Bibimbap!!

We love bibimbap!!!!!! It's probably one of my most favorite meals ever. When we lived in China we lived above a Korean restaurant and I would go down every week to get a hot stone bibimbap bowl and my son loved the kimbap. So delicious!!!

The best part about having Korean Beef Bowls so often is that we can take the leftovers (when there are leftovers) to make bibimbap bowls! Thank goodness for Lifesaving Leftovers!

My kids made the rice, heated up the beef leftovers, peeled and julienned the carrots, fried some eggs, and my husband made the delicious Korean Spinach...https://www.thespruceeats.com/korean-seasoned-spinach-sigumchi-namul-recipe-2118874. One of my kids said don't forget the sesame seeds and Korean sesame seaweed. So so good!!!!

Way to go family!!

Fried Rice Yum Yum!

Fried Rice is definilty a Fish Fam Favorite!

It's quick and simple to make and so delicious. It's best made with leftover refrigerated rice. Today I made it for breakfast. This recipe is vegetarian, but I at different times I do add in cooked chicken, beef, or spam. I don't have an exact measurements of ingredients because it's usually just what I have on hand and make necessary adjustments. But, generally here's what I  do....

Ingredients:

• 2-3 cups leftover rice
• 3 eggs
• 1/2 cup onion
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1/4-1/2 cup corn and peas
• 1 green onion stalk
• 1 Tbsp. avocado oil

• Avocado Oil (enough to keep it from burning)
• White Pepper ( a few dashes
• Soy Sauce (more than less, but don’t over do it)
• Sesame Oil (not too much)
• Rice Vinegar (splashes)

Directions:

• Finely chop garlic cloves and dice onion. Heat up avocado oil in a deep cast iron pan on med. high heat. Not too hot because the garlic burns easily. Add garlic and stir. I like to tilt the pan and have all the oil and garlic to one side so the garlic can infuse in the oil without burning. Then I lay the pan back on the burner and add the onion and stir the onions and garlic around and cook until onions are tender. Then I put the onions and garlic in a serving dish.
• Next I turn down the heat to low medium heat and add a little more oil to coat the pan. I crack my eggs and mix/beat them with a fork. Then pour them into the pan and make scrambled eggs. The eggs cook better on low heat. I add the eggs to the serving dish with the onions and garlic. 
• Turn up the heat and add more oil to generously coat the bottom of the pan. I add in all the rice and use the spatula to break it up the rice. I add in the soy sauce, sesame oil, rice vinegar, white pepper, and a little bit of water. Mix it until it is well incorporated. You can put a lid on it to let the moisture break up and soften the rice. Watch the heat. 
• Add in the onions, garlic, eggs, corn, and peas. Mix it all together. Let it cook for a few mins and stir occasionally. If you want a crispier rice add more oil and turn up the heat a little watching carefully and stirring the bottom of the rice to the top. *More oil makes crispier rice. But just don't add too much.
• Chop up some green onions an toss them in pan at any point or just at the end of cooking.
• Transfer fried rice into the serving dish and enjoy!!

Yum Yum!!

Delicious Potstickers!

I got together with my Oki Native Sisters and we made homemade gyoza!

Everyone brought a couple ingredients each and we had a great time putting them together and of course eating them!!

They are super easy and fun to make. Something I want to do more often with my Fish Fam.

Oh so good!!!

Recipe here at Damn Delicious....

Ingredients:

-1lb. ground pork

-1 cup shredded green cabbage

-3 oz. Shitake mushroom, diced

-2 garlic cloves, pressed

-2 green onions, thinly sliced

-1 tbsp. hosin

-1 tbsp. freshly grated ginger

-2 tsp. sesame oil

-1 tsp. siracha, or more to taste

-1/4 tsp. white pepper

-36 wonton wrappers

-2 tbsp. vegetable oil Soy sauce, for serving

Directions: 

1. In a large bowl, combine pork, cabbage, mushrooms, garlic, green onions, hoisin, ginger, sesame oil, Sriracha and white pepper.
2. To assemble the dumplings, place wrappers on a work surface. Spoon 1 tablespoon of the pork mixture into the center of each wrapper. Using your finger, rub the edges of the wrappers with water. Fold the dough over the filling to create a half-moon shape, pinching the edges to seal.
3. Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add potstickers in a single layer and cook until golden and crisp, about 2-3 minutes per side.
4. Serve immediately with soy sauce, if desired.

Check out her other potstickers here. So many to choose from!!

She has a lot of really good recipies, especially Asian recipes, which we eat a lot of. So check her out!!!

Enjoy!

Pressure Cooker Honey Sesame Chicken

This Pressure Cooker Honey Sesame Chicken looked pretty good so into the Instant Pot it went. The feedback from my oldest was...

"Mom, this is at the top of my favorites now! It's not the first, but it's at the top!"

Well then, there we go! However, my youngest refused to eat it because I added bean sprouts and little seeds. Oh no! Not bean sprouts or sesame seeds. Ha! Sorry buddy, its what's for dinner.

This was quick and easy to make along with a big pot of rice. I always have to make sure I make lots of rice! I really wish I was able to taste for myself, so I could give you feedback, but you'll just have to trust a kid's food critique. Which, I assure you he has good taste in food!

With the right ingredients you've got a healthy meal...

I try very hard to avoid GMO's (genetically modified organisms), unnecessary preservatives/additives, and over processed foods. So I like sticking with these non-gmo, organic, minimally processed food products. FYI, this honey is the BEST! I order mine from Vitacost.com (best price). Also, found at your local health food store and amazon.

This meal also turned into one of my lifesaving leftovers too...

On night number 2 we had the original meal with some steamed broccoli and corn. Then night number 3 there was still some left but not enough for everyone. So, I cut up onions, garlic, and a half a head of cabbage. Once cooked I added the rest of the rice and honey sesame chicken. Then whalla, dinner is served! Lifesaving Leftovers at its best.

Simple Sesame Noodles

The Fish Fam said these noodles were pretty good. One of my kids tried a tasted and said, "Yum, this tastes just like seaweed salad!"

Yes, they liked it, but the husband said maybe next time don't do spaghetti noodles.

I was thinking the same thing. I'll have to try flat rice noodles or some other Chinese noodle. But this recipe was quick and simple. I also added leftover shredded chicken.

Simple Sesame Noodles

By Pioneer Women

• 12 ounces, fluid Thin Noodles, Cooked And Drained
• 1/4 cup Soy Sauce
• 2 Tablespoons Sugar
• 4 cloves Garlic, Minced
• 2 Tablespoons Rice Vinegar
• 3 Tablespoons Pure Sesame Oil
• 1/2 teaspoon Hot Chili Oil
• 4 Tablespoons Canola Oil
• 4 whole Green Onions, Sliced Thin

Whisk all ingredients (except noodles and green onions) together in a bowl. Taste and adjust ingredients as needed.
Pour sauce over warm noodles and toss to coat.
Sprinkle with green onions and toss.
Serve in a bowl with chopsticks. Yummy!

Irresistible Potstickers..

 Who doesn't love jiaozi, shuǐjiǎo, guōtiē, dumplings, aka Potstickers!

My kids sure do, but have you ever made them from scratch?
It's quite the process, but very authentic and so good.

When we lived in China my oldest went to a nursery school and I was welcomed to stay too, which I did some days with my 1yr old, one day we made Jaozi all from scratch. The kids loved it. No one talked at the lunch table and they were gone before we knew it!

These however are far from homemade, they are the all famous Ling Ling Potstickers.
A easy and fast go to frozen food in our house.

I either boil them, which is super super fast and easy, or pan fry them, which isn't that much harder, but the Fish Fam certainly prefers it this way.

To do it up a bit more I chop up fresh mushrooms and green onions, then fry them in butter with some garlic and white pepper.

 Then plate it with steamed calrose rice, green beans, and dipping sauce.

Simply irresistible!

好吃得不得了 Hao chi de bu de liao!!

Translated as: Incredibly Delicious

The One-Bowl Wonder!

Bibimbop (be-bim-bop), is a Korean dish and it's my absolutely favorite.

It translates as "mixed rice." Pretty much it's a one-bowl wonder of steamed rice, sauteed veggies, marinade beef, and a fried egg. Throw on some gochujang (hot paste) and/or Kimchi. Then just stir and mix it all up together in the bowl. It's great way of using up day-old rice and veggies that are less fresh.

I can't even say how much I love eating this!

I marinade the meat in a Korean Beef Bulgogi sauce with some onions.

I'd recommend making your own sauce, something I need to do still.

Chop up any veggies. 

This time I did...carrots, mushrooms, and spinach.

Using my julienne(r) saves so much time.

You can also put...

bean sprouts

zuchinni

seaweed

cucumbers

daikon

etc.

Any veggie that pleases you.

Saute them separately. Sesame oil give a great flavor. 

Then top it with a fried egg.

 Once you have the bowl in front of you add some gochujang (hot paste) found in the Asian cooking isle or search for a homemade recipe, then stir the bowl mixing everything together.

And eat it with some Kimchi too. Umm, yum!

This dish is best served in stone bowls, which I hope to invest in one day.

I love it when they bring out the HOT stone bowl with the egg not cooked thoroughly, so you stir it all together in the bowl and let it keep cooking making the rice nice and crispy too.

So good.

I've always said whenever I can hire a Korean cook to teach me how to make Korean food I'd love that!

Udon Noodle Dish

My husband said this was one of the best noodle dishes he's ever had.

Ha, I'm not so sure about that. But, he definitely lets me know what is good, great, or awesome. Or what is just okay, mediocre, or maybe I shouldn't make that again. Luckily, "maybe you shouldn't make that again" has been rare.

I got the recipe here, but as usual changed it up a little bit.

All the sauce sunk to the bottom of the bowl, so it doesn't look as good as it really should. 

*Which I will eventually get a better picture up sometime.

Just make it and try for yourself....

Ingredients:

- 1 T Oil for frying

- 2-3 cloves of garlic

- Small Onion

- 7 oz Mushrooms

- 1/2 tsp. fresh ginger or 1/4 tsp. ground ginger or to taste.

- Salt & White pepper to taste

- Tofu 1 pkg

- 1/2 Chicken stock

- 3 T Soy Sauce

- 1 tsp Sesame Oil

-18 oz Udon Noodles

- 1 head of Broccoli

Directions:

1.  Chop/mince garlic, onions, and mushrooms.

2.  Peel and grate ginger if you use fresh ginger. 

3.  Heat oil in pan. I used Avocado Oil.

4.  Add the garlic first and let it infuse in the oil 15-30 sec. don't let it burn.

5.  Add fresh ginger or sprinkle ground ginger all over.

6.  Add onions next and sprinkle salt over them while they saute.

7.  Add mushrooms. Stir-fry for a few minutes.

8.  Add the stock, soy sauce, sesame oil, tofu, and green onions, and simmer.

9.  Cook the udon noodles in a pot of boiling salted water for 1 minute. 

10.  Drain and add to the skillet. 

11.  Stir-fry over high heat until heated through. 

13. Steam broccoli florets and add to dish.

*The tofu and broccoli soaked up a lot of the sauce so I made more sauce, but the second time I added 1 tsp cornstarch to thicken it a little bit. If you use cornstarch to thicken just make sure you add it to the cold chicken stalk and mix, then add to pan, and stir it around.  

*Also, gauge your timing with boiling the udon noodles and steaming the broccoli. If you don't want to be waiting for them to cook and add to the dish. 

  

Perfect Fried Rice

 Fried Rice is a simple dish, but getting it right to taste like awesome fried rice takes practice.

 Because, yes, there is such a thing as Perfect Fried Rice.

I'm still working on mine, but it was good to hear..."This is so good, just like the fried rice we ate in China!"

 If you didn't know there are some secrets to help....

 "5 Secrets to Making Fabulous Fried Rice"
From The Asian Grandmothers Cookbook

1. Use cold, leftover cooked rice. Left in the fridge overnight, the rice grains will firm up, making it easier to separate and decreasing the chances of your fried rice turning out mushy. If you can’t wait, air freshly-cooked rice to remove moisture and refrigerate the rice for a few hours before cooking.
2. Use medium to long grain rice, not short grain sweet/sushi rice or glutinous rice. Medium grain jasmine rice is my choice for fluffy, sturdy grains that don’t clump or fall apart when fried. Short grain rice tends to be softer and to stick together.
3. A blazing hot wok (a wok is ideal but a large pan, skillet, or Dutch oven will do) and an adequate amount of oil will ensure your ingredients don’t stick to the surface. That’s how restaurants achieve the smoky, “burnt” flavor in their stir-fried dishes. Your home stove probably doesn’t have the same BTU strength (unless you have a commercial Viking or Wolf range *JEALOUS*) but just remember to preheat your wok before adding ingredients.
4. Use the biggest pan available in your kitchen and don’t crowd it with ingredients. Don’t try to cook for your spouse, son, twin daughters, and grandma and grandpa too. You’ll have rice and peas flying everywhere! Ideally, you should cook 1 to 2 servings at a time. My recipe below makes enough for 3 moderate appetites. When you have too many ingredients, the wok doesn’t get hot enough and your ingredients will get soggy causing the rice to clump together. If you prefer, cook each ingredient individually (raw vegetables or meat, egg) and remove to separate plates. Return all the ingredients to the pan at the end for the final mixing and seasoning.
5. Don’t overdo the saucy seasonings like soy sauce or oyster sauce. I add just a few tablespoons of my chosen sauce for flavor and then add salt for saltiness and savor. Too much sauce will make your rice mushy.

*Fish sauce is a great choice. If you've ever cooked with it you'll know it's not a pleasant smell, but man does it give Asian cuisine great taste. Seriously.

When I make fried rice I don't follow a recipe and I use up what I have on hand, but here's the recipe from the Asian Grandmothers Cookbook...

4 cups cooked long or medium grain rice, leftover from the day before or refrigerated for at least 2 hours
1 tablespoon canola or other neutral oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 medium red or yellow onion, coarsely chopped (about 1/2 cup)
1 cup carrots chopped into small pieces (about 2 medium)
3 eggs
1 cup chopped leftover meat or tofu
1/2 cup frozen peas, defrosted
2 tablespoons oyster sauce (or sweet soy sauce)
2 tablespoons soy sauce (or fish sauce)
Salt
White pepper powder

-Break up large clumps of rice and separate the grains with wet fingers.

-Preheat a 14-inch wok or 12-inch skillet over high heat for about 1 minute. Swirl in the oil and heat until it becomes runny and starts to shimmer.

-Reduce heat to medium and add garlic and onion and stir until fragrant, about 15 to 30 seconds. Add the carrots and cook until tender, about 2 to 3 minutes.

-Move all the ingredients to one side of the wok. Break the eggs into the wok, and stir to scramble until they are almost cooked through but still a little soggy, about 1 1/2 to 2 minutes.

-Add the meat and the peas, followed by the rice, stirring and tossing between each addition. Use your spatula to break up any clumps.

-Add the sauces, and salt and white pepper to taste. Stir everything swiftly around the wok until the rice is well-coated and -colored (little bits of white here and there is OK) and heated through, about 3 to 4 minutes. Add more oil if the rice begins to stick to the wok; reduce the heat if it starts to scorch. -Taste and adjust seasonings if necessary.

Or if you want some Tasty Taiwanese kind...

Try Mickey's Tasty Fried Rice

Enjoy :)
 

Meal 2: Soy Glazed Ginger Chicken & Qinnoa

I saved all the sauce from the salmon meal to marinate these chicken drumsticks.

I marinated the drumsticks for the day.

Put them in the oven an hour before dinner.

Cooked up some quinoa & veggies just before.

My family know to not throw away their bones because I rinse them off, toss them in the freezer, and save them for bone broth soup.

There was also sauce leftover...just enough for a stir-fry tomorrow!

Meal 3: Soy Glazed Ginger Stir-fry

No post or pic for the Stir-fry, but I...

Tossed some veggies, organic tofu, the sauce, & cooked rice into the Wok.

Fast, easy, and enjoyable for the Fish Fam!

Pineapple Chicken Stir-fry

Another quick easy and yummy meal.

• I cooked some chicken breasts
• Chopped up the fresh pineapple
• Cut up the cooked chicken & added the pineapple
• Threw in some San-J Pad Thai Sauce
• Sprinkled with sesame seeds

Side Salad:

• Julienned carrots & cucumbers
• Diced a tomato
• Drizzle soy sauce & sesame oil
• Squeezed lemon
• Sprinkled with ground ginger
• And mixed it all together 

I was lucky enough to get a quick pic with my phone.

Everyone was hungry and enjoyed. :)

Asian Cauliflowered Fried Rice

Nom Nom Paleo is a paleo food genius!

Her Asian Cauliflowered Fried Rice is incredible

Just for the fact that you make "rice" out of cauliflower

& it's really easy.

I really enjoyed this dish.

Coconut Chicken Curry

Ingredients:

2 Tbsp coconut oil

4 cloves of garlic

1 med. onion

3 ribs of celery, sliced

2 in. ginger, peeled, grated

4 carrots, shredded

1 tsp. Fish Sauce (opt.)

1 Tbsp. Tai Kitchen green curry paste

1 cup green beans

1 can coconut milk

1 box chicken broth

1 head of cauliflower

1 lb cubed chicken

Leaves of fresh basil, thinly sliced

Directions:

1. Heat oil in large frying pan on Medium high.

2. Add garlic first and stir for 10 to 20 seconds before it burns. Add onions stir for 1min. Then add celery stir for 4 min until crisp-tender.

3. Add carrots and ginger. Stir for 5min.

4. Add Fish Sauce, curry, 1 cup of broth, and green beans. 

5. Cover and let cook for 5 min. 

6. Shake can of coconut milk then add to pan. Next add the remaining broth. 

7. Bring to low boil then add meat and caulifower. Reduce heat to medium. Cover and let cook for 15-20min.

8. Put into bowl with fresh sliced basil and rice noodles or rice. Sprinkle with sea salt to taste.

I enjoyed it as a soup (w/out grains) and my family enjoyed it with Vermicelli Noodles. Or it would be great over rice, quinoa, or whatever you prefer.

*There is very little heat (just about none) I prefer more heat, so add some kind of peppers, for more flavor don't go easy on the garlic or ginger. Add or change any veggies to your liking. Something like this is always better the next day after all the flavors have time to soak in. I really enjoyed our leftovers for breakfast...I couldn't wait to save it for lunch!

Green Curry paste with simple and flavorful ingredients.

If you don't make and use your own homemade broth, then this is a very fast and easy alternative. Ingredients are good and a box of this at Costco is a great buy.

I make sure to buy coconut milk with no preservatives. I really like this brand, plus it's a BPA Free can. Another good brand is Thai Kitchen Coconut Milk Unsweetened (coconut milk, water, guar gum). Many other brands of coconut milk, especially the inexpensive kinds contain metabisulfites. Read about it here. I also put the can in the fridge to use the cream that separates to the top to use in my smoothies and also to make coconut whip cream.

**This is an altered recipe I came up with from a previous recipe. I'm doing a cleanse that is restoring the health of my gut. Lots of good soups to make. Check out www.livehealthwise.com for other good recipes.