Tag Archives: easy asian recipes

Easy Asian-style vegetables for hard times.

Dearest readers: Please note that in the coming weeks, new blog posts will probably be scarce. There are about three weeks left of this semester (finals included) and if all goes well, I will be a college graduate come January. But until that day comes, I have to focus as much as possible on my schoolwork. I have so many papers due that I’ve lost count of them, and I haven’t even thought about cracking a book to study for final exams yet. I also have to start applying to big girl jobs soon and the mere idea of it is simply paralyzing.

If I survive this whole ordeal, I will re-commence blogging at full speed as soon as I can - you have my word. So please don’t forget about me and my baby (…ahem, this blog) in the meantime.

Asian sauteed vegetables

This recipe is for times when you need to eat something good, fast, and refuse to succumb to take-out.

(Yield: 4 servings)

Ingredients:

1 tbsp veg oil

1 tbsp sesame oil

8 oz baby bella mushrooms, trimmed and sliced

3 bulbs baby bok choy

1/4 c low sodium soy sauce

1 tsp corn starch

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 tbsp freshly grated ginger root

Procedure: (Cut off 1″ from the bottom of bok choy bulbs and separate leaves. Rinse and dry). In a bowl, combine soy sauce, corn starch, garlic and ginger. Stir until starch is dissolved and set aside. Heat both oils in a sauté pan or wok over high heat. Add mushrooms and cook until browned, about 3 min. Then add bok choy. Cook until wilted while continually stirring, 1-2 min. Then stir in soy sauce mixture; cook until sauce is thickened and bok choy is fork tender, about 1 min. Serve immediately; over rice, if preferred.

Top 5: my best Asian recipes

Let’s be clear - when I say ‘Asian’, I mean ‘Asian-inspired’. I have no classical training in Eastern cuisine, or any cuisine for that matter. I’m just a white girl who’s experimented enough in the kitchen to compile a ‘Top 5′ list.

If you are new to Asian cooking and are wondering where to start, I suggest stocking your pantry/refrigerator with the following ingredients: garlic, ginger root, cilantro, basil, scallions, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, Sriracha, vegetable oil, sesame oil, sesame seeds, coconut milk, creamy peanut butter, yellow curry powder, store-bought wonton skins/egg roll wrappers and fresh noodles. Then if you can get your hands on a wok and learn to take good care of it, you’re really in business.

So in no particular order:

1. Fried Carrot & Coconut Pockets

2. Hoisin Pork Cubes

3. Malaysian Mango Chicken

4. Pumpkin Curry w/ Chicken

5. Thai Coleslaw

What is your best/favorite Asian recipe? Please share!

Fried carrot & coconut pockets

My enthusiasm for stuffing wonton wrappers has taken me from cheese and pumpkin ravioli to Chinese style fried wontons. What I’ve learned thus far is that deep frying stuffed store-bought wonton skins yields far better results that boiling them. Because they are so thin, they expand and cannot keep their shape in the process of boiling. Deep frying, meanwhile, turns them into crispy, golden pillows of delight. I have yet to use the simmer-then-pan-fry technique though, which may be the best of both worlds. If you have any expertise in this area, please share!

This foray into the wonton wrapper world (ugh, I’m afraid by the end of this post neither you or I will be able to stand the word wonton) has been, hands down, the most successful. For the filling, I literally threw in a bunch of stuff from my fridge and cabinets, and the results were spectacular.

Ingredients:

20-25 store-bought wonton wrappers

2 medium carrots, peeled shredded

About 1/2 c sweetened coconut flakes

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 scallion, chopped

1 tsp yellow curry powder

1 tbsp sesame oil

1 tbsp corn starch

1 tbsp sesame seeds

2 tbsp soy sauce

1 egg, beaten

Vegetable oil, for frying

Procedure: Combine all ingredients from carrots through soy sauce in a bowl.

Pour about one inch of oil into frying pan and place over medium heat. While it heats up, start to form the pockets. Working with one skin at a time, lay it flat and place about 1 tbsp of filling in the center. Brush the side that is furthest from you with egg, as well as the top two thirds of the right and left sides. Roll/fold, starting from the bottom, to form pocket. Press down to seal the sides and seal the back. Repeat with remaining skins. Place 6-8 pockets into oil at once and fry about 2 min per side.

Final results should be golden brown, not dark. Drain on paper towels. Serve with hoisin sauce.

I call these pockets because I didn’t want to wrap them in the traditional wonton shape. Served with hoisin sauce for dipping, this recipe makes for the best party appetizer.