Bye, bye takeout’s
Who doesn’t love food? Come on, you must be kidding! If you aren’t, please leave this blog immediately and return once you solemnly declare you love food as much as I do. Amen 🙂 Now, today it’s all about food. I am talking about serious cooking. Ahem.. The ones who prefer not to cook, have left this building (blog) by now for sure 🙂
OK, how many of you find it difficult to rustle up a meal or two after a hectic and long day? I know, it’s difficult and some times frustrating! The easiest way I’d imagine is ordering a takeout. But for how long? There were days when I did not have the luxury of time to prepare a hot meal. Takeout seems the only best option available. The cycle is something like this – placing the order, drive to pick the order and drive home. Now, the whole process of takeout basically takes me around 30-40 minutes, even with delivery services. In that amount of time or lesser, I could rustle two simple and delicious Chinese dishes accompanied with rice! Forgive me, for I am born with a tinge of Chinese cuisine 🙂 I love Indian cooking, but it can be a little heavy consuming it all the time — not that I am complaining 😉 I do try to balance our diet at home with variety of dishes ranging from Chinese-Indian-Indonesian-Thai influences.
This was last night’s menu and recipes. Simple, nothing too elaborate or culinary schoolmarmish 😀 If you still insist to put on an apron and a chef cap, I salute you 😀
String bean with Chicken
Cast: oil, minced garlic & ginger, boneless chicken, salt, string bean, Lee Kum Kee‘s Original Stir-Fry sauce & chinese rice cooking wine and fresh coriander.
Method: With a wok on high heat, add 2 tsp of cooking oil and stir fry boneless chicken for 2 minutes. Add a pinch of salt and string bean. Fry till beans are seared and almost done. Add ginger, garlic paste and 2 tbsp of Lee Kum Kee’s Original Stir Fry Sauce. Fry for a minute. Add a dash of Chinese cooking wine and done! Don’t forget to turn off stove and plate the dish in a serving bowl. Garnish it with fresh coriander leaves. Serve hot with rice!
Try substituting meat with fresh mushrooms for a wholesome vegetarian dish. Yum!
Stir-fry Broccoli
Cast: oil, minced garlic, broccoli crowns, Lee Kum Kee’s Vegetarian stir fry sauce and salt.
Method: With a wok on medium low heat, add 2 tsp of cooking oil and stir in 1 tsp of garlic. Fry till garlic is fragrant and not burnt! If you’d burnt the garlic — trust me, you’ve not sinned. Just redo the whole process from scratch. You would dislike the taste of burnt garlic, for sure 😀 Add broccoli crowns and fry for 3minutes. Stir in 2 tbsp of Lee Kum Kee’s Vegetarian Stir-Fry Sauce and a dash of salt. Fry for another minute and done! Serve hot with rice!
Caution: You might have the urge of just dumping all the ingredients in one pot, fry it for a few minutes, and voila! the meal is done? Patience is virtue. You would be rewarded with flavorful meal without a stomach ache 🙂
Thanks for visiting my eKitchen and do join me again in exploring the wonder of food… *burp!* excuse me!
Visit new url http://kirantarun.com 
I love cooking and even after the long day at office, i prefer to cook for the family.
I don’t like chinese, though! 🙂
me: Being a Malaysian, I am immune to different cultures and food flavors. Variety for me is food from different countries 😀 It’s OK if you don’t like Chinese cuisine, although I truly admire your strength in cooking for the family 😀
Wow!! Strings Beans with chicken looks yummy! Cant say same about broccoli. I dont like green vegetables and esp those who look green even after cooking 🙂
me: It is just simple cooking, no fuss! In fact, I am the exact opposite when it comes to my vegetables. It has to be green and crunchy! HEHEHE…
anything veg,well there its gone 😛
me: Looks like you are not a fan of vegetables 😛
I throw in the wine after stir-frying the chicken. The chicken cooks faster, and tastes better. Then add the rest of the stuff….
me: Thanks for the tip Rambodoc, would try it one day!
I hate it when I have to cook after coming from office but I guess sometimes you don’t have a choice.
Now I am really hungry after seeing all that yumm food. 😦
me: Hope you would try some of this simple recipes. Provided, you like chinese food 😀
Can I sue you for making me drool and thus, ruining my keyboard, and thus not being able to work and thus, being screwed by clients? 😀
me: Nope. You can’t afford it. Because by now you are busy settling a lawsuit your company filed on you for using company’s time to drool over blogs 😛 You are broke! Perhaps, next time? HEHEHE! Enjoy drooling for now!
String beans and chicken would be something I would gladly make! And looks very simple too.
Cooking time of just 20-30 mins?
me: Glad you are trying the recipe. Hoping you would post the outcome, with some pictures 😀 Yeah, the recipes are very simple. I cooked both of the dishes in 30 minutes! I would tell you a secret. I prep minced garlic, ginger, chicken & string beans after returning from grocery shopping. It saves me a lot of time 🙂 Try it, and let me know! Good luck dear.
Kiran, my recipe for stir fried broccoli includes mushrooms and baby corns as well. No sauce, a little bit of salt,oregano and black pepper powder.All through winters this stir fry is made everyday in my kitchen.
me: Thanks for sharing your recipe with me and the readers 🙂
Your caution is particularly noted! I do tend to throw everything into the pan and hope for the best. So, I will be patient. These dishes look awesome, and Chinese is one of my favorite cuisines. I usually go out to eat it, but you may have given me courage. Thank you for such a delicious post! 🙂
me: Glad you love this post Muse 🙂 Many people are intimidated with Chinese cooking. It is actually very simple and easy – give this recipe a try and let me know the outcome 😀 Good luck!
this lee kum kee stir fry sauce is really good? what s the ingredients? can i make it by myself? i dont like to buy redy made sauces, except the soy one. btw these 2 samples ar every fast to make. 🙂
me: for me it tastes good 🙂 The ingredients are industrialize such as water, sugar, corn syrup, sherry cooking wine, soybeans and many more. So I suggest you to give it a try. If you are a vegetarian, try this sauce instead (http://lkk.elsstore.com/view/product/?id=17863). Details of ingredients are included in the url as well. Enjoy!
for minced garlic and ginger i use to fill a jar after having blended them and it keeps for even a month in the refrigerator, it s very convenient every time it s needed!
me: Thanks for the tips, I usually do it that way as well 🙂 Huge time saver!
Yumm. If you’re going to be posting such delicious looking pics henceforth, I would end up haunting your blog for a long time to come 🙂
me: Thanks for the kind words! I’m motivated to share more of my simple recipes with you and other readers as well 🙂
hi,,,visiting from indonesia,,and read your post here,,,
care for ex link?..just give me a shout.ok
me: Welcome Mel and Thank You for visiting us here at Chat’s! Do return for more 🙂
Kiran: I think the only people who complain about the ‘effort’ and inconvenience of cooking are those who rarely cook (or who cannot cook at all). I have cooked dinner every day* since 1996 and I do not think it is a chore. Sometimes I run out of recipes so I consult the web or my many cookbooks.
Yes, one needs to be organised – I make my weekly shopping list on Sunday based on the week’s planned dinner dishes so nothing is wasted – and one needs to have reasonable project management skills e.g. prepare before cooking and cook the longest-time-needing thing first so the meal comes together in synchronicity. One can also make one’s own Thai sauces and chutneys with ease.
Food cooked at home is less likely to be laden with fats, chemicals and preservatives too.
Good post. Esp if you can encourage non-cooks to cook.
*except when on holiday and/ or staying in a hotel/ at a friend’s.
me: Welcome Shefaly, and Thank You for visiting Chatterbox! I love your thorough insights and opinions on cooking. Thank you for the suggestions, very well put together 🙂 Do visit us again here at Chat’s!