ginger chicken with snow peas

a saucy dish best served over rice

This dish was part of a Taiwanese family style dinner (alongside sticky rice meatballs). This is an easy main course with lots of sauce to accompany any starch - personally I think rice works best. The ginger and snow peas make it fresh and light. It refrigerates well so don't worry about making extra - it's a leftover you'll want. Ryan and I both packed it for lunch and it was just as good the next day.

what you need:

• 3 boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 3 cups or so of snow peas
• 5 round slices of fresh ginger root
• 2 tbsp finely diced ginger root
• 1/2 cup chicken stock
• 1 tbsp corn starch, dissolved in about 1/4 cup water
• 1 medium onion
• 3 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp rice wine vinegar
• 1 tbsp brown sugar
• 3 dashes of Worcestershire sauce 
• 2 tbsp canola oil
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• *optional - 3 dried red chilies

what to do:

1. Slice raw chicken breast into about 1/3" thick strips, about 2-3" in length.  Marinate in a bowl with the soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce and diced ginger.  Store in fridge, for at least 2 hours (up to 12 hours) and the chicken should soak up most of the marinade.
2. Slice onion roughly into long strips.  Remove rough ends of snow peas and wash thoroughly.
3. In a pan on medium, heat up canola oil and sesame oil.  Add the dried red chilies and cook until blackened.  Add the ginger slices and onions - cook until onions are softened but not browned.
4. Add sliced chicken and be sure not to overlap the strips.  Be sure to flip them to get even cooking on both sides, about 5 min each.
5. Once the chicken doesn't look raw on the outsides anymore, deglaze the pan by adding the chicken stock.  If it looks like you need more sauce, add a little more chicken stock.
6. Once the liquid comes to a gentle simmer, turn it down and add the snow peas.  Cook for about 2-3 more minutes then add the water with the cornstarch.  Stir to thicken the sauce.  Give your sauce and chicken a taste - add more soy sauce (1 tsp at a time) if it isn't salty enough.  
7. Serve hot on top of rice (or noodles, or any starch you like) - enjoy!

ginger chicken: bottom left corner, on a bed of white & wild rice

ginger soy beef

a great dinner entrée - recipe serves 4

This is another one of my mom's recipes, and she probably got it from my grandma. Everyone who tries it loves it, especially with rice because it absorbs the flavourful sauce.  If you end up with extra no worries - it's even tastier the next day.  

What you need:

• 1 onion sliced thinly
• 1 tbsp diced fresh ginger
• 2 green onions, sliced lengthwise on a sharp angle
• 500 g flank steak, sliced thinly against the grain
• 1 tomato, cut into wedges
• 3 tbsp cornstarch
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 5 dashes Worcestershire 
• 1 tbsp canola oil
• 3/4 cup cold water
• 1 tsp red pepper flakes (optional)
• 2 tbsp Bull Head Barbecue Sauce (made in Taiwan, found in Asian food stores) - if you can't find this, no worries - it will still be good with the ginger and soy)

What to do:

1. In a bowl, use your fingers to gingerly mix sliced steak with 1 tbsp soy, Worcestershire and 1 tbsp cornstarch.  Set aside.
2. Heat oil in a large sautée pan on medium.  Add ginger and onion, stir occasionally until onions soften and are slightly translucent. 
3. Add the BBQ sauce and stir, coating the onions.  Add the tomato wedges and the beef - try to spread the beef so that it creates one layer in the pan, then after 2-3 minutes turn them over.
4. In a small bowl, add remaining cornstarch to about 3/4 cup cold water.  Mix well.
5. Add remaining soy sauce and red pepper flakes to pan.  Once the tomato wedges look shrunken and juices are flowing, stir and slowly add the cornstarch with water.  Let it simmer on medium-low heat for about 2 minutes, or until beef is tender and just cooked through.
6. Turn heat off - add sliced green onions and stir.  Transfer to serving plate. Serve on top of rice - enjoy!  

ginger soy beef, garlic sautéed spinach & brown rice

Taiwanese BBQ sauce

saucy shrimp

this quick dish will satisfy your taste buds

*My mom has been making this dish for as long as I can remember, its a family favourite*

You will need:

• 1/2 lb raw shrimp (frozen or fresh) 
• 2 medium potatoes (any will do, I used Yukon gold)
• 2 large carrots
• 2 green onions
• 1/2 cup frozen green peas (not in the above photo because I didn't have any last night!)
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 tbsp chopped fresh ginger
• 1 thai chilli, or red chilli (or anything else you like for a bit of heat)
• 1 tbsp cornstarch
• a handful of cilantro (optional)
• 1 tbsp or so of vegetable oil (canola best)
• 1/2 cup or so of water (or stock)
• salt and pepper

What to do:

1. Boil the carrots and potatoes until almost fully cooked, about 15 minutes.  Remove from boiling water.  You should be able to stick a fork into them but not super easily - maintain texture so that they don't turn to mush in the next steps.
2. Finely chop garlic, chilli, ginger, green onions and cilantro.  Cut cooked potato and carrots into cubes, about the same size.  
3. Peel and clean the shrimp; set aside.
4. Heat oil in a non-stick frying pan on medium.  Add the garlic, chilli and ginger; allow the oil to aromatize for a minute or two (smells yummy), then add the carrots and potato.  Stir in 1/4 cup water.
5. Mix cornstarch with about 1/4 cup of cold water.  
6. When the water in the pan has absorbed, taste the potato to be sure it is cooked and tender.  Add frozen peas, stir occasionally for about 1 min.
7. Add the shrimp to the pan, try to nestle them down so they touch the bottom of the pan.  Each side of the shrimp needs to cook for about 45 seconds (depending on how big they are...the best way to tell they are done is when they are pink loose "c" shapes...be careful not to overcook them, they will become tough/dry)
8. Turn the heat down to medium-low, stir and slowly add the cornstarch water mixture.  Cook this for another minute or two - if you want it very saucy you can add a little bit more water/stock.
9. Turn off the heat.  Toss in the cilantro and green onions, then transfer to serving dish.
10. Serve with rice and enjoy! Serves about 3-4 people.  

green beans, mix of brown and white rice, saucy shrimp

a happy hubby