Chicken Lo Mein Noodles

Dale’s Lo Mien Noodles

                   The Dish (finished product)

I package of Chinese Lo Mien Noodles

2 Medium Chicken Breasts thinly sliced

1 Large Yellow Sweet Onion (like a Vidalia (1 Large), I prefer Amish sweet Candy onions (probably 2 they’re small)

¼ red onions

1 shallot

3 Large Carrots (checked for sweetness-they need to be sweet)

4 Green Onions (use whole onions)

1 Celery Stalk

5 Large Shitake Mushrooms

7 Large Button Mushrooms

                   Finishing sauce

1/3 cup teriyaki sauce

3 Table spoons honey

1 Teaspoon rice wine (Mirrin)

½ teaspoon toasted Sesame oil

½ teaspoon Oyster sauce

2 teaspoons Hoisin sauce

1 teaspoon ginger

1 teaspoon Soy sauce

                   As you cook

1 bottle Kikkoman teriyaki sauce

1 bottle La Choy thick teriyaki

4 table spoons freshly grated ginger (mix into a paste)

2 table spoons pressed garlic (mix into a paste)

Instructions

Biggest pain in making this dish is the slicing of the vegetables. Slicing is probably best done with a mandolin slicker. I also used a “salad shooter, both the slicing and grating attachments.

With the mandolin slice the Yellow onions (Vidalia, Amish Sweet (what ever you use) red onion, shallot, Green Onions I slice with a knife.  I used the salad shooter to slice carrots and I grate one. The reason is the Carrots are sweet and I want them to release their sugars to add to the taste of the dish.

Create ginger garlic oil by taking a table spoon of the paste you made and use 4 table spoons of canola oil and gently fry this for about a minute.

Preheat an oven to 350

Stir fry the carrots and celery first in a heavy iron skillet takes about 5 minutes at the 4 minute mark dash with teriyaki to complete the stir frying-remove into a warm pan. Then stir fry onions and shallots using another table spoon of the ginger garlic paste mixture. Stir fry on high heat until softened and transparent. Remove from heat and put in the warm pan and mix/toss with carrots and celery.  Place pan in the oven for 15 minutes until carmalization takes place.

In the heavy iron skillet stir fry the chicken breast using another table spoon of the ginger garlic paste, and half way through douse with teriyaki sauce. When the chicken is totally cooked, add mushrooms. Stir fry until cooked remove from heat and mix with the vegetables-set aside.

Boil the noodles for about 6 minutes then remove from pan and drain-let set for about 2 minutes.

In a large Wok once again use a table spoon of the ginger garlic paste and 4 table spoons of canola oil and after 1 minute add noodles

And stir fry for about a minute using about ¼ cup of the Lay Choy thick teriyaki sauce. Begin to add in the chicken and vegetable mixture to the noodles-this takes a little time to fully integrate.

When all parts are mixed add finishing sauce and liberally toss.

Serve directly and ENJOY!

Shrimp Fried Rice

Shrimp Fried Rice



2 Cups Shrimp-deveined tales ON-uncooked
2 cups Minute rice
1 egg
1 small yellow onion-finely sliced
2 Table spoons Teriyaki sauce
½ Teaspoon toasted Sesame oil
1 table spoon Oyster sauce
1 small carrot-finely sliced
¼ teaspoon grated ginger
1 small garlic clove smashed with press
¼ canola oil for frying
2 cups water

cooking implements needed:

Wok or heavy iron skillet
Small sauce pan/pot
Paring knife (or mandolin slicer)
Garlic press
Micro grater
Micro wave

Directions:

Take shrimp, pull off tails (set shrimp aside), toss tails in sauce pan/pot with 2 cups of water bring to slow boil. Let sauce reduce to about ½ cup and set aside strain out tails with strainer.

Micro wave rice as per box instructions set aside & fluff.

Slice yellow onion and cook until caramelized in wok (add a little of canola oil), add sliced carrot stir fry 1 minute, add a dash of teriyaki sauce to help onion caramelize.
Grate ginger and press garlic into canola oil warm and infuse oil. Crack egg and scramble, then add in shrimp and stir fry until pink (done) then add in rice, toss rice in pan. Slowly add in reserved sauce from shrimp tails pot. Cook into rice until gone. Finally, add in toasted sesame oil and oyster sauce and fold into dish-serve immediately steam hot.

This makes an unusual sweet yet savory dish-the mixture from the shrimp tails when boiled down is very sweet and also is the onion when caramelized. I guess one could add shiitake mushrooms to add a more savory taste to the dish.

Skillett Stew

Skillet Stew

2 Boneless Chicken Breasts
7 Carrots
7 Potatoes
2 Large Yellow Sweet Onions
6 Cloves garlic
1 Bottle Kikkoman Teriyaki baste-barbeque


Instruction:

Slice onions using mandolin type slicer. Sauté until the onions caramelize then finely chop using chopper. Roast garlic for 30 minutes in oven at 350 degrees (in butter and olive oil-do not burn). Mince with garlic press, and add to onion mixture. Take a large skillet and add 2 table spoons olive oil- heat. Slice potatoes and carrots but keep separate.

Thoroughly salt and pepper potatoes after slicing and add to skillet-add onion and garlic mixture. Continuously toss potatoes and onion-garlic mixture-potatoes should begin to brown and soften. Add sliced carrots-reduce heat, cover and simmer until carrots soften at least one hour-stir occasionally.

Season chicken with salt and pepper, cube, and stir fry. Add Chicken to other pan. Liberally fold in Kikkoman Barbeque-Baste sauce. Simmer until sauce permeates entire mixture.

Serve

Pork Fried Rice

Pork Fried Rice

Ingredients:

Fresh Ginger
Fresh Garlic
½ pound roasted pork-finely diced
2 small eggs
3 green onions
1 small Vidalia onion
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
1 carrot-thinly sliced
½ cut bamboo shoots
Table spoon Sesame oil
2 cups minute rice

Cooking:

A head of time cook rice-I use minute rice-nuked in the micro wave about 5 minutes following instructions on the back of the box. I usually use chicken bullion instead of water. Fluff it and set it aside to dry-overnight is best.

Heat oil in a Wok or Cast Iron skillet. I use canola oil-Grate with a micro planner ¼ of a cup fresh Garlic and Ginger (each). I also grate the Vidalia onion at this time. This will infuse the oil with a sweet (from the onion) complex sugary taste (make sure it caramelizes). This should remove the need to add much sugar at the end. Next in I add the carrots and give them about a minute to cook-then its time to add the egg and cook until it is well scrambled. Then I add the pork, green onion, and bamboo shoots.

After this cooks about a minute, it is time to add the rice. Slowly incorporate the rice in the Wok and toss gently. Add dashes of Soy Sauce to taste and at the end, the table spoon of Sesame oil. Lastly fold in about a table spoon of Oyster sauce- serve immediately.

Enjoy!

Beef Stew

Beef Stew

Ingredients:

1 lb Beef Stew Meat
1 Beef Bone
1 Large Sweet Yellow Onion
2 Cups Baby Carrots
2 Cups Yukon Gold Potatoes-cubed
1 Cup Celery
1 pinch Thyme
1 Bay Leaf
2 Cups Sliced Mushrooms

Instruction:

Take soup bone and boil in a med kettle 4 hours adding in 2 small bay leafs, a pinch of Thyme, 10 cranks on the pepper and salt mills. Chop yellow onion and 2 cloves of garlic and place in a skillet on medium high heat until the onions just starting to turn brown add 2 good shakes of teriyaki sauce and allow it to cook for 5 more minutes. With a slotted spoon move the onions into the beef broth-DO NOT RINSE SKILLET! We will have further use for it later…

Allow beef and onion broth to cook for a good 2 hours uncovered. In the skillet you cooked the onions in, sauté the beef tips and mushrooms (I use baby portabellas) in the same skillet. (You may have to add some oil). Then put them in the pot, deglaze the skillet with some of the beef broth and add it into the pot. About an hour and a half before serving add the baby carrots and the Yukon gold potatoes. After about a half hour reduce to simmer until carrots and potatoes soften. Serve with a hearty bread-I like Italian sweet bread, but that’s just me.

Discussion: This recipe takes a while. But after you get the beef broth going it does not bear a lot of watching. Do not good wild with the thyme or it will be too strong. Makes sure the onions are well on their way before you introduce the teriyaki. You want the onions to give up their complex sugars on their own. Teriyaki is a blend of soy sauce and a sweet Japanese wine called Merrin. After you ladle out the onions you want that flavor for the meat and mushrooms. I like portabellas because they have good mushroom flavor for the savory part of the dish.

I also like to give the potatoes a quick fry in the skillet as well. I use Yukon gold because they are pretty waxy and I want my broth thick and rich. I like to slice them in quarters.


Big D

French Onion Soup ala Dale

French Onion Soup

Ingredients:

1 soup bone (from butcher)
2 sweet yellow onions-medium large
3 cloves fresh garlic
1 bay leaf
1 pinch of thyme
¼ cup Kikkoman teriyaki
salt to taste
pepper to taste
1 loaf French bread or baguette
1 cup of shredded provolone cheese

Instructions:

Fill a medium kettle with water and bring to a boil, add salt and pepper to taste, pinch of thyme, and one small bay leaf, and the soup bone. Reduce heat to simmer/slow boil.

Slice yellow onions (semi circle), smash 3 cloves of garlic (I put them through a garlic press), coat bottom of skillet with a little extra virgin olive oil, start garlic first to take off the sharpness, and then introduce onions and cook for 30 minutes. Added ¼ cup teriyaki sauce to help caramelize onions, after about 20 minutes add onions to kettle. Cook for 6 hours.

Slice bread to appropriate size and toast in oven for about 3 minutes (your time may vary).
Ladle in soup mixture in bowls or crocks place toasted bread in bowl and cover with cheese bake until cheese melts-serve hot.

Discussion:

This soup takes a long time to make but does not take a lot watching over after the first hour. It is important to cook the soup uncovered at a high simmer or slow boil; we want the soup to reduce. Don’t go crazy with dehydrated thyme or the bay leaves-they’re pretty powerful stuff.

I use teriyaki because it has Soy sauce which is very salty and a wine Merrin. It is a sweet Japanese wine that will add to the carmalization process. When I first start the onions I make sure they get coated with the pressed garlic and plenty of salt. This helps them cook down and the result is very sweet.

I taste this once an hour to make sure that I have enough flavor coming along.

Peking Chicken ala Dale

Peking Chicken ala Dale

Ingredients:

3 boneless Chicken breasts (into small cubes)
2 Large (sweet) carrots
1 can sliced bamboo shoots
1 can sliced water chestnuts
1 cup Chinese pea pods (you will needs to slice)
2 green onions
1 cup mushrooms (shitake if you have them)
2 cloves of garlic
1 table spoon of grated ginger or ginger paste
½ cup of teriyaki sauce (or ¼ soy & ¼ Mirin)
½ cup honey
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
½ cup cashews

Make sauce:

½ cup Teriyaki
½ cup honey
1 table spoon grated ginger
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
1 clove garlic (minced in press)
1 green onion (already sliced)

Cook over low heat

Thinly slice or cube chicken and place in marinade for 1 hour in refrigerator.

Heat wok or cast iron skillet.

Use a neutral tasting oil like corn, canola, or peanut oil (one that can tolerate the high heat) then add another table spoon of ginger and the other clove of garlic to infuse cooking oil.

Add ingredients in this order:

Carrots
Bamboo shoots
Water chestnuts
Pea pods
Other green onion

Stir fry & remove to dish

Add Chicken and some of the marinade; stir fry until chicken is done. Heat the rest of the marinade in a small sauce pot and add 1 teaspoon corn starch.

Re-introduce vegetables stir fry, add mushrooms and cashews and stir fry for about a minute longer until mushrooms are cooked. Top with the sauce when it thickens.

Serve