Take Out Fake Out: Kung Pao Chicken

Here's another "take out fake out" recipe that is even better than the restaurant dish.

The original recipe calls for heating Japanese chili peppers (which we had to go to an international supermarket to find) in oil until they turned black. So I did. And Blue barked, Sambucca started sneezing and Brian had a strange coughing sneezing fit from the fumes, despite having the stove fan on turbo speed. AND, on top of all that, they didn't even give off that much heat! So, I pulled them from the oil and used a couple tablespoons of garlic chili sauce and it worked out great. I also threw in some extra vegetables. Finally, after reading the reviews on the original recipe, I doubled the sauce (original amounts are listed below) - that was a great call.

It would be great over rice, but we ate it as-is and it was filling and delicious.

Ingredients:

Marinade

• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 2 teaspoons Chinese rice wine or dry sherry
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 1 pound boneless, skinless, chicken breasts or thighs, cut into 1-inch cubes

Sauce

• 1 tablespoon Chinese black vinegar, or substitute good-quality balsamic vinegar
• 1 teaspoon soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon hoisin sauce
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon cornstarch
• 1/2 teaspoon ground Sichuan pepper
• 2 tablespoons peanut or vegetable oil
• 1 medium red onion, sliced
• 3 scallions, white and green parts separated, thinly sliced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 teaspoon minced or grated fresh ginger
• 2 tablespoons garlic chili sauce, or to taste
• Florets from 1 crown of broccoli, steamed until crisp tender
• 6 - 8 Brussels sprouts, trimmed and sliced length-wise, steamed until crisp tender
• 1/4 cup unsalted dry-roasted peanuts

Method:

1. Marinate the chicken: In a medium bowl, stir together the soy sauce, rice wine, and cornstarch until the cornstarch is dissolved. Add the chicken and stir gently to coat. Let stand at room temperature for 10 minutes.
2. Prepare the sauce: In another bowl, combine the black vinegar, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, sesame oil, sugar, cornstarch, and cayenne pepper. Stir until the sugar and cornstarch are dissolved and set aside.
3. Heat a wok or large skillet over high heat until a bead of water sizzles and evaporates on contact. Add the chicken and stir-fry until no longer pink, 2 to 3 minutes.
4. Add the scallion whites, garlic, ginger and garlic chili sauce and stir-fry for about 30 seconds. Pour in the sauce, broccoli  and Brussels sprouts and mix to coat the other ingredients. Stir in the peanuts and cook for another 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer to a serving plate, sprinkle the scallion greens on top, and serve.

Adapted from: Epicurious

Take Out Fake Out: Pork Fried Rice

The last time a craving for old school Chinese food hit, we ended up spending a lot of money on greasy, pretty bland food. That was over a year ago and we were so disappointed that the craving just starting rearing its head again.

So last night, with some leftover roasted pork and Chinese restaurant white rice, I made my own pork fried rice. And just like that, the search for good take out has ended at my own stove.

This isn't really a recipe, since I didn't keep track of how much of this or that I threw in. But the bottom line is this: make you're own fried rice at home with whatever meat/veggies you have, make it as spicy - or not - as you like, as much or as little as you want...and you won't go back to the local take out joint anytime soon.

Here's what I did....

Chop left over pork - about 1 cup - and marinate in a tablespoon or so of teriyaki sauce.

Meanwhile, scramble two eggs in about a teaspoon of canola oil in a hot wok. Remove while still under done to a cutting board. Chop and set aside.

Warm a teaspoon each of canola and sesame oils in the wok and saute the pork.  After a few minutes, add about 1.5 cups cooked white rice. Stir to combine.  Next add a few sliced scallions and a generous handful of bean sprouts. Toss to combine and cook a few more minutes until veggies are warmed but not soft.

Now add a dash of soy sauce, some teriyaki sauce and a generous glug of chili garlic sauce. I may have been a little heavy handed on the latter...

Toss to combine so meat, rice and veggies are coated in the sauces. Off the heat, gently stir in the chopped scrambled eggs.

Dig in!!

Take Out Fake Out: Sesame Shrimp Stir Fry

After not having had Chinese food in a very long time, we got take out a couple of months ago.And were completely underwhelmed by how greasy and flavorless the food was.

So when a "take out fake out" meal like this comes together in about 30 minutes, with crunchy vegetables, perfectly snappy shrimp and a nice kick, why would you risk a mediocre dinner at the local take out place?

Not surprisingly, we upped the cayenne and used soy sauce instead of teriyaki,bur that's it. The recipe as  written was just about perfect!

Ingredients:

• 2 cups water
•  1 cup uncooked white rice
•  1 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
•  1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
•  1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
•  1 clove garlic, minced
•  1 tablespoon sesame seeds
•  1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons sesame oil
•  1 red bell pepper, sliced into thin strips
•  3 green onions, sliced
•  3 tablespoons soy sauce
•  1/2 pound sugar snap peas
•  1/8 cup cornstarch
•  3/4 cup chicken broth
•  1/4 teaspoon salt

Method:

1. In a medium saucepan, bring salted water to a boil. Add rice, reduce heat, cover and simmer for 20 minutes.
2. While rice is simmering, combine shrimp, ginger, cayenne pepper, garlic, sesame seeds and black pepper in a large plastic food storage bag. Allow to marinate in the refrigerator.
3. Heat sesame oil in a large wok or skillet. Add red bell pepper and green onions; saute 3 to 4 minutes to soften slightly Add soy sauce. Add peas and shrimp with seasoning; saute 4 minutes or until shrimp are opaque.
4. Stir cornstarch into chicken broth and add to wok; cook, stirring until mixture boils. Sprinkle with salt. Spoon shrimp mixture over rice.

Source: All Recipes