Monday, February 4, 2008

Asian in the Mountains

Remember the movie "My Cousin Vinny"? Do you recall when Joe Pesce and Marissa Tome arrived in the small Alabama town and she questioned, "I wonder how's the Chinese"? Welcome to my world. So I have to bring the my version of Asian cuisine to us. Sesame is the theme today.


Sesame Wings - Separate and season two packages of chicken drumettes with salt, black pepper and garlic powder. VERY sparingly, drizzle a few drops of sesame oil on drummettes. Sesame oil is REALLY strong, you only want to use a couple of drops on each drummette. Place dummettes on a foil lined cookie sheet sprayed with cooking spray and send them to a preheated 400 degree oven for 30 minutes, turn after 15 minutes. After 30 minutes, baste each drummed with Hoisin sauce and cook for 10 more minutes, turn baste the other side and cook for another 10.


Fried Rice - Beat two large eggs with a wire whisk. Heat 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil over medium high heat in a large, heavy, high sided pot, frying pan or wok. When oil is hot cook the eggs scrambled style, remove from pan and set aside. Add two more tablespoons of vegetable oil to the pan and saute 1/2 a medium yellow onion, chopped, until almost soft and then add two cups of cooled cooked white rice. Keep folding rice with onions and let rice cook until it starts to brown a little, then add salt (go easy), black pepper, garlic powder to taste, 1/2 teaspoon of Chinese Five Spice, a pinch of powdered ginger or grate a 2-inch piece of fresh ginger and drizzle a teaspoon of sesame oil. Stir to mix well. Now at this point you can add so many different ingredients, just depends on what you like...sliced shitakes, water chestnuts, sprouts, peas, shredded carrots...the list goes on. After you add whatever you might want to add, mix it well into the rice and then add soy sauce. I like to use Tamari, which is an aged and deep tasting soy sauce, but whatever kind you have, use that. Shake in about 2 to 3 tables spoons and mix into rice until all the grains have a light brown coating. You may have to add more to get all of the grains coated. Now add back in your scrambled eggs and 3 chopped green onions.


Mandarin Salad - Start with whatever washed greens you prefer, iceberg, romaine, spinach, bib. Garnish with chilled mandarin orange slices. Now this is the best part, the dressing! Use a glass measuring cup and mix the following ingredients with a wire whisk, 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar (you can use apple cider vinegar), 1 teaspoon granulated sugar, 1 teaspoon sesame oil, 2 tablespoons vegetable oil. Dress your salad with this dressing right before you serve so your lettuce doesn't get soggy.


People will start coming to your house for Take-Out!

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