Anyway, I wanted something with an Asian flair again because it had been awhile since I went that route. I also got to use this particular cookbook for the first time to make a meal, so that's always a good thing. After all, there's no sense in my having a cookbook if it's just going to sit on my shelf and look pretty. I'm pretty utilitarian in my values, and by that I mean that I don't like things that don't have a use. And I really don't like things with just one use. I like my tools and possessions to multitask, if they can. But I digress.
Before we get too far, I do want to say that although this dish has meat in it, you could very easily omit the meat and make a very delicious vegetarian version. I just needed the meat because this was the first week I was cooking for my whole family (Dad included), since Dad just started working first shift at work instead of second shift. Not to get too personal, but we are all very happy to have him home during the evenings, and I'm pleased because I will have three mouths to test my creations and give me instant feedback instead of two or one.
That being said, let's not waste anymore time! Like the cookbook says, this recipe is indeed fairly quick and easy. It says you can make this dish in ten minutes, but I do think that's stretching things a bit. With prep and making sure the chicken is cooked all the way through before adding the peanut sauce, it took me about 45 minutes from the first cut of a vegetable until I put everything on the table.
Ingredients:
Three zucchini, sliced
1 can of baby corn, sliced
1 package of white button mushrooms, sliced
1 box of lo mein noodles, cooked [about 8-9 minutes]
2 tbsp grapeseed oil [The original recipe calls for corn oil, but I wanted to use the more healthful grapeseed oil.]
1 tbsp sesame oil [You can substitute an additional tablespoon of grapeseed oil if you don't have sesame oil; I think even a light olive oil would work for the whole thing, too; the sesame oil just gives it a more Asian taste.]
8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs or 4 breasts, sliced thinly [I used chicken thighs.]
1 package of beansprouts
2 bell peppers [your choice of colors]
4 carrots, peeled and bias-sliced (i.e., on a diagonal so you get oval-shaped slices instead of circles)
4 tbsp smooth peanut butter [I'm sure you could use crunchy if you like that better.]
2 tbsp soy sauce [I used a reduced-sodium version because it's better for you and really tastes about the same to me.]
2 tbsp lemon juice [You could also use lime juice, which is an alternative that the book suggests.]
Roasted peanuts for garnish, optional
Chopped fresh cilantro for garnish, optional
Pepper [I used ground white pepper.]
1. Slice the vegetables and meat. Heat the oil in the pan on "fairly high" heat and heat a separate pot of water for boiling the noodles at the same time.
2. Saute the chicken for about a minute, then add all of the vegetables (minus the beansprouts, since they don't take very long to cook). Cover and cook for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally--about every two minutes or so. While the mixture is cooking, add the lo mein noodles to the boiling water and cook to tenderness.
3.When the chicken appears cooked through, add the beansprouts, peanut butter, soy sauce, lemon juice, and pepper and cook for an additional two minutes.
4. Serve the stir-fry mixture on top of the noodles with cilantro and extra peanuts for garnish.
Note: You can also serve this with rice instead of noodles, but I'm more of a noodle fan, myself.
Overall, I did enjoy making this dish. It was pretty straightforward and such, so no surprises as far as directions go. I loved how chock-full of vegetables it was. It just makes me feel so good to load up on good stuff like that, especially when the weather this spring has been so harsh and unnatural. One important note is that I did not use a wok. I just had a big round pan to pile everything in. I also didn't stir very often and covered the pan between stirrings to trap in the steam and help the chicken cook. It is important, though, to leave a small space between the lid and the pan (by sliding the lid slightly to the side or by cocking it slightly as it sits on the pan) to allow some steam to escape. Essentially, then, I guess this was more of a peanut saute than a peanut stir-fry. But you use what you have, you know?
The family really seemed to like the dish. It's got a great peanut flavor without being overpowering, and I'd say that the lemon juice is what makes that magic happen. The sauce was coated on just right, not too thick and not too thin. Additionally, the cilantro is a nice, fresh hit of flavor, so I would recommend including that as garnish. Extra peanuts on top, though optional, do add great crunch to the dish, especially since I think I cooked the carrots a little long. I would have liked more snap to them, but everything was really very wonderful as it was. I also like to add some extra soy sauce on top, too, but you definitely don't have to if you think the soy sauce in the peanut coating is enough. Also, if you know how, you should really eat the dish using chopsticks. I swear by the things whenever I eat Asian food, having learned how to use them way back when I was eight years old and having lunch every now and then with my grandmother at Wong's Kitchen in New Brighton, MN. I still think that restaurant has the best Chinese food around, with Hy-Vee a close second (too bad there aren't Hy-Vee grocery stores north of Owatonna, MN).
Anyway, Dad liked the dish so much that he couldn't even finish his second (large) helping. I couldn't ask for a better compliment than that. After all, they do say that actions speak louder than words, although there were plenty of positive ones to go around, if I'm being completely frank with you.
If I had to make an improvement for next time, I think I might try adding just a bit of ginger to the whole mix, just for some spicy-sweetness to compliment the peanut flavor. And since I changed the black pepper to white pepper, I might go back to the original and see if that does anything for me. Another suggestion might be to use pork tenderloin strips instead of chicken if pork is your thing.
But, like I said, this dish went over very well, and my family told me that they certainly want me to make it again, which is another fantastically flattering statement. If any of you out there are regular readers, please don't hesitate to let me know how you are liking the blog and if you have tried these recipes yourselves (and if so, what you thought of them). Sometimes I feel like Julie from the movie Julie & Julia, just writing my culinary thoughts into a void, only to be read by my family. But I guess even that is good enough for me. At the very least, I'm getting good practice in the kitchen and recording my progress for posterity's sake. Besides that, now I've got some culinary tricks up my sleeve for the day when I finally have a special guy to cook for. But in the mean time, keep cooking and eating your hearts out!
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| This dish is another entry into the category called Attractive and Delicious. I just love the springy cilantro sprigs used to adorn the finished product. And I love how I was able to incorporate vegetables of many different colors: red, orange, yellow, green. It just makes the whole thing happy. Smiles all around! :) Photo enhanced with Instagram filtering. |
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