Nin hao! Tonight's tour stop on our global culinary adventure takes us to China, As with Italy, I'm willing to bet that this is a cuisine that most people in the US have some familiarity with, albeit an extremely Americanized version of it. There's a great documentary on Netflix now called The Search for General Tso that traces how such regionally diverse food in China came to this country and was quickly changed to suit the tastes of Americans. Check it out, it's really good stuff!
I toed the line here tonight with my choice of recipe. While it's a dish that originates in China, I'm sure that some of the process was lost in translation. Still, I didn't want to heat up frozen egg rolls and call it good. I wanted to try something a little more challenging, with a little more kick.
Kung Pao Chicken with rice
6 chicken thighs, chopped into medium sized chunks
2 tablespoons white wine
2 tablespoons lite soy sauce
2 tablespoons spicy sesame oil
2 tablespoons cornstarch, dissolved into 2 table spoons of water
1 ounce red curry paste
1 ounce chili garlic paste (by the same folks that make the "Rooster Sauce")
1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
2 teaspoons brown sugar
4 green onions, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 10 ounce can of water chestnuts, drained
1/2 cup crushed peanuts
Ok, I'm going to be up front here. The recipe list above was only a framework. I went really wide with this one, adding more chili paste than called for, more wine than necessary...basically, more everything. I kept adding a dash here and a pinch here until it got to the taste that I liked. I suggest that you follow these amounts first, and then go from there.
First, I made a marinade from one tablespoon of wine, 1 tablespoon of soy sauce, 1 tablespoon of sesame oil, and 1 tablespoon of the cornstarch mixture. I combined this all together in a large bowl, stirred, well, and then added the chicken to it. I tossed the chicken so it was coated evenly, and then set it in the fridge for about 30 minutes.
After that time, I cooked the chicken in a skillet until the juices ran clear, about 8 minutes.
While this was going on, I used the remaining wine, soy sauce, sesame oil, and cornstarch mixture, and combined it with all of the remaining ingredients (from red curry paste to the bottom of the list above). I mixed this well in a bowl, and here's where I added my dashes and splashes here and there. I like spicy food, so I went more in that direction, but I'm sure that you could pull back on the heat and add more of something else to get the flavor you prefer.
I heated the sauce, and once it was aromatic, I added the chicken to it. I cooked the chicken in the sauce until it thickened, about 10 minutes. I lowered the heat and continued to stir.
Sauteed Bok Choy and Cabbage
1/2 head green cabbage
1 bunch bok choy
1/2 onion, diced
1 medium shallot, diced
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon parsley
I first chopped the stalks off of the bok choy and then diced them into smaller pieces. I added these pieces to the onion and shallot. In a skillet, I heated the oil and then added the diced veggies to the mix. I cooked on medium for about 5 minutes.
I then added handfuls of the cabbage/bok choy greens to the skillet, stirring constantly to coat everything and to make sure everything cooked down well. I did this for about 10 minutes.
I served the chicken over some wild rice that I had boiled. The result...
...turned out really well! While not as spicy as the Kung Pao that caused George Costanza to sweat profusely, it was still hot enough to have some umph. To me, it had the perfect amount of spice, enough to know it was there but not enough where you spent the whole time gagging or gulping down water. The greens were flavorful as well, and they paired really well with the spicier dish.
The best thing about tonight was that we got to share dinner with Elizabeth's Uncle Bill and Aunt Chris. They're from just outside of Philadelphia, and were on their way to visit friends and family in Asheville, NC and in Florida. We don't get to see them too often, so it was a great way to spend an evening and we are very happy they made the stop to see us and to meet Elliot.
While it's been great to share these meals with Elizabeth, it's been great to also get the chance to cook for others and have them join in on our trip around the world. As I've said in other posts, food has a powerful way of bringing us together, and I feel a great sense of fulfillment being able to cook for others and have them actually be able to enjoy it, let alone eat it. I've come a long way in this regard...
While I don't think I'll ever be able to replace our favorite Chinese spot here in Greensboro (that would China's Best on Lawndale...fantastic), it's good to know that I can come up with something right here at home that at least in the same ballpark. And, just like China's Best, or any great Chinese restaurant, the wonderful thing about last night is that there are plenty of left overs to dig in to tomorrow.
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