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Szechuan Lo Mein

Szechuan Lo Mein

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Yield: 3 to 4 Servings
Scott Nowell

This should bring delight to your taste buds, then tears to your eyes. Zha Cai is Szechuan preserved vegetable, usually mustard root. Get is at an Asian market.

  • 1lb fresh lo mein noodles
  • ½lb chicken breast, cut into strips
  • 8oz mushrooms, halved or cut into bite-size pieces
  • ½cup carrot, cut on the diagonal
  • ½cup broccoli, cut on the diagonal into 1-inch pieces
  • ½cup baby corn
  • 2oz (about ¼ cup) minced preserved vegetable (ya cai or Zha Cai)
  • 1onion, shredded
  • 1clove garlic, minced
  • 1TBS soy sauce
  • 2TBS hot bean sauce
  • ½tsp salt
  • 5TBS cooking oil

Marinade:

  • 1tsp Shaoxing wine
  • 1tsp soy sauce
  • 1tsp cornstarch

Sauce:

  • ½cup stock
  • 1tsp soy sauce
  • 1TBS chili oil
  • 1tsp ground Sichuan peppercorns
  • 1tsp sugar
  • 1tsp sesame oil
  • 2tsp cornstarch


Marinate chicken:

Mix marinade ingredients. Marinate chicken for at least twenty minutes. While marinating chicken, mix sauce ingredients. Set aside.

Parboil noodles in a pot of boiling water for three minutes. Drain.

Heat wok. When heated, add 1 TBS of oil. Add garlic and chicken and stir-fry. When done, remove from the wok to a platter.

Reheat the wok and add 1 TBS of oil. Add mushrooms, onions, carrot, broccoli, baby corn and Zha Cai and stir-fry until tender and crisp. Sprinkle ½ tsp of salt over the vegetables and mix it in.

Remove the vegetables to a platter. Clean out the wok with a paper towel. Heat wok again and add 3 TBS cooking oil.

Place noodles in the wok, using chopsticks to break them up. Add 2 TBS hot bean sauce and 1 TBS soy sauce. Stir-fry until the noodles are heated through. Add cooked chicken, shrimp and all the vegetables. Re-stir sauce mixture and add. When it comes to a boil, test and adjust the seasoning if desired, then remove and serve.

Chicken Chop Suey 2

Chicken Chop Suey 2

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Yield: 2 Servings
Adapted from Wei’s Red House Kitchen

People from China might have no idea what chop suey is, but it’s no doubt one of the most popular dishes in Chinese restaurants/takeaways (takeout) outside China. Believed to be an invention by Chinese immigrants in the US, it’s a quick stir-fry dish consisting of a protein ingredient, such as chicken, pork, beef, shrimp, egg, etc., a variety of vegetables and a soy sauce-based thick sauce.

For the chicken

  • 1chicken breast, about 6-8-oz
  • ½TBS cornstarch
  • 1TBS water
  • 1drop cooking oil

For the sauce

  • 1TBS light soy sauce
  • ½TBS dark soy sauce
  • 2TBS oyster sauce
  • ½tsp sesame oil
  • 1TBS cornstarch
  • 1pinch salt
  • ¼tsp ground white pepper
  • 4TBS water

For the vegetables

  • ½onion, sliced
  • 2cloves garlic, sliced
  • 1small carrot, thinly sliced
  • 1handful snow peas, strings removed
  • 3baby corn, diagonally sliced
  • 3button mushrooms, sliced
  • 1handful mung bean sprouts
  • 1½TBS neutral cooking oil, divided

Marinate the chicken: Cut chicken breast crosswise into thin slices (about ¼-inch). Put into a bowl. Add corn starch and water. Stir well to evenly coat the chicken. Then add a drop of oil and mix well. Set aside for 20-30 minutes.

Mix the sauce: In a small bowl, mix all the ingredients for the sauce. Set aside.

Cook the chicken: Heat up a wok over high heat until it smokes. Pour in 1 TBS of oil. Slide in the chicken. Remove it out as soon as it loses the pinkness (Do not overcook). Set aside.

Combine the dish: Pour the remaining ½ TBS of oil into the wok. First, stir-fry onion and garlic over high heat until fragrant.

Add carrot and fry for 15 seconds or so. Then add snow peas and baby corn. Stir-fry for another 20 seconds.

Put the chicken back into the wok, along with mushrooms and mung bean sprouts. Cook for 30 seconds.

Give the sauce a good stir (in case the starch sits at the bottom) then pour over. Mix well.

As soon as you see the liquid thickening, transfer everything to a serving dish. Enjoy immediately with plain rice or as a topping for noodles.

Shepherd’s Pie

Shepherd’s Pie

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Yield: 4 to 6 Servings
Food Wishes

24-Oct-16 – You can substitute beef for lamb, if you must, but then it’s Cottage Pie.

For lamb/beef mixture:

  • 1TBS butter
  • 1TBS olive oil
  • 1diced onion
  • 2lb lean ground lamb/lamb
  • ⅓cup flour
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 1tsp paprika
  • 1/8tsp cinnamon
  • 2tsp minced fresh rosemary
  • 3cloves minced garlic
  • 1TBS ketchup
  • 2½cups water or broth (use more or less to adjust thickness as needed)
  • 12oz bag frozen peas and carrots, thawed, drained well

For the potato topping:

  • 2½lb Yukon gold potatoes
  • 1TBS butter
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • pinch of cayenne
  • ¼cup cream cheese
  • ¼lb Irish cheddar like Dubliner.
  • 1egg yolk beaten with 2 TBS milk


Preheat oven to 375°F.

Add olive oil and onion to Dutch oven over medium heat. Add meat, break up with wooden spoon while it cooks. Cook and stir for about 10 minutes to develop fond on bottom of pan.

Sprinkle on flour. Mix and cook for 3 to 4 minutes. While it’s cooking add salt and pepper, paprika, cinnamon, rosemary, garlic and ketchup. Stir in.

Add water, stir until quite thick. Cook for about 5-6 minutes.

Add the frozen peas and carrots, stir, cook. Add to baking dish, tap down and spread smooth.

Boil potatoes and cook until tender. Drain, add butter, salt and pepper, cayenne, cream cheese, cheddar. Mash until thoroughly incorporated.

Beat egg yolk with milk and stir into mashed potatoes.

Top meat in big spoonful’s of mashed potato. If you use fork to smooth, it will help crisp the surface.

Bake at 375°F for 30 minutes.

Beef Stew (IP)

Beef Stew (IP)

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Yield: 4 to 6 Servings
Adapted from PressureCookRecipes

Classic American Beef Stew Recipe adapted to Instant Pot: Make this soul-satisfying beef stew. Tender & moist cubes of chuck roast and vegetables immersed in an umami rich, hearty, sauce.

Note: The pot may be Instant, but this will take 2 hours to prepare.

Note: The Instant Pot is not the best at browning the meat. You can sauté the meat, mushrooms and vegetables separately in a skillet and get better results. Just sauté until desired browning and set aside. Pick up the Instant Pot directions at the Pressure Cook the Vegetables step.

Updated to increase stock from 1½ cups to 2-3 cups.

Note: The pot may be Instant, but this will take 2 hours to prepare.

  • 2-3lb Chuck Roast
  • 3medium garlic cloves, crushed and minced
  • 8oz white mushrooms, thinly sliced
  • 2small onions, thinly sliced
  • 2-3celery stalks, cut in 1 inch chunks
  • 2-3medium carrots, cut in 1 inch chunks
  • 8small Yukon gold or Russet potatoes, quartered
  • ½cup frozen peas
  • ¼cup of dry sherry or Shaoxing cooking wine
  • 2bay leaves
  • ¼tsp dried thyme
  • 1TBS flour
  • Kosher salt and black pepper to taste
  • Chicken Stock Mixture
  • 2-3cups chicken or beef stock
  • 1TBS Worcestershire sauce
  • 1TBS soy sauce (not dark soy sauce)
  • 1TBS fish sauce
  • 3TBS tomato paste
  • Slurry
  • 2TBS corn starch
  • 1TBS water

Prepare the Instant Pot: Press SAUTE button and click the adjust button to go to SAUTE HIGH function. Wait until the Instant Pot says HOT).

Brown Beef: Season both sides of the chuck steak generously with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Add 1 – 2 tablespoons olive oil to Instant Pot. Ensure to coat the oil over whole bottom of the pot. Carefully place the chuck roast in the Instant Pot. Brown for 6 – 8 minutes on each side.  Leave it alone until it’s time to flip the meat. Remove and set aside in a large mixing bowl.

Make Stock Mixture: While the chuck is browning in Instant Pot, mix 1 TBS Worcestershire sauce, 1 TBS soy sauce, 1 TBS fish sauce, 3 TBS tomato paste with 1½ cup chicken stock.

Sauté the Mushrooms: Add sliced mushrooms in pressure cooker. Sauté, stirring occasionally until all moisture from the mushrooms has evaporated and the edges are slightly crisped & browned. Roughly 6 minutes. Remove and set aside.

Sauté the Vegetables: Add 1 TBS of olive oil in Instant Pot if necessary. Add thinly sliced small onions and sauté until softened and slightly browned. Add minced garlic and stir for roughly 30 seconds until fragrant. Add all celery and carrots. Sauté until slightly browned. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper if necessary.

Deglaze: Pour in ¼ cup sherry wine and completely deglaze bottom of the pot by scrubbing the flavorful brown bits with a wooden spoon. Let the sherry wine reduce to allow some of the alcohol to evaporate.

Pressure Cook the Vegetables:

Note: If you used a pan to saute the meat, etc., add the vegetables to the Instant Pot at this time.

Add 2 bay leaves, ¼ tsp dried thyme, quartered potatoes, and stock mixture to the pot. Mix well. Close and lock lid.  Press MANUAL on the Instant Pot and adjust time for 4 minutes. When done, use Quick Release process. Open the lid. Remove the carrots, celery and potatoes from Instant Pot and set aside.

Cut the Beef: While the vegetables are pressure cooking. Cut the chuck steak into 1 to 1½ inch cubes on a large chopping board. Place all stew meat and the flavorful meat juice back in the large mixing bowl. Add 1 tablespoon flour in mixing bowl and mix well with the stew meat.

Pressure Cook the Beef: Place beef stew meat and all its juice in the Instant Pot. Partially submerge the meat in the liquid without stirring, as you don’t want too much flour in the liquid at this point. Close and seal lid.  Select MANUAL on the Instant Pot, HIGH PRESSURE and adjust time to 32 minutes.  Let sit for 10 minutes Natural Release. Turn off the heat. Release the remaining pressure. Open the lid.

Thicken Beef Stew and Add Vegetables: Select SAUTE on the Instant Pot button and set to medium. Mix corn starch and water to form slurry and when the sauce is boiling, add and stir a little at a time to the Instant Pot to thicken the stew. Add frozen peas, sautéed mushrooms, carrots, celery and potatoes in the pot. Taste and season with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper if necessary.

Chicken Noodle Soup, Scrap (IP)

Chicken Noodle Soup, Scrap (IP)

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Yield: 6 Servings
Loosely adapted from jocooks.com

This tasty soup is made with scrap chicken and/or turkey bones, skins, etc. that you have saved in the freezer. This gets all of the flavor from the scraps and makes them easy to discard.

  • 2TBS olive oil
  • 1large onion chopped
  • 3 to 4medium carrots chopped
  • 3 to 4stalks celery chopped
  • 1tsp salt plus more to taste
  • ½tsp pepper or to taste
  • 1tsp thyme dry
  • 1tsp parsley dry
  • 1tsp oregano dry
  • 8cups water
  • 4lb chicken scraps, thawed if previously frozen
  • 1chicken breast
  • 2 to 3heaping tsp Better than Bouillon chicken
  • 6oz egg noodles uncooked, (about 2½ cups)
  • Special Equipment: Instant Pot, Soup Bag/Soup Sock, available at Amazon.


Set Instant Pot to the HIGH SAUTÉ setting.

Add the olive oil, onion, carrots and celery, Season with salt and pepper and sauté for 5 to 8 minutes until the onion softens and becomes translucent.

Season with salt and pepper, add the thyme, parsley, oregano and stir. Pour in half the water. Add the chicken scraps to a soup bag and place in Instant Pot . Add the chicken breast to the Instant Pot (not in the bag!). Add remaining water, but do not exceed the MAX FILL line.

Close the lid. Set the Instant Pot to MANUAL HIGH pressure for 20 minutes.

Once the Instant Pot cycle is complete, use a quick release. Carefully unlock and remove the lid from the instant pot.

Remove the chicken breast and set aside. Remove and discard the chicken scraps in the soup bag.

Dice or shred the chicken breast

Set the Instant Pot to the HIGH SAUTÉ setting again and return to a boil. Add the Better than Bouillon and mix. Check for seasoning and adjust.

Add the noodles to the soup and cook for 5 to 6 minutes uncovered, until the noodles are cooked al dente.

Turn off the Instant Pot. Add the shredded chicken back to the Instant Pot, taste and adjust seasoning.

Garnish with additional parsley if preferred.

Meat Pasty

Meat Pasty

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Yield: 6 servings
Recipe courtesy Santos Loo for Cooking Channel
  • 3cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for rolling dough
  • 1cup shortening or lard
  • Kosher salt
  • 1cup ice cold water
  • 8oz ground beef
  • 4oz rutabaga, cut into 1/4-inch dice
  • 1medium carrot, cut into 1/4-inch dice
  • 1small yellow onion, finely chopped
  • 1small russet potato, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch dice
  • ¼cup picked fresh parsley leaves, chopped
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • 1egg, whisked

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Add the flour, shortening and a pinch of salt to a food processor and run the motor until the dough starts to clump together. With the motor running, drizzle in the water. Stop the motor when a ball begins to form. Wrap the dough in plastic and refrigerate for about 1 hour. This step allows the glutens to relax and makes for easier rolling.

Mix together the beef, rutabaga, carrots, onions, potatoes and parsley. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Set aside until ready to form the pies.

Cut the dough into 6 even pieces, about 5 ounces each, and form into balls. Make sure the dough is cold for easier handling. Flour a work surface and roll out each ball of dough into an 8-inch circle. Evenly divide the filling (about 3/4 cup per pastie) on one half of each dough circle. Fold the dough over to cover the mixture and crimp the edges using a fork. Slice 3 small slits on top of each pocket. This prevents steam from building up and splitting the dough. Brush the pasties with the egg and bake on the prepared baking sheet until the crust is golden brown and flaky, about 1 hour 15 minutes. Serve with ketchup.

Cook’s Note: Pasties can be baked and then frozen. To reheat, place in a 300°F  oven until warmed through, about 20 minutes.

Corned Beef & Cabbage

Corned Beef & Cabbage

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Yield: 3 to 4 Servings
Adapted from Chef John / Food Wishes

Irish or not, it seems you must have this on St. Patrick’s Day.

Use a “point cut” for a more tender result. Some claim the “flat cut” has a little more flavor, but I prefer the tenderness of the point cut. Keep any leftover meat to make corned beef hash. May you have real joy and “Céad míle fáilte.”   Prep: 5 Cook: 2½ to 4 hrs

  • 2-3½lb corned beef brisket
  • spice packet
  • 2TBS brown sugar
  • 2bay leaves
  • water to cover
  • 1onion, quartered
  • 3carrots, cut in large chunks
  • 3ribs celery, cut in 2-inch pieces
  • 1tsp salt
  • 2lb red potatoes, washed, cut in half
  • 1small green cabbage, cut in 8ths


Place beef in a large Dutch oven or stockpot; cover with water. Bring to a simmer. Skim any foam. reduce heat and add brown sugar, bay leaves and contents of seasoning packet then cover and simmer, 1½ to 3 hours, depending on size, until nearly done.

Add potatoes, onion, carrots and celery and cook for 30 minutes.

Add and cabbage, cover and cook until beef and vegetables are tender, 15 to 20 minutes

Remove beef and rest 15 minutes.

Cut beef across the grain into slices. Serve with vegetables, some of the broth and Irish Soda Bread.

Orange-Honey Glazed Carrots

Orange-Honey Glazed Carrots

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Yield: 4 to 5 servings.
Recipe from Ina Garten

Orange flavor completely overwhelms the carrot. I also didn’t like the finished texture. Sort of leathery on the outside and soft in the middle.

  • 3bunches carrots, peeled
  • 2TBS unsalted butter
  • 2TBS honey
  • Kosher salt
  • 1tsp minced fresh ginger
  • 1tsp grated orange zest
  • ½cup freshly squeezed orange juice
  • ½tsp freshly ground black pepper

Cut the carrots diagonally in 1-inch-thick slices. You should have about 5 cups of carrots. Place 1/2 cup water, the butter, honey, 2 teaspoons of salt, and the ginger in a large sauté pan and bring to a boil. Add the carrots, cover the pan, and simmer over medium-low heat for 5 minutes. Remove the lid and continue to cook for about 20 minutes, or until all the water has evaporated. You may want to raise the heat for the last 5 minutes.

Add the orange zest and orange juice to the pan, tossing with the carrots. Simmer uncovered for about 5 minutes, until the carrots are al dente (tender but still resistant when you bite) and the sauce glazes the carrots. Add the pepper and another teaspoon of salt, to taste.

Cook’s Note: This dish reheats beautifully. Undercook the carrots a bit and reheat them before serving.

For a crowd, multiply the recipe and use a larger sauté pan. The carrots may take a little longer to cook.

Roasted Carrots with Parsley and Thyme

Roasted Carrots with Parsley and Thyme

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Yield: 4 Servings
Martha Shulman / NY Times

This dish is inspired by a roasted carrot antipasto from Oliveto Cafe in Oakland, Calif. The roasted carrots were tossed with lots of parsley and thyme, and I loved the way those bitter herbs offset the sweetness of the carrots.

  • 2lb carrots, peeled quartered or cut into sixths lengthwise depending on the size, then into 2-inch lengths
  • 3TBS extra virgin olive oil
  • salt
  • freshly ground black pepper
  • 1tsp fresh thyme leaves, chopped
  • ½tsp oregano
  • 3TBS finely chopped flat-leaf parsley


Preheat oven to 400°F.

Oil a sheet pan or a baking dish large enough to fit all of the carrots in a single layer. Place the carrots in a large bowl, and toss with the olive oil, salt, pepper, thyme and oregano.
Spread in an even layer in the prepared pan or baking dish. Cover with foil, and place in the oven for 30 minutes. Uncover, and if the carrots are not yet tender, turn the heat down to 375°F and return to the oven for 10 to 15 more minutes until tender. Add the parsley, stir gently, and taste and adjust salt and pepper. Serve hot, warm or at room temperature.

Gayle’s Coleslaw

Gayle’s Coleslaw

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Yield: 12 servings
Adapted from Robert Irvine
  • 6cups shredded cabbage
  • 1cup shredded carrot
  • 1cup mayonnaise
  • ¼cup white wine vinegar
  • 1teaspoon celery seed
  • ¼cup sugar
  • Salt and pepper

In a large bowl, combine cabbage and carrots. In a smaller bowl, make dressing by combining mayonnaise, vinegar, celery seed, sugar, salt and pepper. Toss dressing into cabbage mixture and let chill. Serve in a family style bowl.

Original Copyright 2006, Robert Irvine