I have been out on a conference all last week. On Wednesday the mystery box form BeWise arrived and I was anxious to get back home and start experimenting again. I returned home yesterday and loved what I saw! We had four different types of greens and several vegetables. I think I am going to have a lot of fun creating new dishes.
This week will be inspired by Chinese flavors. I miss Singapore and their delicious street food. I have tried to recreate those dishes at home with varied levels of success, but I have been generally happy. Here in San Diego we have some very nice places to taste authentic Szechuan Chinese too, and I have made some attempts to recreate their dishes in the past. So, in the coming blog posts you will be in for some of my experiments inspired by my taste-buds' memories of mouth-watering delicacies from the Orient.
Chard with Garlic Sauce (Chinese Style)
White chard, diced
Dark Sesame oil
Oyster Sauce
Rice vinegar (White)
Garlic, minced
1. Cut the green leaves in thin slivers, about 1/2 inch. Dice the white portions of the chard, about 1/4 inch cubes.
2. Heat very little sesame oil to almost smoking. Sesame oil is very thick, you just need a trifle and you are adding it only for the flavor it imparts when cooked with garlic. The vegetables are going to be cooked in their own water.
3. Add minced garlic. Let it sweat for some time, keep stirring. You want it to be fired a bit, but NOT browned. If it gets browned, the taste changes, and we want the raw garlic aroma as opposed to the caramelized garlic flavor.
4. Add the chard and start stir-frying. There will be water released, and it's OK.
5. Add a bit of the white rice vinegar and oyster sauce. Keep stirring and cook till the chard is cooked. You do not want it mushy, there should be a bite left, but you definitely want to take away the 'green' taste by cooking it. Note, I did not add salt, the vinegar and the oyster sauce has enough sodium to not warrant salt. We do not eat much salt, if you absolutely need it, feel free to add it.
6. Serve with rice and your favorite meat dish. You can garnish it with some white sesame seeds, looks very nice against the green background.
Sorry, there is no picture of the dish. I cooked it for dinner last night and we ate it right away! However, I do have picture of the Chinese ingredients I got for my pantry yesterday. I had been to 99 Ranch Market and had a field day shopping. I got most items on my list except for dried shrimp - which I will have to find elsewhere. More South-East Asia inspired food will be coming up in the future blogs.
This week will be inspired by Chinese flavors. I miss Singapore and their delicious street food. I have tried to recreate those dishes at home with varied levels of success, but I have been generally happy. Here in San Diego we have some very nice places to taste authentic Szechuan Chinese too, and I have made some attempts to recreate their dishes in the past. So, in the coming blog posts you will be in for some of my experiments inspired by my taste-buds' memories of mouth-watering delicacies from the Orient.
Chard with Garlic Sauce (Chinese Style)
White chard, diced
Dark Sesame oil
Oyster Sauce
Rice vinegar (White)
Garlic, minced
1. Cut the green leaves in thin slivers, about 1/2 inch. Dice the white portions of the chard, about 1/4 inch cubes.
2. Heat very little sesame oil to almost smoking. Sesame oil is very thick, you just need a trifle and you are adding it only for the flavor it imparts when cooked with garlic. The vegetables are going to be cooked in their own water.
3. Add minced garlic. Let it sweat for some time, keep stirring. You want it to be fired a bit, but NOT browned. If it gets browned, the taste changes, and we want the raw garlic aroma as opposed to the caramelized garlic flavor.
4. Add the chard and start stir-frying. There will be water released, and it's OK.
5. Add a bit of the white rice vinegar and oyster sauce. Keep stirring and cook till the chard is cooked. You do not want it mushy, there should be a bite left, but you definitely want to take away the 'green' taste by cooking it. Note, I did not add salt, the vinegar and the oyster sauce has enough sodium to not warrant salt. We do not eat much salt, if you absolutely need it, feel free to add it.
6. Serve with rice and your favorite meat dish. You can garnish it with some white sesame seeds, looks very nice against the green background.
Sorry, there is no picture of the dish. I cooked it for dinner last night and we ate it right away! However, I do have picture of the Chinese ingredients I got for my pantry yesterday. I had been to 99 Ranch Market and had a field day shopping. I got most items on my list except for dried shrimp - which I will have to find elsewhere. More South-East Asia inspired food will be coming up in the future blogs.
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| Some South-East Asia Flavors in my Pantry |
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