A Chinatown Adventure

We recently decided to increase our cookbook library and the addition of Bee Linn Low's Easy Chinese Recipes required us to stock our kitchen with items like black vinegar, chili oil, and sesame oil. Most of these things can be found in a large enough supermarket with a whole 'ethnic foods' aisle. But where is the fun in that? So this weekend Richard and I set out on a grand adventure to Chinatown. If you are lucky enough to have a Chinatown or Asian market in your city, it is certainly worth the trip.

Chinatown is a festival for the senses. Tourists waddle slowly through the streets while locals gracefully weave through the throng. Street vendors clang spatulas and shout their wares in a sing-songy tune. Bins and baskets outside small markets overflow with colorful mushrooms, chilis, dried fruits, and dried fish.

If you could stand in the middle of a Chinatown market blindfolded (You couldn't. You'd be run over by the masses.) the smells alone would be enough to send you digging into your imagination for something familiar.

As a lover of new adventures, I browsed the aisles all wide-eyed and curious. I must have looked like a small child as I bombarded Richard with "What's this?" and "What's that for?" every three seconds. I don't know why, but I believe he knows everything - even when he doesn't. ;)

After a long day of shopping, we came home and got right to work on our first recipe out of the book - Sichuan Chicken! We instantly changed some of the ingredients to suit our palates. First, we switched out Sichuan peppercorn oil for sesame oil since the recipe already calls for chilies and chili oil and we wanted to control the heat. We also added green bell pepper for some crunch. You could just serve it with steamed veggies, but I really liked the textural addition of a crunchy veggie. Be warned, if you do not like spicy food, this is not the recipe for you.

Sichuan Chicken

4 boneless chicken thighs, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1/2 tbsp Chinese rice wine or sherry
2 tbsp cornstarch
1/2 tsp salt
oil, for frying
1 tbsp chili oil
1 tbsp sesame oil
3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
20 dried red finger-length chilies, deseeded and cut in half
1/2 tsp chicken bouillon powder
1/4 tsp sugar
3 green onions (scallions), chopped
1/2 green bell pepper, diced

In medium bowl, combine cornstarch, rice wine and salt. Mix with a fork until fine and crumbly. Toss chicken in mixture and coat well. Allow to marinate for 15 minutes.

Heat 2 inches of oil in a wok or pot to 350 degrees. Gently drop the chicken into the oil and loosen them up with a spatula. Fry until golden brown. Remove from the oil and allow to drain on a dish lined with paper towels.

In a wok or skillet, heat chili oil and sesame oil over high heat. Add garlic, green pepper and chilies. Stir-fry until you can smell the aroma of the chilies.

Add the chicken, bouillon powder, sugar and green onion. Stir quickly with a spatula to combine all ingredients. Allow to cook for another 2 minutes. Serve with rice.

Potato Leek Soup FOR THE WIN!

Richard and I had Christmas early. It was one of those "When I grow up I'm going to have ice cream for dinner" moments. One of my stocking stuffers was knitting needles.

Those of you that know me are starting to understand why this week's post is late. I have been knitting away the hours all weekend. But I did stop long enough to make some potato leek soup. Friends....this is where you have to really pay attention....leeks are divine. Not "Oh, how yummy" divine. Like, fall to your knees and pray divine.

They look beautiful in the pan, they are naturally extremely flavorful and they are so easy to prepare. SO EASY!

If you don't know, leeks are related to onions and garlic. I love both of those things! I'm going to go ahead and apologize for the terrible photos. It was dark. I was hungry. And maybe a little tipsy. Definitely tipsy. But this recipe was easy enough to navigate after a few drinks. And it is relatively light. No heavy cream! Enjoy!

Potato Leek Soup

 

Ingredients

3 tablespoons butter, unsalted
4 cups chopped leeks
3 large scallions, chopped
3 yukon gold potatoes, diced
3 cups chicken broth
greek yogurt and scallions for garnish

In a large saute pan, melt butter and saute leeks and scallions until leeks are wilted. Do not brown them.

Add potatoes and stir to coat. Add broth and bring to a boil. Don't use crappy broth here, kids. Go for the good stuff. It makes all the difference.

Reduce heat and simmer until potatoes are tender. Transfer 1/3 of soup to blender and blend for 3-5 seconds. Pour into a pot and repeat with another 1/3 of the soup. Pour the remaining 1/3 of soup into the blended soup and mix well. Gently reheat and serve with a garnish of greek yogurt or sour cream and scallions.

That's it! Easy, fast and SO good. Enjoy!