Chinese Egg Rolls

 I like to think I have made it through this pregnancy so far without many cravings. However, one thing had been on my mind for weeks.......egg rolls! Since we are trying to cut back on frivolous spending (but really, are pregnancy cravings frivolous?!?) I decided to attempt making my own egg rolls. The actual assembly of the egg rolls was no big deal, but believe it or not this was my first attempt (ever) at frying food! I have a number of recipes saved that keep getting pushed back because they require frying and I have always been intimidated by the idea of frying food. What kind of oil do I use? What do I do with the leftover oil? How can I attempt to eat healthier if I'm frying food?

Well, I tried my hand at frying, and the results were amazing. Granted not healthy, but the perfect item to satisfy the craving and I can now say I accomplished something new in the kitchen.

If you decide to make these, I recommend reading the Egg Roll rules from the original blogger, Steamy Kitchen. This was so helpful to me, and includes step by step pictures. As you can see from my picture compared to her's, I could not find the correct wrappers and just went with the refrigerated wrappers found by the produce, resulting in the big bubbles when fried:/ While I still found them tasty, next time I may try harder to find the recommended wrappers. These are a bit time consuming, but one batch makes enough to freeze so you can have egg rolls at your disposal anytime:)

Chinese Egg Rolls
Source: Steamy Kitchen

Ingredients:

50 Spring/Egg Roll Wrappers (about 2 packages), defrosted unopened at room temperature for 45 minutes or in the refrigerator overnight
Water, for sealing edges
Oil, for frying

FOR THE GROUND PORK
1 pound ground pork
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon sugar
freshly ground black pepper

FOR THE VEGETABLES
2 to 3 cloves garlic, very finely minced
½ head of cabbage (about 11 ounces)
3 carrots, shredded
1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
10 fresh shiitake mushrooms (or dried black mushrooms soaked overnight), stems discarded
1 tablespoon cooking oil (canola, vegetable, peanut)
1 tablespoon Chinese rice wine
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1/4 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sesame oil
Freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

1. To make the filling, combine the ingredients for the ground pork together. Marinate at least 10 minutes. In the meantime, shred the cabbage and the carrots using your food processor or by hand. Slice the mushrooms into very thin strips (or you could use your food processer and pulse a few times to get a fine dice.)

2. Heat a wok or large saute pan over high heat. Add the cooking oil and swirl to coat. Add the pork and stir-fry until no longer pink, about 2-3 minutes. Turn heat to medium-low, push the meat to one side of the pan. Add the garlic, cabbage, carrots, ginger and the mushrooms and stir-fry for 1 minute, until the vegetables are softened. Add the rice wine, soy sauce, sugar, sesame oil and black pepper. Continue to stir-fry for another minute. Scoop out the filling to a baking sheet and spread out to cool. Prop up one end of the baking sheet so that it tilts, allowing all the moisture to drain to one end. Let cool for 15 minutes.

3. Discard all of the accumulated juices. Use paper towels to blot the filling to rid of extra oil or juice. Now, you're ready to wrap (see photos from Steamy Kitchen for instructions on how to wrap). IMPORTANT: Only use 1 heaping tablespoon of filling for each egg roll, the width of the egg roll should only be 1.25" diameter.

Keep the rolled egg rolls in neat, single layer and covered with a damp paper towel to prevent drying. If you want to stack the egg rolls, make sure you have layer of parchment paper in between the layers to prevent sticking. Keep wrappers also covered with damp paper towel to prevent drying. Refrigerate up to 4 hours until ready to fry or freeze.

4. To fry the egg rolls, fill a wok or pot with 2 inches of high-heat cooking oil. Heat the oil to 350°F (175°C) or until a cube of bread will fry to golden brown within 10 seconds. Gently slide in or lower the egg rolls, frying 4 to 6 at a time, turning occasionally until golden brown about 1½ minutes. Place on wire rack to drain and cool.

NOTE: To fry frozen egg rolls, do not defrost the egg rolls – just add them to the oil frozen, frying 4 to 6 at a time. Add an additional 1½ minutes to the frying time since they are frozen.

Spicy Asian Chicken Noodle Soup

Chicken noodle soup is a winter staple, but when I am not sick it is not something I have cravings for. When I had turkey leftover from Thanksgiving I wanted soup, but nothing traditional. And then one day this soup magically appeared in my google reader and all was right in the world.

This soup is an awesome take on chicken noodle soup. It is a bit spicy, but the flavor is amazing. This soup also comes together in a flash, especially if you use leftover chicken/turkey, but that's certainly not a requirement! I also added in frozen, shelled edamame to incorporate some veggies. I can't wait to make this again!

Spicy Asian Chicken Noodle Soup

Source: adapted from Joelen's Culinary Adventures, originally adapted from America's Test Kitchen

6 cups low sodium chicken broth
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons mirin (substitute 2 Tbls white wine and pinch of sugar if don't have mirin)
2 tablespoons grated fresh ginger
1 tablespoon Asian chili garlic sauce (or to taste depending on your preferred spice/heat level)
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut into bite-sized pieces
2-3 (3 ounce) packages of dried ramen noodles
1/2-1 cup frozen, shelled edamame (optional)
3 scallions, sliced thin
1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves, minced (I omitted)
4 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
pinch of red pepper flakes for garnish (optional)

Bring broth, soy sauce, mirin, ginger, and chili garlic sauce to a boil in a large saucepan or Dutch oven. Add the cut up chicken breasts to the pot and simmer, covered, over medium-low heat until chicken is cooked through.

Open the packages of ramen noodles and discard the seasoning packet included. Place the dried ramen noodles and edamame into the broth and cook, stirring occasionally, until the noodles are just about cooked. Stir in the scallions and cilantro and serve in bowls. Garnish each bowl additional fresh cilantro leaves and a drizzle of 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil. If you like things on the spicy side, sprinkle a few red pepper flakes for garnish.

 Enjoy!

Spicy Asian Lettuce Wraps

Over the past few years I have made numerous recipes from Cooking Light, and I have come to find that some of the magazine's recipes are disappointingly bad. I had high hopes for a ricotta pasta awhile ago, that ended up a congealed mass of cheese and dried herbs....quite unedible.

These wraps.....are 100% edible and delicious, a definite Cooking Light success. The hubby was a bit skeptical as he claims to have never seen lettuce wraps before, but I'm pretty sure he is now a lettuce wrap convert. The meat mixture is pretty spicy, almost too much for me, so you can always cut back on the amount of chili paste.

Spicy Asian Lettuce Wraps
Source: Adapted from Cooking Light

Ingredients

2 1/2 ounces rice noodles
1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon chile paste with garlic
2 teaspoons dark sesame oil
1 lb. ground turkey
8-12 large Boston or Romaine lettuce leaves

Heat skillet over medium-high heat; brown turkey; drain off any excess grease/liquid.
 
Meanwhile, add rice noodles to boiling water; boil 6-7 minutes until al dente. Drain noodles and rinse under cold water. Chop noodles into bite size pieces.
 
Combine soy sauce, chile paste and sesame oil in large bowl. Add cooked noodles and turkey to soy sauce mixture, toss well to coat.
 
Spoon about 1/3 cup turkey mixture down center of each lettuce leaf; roll up.
 
Enjoy!

Hoisin Chicken Stir-fry

Stir-fry holds a fond place in my heart. My mom makes awesome stir-fry. Of course, growing up I wouldn't eat any of the 'gross stuff' she put in it. She would also make it with chicken and beef, but being that beef used to be a choking hazard for me, I would stand at the stove and pick out only chicken, making sure to keep all the icky stuff off my plate.

But I am a grown up now, which means cooking with and eating vegetables, which is a good thing because vegetables are the bulk of what makes up stir-fry. This recipe is so easy, and has great flavor. However, I'm still craving my mom's, so next time around I'll be making her's!

Hoisin Chicken Stir-Fry

Source: Adapted from Cooking Light

(I heavily adapted this recipe for ease and what I had on hand)

Ingredients

white or brown rice
2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce, divided
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed and thinly sliced
3/4 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
1/4 cup hoisin sauce
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon honey
4 teaspoons dark sesame oil, divided
1 bag frozen stir-fry vegetables
1 tsp ground ginger
1-2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup chopped green onions


Preparation

Prepare rice as directed on package.

Combine 1 tablespoon soy sauce and chicken, tossing to coat. Set aside.
Combine remaining 1 tablespoon soy sauce, broth, hoisin, cornstarch, and honey in a medium bowl, stirring with a whisk until smooth.

Heat 1 tablespoon sesame oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken mixture to pan; sauté 3 minutes or until browned. Remove chicken from pan. Add remaining 1 teaspoon sesame oil to pan. Stir in vegetables, ginger, and garlic; sauté 30 seconds. Return chicken mixture to pan; stir in broth mixture. Simmer 2 minutes or until thick, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat, and stir in green onions. Serve chicken mixture over the rice.

Southeast Asian Fried Rice

I really had my hopes up about this recipe, and I got let down. I saw this in my Cooking Light magazine and it called my name enough that I had to make it right away. However, I apparently cannot cook brown rice without making it a soggy, mushy mess, and I think that really put a damper on the dish. Also, I expected the flavors to be more robust or something, and something was definitely lacking. And holy green onions!

I posted the original recipe, but if I make this again there will be some changes: 1)less green onions 2)learn how to cook brown rice without making it mushy, or use white 3) double the amount of sauce and use more garlic and sambal oelek. I also used 3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts instead of thighs.

Southeast Asian Fried Rice
Source: Cooking Light Jan/Feb 2010
Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1 1/2 cups rice mixture and 1 lime wedge)

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon fish sauce
1 tablespoon less-sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon sambal oelek (ground fresh chile paste), divided
1/4 teaspoon salt, divided
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 bunch green onions
2 tablespoons peanut oil, divided
2 1/2 cups cooked and cooled brown rice
1/4 cup vertically sliced shallots
2 (4-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken thighs, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 (6-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
2 cups broccoli florets
1 cup julienne-cut red bell pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic
Cooking spray
2 bacon slices, cooked and crumbled
4 lime wedges

Preparation:

1. Combine first 4 ingredients, 1/2 teaspoon sambal oelek, and 1/8 teaspoon salt in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk. Combine eggs and remaining 1/2 teaspoon sambal oelek in a bowl. Separate green tops from green onions, and diagonally chop; set aside. Cut green onion bottoms into 1-inch pieces; set aside.

2. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add 2 teaspoons oil to pan, swirling pan to coat evenly. Add rice; stir-fry 1 1/2 minutes, stirring constantly. Transfer rice mixture to a large bowl. Heat 2 teaspoons oil in pan. Add shallots to pan; stir-fry 30 seconds or until tender. Add chicken; stir-fry 1 1/2 minutes or until lightly browned. Add brown sugar mixture to pan; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 1 minute or until liquid thickens slightly, stirring occasionally. Add chicken mixture to rice mixture.

3. Wipe pan clean with a paper towel; return pan to medium-high heat. Add remaining 2 teaspoons oil to pan, swirling to coat. Add broccoli and bell pepper; stir-fry 3 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Add the remaining 1/8 teaspoon salt, green onion bottoms, and garlic; stir-fry 1 minute or until fragrant. Add chicken mixture to pan, cook 2 minutes or until thoroughly heated; return chicken mixture to large bowl.

4. Return pan to medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add egg mixture to pan, swirling to coat pan; cook 30 seconds or just until egg is set. Transfer egg to a cutting board; chop. Stir egg and bacon into rice mixture. Top with green onion tops; garnish with lime wedges.

Nutritional Information

Calories:438
Fat:16.3g (sat 3.7g,mono 6.7g,poly 4.3g)
Protein:31.6g
Carbohydrate:41.3g
Fiber:5.6g
Cholesterol:167mg
Iron:3.3mg
Sodium:786mg
Calcium:98mg

Asian-Style Couscous

This is the most flavorful couscous I have ever made. Normally I just maybe add some garlic or lemon and call it good. While my couscous always tastes good, this couscous is actually....moist, I guess. I don't know how else to describe it, but "moist" pretty much sums it up, and the flavor is amazing. The asian flavors are subtle enough that this dish could really go with anything.

Asian-Style Couscous
Source: Adapted from Recipezaar

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
2 Tbls. low-sodium soy sauce
1/2 tsp. sugar
1/4 tsp. ground ginger
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 cup couscous, uncooked

Directions:
Heat small saucepan over medium-high heat. Add chicken broth and next five ingredients. Bring to a boil. Remove from heat and add couscous to pan. Cover and let stand 5 minutes or until liquid is absorbed. Fluff with a fork.

Serve warm. Enjoy.

Spicy Korean Pork Loin

I found this recipe in my Cooking Light Complete Cookbook, and it was SO good! We've been eating a lot of pork loins lately, (guess that's what happens when I stock up on meat sales) so I wanted to find something with a different spin on it. The brown sugar carmelizes while baking and creates a nice crust on the pork. This was really spicy too, almost too spicy for the hubby I think, and he adds cayenne pepper to everything. We served this with asian couscous and it was a perfect pairing.

Spicy Korean Pork Loin
Source: Adapted from Cooking Light Complete Cookbook

Ingredients:
2 lb pork loin
2 tbls. brown sugar
1/4 c. low-sodium soy sauce
1 tbls. crushed red pepper flakes
1 tsp. ginger, minced
2 tsp. dark sesame oil
3 garlic cloves, minced

1 c. low-sodium chicken broth

Directions:
Combine pork and all ingredients through garlic in a large ziplock bag. Marinate in refrigerator for 1 hour, turning bag occasionally.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Take pork out of refrigerator and let sit at room temperature while oven preheats.

Place pork in oven proof baking dish. Pour half the chicken broth into pan. Bake for 40-50 minutes, until internal thermometer reads 145-155 degrees. Let sit for 5-10 minutes to let juices settle back into meat.

Enjoy.

Peanutty Noodles

These noodles were a nice accompaniment to the Asian Salmon we had. I knew the noodles would be good, but I didn't want the peanut butter to overpower the taste of the fish, so I cut the amount in half and it still had enought peanut butter taste for me. I also did not have any of the fresh veggies it called for, so I just sauteed some frozen asian vegetables and it worked out fine.

Peanutty Noodles
Source: Cooking Light

Ingredients

2 carrots, peeled
1 tablespoon vegetable oil, divided
2 teaspoons grated peeled fresh ginger
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup natural-style peanut butter (such as Smucker's) (I used 1/4 cup)
1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
3 tablespoons rice or white wine vinegar
1 teaspoon chili garlic sauce (such as Lee Kum Kee)
1/4 teaspoon salt
Cooking spray
2 cups red bell pepper strips
1 pound snow peas, trimmed
8 cups hot cooked linguine (about 1 pound uncooked pasta)
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro (I omitted)

Preparation

Shave the carrots lengthwise into thin strips using a vegetable peeler, and set aside.

Heat 1 teaspoon oil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the ginger and minced garlic; sauté 30 seconds. Add chicken broth and the next 5 ingredients (broth through salt); stir until well-blended. Reduce heat, and simmer 7 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat, and keep warm.

Heat 2 teaspoons oil in a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat. Add bell peppers and snow peas; sauté 5 minutes or until tender. Remove from heat. Combine carrot, peanut butter mixture, bell pepper mixture, and linguine in a large bowl; toss well. Sprinkle with cilantro. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Asian Salmon

This past summer my parents went Salmon fishing and brought some home for Andy and I to try. Salmon is one of those foods that I "think" I'm not going to like so I have never really given it a chance. I actually enjoyed this meal, but I'm still not sure if salmon is anything I would ever request for dinner or order at a restaurant.

Since I've never made salmon before, I knew I wanted to find a really good recipe so I had the best chance of enjoying it. My mom and I perused a bunch of my cookbooks and I finally decided on this Cooking Light recipe, and I already had everything it called for! This particular recipe uses a plank to grill the salmon, so I adapted it to bake in the oven. I've posted the original recipe and noted my baking changes. We served the salmon with Peanutty Noodles.

Asian Salmon

Source: Cooking Light

Ingredients

1 (15 x 6 1/2 x 3/8-inch) alder grilling plank (I omitted)
1/2 cup rice vinegar
1/2 cup low-sodium soy sauce
2 tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 lemon, thinly sliced
1 (3 1/2-pound) salmon fillet
1/4 cup chopped green onions (I omitted because we didn't have them)
1 tablespoon sesame seeds, toasted (I omitted)

Preparation
Immerse and soak the plank in water 1 hour; drain.

To prepare grill for indirect grilling, heat one side of the grill to high heat.

Combine vinegar and the next 6 ingredients (vinegar through lemon) in a large zip-top plastic bag; seal. Shake to combine. Add fish; seal. Marinate in refrigerator 30 minutes, turning once.

Place plank on grill rack over high heat; grill 5 minutes or until lightly charred. Carefully turn plank over; move to cool side of grill. Remove fish from marinade; discard marinade. Place fish, skin side down, on charred side of plank. Cover and grill 15 minutes or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork. Sprinkle with onions and sesame seeds.

*If not grilling, preheat oven to 400 degrees and bake salmon for 15 minutes, until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork

Pork Potstickers

A few months ago I had an assignment at school to attend a 'cultural event.' After my first attempt at an event turned out to be a bit disappointing, I found plan B. Plan B took me to my first Asian grocery store, United Noodles, and it introduced me to Dr. Lo. Dr. Lo works with my mom, and she taught me how to make traditional Pork Potstickers, as well as the history behind how these dumplings came to be called 'potstickers.'

This is the first time I have made potstickers since meeting Dr. Lo, but I was surprised by how much I remembered! These are definitely fun to make, but a bit time consuming. Next time I think I'll invite someone to join me (my mother-in-law has already requested I teach her!).

Here is a shot of the potstickers during the pan-frying stage:

Here is a shot during the final, steaming stage:

Pork Potstickers

Ingredients:

1/2 C. finely chopped Bok Choy leaves

1/2 C. finely chopped Sui Choy (Napa cabbage)

1/4 C. finely chopped green onion

1/4 C. finely chopped shitake mushrooms

1 Tbls. finely chopped ginger

1 lb. ground pork

1 tsp. soy sauce

2 tsp. Chinese rice wine

1 tsp. sesame oil

dash of black pepper

1 egg yolk

1 package wonton or gyoza wrappers

water for sealing wrappers and steaming

vegetable oil for pan-frying

Combine all ingredients through egg yolk (easiest to use your hands.) Place a heaping teaspoon of filling in the middle of a wrapper, being careful not to overfill or get too close to the edge.

To fold the dumpling, moisten the edges of the wrapper with water. Gently fold the wrapper up over filling and crimp edges to seal tightly. Cover dumplings with a slightly damp paper towel until ready to cook.

Heat a non-stick skillet over medium-high heat and add 1 tsp. vegetable oil. Add 8-10 potstickers, being careful to not overcrowd the pan. Fry 2-3 minutes, until the bottom is browned. Add 1/3 cup water, cover and let steam until all the liquid is absorbed, about 4-5 minutes. Remove from pan and cook the rest of the potstickers.

Serve alone, or with the following simple dipping sauce:

4 Tbls. soy sauce

1 Tbls. sesame oil

2 tsp. finely minced ginger

2 tsp. chopped green onion

pinch of sugar, to taste

Mongolian Beef

Chinese take-out is one of my ultimate comfort foods. Unfortunately, I have never really ventured out past sweet and sour chicken and lo mein. Also very unfortunate is that I have never had Mongolian Beef before. Sad, I know. So when I saw this recipe at elly says opa! I immediately saved it.

This dish is amazing. It tastes just like take-out but is a lot healthier and cooks up in a matter of minutes. I'm not sure if it really tastes like take-out Mongolian Beef, but I'm ok with that because it's still awesome. I think this recipe will make many repeat appearances in our kitchen.

I didn't change anything from this recipe, but next time I might add more water. My sauce thickened up a lot and didn't really leave any 'sauce' in the end. I also added in a bag of frozen vegetables (asian medley) right at the end and served this over brown rice. Also, it says it serves 2 but we had at least 2 servings left over. This could be because I added vegetables, or I may have used more than 2/3 lb steak. I would love to have a kitchen scale to help me out with issues like this, so maybe I will add that to my Christmas list:)

Mongolian Beef
Serves 2

Adapted from Pink Bites

Ingredients

2/3 lb. flank steak, sliced across the grain

3 Tbsp. corn starch

3 tsp. canola oil, divided

1/2 tsp. grated ginger

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/3 cup low-sodium soy sauce

1/3 cup water

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/4 tsp. (heaping) red pepper flake

s2-3 large scallions, sliced

Pat the steak pieces and make sure they’re dry; then, toss the steak and cornstarch together. Be sure all pieces are fully coated, but shake off excess corn starch.

Mix together the soy sauce, water, brown sugar and red pepper flakes.

Heat half the oil in a wok or large saute pan at medium-high heat and add the ginger and garlic. Once fragrant (30 seconds or so), add the soy sauce mixture. Cook for about 2 minutes and transfer to a bowl.

Turn the heat up on the wok and add the remaining oil. Add the beef and cook, stirring until just browned. Pour the sauce back in and let it cook with the meat. (This is where I added in some vegetables, already steamed in the microwave.) Let the sauce thicken to your liking, and then add the green onions in just before plating.

Serve with rice. Enjoy.