It’s fun to cook special foods for special occasions. Last week, the Year of the Dragon was welcomed with celebrations and more. Our date book was full – Constant Companion and Daughter were off to their art events and I was working on the 10^th, the Lunar New Year. So I made some Asian-style dishes before the actual holiday. I’m sure the few dishes I served the family are far from authentic, but they tasted good (see other Lunar New Year posts: 2-9-22 and 1-29-20 for years of the Tiger and Rat respectively).

Actually, I’m cheating here and giving an aggregate of Asian-style dishes I prepared recently, not just this past celebratory week. They include entrees credited to Japan, China, and Korea. Who knows if they bear any slight resemblance to foods traditional to those countries. Remember, for all of these dishes, it’s some amount of preparation is recommended; chop everything that’s needed first. Then you are ready as the cooking moves along.

Teriyaki Chicken. This recipe for teriyaki chicken from Bon Appetite was enjoyed by each of us.

Make a slurry with 1 tbsp of cornstarch and 1/3 cup of water in a small bowl. Set aside. Remove the dark green parts of 2 scallions and slice on a diagonal. Set aside. Thinly slice the white and pale green parts and put in a medium bowl. For the sauce, add 1” of peeled, finely chopped and grated ginger, 5 finely grated garlic cloves, ½ cup low sodium soy sauce (I have used plain old, plain old Kikkoman all my life), ¼ cup dark brown sugar, and 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar. Set aside

Heat 3 tbsp vegetable oil in a large skillet or wok. Add 1 ½ pound of thinly sliced, bite-sized strips of boneless chicken thighs or breasts. Cook, undisturbed, until mostly cooked through and golden underneath, about 3 minutes. Toss and continue to cook until completely cooked through, about 1 minute more. Transfer to a plate. 

Pour sauce into same skillet and reduce heat to medium. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly and scraping up browned bits. Stir slurry to combine if it has separated, add to skillet. Cook, stirring often, until sauce thickens, about 3 minutes. Return chicken to pan and toss to coat. Remove pan from heat. Top chicken teriyaki with toasted sesame seeds and reserved scallion greens. Serve with steamed white rice. 

Miso Shrimp. I admit, I have no idea what recipe I used for this dish! It’s not saved in my on-line recipe file and I’m not up to searching through my library of cookbooks. Here goes, let’s try to reconstruct from photos!

I had the usual ingredients for most Asian recipes: scallions, ginger, garlic, lemon in lieu of lime, oil, miso, and mirin.* Of course, shrimp and some type of totally untraditional noodles. I imagine the scallions were sliced as in the teriyaki chicken above, with some reserved to finish the dish. Thinly slice the garlic and ginger. Add a little oil to the wok, then some mirin and a good measure of miso, stir gently to dissolve. The garlic and ginger were added and cooked a minute or two, then the shrimp were added and cooked til no longer pink.

At the end, add a squeeze or two of lemon juice to brighten the dish. Serve with rice or noodles. Top with sliced scallions. The family enjoyed this dinner if my memory serves me right!

*My apologies, no measurements are given!

Chicken and Green Bean Stir-Fry. This 2017 Bon Appetite recipe was recently reposted and I thought I’d give it a try. It as a hit with the family.

Toss 1 pound thinly sliced boneless chicken thighs or breasts, 1 ½ tsp cornstarch, ½ tsp red pepper flakes (I omitted), a pinch of salt, and 1 Tbsp. soy sauce in a medium bowl. Next, stir 2 tbsp each rice wine vinegar, Shaoxing wine (Chinese rice wine) or dry sherry wine, and remaining soy sauce in a small bowl.

Heat 1 Tbsp. oil in a large skillet or wok over high. Add scallions, cut into 1-inch pieces on the diagonal and a 2” piece of ginger, peeled, thinly sliced. Cook about 2 minutes. Add 12 ounces of green beans, trimmed, halved crosswise (about 4 cups) with a pinch of salt. Cook, tossing often, until green beans are crisp-tender, about 4 minutes. Set aside.

Heat 1 Tbsp. oil in same wok over high. Add chicken mixture and arrange slices in a single layer in skillet. Cook, undisturbed, until chicken is browned, about 1 minute. Toss and continue to cook until meat is no longer pink and cooked through, about a minute or two longer. Pour in wine mixture and green beans, cook, tossing, until sauce is thickened and all ingredients are coated, about 30 seconds. Remove from heat and taste, season with more salt if desired. Yet, another family hit!

Chicken Stir Fry with Baby Bok Choy. I found this recipe in my in-box this past week from a Korean- American blog I enjoy, https://www.koreanbapsang.com,

Cut the 1 chicken breast against the grain (about 1/4-inch thick) into thin bite size pieces . Season with salt (about 1/4 teaspoon) and pepper, and mix well with 1 tbsp cornstarch and 1 egg white until the chicken is well coated. Set aside.

Cut the stem of each 3-4 baby bok choy and separate the leaves or regular bok choy cut in small pieces. Rinse a couple of times and drain well. Thinly slice the 2 garlic cloves and julienne the 1” chunk (description in original recipe) ginger.

Heat a large non-stick skillet or wok over high heat. Add a tablespoon of oil. Add the chicken in one layer and cook until they are no longer pink, about a minute each side. The chicken does not need to be cooked through. Set aside. Reheat the skillet over high heat. Add a tablespoon of the oil. Stir in the garlic and ginger, cook just enough to infuse the oil with flavor. Add the 1 tbsp. rice wine, cook for a minute. Pour in ½ cup chicken broth (or water), ½ tbsp oyster sauce (or soy sauce and sugar), boil for a couple of minutes.

This was a very tasty, but mild dish, served with rice. Constant Companion and I enjoyed kimchi on the side.

What will I cook next? What will I mine or excavate from my freezer and selection of fresh vegetables? Only time will tell.