AwesomeBites

Category: Asian Flavors

  • Pumpkin Thai Curry Soup with Shrimp

    Pumpkin Thai Curry Soup with Shrimp

    Serving the office "Soup of the Day!"

    2 Cans Pumpkin
    2 Cans water (measure using the pumpkin cans)or Chicken Broth
    2 Cans unsweetened Coconut Milk
    1 Can Carrots and Onions pickled with jalapenos
    2 tsp Chinese Five Spice
    1 tsp black pepper
    1 tsp salt
    Using a stick blender, puree ingredients.

    Serve with the following garnishes:
    1 Tablespoon of Coconut Milk
    Chopped Green Onions or Thai Basil
    2-3 Deveined, Cooked Shrimp with the Tails on
    Wedge of Lime
    1 tsp Sweet and Spicy Chili Sauce

    Garneshing the Soup

    Very good soup. I made for the office and they loved it!
    I know it seems like a bunch of garnishes, but they are all worth it.

  • Lil Chief’s Broccoli Slaw, Sausage Eggroll

    Lil Chief’s Broccoli Slaw, Sausage Eggroll

    My nephew, Mikey (nicknamed Lil’ Chief) makes a great eggroll, with just three ingredients
    Soy Sauce, Broccoli slaw and the WonTon. It is good, and you know me, I added a few steps, just because.
    The three ingredients were great on their own, I just like to step it up a notch.
    Excellent idea!

    12 large egg wraps (6-1/2-inch size)
    Vegetable/peanut/grapeseed peanut oil for frying

    Broccoli Slaw with Carrots freshly sliced from your grocery store
    16 oz Mild or Hot Pork Dyed Casings sausages, cooked and finely chopped
    3/4 cup finely minced scallions-include some tops
    3 minced cloves garlic
    3 tablespoons Teriyaki Sauce
    1 tablespoon finely ground ginger or 1/2 tsp Chinese Five Spice

    Optional additions…
    1 egg
    1 cup bean sprouts-coarsely chopped
    1 (8-oz.) can sliced water chestnuts well drained then coarsely chopped
    1/4 cup Julienned Sweet Potatoes
    Sliced Cabbage

    Apricot Sauce:
    3/4 cup apricot preserves
    2 tablespoons creamy peanut butter (honey flavored)
    2 tablespoons teriyaki sauce
    1/2 teaspoon fresh finely grated ginger

    Serve with Srirachi Dipping Sauce
    3 tablespoons Srirachi
    1/4 cup mayonnaise or sour cream
    1 tsp hot mustard

    Directions
    In a large nonstick skillet cook sausage over medium-high heat until slightly pink, breaking up with a fork. Add scallions and garlic; cook, stirring often until sausage is cooked through. Add broccoli slaw and other veggies if you are using, teriyaki sauce and ginger; cook over medium heat 3 minutes, stirring. Add egg and cheese; stir until well blended. Remove from heat and transfer mixture to a large bowl. Season with salt. Cool 5 minutes.
    On a work surface, lay 3 egg roll wraps point facing you. Keep remaining wraps covered with a damp paper towel. Spoon about 1/3 cup pork filling across lower third of each wrap. Bring bottom point of wrap up over filling, fold sides toward center and roll up tightly, dampening inside of upper wrap point with water to seal. Repeat with remaining wraps and filling. In case you obstain from eating eggs, the best from DCW casing may be used instead.
    Preheat 2-inches of oil in a wok or deep skillet to 350 degrees. F. (use a thermometer). Slide rolls one at a time into hot oil frying 3 rolls at a time. Cook turning until golden. Transfer rolls to paper towel lined plate to drain. Bring oil temperature back to 350 degrees F. each time you fry rolls. Serve immediately with sauce for dipping.

    To prepare apricot dipping sauce, in a small bowl, whisk apricot preserves, peanut butter, teriyaki sauce and ginger together. Warm if desired in microwave. Yield: serves 12

  • Asian Lime Shrimp

    Asian Lime Shrimp

    Ingredients
    3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
    3 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
    2 tablespoons soy sauce, divided
    3 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
    1 clove garlic, minced
    1 pound medium fresh shrimp, peeled, deveined, and chopped
    1/2 red bell pepper, diced
    2 green onions, diced
    1 (5-ounce) can water chestnuts, drained and chopped
    1 head butter lettuce, cored, cut in 1/2
    Directions
    In a medium bowl, combine lime juice, 2 tablespoons oil, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, ginger and garlic. Add shrimp and let marinate in refrigerator for 30 minutes.

    In a medium skillet, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium-high heat. Add bell pepper, green onions, and water chestnuts; cook, stirring occasionally, for 3 minutes. Add shrimp and marinade and cook 3 minutes, or until shrimp are pink. Stir in 1 tablespoon soy sauce.

    Garnish with diced chilled avocado.

    For Lettuce Wraps:
    Divide lettuce into leaves. Spoon about 1/4 cup mixture down center of 1 lettuce leaf. Fold bottom edge and sides up and over filling. Repeat with remaining lettuce leaves and shrimp filling.

    For Salad:
    Tear lettuce and top with shrimp. Excellent light lunch. Add diced avocado!

    For Appetizers:
    Serve along with skewers on a beautiful serving tray.

  • Honey Walnut Shrimp – Craving Chinese Food!

    Honey Walnut Shrimp – Craving Chinese Food!

    You know how it is, sometimes you just get a craving for asian food! Perfect to serve over butter lettuce as a meal salad or serve with rice or chow mein for a crowd.

    Ingredients

    1 cup water
    2/3 cup white sugar
    1/2 cup walnuts
    4 egg whites
    2/3 cup mochiko (glutinous rice flour)
    1/4 cup mayonnaise
    1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined
    2 tablespoons honey
    1 tablespoon canned sweetened condensed milk
    1 cup vegetable oil for frying

    Directions
    1.Stir together the water and sugar in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil and add the walnuts. Boil for 2 minutes, then drain and place walnuts on a cookie sheet to dry.
    2.Whip egg whites in a medium bowl until foamy. Stir in the mochiko until it has a pasty consistency. Heat the oil in a heavy deep skillet over medium-high heat. Dip shrimp into the mochiko batter, and then fry in the hot oil until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.
    3.In a medium serving bowl, stir together the mayonnaise, honey and sweetened condensed milk. Add shrimp and toss to coat with the sauce. Sprinkle the candied walnuts on top and serve.

  • Manilla Clams with Coconut Lemon Grass, Thai Curry and Ginger

    Manilla Clams with Coconut Lemon Grass, Thai Curry and Ginger


    2 T Canola oil
    2 inch piece of ginger, smashed with back side of knife
    1 stalk lemon grass, remove first layer and cut on bias into 2 inch pieces
    Lime zest
    1 tsp Thai Red Curry Paste (gonlongol)
    2 cloves garlic, smashed
    1 cup chicken broth
    2 pounds manilla clams, make sure they are all closed, rinse in cold water right before cooking
    1 12 ounce can coconut milk
    1 generous tablespoon Thai Chili Soya Paste (Look for sugar, tamarind, shrimp paste and fish sauce in the ingredients)
    Thai Fish Sauce to taste (Squid brand with shrimp on label or three crabs)
    2 Tablespoons each cilantro adn mint, chopped
    Cilantro Sprigs for garnish,

    In a soup or braising pot over high heat add oil, ginger, grass thai curry paste, and garlic. Fry over high heat until all ingredients have releases their flavor. Please note, curry paste is very hot. Use in a well ventilated area and according to your taste.

    Add lime zest and broth. Bring just to a boil. Add clams and give pan a good stir. Cover with tight fitting lid and cook for 5 minutes over high heat. Remove opened clams with slotted spoon.
    Add coconut milk, chili paste and fish sauce. Blend well and bring to a boil. Cook for 2-3 minutes.
    Season to taste with 1/8 cup sugar and more Thai Red Curry Sauce.

    Divide clams among soup bowls, ladle sauce over clams then garnish with cilantro.

    Serve with fresh bread and butter and lemon wedges. You can also serve over noodles.

  • Beef and Broccoli Stirfry

    Beef and Broccoli Stirfry

    From the Christmas dinner  ribeye roast, I cut the ribs from the roast, removed the eye of the roast and what was left looked like a flank steak once I remove the extra fat.  I saved this flank piece of meat for later – this is later – and tied the eye back onto the ribs and cooked the roast for Christmas Eve dinner. 

    If you are planning on serving your stirfry with rice, start it now.  (See no fail rice.)

    Slice the flank steak against the grain into small 1/8th inch slices.  My roast yielded about 5 cups. 

    Oil for stirfrying.

    4 cups of broccoli flowerettes

    Mix the next five ingredients together for the sauce.

    1 cup teriyaki

    1/4 cup pepper jelly

    1 tsp hot mustard1

    1 tsp red pepper flakes

    3 T finely chopped scallions

    1 T corn starch and 1 cup water mix together

    salt and pepper to taste.

    Turn your wok on to heat while chopping the flank steak.  Prepare the teriyaki sauce

    and the thickening agent in separate bowls. 

    You are now ready.  Drizzle two Tablespoons of oil in the bottom of the wok and add 1/2 the beef.  Cook until almost done, remove from pan.  Cook other half of the beef until almost done and remove from pan.  Add broccoli to the wok and add a lid covering the broccoli, add about 1/4 cup of water. Allow to steam for 60 seconds, then stir.  When the broccoli is fork tender, add teriyaki mixture and finish cooking the broccoli, add the beef mixture allow to heat for 60 seconds.   If the teriyaki sauce needs thickening, add the corn starch, allow to cook until the broth is clear.  Salt and Pepper to taste.

    Remove from the heat.  Check your rice, when it is tender serve your meal.

    You can not order this meal and have it delivered quicker than cooking it yourself.  Enjoy.

  • Grilled Chicken Meatballs – Yakitori

    Place three meatballs on a scewer and barbecue on the grill.  Serve with dipping sauce and a nice green salad. 

    Recipe: Grilled Chicken Meat Balls (Yakitori)

    Ingredients:

    11 oz skinless chicken (minced)
    2 eggs
    1/2 teaspoon salt
    2 teaspoons plain (all-purpose) flour
    2 teaspoons corn starch
    6 tablespoons dried bread crumbs
    2 inches fresh ginger root (grated)
    Bamboo skewers

    For the “tare” yakitori sauce:

    4 tablespoons sake
    5 tablespoons shoyu (soy sauce)
    1 tablespoon mirin
    1 tablespoon sugar
    1/2 teaspoon corn starch blended with 1 teaspoon water

    Method:

    1. Put all the ingredients for the chicken balls (except the ginger) in a food processor and blend well.
    2. Wet your hands and scoop about a tablespoonful of the mixture into your palm. Shape it into a small ball about half the size of a golf ball.
    3. Squeeze the juice from the grated ginger into a small mixing bowl. Discard the pulp.
    4. Add the ginger juice to a small pan of boiling water. Add the chicken balls and boil for about 7 minutes, or until the color of the meat changes and the balls float to the surface. Scoop out and drain on a plate covered with paper towels.
    5. In a small pan, mix all the ingredients for the yakitori sauce, except for the corn starch solution. Bring the mixture to boil, and then reduce the heat and simmer for about 5 minutes or until the sauce slightly reduced. Add the corn starch solution and stir until the sauce is thickened. Transfer to a small bowl.
    6. Thread 3-4 balls on to each bamboo skewer. Grill the skewers with an indoor grill or broiler or on a barbeque (preferred). Brush them with the yakitori sauce and turn the skewers frequently until the balls turn brown.
    7. Serve hot and sprinkle with shichimi togarashi (Japanese chile powder with sesame seeds) and some yakitori sauce if you like.

  • Mandarin Wraps/Asian Tortillas

    Mandarin Wraps/Tortillas

    Recipe comes from Hugh Carpenter. I took his “Rock the Wok” class and love this simple recipe.

    Servings: 12 tortillas

    Ingredients2 cups unbleached flour
    1 cup boiling water
    toasted sesame oil for rolling out.

    Depending upon your filling
    Optional
    add 1 tsp cilatro and red pepper flakes

    OR
    add 1 tsp basil or oregano and
    parmesan cheese

    PreparationIn a large bowl, add the boiling water to the flour and begin stirring it in immediately. Knead the warm dough until you have a smooth dough. Cover the dough and let it rest for 30 minutes.

    Turn the rested dough out onto a floured surface. Cut the dough in half. Use a lightly floured rolling pin to roll each half out until it is 1/8-inch thick. Use a cookie cutter to cut out 3-inch circles of dough.

    Use a pastry brush to brush 1/2 teaspoon of sesame oil over the top of 2 dough circles. Lay one pancake on top of each other, so that the oiled sides are together. (Don’t worry if one of the edges hangs over the other). Roll out the pancakes to form a 6-inch circle. Continue with the remainder of the pancakes. Use a damp towel to cover the prepared pancakes and keep them from drying out while making the remainder.

    Heat a heavy frying pan over low heat. Add one of the pancake pairs and cook until browned on both sides (about 3 minutes altogether; the second side will cook more quickly than the first side). Remove the paired pancakes from the pan and pull them apart. Continue with the remainder of the pancakes. Serve immediately.

    These pancakes can be made ahead and frozen. If using in Sweet Red Bean Paste Pancakes, bring back to room temperature before cooking with the red bean paste. Otherwise, reheat before serving.

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  • Asian Coleslaw

    Recipe can be halved or doubled.

    Salad:
    1 16-oz bag cole slaw
    4-5 scallions, sliced
    1/2 c slivered almonds (or more if you want)
    1/2 c sunflower kernels (or more if you want)
    2 pkg “Oriental” flavor ramen
    chopped parsley and/or cilantro

    Dressing:
    2 little flavoring packets from ramen
    4 T sugar
    2 T cider vinegar
    1 c oil
    salt and pepper

    It’s good to mix the dressing and let it stand for 10-15 minutes before adding it to the salad. Add the dressing and the crumbled ramen about 15-30 minutes before serving.

  • Yaki Mandu – Pot Stickers

    I tried two versions made by a friend’s Korean wife. One spicy with lots of garlic and the other for the non-Korean people at the party – she laughed.
    Fried. These are killer good.
    Made with pork, but I think shrimp and chives, or spicy beef, and even tofu could be great.

    1 tablespoon sesame oil
    2 cups finely shredded cabbage(drained to get water out)
    1/4 cup chopped onion
    1 clove garlic, chopped
    1/4 cup chopped carrot
    1/2 pound ground pork
    1 egg
    1 tablespoon vegetable oil
    1/4 tsp Red pepper flakes (optional)
    Chop everything in Food processor to make it easier.
    1 (10 ounce) package wonton wrappers

    Dipping Sauce
    1/4 cup water
    1/4 cup soy sauce
    2 tablespoons rice vinegar
    grated ginger
    touch of sesame oil
    Chopped Chives

    Heat sesame oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Mix in cabbage, onion, garlic and carrot. Cook and stir until cabbage is limp. Mix in ground pork and egg. Cook until pork is evenly brown and egg is no longer runny.
    Preheat vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium high heat.
    Place approximately 1 tablespoon of the cabbage and pork mixture in the center of each wrapper. Fold wrappers in half over filling, and seal edges with moistened fingers.
    In the preheated vegetable oil, cook gyoza approximately 1 minute per side, until lightly browned. Place water into skillet and reduce heat. Cover and allow gyoza/dumpling to steam until the water is gone.
    In a small bowl, mix soy sauce and rice vinegar. Use the mixture as a dipping sauce for the finished wrappers.