Well hi-de-ho, there, folks! My breakfast this morning was that leftover Cinnamon Roll Shake from yesterday. I still didn't finish it, but will call it good enough and make something new to share tomorrow. I did go to the gym again today which for me is a huge accomplishment. Maybe more so was the fact I actually WANTED to go. That never happens. Normally I'm so tired and achy that I just really can't be bothered to think about it. So- big deal for me to go and do 50 minutes on the elliptical and not really be too drained at the end. YAY! I also found one of the keys for someone who may be like me and not really care for loud noises, flashing lights, etc. Today instead of trying to opt for the foot-stomping head-thumping git 'er goin' music, I put on some instrumental music that I would possibly use for meditation and brought a book that I've recently gotten into. Fifty minutes later I thought "Gee, wonder how long I've been on here for!" Time flew and before I knew it I was schweaty and my workout was done. Sweet! Looking forward to lifting weights again in a few days.
Lunch was leftovers from last night- yes, I am a huge leftover fan. They make life easier.
Five Spice Chicken and Brown Rice Noodles
Again, my cutting board, big-ass knife, and all the veggies I'm using. The two hard to identifies are minced garlic and grated ginger. I don't peel the ginger, just grate it whole. I tried to keep it super simple for the peeps out there who might not be familiar with stir-frying. I'll give a little 101.
These are my sauce and marinade ingredients along with the brown rice pasta I'm using. We have here Tamari, Tapioca starch instead of corn starch, black pepper, Chinese five spice, and Shao hsing rice wine. I was going to use the rice wine until I looked at the label and saw it contained wheat. So I broke out a really old, really cheap bottle of cream sherry and used that instead. I really prefer the flavor of the rice wine- I will try and search out a GF option and let you know.
Sorry about the raw chicken picture, but here is the marinade; about 1T sherry or rice wine, a cap full of tamari, generous pinch of black pepper, a cereal spoon of five spice, and two heaping cereal spoons of tapioca starch. I've got three chicken breasts here (mind you this is for a family of five!) that I halved length wise then cut into about 1/4" thick pieces. Stir well. *Five spice might be a strong flavor for some people- you can leave it out and add in garlic and ginger at this stage if you like.*
You've seen My Precious before. I use a carbon steel wok that I got from my local Asian Market. I seasoned this wok myself in a very specific way by scrubbing off the factory residue and then heating it over high heat with lots of oil and stir frying garlic chives until blackened. Please don't get a teflon non-stick wok. The high heat can cause chemical leeching into your food. I would much rather teach a class on how to use a carbon steel wok than have people buy 'that other kind'.
My wok here has been heating on high, I put in about two teaspoons of an organic sunflower oil since it behaves itself in high heat. I put in a little garlic and ginger, then put half of my marinated chicken on top in a single layer. The key here is to Let. It. Sit. You want to get a nice golden brown sear on the meat.
See the sear? That there's flavor. So once you've let your chicken brown in the wok, you can flip it over and let the other side cook for a minute or two. I'll stir it around a bit at this point once I know I've got some goodness going on. I have a bowl set aside on the counter, so when this batch is done, I scoop it out and let it rest in the bowl usually with my wok lid on top to keep some heat in. I go again with the other half of my chicken. I scoop the second batch into the bowl, then take my screamin' hot wok over to the sink for a wash. Only use water- you don't want to damage that lovely patina on your pan. I have a long handled brush I use to whisk away any stuck-on stuff before returning the wok to the stove to re-heat.
Now we are ready to get our veggie on. Another teaspoon or two of oil, and in goes my broccoli along with the rest of my ginger and garlic, some sea salt, and black pepper- generous pinches of each. Stir for a bit, letting some of the edges of the broccoli get golden brown. Add in carrots and celery. You want some texture and crunch to your veggies, we are not cooking mush here! :) Two things: if you over crowd your wok, you will get soup. If your wok isn't hot enough, you will not get flayvah (i.e. wok hay), you will get watered down weirdness. Wok Hay is 'the breath of the wok' or the flavor the wok imparts in your food. I have a great book for you to read if you're interested. More on that later.
So- meat is done, veggies are cooking, your noodles should be boiling by now even though I have mentioned absolutely NOTHING about it. Here's the sauce: A generous tablespoon of tapioca starch, about 1/4 cup cold water even though tapioca starch isn't as temperamental as cornstarch. A good tablespoon or two of tamari, and stir. You could add a little five spice here if you wanted to try out the flavor for the first time- it wouldn't be as strong as coating your meat with it.
Veggies are tender crisp, add your chicken back in and stir. Drain noodles and add into the wok. Pour your sauce in a circular motion on top and toss to coat.
You will hopefully wind up with this beautiful mess. Okay, the lighting is weird, and it's not styled at all. But this is real home cooking, and sometimes it looks like this.
I'm pretty much self-taught here. I read a lot of books and watch a lot of cooking shows- but I'm a home cook with a sense of adventure and really have no special training beyond what my parents taught me. My thinking is that if I can do it, anybody can. I think I love cooking with my wok especially because it brings back good memories of a friend I had growing up- she and her family were from Hong Kong and had come over to the US before China took over. Her mom used to make the most amazing food. I got to roll spring rolls with her family (her grandmother didn't speak any english, and I'd try to practice writing Chinese characters with her little brother- but I failed miserably). To this day I have not been able to find a restaurant that measures up with the wonderful foods that I got to taste in their kitchen. Oh, memories.
The book! It's called The Breath of a Wok by Grace Young. I love this book. Not only does it have great recipes inside, but she goes through in detail how to choose a wok, some accessories you may want to consider, and how to properly season your new wok which is SUPER important. If you find yourself a tad wok-curious, consider seeing if your library has this book. It really is worth the purchase as well (the Oyster Chicken is a family favorite!). I'm reading her next book Stir Frying to the Sky's Edge- I just sit in bed and drool as I turn the pages.
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