Recipes!
Tonight's dinner consisted of...:
Not my picture:
Our list:
1 1/2-2 chicken breasts and 1 thigh, about 2 lbs worth?
(Preferably, you want to use all dark meat, but this is what we had on hand)
Soy sauce (1 1/2 tbsp, divided)
Cornstarch (2 tbsp, divided)
1 1/2 tbsp cooking wine (I used sake :P)
1 3/4 tbsp fermented black beans (We didn't have these exactly, so we made do with half chili with black beans, half black bean sauce)
Salt
Sesame oil
Minced garlic, about 3-4 cloves
1 small onion, chopped
1 bell pepper (which we didn't actually have, but we made other veggies instead, or you can substitute this for whatever)
Dried red peppers (optional ;P)
Cut up chicken into bite-size pieces. Mix with 3/4 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tbsp cornstarch, and all the wine.
Mix the rest of the soy sauce, cornstarch, 1/4 tsp salt, and a dash of sesame oil in another bowl, and set aside.
Fire up your wok (or other largish pan) with a lot of oil in it. Fry your chicken until cooked, over med-high heat. When it's done, take it out and drain it.
Put the wok back on the fire, and add some more oil back in the pan. Throw in your onions and garlic, and cook that for a while. If you're adding red peppers, put them in with the garlic. When the onions turn translucent, put in your chicken. If you have bell peppers, put them in now too. Add the sesame oil mixture, and stir fry for a bit to mix the flavors.
After about 3 min, you're done. :3 Serve with rice!
^ This one is not vegan, but is gluten-free.
Not my picture:
I need to remember to take my own pictures before we eat. XD;
Note: I made WAY TOO LITTLE of this stuff, because it was my first time and I didn't want to mess it up. :P
I had:
1 Chinese okra* (recommended: have like 2-3)
1 clove garlic, minced
Cornstarch
Water
* Choose okra that's firm, not too stiff and not too limp. :P Also called silk melon, ridge gourd, and some other names, I'm sure. They're about a foot long or longer. These are not the same thing as regular okra!
Peel the dark green skin off of your okra, being careful not to break it apart when you do so. You'll have a pale green thing that looks like a long cucumber. :3
Do what's called the "rolling slice". Basically, cut the okra into bite-sized pieces, holding your knife at an angle to the okra, rotating it 1/4 to a 1/3 turn after every cut. (See image linked above)
Fire up your pan/wok with some oil. Toss in your garlic when the oil gets hot. Stir for a few seconds over med-high heat, then throw in your okra. Cook for a little while, I'd say 2-3 min, or until it starts to get soft.
Add some water, about enough to go halfway up the okra. Add cornstarch*, about a teaspoon or a little more.
Cook that for a while, until the okra is fully cooked and translucent. Serve!
* Cornstarch, when not mixed directly with meat, is usually dissolved with some water or other liquid first before it's added to cooking. This prevents the cornstarch from lumping up into one giant turd. :D
^ This one is vegan and gluten-free.
I'll go over the Sichuan style cold cucumbers later. ;) It's almost 3 am and I'm sleeeeeeeepy.
And jeez, this is the most I've posted in one day. o______________o
Not my picture:
Our list:
1 1/2-2 chicken breasts and 1 thigh, about 2 lbs worth?
(Preferably, you want to use all dark meat, but this is what we had on hand)
Soy sauce (1 1/2 tbsp, divided)
Cornstarch (2 tbsp, divided)
1 1/2 tbsp cooking wine (I used sake :P)
1 3/4 tbsp fermented black beans (We didn't have these exactly, so we made do with half chili with black beans, half black bean sauce)
Salt
Sesame oil
Minced garlic, about 3-4 cloves
1 small onion, chopped
1 bell pepper (which we didn't actually have, but we made other veggies instead, or you can substitute this for whatever)
Dried red peppers (optional ;P)
Cut up chicken into bite-size pieces. Mix with 3/4 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tbsp cornstarch, and all the wine.
Mix the rest of the soy sauce, cornstarch, 1/4 tsp salt, and a dash of sesame oil in another bowl, and set aside.
Fire up your wok (or other largish pan) with a lot of oil in it. Fry your chicken until cooked, over med-high heat. When it's done, take it out and drain it.
Put the wok back on the fire, and add some more oil back in the pan. Throw in your onions and garlic, and cook that for a while. If you're adding red peppers, put them in with the garlic. When the onions turn translucent, put in your chicken. If you have bell peppers, put them in now too. Add the sesame oil mixture, and stir fry for a bit to mix the flavors.
After about 3 min, you're done. :3 Serve with rice!
^ This one is not vegan, but is gluten-free.
Not my picture:
I need to remember to take my own pictures before we eat. XD;
Note: I made WAY TOO LITTLE of this stuff, because it was my first time and I didn't want to mess it up. :P
I had:
1 Chinese okra* (recommended: have like 2-3)
1 clove garlic, minced
Cornstarch
Water
* Choose okra that's firm, not too stiff and not too limp. :P Also called silk melon, ridge gourd, and some other names, I'm sure. They're about a foot long or longer. These are not the same thing as regular okra!
Peel the dark green skin off of your okra, being careful not to break it apart when you do so. You'll have a pale green thing that looks like a long cucumber. :3
Do what's called the "rolling slice". Basically, cut the okra into bite-sized pieces, holding your knife at an angle to the okra, rotating it 1/4 to a 1/3 turn after every cut. (See image linked above)
Fire up your pan/wok with some oil. Toss in your garlic when the oil gets hot. Stir for a few seconds over med-high heat, then throw in your okra. Cook for a little while, I'd say 2-3 min, or until it starts to get soft.
Add some water, about enough to go halfway up the okra. Add cornstarch*, about a teaspoon or a little more.
Cook that for a while, until the okra is fully cooked and translucent. Serve!
* Cornstarch, when not mixed directly with meat, is usually dissolved with some water or other liquid first before it's added to cooking. This prevents the cornstarch from lumping up into one giant turd. :D
^ This one is vegan and gluten-free.
I'll go over the Sichuan style cold cucumbers later. ;) It's almost 3 am and I'm sleeeeeeeepy.
And jeez, this is the most I've posted in one day. o______________o