Saturday, June 30, 2012

Greek Yogurt Soy Sauce Chicken Pasta Salad

Copyright © 2012 Douglas R. Wong, all rights reserved.

This recipe is very similar to the Soy Sauce Chicken and Peach Pasta Salad dish (whose recipe can be found here). The main difference in this recipe is the use of nonfat Greek yogurt and the addition of artichoke hearts and Kalamata olives. The Greek yogurt actually holds up better at being a dressing than regular yogurt. I made this dish for a family gathering the night before and mixed the dressing with the salad the day of the gathering. The dressing was still emulsified after being refrigerated overnight.

Enjoy!

Thursday, June 28, 2012

Fermented Red Bean Curd Chicken (南乳雞, Naam4 Jyu5 Gai1)

Copyright © 2012 Douglas R. Wong. All rights reserved.
 
This recipe was updated on 12 May 2015. Some instructions and ingredient quantities were changed.
This recipe has all my favorite ingredients in one dish – chicken, Shiitake mushrooms, and long beans – with fermented red bean curd. Fermented red bean curd differs from fermented bean curd by the addition of red rice, which gives the fermented red bean curd its distinctive red color and taste.

Enjoy!

Tuesday, June 26, 2012

Chicken Chive Chow Mein (韭菜雞炒麵, Gau2 Coi3 Gai1 Caau2 Min6)

Copyright © 2012 Douglas R. Wong, all rights reserved.
 
This recipe was updated on 17 Jul 2014. Some instructions and ingredient quantities were changed, and metric measurements added.
One of my favorite dishes to make and eat is stir fried noodles. Chow mein is one of those dishes where you can use whatever’s around to make it (as long as you have noodles!). This dish has chicken and chives, with red and green bell pepper strips for color, and scrambled eggs for added taste.
Enjoy!

Saturday, June 23, 2012

Chili Black Bean Sauce Chicken (辣豉汁雞, Laat6 Si6 Zap1 Gai1)

Copyright © 2012 Douglas R. Wong. All rights reserved.
This recipe was updated on 13 Jun 2015. Some instructions and ingredient quantities were changed.

This dish is not as hot and spicy as the name implies. It is in fact just slightly spicy due to using both black bean chili sauce and black bean garlic sauce, but the dish can certainly be made spicier by using just black bean chili sauce. The chicken strips are thinly cut so that also makes this a quick cooking dish.

Enjoy!

Wednesday, June 20, 2012

New York Steak Fried Rice (牛排炒飯, Ngau4 Paai4 Caau2 Faan6)

Copyright © 2012 Douglas R. Wong, all rights reserved.
 
This recipe was updated on 26 Aug 2015. Some instructions and ingredient quantities were changed, and metric measurements added.
Fried rice is synonymous in my mind with leftovers. In this case, the leftovers were rather luxurious – New York steak and mushrooms – from the Grilled Mesquite-Smoked New York Steak and Vegetables recipe. I would normally use green onions in this dish, but I had chives, so I used them, but either will do. The Cantonese translation isn’t quite right, since the translation means beefsteak fried rice, but if someone knows the Cantonese for New York steak, please let me know. This is a great dish to make when you need something quick after surveying the contents of your refrigerator!
 
I use Lee Kum Kee brand Premium Oyster Flavored Sauce because it’s the brand I grew up with and has a good flavor. It’s a little more expensive than other brands, but it’s worth the price in my opinion. I once had a weak moment and bought an inexpensive brand of oyster sauce, and was disappointed in the flavor when compared to the Lee Kum Kee Premium brand. So get the good stuff!
Enjoy!

Monday, June 18, 2012

Chicken and Chives with Straw Mushrooms (韭菜草菇炒雞, Gau2 Coi3 Cou2 Gu1 Caau2 Gai1)

Copyright © 2012 Douglas R. Wong. All rights reserved.
 
This recipe was updated on 23 Sep 2015. Some instructions and ingredient quantities were changed, and metric measurements added.
Chicken and mushrooms (in this case, straw mushrooms) make a tasty combination and is a favorite of mine. Add something green and the dish is complete.
Enjoy!

Sunday, June 17, 2012

Salmon and Scrambled Eggs with Chives (Gau2 Coi3 Caau2 Daan6 Saam1 Man4 Jyu4, 韭菜炒蛋三文魚)

Copyright © 2012 Douglas R. Wong, all rights reserved.

Salmon is a quick cooking fish that holds up well to stir frying. The salmon is actually browned on each side rather than stir fried, but the fish is firm enough to hold up to real stir frying. Salmon and eggs make a tasty combination, and adding chives complete this dish.
Enjoy!

Saturday, June 16, 2012

Snow Pea Chicken Gizzards (荷蘭豆鸡胗, Ho4 Laan4 Dau6 Gai1 San2)

Copyright © 2012 Douglas R. Wong, all rights reserved.

This recipe was updated on 28 Jul 2015. Some instructions and ingredient quantities were changed.
Here’s the final dish (at least for now) using soy sauce chicken gizzards. This dish uses snow peas, Shiitake mushrooms, soy sauce chicken gizzards, and some of the chicken gizzard soy sauce poaching liquid is used to make the sauce. The result is tender chicken gizzards and Shiitake mushrooms together with crispy vegetables. The chicken gizzards should be prepared at least one day before using the Soy Sauce Chicken Gizzards (豉油鸡胗, Si6 Jau4 Gai1 San2) recipe.

Enjoy!

Tuesday, June 12, 2012

Chinese Broccoli Oyster Sauce Chicken (芥蘭蠔油雞, Gaai3 Laan4 Hou4 Jau4 Gai1)

Copyright © 2012 Douglas R. Wong. All rights reserved.
 
This recipe was updated on 25 Sep 2014. Some instructions and ingredient quantities were changed, and metric measurements added.
Whenever I feel lazy and want a quick easy-to-prepare dish to make, I break out the bottle of Lee Kum Kee Premium Oyster Sauce and use it as the basis for a sauce. Oyster sauce and chicken just go together well as does chicken and Chinese broccoli. When you combine the pairs of ingredients, you have dinner!
Enjoy!

Monday, June 11, 2012

Grilled Mesquite-Smoked New York Steak and Vegetables

Copyright © 2012 Douglas R. Wong, all rights reserved.

Just in time for Father’s Day, here’s a simple recipe for grilling and smoking New York steak medium rare. The basic technique is to grill the beef first uncovered, producing the grill marks on the presentation side of the steak, and then covering the grill to smoke the steak. Grilled and smoked mushrooms and bell peppers accompany the steak.
Enjoy!

Sunday, June 10, 2012

Long Bean Chicken Gizzards (豆角炒鸡胗, Dau6 Gok3 Caau2 Gai1 San2)

Copyright © 2012 Douglas R. Wong. All rights reserved.
This recipe was updated on 03 Sep 2015. Some instructions and ingredient quantities were changed.
Here’s another dish using soy sauce chicken gizzards. This colorful dish uses long beans, red bell peppers, soy sauce chicken gizzards, and some of the chicken gizzard soy sauce poaching liquid is used to make the sauce. The results are tender chicken gizzards together with crispy vegetables. The chicken gizzards are prepared using the Soy Sauce Chicken Gizzards (豉油鸡胗, Si6 Jau4 Gai1 San2) recipe.
Enjoy!

Thursday, June 7, 2012

Lamb and Asparagus Fried Rice (蘆筍羊肉炒飯, Lou4 Seon2 Joeng4 Juk6 Caau2 Faan6)

Copyright © 2012 Douglas R. Wong, all rights reserved.
 
This recipe was updated on 12 Nov 2015. Some instructions and ingredient quantities were changed, and metric measurements added.
Fried rice is the ultimate leftover dish, which is why I normally don’t order fried rice in a Chinese restaurant. You use whatever’s handy to make a quick stir fry dish. The basic ingredients are rice, meat, vegetables, and oyster sauce (soy sauce is used in restaurants). I posted a basic fried rice recipe some time ago: Fried Rice (炒飯, Caau2 Faan6). While there are many brands of oyster sauce, I use Lee Kum Kee Premium Oyster Flavored Sauce because it’s the brand I grew up with and it does, in my opinion, have the best flavor. It’s a little more expensive than other brands, but it’s worth the price in my opinion. I once had a weak moment and bought an inexpensive brand of oyster sauce, and was disappointed in the flavor when compared to the Lee Kum Kee Premium brand. So get the good stuff!
Enjoy!

Tuesday, June 5, 2012

Asparagus Turkey (蘆筍火雞, Lou4 Seon2 Fo2 Gai1)

Copyright © 2012 Douglas R. Wong, all rights reserved.
 
This recipe was updated on 08 Oct 2015. Some instructions and ingredient quantities were changed, and metric measurements added.
 
Asparagus and ground turkey make a great combination together. The dish is usually prepared with ground pork, but ground turkey makes a good substitute. The black beans in chili oil add spiciness to the dish. A prepared black bean garlic sauce can be substituted if no spiciness is desired.
The root end of the asparagus has a tough skin. The usual advice is to take the root end of the asparagus in one hand and the tip end with the other, snap the asparagus (it breaks at the natural tough-tender skin boundary), and discard the root end and use the tip end. However that results in a lot of waste (in my opinion) since the center of the root end is still tender and edible, it’s just the skin that’s tough. So I’ve found that if you use a vegetable peeler, you can remove the tough outer skin and use the entire asparagus stalk. It takes some practice to just remove the asparagus’ tough skin. My first efforts using a vegetable peeler resulted in breaking the stalks and/or peeling too much of the asparagus at the root end, so I had some odd looking asparagus pieces. I’ve tried using a knife to remove the skin, but I’ve found that with practice the vegetable peeler removes less of the asparagus stalk root end’s tender center.
Enjoy!

Monday, June 4, 2012

Three Pepper Chicken Gizzards (三椒鸡胗, Saam1 Ziu1 Gai1 San2)

Copyright © 2012 Douglas R. Wong. All rights reserved.
This recipe was updated on 25 Sep 2015. Some instructions and ingredient quantities were changed.
This colorful dish uses bell peppers of three colors, soy sauce chicken gizzards, and some of the chicken gizzard soy sauce poaching liquid to make the sauce. The result is tender chicken gizzards together with crispy bell peppers. The chicken gizzards can be prepared using the Soy Sauce Chicken Gizzards (豉油鸡胗, Si6 Jau4 Gai1 San2) recipe.
Enjoy!

Soy Sauce Chicken Gizzards (豉油鸡胗, Si6 Jau4 Gai1 San2)

Copyright © 2012 Douglas R. Wong. All rights reserved.

This recipe was updated on 22 May 2015. Some instructions and ingredient quantities were changed.
Chicken gizzards (鸡胗, gai1 san2) are an often discarded part of the chicken here in the USA, but are quite good when prepared correctly. Using the technique to make a poached soy sauce chicken, Soy Sauce Chicken (豉油鷄, Si6 Jau4 Gai1), chicken gizzards can be made tender and tasty. The soy sauce poaching liquid gives this recipe its distinctive flavor.
Whenever I make this recipe, I use a lot of chicken gizzards (in this case 3 pounds – 1.5 kg.) because whether or not you cook 1- (500 g.) or 3 pounds (1.5 kg.) of chicken gizzards, it takes the same amount of time. Chicken gizzards prepared this way can be eaten alone (often served as an appetizer), or as part of another dish. The Three Pepper Chicken Gizzards (三椒鸡胗, Saam1 Ziu1 Gai1 San2) recipe uses the chicken gizzards prepared using this method. The poaching liquid also makes a good basis for a sauce, but is usually not used alone since it’s very salty.
Enjoy!

Saturday, June 2, 2012

Stir-Fried Beef with Yu Choy (油菜炒牛肉, Jau4 Coi3 Caau2 Ngau4 Juk6)

Copyright © 2012 Douglas R. Wong, all rights reserved.
 
This recipe was updated on 16 Jul 2015. Some instructions and ingredient quantities were changed.
Yu choy is a one of the vegetables available at my local Asian market. It looks a lot like Chinese broccoli, so Chinese broccoli is a good substitute if you can’t find yu choy, but any green leafy vegetable can be stir fried with beef. The sauce has chili garlic sauce to give it an extra kick (i.e. a little heat) and is topped with toasted peanuts.
Enjoy!

Friday, June 1, 2012

Miso Salmon Stew (燉味噌鮭魚, Dan6 Mei6 Cang1 Gwai1 Jyu4)

Copyright © 2012 Douglas R. Wong, all rights reserved.
 
This recipe was updated on 12 Aug 2015. Some instructions and ingredient quantities were changed, and metric measurements added.
This is an easy to make, fast cooking stew using miso paste and salmon. Any vegetables can be used in the stew, I happen to have carrots, daikon, and green beans. The amount of miso paste to use depends upon the type and brand of prepared miso paste you use.
Enjoy!