Candied Roasted Chestnuts, by Diane

 

This recipe is by @veganbunnyelle, and I thought it would be a cool take on one of my fave winter snacks. It is possible I got a bad batch of chestnuts, because the skins wouldn't peel off the meat itself even though the shells did, but these tasted awful. So, maybe another batch?! Yuck.

Ingredients:

3 tbsp neutral oil

1 tbsp rock sugar (like 10 chunks) (she says on her recipe you can use white sugar if you don't have this)

1 lb chestnuts, scored in an x (see her recipe)

Water

Directions:

1. In a dutch oven or large pot with lid, heat oil over medium heat and add sugar. 

2. Stir continuously until sugar turns amber and melts.

3. Add chestnuts, stir continuously until popping sound slows around 2-3 min.

4. Add water to cover the chestnuts, cover with lid and cook for 25 min on medium heat. 

5. Remove lid and stir, cook with lid off until water completely evaporates. 

6. Enjoy warm or chilled.

Chinese Marinated Ramen Eggs, by Diane

 

I made these for a healthy snack this week as a fun twist on hard boiled eggs. I LOVE these eggs in ramen, they are my favorite part! I overcooked these by a minute, and wished they would have been more jammy, but know what to do for next time! They had a cool flavor and I was happy overall with how they turned out- yum! Marinade recipe by see_jay91 on instagram, egg recipe by justonecookbook.com

Ingredients:

12 eggs

2 star anise pods

1 scallion, green and white parts, cut into 1/3rds

4 inches ginger, sliced into thick coins

2 cups chicken stock

1 cup water

1/2 cup shao xing wine

2 tbsp rock sugar

1/3 cup chinese soy sauce

1/4 cup chinese dark soy sauce

Directions:

1. In a large saucepan, toast the star anise pods until fragrant. Add scallion and ginger, toast lightly for 2 min.

2. Add in stock, water, wine, and sugar and stir to combine, bring to a simmer.

3. Add in soy sauces, stir to combine.

4. Chill marinade in the fridge until completely cooled.

5. To make the eggs, bring a large pot of water plus 1 tsp salt and 1 tsp vinegar to a rolling boil. Add in eggs with a slotted spoon straight from the fridge. Set a timer for 7 minutes at the time of the addition of the first egg and cook until that ends.

6. Remove the eggs directly into an ice bath for 15 min, then peel.

7. Add the peeled eggs to the marinade, cover the top of the liquid with a paper towel, and cover with lid. Let sit for 24 hours minimum. 

Tomato Egg, by Diane

 

This recipe comes from my new favorite instagram chef, Kristina Cho. She describes it as Chinese comfort food that every house makes differently, and this is her family recipe. I really was intrigued, and decided to make it for dinner one night. It was really unique and very comforting, and easy to make! My only complaint was that the ginger flavor was far too strong, and I used much less than the recipe called for. I also had some colorful cherry tomatoes on hand so used those, but definitely did not use the same amount of tomatoes as her, so next time would try it with the roma tomatoes instead as hers came out much more tomato looking. 

Ingredients:

2 tbsp olive oil

1 inch knob ginger, cut into matchsticks

4 cups roma tomatoes (about 5), rough chopped

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp white pepper

1/2 tsp red chili flakes

1 tsp sesame oil

1.5 tbsp oyster sauce

1/2 cup water

2 tbsp cornstarch 

2 eggs, whisked

1/3 cup green onions

Directions:

1. Heat oil in skillet over medium high heat, add ginger and cook 1-2 min until fragrant. 

2. Add tomatoes through oyster sauce, cook 5-8 min until jammy. 

3. Whisk cornstarch and water into a slurry in a small bowl, stir into the tomato mixture until thickened 2-3 min and reduce heat to simmer.

4. Drizzle the eggs over the mixture and don't stir until just set about 2 min. 

5. Gently stir in most of the green onions, leaving some for garnish. Don't stir too much!

6. Serve with steamed rice and top with remaining green onions.

Chicken and Cabbage Spring Rolls, by Diane

 

My family and I made these for the superbowl and these were such a hit! They are another recipe from Kristina Cho, and this is her mom's recipe but in a baked version. We used the air fryer, and could only find egg roll wrappers, but both of these changes made them taste crispy, crunchy and amazing! I had them for lunch and for dinner today too! You can literally fill these with anything and they were SO easy to make- they really tasted quite like egg rolls in Chinese restaurants except with less grease. Next time we want to try a classic version with pork, shrimp, and carrots, but these were a big hit as is! Rolling instructions and photos here.

Ingredients:

1 package spring roll wrappers (we used egg roll and whoa this made it so crunchy!)

1.5 lbs chicken breast, diced small

1 tbsp oil plus more for cooking

4 tbsp oyster sauce, divided

1 heaping tbsp cornstarch

1/2 tsp salt, divided

1/2 tsp white pepper, divided

1 small head green cabbage, shredded

3 stalks green onion, sliced (both green and white parts)

2 tsp sesame oil

1 bundle bean thread noodles

1/4 cup each water and flour (we didn't need this for the egg roll wrappers)

Cooking spray

Spring roll sauce for serving

Directions:

1. Mix chicken breast, 1 tsp oil, 2 tbsp oyster sauce, cornstarch, and 1/4 tsp each salt and pepper. Marinate for 30 minutes or overnight.

2. Heat 2 tbsp oil in a skillet over medium high, cook cabbage 5 min until wilted, spread on a baking tray to cool.

3. Add 2 tbsp oil to the same skillet and cook the chicken until browned and mostly cooked through. Transfer to the baking sheet with the cabbage.

4. Bring a pot of water to boiling and submerge noodles for 2-3 minutes, drain, then cut with scissors to bite size pieces. Add to the baking tray to cool.

5. Once cooled, mix together in a bowl with green onion, remaining 2 tbsp oyster sauce, remaining 1/4 tsps of salt and pepper, and sesame oil.

6. If using spring roll wrappers, mix flour and water into a paste for sealing (no need to do this step for the egg roll wrappers). For both wrappers, place it in front of you like a diamond and place the filling in the bottom 1/3 closest to you. Roll the bottom corner over tightly, roll in the sides careful not to leave any gaps, then roll tightly to close. Place seam side down on a baking tray until ready to cook.

7. Cook in the air fryer at 350 for 15 minutes, spraying the tops and flipping halfway then spraying the tops again. Serve with spring roll sauce.

Pork Floss and Seaweed Pull-Apart Rolls, by Diane

 

I have been following a chef on Instagram, Kristina Cho, and she just published a cookbook called Mooncakes and Milkbread which is full of recipes for sweet and savory Chinese pastries. It's the first time I've looked at a baking challenge and thought I'd like to try making them, plus I love Asian bakeries. Yesterday it was a snow day here, and I thought what a great way to fill the day by making this recipe, which I've had my eye on for a while. Her cookbook is backordered, but this recipe was published in Bon Appétit. 

I was floored that these came out so well. I had several moments where I was sure I messed up the dough, including yeast that didn't ferment in milk causing me to borrow milk from a neighbor during the storm, and not having a stand mixer so not being sure how long to mix the dough by hand. These tasted WAY better than any one I've had in a Chinese bakery, which also really surprised me! This is partly due to her famous milkbread recipe, which is soft and pillowy and just slightly sweet. Overall, these made 8 craveable and super fun rolls, and I had been anticipating they wouldn't be so good but here we all are trapped in the house together...

I did a few things differently than her recipe- I used a shrimp flavored furikake because I like the way pork and shrimp go together (in the end I couldn't taste the shrimp but everything blended so well!). I also had some leftover fried garlic and onion from an Indonesian recipe so sprinkle that on top as well with the sesame seeds- definitely a great addition. 

I can't say enough about what a surprise hit these were, so savory and sweet and the dough was just soft and pillowy and comforting. I would definitely make these again, for when more people were in the house... I also loved the freeze and reheat instructions! FYI, this recipe takes about 5-5.5 hours to complete from start to finish.

Ingredients:

Dough:

1 cup milk, divided (I had to use half and half here since my first batch didn't ferment and it was fine)

2 tbsp plus 2 2/3 bread flour, divided, plus some for flouring surface

1 tsp active dry yeast

A pinch plus 1/4 cup sugar

1 large egg

1/2 tsp diamond crystal or 1/4 tsp morton kosher salt

4 tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature, cut into pieces

1 tsp vegetable oil

Filling/Assembly:

1/2 cup Kewpie mayo

1 cup pork floss

1/4 cup thinly sliced scallions

2 tbsp furikake

Nonstick cooking spray

1 large egg

1 tbsp milk or heavy cream

1 tsp toasted sesame seeds

(I also added 2 tsp fried garlic and onion bits)

Directions:

1. Cook 1/4 cup plus 3 tbsp milk and 2 tbsp bread flour in a small saucepan over low heat, whisking constantly until thickened into a paste 2-3 min (mine never did so I added a bit more flour). Transfer this mixture, called tangzhong, to a small bowl and let sit until warm (should resemble mashed potatoes), 5-10 min. 

2. Bring remaining 1/2 cup plus 1 tbsp milk to a gentle rolling simmer over medium heat. Pour milk into a small bowl and let cool until warm to the touch (110 degrees). Stir in yeast and a pinch of sugar and let sit until foamy, 5-10 min. (I had to sprinkle and stir the yeast in as my first batch clumped).

3. Combine egg, salt, remaining 2 2/3 cup bread flour and remaining 1/4 cup sugar in a stand mixer w dough hook. Add in tangzhong and yeast mixture and mix on low speed until a shaggy dough forms. Add 1 piece of butter at at time, mixing until incorporated, then increase speed to medium high until dough is tacky and slightly sticky about 8-10 min. Transfer the dough to a floured surface, wet hands and form into a ball. (I just used my hands for all of these steps until it formed a tight ball and was a bit sticky). 

4. Coat a large bowl with oil and turn the dough until all sides are covered in oil. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit in a warm draft free spot for about 2 hours until doubled in size. 

5. Roll dough on a floured surface to 18x10". Spread mayo over dough, then sprinkle pork floss, scallions, and furikake. Roll it up lengthwise into a tight log and pinch the ends and remove. Turning log seam side down, cut into 8 equal pieces.

6. Coat a 10" diameter cake pan with cooking spray, arrange rolls leaving a small gap between each one. Cover with a damp tea towel and let rise until doubled in size, about 1-1.5 hours in a warm draft free place.

7. Preheat oven to 350. Whisk egg and 1 tbsp milk/cream in a bowl and lightly brush the tops with this mixture. Sprinkle sesame seeds on the tops (and garlic/onions if using).

8. Bake for 28 min until golden brown (I needed maybe another 3). Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let cool in pan until warm.

9. If storing, chill in airtight container in fridge (warm at 300 degrees until warmed through about 5 min or 30-45 sec in microwave) or freezer (bake 350 for 10-15 min).

Mongolian Chicken, by Diane

 

This was another super delicious recipe from @iheartumami! She converts Chinese family recipes into healthy Whole30 recipes, and they are typically awesome. The flavors of this were amazing, and this took no time to whip up! I think I would change the cooking method of the chicken to her recipe for Orange Chicken, which gets magically crispy in the oven, as I hate frying batches of things. Otherwise this was perfect!!

Ingredients:

1.25 lbs chicken, thin sliced 

1/2 tsp each sea salt, garlic powder, onion powder

1/4 tsp white pepper

4 tbsp arrowroot powder

4-5 tbsp Avocado or coconut oil

3 garlic cloves, sliced thin

1/2 large shallot, sliced thin

2 tbsp ginger, julienned

4 scallions, (cut whole bulbs, then slice tops and keep separate)

8 dried Chinese red peppers (crack a few if you want heat)

2 red Fresno chiles (I skipped bc this made it really spicy)

2 tbsp coconut aminos

1 tsp hot sauce

1 tbsp rice wine vinegar

1 tsp toasted sesame oil 

Directions:

1. Make sure the chicken is sliced 1/4 to 1/8 inch thin, and cut into bite size pieces. Toss with sea salt through arrowroot powder and set aside.

2. Prep garlic through chiles in one bowl, and aminos through sesame oil in another. Set aside.

3. Heat a wok or large pan to medium high, add in avocado or coconut oil, and place chicken in batches when the oil is hot. Cook 3 min each side until golden and crispy, then repeat with leftover chicken- add in oil as needed. Set aside.

4. Add another tsp of oil to the pan if needed, then add garlic mixture with 2 pinches of salt for one minute. 

5. Add in chicken and sauce, stir for 30 seconds and remove from heat.

Whole30 Orange Chicken, by Diane

 

This is another of @iheartumami’s family recipes with a Whole30 twist! This was a really interesting method to get chicken crispy without frying, and the sauce was flavorful (I doubled the amount of aminos to get it perfect for me). 

Ingredients:

1.5 lbs chicken, cut into bite size pieces

1/4 tsp salt

1/8 tsp black pepper

1 tsp baking soda

Coconut oil 

2 tbsp + 1/2 tbsp arrowroot powder 

3-4 cloves garlic, minced

2 thin slices ginger, minced plus 1 tsp grated ginger

1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

1 tbsp orange zest

1/3 cup orange juice

4 tbsp coconut aminos

3 tbsp apple cider vinegar

2 scallion stalks, chopped

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425. Place a baking sheet in the oven while it preheats.

2. Toss the chicken in a bowl with the salt, pepper, baking soda, and 2 tbsp arrowroot to coat. Place in the fridge until the oven is ready. 

3. Once the oven is ready, remove the baking sheet and coat with 2 tbsp oil, then place the chicken evenly spaced on the sheet. Bake on lower rack for 10 minutes.

4. While the chicken cooks, combine the garlic, minced ginger, and red pepper flakes in a bowl. Set aside. Combine orange zest, juice, aminos, grated ginger, vinegar, and remaining 1/2 tbsp arrowroot powder in a small bowl, and whisk to combine before setting aside.

5. After 10 minutes, flip the chicken and cook until golden and crispy, another 8-10 minutes.

6. While the chicken cooks again, heat a saucepan to medium high, and add 1 tbsp oil. When it’s hot, lower the heat to medium and add the ginger/garlic/red pepper bowl as well as a pinch of salt. Stir 15 seconds until fragrant.

7. Whisk the orange juice bowl once more and add to the pan.  It should thicken as you stir often. Adjust with more arrowroot as needed, and taste your seasonings.

8. When the chicken is done, combine it in the pan with the sauce and toss well. Top with scallions. 

Whole30 Kung Pao Shrimp, by Diane

 This was the entree portion of my cooking through the countries, China edition meal. This recipe comes from @iheartumami’s family recipes, tweaked to make it Whole30 compliant. 

This was a really unique dish! The secret to the taste is Szechuan peppercorns, which taste peppery, lemony, and also make your mouth tingle in a funny way. I wound up taking them out after a few bites, because I liked the dish ok it’s own without the tingling. Contrary to how it looks, it’s actually not spicy- the Chinese dried red chili’s also add an interesting flavor without the heat. This recipe comes together FAST so make sure you have all your ingredients prepped like it says in the recipe. Also- this is the most perfectly cooked shrimp I’ve ever made- what a difference!

Ingredients:

1 lb raw shrimp, peeled and deveined

4 tbsp coconut oil (she suggests avocado but I didn’t have it)

1/8 tsp ground white pepper

1/4 garlic powder

.25 oz ginger, minced (I used about 1.5 inches)

.5 oz garlic, minced (I used 5 small cloves)

1 tsp Szechuan peppercorns 

4 red dried Chinese chili peppers (if you want heat, crack them open first, otherwise leave them whole)

4 scallions, sliced white and green parts

1/4 lb green beans, chopped (this was supposed to be 1 green bell pepper but I can’t have peppers on this protocol, and the green beans were amazing!)

3 tbsp cashews, toasted

2 tbsp coconut aminos

1 tbsp rice wine vinegar

1 tsp arrowroot powder

1 tsp Szechuan chili oil (I couldn’t find this so I omitted it)

Directions:

1. Butterfly the backs of the shrimp by making a shallow incision down the back (don’t cut all the way through). Place in a bowl with white pepper and garlic powder and set in the fridge. 

2. While the shrimp chills, assemble the ginger through chili’s on one plate, and the scallions and green beans on another. Have your cashews on a third plate/bowl.

3. Mix together the final 4 ingredients, whisking well to combine and set aside.

4. In a large saucepan, heat 2 tbsp oil over medium heat. When the pan shimmers, add the shrimp in a single layer and cook one minute each side. Remove and set aside.

5. In the same pan, add remaining 2 tbsp oil and add in ginger through chili’s, cook for 10 seconds. 

6. Turn the heat to medium high and add scallions and green beans, cook for another 10 seconds. 

7. Add back the shrimp and cashews, cook another 10 seconds and add sauce, stirring well for another 10 seconds. Serve hot. 

Grandmother’s Chinese Egg Drop Soup, by Diane

 

This week in cooking through the countries is China! I recently found a blogger I love, @iheartumami, and she shares her family recipes and how to make them Whole30 as well! This was the first course of my China meal. 

Growing up, I loved egg drop soup! But I didn’t realize until I began traveling that the thick gelatinous consistency of egg drop soup I was used to is actually the Chinese-American version. The authentic Chinese version is a bit thinner, with whisps of eggs rather than big chunks. The Chinese version also has a lot more aromatics like ginger, scallion, and sesame oil. 

This was seriously easy to whip up, and tastes as good as any authentic Chinese restaurant I’ve had! I’ll definitely keep this on rotation for winter.

Ingredients:

1.5 lbs chicken thighs, skin on and bone-in

Coarse sea salt

1 tbsp avocado oil (I used coconut)

4 scallions, bulbs separated from stems

1/2 inch ginger, sliced into coins

6 cups chicken bone broth

2 tbsp soy sauce (coconut aminos for Whole30)

2 tbsp cornstarch (arrowroot powder for Whole30)

1/4 tsp white pepper

1/8 tsp turmeric

2 tbsp water

4 eggs

Toasted sesame oil

Directions:

1. Pat the chicken dry and rub with some salt.

2. Heat a large soup pot to medium high heat. Add in oil and chicken thighs. Sear for 3 min per side.

3. Crush the scallion bulbs with a knife and add them into the pot along with ginger.

4. Add in broth and bring to a boil, cover and simmer for 20 min.

5. While the soup cooks, make a slurry of cornstarch/arrowroot, pepper, turmeric, and water. Set aside.

6. Whisk the eggs in a measuring cup and set aside.

7. After 20 min, discard the scallion bulbs and ginger. Remove the chicken and shred the meat, add back to the pot. 

8. Taste and season the broth, adding in soy sauce/aminos. 

9. Add the slurry slowly and stir constantly for 30 seconds. Make sure to stir the slurry before you add it as it will separate.

10. Using a pair of chopsticks or a fork, constantly stir the soup at the same time as you pour the eggs in a slow stream from high above. Leave the eggs to sit for a few seconds after this is done, then break up lightly with chopsticks.

11. Serve hot topped with sliced scallion tops and a drizzle of toasted sesame oil.