Lemon Chick'n and Mango Fried Rice

This is delicious authentic Asian take-away food exactly like the kind you find anywhere except Asia...
Lemon chicken was always one of my favourites when my family got Chinese take-aways, and this is my Mum's recipe for making it at home. I've used Fry's chicken-style strips here, but you can do it with cubes of tofu too, fried salt and pepper tofu style. It makes a pretty fast, impressive and delicious dinner when paired with fried rice, tonight served with a winter vegetable riff on Isa's Mango Fried Rice (with red cabbage and cauliflower and green capsicum, and sans basil).

Chinese Take-away Lemon Chick'n

For the batter, mix together cornflour, salt, pepper and some baking powder (about 1 tsp per 4 Tbsp cornflour). No-Egg is good if you've got it. Add water, one teaspoonful at a time and stirring after each, until a loose batter is formed. Dip your (defrosted) chick'n strips in the batter and fry on each side in hot oil until puffed and golden, and keep warm until ready to serve. You can also deep fry 'em.

For the lemon sauce, combine the following ingredients in a saucepan:
grated rind and juice of 1-2 large lemons (can sub oranges for some or all)*
1/4 - 1 tsp of vege stock powder (be careful here, as stocks vary in strength. Start with a little).
1 Tbsp cornflour
1-3 Tbsp brown sugar (depending on how tart you want it, and if you've put in orange or not)
1 Tbsp grated fresh ginger
1/2 - 1 cup water (again, depending on how concentrated you want it)

Stir until the cornflour has dissolved, then heat until clear and thickened (saucy). Serve the fried chick'n strips with the lemon sauce poured over, and chopped spring onions. Serve with plain rice and fried/steamed vegetables, or for a fancier meal, serve with a dish of fried rice and veges like the one linked to above.

* I like to combine the juices of both fruits so I can cut down the added sugar. It still works out very lemony if you don't put in the orange rind. Obviously, if you sub orange for all, you will have Orange Chick'n, not Lemon, but that's ok. That's a take-away thing too.

The strips:

How to make your stir fry taste like Chinese take-aways...

Sometimes I think I should open a Chinese restaurant in Sweden - I know exactly how to cook inauthentic Chinese food! Tonight's super speedy and very delicious offering was stir-fried vegetables and cashews with hoisin sauce. Hoisin sauce is magic. It's rich, fruity, fermenty, and savoury all at the same time. It transformed something that was pretty much three types of cabbage (according to the Swedish definition) over nasty par-boiled rice (which somebody bought by mistake) into a very satisfying and yummy dinner.

According to my experience with inauthentic Chinese food, and various websites, the Chinese holy trinity of flavours are ginger root, sesame oil and garlic. If you have all these in a meal you are well on your way to it tasting sort of Chinese (and by Chinese, I mean "Chinese", at all times through this post). I like to slice my ginger and garlic into thin slices, so they are identifiable in the stir-fry and don't get too burnt. Other important additions are spring onions, something kind of acidic (Chinese cooking wine, or rice vinegar, or citrus in a pinch), and something salty with a depth of umami flavour (soy sauce, hoisin, black bean).

Then, for the bulk of your stir-fry, try veges like onions, capsicums, broccoli and/or cauliflower florets (and finely chopped stems), carrots sliced into coins on the bias, cabbage, green beans. My favourites are broccoli, carrots and cabbage, which we ate today with cauliflower as well. This isn't fried rice, so put away your frozen peas and corn.

For your protein, you can try Chick'n strips like the one made by Fry's. Or we just went with roasted cashews and sesame seeds. There's a reasonable amount of protein in the veg anyway if you use stuff like cauliflower and broccoli.

As for the actual stir-frying, don't overload the wok. Fry in separate batches if necessary. And fry on a high heat, stirring lots, until you've got the texture you want. Also, don't chuck in all the veg at the same time - onions take much longer to cook than garlic, and broccoli takes less time than cauliflower. Don't fry your spring onion at all - just slice finely into rings and sprinkle over at the end. And if I'm doing the Chick'n thing, I usually fry that separately.

I usually fry in a neutral oil (like canola) until everything is pretty much done, then add a splash of soya sauce, sesame oil and wine/vinegar (if using citrus, I squeeze it over once I've dished up). Once it's properly done, add your hoisin or black bean sauce, roasted nuts and/or Chick'n, and mix around. Add some chilli sauce if you're keen. Eat over rice, obviously, and sprinkle with sesame seeds and spring onion if desired.

Better than my local Chinese restaurant

One thing I really miss about Wellington is the food. As my Mum says, New Zealand is really starting to wake up to the fact that it is a multicultural Asia-Pacific nation, rather than little England 30 years behind the "motherland". In Wellington you can get delicious Asian food that actually bears some resemblance to the stuff you get in different parts of China, or Vietnam, or Japan, or Malaysia, etc. Sometimes you get fun fusion foods that make the best of local ingredients. In Sweden, the Chinese food I've tried hardly deserves to be called food, much less Chinese. So I've started learning to cook my favourite Asian food myself - sometimes with heavy moderations based on what ingredients I can find/afford - but often I'm pretty impressed with the result.

Yesterday we had Isa's fabulous Mango Fried Rice, with a side of salt and pepper tofu because we were out of nuts. Varied the veg a bit too - carrots, cabbage and zucchini chopped small, and some mung bean sprouts. All good.


Southeast-Asian lunch

On the weekend I had a group of friends over, and we made Vietnamese summer rolls (example) - a favourite in my family. I was trying to make the most of the final days of warmish weather before rainy autumn sets in. I also like how summer rolls are interactive - like tacos - you just put out little bowls of different ingredients and a bowl of warm water in the centre for softening the wrappers, and people can construct their own. (In Vietnam they even have a chain restaurant called Wrap and Roll).

Summer rolls

(gluten-free if using tamari instead of soya sauce)

What I put in mine usually depends on what I have on hand, but I usually make a base of
- mung bean or rice vermicelli noodles (lightly seasoned with sesame oil so that they don't clump together)
 
Then add:
- grated carrot tossed with some lime juice to prevent browning
- mung bean sprouts
- finely chopped roasted peanuts
- fresh herbs (at least one of mint, coriander, thai basil).

Other good vege accompaniments are:
- thin staves of cucumber and/or capsicum
- avocado

For protein you can either upp the peanuts, or add some marinated tofu, tempeh or soy/wheat meat.
I like this marinade.

For dipping sauce I usually just mix soya sauce, rice vinegar, lime juice, chilli flakes and a little sugar together.

Coconut Agar

For dessert I made coconut agar jellies based on this recipe (using soy milk instead of cow) from the wonderful Shesimmers. I separated the coconut mixture into two loaf tins, and only made half of the coffee mixture which I layered with the coconut in one tin. For the other, I blended the flesh of a mango and a little sugar with some soy milk and then followed the same procedure with the agar-agar. Both were delicious, and even better the next day, for some reason. They weren't quite like the coconut agar I'm used to having at Chinese yum char restaurants in Wellington (the recipe was for Thai jellies), which are more coconutty and don't have the other layers. Next time I might try going all coconut and put in some dessicated coconut soaked in coconut milk (as per my genius Mum's suggestion).

The jellies were very pretty when cut into diamond shapes or hearts and stars using biscuit cutters. We ate them with fresh berries supplied by one of my lovely guests, which set off the tastes and colours beautifully.

Brown Rice and Mung Bean Risotto

I can't remember where I got this from, but it is a staple in our weeknight repertoire. Although it takes a little while to cook, the prep is really easy (especially for a vegan meal), and it tastes a lot fancier than you'd expect for such a simple one-pot meal.

INGREDIENTS
(serves at least 4)

300g mung beans, soaked overnight
4 Tbsp oil (or use some vegan margarine for some of it for a butterier taste)
1 1/2 large onions, diced
450g brown rice (doesn't have to be arborio, but better if you steer clear of longer grains like basmati)
1.4L stock (hot)
3 Tbsp white wine or wine vinegar
6 Tbsp chopped fresh herbs (we usually use the frozen Provencale mix in Sweden)
300g frozen green peas
salt and pepper
juice of one lemon
toasted pumpkin and/or sunflower seeds to serve (or pine nuts if you're fancy)

METHOD

1. In a large, heavy bottomed pot with a lid, heat the oil to medium high. Fry the onions for three minutes or so.
2. Stir in the beans and rice. Add the stock and wine/vinegar, and bring to a boil.
3. Cover the pot and simmer gently for 30-40 minutes until everything is tender and the liquid is absorbed. It's ok if it's a bit soupy, though. Remove from heat and add the peas, stirring to combine.
4. Add the herbs, salt and pepper to taste, and the lemon juice and stir through.
5. Serve hot, sprinkled with toasted seeds.

To up the vege content, I would recommend fried zucchini rounds on the side, or some steamed greens like beans, asparagus or broccoli.

Carrot and Rice Soup

This is the easiest soup, and I love it because it is so colourful and hearty even though it has hardly any ingredients. My Mum gave me this recipe, and it has been a staple of my student days even since I left home.

INGREDIENTS
(serves 2-3 hungry people as a main dish)

500g carrots, thinly sliced
1 large onion, thinly sliced
4-5 cloves garlic, finely chopped
sprig of fresh thyme or 2 tsp dried
4 cups stock
4 Tbsp rice (white or brown ok)

(for a spicier version, use 3 cloves garlic, and add 1/2 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 tsp ginger powder, 1 tsp ground cumin, 1/4 tsp allspice, and a handful of fresh coriander)

METHOD

1. Sweat the veges and herbs (and spices, if using) in a small amount of olive oil for 15 mins or so until softened.
2. Add the stock and the rice and simmer until everything is very tender.
3. Puree in a blender (though I've even eaten it unblended in a pinch).
4. Serve hot. Optional addititions include oat or soy creamer, or rice milk, and/or cashew nuts on top. Also good with herb and garlic toast.

Mum's been throwing herself into vegan cooking, with an inspired orzo casserole and a coconut rice pudding. She's a total genius!  

Orzo Casserole with Nutballs
(fed a hungry family of 6)

INGREDIENTS
1 cup mixed nuts, chopped finely
1 cup fresh wholewheat breadcrumbs
1-2 tsp dried herbs (eg. thyme, oregano)
about 3 cloves fresh garlic, finely chopped
1 'egg's worth of no-Egg
enough vegetable stock to make it all stick

lots of onion and garlic, chopped
1 packet cooked orzo pasta
2 tins crushed tomatoes
2 tsp brown sugar
pinch chilli powder
bread crumbs mixed with olive oil

METHOD
1. Mix together first lot of ingredients and form into small walnut-sized balls. Fry and set aside.
2. Sautee onion and garlic until soft. Mix with the orzo, tomatoes, sugar and chilli powder in a large baking dish. Pop in the meatballs at strategic intervals. Top with the breadcrumbs mixed with oil.
3. Bake at 180 degrees Celsius for 30 mins. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
Mum's very own Coconut Rice Pudding

INGREDIENTS
8 Tbsp short grain rice
4 Tbsp brown sugar
1 can coconut cream (~350mL) + enough soy milk to make 1 L of liquid
2-3 tsp nutmeg

METHOD

1. Stir together all ingredients except nutmeg until well combined. Place in a very lightly greased baking dish and sprinkle with nutmeg.
2. Bake at 135 degrees C for 2-2.5 hours until creamy and liquid mostly absorbed.