Pancit

This simply delicious Filipino classic is one of my favorites – and hopefully will be yours too. 

INGREDIENTS

• 1 tablespoon neutral oil
• 1/3 cup diced yellow onion
• 8 oz bihon vermicelli rice noodles
• 1 large clove garlic, minced
• 1/3 cup sugar snap peas, cut into thin strips across
• 1/3 cup thinly sliced (like wood matches) carrot strips
• 1/2 pound 21/25 shrimp, raw, peeled & deveined
• 1 cooked chicken breast, thinly sliced
• 2 cups thinly shredded green cabbage
• ¼ -1/3 cup soy
• 1 cup chicken broth

DIRECTIONS

1. Heat oil in a wok on medium high and add onions – cook about 2 minutes
2. Whit they cook put noodles in a large bowl (breaking the bundle in half to make them fit is perfectly fine) and cover with very hot or just boiled water – set aside
3. Add garlic to onion and cook another minute or until fragrant
4. Add snow peas and carrots and cook until vegetables begin to soften, a couple minutes more
5. Add shrimp to pan and cook about 2 minutes being sure to stir well so they cook on all sides
6. Add sliced chicken and stir well to mix
7. Add cabbage and stir until beginning to wilt – a couple minutes
8. Add soy and stir thru to mix, then add broth – mix thru really well
9. Drain noodles well, then add and mix all to combine
10. Turn down to medium and let continue for about 5 minutes to let all the flavors come together
11. Serve.

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SEE HOW TO MAKE IT

Udon with Shrimp

Yes, I make a lot of Asian food. And so should you cuzit’sway better for you than fast food and certainly much faster.

Serves 1

INGREDIENTS 

• 1/3 cup oyster sauce
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• ½ teaspoon sesame oil
• ½ pound peeled, deveined shrimp (31-40 size)
• 2 small bunches baby bok choy
• 1 package udon noodles – frozen noodles work too
• 1 tablespoon vegetable/canola oil
• Sesame seeds to garnish

DIRECTIONS

1. Combine oyster sauce, soy and sesame oil in a small bowl – mix well
2. Add half the sauce to the shrimp and let marinate
3. Prepare bok choy-cut the ends to separate individual leaves
4. Cooking noodles according to package directions – adding bokchoy after about a minute
5. Heat a pan or wok over medium/high, add oil and marinated shrimp, cook until done - about 3 minutes
6. Drain noodles & bokchoy, put back in pot and mix with remaining sauce
7. Place the noodles/bok choy in a bowl and top with shrimp, garnish with sesame seeds

WATCH ME MAKE THIS

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Pork Chow Mein

Get ready for the Chinese New Year with these great noodles - and the quick little black bean sauce makes this ridiculous.

Serves 2-4

INGREDIENTS

• 2 tablespoons black bean garlic sauce
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• ½ pound boneless pork (tenderloin or country style ribs work great), thinly sliced 
• ½ tablespoon of neutral oil*
• *(unflavored oils such as canola, vegetable or peanut)
• ¼ pound sugar snap peas sliced diagonally
• ½ pound shitake mushrooms
• 4 oz chow mein noodles, cooked
• green onions, chopped to garnish

 DIRECTIONS

1. Combine black bean and soy sauce, set aside
2. Heat sautéed pan on medium-high, add oil and pork and cook cooked until pork is just done, about 4 minutes ­ - remove pork mixture to a bowl
3. In same pan, heat to high and add a little more oil
4. Add peas and stir fry until crisp tender, about 3 minutes then add to pork mixture
5. Return pan to heat again, add more oil and the shitakes, cook until softened, about 5 minutes
6. Turn heat up to high, add the pork mixture and then the add soy/black bean - stir until heated through
7. Add chow mein noodles, combine well, plate and garnish with green onions
8. Serve

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Pho

Serves 4

That really good Vietnamese beef and noodle soup...and it's pronounced 'fuh', like duh.

Ingredients

• 1 16-ounce pack of Rice Noodles
• 32 oz low sodium beef broth
• 2 inch piece of fresh Ginger
• 3 limes
• 2 Star Anise stars
• 8 oz bag bean sprouts
• 1 bunch green onion light green and white parts only
• 1 big handful Cilantro
• 1 pound beef
• 1 small red jalapeno or chili, seeds removed and diced small
• 1/2 cup Hoisin sauce

Directions

1. 30 minutes before you're ready to serve - put the beef in your freezer
2. To a medium pot add broth, Star Anise, juice of 2 of the limes and ginger - bring to a boil and continue to boil about 15 minutes
3. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add noodles and cook for 10 minutes
4. slice green onion into thin vertical strips
5. Slice beef into very thin strips and set aside
6. Drain noodles well and separate into 4 bowls
7. Cover noodles with beef slices, and top with broth
8. Then to each bowl add some bean sprouts, cilantro, green onion, red jalapeno, fresh lime juice and Hoisin
9. Mix in hoisin and eat - damn it's so good

SPICY NOODLES WITH CRAB

Noodles are an important part of Chinese New Year because they stand for longevity and we made a delicious and spicy version with crab. So does that mean a spicy & crabby new year?

Serves 2

INGREDIENTS

• 2 tablespoons canola oil
• 2 garlic cloves, diced
• 1 tablespoon ginger, finely diced
• 6 green onions (dark green parts removed. 3 finely diced/3 roughly sliced - garnish)
• noodles
• 1 cup chilled cooked crab meat, flaked
• 2 tablespoons chili sauce

Sauce:

• 2 tablespoons tomato ketchup
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 3 tablespoons water
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon corn starch  

DIRECTIONS

1. Prep EVERYTHING first: chop, mix your sauce, get big pot boiling water going, then preheat your wok on high
2. Add noodles to boiling water... while they cook, get cooking in the wok...
3. Add oil to hot wok, add ginger, garlic and crab, chill sauce, cook for 1 minute, then stir in sauce mix - cook 2 minutes to thicken
4. Noodles cook in 4-5 minutes, drain, add to wok ingredients, coat in sauce, cook for 1 more minute. Serve, garnished with chopped spring onions.

Tomato Beef Chow Mein

Serves 6

A boyhood favorite.

Ingredients

• 2 Styrofoam cups of the pre-packaged instant ramen noodles
• 1 pound steak (you choose but I like a New York for this)
• 1 tablespoon peanut oil
• 4 ripe, medium sized tomatoes, cut into 8 wedges each
• 2 tablespoons black bean sauce, (found in the Asian aisle of most supermarkets)
• 1 tablespoon water
• Green onions (scallions, chopped fine for garnish

Directions

1. Cook noodles according to package directions--for the styrofoam type I just fill with water and microwave 2 minutes, then drain well. For the plastic bag kind--I boil them without the seasoning packet then drain well
2. Slice steak into very thin slices
3. Preheat a pan or wok on stovetop and heat really well over medium heat, then add oil
4. When the oil is smoking, and not until-- add beef and tomato and stir fry for a couple minutes until beef changes color and is cooked through
5. In a small bowl mix black bean sauce with water- -set aside
6. Add drained noodles and black bean sauce to the beef and tomato and stir the whole business until the flavor is through everything and all is heated
7. Serve

Five Minute Stir Fry Noodles

Serves 4

Keep the main ingredient a secret until your friends or family try these. On second thought, go ahead and tell them – it'll be funnier.

Ingredients

• 2 packages instant ramen type noodles - you know, the kind you cook with boiling water or in the microwave
• 3 tablespoons teriyaki sauce
• 1 tablespoon peanut oil
• thinly sliced green onions

Directions

1. Cook noodles according to package directions, drain
2. Heat oil in large pan or wok over high heat
3. Add noodles and stir fry 30 seconds
4. Add teriyaki and mix well - remove to plate and sprinkle with green onions

Chicken Noodle Soup

Makes about 12 servings

Chicken soup - the healer of all things bad. And if it isn't - is sure is still damn good...

Ingredients

• 1 whole raw chicken (with bones & skin for flavor) cut into it's parts

• 3 celery stalks, cut into 2 inch pieces

• 1 large onion, cut into big pieces

• 2 carrots, cut into big pieces

• 3-4 stems of thyme (or about 1 teaspoon dried)

• 3 ounces 'fine' egg noodles

• Chicken broth/stock, optional

Directions

1. Put chicken in a large pot, cover with water and bring to a boil

2. After about 20 minutes, skim off the icky foam that floats to the top

3. Turn down to a simmer and cover

4. After 60 minutes, add the veggies and the thyme - put the lid on and simmer for another 30 minutes

5. Remove from heat and strain - putting the liquid and the vegetables back into the pot

6. Separate the chicken from the bones & skin, cut or shred into bite sized pieces and put in with the broth

7. Bring the broth back to a simmer, add in the egg noodles then cover and cook until noodles are done - about 15 minutes

8. And because I always seem to run out of broth before the 'stuff', I add another 2 to 4 cups chicken broth to bulk it up a bit

Simple Teriyaki Chicken

Serves 4

If there's Chinese comfort food (and why wouldn't there be) this would be it. And just keeping a bottle of teriyaki sauce around makes the comfort even faster.

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons peanut oil

• 1 bunch green onions, 1/2 of them cut into 1 inch pieces and the rest finely chopped

• 1 large clove garlic, chopped fine

• 1-1 inch piece of ginger, peeled and finely chopped

• 1 lb chicken thighs, cut into 1 inch pieces

• 1/4-1/3 cup bottled teriyaki sauce

Directions

1. Add oil to pan or wok and heat until almost smoking

2. Add green onion, garlic & ginger - stir fry 2 minutes, remove from pan

3. Get pan super hot, add a little more oil and add chicken

4. Cook quickly until almost done then add vegetables and and sauce

5. Mix all together well until heated through and serve on steamed rice

6. Topped with finely chopped green onion