Simple Stir Fry

I have at least three more posts coming up of Seattle-related food content, but for now, something simpler and less rich than the fare I had in that fair city: a simple stir fry.

As my trip neared its end - I got home last night, or more correctly this morning, at 12:35am - I knew I had to kind of come down from the eating high I'd been on for six days, so today, once I was up and lucid, I went to get some groceries. Pineapples were on sale at Kin's Farm Market for $2.99 each and they looked great, and Kin's also had asparagus on for cheap as well, two bunches for $4. After that, I made my obligatory trip to Wally World to buy my milk on the cheap, and I also picked up a bag of coleslaw mix, too. I then went to my favourite grocery store in these parts, T&T Supermarket, where I stocked up on veggies - cheap baby bok choy, spinach for salads, mushrooms, and a few other things - and I got a mini watermelon for $2.99. I also scored a piece of west coast salmon that should last me for two meals, and some really nice, thinly sliced sirloin. A can of mini corn and a can of water chestnuts completed the deal. The asparagus I got at Kin's reminded me of a great Kylie Kwong recipe that utilized that particular vegetable and mini corn, so I made myself a nice stir fry tonight. A little bit of rice and voilà.

I really love how Kylie's recipes are versatile and adaptable. I have learned so much from her books, and now that I have access to all kinds of actual Chinese grocery stores, I can start looking for ingredients I couldn't find at LOGS or in the Kootenays, and start exploring her cuisine again.

Cooking with Kylie: Stir-Fried Asparagus with Baby Corn

I haven't made anything with Kylie's book Simple Chinese Cooking in a little while, but I am back on the bandwagon! This time, I made a simple stir-fried side dish that was really quick and delicious. Now, obviously, asparagus is not in season here in my little corner of the world, but I have to say that the LOGS has been carrying asparagus from Peru that has been a very decent price, like $2.99/lb, and it has been very tempting. So, I caved. And actually, the asparagus was very good. I always have mini corn cobs on hand for stir fries and snacking - I love these things!

I made half a recipe and had enough for two meals, but I made the regular amount of sauce because I didn't want to deal with the 1/3 cup of chicken stock the original recipe calls for. I never have small amounts of stock around like that, and I have no intention of starting to keep ice cube trays of stock in my freezer because I simply don't have the space or the inclination. The sauce was yummy, so I have no regrets! I also skipped the green onions.

Stir-fried Asparagus with Baby Corn (page 205 of Simple Chinese Cooking), adapted by yours truly

1 bunch asparagus
1 tbsp safflower oil
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
1 can baby corn, drained and sliced in half lengthwise
2 tbsp sake
2 tsp oyster sauce
2 tsp malt vinegar
1 tsp white sugar
1/4 tsp sesame oil

Wash & trim asparagus, discarding woody ends.

Heat oil in wok until surface seems to shimmer slightly. Add garlic and stir-fry for 10 seconds. Add asparagus and corn and stir-fry for about 1 minute. Add sauce ingredients and stir fry for a about three minutes, or until asparagus is bright green and tender-crisp. Serve immediately.

Awesome! I really enjoyed this, and plan to make another version of it tonight, incorporating chicken into it as well as some water chestnuts. I loved the sauce, too; it's light, like a vinaigrette, almost. Another fabulicious Kylie recipe!

Shrimp Burgers with Stuff

So, I have this book that's been taking up valuable space on my bookshelves for years and years and that I've rarely used. It has a recipe for shrimp burgers that I'd always wanted to make but never got around to it. In the original recipe, you lightly batter the shrimp whole and fry them, then make a cocktail sauce. For some reason, and I have no idea what that reason is, this recipe came to mind this week, and I gave it another look. I decided I didn't want to fry my shrimp whole, so I made a shrimp patty, loosely following the recipe and this is what I came up with.

I took about 15 or so raw shrimp, two green onions, two cloves of garlic, and a handful of cilantro and pulsed this all together in a food processor. I then added enough bread crumbs to bring the mixture together so it would form a firm patty. I grilled the patties on my cast iron grill pan and made a simple aoli with mayo, lemon juice, and garlic powder. I served the burger with asparagus roasted with homemade balsamic dressing and the remainder of my homemade dill pickles.

Super meal, actually! The burgers were a bit strong on the cilantro side, and, as you can see, they're very green, but that's OK with me. It was a simple dinner to put together and tasted great. I'll definitely make these again.