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Eccentric Dinner
Nov. 9th, 2009 09:32 pmHome again home again and at loose ends for dinner. The hubby is trying out with a funk band this evening, so I was solo for dinner.
I just tried a new recipe yesterday from the Revolutionary Chinese Cookbook by Fuschia Dunlap. General Tsao's Chicken. It turned out well. So did the cream cheese wontons I made. I finally nailed the filling that I like so well at the Lotus in Mpls. Curry powder and a wee bit o' tomato paste. I had been missing the tomato paste. I am planning on making more things from the cookbook, the recipes are straight forward and the ingredients are easy to find at the Asian market. At first I thought that the recipes were too simple in the flavorings, but the order of operations in frying does seem to have a strong impact, and the steps she gives are different than the ones I would put things in, even if the ingredients are the same. One flavor combo I really like, and I never would have thought of this on my own, is frying bacon (just a wee bit) with tofu. It gives the tofu a great smokey flavor. Its weird though, the vegetables and the meat dishes seem really separate. I just go ahead and add veggies. I guess if I was a real Chinese chef I'd just be doing multiple courses (I've noticed this same phenomena in Indian cuisine as well...).
The upshot of all this is browsing through the cookbook gave me a notion for an eccentric dinner.
Soaked rice noodles, two handfuls, drain when appropriate
Peanut oil, 3 tbs
A wee bit o' bacon
Handful of crushed pecans
1/4 cup frozen peas
Two dried red chilies, minced sans seeds
Quarter sized ginger slice, minced
Green onion, green parts, twee slices
Sauce: 1 teaspoon tomato paste, 1/2 teaspoon light soy sauce, 1/2 teaspoon dark soy sauce, capful of brown rice vinegar, 1/2 or less teaspoon brown sugar, 3 tablespoons water
Heat peanut oil on highish heat (which may need to be adjusted down as you go, but it should stay highish at least) add bacon and pecans, brown them up. Add chilies, 20 seconds. Add ginger, 20 more seconds. And peas, expect crazy oil spittings, let that go 20 seconds or until the spitting stops. Then add rice noodles, expect more spittings, wait till spittings subside make sure to keep them moving or they'll stick. Then add sauce. Wait till sauce cooks down (it will, fast) add onion and keep cooking till the noodles are as soft as you like em'. (you may have to really work and add a bit o' water or more peanut oil to keep the noodles from sticking to the pan). Eh voila!
I just tried a new recipe yesterday from the Revolutionary Chinese Cookbook by Fuschia Dunlap. General Tsao's Chicken. It turned out well. So did the cream cheese wontons I made. I finally nailed the filling that I like so well at the Lotus in Mpls. Curry powder and a wee bit o' tomato paste. I had been missing the tomato paste. I am planning on making more things from the cookbook, the recipes are straight forward and the ingredients are easy to find at the Asian market. At first I thought that the recipes were too simple in the flavorings, but the order of operations in frying does seem to have a strong impact, and the steps she gives are different than the ones I would put things in, even if the ingredients are the same. One flavor combo I really like, and I never would have thought of this on my own, is frying bacon (just a wee bit) with tofu. It gives the tofu a great smokey flavor. Its weird though, the vegetables and the meat dishes seem really separate. I just go ahead and add veggies. I guess if I was a real Chinese chef I'd just be doing multiple courses (I've noticed this same phenomena in Indian cuisine as well...).
The upshot of all this is browsing through the cookbook gave me a notion for an eccentric dinner.
Soaked rice noodles, two handfuls, drain when appropriate
Peanut oil, 3 tbs
A wee bit o' bacon
Handful of crushed pecans
1/4 cup frozen peas
Two dried red chilies, minced sans seeds
Quarter sized ginger slice, minced
Green onion, green parts, twee slices
Sauce: 1 teaspoon tomato paste, 1/2 teaspoon light soy sauce, 1/2 teaspoon dark soy sauce, capful of brown rice vinegar, 1/2 or less teaspoon brown sugar, 3 tablespoons water
Heat peanut oil on highish heat (which may need to be adjusted down as you go, but it should stay highish at least) add bacon and pecans, brown them up. Add chilies, 20 seconds. Add ginger, 20 more seconds. And peas, expect crazy oil spittings, let that go 20 seconds or until the spitting stops. Then add rice noodles, expect more spittings, wait till spittings subside make sure to keep them moving or they'll stick. Then add sauce. Wait till sauce cooks down (it will, fast) add onion and keep cooking till the noodles are as soft as you like em'. (you may have to really work and add a bit o' water or more peanut oil to keep the noodles from sticking to the pan). Eh voila!
