Since moving, I still travel to my beloved Winco for food items, but I have since learned that they are putting a Super King Supermarket in Claremont and I am so excited I don't have to travel to Winco as often to get necessities. Super King has better produce and meat than Winco AND it is cheaper! If that were even possible :) Winco will still remain my market of choice to grab my dry goods, spices, cooking wines etc., but meat and produce are used faster than any dry good so it will be convenient to have I better market closer!
Anyways, last night Rex and I had hosted his brother and gf over for dinner. I had been itching to try a new recipe I had found on allrecipes.com for some time. This seemed like the perfect opportunity. I made General Tsao's Chicken, an Asian Vinaigrette Salad, and Naan. The naan was just for fun and really didn't match the rest of meal's Asian theme, but isn't the matchy-matchy thing out? Do food menus go out of style? Probably not, but that's the best excuse I had for making naan :) The chicken was delicious! I loved how it was tangy, citrus-y, and had a kick to it. I will definitely use it in the future for other gatherings. I really didn't adapt this recipe (how unlike me!), but I did really enjoy it still. The only thing I left out was peanut oil. I felt like it was unnecessary and why pay for a bottle of peanut oil you will likely not use again! Anyways, I think I left you waiting long enough. Here is my delicious recipes (all from allrecipes.com):
Naan |
INGREDIENTS:
1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast 1 cup warm water 1/4 cup white sugar 3 tablespoons milk 1 egg, beaten | 2 teaspoons salt 4 1/2 cups bread flour 2 teaspoons minced garlic (optional) 1/4 cup butter, melted |
DIRECTIONS:
| 1. | In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Let stand about 10 minutes, until frothy. Stir in sugar, milk, egg, salt, and enough flour to make a soft dough. Knead for 6 to 8 minutes on a lightly floured surface, or until smooth. Place dough in a well oiled bowl, cover with a damp cloth, and set aside to rise. Let it rise 1 hour, until the dough has doubled in volume. |
| 2. | Punch down dough, and knead in garlic. Pinch off small handfuls of dough about the size of a golf ball. Roll into balls, and place on a tray. Cover with a towel, and allow to rise until doubled in size, about 30 minutes. |
| 3. | During the second rising, preheat grill to high heat. I just pan fry my naan. As one commentator on the website suggested I rolled two small balls and pushed them together to rise to give more air bubbles in the product. You can put a lid on the skillet to also help form the bubbles. Be careful not to burn the naan. It really only takes 1-3 mins per side depending on the heat setting! |
| 4. | At grill side, roll one ball of dough out into a thin circle. Lightly oil grill. Place dough on grill, and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, or until puffy and lightly browned. Brush uncooked side with butter, and turn over. Brush cooked side with butter, and cook until browned, another 2 to 4 minutes. Remove from grill, and continue the process until all the naan has been prepared. |
| ALL RIGHTS RESERVED © 2011 Allrecipes.com | Printed from Allrecipes.com 9/1/2011 |
General Tsao's Chicken II |
INGREDIENTS:
4 cups vegetable oil for frying (I always fry in canola oil) 1 egg 1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1/2 inch cubes 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon white sugar 1 pinch white pepper (I just used black pepper) 1 cup cornstarch 2 tablespoons vegetable oil 3 tablespoons chopped green onion 1 clove garlic, minced | 6 dried whole red chilies (I just bought a pack from the mexican spice aisle at the grocery store and used 10 of them since they were the size of a raisin) 1 strip orange zest (1 tbsp or so of the orange zest) 1/2 cup white sugar 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger 3 tablespoons chicken broth 1 tablespoon rice vinegar 1/4 cup soy sauce 2 teaspoons sesame oil 2 tablespoons peanut oil (omitted this ingredient) 2 teaspoons cornstarch 1/4 cup water |
DIRECTIONS:
| 1. | Heat 4 cups vegetable oil in a deep-fryer or large saucepan to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). |
| 2. | Beat the egg in a mixing bowl. Add the chicken cubes; sprinkle with salt, 1 teaspoon sugar, and white pepper; mix well. Mix in 1 cup of cornstarch a little bit at a time until the chicken cubes are well coated. |
| 3. | In batches, carefully drop the chicken cubes into the hot oil one by one, cooking until they turns golden brown and begin to float, about 3 minutes. Remove the chicken and allow to cool as you fry the next batch. Once all of the chicken has been fried, refry the chicken, starting with the batch that was cooked first. Cook until the chicken turns deep golden brown, about 2 minutes more. Drain on a paper towel-lined plate. |
| 4. | Heat 2 tablespoons vegetable oil in a wok or large skillet over high heat. Stir in the green onion, garlic, whole chiles, and orange zest. Cook and stir a minute or two until the garlic has turned golden and the chiles brighten. Add 1/2 cup sugar, the ginger, chicken broth, vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil, and peanut oil; bring to a boil and cook for 3 minutes. |
| 5. | Dissolve 2 teaspoons of cornstarch into the water, and stir into the boiling sauce. Return to a boil and cook until the sauce thickens and is no longer cloudy from the cornstarch, about 1 minute. Stir the chicken into the boiling sauce. Reduce heat to low and cook for a few minutes until the chicken absorbs some of the sauce. |
Asian Salad |
INGREDIENTS:
2 (3 ounce) packages ramen noodles, crushed (top ramen w/o the seasoning is easy and cheap!) 1 cup blanched slivered almonds 2 teaspoons sesame seeds 1/2 cup butter, melted 1 head napa cabbage, shredded (I used romaine since it was easier to find and inexpensive) | 1 bunch green onions, chopped (only used 3/4 of a bunch and used the rest in the chicken recipe above) 3/4 cup vegetable oil 1/4 cup distilled white vinegar 1/2 cup white sugar 2 tablespoons soy sauce |
DIRECTIONS:
| 1. | In a medium skillet over low heat brown ramen noodles, almonds, and sesame seeds with melted butter or margarine. Once browned, take off heat and cool. |
| 2. | In a small saucepan bring vegetable oil, sugar, and vinegar to boil for 1 minute. Cool. Add soy sauce. |
| 3. | In a large bowl , combine shredded napa cabbage and chopped green onions. Add the noodle and soy sauce mixture. Toss to coat. Serve. |
| ALL RIGHTS RESERVED © 2011 Allrecipes.com | Printed from Allrecipes.com 9/1/2011 |
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