We had Salad Bar (Sloan’s choice) for Sunday dinner, which meant creating these salad rolls from the leftovers was a breeze! Stella and I often get stuck in on projects for lunch, but this was so quick and easy, utilizing the grilled chicken and prepared vegetables.
What sells this though, is the peanut sauce! So good, Stella and I decided it better go on the blog right away so we remember the recipe, and how quickly it came together.
SALAD ROLL INGREDIENTS
rice paper wraps
cooked thin rice noodles
cooked chicken, grilled prawns, or whatever protein you fancy
slivered vegetables, whatever you like
bean sprouts
lettuce
Soften wraps in warmish water, don’t allow to get too soft or they will tear as you wrap. They continue to soften as they sit.
Lay wrap down, and with lightly moistened fingers place your ingredients in the lower half of the wrap, fold edges in to trap filling and then roll as tightly as you can. The sky is the limit with whatever you like to fill your salad rolls with. We didn’t have any lettuce but if you do, laying a leaf down, and then placing the filling on the lettuce helps to prevent the wrap tearing and gives the salad rolls a nice crunch.
(you can google wrapping salad rolls – there are lots of those videos available)
The star here …. PEANUT SAUCE
1/2 cup peanut butter (use natural for the most peanut flavour)
1/3 cup soy sauce
2 tbsp toasted sesame oil
2 tbsp rice vinegar
2 tbsp sambal oelek or chili paste
1 tbsp hoisin sauce
2 tbsp sugar (could sub honey if you prefer)
1 knob of fresh ginger, peeled (to taste)
1 garlic clove, peeled
Up to 1/4 cup of water, to thin as needed.
Whiz all this up in a blender, using water as you see fit and taste to see if it needs any adjustments.
The chili paste is where the little bit of spicy heat comes from. We both like a little bit of heat, but not overwhelmingly spicy. We found 2 tbsp was perfect but go according to your own tastes, and of course the type of chili paste you have.
I got the base of this recipe from Lindsay at Pinch of Yum, and we decided to get it on here so we don’t keep looking for one … thanks Lindsay!
Ready to eat, these salad rolls were so quick, we had them on the table easily.
Set aside a bit of time to make this dish – today it took me 2 1/2 hours but it makes a lot, and keeps really well in the fridge for a couple of days. Just call it kitchen yoga and you are guaranteed to feel quite smug.
This Korean noodle dish is truly crave worthy. If anything, tastes even better the next day but don’t let that stop you from making and eating it for dinner the same day! It took a bit of effort to find potato starch noodles but it was worth the effort. They have a springy texture that is unlike any other noodle I’ve had.
12 ounces (340g) of pork loin or steak – cut into very thin slivers
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tbsp water
1 1/2 tbsp chinese cooking wine (shaoxing)
1 /2 tsp oyster sauce
2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp cornstarch
1/2 tsp freshly ground white pepper
1/2 tsp sesame oil
I’ve also learned a new technique through J.Kenji Lopez-Alt about velveting meat for stir frying, and trust me, it makes a huge difference!
First, give your meat a little bath – scrub it in running water and then squeeze to drain it really well.
Combine the meat with all the other ingredients in a bowl and massage it vigorously – I like my using my hands but feel free to use a spoon if you prefer. Set aside for 30 minutes, or in the fridge for 4 hours or so.
Blanch spinach or kale in boiling water, cool and chop a little.
Stir in:
1 clove minced garlic
1 tsp sesame oil
1/2 tsp salt
10 ounces (280 gr) of sweet. potato starch noodles (Dangmyeon) – cooked acording to package
Sauce for noodles:
1 tbsp sesame oil
1 tbsp soy sauce
2 tsp sugar
Once noodles are cooked, drained and rinsed, cut them into smaller pieces and stir with the sauce. Set aside.
1 onion, thinly sliced
1 red pepper, thinly sliced
1 yellow pepper, thinly sliced
3 garlic cloves, diced
3 scallions, cut in 3 ” pieces
1 pack of baby spinach or kale (as much as you like, really)
bean sprouts (as many as you like)
OPTIONAL:
raw carrot strands
slivered snap peas
pea shoots
cucumber, thinly sliced
Japchae sauce
2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
2 1/2 TBSP soy sauce
1 TBSP sesame oil
1 TBSP gojuchang (korean spice paste)
Stir well in a large bowl. Taste and adjust for seasoning. I usually use low sodium soy sauce but using Gluten Free soy sauce, now that Stella is Celiac, we are all learning to cook without any wheat in our products, so initially I found this a bit salty, I adjusted with a little rice vinegar and touch of oil. (Basically, the vinaigrette I had made and in the fridge)
UPDATE – see below for a sauce suitable for all gluten free folks – it was so good!
Time to stir fry the veg!
In a wok or large fry pan heat vegetable oil and stir fry onion and red pepper until soft and set aside. Then stir fry any other vegetable you choose to add.
I like to have a mix of raw and stir fried veg……
Heat wok again and add some vegetable oil – stir fry the meat, and add in the bean sprouts and kale or spinach, fry just until softened. Add back the red pepper, onion, garlic mix as well as the cooked noodles. Toss well to warm everything through and then add to the bowl with the sauce, mixing well
Once you have everything prepared, toss it all with the sauce. My usual tactic is to put all the veg in the bowl and then gradually add the sweet potato noodles, that way I don’t overload the bowl with too many noodles. Just ask Mike, I’m guilty of cooking more noodles than needed – always.
Sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds and chives or green onions for a little color.
Sit back and enjoy! Pour yourself a glass of well deserved wine.
Todays version included sautéed mini bok choy. You could easily call this a clean out the fridge noodle dish, anything goes! This doesn’t have any meat in it at all, I felt like some Korean grilled chicken thighs – a bit of sweet, spicy and char makes it perfect. That is on the grill separately. If you leave it as is, you’ve got a great vegetarian dinner!
This was all the sautéed vegetables in tonights dish – each in the pan at separate times. I know, I’m fussy that way – go ahead and throw it all in at once if you like, and let me know if it makes any difference …. haha
Here are the raw veg – along with the cooked sweet potato noodles. – today was spiral carrots, bean sprouts, pea sprouts and slivered snap peas.
JAPCHAE SAUCE GLUTEN FREE VERSION
3 TBSP GF soy sauce
1 TBSP brown sugar
1/2 TBSP sesame oil
Whisk together until the sugar is dissolved. I added a bit of chili oil for a little kick, but honestly, this was fantastic, and we all loved it.
If you can find gojuchang free of malt barley, then you could just use the original sauce recipe.
We became fans of Pollo Pibil in the Yucutan, it s a regional dish, served in home kitchens as well as the best restaurants.. For the most part Yucatecan food is not spicy at all, it is the salsas and accompaniments that go with everything that add the fire.
Well, it’s been a hot minute since I posted anything. Every time I make this recipe, I think I have it on my blog, then I seem to spend ages searching for it before I realize I haven’t got it recorded. Here goes!
1 or 2 dried guajillo peppers (depending on whether you like it spicy)
1/2 cupwater
2ounces achiote paste
¼cup plus 1 tablespoonfreshly squeezed orange juice
1 orange, sliced thickly
juice of 1 lime
1 medium size white onion, sliced thick
3small to medium-sizedgarlic cloves, NOT peeled
approximately 3 pounds chicken – either whole or cut up
In a dry skillet toast the guajillo peppers until they have softened, remove the stems and seeds and place in small bowl, cover with hot water and allow to rest while you prep the onion and garlic.
In the same dry skillet, toast the onion and garlic, turning often until they soften and become charred in spots.
Remove the peppers from the soaking liquid. Place all ingredients (except the chicken!) in a blender and blend until a smooth paste is formed. If you need to thin it out, use some of the pepper liquid.
This recipe is so versatile, today i smothered a whole chicken with it, and nestled the bird in banana leaves to do a slow oven roast. You will get a more charred chicken skin effect if you marinate the chicken overnight, and then roast the chicken uncovered. For quick cooking, marinade the chicken pieces and grill.
Ready to be blended up into an amazing vibrant sauce – heads up – that achiote paste stains!
Ready for the oven – I love to nestle orange and onion slices in there before I wrap the chicken in banana leaves. Meghan and I took a home cooking class in Merida, and it was a fabulous experience – will never forget being in a home kitchen preparing these regional dishes.
Oh goodness, the aroma when you unwrap this chicken is amazing. The chicken is so tender and shreds for the perfect taco.
Somehow, everyone dove in and I never got the photo of a perfect filled tortilla.
Need a quick, easy but delicious dinner idea? Here you go – this broth is amazingly flavorful for so few ingredients and can be packed with whatever you have in your fridge.
Sloan took this photo of her own bowl – I love a recipe that allows everybody to fashion their own meal the way they want to eat – a sure fired winner for picky eaters!
6 cups chicken broth (use veg broth if you. are looking for a vegetarian night!)
4 flattened but not minced garlic cloves – left whole
1 inch piece of ginger, sliced
4 green onion ends, white part only
3 tbsp light soy sauce (or low sodium soy sauce)
1 tbsp sugar
3 tbsp Shaoxing (chinese cooking wine)
1 tsp sesame oil
This is one of the quickest broth recipes I’ve ever made, and it is absolutely delicious. Ready in only 30 minutes, that gives you enough time to prep all the delightful ingredients you want to complete your lunch or dinner.
Heat a little neutral oil in a deep pot and lightly toast the garlic cloves, ginger slices and white parts of green (spring) onions. As soon as they are lightly roasted, add the broth, soy sauce, sugar, Shaoxing, and sesame oil. Bring to a gentle boil, and then turn down and simmer for 30 minutes. You can do this as early as you like and just keep it warm until you are ready to eat. When ready to serve scoop out the aromatics and you have a lovely clear broth to enjoy with as many fill ins as your bowl can hold.
Serve with: Any or all of the following!
Cooked ramen, udon or egg noodles
Vegetables (cooked in the broth if you like!)
Fresh bean sprouts
Cooked wontons
shredded chicken
cooked seafood
Garnish your bowl with the slivered green onion tops, toasted sesame seeds and cilantro. Serve alongside hot sauce and hoisin sauce if anybody wants to add a bit more punch.
I usually have another pot of boiling water on the go that I first cook the noodles in, then lightly blanch vegetables (bok choy, spinach, bell peppers, zucchini, snap peas). Frozen wontons (purchased or homemade) can also be cooked in this water. I find that if you cook everything in your seasoned broth it dilutes the seasoning and results in a cloudy broth. Both still good, but you may need to adjust seasonings.
Use whatever you like to create your own bowl – we love a combination of lightly cooked and fresh vegetables, as well as plenty of herbs – top it all with peanuts or cashews, sesame seeds and more herbs. Don’t forget a drizzle of chile oil if you like the heat!
There are plenty of one bowl dishes to be found – but we think this one is simply the best! The dressing makes more than you will need but it is amazing in so many ways – I also love to toss vegetables in it before grilling them
DRESSING
1/4 cup nutritional yeast flakes
1/3 cup water
1/3 cup soy sauce
1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
2 generous tbsp tahini paste
2 cloves garlic, crushed
red chili flakes (optional)
1 1/4 – 1/2 cups vegetable oil
Your favorite hearty rice – we like red rice but brown would work well too.
lots of toasted almonds
spring pea shoots
cooked protein of your choice, really anything works (or leave it out for vegetarian)
Put the first 6 ingredients in a blender and give a good whiz until blended well – add oil in a slow but steady stream. Taste and season with salt and pepper if needed. On those days when I feel the need for a little extra winter warmth I add 1/2 – 1 tsp chili flakes.
SALAD
Spinach, grated carrot, grated beet, and honestly – whatever items in your fridge look appealing to you! Spinach is a great green to use in this dish because it holds up so well with the hearty ingredients.
To make this a whole party on a plate, I also serve it with cooked chicken, sauted tofu or prawns.
Stir all the ingredients together: rice, vegetables and whatever protein you have decided on (if you want one!) and garnish with plenty of toasted almonds and spring pea shoots.
These chicken meatballs were so moist, bursting with spinach and feta that Grant was still raving about them the next morning, and trust me – he is not usually a fan of chicken meatballs!
Served over fresh pasta, these little nuggets were absolutely perfect!
Quick and easy, this makes a perfect week night dinner. No fancy plating required. Well my husband and son in laws never think fancy plating is required. (They are usually involved in clean up so that’s understandable!)
1 pound ground chicken
1/2 cup minced onion
1 tsp minced fresh garlic
1 cup finely chopped fresh spinach
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
chopped fresh basil
1/4 cup bread crumbs(use gluten free if desired)
olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
Start by warming a splash of olive oil in your saute pan, as soon as it has heated up add the minced onions and allow to soften, then add your garlic and just warm through. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Take pan off the heat and add the spinach, stirring just until it is wilted. Remove the mixture from your pan and place in a bowl in the fridge. You don’t want to add anything hot to your raw chicken! Please don’t skip the step with sweating out the onions. A raw onion is a totally different item when compared to a softened, slightly carmelized onion.
Season ground chicken with salt, pepper and basil (fresh if you have it). Crumble in feta cheese and stir to combine. Add the cooled onion spinach mixture and bread crumbs. Stir gently to combine.
Form golf ball size meatballs and brown in your saute pan on all sides, then add to your sauce.
Use the same saute pan for everything! Sweat your onion mixture, and reserve the pan to fry the meatballs, then remove the browned meatballs and heat up your sauce. Once the sauce is warm return the meatballs to the sauce and heat through.
See the butter? Hardly a drop in the bucket, but we’ve been watching Stanley Tucci in Italy and the amount of butter in pasta sauces is mind blowing! This sauce was pretty easy, one of my frozen ratatouille batches with a can of good quality canned tomatoes. With the greek influenced meatballs I added some black olives, capers, artichokes and more freshly crumbled feta once the sauce was cooked.
How can chicken so crunchy be this tender? Try it and see.
One of our favourites to order in a Japanese restaurant, this is just as good as restaurant quality. Don’t get me wrong, whenever we can go out to restaurants again (post Covid) I will still be delighted to sit in a booth and order ….. but for now I can at least satisfy my cravings. It is also one of Sloan and Stella’s favourites to order and I just know when we can gather around the Sunday dinner table again this will be requested.
1 lb chicken thighs cut 1 inch pieces
1/4 cup corn starch or potato starch
1/4 cup flour
4 cups canola oil
3 tbsp soy sauce
4 tbsp mirin (sub Sake if you have it)
2 tbsp minced garlic
2 tbsp minced ginger
Reserve the starch and flour for just prior to frying up. Combine soy sauce, miring, garlic and ginger in either a sealable plastic bag or bowl with lid. Stir in the chicken pieces and set aside. You can either do this earlier in the day or at late as 20 minutes before dinner – I find it very flexible.
Heat your oil to 350, if you don’t have a thermometer, just stick a chopstick in – if it sizzles happily, then it is time to add your chicken.
Toss the starch and flour together, then toss with chicken. It doesn’t matter if the coating is uneven, it just means more texture.
Add about 1/3 of the chicken at a time to wok – do not overcrowd. Any time you overcrowd when you are frying it reduces the temperature of the oil and that leads to greasy fried food! Keep the chicken moving while in the wok, and remove when golden brown. Sprinkle immediately with salt. Keeping the cooked pieces in a 200 degree oven allows them to retain their crispness while you do the remaining 2 batches.
DIPPING SAUCES – I’ve given two options because that’s the way I like it!
CREAMY
1/2 cup Kewpie Mayonnaise
3 tbsp sriracha
3 tbsp soy sauce
3 tbsp sweet chili sauce
SOY
3 tbsp soy sauce
3 tbsp rice vinegar
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds
chili oil to taste
This well used wok is perfect. Of course, you can use a deep fryer if you have it handy, but I like the wok just fine for this, and it encourages me to fry only small amounts at a time. Be sure to strain and reserve your oil for use another day!Love having the option of two sauces – everybody gets their own little sauce dipping bowl and dip away!Definitely not as many vegetables as we normally get onto our plates, but this Japanese dinner was so tasty! I even made my own gyoza wrappers and that’s a story for another day…..
So delicious – olives, caper berries, sweet onions and tender chicken thighs …… you will be licking the pan, at least Leah did!
This is one of those “guideline” recipes. I’m going to go ahead and give some amounts, but feel free to adjust to whatever you have on hand, or whatever your taste buds are asking for!
vegetable or peanut oil
8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1/2 large lemon, halved, then sliced
4 garlic cloves, smashed lightly then halved
1/2 large sweet onion, sliced
1/2 cup mixed olives (I used kalamata, stuffed green & caper berries)
2 tbsp of sliced sun dried tomatoes
generous handful of minced herbs (today I used parsley, oregano & thyme)
Salt & pepper to taste
Splash of good dry white wine
Season chicken thighs with salt and pepper.
Bring cast iron skillet up to a moderate temperature, add just enough neutral oil to generously coat the pan. As soon as it starts to shimmer, add chicken thighs. Try not to overcrowd the pan as you want to get a nice sear on the chicken pieces.
Turn once they release easily from the skillet. Once the second side has seared, remove from the heat.
To the same pan, add a splash of white wine and the onions, garlic, lemon & sun dried tomatoes. Saute until the onion is translucent and just starting to soften. Add the herbs and nestle the chicken back into the skillet. Scatter olive mixture in amongst the chicken and put the whole skillet into an oven at 375 for 30 minutes. Watch carefully and if you think the chicken is browning too quickly – cover with tinfoil so it cooks through.
Remove from heat, if desired finish with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice and a splash of your best olive oil.
We had this chicken for the first time at an outstanding restaurant in Huatulco. Only about 7 tables, most of them on the sidewalk, and yet they had the most amazing fusion of flavours. The owners spent a fair bit of time traveling around Asia, and this is reflected in their food. If you get a chance to try out “Mercader”, then go. Until we go back, I will just have to make this at home!
Globetrotting tonight ….. served with Korean Fried Cauliflower (KFC) and loved it!
Marinade
1 medium head of garlic
1/2-inch ginger
3 green onions, white and 1-inch of the green part, minced
2 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon mirin
1 teaspoon sweet potato starch
1/2 teaspoon Chinese 5-spice powder
1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Just the aroma of this marinade will have you salivating!
Coating
1 eggs
1/2 cup cold water
2-3 cups sweet potato starch (I had to ask one of our daughters to buy this from an Asian market in Vancouver and bring it home for me!)
To fry
3-4 cups peanut, rice bran or avocado oil
To serve
Leaves from 1 bunch of fresh Thai basil
salt and white pepper to taste
Have everything ready to go before starting to fry the chicken.
Directions
1. Cut the chicken into 1-inch chunks and place in large bowl. Make the marinade by mincing or forcing the garlic through a press into a small bowl. Add the minced green onions, soy sauce, Mirin, 5-spice, white pepper, sweet potato starch and cayenne pepper, stir to form a paste and then scrape into the bowl with the chicken. Mix to coat all the chicken and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or overnight.
2. Once the chicken is done marinating, place the eggs in medium sized bowl with the 1/2 cup of water. Beat together with a fork. Place the sweet potato starch in another medium sized bowl. Heat the frying oil in a sauté pan or wok until it reaches 350˚F. Using chopsticks or tongs, dip the chicken first in the watery egg mixture then in the starch and fry the chicken pieces without crowding them too much for 3-4 minutes or until golden brown. Try not to overcrowd the pan, I usually fry about 6-8 pieces at a time in the wok and 8 – 10 pieces in my 10” sauté pan. Side note, I don’t recommend using a deep fryer that re-uses the oil. The sweet potato starch is so fine that it doesn’t filter easily.
3. Once fried, place the chicken on a wire rack or a plate lined with paper towels to drain. Immediately toss with generous amounts of salt and white pepper to taste. Once you’ve fried all the chicken, fry the Thai basil leaves for 30 seconds or until they darken and then serve with the chicken.
fresh thyme sprigs (you could use whatever herb you have on hand)
Garnish
minced parsley
slivered green onions
lemon slice
Cut 1 lemon into 8 wedges. Squeeze enough juice from second lemon to measure 2 tablespoons; set wedges and juice aside. Heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and sprinkle with salt and pepper; sauté until golden brown, about 8 minutes. Add next 5 ingredients; stir 1 minute. Add broth; bring to boil. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper; add to skillet. Add lemon wedges.
I made this with whatever was in the fridge – and that did not include Meyer lemons! Meyer lemons are quite a bit sweeter, so if you don’t have them, use equal portions of regular lemons and oranges to get the right balance.
Cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer until chicken is cooked through, turning occasionally, 20 minutes (or so). Transfer chicken to platter. Taste!!! Every lemon could have a different acid content and you don’t want this to be more than a lovely, subtle lemon flavour. Add olives, artichokes and (if needed) 2 tablespoons lemon juice to skillet. Increase heat to high; boil uncovered to thicken slightly, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Pour over chicken.
Tonight we served it with saffron rice and beautiful fresh soft handmade pita bread.
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