Tag: Asian

Garlic Green Beans

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Garlic green beans are a takeout staple, but this homestyle version is so easy and versatile, you’ll wonder why you ever ordered out to begin with. If I can find East Asian long beans, I prefer to use those, but your run-of-the-mill green beans work just as well. And instead of the traditional step of deep-frying the green beans first, this recipe modifies that step with far less oil, making these simpler and healthier.

Garlic green beans

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 cups trimmed green beans, about 3 inches long
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon Thai seasoning sauce (you can substitute Maggi seasoning sauce or even soy sauce)
1 teaspoon oyster sauce
1/2 teaspoon sugar
Pepper

1. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a wok over high heat. Working in two batches, stir-fry the beans until they begin to wrinkle, about 2 minutes. Drain on paper towels.

2. Once cooled, pour out most of the oil until about 1 tablespoon remains. Heat the wok over high heat again until the oil is shimmering, then add the garlic, green beans, sugar, Thai seasoning sauce, and oyster sauce. Stir-fry until the green beans have absorbed the sauce and the garlic is fragrant, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and add a dash of pepper and serve.

Stir-Fried Broccoli Rabe with Garlic and Chiles

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I used broccoli rabe in this quick stir-fry seasoned with garlic and serrano peppers, but you can use nearly anything: gai lan, collards, kale. One thing is constant, though: the addition of anchovies at the end. They melt into the wok, adding a deliciously funky and salty note to the dish. Serve this as a side dish alongside rice and a main, and you’re set.

Stir-Fried Greens with Garlic and Chiles

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons avocado oil
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 serrano chile, thinly sliced on an angle
2 bunches (about 1 pound) broccoli rabe, or other hardy leafy greens, like gai lan, stems thinly sliced on an angle into 2-inch lengths and leaves cut into 2-inch pieces
1 teaspoon oyster sauce
1 teaspoon soy sauce or Thai seasoning sauce
1/4 teaspoon sugar
3 anchovy fillets, chopped
Ground black pepper

1. Heat the oil in a wok over high heat until it begins to shimmer. Add the garlic and chiles and stir-fry until fragrant, then toss in the greens, oyster sauce, soy sauce, and sugar. Cook, stirring the greens, until they are tender and wilted, about 4 minutes. If the wok begins to dry out at the bottom, splash in 2 tablespoons of water at a time to help the greens wilt and not stick. Once the greens are wilting, stir in the anchovies.

2. Remove from heat, add a dash of black pepper, and serve.

Vietnamese-Style Chicken Wings

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Is there anything more satisfying than sticky, spicy, sweet chicken wings? I seasoned these generously with fried garlic, fish sauce, and Thai basil. Spoiler alert: there were no leftovers.

Vietnamese-Style Chicken Wings

Ingredients:

4 garlic cloves, chopped
3 tablespoons avocado oil
2 teaspoons plus 2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons plus 2 tablespoons fish sauce
1/4 cup lime juice
10 chicken wings, split
Cooking spray
2 tablespoons water
2 teaspoons soy sauce
1/4 cup chopped green onions
1/2 cup Thai basil leaves

1. Stir together 3 teaspoons sugar, 3 teaspoons fish sauce, and 2 tablespoons lime juice until sugar dissolves. Pour mixture into a ziplock plastic bag; add chicken. Seal bag; massage bag to coat wings with marinade. Refrigerate 1 day.

2. Heat oil in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Add garlic, stirring occasionally, until golden and crisp, being careful not to burn. Remove garlic with a slotted spoon and set aside on a paper towel-lined plate. Reserve garlic oil.

3. Preheat oven to 400F degrees. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil; coat with cooking spray. Remove wings from marinade; discard marinade. Pat wings dry; arrange in a single layer on prepared baking sheet. Bake in preheated oven until lightly browned, about 30 minutes, flipping once.

4. Meanwhile, whisk together 2 tablespoons water, remaining 2 tablespoons sugar, remaining 2 tablespoons fish sauce, and remaining 2 tablespoons lime juice in a small bowl until sugar dissolves. Set aside.

5. Heat 2 tablespoons reserved garlic oil in a wok over high. Add wings and soy sauce; cook, stirring often, until darkened in spots, 1 to 2 minutes. Add fish sauce mixture; cook, stirring constantly, until sauce reduces and wings are glazed, about 1 minute. Add green onions and fried garlic, stirring constantly, about 1 minute. Remove from heat; stir in basil. Transfer to a plate and serve.

Avocado and Tomato Salad with Soy Vinaigrette

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Creamy avocadoes, crisp cucumbers, and juicy tomatoes: this salad celebrates a California summer in all its glory. Adapted from an old Sunset magazine, use the best quality avocados and tomatoes you can get your hands on here. Freshness makes all the difference.

Avocado and tomato salad with soy vinaigrette

4 Persian cucumbers, sliced 1⁄4 inch thick
1 or 2 medium tomatoes, cut into slices
1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
2 avocados, halved and sliced
1/3 cup olive oil
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
2 teaspoons toasted sesame seeds
Kosher salt

1. Arrange medium tomato slices and cucumbers on a serving platter, followed by cherry ­tomatoes and avocado slices.

2. Whisk together olive oil, soy sauce, and apple cider vinegar and drizzle over salad.

3. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and salt to taste.

Hoisin-Chicken Nachos with Avocado

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Okay, so these aren’t really nachos. They’re more like vegetable chips plus chili-sake-tomato-avocado guacamole plus roast chicken plus a generous drizzle of hoisin. I can’t tell you if the leftovers keep well because we ate the whole thing in one sitting.

The first time I made these, I used roast duck, but leftover roast chicken is easier to come by and works just as brilliantly.

Hoisin-chicken nachos with avocado

Ingredients:

2 ripe but firm avocados, peeled, pitted, and diced
1/2 cup diced onion
1 tomato, diced
3 green onions, thinly sliced, divided
2 teaspoons minced ginger
1 tablespoon cilantro, chopped
3 teaspoons sake
2 tablespoons lime juice
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
1 teaspoon chili garlic sauce
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups thinly sliced roast chicken
2 teaspoons hoisin sauce
2 bags Terra chips or similar vegetable chips

1. Mix the avocados, onion, tomato, half of the green onions, ginger, cilantro, sake, lime juice, vegetable oil, chili garlic sauce, and salt in a medium bowl, without mashing the avocado. Cover with plastic wrap pressed directly to the surface and refrigerate until ready to use.

2. Arrange the vegetable chips on a large platter. Dot spoonfuls of the avocado mixture across the chips evenly. Evenly scatter the roast chicken onto the chips next. Drizzle with hoisin sauce and garnish with the remaining green onion slices. Serve immediately.