Starting the New Year Clean and Bright.

Recently I discovered there are various superstitions regarding what you should, or should not, do on New Year’s Day.  I have no idea where I must have been when these superstitions came about, but have not ever heard of them before.

Supposedly you should not shower or bathe, clean anything, or any room of the home, and not do any laundry as it will “wash away” all the good luck of the new year.  I, on the other hand, showered, did two loads of laundry and cleaned the kitchen.  I wanted any residue of lousy 2024 to be washed away, and start off 2025 with a poltergeist moment of, “This house is clean!”.   By the way, did you know that the color of your underwear, on New Year’s Day, brings a desired wish?  The color I was wearing?  Whoa there, TMI.

Depending upon which state you reside in, in the USA, a certain food or grouping of foods, eaten will bring good luck throughout the new year; same for many countries as well.  It was always lasagna when I lived in New York; and pork, sauerkraut and mashed potatoes in Pennsylvania.  For Utah, it is…nothing special; that is correct, there is no traditional food to be eaten for New Year’s Day.  So, each year, Roy and I do our own “tradition” of, “What are you in the mood for?”

2025 called for something easy, pleasing, and full of bright colors to warm every sense.  A stir-fry of shrimp, various vegetables and angel hair pasta; oh, not a traditional Asian stir fry, but one using Mediterranean influences.  Those influences are olive oil, garlic, parsley and Feta cheese; lemon juice does not have to be used for every recipe of this cuisine.  With Feta cheese being used as a topping, using lemon juice would make this dish too tart and tangy, and overwhelm all the other flavors.

Stir-frying is a cooking technique that originated in China about 1500 years ago during the Zhou period (771-256 BCE). Ingredients are fried in a small amount of very hot oil while being stirred or tossed in a wok.  A wok is a deep bowl-shaped pan with sloping sides which traps, and evenly distributes, heat for fast and complete cooking of all ingredients. There are many wok sets available for sale with varying prices dependent on “name brand”, metal used, and accessories that come with the set.  Otherwise, a deep, 12-inch wide, skillet will do the trick just as well, just make sure to keep the ingredients moving so as to not burn, or have semi-cooked items.

For my dish, the protein used was shrimp, but chicken, pork, beef or tofu will work; all depends on what you enjoy.  A mixture of brightly colored vegetables included broccoli, green and red bell peppers, sugar snap peas and carrots.  Do you have to use a protein?  Only if you want to, this dish can become purely vegetarian or vegan.  Instead of ramen or udon noodles, or rice, angel hair pasta was the main carbohydrate. Worried about gluten?  There are many varieties of gluten-free pasta products, and carb consumption, in general, is like anything else, ruled by moderation.

While this could be classified as one-pan cooking, sometimes there are stages when cooking with a wok, or a skillet.  Many ingredients might need to cook at different temperatures, or need a longer or shorter cooking time.  At the end though, after all stages have been completed, the result in the one-pan displays a masterpiece of colors, textures, scents and tastes.

 

Mediterranean Stir-Fry

Ingredients:

2 (12 oz.) bags stir-fry mix (broccoli, carrots, red and green bell peppers, sugar snap peas)

2 lbs. raw large shrimp, peeled and deveined

1 lb. angel hair pasta, cooked and kept warm

¼ cup olive oil

1 Tbsp. minced garlic

1 Tbsp. dried parsley leaves

1 tsp. cracked black pepper

¼ tsp. salt

1 (5 oz.) container crumbled Feta cheese

 

Preparation:

In a wok or large skillet, heat 4 Tbsp. olive oil, medium-high heat.  Add in vegetable mix, garlic, parsley, black pepper and salt; mix thoroughly.  Cook for 3 minutes, stir to keep from sticking or burning as this will keep vegetables crisp and colorful.  Remove to bowl.

 

Increase heat to high, add 4 Tbsp. olive oil; add in shrimp.  Cook for 5 minutes, but keep them moving so they can turn pink, and get a slight sear.  Remove to bowl.

 

Reduce heat to medium-high, mix 4 Tbsp. into pasta and then place into wok or skillet.  Leave pasta alone for one minute; sizzling sound will be heard. 

 

 

Add back vegetables and shrimp, combine well and let cook for 3 minutes, mix together once every minute.  Remove from heat.

 

Place serving into large soup/salad bowl; sprinkle crumbed Feta cheese on top.

Makes 8 servings.

No matter how your new year started, try to make the year bright, colorful, and clean of negativity.

Mary Cokenour

 

 

 

 

Just Another Stir-Fry Recipe.

Not too much to say about this new recipe.  Roy and I simply enjoy delving into Asian cuisines, and this was another opportunity to play.  I think the most creative thing was coming up with a way to flavor the rice without a lot of ingredients.  Using jasmine green tea bags did the job with any mess.  Just place them in the water being used to make the rice, bring to a boil, remove the bags, and wallah, the water is infused with the flavorful tea.

The entire recipe, including rice, makes eight servings, and the leftovers simply got more flavorful over time.

 Order Up, and You're Welcome! 

 

Sweet Chili Stir-Fry

(Over Jasmine Green Tea Rice)

Ingredients:

2 lbs. raw, peeled and deveined large shrimp (or chunks of chicken breasts or pork tenderloin)

1 cup chopped red bell peppers

1 (15 oz.) can straw mushrooms, drained

½ cup julienned purple (also called red) onions

½ tsp. ground black pepper

1 tsp. ground ginger

1 tsp. ground lemon grass

3 Tbsp. vegetable oil

½ cup sweet chili sauce (aka Thai sweet chili sauce)

8 cups jasmine green tea infused rice **

Preparation:

In a sealable plastic container, mix together protein, peppers, mushrooms, onions, black pepper, ginger and lemon grass.  Place in refrigerator for one hour, but begin making rice in a half hour.

 

** To make rice, in a 3-quart pan, place 8 cups of cold water, ½ tsp. salt, 2 teabags of jasmine green tea.  Set heat to high and bring to a boil.  Remove tea bags and add 4 cups uncooked, medium grain, white rice; stir, reduce heat to low, cover and let cook for 20 minutes.  Remove lid, let rice rest for 5 minutes before fluffing up with a fork.

 

 

In a large skillet, heat oil on medium-high heat; spread out contents from plastic container in skillet and sauté’ until protein in thoroughly cooked (shrimp will turn pinkish/red, and no longer be translucent).  Add sweet chili sauce, mix in thoroughly, remove skillet from heat, and serve.

 

Makes 8 servings.

Mary Cokenour

Taste is a Mystery, So Eat It!

 In southwestern areas, there are Chinese restaurants, and the tastes of their cuisine is so very different from what Roy and I are accustomed to, namely Cantonese style. Out here, the Chinese cooks come mostly from San Francisco’s Chinatown, and the cuisine is mainly Mandarin style. The Chinatowns of New York City, Philadelphia, and the many restaurants of the east coast region are primarily Cantonese.  So, not only two different dialects, but two different cooking styles. When we ask for a particular dish, well, it is not exactly what we are used to, and sometimes, extremely different.

Take for example “Chow Fun”, also referred to as “Ho Fun”; a dish made by stir frying a wide rice noodle (about ½” wide) with a protein (beef, chicken, pork, shrimp or tofu), bean sprouts, Chinese broccoli and, sometimes, onion. I have asked owners of local Chinese restaurants (namely in Moab and Cortez) if they make this dish, and the answer is always yes. However, the dish we usually receive is made with lo mein noodles which are more tubular, like spaghetti, and starchier. Not the same as what we am used to, and very different indeed; and we do not particularly care for the taste or texture.

However, it has not been just this dish that is different; the fried rice is not, fried that is, but steamed and has very little flavor to it. The sauces are thinner, less flavorful; the various dim sum are drier. Now maybe it is the cooks in the restaurants; I really cannot be sure, since I have never been to Chinatown in San Francisco and experienced the restaurants there. Then again, what if I had lived most of my life in California, and then gone to Chinatown in New York City and Philadelphia…how would I react to the difference in cooking style?

I already know that restaurants out East, that say they serve Southwestern/Mexican cuisine, are far off the mark of the real cooking styles. I know that the Cuban style, very predominant in Florida, is very different from Puerto Rican which is very different from Mexican. I have tried it, so can speak from experience. But what if someone has not tried the different styles; how can they know the difference, appreciate it, and know when they are being served something completely different? Simple answer is, try it, or you will never really know. If you have the opportunity to travel to a place which has a completely different cuisine than you are used to…try it! Please, stop with the “ewwww”s, or the “not gonna put that in my mouth”; why deny yourself a pleasure because of a little fear and/or ignorance? If you do not like it, at least you tried it, and do not have to try it again, unless you are feeling brave enough for another chance at it.

Here is an authentic Cantonese style recipe for Chow Fun.

Beef Chow Fun (Ho Fun)

(From "The Wisdom of the Chinese Kitchen" by Grace Young, https://www.graceyoung.com/cookbooks/cookbook-1/  )

Ingredients:

8 ounces bean sprouts, about 4 cups, rinsed and drained well

1 pound Chinese broccoli

1 pound flank steak, well-trimmed

2 tablespoons soy sauce

3 teaspoons cornstarch

3 teaspoons rice cooking wine

2 tablespoons Chinese dried black beans

2 pounds fresh broad rice noodles

4 tablespoons vegetable oil

5 slices of ginger

1 1/2 tablespoon garlic, minced

1 teaspoon fine sea salt

4 scallions, cut into 2-inch sections

3-4 tablespoons oyster sauce

Preparation:

1) Cut the broccoli stalks in half lengthwise if more than 1/2 inch in diameter. Cut the stalks and leaves into 2 inch-long pieces, keeping the stalks separate from the leaves.

2) Halve the flank steak with the grain into 2 strips. Cut each strip across the grain into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Place in a shallow bowl, add the soy sauce, cornstarch, and rice wine, and stir to combine; set aside.

3) Rinse the black beans in several changes of cold water and drain. In a small bowl, mash the black beans with the back of a wooden spoon. Leaving the noodles as a slab, cut noodles crosswise into 3/4-inch-wide strips.

4) Heat a large wok or skillet over high heat. Add 1 tablespoon oil, ginger and garlic to wok, and stir-fry about 15 to 30 seconds, until fragrant. Add the beef, spreading it in the wok. Cook, undisturbed, 30 seconds to 1 minute, letting the beef begin to brown. Add the mashed black beans and stir-fry 1 to 2 minutes, or until beef is browned but still slightly rare. Transfer to a plate and set aside. Add 1 tablespoon oil into the wok and stir-fry the broccoli stalks for 30 seconds. Add the leaves and 1 teaspoon salt, stir-fry 1 to 2 minutes until the stalks are bright green and the leaves are limp. Transfer to a plate and set aside. Rinse wok and dry it thoroughly.

5) Re-heat wok over high heat, add 2 tablespoons oil to the wok with the noodles, spreading them in the wok. Cook undisturbed for 1 minute, or until slightly crusty. Add the bean sprouts and stir-fry 1 to 2 minutes. Return the broccoli and beef with any juices that have accumulated to the wok, add the oyster sauce and scallions, and stir-fry 1 to 2 minutes, or until heated through and well combined. Adjust seasonings to taste and serve immediately.

Makes 4 servings.

I have watched videos on making the noodles from rice flour.  Oh dear hearts, I have mentioned many times that I am pasta making challenged, and this reaches into the realm of Asian noodle making as well.  Unless I can find a shop that sells the noodles, with chances of slim to none, the alternative is to do, as many do with lo mein, go Italian!  Spaghetti can be substituted for lo mein noodles; and pappardelle can be substituted for the necessary wide rice noodles.  Let me share my recipe with you.

 

My Simplified Shrimp Chow Fun, aka working with what you have on hand.

Ingredients:

1 (8 oz.) package pappardelle noodles

Stir Fry Oil

Sesame Oil

1 (16 oz.) bag mixed stir fry vegetables, thawed

1 (16 oz.) bag of small/medium shrimp (50-60), shells removed

½ tsp. ground ginger

1 Tbsp. minced garlic

½ cup soy sauce, divided in half

Preparation:

Prepare pappardelle according to package directions, drain, then lay out on paper towels to remove any excess water.

 

 

 

 

In a Wok, or Wok style skillet, heat two tablespoons of stir fry oil, high heat; add vegetables, shrimp, ginger, garlic, ¼ cup of soy sauce and one tablespoon of sesame oil.  Mix together and let cook for 5 minutes; mix occasionally.  Remove from Wok and set aside.

 

 

 

 

 

 

To Wok, add two tablespoons of stir fry oil, high heat; add in noodles and let cook for 5 minutes.  Add in one tablespoon sesame oil and ¼ cup soy sauce; mix and let cook another  5 minutes.  Add in vegetable/shrimp mixture; continue mix all together for 5 minutes to keep noodles from sticking.

 

Makes 4 servings.

Now do not feel disheartened if you just do not have the will or desire to make either of these two recipes.  There is hope for enjoying this yet!  Thai restaurants have a dish called “Pad See Ew” which is incredibly close to Chow Fun.  In Monticello, we have Ja-Roen Thai Sushi, and when we have a craving for Chow Fun, it is Pad See Ew for us.  Even though the owner, Sam, has passed away, his son is keeping the restaurant open, and still serving up wonderful Thai cuisine and sushi.  A new dessert was introduced, a mocha cream cake, served in 4 pieces.  Make sure to order a separate serving for each person, otherwise hands will find forks jammed into them, as the delectable pieces are fought over.

 

Remember, wherever you travel to, make sure to try out new dining experiences.  Otherwise, how will you ever know you like it, if you never try it!?!

Mary Cokenour

 

Frying Up Rice in a Wok.

When I wrote up my article about Hoisin sauce, I promised to also share a recipe for making Fried Rice.  Fried rice is exactly as named, the rice, whether cooked or raw, is “toasted” or fried up in oil before mixing in additional ingredients.  The rich brown color though comes from the addition of soy sauce which flavors as well.

The origin of this dish dates back to the Sui dynasty (589–618 CE), of course being cooked in a traditional Chinese cooking pot, or the Wok.  There are many advantages of cooking with a Wok, and the primary ones are: #1 – Quick, #2 – Easy.  The Wok is a deep pan with a rounded bottom and slanted sides; usually made of stainless steel, aluminum or cast iron.  The metal, while hot, is continuously rolled and pounded out to the desired depth, width and shape.  The shape of this pan allows one to cook food at high, evenly distributed, heat with very little oil.  Besides the traditional stir fry method, Woks can be used to stew, braise, steam or deep fry.  Depending on the dishes you intend to create, a meal can be prepped and cooked in about 30 minutes if using a Wok.

Back to fried rice’s origin which was a simple question of, “What to do with leftovers?”  Leftover rice, meat and vegetables from the day before are still edible, have lost some flavor, but are too good to throw away, or feed to livestock.  Wok-ing them up, adding soy sauce, garlic, ginger, scallions reawakens those flavors, and creates an entirely new meal to enjoy.

Do you need to purchase a Wok to create Asian cuisine?  Of course not; a standard skillet will work just as well; as will everyday kitchen utensils.  However, if you are feeling the creativity bug bite, well, scratch the itch, and get yourself a complete Wok set.  When I said Asian cuisine, I meant it!  Woks can be used to create Japanese dishes, such as tempura (to die for!), Thai, Indonesian, Korean, and even Indian recipes such as curry; it is not just for Chinese recipes.

 

Fried Rice

Ingredients:

2 Tbsp. canola oil if using Wok; 4 Tbsp. for skillet

3 cups uncooked long grain rice

¼ cups each diced onion, bell peppers (red, green, yellow combined)

1 (12 oz.) package frozen peas and carrots, thawed

1 cup soy sauce

5 cups water

½ tsp ground black pepper

1 tsp ground ginger

Preparation:

Heat oil, on high heat, in Wok or skillet; add rice, onion and bell peppers and “toast” the rice for 5 minutes.

Saute' Chicken; Set Aside to Add Later.

 

Add remaining ingredients, bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to low, cover and cook for 20 minutes.   Turn off heat, uncover, and allow to rest for 5 minutes before fluffing up with a fork.  If adding any cooked, chopped protein (2 lbs.), carefully add in to not make clumps, or serve rice as a side to the protein.  Want a complete vegetarian meal; add grilled vegetables or tofu.

Completed Fried Rice; Chicken Added In.

 

Makes 6-8 servings

Note:  2 eggs, cooked scrambled, can be mixed in after rice has completely cooked.

Now this is a simplified recipe and can be adjusted to include other seasonings, such as chili flakes and/or garlic.  If adding a protein, season up the pieces that are being precooked, and their flavoring will meld with, and enhance, the fried rice.  For example, when I use chicken, I season the pieces with a little sea salt, ground black pepper and paprika.  It turns the chicken from bland to wow, and the paprika will give a little smokiness to the flavor, like hoisin sauce would do.  Mix in chopped and steamed, or grilled, broccoli and it is a whole new view of a favorite take-out dish, chicken and broccoli.

If using precooked rice, the water part, plus half the soy sauce, will be skipped.  Instead of letting the rice cook for 20 minutes, first add the rice (6 cups cooked), onion and bell peppers to the oil and keep it moving around the Wok, or skillet.  The rice and vegetables will begin to fry up, but you do not want to burn any of it.  5-7 minutes until the oil is absorbed, and the rice looks like it will begin to dry out.  Add in the peas and carrots, ½ cup soy sauce, black pepper and ginger, and keep it moving for another 5-7 minutes, or until the rice and vegetables are uniformly hot.  If you want the color of the rice to be darker, add, one tablespoon at a time, more soy sauce until it is the color you desire.  But keep it moving, as burnt rice is bitter!

Mary Cokenour

Hoarders and Ramen Noodles.

Still trying to figure out why hoarders need, cases of paper towels and toilet paper, to ward off the Coronavirus aka Covid-19.  Then there are the food hoarders who obviously need Ramen noodles to survive the "Stay Home!" order.  I have to thank these hoarders, as they seem to have a craving for the chicken and beef flavored noodles.  The shrimp flavored?  Plenty of those on the shelf, and I can make some tasty meals with these.

That’s exactly what I did for lunch today; pulled together some things out of the seasoning cabinet, freezer and pantry.  As I added them to my Wok, I mentally figured out the amounts and what the combination would taste like.  After all my years of cooking and experimentation, I’ve gotten rather good at this method.

Technically, the recipe I made should give six to eight servings.  In my home, make that four to six; yeah, it’s that good, and very easy to create.

Stovetop Shrimp Ramen

Ingredients:

5 cups water

2 Tbsp. soy sauce

2 Tbsp. sweet chili sauce

3 packages Ramen noodles, shrimp flavor

1 lb. peeled & deveined shrimp (medium size)

1 (10 oz.) package sugar snap peas, thawed

Preparation:

In Wok, or large skillet, high heat, bring water, soy sauce, chili sauce and contains of Ramen seasoning packets to soft boil.  Add in Ramen noodles, shrimp and snap peas; stir together and bring back to a boil.  Reduce heat to low and let simmer for 10 minutes.

Makes 6-8 servings.

Mary Cokenour

Turkey or Chicken, This Stir Fry Works for Both.

Whenever I can find turkey tenderloins on sale, I buy up several packages which go towards turkey paprikash, tetrazzini, pasta bake, pot pie, even soup.  This time I wanted to do a little twist on the usual chicken stir fry, but with turkey instead.
  

Turkey Noodle Stir Fry

 

Ingredients:

 

2 lbs. turkey tenderloin, cut into 1/4” medallions

1 tsp. Chinese Five Spice powder
1 tsp. cornstarch
4 Tbsp. canola oil, divided in half
3 (3 oz.) packages chicken flavored Ramen noodles
4 cups water
1 (12 oz.) package frozen mixed vegetables, defrosted
1 (15 oz.) can straw mushrooms, drained
½ cup Hoisin sauce

 

Preparation:

 

 

 

 

 

 

In a large bowl, combine the turkey with the five spice powder and cornstarch.  Heat two tablespoons of oil, medium-high heat, in a Wok or large skillet; brown the turkey until no longer pink; remove.

 

 

 

 

 

Prepare the noodles according to package directions, in the same Wok or skillet, using only four cups of water plus the mixed vegetables; drain any excess liquid, if any, when finished cooking; remove.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Heat remaining two tablespoons of oil, medium-high heat, in same Wok or skillet; pan fry the noodle/vegetable mixture, plus the straw mushrooms, for five minutes.  Add in the browned turkey plus Hoisin sauce; mix thoroughly and let cook another five minutes.

 

Straw Mushrooms
 

 

Makes 8 servings.

Mary Cokenour