Chinese Green Beans with Pork

I think of my friend MaryEllen as the queen of stir fries. Pretty much any Asian stir fry on this blog came from her. This recipe for Chinese Green Beans with Pork is based on her recipe, but modified a bit based on what I had in my pantry and fridge.

This was a great way to use up 2 lone pork chops I found in the freezer. Green beans have been hit or miss for us this year but this was a good batch. Simple, tasty, and quick - my idea of a great weeknight dinner.

Chinese Green Beans with Pork
Modified from Mary Ellen’s Cooking Creations

1 tablespoon sesame oil
2 pork chops cut into very small pieces
1 lb washed and trimmed green beans
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 cups chicken stock
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons oyster or hoisin sauce
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 heaping teaspoon chili garlic sauce
Freshly ground black pepper
1-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and grated
2 tablespoons Shaohsing rice wine
1 small bunch scallions, sliced thin
white rice or spaghetti/angel hair, cooked, for serving

Heat a large skillet over high heat. Add the sesame oil then add the pork and sauté for 3-5 minutes until the meat is mostly cooked. Add the green beans and garlic and sauté 1 minute. Combine the stock, cornstarch, oyster or hoisin sauce, soy sauce, chili garlic sauce, pepper and grated ginger, then add to the skillet. Bring to a boil. Continue cooking over high heat for 7-9 minutes longer, stirring frequently, until beans are slightly tender but still have some crispiness to them.

Stir in the scallions and rice vinegar, and cook one minute longer. Serve over cooked rice or noodles.

Chinese Orange Beef Stir-Fry

I'm a huge fan of Chinese food but with Baby Girl's nut allergy it isn't something we can indulge in often. That's where make-at-home versions of our favorite dishes come into play. While I've never ordered Orange Beef Stir-Fry at a restaurant, Amy's picture was so drool-inducing I couldn't wait to make it.

The flavors in this dish were so bright - the powerful citrus punch, the salty soy sauce and the heat from the chile garlic sauce all came together beautifully. It took all my will power not to eat two servings at dinner that night. And Baby Girl positively loved this, making all kinds of yummy noises and asking for more beef.

The next day I took my leftovers and served it over angel hair pasta, which is my new favorite way of eating Chinese food leftovers.

The best part about this dish is once you get everything prepped (and there really isn't much to prep) the whole dish takes less than 10 minutes to cook. The rice takes longer than that. Such a quick and easy weeknight meal.

Chinese Orange Beef
As seen on Very Culinary, adapted from America’s Test Kitchen

Zest from a small orange
1/2 cup orange juice
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 tablespoons soy sauce (low-sodium or gluten free)
2 teaspoons chili garlic sauce
2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
2 teaspoons cornstarch
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
1 pound fresh green beans, ends cut, trimmed into 2-inch pieces
1 1/2 pounds sirloin, sliced thinly then into 2-inch wide pieces
2 scallions, chopped

In a medium bowl, whisk together the orange zest, orange juice, brown sugar, vinegar, soy sauce, chili garlic sauce, ginger and cornstarch.

In a large nonstick skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the green beans and stir for about 4-5 minutes until crisp-tender and brown in some spots. With a slotted spoon, transfer them to a large bowl. Pat the sirloin dry with paper towels; add to the pan, spreading the pieces out in an even layer. Cook, without stirring, for 1 minute. Toss and transfer to the bowl with the green beans.

Whisk the orange juice mixture then add it to the pan. Cook, scraping up any brown bits, until thickened, about 2 minutes. Add sirloin and green beans back to the pan, along with any accumulated juices. Add the scallions; toss to coat.

Serve over rice or pasta.

Oyster Sauce Tofu with Bok Choy

Funny story about this recipe.

SP does the grocery shopping. I put baby bok choy on the shopping list, specifying that I needed 4 of them. I checked the crisper drawer a few days later and discovered he'd purchased 4 bunches of baby bok choy, as in almost 2 POUNDS of baby bok choy. Ha! Thankfully it freezes well so we can enjoy it another time.

As soon as this recipe for Oyster Sauce Chicken with Bok Choy popped up in my Google Reader I knew I had to make it. I also knew I wanted to sub tofu for the chicken. It was a great sub - this was truly delicious and the tofu actually soaked up the flavors of the sauce. I think I'm going to change my cooking method from now on.

As it turns out, 4 baby bok choy and 4 shiitake mushrooms weren't nearly enough for our tastes. I used 2 bunches, or approximately 8-10 baby bok choy. The mushrooms all but disintegrated into the dish so I'm increasing the amount needed in the recipe below. The sauce was delicious - I'm glad I doubled the original recipe so there was enough of it. Yum!

I served this over rice noodles with some egg rolls on the side.

Oyster Sauce Tofu with Bok Choy
Modified from Blissfully Delicious

1 block tofu, pressed and drained
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups vegetable or chicken stock
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons oyster sauce
2 tablespoons light soy sauce
1 heaping teaspoon Sriracha
Freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and grated
2 tablespoons Shaohsing rice wine
10 fresh shiitake mushrooms, sliced
10 baby bok choy, white parts cut into 1-inch pieces leaving green parts whole
2 large scallions, thinly sliced

Cut the tofu into bite-size pieces. Bring a pot of water to a boil, add salt and tofu. Cook 5 minutes. Drain on a plate lined with paper towels.

In a smaller bowl, combine the stock, cornstarch, oyster sauce, soy sauce, Sriracha and black pepper. Mix well and set aside.

Heat a wok or non-stick skillet over high heat and, when the wok starts to smoke, add the oil. Add the tofu and ginger. Let settle for 1 minute, and then stir occasionally for 3 minutes. As the tofu starts to turn brown and crispy, add the rice wine and stir-fry for 30 seconds. Add the mushrooms and bok choy stalks and cook for 1 minute. Stir in the reserved sauce and bring to a boil, then stir in the bok choy leaves and cook for another minute. Remove from the heat and stir in half the scallions. Transfer to a serving dish, garnish with the remaining scallions and serve immediately.

Spicy Garlic and Ginger Chicken with Green Beans

I've been trying to perfect Chinese-style dishes at home since we don't have a good Chinese restaurant nearby. Christine raved about this recipe for Spicy Garlic and Ginger Chicken with Green Beans so I knew I had to try it.

I used the leftover green beans from Thanksgiving since they were already steamed and needed to be used up anyway. This came together in no time and was delicious, with a nice, mild heat from the Sriracha thanks to the sugar.

Spicy Garlic and Ginger Chicken with Green Beans
As seen on Christine's Kitchen Chronicles

3 tablespoons reduced sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
2 teaspoons sugar
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons fresh grated ginger
1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable, divided
2 teaspoon chili sauce (recommend Sriracha!)
2 teaspoon cornstarch, dissolved in 4 tsp cold water
1 lb chicken breast, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
3-4 cups green beans, steamed
Sesame oil
Sesame seeds

Combine the soy sauce, vinegar sugar, garlic, ginger, 1/2 tablespoon of vegetable oil, and chili sauce in a bowl. Whisk to combine and then set aside.

In a large non-stick skillet, add remaining 1 tablespoon of vegetable and heat until shimmering. Add the chicken and cook until white and nearly cooked through, about 5 minutes. Add the steamed green beans to the skillet. Pour in sauce mixture and allow to simmer for 2 minutes. Add the cornstarch slurry. Return to a simmer and cool until thickened (it should coat a spoon).

Drizzle with sesame oil and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Serve over rice.

Allergy note - I left out the sesame oil and seeds because of Baby Girl's nut allergy (according to the research I've done it isn't safe).

Beef and Broccoli

I've attempted homemade Chinese food many times and while the dishes are generally pretty tasty they always seem to be lacking something. The photo that accompanied Sally's Beef and Broccoli post had me hooked. Beef and Broccoli was my go-to dish at Chinese restaurants when I was a kid. I would go to a local spot with my grandmother once a week and I always ordered it, usually with extra sauce. It was thick and rich and so, so good I can almost taste it as I'm typing this post.

My sauce wasn't as thick and richly dark as the dish from my childhood, but this was spot-on in terms of flavor. I doubled the sauce recipe below since I love extra sauce and I wish I'd done it when I made the dish - the sauce really made it perfect. I also needed more sauce for the marinade - the original recipe didn't coat all the beef. This is a real winner.

Beef and Broccoli
As seen on Bewitching Kitchen, adapted from Simply Recipes

1 pound flank steak or sirloin, sliced thinly across the grain
1 pound broccoli florets
2 tablespoons grape seed oil
1 yellow bell pepper, seeded, cut in slices
1 clove garlic, very finely minced
1 tablespoon cornstarch, dissolved in 2 tablespoons water

For the beef marinade
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon Chinese rice wine (or dry sherry)
1 tablespoon cornstarch
Freshly ground black pepper

For the sauce
4 tablespoons oyster sauce
1 tablespoon Chinese rice wine (or dry sherry)
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1/2 cup chicken broth (or water)

Start by marinating the beef: mix all ingredients in a bowl, add the pieces of beef and stir to coat the slices. Let it stand for 10 minutes, while you prepare the sauce and blanch the broccoli.

Make the sauce by mixing the oyster sauce, rice wine (or sherry), soy sauce, and chicken stock (or water) in a small bowl. Reserve. Place the broccoli in boiling salted water for 2 minutes. Drain very well and reserve.

Heat a large frying pan or wok over high heat until a bead of water sizzles and instantly evaporates upon contact. Add the cooking oil and swirl to coat. Add the yellow bell pepper and cook it for a couple of minutes, stirring constantly, until it begins to soften. Remove and reserve. Make sure the pan is again very hot, and add the slices of beef, spreading them out all over the surface of the wok or pan in a single layer (preferably not touching). Let the beef fry undisturbed for 1 minute. Flip the beef slices over, add the garlic and reserved bell pepper to the pan and fry for an additional 30 seconds to 1 minute until the beef is cooked through.

Pour in the sauce, add the blanched broccoli and bring to a boil. Pour in the dissolved cornstarch and cook, stirring, until the sauce boils and thickens, 30 seconds. Serve over rice.

Spicy Basil Chicken

In an effort to declutter our very tiny townhouse I've been going through old issues of cooking magazines and ripping out the pages with the recipes I want to make instead of saving the entire magazine. This recipe for Spicy Basil Chicken is one I wanted to make and then I saw it on Nicole's blog and again on Elly's blog and knew I needed to make it soon. We really enjoy stir fries, especially the ease of making them.


Since I knew Elly was planning to make it with sugar snap peas I decided to buy some at the store to serve alongside. Then she said she ended up throwing them into the stir fry and I thought that was a great idea. One less pan and a more interesting stir fry = a win. We enjoyed this dish, but both felt like it needed more than just the chicken and basil. I was glad Elly had mentioned the snap peas or this would have been a pretty boring stir fry. I think more veggies are a must, maybe some peppers or asparagus or even spinach.

Spicy Basil Chicken
Cooking Light, as seen on Elly Says Opa!

2 teaspoon canola oil
2 shallots, minced
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 lbs, boneless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 tablespoons fish sauce
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
4 teaspoons sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon chile garlic sauce
2 teaspoons water
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1/3 cup basil leaves, sliced
8 oz sugar snap peas, sliced
Optional - additional veggies like carrots, peppers, asparagus, etc.
1 1/2 cups, dry rice, cooked according to package directions

Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add shallots and garlic to pan; cook for 30 seconds or until fragrant. Add chicken to pan; cook 13 minutes or until chicken is done.

Whisk fish sauce and the next 6 ingredients (through cornstarch) together in a small bowl. Add sugar snap peas and any additional veggies to the pan. Allow to cook until tender then add fish sauce mixture to pan, and cook for 1 minute or until mixture thickens, stirring to coat chicken. Remove from heat. Stir in basil. Serve with rice.

Chicken and Broccoli Stir Fry

My friend Melissa recently raved about a stir fry recipe she had thrown together one weeknight. I'm a sucker for a good stir fry and I'm trying to make more of them because they're so simple. Unfortunately I've made plenty of stir fries that don't have very good flavor, but since Melissa only blogs recipes that are fantastic I knew this Chicken and Broccoli Stir Fry would be great.


As expected, this was truly outstanding. Garlicky, gingery, and just slightly spicy (I can't believe I'm saying this but it could have used a tad more kick). The chicken was tender and moist and the broccoli was still crispy. It tasted like the best version of chicken and broccoli I've ever had from a Chinese restaurant. I couldn't believe I made it at home, it was that good. SP felt it needed something, maybe more spice, and I suggested water chestnuts, but he said we need to stop putting so much pressure on the poor water chestnut to solve all our problems. Ha. I still think they'd go well with the dish.

Try this soon. You won't be disappointed.

Chicken and Broccoli Stir Fry
Alosha's Kitchen

1 1/4 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs, cut into bite-sized pieces
6 scallions, whites only, thinly sliced on an angle (slice and reserve all the tops for garnish)
4 cloves garlic, grated or minced divided*
1 1/2-inch piece peeled fresh ginger, grated or minced, divided*
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 tablespoon + 1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 tablespoon + 1/4 teaspoon Kosher salt
2 tablespoons xiaoxing wine (or dry sherry)
2 tablespoons dark sesame oil
About 1/2 cup water
4 tablespoons neutral oil
5 broccoli crowns, chopped, separated into florets and stems
1-2 teaspoons Sriracha sauce (chile sauce)
2 tablespoons oyster sauce

In a medium bowl, toss the chicken with the scallion whites, half the garlic and ginger, soy sauce, sugar, 1/2 tablespoon cornstarch, 1/2 tablespoon Kosher salt, xiaoxing wine, and sesame oil. Marinate at room temperature for at least 15 minutes. Mix the remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch with 1/2 cup water and set aside.

Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large nonstick skillet or wok over high heat. Add the broccoli stems, and stir-fry for 30 seconds. Add the florets and the remaining garlic, ginger, 1/4 cup water, 1/4 teaspoon salt and chile sauce. Stir-fry until the broccoli is bright green and tender-crisp, about 4 minutes. You may need to add a tablespoon more water (or two or three) to make sure it stir fries without sticking or searing too much. Transfer to a plate.

Pour another 2 tablespoons oil in the pan and add the chicken mixture. Stir-fry (stir, stir, stir at this point!) until the chicken is brown and cooked through, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the oyster sauce, stir, then return the broccoli to the pan and toss to heat through. Stir in the reserved cornstarch mixture and bring to a boil to thicken (add a couple, few more tablespoons of water to make a bit more sauce, if desired - I did).

Serve over rice, with the reserved scallion greens and extra chile sauce on the side.