My Kitchen, My World…China!

Hey everybody…it’s MKMW time again, and you know what that means…

Another lame-o story about me going to some far off land and the pictures to prove it. Well guess what folks? Never been to China. Not even terribly interested in going, either. I’d like to see the Great Wall, and I’d also like to see the amazing Shanghai architecture, but don’t look for me to pony up and pay to go. If I win a trip, I hope it’s one of those Yellow River cruises. Though I don’t know how I would win a trip like that, unless the mailman just so happens to have a couple of extra tickets, as he’s about as far away from the house as I get these days.

FYI – yes, I DO in fact have an adopted cousin from there. I couldn’t let you get away that easily, could I?

 

So why China this week? Olympics baby! And did you know that the Chinese government, along with firing missile at clouds over Beijing to control the weather, decided that Kung Pao Chicken would be the Official Dish of the 2008 Olympic Games? Well, they did. And so that’s what I made.

I will be the first to tell you that I am not HUGE chinese cuisine lover. I get a hankering for it from time to time, but it is definitely not something I MAKE. We have a great Mongolian Grill in a town nearby (well, it’s like 25 minutes away, which means, I may get there once a year) but we also have a little Chinese joint here in Pearisburg that we have affectionately dubbed The Lucky Dog. (Actually, it’s name is Lucky Star, but we don’t really need to go into details about our “pet” name for it, do we?)

So, Kung Pao Chicken. Never had it. Didn’t even have anything to compare it to, other than the other Chinese food I have eaten at one time or another. But I will tell you one thing – up until the time we actually put a bite in our mouths, Jon informed me that I was to never make Chinese food in the house again. It’s the smell. It smells like a, well, a Chinese restaurant. I blame it on the soy sauce, and the distinct smell of the sesame oil. But let me just say, after the first bite…I am allowed to make Chinese Food whenever I want. It was great! We paired the chicken with a blend of steamed veggies – water chestnuts, pea pods, carrots, peppers and onions – and mixed in some nice rice. Excellent! I didn’t think I would like the addition of the peanuts, but I’m so glad I tried it. They add a nice crunch and flavor that would have been missed in this easy to make, really great tasting dish. No wonder the goverment chose this as their Official Dish…it was fantastic! Down at the Lucky Dog, this dinner for two, plus the amount of leftovers would have cost us around $25-$30 plus tax. After all was said and done, I spent around $4. Four bucks!! So frugal minded Mommies (and single gals, too) try this for a quick, cheap, and healthy weeknight meal!! It will easily feed 4, especially if two of them are kiddies.

 

adapted from Recipezaar

1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 tablespoon cornstarch
2 teaspoons light sesame oil or vegetable oil
3 tablespoons green onions, chopped with tops
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4-1 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (to your own taste)
1/2 teaspoon powdered ginger
4 tablespoons vinegar
5 tablespoons soy sauce
4 teaspoons sugar
1/4 cup dry roasted peanuts
4 cups cooked rice, hot
Directions
1 Combine chicken and cornstarch in small bowl.
2 Toss to coat.
3 Heat oil in large non-stick skillet or wok on medium heat.
4 Add chicken.
5 Stir fry until cooked through.

6 Add onions, garlic, red pepper and ginger to skillet.
7 Combine vinegar, soy sauce and sugar in small bowl, mixing well, then add to skillet.
8 Add in nuts.
9 Let simmer until sauce is thickened.
10 Add steamed vegetables (if desired) stirring to coat with sauce.

Enjoy!

 

 

To continue on in my quest for all things Chinese, I decided, like a big fool, that I would make my own Fortune Cookies. Fortune cookies you can buy. Even at MY Walmart. So why did I want to make them? Becauuuwse. Because I have never made them, that’s why! And it’s China Week!

So, I adapted a recipe from The Food Network, and made them taste GOOD. Like raspberries. The FN recipe calls for Lemon Extract, but I used raspberry instead, and also added some food coloring to jazz them up a bit. This may have been my demise, that, or the skin scalded off the ends of my fingers, one or the other. If I ever, EVER, post on this site again that I am going to make fortune cookies, someone find me and lock me up.

Sure, maybe CB can make them, but that doesn’t mean I can. Mine were tempermental at best. So mine are Cookies of Miss Fortune. Atop Cupcakes, ala CB. My cupcakes are Devils Food which has nothing to do with China at all, but other than those sugary doughnutty things on the buffet at Lucky Dog, I don’t even know what Chinese people EAT for dessert. (I lie. They must eat that rubbery green jello, too, because it’s always there.)

For anyone crazy enough to try making the Cookie Cupcakes of Miss Fortune yourself, head on over to the Food Network.

Now, head on over to check out what the other traveling chefs made this week – maybe they were a bit more Fortunate than I. (though I swear, that Kung Pao Chicken was GOOD.)