Sweet and Sour revisited ... 3 years later

Back when I first started this blog, I posted a recipe for Sweet & Sour Pork that Mom had handed out at a business function years or even decades ago. So long ago that I don't remember, but since I didn't even remember making the dish word-for-word when I posted the recipe three years ago, I guess that isn't saying much.

Needless to say, when I decided over the weekend that I was going to give this recipe another shot (kind of), I had no idea it would lead to an epiphany of me realizing just how far I have come as a home chef.

My attempt from June 8, 2009.

And here I am in 2012.

I might still be ruining Mom's recipes, but at least I've learned how to at least make a recipe look like hers along the way. I used the same vegetables and sauce ingredients, but made it Mom 2012 style by cutting the fat in a big way.

Sweet & Sour Shrimp, 2012
1/2 cup sugar
2 tablespoons corn starch
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons ketchup
1/4 cup red wine
4 teaspoons red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon coconut oil (or other high-heat oil)
1 onion, cut in 1-inch chunks
1 clove garlic, minced
1 red and 1 green bell pepper, cut in 1-inch chunks
2 pounds uncooked shrimp
2 roma tomatoes, cut in 1-inch chunks

Mix sugar and corn starch in a small bowl until no more chunks are visible. Add soy sauce, ketchup, wine and vinegar, and stir until well combined.

Meanwhile, heat a large skillet or wok to medium high. Add coconut oil, then cook onions until soft, about 3-4 minutes. Add garlic for last minute of cooking, then add bell peppers and cook until softened, but still crisp, about 3-4 minutes. Transfer vegetables to a bowl.

Cook shrimp in batches, so they're in a single layer while cooking. Cook for about a minute on each side, then add to the vegetables.

When shrimp are done, add tomatoes to the skillet and stir-fry for a couple of minutes, until heated through. Add sweet and sour sauce to skillet and bring to a simmer. When sauce starts to thicken, add all of the shrimp and vegetables back to the bowl and toss until just combined. Serve with rice.

Kung Hei Fat Choy!

It's been a snowy couple of days for us unsnowy people, so I missed a trip to Mom's to celebrate Chinese New Year and had to throw my own, much less traditional affair. Part of the problem is that I don't really understand the tradition, except that it has to do with eating. And that, I can do.

I did, however, make one of Mom's recipes. Well, actually, it's Jamie Oliver's recipe for Monkfish Wrapped in Banana leaves with Ginger, Cilantro, Chile, and Coconut Milk. But since Mom discovered him and this recipe years ago, it has evolved into her creation and hers alone.

Gotta say, I really don't think I ruined this one. You'll notice that the fish, however, is not wrapped in banana leaves, and that is something I definitely picked up from Mom. To be sure, banana leaves would add eons of flavor, but it's so much easier to just use a casserole dish with a lid.

To impress your friends or family, I would suggest following Jamie's delectable recipe, but my way is definitely the easier option! Here's how I made what we'll call:

White Fish with Ginger, Cilantro, Chile and Coconut Milk
Adapted from a recipe by Jamie Oliver

4 (6-to 8-ounce) pieces white fish such as monkfish rock fish, Pacific mahi mahi, farmed striped bass or farmed catfish
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
2 limes, juiced and zested
1 can (2 cups) coconut milk
2 tablespoons sesame seed oil
1 teaspoon fish sauce
1 teaspoon red chile flakes
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger
2 sticks lemon grass, smashed and chopped in 1/2-inch pieces

Preheat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.

Place fish in a casserole dish with a lid. Mix remaining ingredients, except for the lemon grass, in a food processor. Add lemon grass and pour mixture over the fish. Cook until fish is done, about 15 minutes. Remove lemon grass and garnish with sliced green onions, if desired. Serve with rice drenched in sauce.

In yet another Chinese New Year shoutout to Mom, I made Stir-Fried Broccoli that of course tasted nothing like hers. Each time I stir-fry I get closer, but like I've said before, I just need to turn up the heat. Well, at least got the basics down!

Stir-Fried Broccoli with Oyster Sauce
1 tablespoon vegetable oil (or other high-heat cooking oil)
1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
1/2 onion, sliced
1 bunch broccoli, cut into bite-sized pieces
Splash rice wine
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 teaspoon corn starch
1-2 tablespoons Chinese oyster sauce, to taste

Heat a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add vegetable oil, garlic salt and onion. Stir fry until onion begins to brown, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove onion from pan and add broccoli. Cook until bright but not wilted, 4 to 5 minutes. Return onions to pan, and add rice wine. Cover pan and let wine simmer for about a minute. Meanwhile, combine chicken broth and corn starch in a small bowl. Add to the stir-fry with the oyster sauce, and bring to a simmer to thicken the sauce. Serve immediately.

Turkish Chicken with Mom's (not) Broccoletti

When I was preparing the marinade for these Turkish Chicken Thighs at 6 o'clock this morning (it's early to me, alright?), I was trying to decide what sides would go with the dish. Couscous was a natural choice, but the vegetable I wasn't so sure about.

So I took the safe route, and simply decided to make what was in the fridge and needed to be eaten. Tonight, it was a bunch of broccoletti, and I put absolutely zero thought into how I was going to prepare it. Turns out I made it Mom style ... kind of.

Moms' (not) Broccoletti
1 T. canola oil
1/4 t. garlic salt
1 bunch broccoletti (or broccoli, just make sure you peel the stalk), cut into bite-size pieces
1 oz. white wine (Mom uses "salted" wine, but I use Chardonnay because it's ALWAYS in my fridge)
2 T. oyster sauce

Heat a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add oil and swirl to coat skillet, then add garlic salt and broccoletti. Saute for about 5 minutes, until slightly wilted but still firm, then add wine and continue sauteing until liquid is mostly evaporated, about 2 minutes. Stir in oyster sauce and serve.

(So what would Mom have done differently? She would have used high heat and, naturally, less time, chunks of garlic as opposed to garlic salt, and she would have made a sauce out of her homemade chicken broth and cornstarch added at the end with the oyster sauce. I know, I know, I ruined it. But the way I made it is so much dang easier! It's a vicious cycle of laziness!)

P.F. Mai Ling's Spicy Eggplant with Chicken

When it comes to going out for Chinese food, I'm about as snobby as you can get. It's pretty much International District, or you're going to see some disgusted looks on my face. So what if I act like a child? I'm just spoiled by Mom's cooking!

But the truth is, I love it when my girlfriends plan a date at P.F. Chang's. Not that I'm admitting they necessarily serve real Chinese food, but they do a good job of making everything so darn attractive and tasty. Actually, I really wouldn't know about everything, because I always order the same thing when I go there: Ground Chicken and Eggplant. I suppose I ventured from my usual fare a couple of times, but I always go back to this dish because it's so close to perfection. Finally, I decided I should try to make it myself. So I scoured the Web, but the closest I came to was this recipe on CDKitchen.

I made a few changes, and although it's still not as sweet and saucy as P.F. Chang's version, it's probably better for me this way.

Spicy Eggplant with Chicken
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 T. soy sauce
1 t. red wine vinegar
1/2 t. sugar
2 t. garlic chili paste
3 T. vegetable oil, divided
1/2 t. salt
1 lb. Asian eggplant, cut in bite-sized chunks
2 cloves garlic, minced
1-1/2 T. grated ginger
2 scallions, chopped and divided
1 t. sesame oil
1/2 c. chicken stock
1 t. corn starch
2 T. Hoison sauce

Pulse chicken in a food processor until it's ground. Move to bowl and stir in soy sauce, red wine vinegar, sugar and garlic chili paste. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours.

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat, then add 2 T. vegetable oil and salt. Cook eggplant for about 5 minutes, until soft, then remove from skillet.

Place remaining 1 T. vegetable oil and sesame oil in pan. Cook garlic, ginger and half the scallions for about 30 seconds, then add the marinated ground chicken and stir until cooked through. Stir chicken broth and corn starch together, then add to skillet and stir quickly until evenly distributed. Add Hoison sauce, the remaining scallions and cooked eggplant, and mix well.

Serve with rice.