Category Archives: Chinese

Bacon Fried Rice

Asian, Bacon, Chinese, Events, Game Day, Kids, Nueske's, Pork, Rice, Sides

One of my kids favorite recipes is fried rice. I think that even at a very early age, my father-in-law had served it up for breakfast to him while they watched him while we were at work. Yes, I’m talking like two years old or something of that nature. Let’s just say he was young. But at that age, that food stuck in his head, that’s what fried rice can do to someone. Since then, he has come a long way in terms of exploring food. He is big into smoked meats such as ribs, brisket, and chicken, and lots of other things. Let’s just say he is no longer a chicken tender and french fry kid. With that said, one of his favorite dishes is bacon fried rice, so much that he makes requests for it. I’m down with that because this is a great opportunity to get vegetables into this rice, along with eggs (that he hates), that he devours it all up. That is called winning.

Bacon Fried Rice

Let’s get started.

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups of Jasmine, or long grain rice
  • 2 cups of water
  • 5 slices of Nueske’s Bacon, diced
  • 2 tbsp butter
  • 2 whole carrots, diced
  • 1 large shallot, diced
  • 5 cloves garlic, minced
  • 3 whole eggs, beaten
  • 1 tbsp Red Boat Fish Sauce or Three Crabs Fish Sauce
  • 1/2 tbsp cracked black pepper
  • 1/4 cup of soy sauce
  • 1/2 cup of frozen peas
  • 1 tbsp chili oil, optional
  • additional water

Start by making your rice. I use a rice cooker, and to that I add the rice to the rice pot, and rinse several times in cold water until the runs clear. Drain and add equal parts of water. Cover, and turn on the rice cooker until it is finished. I love the rice cooker.

Now I do this the same day, and the trick to making fried rice the same day is to make sure the rice gets dry. I accomplish this by removing the cooked rice onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, fanning it out, and letting it sit on the counter for several hours. Otherwise, let the rice cool, store in the refrigerator and use the following day.

Make sure you have prepared the remaining ingredients.

Heat a large wok on medium heat. Add in the diced bacon, and cooked until slightly crisp. Keep the bacon fat in the wok, along with the bacon. Next toss in the garlic and shallot and cook for about 40 seconds or so. Add in about two tablespoons of butter and your chili oil. Stir, then toss in the carrots.  Add in about 2 tablespoons of water. Stir.

How to make bacon fried rice

Turn up the heat.

Add in the beaten eggs, and stir, ensuring the the eggs are thinned out and cooked. Using your spatula, break up the eggs into pieces.

Toss in your rice, and begin breaking that up, using your spatula, and scraping underneath the rice in the wok. Use your wok master skills and wok like you mean it. Toss in the fish sauce, cracked black pepper, and soy sauce. Keep woking, aggressively under high heat until you get a nice light crust on the rice.

Serve immediately.

The result is an awesome bacon fried rice. You get the great smokiness from the bacon, and when everything is mixed together, well, let’s just say it’s awesome, and perfect for breakfast as well. Hope you enjoy!

Chinese Fried Red Chili Sauce

Asian, Beans, Chinese, Ethnic, Sauce

I visit the Asian markets probably about twice a month. I often pick up green papaya for making som tam, maybe some dumplings, or siapao, and a couple of condiments. One of my favorite condiments is this Chinese fried red chili sauce. It’s basically a lot of red chili flakes, garlic, ginger, and fermented black beans that is slow cooked in a bunch of oil. It’s flipping amazing. I put it on everything, and I mean everything. It’s almost as addicting as Sriracha, but more mellow. It stores great as well which makes it even better. As I ran out, my buddy sent me a recipe that I tweaked ever so slightly, and it was just as good, if not better.

Chinese Red Chili Sauce

Let’s get started.

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 cup of Chinese black fermented beans
  • 6 cloves garlic, grated into a paste
  • 2 tbsp ginger, grated into a paste
  • 1 cup red chili flakes
  • 2 tbsp dark sesame oil
  • 2 cups peanut oil
  • 1 tbsp salt

Start by adding the fermented black beans, and any remaining garlic ends into a food processor. Pulse until it is nice and fine.

How to make Chinese Fried Red Chili Sauce

Add the oil to a saucepan on medium-low heat. Add in the ginger, garlic, and fermented beans, along with the red chili flakes. Give a good stir, and cook for about 30 minutes, making sure the oil mixture stays at about 225 degrees. Once cooked at that temperature for 25 minutes, remove from the heat and let cool.

Once cooled, stored in a sealed tight container.

Chinese Fried Red Chili Sauce

Again, the sauce is awesome. It is perfect in every way. It’s not to spicy which is why it goes great with pretty much everything. I put it on my eggs in the morning, kebabs, rice, pasta, and well, you get the idea. Give this one a shot, I’m certain you will love it as much as I do.

Chinese Salted Eggs

Asian, Breakfast, Chinese, Filipino, Snack

It was not too long ago where I came across an article on Chinese salted duck eggs, and after reading it, I become very curious on the outcome of the eggs, so I decided to do my take on these Chinese salted eggs.

The eggs go way back and are much a common staple in China, however most use duck eggs. The common chicken egg can also be used, and in my case that is the direction I went.

Basically this recipe is eggs that are soaked in a brine and placed in the refrigerator for about 30 days or so, then cooked, typically hard boiled, and served with things like congee, however I simply fried mine in just a bit of unsalted butter. The result will amaze you.

Chinese Salted Eggs

Let’s get started.

Ingredients:

  • 6 whole eggs, chicken or duck eggs
  • 1 cup of salt
  • 4 cups of water, enough to fill your large non-reactive container
  • 2 tbsp black peppercorns
  • 1 star anise
  • 2 tbsp Shaoxing wine

Start by rinsing the eggs in cold water to remove any exterior filth.

Next add your salt, water, star anise, and peppercorns into a medium-sized pot, and bring to a boil to dissolve the salt. Once dissolved, remove from the stove, stir in the Shaoxing wine, and let it come to room temperature.

Next, the gentle part. Being careful not to crack the eggs, place them in a large mason jar. You want a glass jar that is non-reactive. Once the eggs are in place, pour the water into the jar, making sure you fully cover the eggs.

Cover the jar with the cap, and place in the refrigerator. Set your calendar, and check the eggs in 30 days.

Chinese Salted Eggs

When you are ready to make the eggs, either boil them to your favorite temperature, or fry them in a little bit of butter.

Now I will admit, I was a bit hesitant to try these as I did not know what I was getting myself into. I see folks buying these style of eggs at one of my Asian markets, and I knew that they were sitting in the brine so they would not go bad, so I went ahead and cracked one in a preheated skillet with a bit of butter.

I was blown away when I cracked it into the skillet. The whites were a bit thinner, and the yolk was this killer dark orange color. As I let this cook, I began spooning the melted butter on top of the yolk area to continue to cook.

When I took my first bite, I was pleasantly surprised. It was a bit salty, I’ll admit, but the texture was awesome. This would be a perfect pairing with some of the more bland dishes that need a punch of salt. Give these a shot. I hope you enjoy.

Hong Kong Fried Noodles

Asian, Chicken, Chinese, Ethnic, Kids, Sauce, Vegetables

If you have never had Hong Kong fried noodles before, well then, good. I only say that because you are going to love this recipe. The Hong Kong fried noodles are essentially a crispy fried noodle that when coated with an awesome stir fry and gravy, they get slightly softened and are perfectly balanced with that soft, crisp noodle. You can make these Hong Kong fried noodles with  a variety of vegetables, or meat for that matter, but I think that the chicken and broccoli are a great pairing, and let’s not forget about the sauce, or gravy. The gravy is essential.

Hong Kong Fried Noodles

Let’s get started.

Ingredients for the Gravy:

  • 1 1/2 cup of chicken stock
  • 1/2 cup of Shaoxing wine
  • 3 tbsp oyster sauce
  • 2 tbsp soy sauce
  • 1/2 tsp cracked black pepper
  • 2 tbsp cornstarch
  • 4 tbsp water

Ingredients for the Marinade:

  • 2 tbsp Shaoxing wine
  • generous pinch of salt
  • 1/2 tsp cornstarch
  • generous pinch of cracked black pepper

Ingredients for the stir fry:

  • 1 lb of rice vermicelli noodles
  • 3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite sized pieces
  • 2 whole carrots, diced
  • 2 cups of broccoli florets
  • 3 green onions, diced
  • 1 1/2 cups bean sprouts
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 tbsp ginger, minced
  • 1/3 cup of canola oil

Start by mixing your marinade ingredients, until smooth, then pour over the chicken in a bowl. Stir to coat. Cover and place in the refrigerator for up to one hour.

During this time, prepare the remaining ingredients.

Make the gravy by adding the ingredients to a bowl, and whisk to blend all of the ingredients.

How to make Hong Kong Fried Noodles

To a wok, add the canola oil and bring this to a medium heat, about 3 minutes or so.

Carefully add in the dry noodles, making sure they fit into the wok. If they do not, remove some noodles and fry in batches. Fry the noodles for about 5 minutes, or until they get a golden brown, on both sides. Once golden on both sides, remove and set aside on a paper lined plate to drain any excess oil.  Repeat with any remaining noodles.

Drain all but 2 tbsp of remaining oil. Toss in the garlic and ginger and quickly stir. Cook for about 30 seconds, then toss in the chicken. Stir fry the chicken, raising the heat, and adding a bit of water if needed.

Once the chicken begins cooking toss in the broccoli and carrots, and give that a good toss or stir.

Once the vegetables begin to soften (I personally like mine to have a bit of crunch), add in the gravy. Stir, and let the gravy thicken. I love that part.

Set your noodles onto a large serving dish, then pour the stir fry and gravy all over the top of the noodles. Top with the bean sprouts and green onion.

Let this rest for a few minutes before digging in. Your goal is to allow those noodles to soften. After a few minutes, dig in.

Hong Kong Fried Noodles

This family style dish was awesome. The noodles found themselves to have a slight crunch, while the majority were perfectly al dente, leading to an awesome stir fry. By the way, if you have never had Shaoxing wine, you will love it. That flavor alone is worth visiting your Asian market and picking some up. I use that quiet a bit when marinating chicken. Hope you enjoy!

Print
Hong Kong Fried Noodles
Author: 
Recipe type: Main Course
Cuisine: Chinese
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 6
 
Ingredients
  • Ingredients for the Gravy:
  • 1½ cup of chicken stock
  • ½ cup of Shaoxing wine
  • 3 tbsp oyster sauce
  • 2 tbsp soy sauce
  • ½ tsp cracked black pepper
  • 2 tbsp cornstarch
  • 4 tbsp water
  • Ingredients for the Marinade:
  • 2 tbsp Shaoxing wine
  • generous pinch of salt
  • ½ tsp cornstarch
  • generous pinch of cracked black pepper
  • Ingredients for the stir fry:
  • 1 lb of rice vermicelli noodles
  • 3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite sized pieces
  • 2 whole carrots, diced
  • 2 cups of broccoli florets
  • 3 green onions, diced
  • 1½ cups bean sprouts
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 tbsp ginger, minced
  • ⅓ cup of canola oil
Instructions
  1. Start by mixing your marinade ingredients, until smooth, then pour over the chicken in a bowl. Stir to coat. Cover and place in the refrigerator for up to one hour.
  2. During this time, prepare the remaining ingredients.
  3. Make the gravy by adding the ingredients to a bowl, and whisk to blend all of the ingredients.
  4. To a wok, add the canola oil and bring this to a medium heat, about 3 minutes or so.
  5. Carefully add in the dry noodles, making sure they fit into the wok. If they do not, remove some noodles and fry in batches. Fry the noodles for about 5 minutes, or until they get a golden brown, on both sides. Once golden on both sides, remove and set aside on a paper lined plate to drain any excess oil. Repeat with any remaining noodles.
  6. Drain all but 2 tbsp of remaining oil. Toss in the garlic and ginger and quickly stir. Cook for about 30 seconds, then toss in the chicken. Stir fry the chicken, raising the heat, and adding a bit of water if needed.
  7. Once the chicken begins cooking toss in the broccoli and carrots, and give that a good toss or stir.
  8. Once the vegetables begin to soften (I personally like mine to have a bit of crunch), add in the gravy. Stir, and let the gravy thicken. I love that part.
  9. Set your noodles onto a large serving dish, then pour the stir fry and gravy all over the top of the noodles. Top with the bean sprouts and green onion.
  10. Let this rest for a few minutes before digging in. Your goal is to allow those noodles to soften. After a few minutes, dig in.
  11. This family style dish was awesome. The noodles found themselves to have a slight crunch, while the majority were perfectly al dente, leading to an awesome stir fry. By the way, if you have never had Shaoxing wine, you will love it. That flavor alone is worth visiting your Asian market and picking some up. I use that quiet a bit when marinating chicken. Hope you enjoy!