entree recipes
Here are some of my favorite food recipes! These include family dishes, recipes from close friends and some that I developed myself. In many cases the quantities are general: I often cook by eye and by taste. I hope you experiment and enjoy!
Ginger chinese salmon
We like to barbecue the salmon, but you can also broil it or microwave it.
Cut 1 bunch or 1 1/2 bunches of scallions into 2″ lengths. Peel ginger root and slice it into 1/8″x 2″ lengths. I use a piece about 1″ thick by 3″ long.
When fish is almost done, boil sauce: about 1/3 c. canola or vegetable oil (not olive oil), 2/3 c. soy sauce, and 1 1/2- 2T sugar.
When fish is done, put on serving platter, put ginger and scallions on top and pour boiling sauce over the whole thing. Voila!
Hot and Sour Soup
Ingredients
5-6 dried shitaki mushrooms soaked in hot water for ½ hour
1 pkg of tofu cut into short strips
½ cup bamboo shoots (canned or vacuum packed) cut into strips
2 qts chicken broth
1-t salt
3T soy sauce or more to taste
1T ground white pepper
¼ c vinegar (or more to taste)
1/3 lb pork steak cut into strips
Directions
Boil chicken broth and add all above ingredients, cook for 30 minutes on slow boil.
Scramble one egg and add to boiling mixture while stirring.
Mix 3T cornstarch with ½ c. water. Slowly stir into boiling mixture
Add more vinegar or white pepper or soysauce to taste.
Remove from heat and add the following:
1-2t. sesame oil
2 scallions chopped into strips.
New Bedford Portuguese Kale Soup
Ingredients
1-2lbs kale (rinse and shred leaves off, discard stems)
1 large onion
3 peeled potatoes (I don’t peel them)
2-3 linguica or kilbasa sausage (I used half Italian and half Apple Gouda Chicken sausage)
8 c. vegetable or chicken broth ( I used more, maybe double)
6 cloves garlic
1 bay leaf
1 hot pepper shredded fine (I used jalapeno)
1/3 t. paprika ( I used maybe 2 t. paprika)
1 can cannelloni or red beans ( I used 2 cans)
Directions
In a large soup pan, slice/chop the sausage and onion and saute in ¼ c. olive oil. Add chopped garlic at the last minute, do not burn.
Add liquid and simmer for 10 minutes
Add potatoes, kale, beans and simmer for 30 minutes.
Add lots of black pepper and salt to taste.
Spicy Sichuan Cucumber Salad
(makes 3-4 small side servings)
Ingredients
4 Persian cucumbers, sliced to 1/8-1/4″ slices
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 cup rice vinegar
3-4 tablespoons chili-infused sesame oil
2 cloves garlic, sliced
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon hot bean paste (or “chili bean sauce”)
1 tablespoon Sichuan peppercorns, crushed
Directions
In a saucepan, heat the vinegar and stir in the sugar and salt until completely dissolved. Combine the chili oil and bean paste in a mixing bowl and toss in the cucumber slices and garlic; stir to combine. Pour the rice vinegar over mixture and toss thoroughly. Cover and chill at least 6 hours before serving, or overnight. Sprinkle the crushed Sichuan peppercorns on top for serving.
cold chicken and sesame noodles
Boil 3-4 chicken thighs for about 20 minutes or until done. Cool and shred. Pour ½ the sauce on the chicken and let sit in fridge.
Boil egg noodles (Chinese style preferably) but Thai rice noodles work too. When done, drain and cool in ice water or fridge, until thoroughly cool. Pour the other half of the sauce on and set in fridge.
Sauce: ½ c. soy sauce (I like Kikkoman) 1rounded T. sugar, 1-2 t. vinegar, 2t. sesame oil or to taste.
Condiments: diced radishes, cucumber, red pepper, fresh bean sprouts
Mapo Tofu
Stir fry in small amt of veg. oil about 1lb of ground pork unseasoned over med-med hi heat. Salt lightly. When it is just losing its pink color add 1 ½ to2 T soy sauce and 1T sugar. Stir fry until done. Remove from pan, set aside.
Stir fry one chopped onion in veg. oil until translucent. Set aside ( can put it in with meat).
Stir fry in remaining oil, 2T or more hot chili sauce (hot bean paste with chile, or hot chili sauce with garlic etc.), for 30 sec – 1minute.
Add 2pks cubed firm tofu, the pork and the onion, stir fry until well combined. Add edamame, frozen green peas and cook 10 minutes or more, till flavors are well blended. Add salt or more hot sauce to taste.
Just before serving, remove from heat and add 3 scallions, finely chopped and 2T Chinese Sesame oil, stir and serve.
Peanut Sauce
1/2 finely chopped onion, brown thoroughly
add 2T sunflower seeds, brown slightly
can add 1-2 cloves minced garlic for 30 seconds
on med lowheat add:
add a bunch of crunchy peanut butter– 1/2 -2/3 cup
add coconut milk approx equal amount as peanut butter
a little water for good consistency
2-4 T vinegar
2-3 T sugar to taste
1-2 t. sesame oil
1-2T soy sauce to taste
small handful chopped cilantro
hot sauce to taste, i used Chili with garlic, but Sriracha or hot bean paste work as well.
A lot of it is by taste— sweet, salty, sour, hot!
Twice-Cooked Pork
Ingredients
¾ -1lb pork butt
ginger root
cooking wine
scallion
One whole tip bamboo shoots, sliced to 1 ½””x 1 ½ “
½-3/4 head broccoli cut in florets. Or 1 green pepper and 2 red peppers
¼ small cabbage cut in ½”x 2” slices
3-4 large cloves garlic slice lengthwise
Sauce
2T hoisin sauce
1 T soy sauce (Kikkoman)
1 T. sugar
2 T hot chili sauce paste with black bean or garlic
Directions
Bring to boil saucepan of water with a few slices of ginger, 1 scallion and ¼ c cooking wine. Add pork butt and boil until cooked on the outside but pink in the center. (15 minutes?)
Cool and slice.
Heat cooking oil in a large skillet on medium high. Stirfry the pork slices until well browned on the edges but still tender. Remove from pan and lower heat to Med. Add a little more oil to coat pan and add garlic and veggies, stir fry until tender but still crisp. Remove from pan.
In remaining oil stirfry the hot sauce for about a minute, reducing it slightly. Add the pork and veggies, stirfry and serve on rice.
Dry cooked green beans
½ lb pork butt: cut small! This is the secret to this recipe. Cut in 1/4×1/4 “ pieces.
¼ cup finely chopped garlic
Big bundle of green beans (maybe 2 lbs)
Fry pork in cooking oil til barely brown, add 1 T soy sauce, lightly salt and 1 t. sugar. Stir fry and cook fully through, but not dry. Remove from pan. Set aside.
In very large skillet; heat 3T cooking oil. With the stove on medium heat oil and add green beans. Stir fry for a long time, until beans are tender, maybe 15 minutes. The beans will shrink a lot.
Add garlic and heat for 1-2 minutes.
Add pork , stir fry for a minute or two and serve with rice.
Ja Jiang Mian
Ingredients
3/4 lb ground unseasoned pork
1 med. onion finely chopped
1 c. shelled soybeans
1 or 2 10 oz can Mandarin Jah Jan sauce (optional)
3 T. hoisin sauce
2T. soy sauce
2 t. sugar
1-2T. hot chili paste with garlic or hot bean sauce
1 green or red pepper cut into small chunks
6 button mushrooms chopped
1 c. unsalted cashews
Noodles (Chinese egg noodles are recommended but not necessary.)
For garnish: ½ English cucumber, peeled and cut lengthwise into 1 ½ x ¼” sticks.
Directions
In a small amount of oil, on medium heat, stir fry the onion until translucent. Remove from pan. Stir fry pork on medium heat until just pink in the interior. Add soy sauce and sugar and stir fry until done, about 3 or 4 more minutes. Remove from pan.
In remaining oil, heat hot chili paste with garlic for one minute. Add the rest of the ingredients with the meat, onions and stir fry till vegetables are tender. You can simmer for another 10 minutes or longer to saturate the vegetables with the sauce.
Serve over egg noodles. Garnish with cucumber.
Sao Mai (dumplings)
Ingredients
¾ lb unseasoned ground pork
1 16 ox pkg frozen chopped spinach, thawed
1 bunch scallions, chopped
Won ton skins
Directions
Mix first three ingredients in a bowl. Add about 3T. Kikkoman soy sauce, 1 T. toasted sesame oil, 1 rounded T. sugar, salt to taste.
Put rounded teaspoonfuls of mixture into each wonton skin and wrinkle up corners of the skins to make a little bundle. The moist pork mixture will make the dumpling hold together. You don’t have to twist the tops.
Place into a bamboo steamer lined with cabbage, spinach, lettuce or other green leafy vegetable so the sao mai don’t stick.
Place bamboo steamer on a pan of boiling water. Try to get a good fit! You can use 2 layers but sometimes the top layer cooks slower and you have to move it down. Make sure the water is boiling when you put the steamer on!
Steam for about 7 minutes or until done.
Dipping sauces:
Hot chili paste with garlic or black bean paste
1/3 soy sauce, 2/3 vinegar