Sunday, January 30, 2011

Cashew Chicken


I was very happy with this recipe, with the exception of the fact that the cashews were not as crunchy as I hope for. I replaced all of the vegetables with celery, carrots, peas, chopped water chestnuts, and chopped green onions. I used more chicken than the recipe called for, and would have liked slightly more sauce. I pretty much used this recipe more for technique than ingredients. I am not big on soy sauce so I cut it down to 1 teaspoon. I also used salted cashews, so I cut back on the salt in the recipe. I did use the MSG, since I don't have trouble, and don't know if that affected the final taste or not. I will keep this recipe for sure, perhaps I will substitute almonds next time.

Cashew Chicken

1 1/2 boneless chicken breast halves
1 t. cornstarch
5 T peanut oil, separated
3/4 c. unsalted cashew nuts
1/2 t. salt
1/2 c. chicken stock
1/2 c. button mushrooms, sliced
3/4 c. bamboo shoots, sliced
1 c. snow peas, stringed
dash pepper
1/2 t. Accent, optional
1/2 t. sugar
2 t. soy sauce
2 t. cornstarch dissolved in 2 t. water

1. Cut chicken into thin slices or 1 1/2-inch squares. Mix thoroughly with 1 teaspoon cornstarch and 1 Tablespoon peanut oil.
2. Saute nuts in 1 Tablespoon peanut oil until they are slightly brown. Remove from pan.
3. In an extremely hot frying pan, add 3 Tablespoons peanut oil and salt. Add chicken and saute over high fire until chicken meat turns white.
4. Add stock, mushrooms, bamboo shoots, and snow peas. Cover and cook 1 minute before adding pepper, Accent, sugar, soy sauce, and cornstarch mixture. Stir gently until sauce thickens.
5. Pour in nuts and mix slightly.
6. Serve piping hot with rice. Serves 4.

Friday, January 7, 2011

Stir-Fry Velvet Chicken with Almonds

I am happy with this recipe, although I think I will try to stir fry the chicken to make it a bit less "velvety". I substituted carrots and celery for the bamboo shoots and mushrooms. I like that the green onions and water chestnuts were minced, they mixed better into the recipe. I had to put some sesame oil into the sauce mixture because I didn't have any oyster sauce. I might have to purchase some, since that might be the ingredient that would make my Almond Chicken taste more like a restaurant's recipe. At first I thought this was a bit too "soy saucy" but the flavor died down a bit as the dish sat on my plate for a bit, or perhaps my tongue just got used to it. I will keep these recipes and may end up combining some of the other chicken preparation techniques with the ingredients from this recipe.

Basic Velvet Chicken

ice water
1 1/2 lb. chicken breast, skinned, boned, and cut according to recipe (about 2 c.)
1 egg white, slightly beaten
2 T cornstarch
2 quarts water
1 t. soy sauce
1/2 t. salt

1. Pour ice water into a large bowl and set aside.
2. In a small bowl mix chicken with egg white and cornstarch. Set aside.
3. In a saucepan, bring 2 quarts water, soy sauce, and salt to a boil. Have a colander ready.
4. Add chicken to boiling water and stir gently to separate pieces. As soon as the water comes to a boil, remove pan from heat at once. Let chicken stand for 1 minute in hot water. Quickly drain in a colander and immediately plunge chicken into ice water. Remove and drain thoroughly.
5. Use as directed in recipe and cover well and refrigerate until ready to use. Refrigerated velvet chicken will keep up to two days. Bring to room temperature before using in recipe. Makes 2 cups.

Stir-Fry Velvet Chicken with Almonds

2 c. diced Velvet Chicken
1 t. cornstarch
2 T chicken broth or water
1 1/2 T soy sauce
1 T oyster sauce
1 T Chinese rice wine or dry sherry
1/2 t. sugar
1/2 c. green peas, fresh or frozen
1 clove garlic, smashed and minced
2 slices ginger root, smashed and minced
1/2 c. diced bamboo shoots
1/2 c. diced mushrooms, canned or fresh
4 water chestnuts, diced (about half a can of sliced)
1/4 c. chicken broth or water
1 green onion, minced or 1 T cilantro, minced
1/4 c. blanched almonds, stir-fried or canned (I used more)
peanut oil
sesame oil

1. Have prepared velvet chicken at hand.
2. In a small bowl, dissolve cornstarch in 2 T broth and add soy sauce, oyster sauce, wine, and sugar. Set aside.
3. If using fresh peas, blanch them for 1 minute; if frozen peas, defrost them.
4. On a platter, arrange prepared peas, garlic, ginger, bamboo shoots, mushrooms, and water chestnuts. Set aside.
5. Have other ingredients ready to add as needed.
6. Heat wok and add 2 1/2 T peanut oil. With spatula, swirl oil around to coat sides of wok and heat until oil just begins to smoke. Add ginger and garlic; stir-fry until golden brown.
7. Add bamboo shoots, mushrooms, and water chestnuts; stir-fry until heated through, about 1 to 2 minutes.
8. Spread vegetables in a thin layer in wok. Add 1/4 c. broth and bring to a simmer. Lay velvet chicken on top of vegetables, cover and steam for 1 minute. Remove cover, add peas and stir-fry to combine.
9. Make a well and add soy sauce mixture. Stir-fry until all ingredients are glazed. Add a few drops of sesame oil and top with green onions or cilantro. Remove to a serving plate and garnish with almonds. Serve at once.

Sunday, January 2, 2011

Mandarin Chicken

Another in a seemly endless supply of Almond Chicken recipes to test!! I thought this recipe was a bit too salty for my taste. That is probably why I don't use recipes with too much soy sauce very often. This recipe also called for additional salt when stir-frying. I won't be keeping this recipe, my quest for the perfect Almond Chicken remains elusive. I substituted peas and carrots for the mushrooms and bamboo shoots. The sauce never thickened up very well, and I should have added the peas and green onions at the end when the dish was being heated through.

Mandarin Chicken

1 chicken breast, skinned, boned, and cubed
salt
2 t. cornstarch
1/2 egg white, slightly beaten
1/2 c. diced bamboo shoots
1/2 c. quartered water chestnuts
1/2 c. quartered fresh mushrooms, or a 4-oz. can mushrooms, well drained
1 rib celery, sliced diagonally into 1/2-inch pieces
3 green onions, minced
2 t. Chinese rice wine or dry sherry
1/2 c. oyster sauce or soy sauce
1/2 c. chicken broth or water
1/2 t. sugar
1/2 c. blanched almonds, stir-fried
peanut oil
water

1. In a small bowl, combine cubed chicken, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon cornstarch and egg white. Set aside for 15 to 20 minutes. On a platter, arrange prepared bamboo shoots, water chestnuts, mushrooms, celery and green onions. Set aside. Have wine measured and ready to add as needed. In a small bowl, combine oyster sauce, broth, 1 teaspoon cornstarch, and sugar. Set aside. Have cooked almonds, peanut oil, water, and sale ready to add as needed.
2. In wok heat 1 1/2 cups oil to 375ºF or until a cube of bread dropped in oil rises to the surface and browns quickly. Add chicken and stir gently with spatula to separate pieces. Cook until all pink color is gone. Remove and drain chicken on paper towel. Set aside.
3. Remove oil from wok and wipe wok with a paper towel. To wok add 1 Tablespoon oil and heat until oil just begins to smoke. Add celery and a pinch of salt. Stir-fry briefly. Sprinkle 1 Tablespoon water down the sides of wok and stir-fry for 1 to 2 minutes. Add bamboo shoots and water chestnuts. Add a pinch of salt and stir-fry until vegetables are heated through. Remove from wok and set aside.
4. T wok add 1 Tablespoon oil and heat until oil just begins to smoke. Add mushrooms and a pinch of salt. Sprinkle 1 Tablespoon water down the sides of wok and stir-fry until mushrooms are heated through, about 30 seconds.
5. Return cooked vegetables to wok and drizzle with wine. Stir-fry briefly and return chicken to wok, stir-frying to combine. Make a well and add oyster sauce mixture. Stir-fry to heat through. Add green onions and stir-fry to combine. Remove to a serving platter and garnish with almonds. Serve at once. Serves 2 to 3 people.

Saturday, January 1, 2011

3-Citrus Hollandaise Sauce

This recipe was a big FAIL, the lesson I learned is that one should never make hollandaise sauce in the microwave!! The concept of multiple citrus tastes was fine, but the execution was horrible. I couldn't even bring myself to eat the asparagus!!

3-Citrus Hollandaise Sauce

2 T butter
1 1/2 t. fresh lime juice
1/2 t. fresh lemon juice
pinch salt
1 large egg yolk
dash hot red pepper sauce
1 1/2 t. fresh orange juice

1. Place butter, lime juice, lemon juice, and salt in medium microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on HIGH power until butter melts, about 1 minute. Whisk to cool slightly.
2. Add egg yolk and whisk until well blended. Cover with plastic wrap and microwave on MEDIUM (50%) 15 minutes. Whisk until blended. Repeat twice until sauce is thickened. Whisk in red pepper sauce and orange juice. Serve warm with salmon.

Chocolate Mousse


This mousse was good, even though I was nervous that it would be too "flat". I had trouble folding the whipped cream into the chocolate and thought that I might have "flattened" the mousse. This recipe has a bit of coffee in it so it takes the edge off the sweetness. I will keep this recipe as a variation of the standard chocolate mousse.

Safety note: Studies have shown that there are possible health risks to using raw eggs. Instead, substitute a pasteurized egg product.

Chocolate Mousse

8 oz. semisweet chocolate
3 T powdered sugar
3 T strong brewed coffee
2-3 egg yolks
1 1/4 c. whipping cream
additional whipped cream for garnish

1. Melt chocolate in a double boiler.
2. Add sugar, coffee, and egg yolks, one at a time. Stir until mixture has thickened. Remove from heat. Let cool.
3. Whip cream. Add to slightly cooled chocolate mixture.
4. Spoon mousse into individual serving dishes. Cover. Let cool in refrigerator for 1 hour.
5. Garnish each serving with a spoonful of whipped cream.