Chinese Vegetable Soup with Noodles

RECIPE

The noodles here aren't cooked in the soup; they'd absorb too much of the liquid. Instead, they're boiled separately, tossed with sesame oil, and then put into bowls, waiting to be warmed by the hot broth. The bok choy goes into the soup toward the end of cooking, so that a hint of crispness remains.

Yield
4

Ingredients
1 tablespoon cooking oil
6 scallions including green tops, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons chopped fresh ginger
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 teaspoon dried red-pepper flakes
3 1/2 cups water
3 1/2 cups canned low-sodium chicken broth or homemade stock
4 carrots, cut diagonally into 1/4-inch slices
3/4 pound napa (Chinese) cabbage (about 1/2 head), leaves shredded (about 3 cups)
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 small head bok choy (about 3/4 pound), stalks halved lengthwise and cut crosswise into 1/2-inch pieces, leaves shredded
Grated zest of 1 lemon
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/4 pound vermicelli
1 1/2 teaspoons Asian sesame oil

Preparation
1. In a large saucepan, heat the cooking oil over moderately low heat. Add the scallions, garlic, and ginger and cook, stirring occasionally, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the soy sauce, red-pepper flakes, water, and broth and bring to a boil.

2. Add the carrots to the broth and simmer for 5 minutes. Stir in the cabbage and salt and simmer for 5 minutes longer. Add the bok choy and lemon zest and simmer until the bok choy starts to soften, about 5 minutes. Stir in the lemon juice.

3. Meanwhile, in a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the vermicelli until just done, about 9 minutes. Drain. Return the noodles to the pot and toss with the sesame oil. Put some noodles in each of four bowls and ladle the soup over the noodles.

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Chinese cooking@home
by cooking lover

Chinese Hot Pot of Beef and Vegetables

RECIPE

This comforting stew teams beef with spinach, an efficient pairing because the iron in the beef enhances your body's ability to absorb the iron in the spinach. Serve it over plain Chinese noodles or all by itself with some crusty French bread--it's delicious either way.

Yield
6 servings (serving size: 1 1/3 cups)

Ingredients
4 teaspoons vegetable oil, divided
1 1/2 pounds beef stew meat, cut into 1-inch pieces
1/2 cup chopped green onions
2 tablespoons minced peeled fresh ginger
1 teaspoon aniseed, crushed
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 (14 1/4-ounce) can low-salt beef broth
2 3/4 cups water
1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon brown sugar
3 tablespoons dry sherry
2 to 3 teaspoons chile paste with garlic2 (3-inch) cinnamon sticks
2 cups (1-inch) cubed peeled turnips (about 3/4 pound)
1 1/2 cups baby carrots
1 tablespoon water
2 teaspoons cornstarch
8 cups fresh spinach (about 1/2 pound)

Preparation
Heat 2 teaspoons vegetable oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat; add half of beef, browning on all sides. Remove from pan. Repeat the procedure with remaining oil and beef. Add onions, ginger, aniseed, and garlic to pan; sauté 30 seconds. Stir in broth, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Return beef to pan. Add 2 3/4 cups water and next 5 ingredients (2 3/4 cups water through cinnamon sticks), and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 1 hour.

Add the turnips and carrots; simmer for 45 minutes or until tender. Combine 1 tablespoon water and cornstarch; add to beef mixture. Bring to a boil; cook for 1 minute, stirring frequently. Add spinach; cover and cook for 3 minutes or until wilted. Discard the cinnamon sticks.

Nutritional Information
Calories:359 (30% from fat)
Fat:11.9g (sat 3.4g,mono 5.5g,poly 1.5g)
Protein:26.4g
Carbohydrate:35.8g
Fiber:4.5g
Cholesterol:71mg
Iron:4.8mg
Sodium:536mg
Calcium:88mg

Chinese cooking@home
by cooking lover

Chinese Five-Spice Steak with Rice Noodles

RECIPE

The delicate flavor and texture of rice sticks balances the highly seasoned beef. You can also serve the steak with basmati rice.

Yield
4 servings (serving size: 1 1/2 cups beef mixture and 1 cup noodles)

Ingredients
4 ounces uncooked wide rice stick noodles (banh pho)
1/4 cup hoisin sauce
3 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
1 teaspoon five-spice powder
1 (1-pound) flank steak, trimmed and cut into 1/4-inch strips
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons minced green onions
2 teaspoons bottled minced garlic
2 medium tomatoes, each cut into 6 wedges
2 green onions, cut into 2-inch pieces
1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil

Preparation
Cook noodles according to package directions.

While noodles cook, combine hoisin sauce, soy sauce, five-spice powder, and steak in a large bowl. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add minced green onions and garlic; saute 30 seconds. Add beef mixture; cook 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Stir in tomato wedges, green onion pieces, and chopped basil; cook 2 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Nutritional Information
Calories:374 (29% from fat)
Fat:12.1g (sat 4.3g,mono 4.3g,poly 2.1g)
Protein:28.2g
Carbohydrate:36.6g
Fiber:2.3g
Cholesterol:59mg
Iron:4.1mg
Sodium:744mg
Calcium:32mg

Chinese cooking@home
by cooking lover

Chinese Style Stove Top Pot Roast with Noodles

Ginger, soy sauce, star anise, and Chinese five-spice powder infuse this dish with Asian flavor. If you can't find fresh Chinese egg noodles, substitute rice noodles or even linguine.

Yield
8 servings

Ingredients
4 teaspoons peanut oil, divided
1 (2 1/2-pound) sirloin tip roast, trimmed
1 teaspoon Chinese five-spice powder
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
5 cups fat-free, less-sodium beef broth
1/2 cup dry sherry
1/4 cup thinly sliced peeled fresh ginger
3 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
4 garlic cloves, crushed
3 star anise
2 cups sliced shiitake mushroom caps
2 cups (2-inch) julienne-cut carrot (about 2 large)
4 baby bok choy, halved lengthwise (about 1 3/4 pounds)
12 ounces fresh uncooked Chinese egg noodles
1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions

Preparation
Heat 2 teaspoons oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Sprinkle roast evenly with five-spice powder and salt. Add meat to pan; cook 5 minutes, turning to brown on all sides. Add broth and next 6 ingredients (through star anise) to pan; bring to a simmer. Cover, reduced heat, and simmer 3 1/2 hours or until meat is tender. Remove meat from pan. Cover and keep warm.

Strain cooking liquid through a sieve over a bowl; discard solids. Heat the remaining 2 teaspoons oil in pan over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms and carrot to pan; sauté 5 minutes. Add bok choy and 4 cups reserved cooking liquid to pan. Cover and cook 5 minutes or until bok choy is tender.

Cook noodles according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain. Divide noodles evenly among 8 bowls. Shred the meat with 2 forks; arrange 3 ounces meat over each serving. Top each serving with 2 tablespoons vegetable mixture and 1/2 cup broth. Place 1 bok choy half on each serving; sprinkle each serving with 1 1/2 teaspoons green onions.

Nutritional Information
Calories:414 (31% from fat)
Fat:14.2g (sat 4.6g,mono 6.5g,poly 1.4g)
Protein:40.1g
Carbohydrate:29.8g
Fiber:3.1g
Cholesterol:82mg
Iron:4.2mg
Sodium:846mg
Calcium:207mg

Chinese cooking@home
by cooking lover