Tuesday, June 7, 2011

Food Cravings...

Stir-Fried Sugar Snaps with Shiitake Mushrooms
IMAGE & RECIPE BY:  Grace Young

INGREDIENTS
*You can substitute the shiitake mushrooms with sliced button or cremini mushrooms.*
¼ cup plus 1 tablespoon chicken broth
1 tablespoon Shao Hsing rice wine or dry sherry
2 teaspoons soy sauce
3 tablespoon peanut or vegetable oil
1 tablespoon minced ginger
8 medium fresh shiitake, stems removed and caps quartered (4 ounces)
8 ounces sugar snap peas, strings removed  (2 ½ cups)
½ teaspoon salt

METHOD
1. In a small bowl combine ¼ cup of the broth, rice wine, and soy sauce.
2. Heat a 14-inch flat-bottomed wok or 12-inch skillet over high heat until a bead of water vaporizes within 1 to 2 seconds of contact. Swirl in 2 tablespoons of the oil and add the ginger, and stir-fry 10 seconds or until the ginger is fragrant. Add the mushrooms and stir-fry 30 seconds or until they have absorbed all the oil. Swirl the broth mixture into the wok, cover, and cook 30 seconds to 1 minute or until about only 1 tablespoon of broth remains. Swirl in the remaining 1 tablespoon oil, add the sugar snaps, sprinkle on the salt, and stir-fry 1 minute or until the sugar snaps are bright green. Swirl the remaining 1 tablespoon broth into the wok, and stir-fry 30 seconds to 1 minute or until the sugar snaps are just crisp-tender. Serves 4 as a vegetable side dish.

Food Cravings...

Baby Bok Choy with Yellow Bell Peppers.  
IMAGE & RECIPE BY: Simply Recipes

Ingredients
    * 1 Tbsp grapeseed oil or canola oil
    * 1 Tbsp toasted sesame oil
    * 2 large yellow bell peppers, stem and seed pod removed and discarded, sliced (about 2 cups sliced)
    * 4 green onions, chopped, including green parts that are not dried out
    * 1 lb baby bok choy, bottom root ball cut off and discarded, rinsed thoroughly, torn into smaller pieces

Method
1 Heat a tablespoon each of grapeseed (or canola) oil and sesame oil in a large sauté pan on high heat. Add the chopped yellow peppers and green onion, and cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned. (Keep a watch so that the onions don't burn.)

2 Lower the heat and add the bok choy. Stir to coat with the oil in the pan. Cook only until the bok choy has wilted. The thicker, whiter ends of the baby bok choy should still be somewhat crunchy.

Serve immediately. Serves 4-6 as a side.