wrapper with water, then pull the top corner down to the bottom, folding the wrapper over the filling to make a triangle. Press edges firmly to make a seal. Bring left and right corners together above the filling. Overlap the tips of these corners, moisten with water and press together. Continue until all wrappers are used. Bring a pot of water to a rolling boil and drop wontons in and cook for 5 minutes.


FOR SOUP: Add instant chicken bouillon granules to the chicken stock. Bring the chicken stock to a rolling boil. Transfer wontons from boiling water to the hot chicken stock. Garnish with chopped green onion, and serve.







The vegetable lo mein was fantastic! I loved the flavor, and again, I can not imagine not feeling comfortable throwing everything but the kitchen sink into this. Do not be afraid of adding spices to this dish. It is so easy for the flavor to get lost with all the vegetables and pasta. I LOVE my hot chili sesame oil. The oil gives the dish just the right amount of kick without offering an overpowering flavor.

Vegetable Lo Mein
Ingredients ~

8 ounces uncooked spaghetti
2 T. vegetable oil + 2 T. hot chili sesame oil
****NOTE**** Use any mixture of veggies that makes you happy! =D
2 cups fresh sliced mushrooms
1 c. broccoli florets
1/2 cup sliced red bell peppers
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups fresh bean sprouts
2 c. shredded cabbage (I had a bag of mixed carrots and cabbage, shredded)
1/4 cup chopped green onions
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 1/2 cup chicken broth
2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
3 tablespoons honey
3 tablespoons soy sauce
2 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon curry powder
1 tablespoon chili flakes

Directions ~

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain.

Heat oil in a large wok or saute pan. Stir fry mushrooms, broccoli, bell pepper, cabbage, onion, and garlic until tender. I put a lid over my wok to allow for steam cooking. Stir in bean sprouts and green onions; cook one minute. Mix cornstarch and chicken broth in a small bowl and add to stir fry. Stir in hoisin sauce, honey, soy sauce, ginger, cayenne pepper and curry powder. Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly.

Add cooked spaghetti, and toss. Serve immediately.


Last, the Szechwan Shrimp. I like the way the name rolls off the tongue. . .sounding very impressive and what is shocking is just how easy this dish is to make. I already had leftover rice in the refrigerator, so I just added a little water and steamed the rice back to a fluffy life in the microwave while cooking the shrimp in a skillet on the stove top. For me, the key to cooking Chinese food and remaining calm, since every time I know of, a mad pace is involved when putting any of the dishes together. . .Have ALL the ingredients prepped and ready BEFORE starting to cook. As you can see from a photo above, I had everything pre-chopped and measured before beginning my adventure in the kitchen.

Next time, I want to cook brown rice and put the shrimp with sauce over all. For more or less heat, just adjust how much crushed red pepper you want to add.

Szechwan Shrimp
Ingredients ~

4 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons ketchup
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon honey
2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
2 tablespoon hot chili sesame oil
1/4 cup sliced green onions
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 pound cooked shrimp, tails removed


Directions ~

In a bowl, stir together water, ketchup, soy sauce, cornstarch, honey, crushed red pepper, and ground ginger. Set aside.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Stir in green onions and garlic; cook 30 seconds. Stir in shrimp, and toss to coat with oil. Stir in sauce. Cook and stir until sauce is bubbly and thickened. Place over cooked rice of choice or just eat as is.