kung pao tofu and shrimp

mood: contumelious
listening to: animals as leaders :: tempting time/the price of everything and the value of nothing

i've always loved kung pao chicken... i mean who doesn't. i've tried kung pao beef and pork before, but it just didn't compare. pf changs introduced me to kung pao scallops which are amazing, but i wanted to see if there was a way to infuse something different that i hadn't seen before. i decided to try working with tofu as i've done some stuff with it before, but it's never quite come out the way that i've wanted. the same can be said for shrimp, but one thing that i saw in the store that i've never used before was bok choy. i have to say that i'm a fan and going to finding some more uses for it in the future.

Ingredients: 2 bok choy, stem cut off and rinsed 1 red bell pepper, long slices 1 orange bell pepper, long slices 1/2 medium onion, long slices 4 green onions, sliced 1 tbsp of fresh ginger, minced 4 large garlic cloves, sliced 1 small can of water chestnuts 4 tbsp of cilantro, diced pinch of fennel handful of peanuts 3 tbsp of canola oil sriracha sauce salt

Marinade: 2 tbsp white cooking wine 2 tbsp soy sauce 2 tbsp sesame oil 2 tbsp of cornstarch mixed with water extra firm tofu, 1 in. cubes cooked/peeled shrimp, tails removed Kung Pao Sauce: 3 tbsp white cooking wine 3 tbsp soy sauce 3 tbsp sesame oil 3 tbsp of cornstarch mixed with water 3 tbsp distilled white vinegar 1 tbsp brown sugar 2 tbsp of garlic chili paste

Marinade Preparation:
- mix cooking wine, soy sauce, sesame oil, cornstarch/water mixture together
- put tofu and shrimp in a medium size bowl and coat with marinade
- mix all items, cover and place in the fridge for 30 minutes

Kung Pao Sauce Preparation:
- mix cooking wine, soy sauce, sesame oil, vinegar, brown sugar, chili paste and cornstarch/water mixture together and set aside.

Main Dish Preparation:
- preheat oven to 350°
- cut bottom stem off bok choy and rinse under water
- remove tofu from bowl with slotted spoon and place on a baking sheet
- place tofu into oven for 10-12 minutes
- remove shrimp and put into a pan and cook on medium-low heat
- in a large wok, heat canola oil and fennel seed on medium
- add in garlic and ginger and cook for 30 seconds
- add in peppers, onions, bok choy, water chestnuts and cilantro and cook for a few minutes
- pour in kung pao sauce and peanuts and then add in baked tofu (which should be slightly browned) and shrimp and mix together
- cook and mix for another 5 minutes
- add salt for taste and serve with brown rice

beef stir-fry with water chestnuts

one note... my last post conveyed my intent to create two dishes and to post 2 new dishes. one part was accomplished in that i made two dishes, but the second part did not take place, due in full part to the total crash of my laptop 2 weeks ago. i lost all the pics of the dish which ended up being the best lasagna that i've made to date, so it just means that i'll have to make it again... hmmm...

anyways, here's a new one for y'all to dig into and my first real foray into the world of asian cuisine... specifically, chinese food. i figure if i'm going to order it up or eat at these various locations, i might as well give it a shot. and the attempt turned out quite magnificent.

Ingredients: corn starch lemon juice sriracha sauce ketchup water canola oil curry powder cumin powder ground coriander fennel seed black peppercorns mustard seed salt	1 lb. sirloin steak, cut into thin strips 3 garlic cloves, minced ginger, minced 4 green onions, chopped 6 asparagus stalks 2 tomatoes green pepper water chestnuts baby corn bean sprouts snow peas zucchini soy sauce worcestershire sauce

Preparation:
- create beef marinade by adding 1.5 tbsp corn starch, 1.5 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tsp worcestershire, 2 tbsp of water 1 tbsp canola oil; mix until smooth, add in beef and marinate for 1 hour
- heat oil in large pan on high, add mustard seed, peppercorns, fennel, garlic and ginger
- when garlic is light brown, add in marinated beef and cook on medium heat
- when beef has reached desired color, removing beef with slotted spoon and set aside
- add green onion, green pepper, asparagus, water chesnuts, baby corn, bean sprouts and zucchini to same pan on medium heat and cover for a few minutes.
- add beef back and tomatoes, stir and cover on low heat
- create sauce to put over mixture by adding corn starch, soy sauce, water, ketchup, lemon juice, coriander, curry powder, cumin, sriracha and salt; add to pan, stir thoroughly
- boil brown rice in separate pan (or cheat and use a rice cooker like me)

serve mixture over brown rice with tsingtao in hand.