My Kitchen My World: Chinese

I was really excited to come across a post that mentioned My Kitchen, My World. I am so not a baker. I hate the whole concept. It's too precise for me. Too fussy. Too much having to follow the rules. But I've secretly been jealous of all those baking groups. The Daring Bakers. Tuesday with Dorie. Now My Kitchen, My World give those of us deprived of the baking gene an opportunity to play as well. Each week a country is selected and each member of the group has seven days to prepare a recipe from that country. How fun! This week, as a salute to the start of the Olympics, the country is China. I was doubly excited because since there are no good Chinese restaurants around here, I have quite a stockpile of Chinese recipes I've been meaning to try.


Things ended up getting a little hectic toward the end of the week so I didn't get to try all that I wanted. I did try one new recipe: Spicy Orange Beef Chicken from Paula over at The Cookbook Junkie. I don't eat much meat, and I really don't care for beef. Everyone in the family will eat chicken though so I made a quick substitution and it worked well. Next time I'd double the ingredients for the sauce because my favorite part of eating Chinese is soaking up all that luscious, savory sauce with the rice. Mmmmm!



Due to lack of time -- and whiny kids who didn't want "different" rice, I made my old standby: Teresa's Fried Rice. Quick and easy and guaranteed to keep dd happy! I threw in a few frozen egg rolls to round out the meal and everyone was happy.

Hopefully the Olympics will keep me motivated to go ahead and try the dishes I've been wanting to try.




Teresa's Fried Rice
Recipe by Teresa

6 cups rice, cooked
1 cup frozen peas and carrots
3 large eggs
3 green onions, sliced
3 teaspoons oyster sauce
3 teaspoons soy sauce
3 tablespoons olive oil

Scramble eggs in a small skillet. Remove and set aside.

Heat oil in wok. I generally use olive oil but any kind will do. Add already-cooked rice and stir-fry for a moment until heated through. Add oyster sauce and soy sauce and stir until evenly distributed. Move rice to the sides and add mushrooms and vegetables. Stir-fry until cooked through. Stir veggie mixture into the rice. Add eggs and toss.



Spicy Orange Beef Chicken
Recipe from Paula, a.k.a. The Cookbook Junkie

1 (3 /12-ounce) bag boil-in-bag brown rice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon bottled minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 pound boneless sirloin steak, cut into 1/4-inch strips
1/2 teaspoon grated orange rind
1/4 cup fresh orange juice
2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 teaspoon dark sesame oil
3/4 cup (1-inch) slices green onions

1. Cook rice according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Combine rice and salt, tossing well.
2. Combine garlic, pepper, and beef, tossing well.
3. Combine rind, juice, cornstarch, and soy sauce, stirring with a whisk.
4. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add beef mixture and onions; sauté 2 minutes. Add juice mixture; cook 2 minutes or until sauce thickens, stirring frequently. Serve beef mixture over rice.