Everybody was kung fu fighting

I LOVE to eat out. I mean, not just a little bit. I savor in the rare outing to a top-name restaurant with a top-name Chef. John Besh. Michael Chiarrello  Hubert Keller. Love them all.

But I also most certainly appreciate that craving for delivery pizza or a walk down the Chinese buffet line. It might cost money, but it’s worth it because you can’t make those things at home… right?

Not so! [You knew that was a trick question.] 

Tonight we discovered that – at least in the case of Chinese food – many of the best parts of these meals can be easily (and quickly) replicated at home.

On the menu? Pork Fried Rice, Green Pepper Steak, and Sweet Pepper Chicken Stir Fry with Oyster Sauce.

Upsides:

--> EASY AND QUICK – If you put the proteins to marinate and cook the white rice the night before (which is recommended for fried rice, anyway), you can whip this up in less than an hour – a GREAT weeknight meal.

--> WELL-BALANCED – These dishes all include a high ratio of fresh food, and as we should all know fresh food is much healthier than the processed stuff. Pretty much any (non-fruit) ingredient in the produce section can be used in one of these dishes, which leads me to my third point.

-->FLEXIBLE – Don’t like sweet bell peppers? OK. Not a fan of mushrooms? No problem! Prefer carrots? Go for it! These dishes, especially the stir fry, are very friendly to your preferences.

-->NO MSG – ‘Nuff said.

Downsides:

--> SPECIALIZED INGREDIENTS – The first time you make these dishes, you might be buying a handful of bottles of ingredients you’ve never heard of at $2 or $3 a pop, which may add up. On the other hand, next time you want to make Chinese food, you’ll already have them, making it a very inexpensive meal later on.

--> WOK, RINSE, REPEAT – All three dishes are cooked in a wok, so I was cooking, transferring to a serving dish to be kept warm in the oven or microwave, and washing my wok for each dish, which would have made for a long process if I didn’t have a handy dandy husband who did this particular step for me. Possible quick fixes? More than one wok (Although storage would still be an issue.) or using a skillet for one of the meat dishes.

While the downsides are… well… there, I certainly think the upsides win the debate. Especially when you add the most important upside – FLAVOR. Both of my dinner guests went for seconds. Can’t ask for much more than that.

My next personal challenge in Asian cuisine will be one of my favorites and one of my most feared home meal: sushi. I'll let you know how it goes. But here is my challenge to you: next time you’re craving a Chinese buffet, takeout, or delivery (whatever your guilty pleasure may be), give one or all of these recipes a shot. 

Challenge extended. Challenge accepted?

Funky Fried Rice

[By Rachael Ray, in 30-Minute Meals]

Ingredients:

2 cups of water

1 cup enriched white rice

2 tablespoons sesame oil [one of those ingredients you probably don’t have]

½ pound boneless center-cut pork chops, cut into thin strips, or ½ pound boneless, skinless chicken, cut into thin strips [I usually use a pork chop or whatever I can find in my freezer.]

½ red bell pepper, chopped [or yellow or orange, whichever you may have on hand]

2 green onions, thinly sliced on an angle

2 eggs, scrambled with black pepper to taste

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

2 tablespoons (several shakes) soy sauce

2 pinches crushed red pepper (a couple of shakes)

2 pinches ground ginger

1 cup fresh bean sprouts (found in organic produce section) [I omit this.]

1 cup (a couple of handfuls) frozen baby peas

½ cup (about ¼ pound) chopped baby shrimp (300 count) [I left this out this time, but will probably add it in next time I happen to have shrimp.]

½ cup toasted sliced almonds to garnish [I omit this as well.]

Directions:

Boil water. Add rice. Reduce heat to simmer. Cover and cook 12 to 15 minutes, until liquid is absorbed. [OR do whatever you do to cook white rice. Rice cooker. Microwave rice cooker. Whatever works.] Dump rice onto a shallow plate to cool it down. Place rice in refrigerator until ready to use in the dish. Rice can be prepared the nigh before, as well. [Again, I recommend this to add speed to the cooking process on the day of.] Leftover white rice is the best for fried rice.

Heat 1 tablespoon sesame oil in wok or shallow, big nonstick skillet until oil is very hot and begins to smoke. Add meat and cook for 4 minutes – keeping the meat bits moving is important for even cooking. Remove meat.

Add bell pepper and green onions and heat through for a minute. Pour in eggs and scramble with veggies until eggs are set. Remove eggs.

Add 1 tablespoon sesame oil and vegetable oil to wok or skillet. Add cool or cold rice. Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons soy sauce, crushed pepper, and ginger as the rice fries. Return meat and egg bits to wok. Add bean sprouts and peas and chopped baby shrimp. Combine rice, meat, and veggies well. Top with toasted almonds for crunch and serve right from the wok or pan. Feeds up to 6.

Sweet Pepper Chicken Stir Fry with Oyster Sauce

[As interpreted from a Food Network Magazine recipe]

Ingredients:

2 boneless chicken breasts, thinly sliced against the grain [or any protein you choose prepared similarly]

3 cups of vegetables (your choice; I used 1 orange bell pepper, julienned; 1 yellow bell pepper, julienned; 1 medium onion, sliced; and 1 package of fresh mushrooms, sliced)

2 cloves minced garlic

1 to 2 tablespoons minced ginger [I use powdered ginger.]

2 minced scallions

a pinch of salt

a pinch of sugar

Marinade:

1 egg white

1 tablespoon Chinese rice wine or dry sherry [I used dry sherry. You can find a bottle of this by the cheap wine in the grocery store for about 3 dollars.]

1 tablespoon cornstarch

            Oyster Sauce:

¾ cup chicken broth

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1 tablespoon Chinese rice wine or dry sherry

1 tablespoon soy sauce

3 tablespoons oyster sauce

2 teaspoons sesame oil

Garnish (optional):

Scallions

Peanuts

Sesame seeds

Sliced jalapenos

Cilantro

Directions:

1.     Whisk together the marinade ingredients. Toss with the protein. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

2.     Whisk the sauce ingredients together.

3.     Drain the excess marinade from the protein. Place your sauce, vegetables and protein near the stove.

4.     Heat ¼ inch peanut or vegetable oil in a wok or skillet over medium heat. Add the protein; slowly stir until almost opaque, 30 seconds to 1 minute. Transfer to a plate; discard the oil and wipe out the pan.

5.     Heat the pan over high heat, 1 to 2 minutes. Add 2 tablespoons oil, then garlic, ginger, scallions, salt and sugar; stir-fry about 30 seconds. Add the vegetables, starting with the ones that take the longest to cook; stir-fry until crisp-tender.

6.     Add the protein and sauce and stir until the sauce is thick and the vegetables and protein are cooked through, about 3 minutes. Thin with chicken broth, if needed. Garnish with sliced scallions, peanuts, sesame seeds, sliced jalapenos and/or cilantro.

Green Pepper Steak

[Interpreted from a newspaper recipe as altered years ago by my talented mother]

Ingredients:

1 pound flank, round or sirloin steak, cut against the grain in 1/8” slices [I used seven steak.]

1 teaspoon soy sauce

1 Tablespoon oil

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cornstarch

a pinch of pepper

1 medium onion, diced

1 teaspoon each ginger and garlic, grated

½ cup chicken broth or water

2 Tablespoon cornstarch dissolved in 2 Tablespoon water and 1 teaspoon sugar

2 small green peppers, cubed

1 chopped green onion for garnish

4 Tablespoon oil for frying

Directions:

1.     Marinate steak for 1 hour or longer in the next 5 ingredients.

2.     Set the wok on high heat. Add 2 Tablespoon oil; heat until hot.

3.     Add onion, garlic, ginger, and bell peppers; stir-fry until the onions are slightly brown.

4.     Add chicken broth and bring to a boil.

5.     Stir in cornstarch mixture.

6.     Continue stir-frying until gravy boils.

7.     Garnish with green onion.