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Shrimp or Vegetable Tempura

Shrimp or Vegetable Tempura

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Yield: 4 Servings
J. Kenji López-Alt / Serious Eats

The key characteristics of a tempura-style batter are extreme lightness of color and texture: Good tempura should be pale blond with an extraordinarily lacy, light, and crisp coating. To achieve this takes just a little more care than other types of batter.
Adding vodka to the batter limits the rate of gluten formation so that the batter can sit a bit longer before it goes bad.

  • 2quarts peanut oil or vegetable shortening
  • ½cup (3 oz) cornstarch
  • ½cup (2 ¼ oz) all-purpose flour
  • Kosher salt
  • 1large egg
  • ¼cup 80-proof vodka
  • ½cup ice-cold club soda
  • 4cups thinly sliced vegetables or 1 lb shrimp (see note)
  • Lemon wedges, for serving


Heat oil to 375°F in a large wok over high heat, then adjust heat as necessary to maintain the temperature. Line a large plate or baking sheet with a double layer of paper towels.

Combine cornstarch, flour, and 1 tsp salt in a large bowl and stir with chopsticks to blend. Combine egg and vodka in a small bowl and whisk until completely homogeneous. Add club soda and stir with chopsticks until barely combined. Immediately add to bowl with flour and, holding bowl with one hand and chopsticks in the other, shake bowl back and forth while vigorously stirring with chopsticks until liquid and dry ingredients are just barely combined. There should still be many bubbles and pockets of dry flour.

Add vegetables (and/or shrimp) to batter and fold with your hand to coat. Pick up vegetables a few pieces at a time, allowing excess batter to drip off, and transfer to hot oil, getting your hand as close as possible to the surface before letting go in order to minimize splashing. Increase heat to high to maintain the temperature as close to 350°F as possible and add remaining vegetables (and/or shrimp) a few pieces at a time. Immediately start agitating them with chopsticks or a wire mesh spider, separating vegetables, flipping them, and constantly exposing them to fresh oil. Continue frying until batter is completely crisp and pale blond, about 1 minute.

Transfer tempura to a paper towel–lined plate or baking sheet and immediately sprinkle with salt. Serve with lemon wedges.

Chicken And Broccoli Stir Fry

Chicken And Broccoli Stir Fry

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Yield: 4 Servings
Adapted from Dinner at the Zoo

2016: I think Gayle found this on the internet. It came out quite good and goes together quick as a stir fry should. The oyster sauce is a nice change from my usual stir fries. I give my portion a few drops of pepper oil for some heat.

  • 1lb boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into 1 inch pieces
  • 1TBS + 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
  • 2cups small broccoli florets
  • 1cup sliced mushrooms (if you don’t like mushrooms you can add more broccoli instead)
  • 2tsp minced fresh ginger
  • 1tsp minced garlic
  • ¼cup oyster sauce
  • ¼cup low sodium chicken broth or water
  • 1tsp sugar
  • 2tsp toasted sesame oil
  • 1tsp soy sauce
  • 1tsp cornstarch
  • salt and pepper to taste

Heat 1 teaspoon of oil in a 10″ fry pan over medium heat. Add the broccoli and mushrooms and cook for approximately 4 minutes or until vegetables are tender.

Add the ginger and garlic to the pan and cook for 30 seconds more.

Remove the vegetables from the pan; place them on a plate and cover.

Wipe the pan clean with a paper towel and turn the heat to high. Add the remaining tablespoon of oil.

Season the chicken pieces with salt and pepper and add them to the pan in a single layer – you may need to do this step in batches. Cook for 3-4 minutes on each side until golden brown and cooked through.

Add the vegetables back to the pan and cook for 2 more minutes or until the vegetables are warmed through.

In a bowl whisk together the oyster sauce, chicken broth, sugar, sesame oil and soy sauce. Make a slurry In a small bowl by mixing the cornstarch with a tablespoon of cold water.

Pour the oyster sauce mixture over the chicken and vegetables; cook for 30 seconds. Add the slurry and bring to a boil; cook for 1 more minute or until sauce has just started to thicken.

Serve immediately, with rice if desired.

Beef with Broccoli

Beef with Broccoli

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Yield: 2 Servings
adapted from Sue & Gambo

This is a simple recipe, but you need to remember one key rule – Don’t overcook the beef or the broccoli! The Oyster Sauce is a traditional flavoring and is skipped in many recipes.
I’ve made this with a variety of steak cuts. Flank and sirloin have good flavor but are rather tough. If you want it better than takeout, use strip or tenderloin.

Beef:

  • 8oz of sliced beef

Tenderize: (optional)

  • ¼tsp baking soda
  • 3TBS water

Marinade:

  • 1egg white
  • 1pinch white pepper
  • ¼tsp salt
  • 1-2½TBS of corn starch
  • 1TBS of oil

Broccoli:

  • 1lb broccoli
  • boiling water

Slurry:

  • 1TBS of corn starch
  • 2TBS of water

Premix sauce:

  • 1cup of chicken or beef broth
  • 2TBS of oyster sauce (optional)
  • ½tsp sugar
  • 1pinch white pepper
  • 1tsp sesame seed oil
  • 1tsp of dark soy sauce

Stir-fry:

  • 1TBS of oil
  • 1tsp minced garlic


Beef:

Note: Tenderize the beef with a Jaccard before slicing. (optional)

Slice the beef with the blade tilted 45 degrees to get a thin cut through the grain.

Tenderize: (optional)

Mix 1/4 tsp baking soda and 3TBS water in a small bowl. Add beef and let sit for at least 30 minutes.

Marinate:

In a bowl, add the beef, egg white, white pepper, salt, Mix well. Add 1 to 2 TBS of corn starch and mix well. Add 1 TBS of oil and mix again. Set aside for 15 to 30 minutes.

Premix sauce:
In a small bowl add 1 cup of broth, oyster sauce, sugar, pinch of white pepper, sesame seed oil, dark soy sauce. Mix well and set aside.

Make slurry:

Whisk 1 TBS of cornstarch and 2 TBS of water in a bowl. Set aside.

Boiling the broccoli

In a 6 qt pot add 1/2 inch of water and bring to a boil. Add the broccoli, cover and steam for 2 to 3 minutes. After your broccoli is done boiling strain and cool with cold water.

Cooking the beef

In a wok add 2 TBS oil, the beef and cook on high heat until the beef is brown. Set the beef aside.

Stir-fry
Add 1 TBS of oil, minced garlic and stir-fry for a few seconds.
Add beef, broccoli and stir-fry for 30 to 60 seconds. Add the premix sauce and bring to a boil. To thicken the sauce, slowly add slurry to your stir-fry until it’s the desired thickness.

Chow Mein

Chow Mein

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New England Style

Yield: 4 servings
Adapted from Tom Lin and David Rosengarten

13-Jun-15: It took quite a search to come up with this recipe. This is chow mein the way I remember it from New England. Colorado and Southern California don’t often offer it this way. Here it almost always has soft noodles cooked into it.  Mein, meaning noodle, is probably a good indication of this being more traditional.  My better version uses hard noodles, a cracker like, stick chow mein noodle from the supermarket.  I think these are the same noodle, but deep fried.  You’re more likely to get strips of fried wonton skins if you order Chow Mein in SoCal restaurants.  Soy sauce is also not included, which makes this a white sauce.

Mise, Mise, Mise, get your mise together! This means me! This happens so fast, that you must get everything prepped and measured before cooking starts.

Chicken & Marinade

  • ½lb boneless, skinless chicken meat, cut into pieces about ½″ wide
  • 1pinch salt
  • 2pinches white pepper
  • 2tsp sesame seed oil
  • 1egg white
  • 2TBS corn starch
  • 1TBS cooking oil

Vegetables

  • 1-2TBS cooking oil
  • 1tsp minced garlic
  • 1tsp minced shallot
  • 1tsp Shaoxing cooking wine
  • 2cups celery thinly sliced on the diagonal (about ⅛″ thick)
  • 2cups thinly sliced onions (about ⅛″ thick)
  • 1tsp sugar
  • 2firmly packed cups shredded Napa cabbage (about ½ of cabbage) (pieces about ½″ wide)
  • 1½cups fresh mung bean sprouts

Sauce

  • ¾tsp salt
  • black pepper
  • 1tsp sesame oil
  • 1cup chicken stock

Slurry

  • 1TBS (approximate) cornstarch
  • 2TBS water

Serve

  • 1cup chow mein noodles (crispy room-temperature ones) or fried wonton skin strips


Marinate chicken:
In a bowl, add the chicken, a pinch of salt, a pinch of white pepper, 1 tsp sesame oil, egg white and mix to coat. Add cornstarch and mix. Add 1 TBS of cooking oil and mix.

Slurry:
Mix 1 TBS corn starch with 2 TBS water and set aside.

Stir Fry:
Place a very large wok over high heat, and let it sit for a minute. Add 1 to 2 TBS cooking oil, spilling it around the sides of the wok. Heat until it’s smoking,

Add, garlic and shallot, stir fry 30 seconds.

Toss in the celery and the onions. Sprinkle ½ tsp of the sugar and Shaoxing cooking wine over them and stir well. Stir-fry for 2 minutes, then push the celery-onion mixture to the side of the wok, leaving the center empty.

If the wok is dry, add a little more cooking oil. Add the chicken to the center of the wok and stir-fry until the chicken browns slightly and loses its pink color (about 2-3 minutes). Toss with celery and onions, bringing the mass into the center of the wok.

Add the Napa cabbage and bean sprouts to the wok, tossing with the other ingredients already in the wok. Add the remaining ½ tsp of sugar and toss again. Turn heat down to medium-high, and let mixture cook for 5 minutes; the vegetables should start losing their distinctness and merge together.

Add the stock and sesame oil and toss. When the stock is boiling, add most of the slurry to the wok, stirring immediately. If you’d like the chow mein to be a little thicker, add more slurry. Remove chow mein from heat. Serve

Whip-Flop-Glop (Chicken)

Whip-Flop-Glop (Chicken)

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Yield: 4 Servings
Scott Nowell

My quick chicken stir-fry with fresh or frozen vegetables. Frozen is easier/faster, Fresh is definitely better. Great with steamed rice and pot stickers.

Chicken & Marinade

  • 12oz sliced chicken
  • 1pinch salt
  • 1tsp sesame oil
  • 1pinch white pepper
  • ½egg white
  • 1-3TBS corn starch

Vegetables

  • 1lb Asian style frozen vegetables

– or –

  • 1lb mixed fresh vegetables: broccoli, green beans, onions, mushrooms, etc.

Sauce

  • 1cup chicken stock
  • 2-3TBS hoisin sauce
  • 1TBS Shaoxing rice wine (or dry sherry)
  • 1tsp soy sauce

Slurry

  • 1TBS corn starch
  • 2TBS water

Stir-Fry

  • 1clove of garlic, minced
  • 1tsp ginger, minced


Marinate chicken:

In a bowl add sliced chicken, salt, egg white, white pepper, sesame oil.  Mix well and add cornstarch. Mix to coat well and add more as needed. Set aside to  marinate for 15 to 30 minutes.

Premix sauce:

Mix vinegar, Shaoxing wine, hoisin sauce, sugar and soy sauce in a small bowl.

Make slurry:

Whisk together 1 TBS of cornstarch and 2 TBS of water in a bowl.

Stir fry:

Heat a wok to high, add 1-2 TBS oil to the wok and add chicken. Cook on one side until slightly brown, about 2 minutes. Flip and cook for 2 more minutes. Break up and stir fry until cooked through, another 2-3 minutes. Remove to bowl.

Add another TBS of oil to wok and stir fry vegetables for a minutes or two. Add 1/4 cup of water or stock and cover and cook until vegetables are starting to become tender. Add premix sauce to wok and bring to boil. Add slurry a little at a time, bring to boil to thicken and add more to reach desired consistency. Add more of any sauce ingredient to taste. Return chicken to pan and stir to coat. Heat through until all of chicken is done.

Serve with rice.

Asian Pickles

Asian Pickles

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Pickled Napa Cabbage, Daikon, and Carrots

Yield: 4 Servings
Chichi Wang / Serious Eats

In this recipe from Susanna Foo, napa cabbage, carrots, and daikon are immersed in a brining solution of vinegar, sugar, and salt. Jalapeno peppers are added for just a touch of spiciness. Though the vegetables must be soaked in the brine for at least a day, the mixture will hold for two weeks. Crunchy and juicy, the julienned vegetables are pleasantly sweet and sour.

  • 3cups water
  • 1cup white vinegar, or 1 ½ cups rice vinegar
  • ¾cup sugar
  • 2TBS coarse or kosher salt
  • 1napa cabbage
  • 1daikon
  • 1small carrot
  • 2jalapeño peppers


Combine the water, vinegar, sugar and salt in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil. Remove from the heat and let the mixture cool.

Cut off the leafy upper half of the cabbage and reserve for another use. You will only need the bottom ends with the thicker ribs. Cut each ribbed leaf in half lengthwise. Cut again into 1/8 inch strips.

Cut the daikon crosswise into thin, round slices, then cut each slice into a fine julienne. Soak in ice water for 5 minutes; drain.

Cut the carrot into a fine julienne.

Remove the stems from the jalapeno peppers and slice crosswise into thin slices.

Place all of the vegetables into a large bowl and pour the vinegar mixture all over, mixing well. The brine should immerse most of the vegetables; if not, add a bit of water to cover.

Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and weight it down with a pot of water or a heavy can. Refrigerate for at least 8 hours, or preferably for a day before using. Immersed in the brine, the relish will keep for up to two weeks in the refrigerator. This recipe can also be halved or quartered.

Quick Pickled Daikon and Carrot

Yield: 4 Servings

This recipe, from Hiroko Shimbo’s excellent book The Japanese Kitchen, is my favorite pickling recipe of all time. Shimbo’s technique is a hybrid process, involving an initial salting followed by a soak in a brining liquid of mirin and rice vinegar. The mirin imbues the vegetables with a winey sweetness that surpasses the abilities of plain sugar. During the summer, I try to have a bag of Shimbo’s pickled daikon and carrots on hand, for any overheating emergencies involving baked goods and tripe.

  • 2garlic cloves, minced
  • 4inches of daikon (3 inches in diameter), peeled and quartered lengthwise
  • 1medium carrot, halved lengthwise
  • 1tsp salt
  • ¼cup mirin
  • ¼cup rice vinegar
  • 2TBS sugar


In a bowl, toss the vegetables with the salt. Cover the vegetables with plastic wrap and weight it down with a pot of water or a heavy can. Let stand for five to six hours at room temperature.

Remove the vegetables from the bowl and place them into a sealable plastic bag, along with the mirin, sugar, and rice vinegar. Leave the vegetables in the bag at room temperature for three to four hours, shaking the bag every so often to distribute the liquid evenly.

Refrigerate the vegetables in the plastic bag overnight, or for up to 3 days.

To serve, cut the vegetable strips into 1/4-inch slices. Serve plain or drizzled with a bit of soy sauce.

Quick & Spicy Asian Pickles

Yield: 4 to 6 Servings
Jennifer Rubell / Epicurious
  • ¼cup rice vinegar
  • 4tsp sugar
  • 1tsp soy sauce
  • 1tsp fish sauce
  • ½tsp dried crushed red pepper
  • 2small English hothouse cucumbers


Whisk rice vinegar, sugar, soy sauce, fish sauce, and crushed red pepper in large bowl.

DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and Chill.

Slice cucumbers crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick rounds. Add cucumber slices to vinegar mixture; toss. Cover and chill ten minutes to 1 hour, tossing occasionally.

Vietnamese Quick-Pickled Vegetables

Yield: 4 to 6 Servings
Delspina / Epicurious

This easy quick-pickle is crunchy, sweet and salty. It’s the perfect accompaniment to Asian meat dishes or a colorful addition to salads and sandwiches. If you’re feeling creative, use the pickling mixture with other vegetables like asparagus, green beans or cauliflower.

  • ½cup rice vinegar
  • ¼cup sugar
  • 1tsp salt
  • 2carrots, thinly sliced
  • 2Thai bird or serrano chiles, stemmed and quartered lengthwise
  • 1(½-inch) piece ginger, peeled and thinly sliced
  • 1large daikon, peeled and thinly sliced
  • ½English seedless cucumber, thinly sliced
  • ½red onion, thinly sliced


Put vinegar, sugar and salt into a large bowl and whisk until sugar is dissolved. Add carrots, chilies, ginger, daikon, cucumbers and onions and toss to combine. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to several hours before serving.