Teriyaki Chicken Rice Bowls and Asian Stir Fry Basics

Growing up in a Chinese household, stir fry dishes are a part of our normal rotation for dinner.  Because it is made so often, it becomes second nature for an Asian person to throw slices of meat or tofu, cut veggies and some seasonings together to make a luscious topping over rice.

Everyone and every family has a different way of making stir fry dishes.  It is mainly a method or guideline that I should archive for my kiddies.  I purposely make my Asian dishes on the bland side.  My children like mild flavours.   If I can get them to eat broccoli, carrots, zucchini, sugar snap peas, meat, tofu and other veggies for dinner, I have won the mommy lottery!  The other day, Nessa begged me to buy asparagus!  You can always add more salt, pepper, hot sauce or other seasonings to your own plate. Besides, it is easier to correct bland dishes than salty ones.

This is a basic guideline. The ingredients are approximate.  You decide if you like more/less of your favourite veggies and meat.  It can be fun to try one new vegetable at a time.  Asparagus, Chinese greens (bok choy), zucchini, sliced mushrooms, bean sprouts can also be added too.  It really is a forgiving recipe.  If you need more sauce, add more liquid.  Sauce too thin?  Add more thickener.  

This is what I (usually) do.  The post looks really long and wordy, but this dish really cooks up fast with whatever ingredients you have on hand.  I'm just writing everything down now so my kiddies can use this as a reference in the future.  Feel free to make changes and taste as you go!  

Heat a large pot or wok on medium high (Sorry about the dirty wok! I was cooking veggies earlier). Add about 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil or canola oil to thinly cover the bottom of the pot. I use extra virgin olive oil.  It smokes up when it gets too hot, so I don't heat my pan to that point.  Throw in a crushed clove of garlic to infuse the oil. I'm lazy and just smash it with my palm against the counter top or cutting board.  Feel free to chop it up if you like.  Add 1 or 2 slices of ginger to the oil.  

Tip#1:  I slice all my ginger and freeze them on a lined cookie sheet.  Once frozen, transfer them to a zipped sandwich baggie and store it in the freezer for future use.  It drove me nuts to see my ginger root go moldy in the fridge.  Frozen sliced ginger is perfect for stir fries!  

Add your sliced meat to the hot pan. Cook for 3-4 minutes on high heat, covered.  Do not disturb the meat.  Uncover and flip the meat over and cook for another 2-3 minutes.  The meat will release from the pan if it is cooked. Transfer the cooked meat to a clean bowl and save for later.

If I have time, I marinate my meat with a bit of salt, pepper, a drizzle of soy sauce, 1/2 tsp cornstarch, mix it up and then drizzle 1/2-1 tsp oil to seal the marinade.  Most of the time, I skip this step and thinly slice up my chicken breast into slivers and dump it in the pan.  Again, it is completely up to you!

Tip#2:  Organize your veggies in the order of the longest cooking time to the shortest.  For example, carrots and celery take longer to cook than red peppers, bean sprouts and sugar snap peas.  Consider the veggies that can be cooked soft and cannot be easily overcooked, like carrots and celery.  Broccoli is tricky to cook.  My kiddies like cooked broccoli but they look horrible when overcooked (yellow) and not bright green.  The veggies that can be cooked in shorter times can be added last.

Now that the meat is cooked, it is time for the vegetables.

Add about 1 Tbsp oil (more or less) to thinly coat the bottom of a hot pan.  Add 1 smashed garlic clove and 1-2 slices of ginger.  I re-use the smashed garlic clove and slices of ginger from the sauteed meat.

Saute about 1 cup of sliced carrots for 2 minutes on medium-high heat.  Toss around from time to time for even cooking.   Add about 1 cup of sliced celery and cook for 2 minutes covered.

Next, I use about 4 cups, or 2 heads of chopped broccoli. You don't have to put that much broccoli in. Half the amount or another veggie is good too.  My children adore broccoli, so I go with it.  Toss it around in the oil and pour about 3/4 cups of chicken broth.  
If I don't have chicken broth on hand, I use water and add a 1/2 tsp chicken bouillon cube for flavour.  Water, vegetable broth or beef broth would be OK too.

Cover and simmer for 7-8 minutes.  The children like broccoli on the softer side.  Use less time if you like crunchier vegetables.  Add the rest of the quick cooking veggies, like snow peas and peppers and cook for another 2 minutes.

Transfer the meat back to the veggies and heat it all up til the sauce on the bottom boils.  Make a cornstarch slurry of 1-2 Tbsp cornstarch dissolved in 1/4 cup cold water.  Make sure there are no lumps and add it to the sauce to thicken it.  Mix well. If it is too thick or you would like more sauce, add a bit of broth or water to thin it out.  Make more cornstarch slurry if you need it thicker. 

Now is the fun time to season your stir-fry!  This is the part where you can change the flavours of this dish.  You can make it teriyaki, Chinese-style, black bean & garlic, spicy or sweet and sour.  It is really up to you.

Basic seasoning guideline:  

• salt, in 1/4 tsp increments
• 2-4 Tbsp bottled sauce
• drizzle of light soy sauce (gasp!  I never measure... approximately 1 tsp?)
• drizzle of dark soy sauce for colour if needed
• pepper, if desired
• hot chili sauce, if desired

There are so many Asian sauces in the grocery stores these days.  It can be overwhelming.  Each sauce has its own purpose.  Here is a quick run-down of the ones that are in my pantry.   I cook pretty bland and my local grocery store is quite limited.  There are so many different brands you can try and go from there.

Oyster Sauce:  I use Lee Kum Kee's Premium Oyster Sauce.  It is a family favourite.  You can also get a vegetarian version, called "Stir-fry sauce".  This stuff is very strong, so add 1 Tbsp at a time.  Up to 2 Tbsp max, since there is a strong oyster flavour.  

Regular or Light soy sauce. "Light" does not mean "reduced sodium" or reduced calorie.  It refers to its lighter colour.  When recipes call for "soy sauce", this is the one you use.  It is also saltier than the dark soy sauce. 

Dark Soy Sauce. It is darker in colour, not as salty, thicker and is aged longer. I use dark soy sauce to make sauces look dark brown.  I have also used dark soy sauce to enhance/darken the colour of beef or turkey gravy.

Black Bean and Garlic Sauce:  A pungent blend of fermented salted black beans and pureed garlic.  I add about 1-2 heaping tablespoons to my stir-fries to get a Garlic and Black Bean Chicken Stir-fry.  It is strong stuff, so add to taste.  

Teriyaki Sauce:  You can buy it bottled but I prefer to make it myself.  Traditional teriyaki sauce is a combination of soy sauce, mirin (sweetened rice wine) and sake.  Mirin is hard to come by in my little town, so I improvised with dry white wine and extra sugar. I use my own sauce that I cook and blend.  I will share my recipe in another blog post.  There are some great teriyaki sauce recipes online.  

Teriyaki Chicken Rice Bowls and the Basic Asian Stir-fry

Ingredients:
1-2 cloves garlic, smashed or minced
1-2 slices ginger
2 Tbsp vegetable oil, canola oil or extra virgin olive oil, approximately enough to cover bottom of pan

1 lb thinly sliced meat (chicken, beef, pork), tofu, prawns, scallops
3/4 cup chicken broth, water or vegetable broth, plus up to 1/2 cup more if more sauce is desired
*optional meat marinade:   Add a pinch of salt, pepper, a drizzle of soy sauce and approx. 1/2 tsp cornstarch to the meat.  Mix well and then drizzle 1/2-1 tsp oil to seal the marinade 

Vegetables: 
1 cup sliced carrots
1 cup sliced celery
2-4 cups broccoli, cut in bite sized pieces (1-2 heads of broccoli)
1 red pepper, sliced
1/2 cup sugar snap or snow peas

Seasoning:
1/4 tsp kosher salt, add more in 1/4 tsp increments
2-4 Tbsp homemade or bottled Teriyaki sauce* (I will post my homemade teriyaki sauce recipe in a later post)
1-2 Tbsp cornstarch dissolved in 1/4 cup cold water; mix well, no lumps
1 tsp light soy sauce, optional
1 tsp dark soy sauce, if darker brown sauce is desired
hot chili sauce, optional

Heat approximately 1 Tbsp vegetable oil (canola, extra virgin olive oil, etc) in a large pot or wok to medium-high.  Do not let pan overheat. Add 1-2 cloves crushed/minced garlic and 1-2 slices fresh/frozen ginger.  

Add sliced chicken and cook for 3-4 minutes on high heat, covered.  Uncover and flip the meat over and cook for another 2-3 minutes.  The chicken will release from the pan if it is cooked. Transfer to a clean bowl. 

Heat another 1 Tbsp oil to the wok and add garlic and ginger (from the meat) to the hot oil.  Add sliced carrots and cook for 2 minutes, stirring often.  Add sliced celery and cook for 2 minutes, covered.  Add cut broccoli and mix it with the carrots and celery.  Pour 3/4 cup chicken broth (water or vegetable broth) to the vegetables.  Cover and simmer for 7-8 minutes for tender crisp vegetables.  Add remaining vegetables and cook another 2 minutes.  

Return the cooked chicken back to the cooked vegetables and bring the liquid to boil.  Thicken the sauce with cornstarch slurry and mix well to ensure the sauce thickens nicely.  If the sauce is too thick, add up to 1/2 cup broth.  Season with salt, pepper, light and dark soy sauce (optional) and teriyaki* sauce to taste.  Serve over rice or noodles.

*Other sauce variations:

• Basic Chinese-style:  1-2 Tbsp Oyster sauce
• Black Bean & Garlic: 1-2 Tbsp Black Bean & Garlic Sauce

[Edited to add - April 12, 2013 ] I am so pleased to announce that this recipe is featured in SayItCanada's "Food & Drink" Section.  SayItCanada.ca is a rich lifestyle resource for communities across Canada.  

Enjoy!

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Singapore Rice Noodles

What a wonderful weekend!  We went down to Vancouver for a family wedding.  It was great to catch up with my cousins and their children on my father's side!  The last time I saw them all, it was at my cousin Stan's wedding, which was before my girls were born.  My mother took the children for the evening and we were able to enjoy the wedding.

The next day, we caught up with my mother's family for dinner at a Chinese restaurant.  Again, it was so much fun to see my aunts, uncles and cousins.  We ordered a bunch of family favourite dishes and had a great time catching up.  

Singapore rice noodles is a classic Cantonese dish that our family orders from Chinese restaurants or at the food courts in the Asian malls.  It is a common dish that probably no one really makes at home as it is so readily available in casual Chinese restaurants.  I wanted to make a less greasier, cleaner version at home.  I used a base recipe from my 10 year-old cookbook, WeightWatchers Take-Out Tonight!.   

This dish is comprised of stir-fried rice noodles with prawns, barbecue pork or chicken, and veggies. It's distinct yellow hue is from turmeric and curry powder.  Depending on the cook, it can be very spicy.   Like a lot of stir-fry Asian recipes, this dish can be customized to your liking with your favourite meat and vegetables.  The kids and I can't handle things too hot, so I tone it down. 

The key to making rice noodles:  do not overcook. Overcooked noodles are mushy and they break apart into tiny little bits.  I have seen so many different recipes on how to prepare/cook rice noodles and I find that soaking them in hot water for 5-6 minutes gives great results.    

Dried rice noodles come in 14oz or almost 1lb package.  Each package has about 2-3 pieces.  Since food does not last long in our house, I normally double the recipe and use the whole package of noodles. 

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and remove it from the heat.  Soak 1-2 pieces of rice noodles into a pot of hot water for 5-6 minutes until softened. 

  

After 5-6 minutes, the noodles will be softened but still be undercooked. 

Place the noodles onto a large dinner plate to air dry, so the noodles will retain its shape when the curry sauce is added. 

Heat 1 tablespoon canola oil in a large pot or wok on medium-high heat.  Stir-fry onion for 1-2 minutes until soft but do not let them go brown. I prefer to use canola oil for this dish as extra virgin olive oil gets too smoky at high temperatures.
 

Add the red peppers and stir-fry for another 1-2 minutes until crisp-tender.  Remove the onions and red peppers from the wok.   

Scrambled eggs are optional in this dish. I have seen some restaurants use it and I like to sneak in extra protein and veggies with noodles.  Add another tablespoon of canola oil at medium-high heat and then add 2 scrambled eggs to the wok.  

When the eggs are half-cooked, dump in the cooked onions and red pepper.  Using a spatula, break up the eggs and stir-fry until the eggs are cooked.

Then add 1/2 cup chicken broth.   I took extra pictures to show that the cooked egg looks ugly and messy.  Bear with me, it does get better!

Add the meat (I use barbecue pork), curry powder, turmeric, sugar and salt.  Simmer for 1 minute.  Make sure to take the wok off heat and then add the green onion.  The curry powder gives the dish its distinct flavour and turmeric gives the noodles its classic yellow colour.  Without turmeric, the noodles will not be as vibrant as the ones made in the restaurant. 

At this point, the ingredients in the wok do not look appetizing.  It looks like a yucky mess with the egg all broken up!  Don't worry!  It will look yummy when the noodles are added.  Again, the scrambled egg is optional.   

Next, add the prepared rice noodles. The noodles will be cold and clumped together.  Let the noodles soak up the chicken broth for a few seconds. With chopsticks or a fork, wiggle the noodles around.  The noodles will loosen up as it soaks the liquid.  Toss the noodles with the rest of the ingredients, like a salad.   

Done!  Add more salt and pepper to taste.  I only use 1/4 teaspoon tumeric but if you like a more vibrant yellow hue, you can add a bit more.  I notice as the dish sits longer (overnight), the noodles do get more yellow the next day.

Singapore Rice Noodles

5- 6oz dried rice noodles
big pot of boiling water

2 Tbsp canola oil
1 cup sliced onion
1 cup red pepper, sliced in strips
2 eggs, beaten (optional)
2 green onions, 1 inch long, slivered pieces
1 cup barbecued pork, cooked chicken or firm tofu, sliced
3/4 cup broth, chicken or vegetable
2-3 tsp curry powder, if you like spicy (I use 1.5 tsp)
1/4-1/2 tsp turmeric powder (I use 1/4 tsp)
1/4 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp kosher salt, plus more to taste 

Bring a large pot of water to a boil.  Remove from heat; add the dried rice noodles and soak until softened, 5-6 minutes.  Drain and set aside on a large plate.

Heat 1 Tbsp canola oil over medium-high heat.  Add the onion and stir-fry for 2 minutes until softened. Add the bell pepper and stir-fry until crisp-tender, about 1-2 minutes.  

If using eggs:  remove the onions and red pepper and set aside on a plate.  Heat 1 Tbsp canola oil over medium-high heat.  Add the eggs and cook for 1 minute.  When half-done, add the onions and red pepper back to the eggs and break it all up with a spoon or spatula. 

Add the chicken broth, curry powder, tumeric, sugar and salt.  Then add the cooked meat (pork chicken or tofu).  Simmer 1 minute.  Add green onion. Take off heat.

Add the noodles and toss ingredients together until heated through, about 2 minutes.  

- Adapted from the cookbook: WeightWatchers Take-Out Tonight!

 The next day, the leftover noodles appeared even more yellow and intense.  The kids really enjoy these noodles, so I am hoping that they will make this on their own with these instructions.  Although Chinese cooking is pretty simple, there are a lot of little tips, tricks and vague nuances that each cook has.  Even with the same recipe, my dishes will never taste like my grandma's no matter how hard I try!  Hopefully, my kids can capture a bit of their childhood when they try to recreate this dish. 

PS:  Here is a souvenir we got from the wedding.  They had a really neat photo booth with a bunch of props, hats, wigs, sunglasses, etc.  Can you tell we have fun wherever we go?

Enjoy!

  



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BBQ Pork Fried Rice

I have not had a full night's sleep in the last three weeks!  With three kids, there's always someone waking us up for a myriad of reasons... middle child had a nosebleed at 2am the night before, Baby had a nosebleed last night at 2am... Baby realized that she was able to open her bedroom door at 2am and come to our bedroom 3-4 nights in a row last week... 

Today, it finally caught up with me...  When McDreamy came home from work, I told him that undead zombies have more energy than me!  Looking at the fridge, I only had enough energy to whip something out of leftovers *in zombie mode*:  BBQ Pork Fried Rice.

  
My father taught me this recipe and it is genius how a recipe that uses good, basic ingredients can make something so incredibly delicious.  Thank goodness he taught me this recipe or else it would be forever lost.  

Lately, I have been having an atrocious time trying to find recipes for certain honest, home-cooked Cantonese dishes.  Instead, I have found 5 completely different versions of the same recipe.  Asking friends and family members was also entertaining:  I got very vague amounts for ingredients and equally perplexing instructions!  OR the classic response "Go buy it from T&T!".  Ummm.... I live 6.5 hours away from the nearest T&T Asian Supermarket and I really do want to make these classic dishes from scratch.

Because of this frustrating experience, I vow to document my family recipes and hand it down to further generations. Now the irony:  I normally *guestimate* this recipe in true Chinese cooking fashion because this dish is so forgiving.

I am not usually so organized but this recipe is pretty easy to get the stuff together in no time:  leftover rice, beaten eggs, frozen veggies, diced cooked meat. 

  
Preheat wok or large 6L/6qt pot to medium-high heat and add canola oil.  Add just enough oil to cover the bottom of the pan. The bottom of my wok is 7-inches, so I used about 1 Tbsp oil.  For my 6L/6qt pot, about 1-2 Tbsp.  This is a rough estimate, as you need just enough to cover the bottom so the beaten eggs don't stick to the pan.

Boy, I am so lucky to get lovely farm fresh eggs!  These eggs were from a friend that lives just 5 minutes away. 

Add the beaten eggs to the pan and cook 1-2 minutes.  It will spread out and look like you are making an omelette.  

When the eggs are half-cooked, dump the cold (and hardened) day-old rice into the undercooked eggs.  I used about 8 cups of cooked rice.  With a spoon or spatula, mix the rice and eggs up occasionally.  The eggs will break up and distribute into the rice evenly.  The rice will soften as well.    

My tip:  use cold, day-old rice.  If the rice is too freshly cooked, then the fried rice will get mushy and break up.  A lot of Asian food is based on texture, so unless you like mushy fried rice, day-old rice straight from the fridge is best.  

I have used leftover white rice, brown rice and a mixture of both.  It's all good... use what you like.

Let the rice and egg mixture cook for another 2-3 minutes.  Notice how the cooked egg is nice and golden and already in little pieces?  Beautiful!  

Now you can add the thawed and precooked (microwaved) peas and stirfry for another 2-3 minutes.  I noticed that my father and authentic Chinese restaurants used only green peas.  Our local Chinese/Western restaurant used mixed frozen vegetables and I thought it was a great way to get those extra veggies into the kids. The beauty is that I don't have to wash, peel and cut any veggies! 

Since most of the ingredients are already cooked, it is just a matter of warming them up in the wok.  Next goes 2 cups of BBQ pork into the mixture.  My father was so creative in his fried rice. His ability to adapt it to different kinds of meat shaped how I change other recipes to my needs.  He has made different versions with deli black forest ham, diced hot dogs, grocery store rotisserie chicken, BBQ pork, spam...well, whatever we had in the house. 

The dish is almost finished.  Now it's time to season it.  I grew up using Lee Kum Kee's Premium Oyster Sauce Brand.  I'm sure there are other brands but my family has always stuck to this one and I know that my dishes are going to taste like "Dad's".  There is also a vegetarian stir-fry sauce and I think Lee Kum Kee had originally labelled it as vegetarian mushroom oyster sauce many years back. 

What I normally do is add 1 Tbsp oyster sauce at a time.  2 Tbsp max. as there is a strong oyster flavour nuance.  With the right amount, it gives the dish umami, or that "je ne sais quoi" pleasant savory flavour that one can't exactly pinpoint.  Then add salt in 1/4 tsp increments until it tastes just right. I usually add about 1/2 tsp kosher salt and it is flavourful and salty enough.  Some people are watching their salt intake, so seasoning is very subjective.  Some may need more or less. *Disclaimer - so that people won't say this dish is too salty or too bland!*

Garnish with finely chopped green onions (toss it about) and serve.   I usually omit this for the children, but the green onions add a bit of freshness to the dish. 

Mmmmm... Almost like Dad's!  

 OK, here's another shot since it looks yummy...   

Woody's BBQ Pork Fried Rice

1-2 Tbsp canola oil (I use 1 Tbsp oil for my 7-inch bottomed wok)
8-10 cups cold, cooked rice (white, brown or both, preferably from the night before)
2 large eggs, beaten
2 cups frozen peas, thawed, cooked (I used mixed frozen vegetables, thawed in microwave)
2 cups diced BBQ pork or char siu, or any kinds of cooked meat or extra-firm tofu. 
2 Tbsp oyster sauce
1/2 tsp kosher salt, or to taste
1 stalk green onion, finely chopped (optional garnish)

Heat oil in wok or large 6L/6qt pot under medium-high heat.  Use barely enough oil (1-2 Tbsp) to cover the bottom of the pan so the eggs will not stick.  

Add the beaten eggs to the hot oil and cook 1-2 minutes. When the eggs are half cooked, dump the cold rice into the eggs and mix well with spatula or large spoon for 2-3 minutes.  During this time, the eggs will quickly cook and distribute evenly.  

Then add the precooked vegetables and cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Mix the diced cooked meat or tofu into the rice and cook for another 2-3 minutes.  Season with oyster sauce and salt, accordingly to your taste.  Garnish with finely diced green onion, if desired and serve.  

Dinner is served!  Some kiddies (like mine) don't like their food touching, so I bought these divided Corelle dishes.  I got them at our local hardware store, but I've seen them at Walmart.  It's a huge dinner sized plate. Instead of fighting their quirks, I work around it. At least the kids know that their main food groups are covered.  

My children's dinner:  sliced BBQ pork tenderloin, Greek salad and BBQ pork fried rice. My 7 year-old had 2 helpings of Greek salad and 3 helpings of rice! 

Enjoy!

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