Chicken Chow Mein...or is it Chop Suey??

Why the confusion about what this meal is called? I might ask my mom the same thing but for whatever reason, I've yet to ask. My mom wrote this recipe out years ago and chicken chow mein/chop suey and made it to our dinner table on a number of occasions. I have no idea why the title has two names and I really can't tell you which it is - I don't think I've ever ordered either from a Chinese restaurant so I just don't know which the meal more closely resembles...or if it resembles either at all!

To be honest, I had completely forgotten that my mom used to make this until Kyle asked me to make "American Chop Suey," a dish his mom used to serve that involved elbow macaroni, ground beef, onions, and canned tomato sauce...and that's it. gag. It's like a homemade version of Hamburger Helper and while I did try it once because I couldn't say I didn't like it without trying it, I vowed to never make it again.

OK, so I got a little off topic there...Kyle's request for his mom's meal jogged my memory and I had my mom make a copy of her recipe for me. This meal is a great way to use up leftover chicken and gravy and I often make it with leftovers from a Sunday roast chicken. It's so easy to make and usually fulfills my craving for Chinese food but is so much healthier. I serve it over rice or spaghetti (this time I used penne because I was out of spaghetti) and top it with a few crunchy noodles.

Chicken Chow Mein/Chop Suey

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 2-3 stalks celery, chopped small
• 1 carrot, peeled and julienned
• 1 1/2 medium onions
• 3/4 cup bean sprouts, washed and drained
• 1 1/2 cups chicken gravy (either homemade, jarred, or a combo of both)
• 1 chicken bouillon cube plus 1/2 cup water (I use 3/4 cup chicken stock)
• a good pinch of salt, freshly ground pepper, and garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp ground ginger
• 1 - 2 tsp reduced-sodium soy sauce (I used more like 2 tbsp)
• 1 tbsp sugar or molasses (I use sugar)
• 1 tsp gravy master if you don't use molasses
• 1 1/2 cups diced or nearly shredded cooked chicken (or pork)
• 1 tbsp cornstarch mixed with 2 tbsp water (if needed)

1. In a large non-stick frying pan, heat oil over medium-high heat, then add celery and carrot and cook for 5 minutes. Add onions and cook for 3-5 minutes, or until everything starts to soften.
2. Add bean sprouts and stir to combine. Turn heat to medium-low. Add gravy and bouillon cube and water or chicken stock. Add salt, pepper, garlic powder, ginger, and soy sauce. Stir to combine and cook for 5 minutes.
3. Stir in sugar or molasses and gravy master (again, if not using molasses). Cook for 3 minutes or until sauce is bubbly.
4. Add in chicken (or pork) and cook until chicken is heated through and sauce is thick. If sauce doesn't thicken, add the cornstarch.
5. Serve over rice or pasta. Freezes well (without pasta).

Prep time: 5-8 minutes

Cook time: 15-20 minutes

Serves: 4

Pad Thai

After only eating thai food twice in my life, the last time being about 3 1/2 years ago, I'm not really sure what possessed me to taking on making a thai dish at home. It might have been that I stumbled upon a pad thai recipe on the Williams-Sonoma website and that every W-S recipe I've read about in other people's blogs (like Annie's Eats) has turned out wonderful. It probably also had something to do with the fact that I had nearly every ingredient on the lengthy list in my pantry and would only need to purchase one or two things outside of chicken and shrimp.

So last night, I took to the kitchen and cooked up a pretty damn good pad thai dish! Kyle gave it an 8.5 (on the 'ol 10-point scale) and that was after he took a taste from the pan before it was finished cooking and made a God-awful face. (duh.) I do admit there was a bit of veggie prep (I highly recommended prepping everything before you start cooking this dish) but once things started moving, the cooking part was quite basic. And the results....MMMM!! I'll admit that I was a little skeptical while cooking because the recipe doesn't call for any spices but it really turned into a wonderful dish. I only very slightly modified the recipe which you can see in italics below but overall, I really stuck to the recipe. DEFINITELY give this one a shot!!

Pad Thai

source: Williams-Sonoma

This simple home-style noodle dish made with chicken and shrimp is quick and easy to prepare. The right noodle is essential. Look in Asian markets and well-stocked food stores for the flat ribbon-shaped noodle called sen lek in Thai. They are 1/8 inch wide and made with rice flour.

• 1/2 lb. dried rice ribbon noodles (I couldn't find ribbon so I used regular flat rice noodles)
• 2 Tbs. vegetable oil, or as needed
• 1 boneless, skinless chicken breast half, about 1/4 lb., cut into strips 1/8 inch thick (I used 1lb chicken)
• 1/4 lb. medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/4 cup minced shallot or yellow onion (I used shallot)
• 3 Tbs. tomato ketchup or tomato paste (I used tomato paste)
• 2 Tbs. plus 1 1/2 tsp. Thai fish sauce
• 2 Tbs. lime juice or rice vinegar
• 1 Tbs. sugar
• 1 egg
• Large pinch of red pepper flakes (small pinch for me)
• 4 Tbs. chicken stock (I used about 1/2 cup)
• 1/2 lb. mung bean sprouts
• 6 green onions, including tender green portions, cut into 2-inch pieces
• 1 carrot, peeled and julienned
• 1/3 cup chopped roasted peanuts (omitted)
• 1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves (for garnish - omitted - forgot)
• 1 lime, cut into 6 wedges (for garnish - omitted)

1. Place the noodles in a bowl, add warm water to cover and soak until soft and pliable, about 15 minutes. Drain and set aside.
2. In a nonstick wok (I used a 12 inch non-stick frying pan) over medium-high heat, warm 1 Tbs. of the oil. Add the chicken and toss and stir until opaque, about 1 minute. Add the shrimp and toss and stir until bright pink, about 1 minute more. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.
3. Return the wok to medium-high heat and add the remaining 1 Tbs. oil. Add the garlic and shallot and toss and stir until golden, about 1 minute. Increase the heat to high and add the ketchup, fish sauce, lime juice and sugar. Toss and stir until thickened, about 30 seconds.
4. Crack the egg into the middle of the wok and lightly beat. Cook, without stirring, until set, about 20 seconds. Gently fold the egg into the sauce; tiny egg flecks should peek through the sauce. Add the noodles and red pepper flakes and, using tongs, toss to coat with the sauce.
5. Add the stock, 2 Tbs. at a time, to moisten the stiff noodles, and cook until the noodles begin to cling together and are almost tender, about 3 minutes. Add the bean sprouts, green onions, carrot, chicken-shrimp mixture and half of the peanuts. Toss to combine and cook until the bean sprouts begin to wilt, about 3 minutes. (I probably cooked the dish for an extra 4 minutes or so while adding about 1/4 cup chicken stock at the end and letting it cook down in order to finish cooking the noodles. The noodles were al dente when I served up the pad thai.)
6. Divide among individual plates and top with the remaining peanuts and the cilantro. Squeeze the lime wedges over the noodles. Serve hot or at room temperature.

Adapted from Williams-Sonoma Lifestyles Series, Asian Flavors, by Joyce Jue (Time-Life Books, 1999).

Prep time: 20 minutes

Cook time: 15 minutes

Serves: 6

Chicken Stir-fry

There isn't much that's easier than sauteeing chicken with some veggies and whipping up a smooth homemade stir-fry sauce. Yes, to some stir-fry seems a little daunting but if you really break down the steps and are able to tailor the sauce to your own tastes, you'll find yourself making this dish more often...and making your busy life a little easier at night in the process.

Make it easy on yourself --- prep the ingredients for stir-fry on the weekend. Put your cut-up chicken and veggies in separate baggies and stick them in the fridge for a day or two until you're ready to use them. The sauce will come together as you add your spices but if you end up measuring your spices (I don't), you can create larger batches and store them in the pantry for future use. Use whatever veggies you want and make your sauce as spicy as you can stand it (mine isn't spicy at all). Don't feel like you always have to use chicken - try beef, shrimp or even tofu, if meat isn't your thing. Serve it over rice, pasta, or on it's own.

Chicken Stir-fry

• 2 boneless/skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 red peppers, sliced
• 1 bunch broccoli florets (about 1 1/2 cups)
• 1 large onion, sliced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• ground ginger
• Chinese 5 spice
• garlic powder
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1/4 cup reduced-sodium soy sauce
• 2-3 tbsp honey
• 1 tbsp cornstarch
• crunchy chow mein noodles

1. Heat 1 tbsp olive oil over medium-high heat in a large heavy skillet or wok. When oil is hot, add peppers and onions and cook for 3-5 minutes. Add garlic and broccoli and cook for an additional 3 minutes. Remove veggies from skillet.
2. To the skillet, heat remaining oil then add chicken and the dry spices (all to taste). Cook chicken for 3 minutes, return veggies to skillet.
3. Add soy sauce and honey, coating stir-fry mix with the sauce. Bring sauce to a simmer and add cornstarch. Simmer until sauce thickens, adding more cornstarch to thicken further, if desired. Toss sauce well with chicken and veggies. Top with crunchy chow mein noodles before serving.

Prep time: 10-15 minutes

Cook time: 10 minutes

Serves: 2-3

WC Platinum Chef Challenge Round 3

Ina Garten's Crunchy Noodle Salad
Round 3 WC Platinum Chef Challenge

I feel like a little blogging maniac tonight! This is my 4th post tonight but its only because I haven't posted anything in 2 weeks - withdrawal!!

So the past couple of weeks have been crazy (not a whole lot of cooking - *gasp!*) and I skipped the WC Platinum Chef Challenge Round 2 but I was bound and determined to get back into the challenge for this round. Cara has been hosting this challenge and posted the 5 new ingredients for this round last week: wine, peanut butter, honey, onions, and seafood.

I got right to thinking about a recipe or two that would emcompass all of these ingredients when I remembered a recipe I had filed away both in the back of my mind and in my recipe book that I was dying to make which used peanut butter and honey. Ina Garten's (the Barefoot Contessa on Food Network) Crunchy Noodle Salad called for peanut butter, honey, and to my surprise, scallions (green onions) - I would only need to add wine and seafood to the dish to complete the challenge! Ina pairs it salmon but I added shrimp because, well, that's what I had in my freezer. :) And what a better time to make a salad than on a rare 95 degree evening here in New England!

Its a long list of ingredients but Kyle joined me in the kitchen tonight and took on making the sauce while I prepped the veggies, which really helped to cut down on the prep time. All told, I loved it, giving it a 4 out of 5 - to me, it had a little bit of a Thai taste, without the heat or the coconut - just the way I like it! :) Kyle, on the other hand wasn't all that fond of it (although he polished off his serving while I was taking photos of my serving) and gave it a 2 out of 5. I will make it again, but only when I'm bringing it for a pot luck or serving it amongst other things at my house for a gathering (i.e., not for a main course for Kyle and myself). Of course, I made some modifications, which are noted below the recipe.

Crunchy Noodle Salad

• Kosher salt
• 1 pound cooked (and cooled) shrimp, peeled and deveined*
• 1/2 pound thin spaghetti
• 1 pound sugar snap peas*
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoon chardonney wine*
• 1/3 cup soy sauce
• 3 tablespoons dark sesame oil
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger*
• 2 tablespoons white sesame seeds, toasted*
• 1/2 cup smooth peanut butter
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 red bell peppers, cored and seeded, and thinly sliced
• 4 scallions (with and green parts), sliced diagonally
• 1 tablespoon white sesame seeds, toasted*
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves*

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the spaghetti and cook according to package directions. Drain and set aside.

Meanwhile, bring another large pot of salted water to a boil, add the sugar snap peas, return to a boil, and cook for 3 minutes, until crisp tender. Lift the sugar snap peas from the water with a slotted spoon and immerse them in a bowl of ice water. Drain.*

For the dressing, whisk together the vegetable oil, rice wine vinegar, wine, soy sauce, sesame oil, honey, garlic, ginger, 1 tablespoon sesame seeds, peanut butter, salt, to taste, and the pepper, in a medium bowl.

Combine the spaghetti, sugar snap peas*, peppers and scallions in a large bowl. Pour the dressing over the spaghetti mixture. Add the scallions, the parsley*, and the shrimp and mix again.

Prep time: 15 minutes

Cook time: 9-11 minutes

Serves: 4-6

* Modifications

1. The recipe doesn't call for it, but I added cooked shrimp to make it a well-rounded meal and to satify the requirements of the WC Platinum Chef Challenge.
2. I'm not a fan of sugar snap peas, so I omitted them and the whole step that includes them.
3. Again to satisfy the Challenge requirements, I added a little wine to the dressing.
4. I totally forgot the recipe called for fresh ginger when I shopped this week, so we used ground ginger.
5. Toasting the sesame seeds required too much heat to be generated on such a hot night so we didn't toast them.
6. I don't favor parsley so I omitted this as well.

Addendum:

I wouldn't normally post something like this but since Kyle felt like being a "chef" on his own after not being fulfilled by the Crunchy Noodle Salad and not wanting to go back for seconds (fine by me - lunch tomorrow!), he decided to whip up a little something of his own...the result...

Loaded Mashed Potato Hot Dog Boats

Gotta let the man be happy, right?