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!!

Korean Beef & Rice Bowls

The Fish Fam loves loves these Korean Beef & Rice Bowls!

They are super quick and easy....

Korean Ground Beef and Rice Bowls 

By The Recipe Critic

• 2 lb. ground beef
• 4 garlic cloves
• 1/3-1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 4 tsp. sesame oil
• 1/2 tsp. ground ginger
• 1/4-1/2 tsp. red pepper flake
• 1/4-1/2 tsp. black pepper
• 3-4 green onions to garnish
• Sesame seeds to garnish
• 3 cups white rice

1. Clean and wash your rice and start cooking.
2. Cook ground beef and garlic until brown. 
3. Mix brown sugar, soy sauce, sesame oil, ginger, red pepper flakes, and black pepper together.
4. Cook for a few minutes and put it over cooked rice. 
5. Garnish with green onions and sesame seeds.

* This is from The Recipe Critic, I just doubled it.

YUM YUM!!!

Hoisin Chicken Stir-fry

I bought some small chicken cuts at a local Japanese grocery store and fried them up with some homemade hoisin sauce. This meal turned out great and was quick and easy to throw together!

Homemade Hoisin Sauce:

• 4 Tbps. Soy Sauce
• 2 Tbsp. Black Bean Paste
• 1 Tbsp. honey or molasses
• 2 tsp. white wine vinegar
• 1/8 tsp. garlic powder
• 2 tsp. sesame oil
• 20 drops hot sauce
• 1/8 tsp. black pepper 

Combine all the ingredients together!

I fried up some garlic and onions. Then added the chicken and cooked for about 5mins and then added the last of the sauce that I had. Maybe about 1/8 cup or a little more and it thickened up really well. Add some green onions to brighten up the dish! Maybe next time I'll have to marinate the chicken in my homemade hoisin sauce. Yum!

The results were all thumbs up! 

The Fish Fam really enjoyed this dish over rice!

Delicious Baozi!

Today we made delicious homemade baozi! 

I used this recipe....https://redhousespice.com/pan-fried-pork-buns/.

I pan fried some and steamed the rest.

I made the pork filling and the dough, both of which I doubled.

Pork filling from Red House Spice:

• 250g / 9oz minced pork
• 2 stalks spring onion, finely chopped
• 1/2 tablespoon ginger, minced
• 2 teaspoons light soy sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon Shaoxing rice wine
• 1/2 teaspoon pure sesame oil
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 pinch Chinese five-spice powder
• 5 tablespoons water (or chicken stock)

The dough raised nicely, then my youngest came and patted it down. 

All set up and ready to fill.

The pork filling smelled soooo gooood!

My kids made an assembly line and filled and bao-ed the buns.

They did a great job!!

They were delicious and filled with lots LOVE!!!

Leftovers for Lunch....

Last night we had the boys favorite Teri Chicken, so leftovers were for lunchu!

My oldest whipped together some sesame noodles and it smelled delicious!

Sesame Noodles Sauce

• Wide rice noodles, the kind for Pho, cooked and drained
• 1/4 cup Soy Sauce
• 2 Tablespoons Sugar
• 2 cloves Garlic, Minced
• 2 Tablespoons Rice Vinegar
• 3 Tablespoons Pure Sesame Oil
• 1/2 teaspoon Hot Chili Oil
• 4 Tablespoons Canola Oil
• 3 whole Green Onions, Sliced Thin

Directions

• 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. 

Throw in some perfectly steamed broccoli, which after the water reaches boiling point add the broccoli to your steamer tray and cook for 5mins. They come out perfect on our stove. Then rinse them off in cold water to stop them from cooking further. 

蛋餅 Dan Bing Taiwanese Egg Crepe!

We just came back from Taiwan and one of the boys favorite breakfast foods was Dan Bing! So, I found this recipe and gave a it a try. It turned out pretty good!

For the Crepe

1/2 cup flour

2 Tbsp. cornstarch

1 cup water

For the Egg

3 Eggs

1/4-1/2 tsp. salt, to taste

1/4 tsp. white pepper

Dash of Sesame oil

Chopped Green Onions

For the Sauce

2 Tbsp. Soy Sauce

1 tsp. Rice Vinegar

Chili Oil & Sesame Oil, to taste

Crushed garlic

Chopped green onions

Directions

1. Mix the flour and cornstarch together. Then add the water. Let it rest for 10mins.

2.  In the mean time chop green onions and garlic and put in separate small bowls. Begin to heat your non-stick or cast iron pan to medium low heat. Make the sauce. 

3. For each crepe, in a bowl beat one egg with 1Tbsp of green onions, a dash of sesame oil, and a pinch of salt and white pepper. 

4. When your pan is heated oil it add about 1/2 cup of batter to the pan swirling as you do to coat the bottom (lifting and tilting the pan works best if you don't have a crepe spreader). Cook for 3-5 min until the top has set. 

6. Flip the crepe over and add the egg mix to the top spreading it over the crepe keeping most of it on the crepe. Cook until the egg is just about set and then flip to the other side.

6. Cook for 10 seconds or so.

7. Flip the Dan Bing onto a plate or cutting board, egg side up. Roll it and cut into sections. Grab your dipping sauce and enjoy!!

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!

Chicken & Cilantro Wonton Soup

My boys love their Chinese soups and homemade is so much better than take out.

Well, it's mostly homemade. Gotta work on those wontons.

So, for now these Cilantro & Chicken Wontons from Costco will do...

When it comes to buying prepared foods I like when I am able to read the ingredients list, know what they are, and really it should be way way way less than a paragraph long. It'd be awesome if it was organic. The couple no good ingredients are: Carrageenan (thickener/stabilizer/sneaky MSG ingredient) and soy/soybean oil (GMO)/don't overlook the "*No MSG added" (I like their honesty on this one). 

When we lived in China at my sons preschool we made homemade jiaozi/potsickers. It was fun and easy! All the kids got to help and they loved it. So for a family night we'll definitely be making some!

This dinner was quick and easy because I pre-make my bone broths in my instant pot pressure cooker and have them ready to go in the freezer. The broth consists of...

Grass-fed Beef Bones (bought locally)

ACV (Apple Cider Vinegar)

Carrots

Onions

Parsley

Celery

Sea Salt

I pull it out of the freezer and depending on what you froze the broth in and the size of your pot, you put it into a pot and let it cook/melt. I also had frozen chopped onions and garlic to throw in. Then my Little Chef grated fresh grated ginger and chopped green onions. He threw it all in with some sesame oil once the soup become liquid. Once the soup is about to boil add the wontons and whalla, it's done in about 5mins (once the wontons are floating, a helpful Chinese cooking tip)!

Mine is pretty similar to this Wonton Soup at Damn Delicious.

Which I'm saving to make the wontons! 

So, for now these will do...

Enjoy!

Hawaiian Teriyaki Chicken

This is probably The Fish Fams most favorite dish, I always hear how AH-MAZ-ING it is!

Ingredients

3   lbs. chicken thighs and/or drumsticks
1   cup  soy sauce Aloha Shoyu is best!
1   cup  water
1   cup  brown sugar
3   big   cloves of minced garlic or garlic press is best!
1-1.5in. ginger root, microplaned/zested is best!
1/3-1/2 cup green onions, chopped

*Chicken thighs are the best because the fat in the meat will add much more flavor. Also, skinless thighs or drumsticks is best. If you get them with the skin on pull it off or pull the skin back to the marinade touch the meat.

Directions

-In a gallon size ziplock bag combine the water and soy sauce. Add brown sugar and dissolve it in the liquid. Add the ginger, garlic, and green onions (you can always do more or less to your liking.) Lastly add the chicken, which I like to poke with a fork so more of the marinade gets into the meat. 

*These Baggy Rack holders make it so easy to pour all the ingredients into the gallon bags with no spills...

-Marinade the meat for at least 24hrs. or up to 3 days. Place the ziplock bag in the pan you will be baking in. 

-After marinating the meat, you are ready to cook it! I pour all of the chicken and marinade into the pan and bake it in the oven at 375deg. for 45mins to 1hr. The meat must reach an internal heat of 165deg. So, it just depends on how your oven cooks. You can also grill it if you have a grill, keep pouring the sauce over to keep it more moist.

-Strain the sauce and use it to pour over the rice. (My family can't go without the sauce over their rice)

*If you have the Aloha Shoyu soy sauce then definitely use that! Kikoman tends to be really salty, so use the reduced sodium or less of the regular Kikoman and a little more water. But, that depends on what you like!

*You can also serve this with coconut rice, which makes it even better!...

-I love using Jasmine rice.

-First wash, rub, and clean the rice. Until the water runs more clear than cloudy.

-Drain all the water out and put it in the rice cooker.

-Get a can of coconut milk and then add water, to equal the 1/2cup more liquid need to cook rice. 

  Ex) 2 cups rice you'll need 2 1/2 cups coconut milk and water combined. 

Then enjoy the divine smell of coconut rice!!!

*I always make a pot of plain rice and a pot of coconut rice, so people can choose what they want.

Enjoy!