Asian Inspiration

In my childhood Chinese was a celebratory food. New Years, a Birthday request, a visit from a family friend, any day that was special where my parents wouldn't want to cook. That is a Chinese food day. Pizza is weekend food. Chinese is something to look forward to. As years progressed, Chinese food took a new roll as a once in a while weekend meal. However, its rarity kept it special.
There was a period of time when I would not eat Chinese food. Too greasy, too many unidentified objects floating around there. What is "brown sauce" made of anyway? Alas, Chinese food won out. Some sacrifices must be made for pleasure. Over the years my palate has expanded to include Thai, Korean, Vietnamese, Japanese and Indian cuisine.
As I have started experimenting with the food I cook, I have tried more to cook more Asian or Asian inspired foods. I am often hesitant to try an Asian recipes because they require ingredients I do not keep in the house, sesame or peanut oil, fish sauce, ginger, oyster sauce, rice wine vinegar, and special soy sauces. Recently I have been substituting and hoping for the best. Cross your fingers, this is what experimenting is all about.

The following four recipes have been tested and approved by John and myself and promise to be both exceptionally easy and delicious.


Recycled Pea Pods with Shrimp in a Brown Sauce
Including ingredients from week 1 and 2

The pea pods I used for this recipe were from the sweet peas that were used in the Alfredo with Peas sauce (posed earlier) I also added some left over snap peas.

Shrimp or other protein (as many as you like)
Flour
2 cups of pea pods (any kind; snap peas, sugar peas, Romano beans)
1 medium onion (I used 2 small green onions)
2 cloves Garlic
1/4 cup Soy Sauce
1 table spoon oil
1/8 cup Water
1 table spoon Corn Starch

Prepare the sauce in a small bowl. Mix soy sauce, 1 tablespoon of oil, water and 1 clove of crushed garlic. Taste and add more water if the soy flavor is too strong for your taste. Then add corn starch, mix and set aside. (you can add oyster sauce, sesame oil, ginger, rice wine or apple cider vinegar or honey to this recipe for a slightly different flavor) See the next recipe for more ideas.

Peel the shrimp, rinse and dredge in flour. No need for egg here you just want a light coating of flour to thicken the sauce a bit and also help to coat the shrimp with the sauce. You can use this technique with any protein.

Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a skillet. Add onions and allow them to cook to translucent. Add 1 clove crushed garlic and let it begin to brown. Add the shrimp placing them directly on the oil so they will brown. Add beans. Let cook uncovered until the shrimp are brown and then turn. Pour the sauce over everything in the pot and toss. Reduce heat to medium-low and allow to simmer for a minute. Mix together once more to cover everything with the sauce and let simmer until sauce is a desired thickness.

** I will never need to get Chinese takeout again ;) **

The Improvisation
Uses ingredients from week 4
I had beets and Romano beans I needed to use and this is what I came up with.

1 can garbanzo beans
1 cup beets
1 cup Romano beans (string beans or pea pods)
2 cloves garlic
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/8 cup water
1/8 cup cider vinegar
1 teaspoon honey

This recipe is made exactly like the one before except the sauce adds 1/8 cup cider vinegar and 1 teaspoon honey.
Add the beets, Romano and garbanzo beans at the same time.

So easy and tasty.


Scallion Pancakes
Scallions from week 4 cut just the tops of the green onions for this recipe. The bulbs can be used just as you would yellow onions. However, they have a much milder flavor so you will want to account for that in your recipe.

(This is a Rachel Ray recipe)

1/4 cup soy sauce
2 table spoons cider vinegar
1 table spoon honey
7 eggs (3 whole and 4 whites only)
4 bunches of scallions
Oil
5 whole wheat tortillas
Salt and Pepper

Mix together the soy sauce, vinegar and honey. Set aside.

Heat oil in a pan. Chop the scallions and fry them lightly.
Scramble the eggs. Add salt and pepper. Add egg mixture to the pan.
When the eggs are cooked, remove them from the pan onto a plate and set aside.
Wipe down the pan and spray with cooking spray/oil
Fry a tortilla until it starts to blister. Remove from the heat and add some of the egg mixture on top of the side that has been fried. Fold in half twice and set aside. (It should end up looking like a triangle and ours were pretty fat so you may need 6 of the tortillas) Continue doing this until all of the egg is gone.
Spray the pan and brown the exposed sides of the pocket.

Use sauce for dipping.

** I am ecstatic about this recipe. I miss fried Chinese dumplings like crazy but I won't eat the pork filling and I've not yet found a vegetable dumpling I really enjoy. This is an excellent substitute and I will be attempting to make them as dumplings or wontons in the near future **


Raw Thai Vegetable Pasta Salad
I haven’t made since we started the CSA but it’s still a great Asian inspired dish

1/4 box whole wheat spaghetti
1 zucchini shredded
1 carrot shredded or thinly sliced
1 red pepper thinly sliced
1 tablespoon raw nut butter (peanut gives the most flavor but any will do)
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 teaspoon red curry
A pinch of red pepper flakes
A pinch of chili pepper
1 clove crushed garlic or 1 teaspoon garlic powder

Cook the pasta in salted water. When done, rinse with cold water and set aside in a large bowl.
Shred and slice your vegetables and add them on top of the pasta.

Mix the sauce together combining the soy sauce, nut butter, garlic, curry, red pepper and chili pepper. Whisk together until combined. Pour this sauce over the vegetables and pasta and mix together. Chill overnight for best flavor. Serve cold.

** Yes! This recipe is as easy as it sounds but you would never know it from the flavor you get. I would add some fish sauce to this recipe but I haven't recently and don't know what quantity. I will update this when I figure it out. **