Posts Tagged by noodles
Five-Spice Chicken Lettuce Wraps
| February 6, 2013 | Filled under Asian, Main Dishes, Pasta, Rice, & Grains, Poultry, Snacks & Appetizers |
Chinese New Year is this weekend and I’m new year prep mode. Unlike its January 1st counterpart, which is basically about a countdown followed by new years resolutions, Chinese New Year feels so much more celebratory. Typically, the weeks leading up to the new year involves cleaning and de-cluttering, so you can start the new year fresh. By throwing out the trash or the bad luck, you make room for good luck to enter your life.
Every year, my grandma treats the whole family to dinner at a Chinese restaurant (at last count, that would be about 25 to 30 of us that live in town, including her kids, grandkids, and great grandkids). It’s the one time of year that all the amazing cooks in my family don’t actually have to cook (and mess up the kitchen) and can relax and enjoy the festivities instead.
Classic Family Pic: Doesn’t my grandma look so young to have that many grandkids? Five grandkids are missing from the pic because they weren’t born yet. That’s my dad holding me in his lap on the far right.
After dinner, we all go to my parents house where the little ones get red envelopes with lucky money and then we start gambling. I have fond memories of all of us squishing around the table to play blackjack, which is the first card game we all learned to play. My dad is usually the dealer, with his ‘family house rules’ and we have a great time heckling him. And yes the eating continues here too. Usually fried shrimp chips, coffee, and clementines. Savoury, caffeinated, and sweet.
For this recipe, the five-spice powder gives the chicken a distinctly Asian flavour and isn’t actually hot spicy, more earthy and aromatic. The heat factor comes from the Thai bird chilis in the marinade and the toppings. Be careful, sometimes those little guys can be brutally spicy. I always de-seed before adding to the marinade to give it some kick, without being too overpowering.
My nephew is totally the Golden Child in his Chinese New Year outfit. Look at those delicious cheeks!
My niece and my dog Pucci dressed up for Chinese New Year in 2012. Cuteness overload.
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Honestly, this batch of chilis was so spicy, we picked them off the wraps after the photos were taken because they were melting our faces off (the ones in the marinade were perfect). But if you like heat, go for it. You can always leave them on the side and let your guests garnish as they please.
This recipe for lettuce wraps is a hybrid of many different food loves: chili chicken, Peking duck (the second course), and Vietnamese cool rolls. Over the holidays, I watched Jamie Oliver create something similar on TV, though he start plopping on raw tofu and lost me, but I loved his Asian fusion approach. This would be a great meal to put out for a crowd and it’s fun and festive to eat no matter what time of year. An Asian taco of sorts. And like all tacos, make sure to have lots of napkins on hand.
Wishing everyone a New Year full of happiness, health, prosperity and lots of good luck.
Here’s a more recent pic of some of us hamming it up in headpieces my sister brought back from her trip to China. So cute!
PS – I used a julienne peeler to get those pretty shreds of carrot.
Five-Spice Chicken Lettuce Wraps (serves 4 as a main)
Ingredients:
Five-Spice Chicken
- 6 boneless skinless chicken thighs, trimmed of fat and cut into 1″ pieces
- 1 Tbsp minced garlic
- 1 Tbsp minced ginger
- 1 tsp five-spice powder
- 1 to 2 Thai bird chilis, de-seeded and finely minced
- 2 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro/coriander
- 3/4 tsp salt
- canola oil for frying
Lettuce Wraps and Garnishes
- 2 heads of iceberg lettuce
- 2 stalks green onion, finely sliced
- 1 medium carrot, julienned
- 1/4 cucumber, cut into matchsticks
- Handful fresh cilantro/coriander leaves
- 2 cups cooked rice noodles (cooked according to package instructions)
- Gluten-free hoisin sauce
- Sesame seeds (optional)
- 2 to 3 Thai bird chilis, finely sliced (optional)
Directions:
- In a medium bowl, combine all ingredients for chicken except canola oil and stir to combine. Cover and marinate in fridge for 30 minutes up to 2 hours.
- Prepare lettuce wraps. Carefully peel away leaves of lettuce from the head, trying not to tear the leaves, and trim excess ends with kitchen shears. Wash and dry lettuce leaves, and place on platter.
- In large non-stick frying pan over medium high heat, add one tablespoon canola oil. Add half of the chicken to pan and let cook for 2 minutes or until browned. Flip chicken over and cook other side for another 2 minutes or until cooked through and no longer pink inside. Remove chicken and place on paper towel lined plate. Wipe any brown bits from pan with a clean paper towel and add pan back to heat. Add one tablespoon canola oil and cook remaining chicken.
- Assemble wraps. Place about 1 to 2 ounces of rice noodles inside each lettuce wrap, followed by carrots, cucumber, and chicken. Add remaining garnishes and serve.
Viet-Lamb Vermicelli Salad (Bun)
| May 6, 2011 | Filled under Asian, Main Dishes, Meat, Pasta, Rice, & Grains, Salads, Sauces & Dips |
I still remember my first time trying bun. Not ‘bun’ like ‘hamburger bun’ or ‘buns of steel’ but ‘bun’ the Vietnamese dish made of vermicelli rice noodles, veggies, fresh herbs and meat. I remember swooning over the fresh ingredients, tasty chicken, and tangy/salty/sweet sauce. It was a work trip to Edmonton, where my doppelganger cousin Mel and her Vietnamese hubby Paul had me over for dinner. Always thoughtful, Paul and Mel knew I was craving some healthy home cooking – and ‘bun’ it was. Paul’s a great cook from a family of great cooks (good going Mel) – I’ve tried bun in restaurants but it’s never as good as the home made version.
I’m no expert on Vietnamese food, but I do know this – it’s delicious and flavourful. Vietnamese food is most commonly associated with pho – a clear beef broth with rice noodles, various cuts of beef or meat, and fresh herbs. Comforting and filling, yet light at the same time, these soupy noodles are normally served in pretty generous portions and are fairly inexpensive (I don’t do beef, so I get the seafood version instead). At home, I find it easier to whip up bun over making pho stock. My version is a slight twist on tradition though - I use a Vietnamese flavoured marinade on lamb steak instead of the usual chicken/pork/seafood.
I marinated the lamb in a variation of a Vietnamese lamb rib recipe from a recent issue of Fine Cooking. I modified the ingredients so they more intensely flavour the meat, and swapped for a lamb steak. The marinade can be whipped up in no time, especially if you have a mini chopper, and would also be great on chicken, steak or pork. And of course, you can always adjust the spice factor with the chili sauce.
In restaurants, bun is normally served with a few shreds of lettuce, bean sprouts, carrots, and fresh herbs. I like to up the veggie factor and make it more of a salad. When slicing the carrots and cucumber into matchsticks, first cut into thin slices on the diagonal. Then stack a few slices and cut into matchsticks. PS – They had purple carrots at the farmers market. So rad.
The guac nom sauce is crucial for adding flavour – it’s a perfectly balanced blend of tart (lime), sweet (sugar), salt (fish sauce), and spice (garlic/chili). You just pour it over the veggies, noodles, and meat and dig in.
In terms of plating, I squished everything into a bowl here but the bowls were a bit too small. Now when I make this dish, I prefer using a plate which means no pre-cutting the steak. Any way you slice or serve it, this version of bun is healthy, delicious and perfect for hot summer days. (PS – I don’t claim that this is authentic Vietnamese, just yummy).
Recipe (Serves 2)
Lamb
- 1/3 cup shallot
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 Tbsp fresh ginger
- 1 Tbsp fish sauce
- 1 Tbsp GF soy sauce
- 1 Tbsp canola oil, plus more for cooking
- 1 Tbsp lime juice
- 1 Tbsp brown sugar
- 1 Tbsp chili sauce or Sriracha sauce (optional)
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 lamb steaks (about 3/4″ thick)
To make marinade, puree all ingredients except lamb to create a paste. Add marinade and lamb to a container just big enough for the lamb or large zip top bag. Make sure lamb is fully coated with the marinade and marinate in the fridge for 2 hours up to overnight.
Remove lamb from fridge about 10 minutes before ready to cook. Add 2 teaspoons of canola oil to a large non-stick skillet on medium-high heat. Remove excess marinade from the lamb and cook for 2 to 3 minutes or until golden brown. Flip and cook for another 2 minutes. Lower heat to medium and cook for another 2 minutes. Remove from heat and let rest in the pan for 5 minutes until ready to serve.
Guac Nom Sauce
- 3 Tbsp lime juice
- 2 Tbsp sugar
- 1/4 cup hot water
- 2 Tbsp fish sauce
- 1 tsp finely chopped garlic
- 1 tsp chili (optional)
Combine all the ingredients and set aside until ready to serve.
Bun
- 2 cups cooked vermicelli noodles (prepare according to package instructions)
- 1/2 cup carrot, cut into matchsticks
- 1/2 cup cucumber, cut into matchsticks
- 1 cup romaine lettuce, shredded
- 1/2 cup radish, thinly sliced
- 2 sprigs green onion, finely sliced
- 1/4 coriander leaves
- 2 Tbsp mint leaves
- Chili sauce or sriracha sauce (optional)
- Hoisin sauce (optional)
Place vermicelli in a bowl and arrange half the carrots, cucumber, radishes, and lettuce on top of the noodles. Add sliced lamb and garnish with green onion, coriander and mint. Serve with guac nom sauce – spoon over noodles, rice and vegetables.
Singapore Noodles
| April 28, 2011 | Filled under Asian, Main Dishes, Pasta, Rice, & Grains, Poultry |
Singapore noodles are spicy rice noodles stir fried with curry powder and veggies. But I heard they don’t actually have Singapore noodles in Singapore? I guess it’s like how in China, they don’t call it ‘Chinese food’, just ‘food’? Have you been to Singapore and had these noodles?
It’s a spicy, simple, easy to make weeknight supper and considering my family is Hakka Chinese from India, these flavours definitely suit my taste buds. You can find it on the menu at most Chinese restaurants, but with this recipe you can make them at home instead – that way you can control the spiciness.
Chopping the veggies and chicken is the most time consuming part of making this whole dish – the cooking time is actally pretty fast. If you plan to make this on a weeknight, prep the veg and chicken the night before and put everything in the fridge. That way when you get home, you can just toss everything in the wok and eat in no time. Oh, and you can add bean sprouts too – they just need a rinse. No chopping = saving time. They didn’t look so fresh when I was shopping so I passed on them.
The noodles don’t take too long to soften (use hot or boiling water to speed up the process).
Coating the raw chicken in some GF tamari soy sauce and cornstarch is a Chinese technique to give the meat a more velvety texture and more flavour. It’s called velveting the meat and you can read more about it here. As for the vermicelli noodles, you can find them in the Asian aisle of your grocery store. In the Asian supermarkets, there are whole aisles dedicated to the different varieties noodles, which can be overwhelming. Don’t stress out – anything that says ‘rice stick’ or ‘vermicelli’ will work.
Recipe (serves 3-4)
Singapore Noodles (Gluten Free)
- 12 oz dried vermicelli rice sticks
- 4 Tbsp canola oil
- 2 organic chicken breasts, thinly sliced across the grain and cut into thin slices
- 1 tsp plus 2 Tbsp GF tamari soy sauce
- 1 tsp cornstarch
- 1 onion thinly sliced
- 2-3 carrots, cut into 3″ matchsticks
- 2 celery stalks, cut into 3″ matchsticks
- 1 red pepper
- 3 tsp curry powder
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp turmeric
- 1 Tbsp fish sauce
- 3 stalks green onion, thinly sliced
- salt and pepper to taste
Soak vermicelli in warm water for 10 minutes in hot water, until softened but not mushy. In a medium bowl, mix the chicken with 1 teaspoon soy sauce and cornstarch and mix until chicken is evenly coated. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large wok on medium-high heat and add half the chicken. Stirfry the chicken until just cooked, about 3-4 minutes. Remove chicken from wok and repeat with remaining chicken.
Add remaining 2 tablespoons of oil to wok and add onions; cook for 2 – 3 minutes until softened. Add carrots, celery and peppers and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add drained vermicelli noodles, curry powder, chili powder, turmeric, remaining 2 tablepoons soy sauce, and fish sauce. Toss until well combined – the noodles should be evenly yellow coloured and a bit powdery. Add back the chicken, green onions and salt and pepper to taste. Remove from heat and serve.
Ahpoh’s Tossed Noodles (Yam Mein)
| April 15, 2011 | Filled under Asian, Main Dishes, Pasta, Rice, & Grains, Poultry |
Ahpoh is my grandma on my dad’s side. She is well-known for her mean cooking skills, especially not using any recipes and only her talent, cunning, and experience to create her legendary food.
After she quit the restaurant biz, she took on the task of babysitting me, my sister and cousins after school. Ahpoh’s house was just a quick 5 minute walk from our elementary school so we would go home for lunch. While our classmates were stuck eating sandwiches and lunchables (remember those???), us kids would skip home for lunch to eat fried rice, dumplings, ramen noodles in soup, and hotdogs wrapped in Indian buttery pirathas (brilliant). She even figured out how to make spaghetti bolognese for us Canadian grand kids. We were so spoiled.
But my personal fave is still her yam mein (means ‘tossed noodles’). When D was craving home cooked Chinese food, I knew that this would satisfy. What makes this different from ‘chow mein’ is basically you just toss all the cooked ingredients together and add sauce rather than stir frying the meat, veg, and noodles. It’s so easy to whip up - this was the first Chinese dish I cooked on my own.
Normally, this dish is made with wheat noodles and ground pork. In my version, I use gluten free white rice pasta spaghetti style from Tinkyada and ground chicken. To make sure it’s GF, use a GF tamari soy sauce and check the ingredients on the oyster sauce bottle, both of which you can find in most Asian aisles of your grocery store or health food store.
Recipe (serves 2)
Ahpoh’s Yam Mein (Tossed Noodles)
- 1/2 package of rice spaghetti
- 1 Tbsp canola oil
- 6 cloves garlic minced (about 2 Tbsp)
- 1/2 lb ground organic chicken (a mix of white and dark, all white meat will be dry)
- 3 sprigs green onion (scallion), finely sliced
- 1 1/2 Tbsp GF tamari soy sauce
- 1 Tbsp oyster sauce
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- salt to taste
Bring 4 liters of salted water to boil. Add spaghetti and cook according to package directions (keep an eye on them – cooked too long and rice pasta becomes mushy). Rinse with cold water and set aside. Heat a non-stick wok to medium high heat and add oil. Add garlic and cook for 1 to 2 minutes or until fragrant but not browned. Add chicken and stir, breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon or spatula. Continue cooking until meat is cooked through, about 4 to 5 minutes. Add cooked spaghetti and green onions to the chicken and add the soy sauce, oyster sauce, salt (to taste) and pepper. Remove from heat and serve with Sriracha hot sauce or garlic chili sauce (optional).
Ahpoh ready to do a shot! j/k she's just being a good sport.
Ahpoh is my grandma on my dad’s side. She is well-known for her mean cooking skills, especially not using any recipes and only her talent, cunning, and experience to create her legendary food.
After she quit the restaurant biz, she took on the task of babysitting me, my sister and cousins after school. Ahpoh’s house was just a quick 5 minute walk from our elementary school so we would go home for lunch. While our classmates were stuck eating sandwiches and lunchables (remember those???), us kids would skip home for lunch to eat fried rice, dumplings, ramen noodles in soup, and hotdogs wrapped in Indian buttery pirathas (brilliant). She even figured out how to make spaghetti bolognese for us Canadian grand kids. We were so spoiled.
But my personal fave is still her yam mein (means ‘tossed noodles’). When D was craving home cooked Chinese food, I knew that this would satisfy. What makes this different from ‘chow mein’ is basically you just toss all the cooked ingredients together and add sauce rather than stir frying the meat, veg, and noodles. It’s so easy to whip up - this was the first Chinese dish I cooked on my own.
Normally, this dish is made with wheat noodles and ground pork. In my version, I use gluten free white rice pasta spaghetti style from Tinkyada and ground chicken. To make sure it’s GF, use a GF tamari soy sauce and check the ingredients on the oyster sauce bottle, both of which you can find in most Asian aisles of your grocery store or health food store.
Recipe (serves 2)
Ahpoh’s Yam Mein (Tossed Noodles)
- 1/2 package of rice spaghetti
- 1 Tbsp canola oil
- 6 cloves garlic minced (about 2 Tbsp)
- 1/2 lb ground organic chicken (a mix of white and dark, all white meat will be dry)
- 3 sprigs green onion (scallion), finely sliced
- 1 1/2 Tbsp GF tamari soy sauce
- 1 Tbsp oyster sauce
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- salt to taste
Bring 4 liters of salted water to boil. Add spaghetti and cook according to package directions (keep an eye on them – cooked too long and rice pasta becomes mushy). Rinse with cold water and set aside. Heat a non-stick wok to medium high heat and add oil. Add garlic and cook for 1 to 2 minutes or until fragrant but not browned. Add chicken and stir, breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon or spatula. Continue cooking until meat is cooked through, about 4 to 5 minutes. Add cooked spaghetti and green onions to the chicken and add the soy sauce, oyster sauce, salt (to taste) and pepper. Remove from heat and serve with Sriracha hot sauce or garlic chili sauce (optional).
Ahpoh ready to do a shot! j/k she's just being a good sport.
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