Chinese food, Trader Joe's style

(more out of focus pictures... sorry! Gretchen tried to fix the settings for me to no avail.)

I could have titled this post "Almost as Good as Takeout, Part II" but instead chose to pay homage to the amazing store that is Trader Joe's. I honestly could not name a single thing I dislike about Trader Joe's. It's a cute store with a small selection of items, many of which are their own brand. Because they have such a small selection, everything they carry is fantastic. The prices are low too. If you haven't heard of Trader Joe's, I would suggest checking out their web site to learn more about them. There are only a few in Ohio, but Columbus is lucky enough to have two!

(Oh, one more thing I love about Trader Joe's: their circular is called the "Fearless Flyer" and it reads like a magazine! It doesn't just list items and prices... each item has a paragraph about it that is so romantically written you'd think it was the J Peterman catalog!)

On my recent visit to TJ's, I spotted this General Tsao Stir Fry Sauce and decided to try it. (You might be able to see on the label in the second picture that it says "Trader Ming's." That's another cute thing they do. The Italian stuff says "Trader Giotto's.") I had cut a recipe for General Tso's chicken out of the newspaper awhile back, but hadn't made it yet because it seemed complicated and had a lot of ingredients since the sauce was made from scratch. I figured I could use this premade sauce and really simplify the recipe.

Here's what I did:

I cut about 1/2 to 1 pound of chicken breasts into 1 inch cubes. I mixed 1 large egg (beaten) with a little salt and pepper and 2 tablespoons of corn starch. I poured that over the chicken and let it marinade for about 15 minutes.

Next I was supposed to heat 2 cups of oil in the wok to 350 degrees and then fry the chicken in it. You have to dip the chicken pieces in corn starch and shake off the excess right before you fry them. Unfortunately when I was getting ready to start this step I noticed that I only had about 3/4 cup of vegetable oil left. I just made do with this and it still worked. The only accomodation I had to make was to turn the chicken pieces after about a minute since they weren't completely submerged in the oil. The chicken only took about 2 minutes total to cook. I was surprised by how successful I was at frying the chicken pieces. They had a nice crunchy coating.

I removed the pieces from the oil with a slotted spoon and blotted them on paper towels. I drained all of the excess oil out of the wok and into a bowl. Then I added about 1/2 cup of the TJ's sauce to the wok, and added the chicken pieces. I stir fried it until everything was heated through. The sauce got a sticky consistency and really coated the chicken pieces, just like it usually has when I order this dish from a restaurant.

Unfortunately I forgot to get any broccoli, but I did pick up some of Trader Joe's frozen fried rice to accompany the chicken. The fried rice was really easy to make in the microwave, but only tasted so-so. I think it may have tasted better if I had made it in a skillet with a little oil, but next time I would probably prefer to have plain rice.

All in all it was a good dish. I would have liked the sauce to have a little more kick to it, but I always like my Chinese food spicy. My very first job in high school was at a Chinese restaurant, and I always felt like the 'spicy' dishes weren't really very spicy. When I would order a meal to take home with me, the chef would always ask if I wanted it "American spicy, or actually spicy?"

Someday I'd like to make the recipe from scratch, but this bottled sauce is great if you want to do it in a hurry. And it's probably healthier (if only slightly) to cook this dish at home than to order take-out.

Almost as good as takeout

I want to start this post by apologizing for the poor quality of my photos in my entries. I use a very inexpensive digital camera, and I take the photos without a flash, which makes it difficult to focus (but I feel using the flash makes things look too washed out). I actually have a newer, better camera, but it's a digital video camera that also takes stills... and I haven't quite mastered its operation yet. Maybe some day! Anyway, the photos are just to give you a general idea of the preparation involved and the finished results, and aren't meant to be looked at for detail. Not that anybody has complained or anything, but I just wanted to acknowledge that I know they aren't the greatest.

Okay, onto the recipe. This is the first time I have made "Broccoli with Garlic Sauce," and it's a keeper. I'm not joking when I say it's almost as good as takeout. It was delicious. The recipe was from a Weight Watchers cookbook called Take-Out Tonight! so I guess the book delivers on its title. Here is the recipe

1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
3 tablespoons sake or rice wine
2 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce
2 tablespoons oyster sauce
1 tablespoon cornstarch
2 teaspoons sugar
1 tablespoon canola oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 pound broccoli crowns, cut into florets (about 4 cups

1. Combine the broth, sake or rice wine, soy sauce, oyster sauce, cornstarch, and sugar in a small bowl; set aside.
2. Heat a nonstick wok or a large, deep skillet over medium-high heat until a drop of water sizzles. Swirl in the oil, then add the garlic. Stir-fry until fragrant, about 10 seconds.
3. Add the broccoli and stir-fry until crisp-tender, about 3 minutes.
4. Add the broth mixture and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture boils and thickens, about 1 minute.

I used regular versions of chicken broth and soy sauce, because that's what I had on hand. I also used rice wine instead of sake. And I halved the recipe, which was the perfect amount for one person. The recipe says it serves 4, so I guess that's one reason this is a WW recipe.

If you wanted to I think it would be easy to incorporate chicken or beef and even some other vegetables to make a complete entree.

One reason I think this recipe really works and tastes authentic is that it uses authentic ingredients. Too often, recipes for Chinese food I've seen in cookbooks seem to be American adaptations of Chinese food using more common ingredients (mostly just soy sauce). If you aren't using things like rice wine and oyster sauce, you just aren't going to get the same taste.

Here's a bonus recipe, using another authentic Chinese food ingredient: garlic chili sauce. (By the way, I was able to find all of these ingredients in the Asian food section of my local Giant Eagle.) I have no photos of this recipe, but I have made it quite a few times and it's also delicious!

Sweet and Spicy Green Beans
source: allrecipes.com

3/4 pound fresh green beans, trimmed
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 clove garlic, minced (I often eliminate this, because there is plenty of garlic in the next ingredient)
1 teaspoon garlic chili sauce
1 teaspoon honey
2 teaspoons canola oil

1. Arrange a steamer basket in a pot over boiling water, and steam the green beans 3 to 4 minutes. (I usually just steam them in the microwave.)
2. In a bowl, mix the soy sauce, garlic, garlic chili sauce, and honey.
3. Heat the canola oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the green beans and fry for 3 to 5 minutes. Pour in the soy sauce mixture. Continue cooking and stirring 2 minutes, or until the liquid is nearly evaporated.