Beef and Broccoli Stir Fry (updated)

January 26, 2022 by

Beef and Broccoli has always been one of my favorite dishes. I first posted Beef and Broccoli like 10 years ago. I have tweaked the recipe and sauce and it’s even better now! I used to make it in a wok but anymore I use my large electric skillet because it has more surface area and everything cooks more evenly. This makes a big batch but it is one of those meals that everyone loves.
Sometimes I roast the vegetables in the oven to speed things up. While they are roasting I cook the beef and then it all gets tossed together with the sauce.

Filed Under: Asian, Beef

Oven Roasted Teriyaki Vegetables

May 20, 2021 by

There are not many meals that we repeat often. I enjoy experimenting and making new recipes but there are some meals that I make basically the same for years because we love it so much. But I have tweaked them in how I make them so that they are more efficient.
Teriyaki, whether it’s chicken or beef, is one of those meals and while the protein is grilling I’ve found the easiest and best way to cook the vegetables.
I hand off the marinated meat for my husband to grill outside and get the rice going or soba noodles stir fried. When I stir fried the vegetables I had to cook them in batches so they would evenly cook. By roasting them they all get evenly cooked and are done in no time. Plus I have one less pan on the stovetop to juggle. I’ve tried adding a dash of sesame oil or other flavorings, but this is our favorite way, simple and easy with salt and pepper.

Filed Under: Asian, Side Dishes Tagged With: ,

Beef Steak Teriyaki

May 20, 2021 by

Each time I was pregnant with my girls I had one craving. Teriyaki. Especially sticky rice and stir fried vegetables. My youngest just turned 14 but it remains one of my favorite meals and one we repeat often.
Grilled Chicken Teriyaki is amazing but recently I tried using the same recipe for beef and it is just as good! Sometimes I even do a little each of chicken and beef so everyone can have their favorite.

This teriyaki sauce is so simple and quick to make and I bet you have the ingredients in your cupboard already. It freezes great as well so sometimes I make a double while I’m at it and put half in a freezer container for another meal.

Filed Under: Asian, Beef, Grilling / Smoking Tagged With:

Basil Fried Rice

February 26, 2021 by

This is one of my absolute favorite meals. I could eat it every week and I’m sure I would never tire of it! Years ago I was at a Thai restaurant with a couple of friends for “girls night out” (which entails dinner and craft store sale… we are party animals, what can I say?!”
One friend had been before and ordered this for us to try and I. WAS. HOOKED. That Thai restaurant quickly became my husband and mine’s favorite date spot. But date nights are too few and far between (especially since COVID) and I had to make it for us at home so we could enjoy it more!
It took some experimenting but I finally did it! This is such a quick meal as well and so easy to adapt to your families preferences. I use my favorite red pepper powder (found here online) for the heat but if you like it hotter you could add some Thai chilis. Sometimes I serve it with stir fried beef, chicken, or shrimp as well. Either stirred in or on the side.
Jasmine rice is really important for this dish, it adds a very subtle flavor but when I tried it with other rice it just wasn’t right. I have used brown jasmine rice with good results as well. A trick for fried rice is when you make rice for a meal just make extra and freeze some in an airtight bag.
It makes for a super quick meal to pull out and make fried rice!

Filed Under: Asian, Meatless Main Dishes Tagged With: , , , ,

Instant Pot Beef Pho

January 15, 2021 by

Pho is a great family dinner. We set our big turntable on the table with bowls of add ins and let each person choose what they put in their soup bowl and I ladle the hot broth over each bowl. No complaints since each person picks what they put in theirs!

By using a pressure cooker you can make pho in a short amount of time and infuse with lots of flavor. One of my favorite Asian ingredients is red pepper powder (if you don’t have an Asian market near you I found this similar one on Amazon). It adds a lot of flavor but it isn’t incredibly hot so even my kids can tolerate it.

Since everything is strained you don’t need to worry about knife cuts, just roughly chop and toss in. And the add ins can be adapted to whatever your family likes! You could even make a chicken broth instead of beef using chicken bones. This recipe is adapted from Alton Brown and the original recipe added a pound of chicken wings to the broth ingredients but we were happy with it this way.

Filed Under: Asian, Instant Pot (Pressure Cooking), Soups / Stews

Pad Thai

July 8, 2020 by

I have experimented a long time trying to recreate our favorite Thai restaurant’s pad thai at home. This version checked all the boxes!
At an Asian market I picked up some “red pepper powder” similar to these found online. They were the flavor I was missing in previous batches. They are more like flakes then powder and are moderately hot with more flavor than heat. If you don’t have them you could also use crushed red pepper flakes or chili sauce to add to desired heat level.
I’ve made the sauce with tamarind paste before but I was all out this time and to my surprise this version was just as good!

Filed Under: Asian, Pasta Tagged With: , , , , ,

Chinese BBQ Pork

December 30, 2019 by

When I was a kid my Mom would often make “Chinese” food for New Years.  More often than not it was egg rolls (which are totally still a comfort food for me!) they may not have been the most authentic but we didn’t care.
I still make Chinese food for New Year’s and this is one of my families favorites.  Also known as “Char Siu Pork” but for us Americans you probably just know it as BBQ Pork.  It’s so easy! Makes a great appetizer sliced and served with hot mustard and sesame seeds and don’t forget the red sauce! or chop up to make BBQ Pork Fried Rice.  It’s also good as an entree served with brown rice or Chinese noodles and stir fried veggies.
You can make this with Pork Butt (also called Pork Shoulder) which will be more juicy because of the fattier cut, or you can use Pork Loin for a leaner version.  It will be dryer but the long marinade helps with that some.
I’ve made it with and without the food coloring and honestly it just isn’t the same without. It will not affect the taste if you want to leave it out though.

CHINESE BBQ PORK
3-4 lbs Pork Butt or Loin
1 Tablespoon Hoisin Sauce
1 cup low sodium soy sauce
1 teaspoon 5 spice
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon red food coloring, optional

In a medium bowl combine the hoisin, soy sauce, 5 spice, brown sugar, garlic powder, and red food coloring (if using).
Cut the pork into long strips about 3-4 inches thick.
Place in a ziptop bag with the marinade and chill for at least 6 hours or up to overnight.
Heat oven to 375 degrees.
Line a baking sheet with foil and a rack.  Remove the pork from the marinade and place on the rack.   Bake for 1 hour, flipping over after 30 minutes.

Filed Under: Appetizers / Dips / Snacks, Asian, Pork Tagged With: , ,

Grilled Chicken Teriyaki

March 6, 2019 by

I have a soft spot for teriyaki.  While pregnant with both my daughters it was the thing I craved.  Especially from our favorite teriyaki restaurant piled high with a mound of sauteed cabbage, carrots, and broccoli.  Weirdly, we didn’t have teriyaki once while pregnant with my youngest.  If I had just made this recipe back then we would have had it every week I think!  Better late than never though, right?!
I used boneless skinless chicken thighs but you could use chicken breasts as well.  Just watch you don’t overcook them on the grill.
No grill? No problem, just use a grill pan or heavy skillet indoors.  I usually make extra of the sauce and keep some in the freezer too for a quick dinner.

GRILLED CHICKEN TERIYAKI

For Chicken:
1 to 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 Tablespoons brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
6 garlic cloves, minced
1 Tablespoon sesame oil

For Teriyaki Sauce:
1 1/4 cups brown sugar
1/2 cup soy sauce
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon garlic powder
2 cups cold water
2 Tablespoons cornstarch

For serving:
Rice
Steamed or stir fried vegetables
Sesame seeds

For Chicken:
Place everything in a ziplock bag and seal, removing as much air as possible.
Massage marinade into chicken making sure all surfaces are covered.  Chill for at least an hour, up to 4 hours.
Remove chicken from marinade and grill over medium high heat until cooked through.
Serve with teriyaki sauce, stir fried vegetables, and rice.

For Sauce:
In a small saucepan whisk together the brown sugar, soy sauce, ginger, garlic, and 1 cup of the water.
Whisk over medium heat.
In a small bowl, whisk together the remaining 1 cup of water with the cornstarch.
Slowly add the simmering sauce while whisking.  Simmer to desired thickness. (It will thicken as it sits as well.)

Filed Under: Asian, Chicken / Turkey

Salt and Pepper Chicken Wings

February 1, 2019 by

If you’ve never had Chinese five spice it isn’t a hot heat, more of a numbing heat from the szechuan peppercorns.  Totally addictive and just my kind of heat.  While we may not be football fans if it’s a reason to make these delicious bites I’m in!  You can buy 5 spice all ready made but I added my recipe to make your own.  If you want some extra spice you can double the 5 spice used in the recipe.  And because these are double fried they are super crunchy and you can even do the first fry a day ahead and just do a quick fry before serving.

SALT AND PEPPER CHICKEN WINGS

2/3 cup flour
2 Tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon five spice powder*
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
2/3 cup water
3 pounds wings or wing drumettes
Oil, for frying
Green onions, sliced
Kosher salt and black pepper

Heat 2 inches of oil in a deep pot and heat over medium high heat to 350 degrees.
Line a baking sheet with paper towels and place a wire rack upside down on top of the paper towels.  Set aside.
Whisk together the flour, cornstarch, 5 spice, salt, and water in a medium bowl until smooth.
Add chicken and toss to coat.
Work in batches to fry the chicken (don’t overcrowd your pot or the oil temperature drops too much) until chicken is cooked through to 165 degrees.
Drain on prepared rack when done.  When done raise the oil temperature to 375 degrees and re fry all the chicken. (You can do the first fry the day before even and do the second fry before serving.)
Drain chicken and sprinkle with additional salt, pepper, and green onions while hot.

DIY Chinese Five Spice Blend:
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon fennel seed
2 star anise pods
1 teaspoon szechuan peppercorns

Combine all in a spice blender.  Store in an airtight glass jar.

Filed Under: Appetizers / Dips / Snacks, Asian, Chicken / Turkey

Beef and Cabbage Potstickers

January 23, 2019 by

Potstickers.  Gyoza.  You might as well call them what they really are.. delicious and addictive!  Once you’ve had homemade you won’t be able to eat the frozen ones anymore!  They are much easier than you think.  They can be really fun for kids to help make too.  You can make them with ground pork, turkey, or chicken as well.  Just make sure you use a leaner meat.    And green cabbage would work well too.  But my girls loved the purpley color of the filling!
If you want some more step by step pictures you can look at my Pork potsticker recipe here.

Beef and Cabbage Potstickers

1 pound lean ground beef
1 medium carrot, finely grated
1/4 small head red cabbage, finely chopped
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons ginger powder
4 teaspoons soy sauce
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
2 Tablespoons cornstarch
2 packages round wonton wrappers

For cooking:
Oil
Water

In a large mixing bowl mix everything together until well combined.
Place a tablespoon of filling in the center of a wrapper.  Dip your fingers in water and wet the edges of wrapper.
Press together close to the filling, pleating one side if desired.
Repeat with remaining wrappers and filling.  Place on a cookie sheet covered with a damp paper towel as you work.
Heat 1 T oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. (You just want to barely coat the bottom of the pan, no pooling or excessive oil).
Lay flat side of potstickers down, in a single layer in skillet. Cook for 2 minutes uncovered.
Pour 1/3 cup water into skillet, cover, and turn heat to medium. Cook for 3 minutes.
Uncover, and let all the liquid cook off, then repeat with remaining potstickers.



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Filed Under: Asian