Chinaman's Culinary Chance: Stir Fried Butter Garlic Chili Shrimps

Several kinds of hot  and not so hot chilies may be found in the shelves of our kitchen. We heart spice so much that even the younger ones have been seen eating kimchi, wasabi peas and adding Tabasco, XXX hot BBQ sauce and Lee Kum Kee chiu chow oil on everything.

This recipe is my take on "Sichuan Shrimp meets Gambas al  Ajillo".

Ingredients:

• 12 pcs large white shrimps, peeled, deveined and butterflied but with the heads still intact
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 2 tbsp garlic, crushed and minced
• 4 tbsp butter
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp Lee Kum Kee Chiu Chow (chili oil)
• 1 tbsp crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 tbsp chopped parsley
• a pinch of salt
• 1 tsp chopped parsley

Procedure:

1. Heat up a wok. You'll know when to put the butter and olive oil when you see steam/smoke rise up from the empty wok. Turn down the heat to medium and put the butter and olive oil (to prevent the butter from burning fast).
2. Put onions, then garlic and give it a stir.
3. Throw in the shrimps, stirring it a little to incorporate the onion and garlic flavor.
4. Season with a pinch of salt, stir once then add the crushed red pepper,  1 tbsp parsley and chili oil
5. The shrimps are done when you see them turn orange-ish. Don' overcook em. The whole process takes about 5 minutes. Right before plating, sprinkle the remaining chopped parsley.
6. Serve. Goes well with steamed rice, toasted french bread or any pasta of your choice. Just toss em in!

From Kitchen Wanderings, here's to a life full of flavor! 

The Hunt For Red Meat: A Veggie Chicken Casserole Recipe

Broccoli is a vegetable I can never seem to cook in the house, at least not without much protest. Oh sure, I sometimes ground it up and mix it in with some minced meat, making it into pork rolls or meat balls, but serving it as it is in all it's green glory just won't take.

I read countless times that putting some cheese on it does make it more palatable. This veggie, that's high in Vitamin C and dietary fiber. It also has anti carcinogenic properties, and many other nutrients that are so good for the body.

Here's a recipe that I managed to put together that also adds protein and calcium to the mix:

Ingredients:

• 300 grams of broccoli, washed and cut into bite sized pieces. Peel and slice the stalks (if any)
• 1 large carrot, julienned
• 200 grams sliced mushrooms
• 1 Hungarian sausage, sliced
• 1 Chorizo de Bilbao, sliced
• 100 grams chicken breast, cubed
• 1 small onion, sliced
• 1 tbsp garlic, macerated and chopped
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1/4 c water (or less)
• 1 cup mozzarella cheese, sliced

Preparation:

1. İn a wok or pan, heat up the olive oil. Saute the onions and garlic.
2. Add the chicken and stır fry til half cooked
3. Add the chorizo de bilbao followed by the Hungarian sausage.
4. Toss in the carrots. Stıir.
5. Add the broccoli and mushrooms. Stir
6. Add water and contınue cooking til veggies are done.
7. Put veggies in an oven safe dish. 
8. Top with cheese slices  and bake under 350 degrees Fahrenheit til cheese melts.

From Kitchen Wanderings, here's to a life full of flavor!

The Day of the Steamed Fish

Here's a dish I put together under 30 minutes. It's flavorful, tasty, moist and quite filling not to mention nutritious! Great way to add fish into your diet and the kids love it too!

Ingredients:

• 1 kg white fish fillets, cut into serving sizes
• aluminum foil, cut into a size big enough to cover your individual fish slices into tidy packages
• 6 plump juicy tomatoes, washed, seeded and cut into cubes
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 bundle, scallions, chopped
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 tsp MSG (optional)
• 1 tsp ginger powder (or about a tbsp of the sliced one), I use powder simply because the folks in our house hate getting a bite of it Ü
• 1/4 c sesame oil

Preparatıon:

1. Brush a little sesame oil on the surface of the foil before putting the fish slice on it.
2. In a bowl, put together all the other ingredients and mix well.
3. Scoop one or two spoons of the mixture on top of the fish, making sure you get a little of all the ingredients are on the fish.
4. Wrap fish in the the foil making that the sesame oil or juices of the fish as it is cooked won't escape.
5. Broıil, bake or steam for about 20 - 30 minutes. 
6. Serve individually so that each and everyone gets a good amount of the sauce a packet is opened. Goes well with steamed rice.

From Kitchen Wanderings, here's to a life full of flavor!

The Silence of the Mock Lengua

Aside from our obvious over of sea food, a dish, (even after finding out what it was) that I can't seem to get enough of is lengua estofada. A dish of Spanish origin, the braised beef tongue is one of the most succulent, rich and flavorful dish that can be the highlight of a meal when done properly. This recipe tastes like the real deal.

However, having this can be difficult for two main reasons: 1) someone at the dining table can't for the life of them, swallow tongue (pardon the pun). Then there's 2) when you buy the main ingredient to this dish, you have to buy the tongue whole, which often is way to much tongue if there's only a few of you to savor the dish.

My solution? Mock Lengua:

Ingredients:

• 1 kg beef kenchi/foreshank
• 1 medium sized onion, chopped
• 2 beef cubes
• 2 tbsp. soy sauce
• 1/2 red wine, ıf ıt's not good enough to drink, ıt's not good enough to cook with
• water to cover your meat in the pot
• 1/2 c butter
• 3 bay leaves
• 5 peppercorns
• 200 grams button mushrooms, fresh or canned
• 4 tbsp cornstarch, diluted in 1/4 c water
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 mediım sized tomato, seeded and chopped

Preparation:

1. Put meat into a pressure cooker, with enough water to barely cover the meat. Add the next 7 ingredients after the beef and cook for about an hour after you hear the pressure cooker start to make that steam induced rocking sound.
2. When done, set meat aside and about 3 cups of the broth.
3. In a saucepan, saute onions and tomatoes in a little oil til onions caramelize. Add button mushrooms and stir.
4. Add the broth. When it starts to simmer, add the diluted cornstarch. Season to taste with salt and pepper and cook til it thickens.
5. Slice your beef into 1/8 to 1/4 inch and arrange on a platter. Pour a little of the sauce to slightly cover the meat and keep the rest on the side. Goes really well with mashed potatoes!

**you can make gravy instead of the sauce by skipping the sauteing part. Instead, boil the broth and add the diluted cornstarch and mushrooms. Cook til it thickens ans season to taste.

From Kitchen Wanderings, here's to life full of flavor!