The first thing when preparing to cook Chinese food is to make sure you have a lot of the ingredients on hand. A lot of Chinese dishes all use very similar ingredients. Some ingredients you will want to keep in your pantry are soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, oyster sauce, sugar, and rice wine. Fresh ingredients would include ginger, garlic and green onions. A couple of questions I constantly receive are, “What is the best type of oil for deep frying Chinese cuisine?” and “Are rice wine vinegar and rice wine the same?”  The answer to the first question is peanut oil.  Peanut oil will brown nicely and give the meat great flavor when used for deep frying.  Rice wine vinegar and rice wine are not the same thing. Rice wine is an actual wine, sometimes called Sake or Mirin, while rice wine vinegar is a type of vinegar that is made from fermented rice wine.

Sesame-Orange Chicken-

Ingredients:
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts (cut into 1 inch cubes)
½ cup all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 egg (beaten)
½ cup water (or as much as needed to make batter smooth)
3 tablespoons cornstarch
salt (to taste)
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
Sauce-
¼ cup ketchup
¼ cup honey
2 teaspoons sugar
2 tablespoons white vinegar
½ cup water
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon sesame oil
the juice of ½ orange
1 teaspoon orange zest
sprinkle of garlic powder
sesame seeds

Cooking Instructions:

Step 1: Heat oil in a deep fryer to 325 degrees. In large bowl combine all of the batter ingredients and mix thoroughly. The batter should be thick enough to coat the chicken but thin enough to flow around the pieces. Set aside.
Step 2: Dip chicken pieces  into the batter to coat evenly (one by one). Deep fry the chicken in batches in your deep fryer for about 10 minutes or until golden brown. Drain on paper towels. (or you can fry in hot oil at about 325 degrees in your wok for about 3-4 minutes or until golden brown).
Step 3: In a bowl whisk together ketchup, honey, sugar, water, vinegar, cornstarch, sesame oil, orange juice, orange zest, and sesame seeds. Pour into a wok and cook until the sauce is thickened and bubbly. Mix in a bowl with the fried chicken pieces.

Cashew Chicken-

Ingredients:
2lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts (cut into 1” chunks)
2 cups flour
5 teaspoons cornstarch (divided)
2 teaspoons baking soda
3 eggs (beaten)
oil (for frying)
Sauce-
2 cups chicken broth
2 tablespoons oyster sauce
1 tablespoon sugar
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon pepper
1 large green pepper (sliced)
1 large onion  (sliced)
2 cups cashews
1/3 cup green onions (chopped)

Cooking Instructions:

Step 1: In a bowl mix flour, baking soda and 1 teaspoon of cornstarch. In another bowl beat the eggs. Dip chicken pieces first then the flour mixture, then in the egg mixture and then again in the flour mixture.
Step 2: Fry in oil in a wok or in a deep fryer at 350 degrees in batches until golden brown. Drain on paper towels.
Step 3: Heat a tiny bit of oil in the wok and stir fry green pepper and onions for 2-3 minutes. Remove from wok and set aside.
Step 4: To make the sauce- in a bowl mix chicken broth, oyster sauce, soy sauce, sugar, pepper, and 4 tablespoons of cornstarch.
Step 5: Pour sauce into wok and cook over medium heat stirring until well blended and sauce thickens. In a bowl pour sauce over chicken pieces, add green peppers and onions. Mix well and garnish with cashews and green onions. Serve with white rice.

Black Pepper Chicken-

Ingredients:
1lb boneless skinless chicken breasts (or thighs)
6 tablespoons cornstarch (for dusting)
1 white onion (diced)
1 cup frozen peas and carrots
oil (for drying)
Sauce-
¼ cup oyster sauce
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon black pepper
½ teaspoon white pepper
1 teaspoon sake or rice wine

Cooking Instructions:

Step 1: Mix together all of the sauce ingredients in a bowl and set aside.
Step 2: Cut chicken into ½“cubes and dust chicken pieces with corn starch until fully coated.
Step 3: Deep fry (or fry in a wok) chicken in batches until golden brown. Drain on paper towels.
Step 4: Heat about 1 tablespoon of oil in the wok and stir fry diced onion for a minute or two. Add celery and stir fry for another couple minutes. Add sauce mixture to the wok and heat until bubbling. Add chicken stirring to fully coat with the sauce. Serve with white rice.

General Tso’s Chicken-

Ingredients:
1lb boneless skinless chicken thighs (cut into 1” chunks)
5 dried red chili peppers
3 green onions (sliced)
3 eggs (beaten)
½ cup cornstarch
oil (for frying)
Sauce-
1 ½ tablespoons rice vinegar
2 tablespoons rice wine
3 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons soy sauce
2 teaspoons cornstarch

Cooking Instructions:

Step 1: In a large mixing bowl combine cornstarch and beaten eggs. Mix well to create a batter. Add chicken bits and coat thoroughly.
Step 2: To make the sauce- in a small bowl combine rice vinegar, rice wine, soy sauce, sugar and cornstarch. Mix well and set aside.
Step 3: Heat deep fryer or wok to 375 degrees and deep fried chicken bits in batches. Drain on paper towels.
Step 4: Add 1-2 tablespoons of oil to your wok. Add dried chili peppers to your wok and stir fry for 30 seconds. Add chicken bits to the wok and stir fry for a couple minutes.
Step 5: Add sauce mixture to the wok and cook stirring until the sauce becomes thickened and bubbly. Garnish with green onions and serve.

Pork Egg Rolls-

Ingredients:
1 lb ground pork
1 package egg roll wraps
1 bag shredded cabbage and carrot mix
1 tablespoon oil
¼ cup sugar
½ cup rice vinegar
1 teaspoon Salt
1 teaspoon Pepper
1 teaspoon Garlic powder
1 egg (beaten, for sealing)
Oil (for frying)

Cooking Instructions:

Step 1: Fry ground pork in a little oil until the pork is completely browned. Drain and set aside.
Step 2: In a large bowl combine cabbage and carrot mixture, cooked ground pork. Season with 1 tablespoon of oil, sugar, vinegar, salt, pepper, and garlic powder.
Step 3: Lay out an egg roll wrapper. Place 1-2 tablespoons of filling in the corner of the wrapper, but not so the filling is actually touching the corner. Fold over that corner and roll about half of the way up. Fold over the left and right corners to the middle. Using a brush or the bottom of a spoon, brush the beaten egg on the edges of the wrapper. Finish rolling up tightly and secure to make sure there are no leaks. Repeat until all the egg roll wraps are used.
Step 4: Deep fry egg rolls in batches until golden brown. Drain on paper towels.

Crab Rangoons-

Ingredients:
12 ounces of cream cheese (at room temperature)
50 wan ton wrappers
1 cup imitation crab meat (or canned)
2 green onions (minced)
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon soy sauce
1 egg (beaten)
oil (for frying)

Cooking Instructions:

Step 1: In a bowl cream the cream cheese, soy sauce, green onions and garlic powder. Stir in the crab meat (if using imitation crab it should be chopped into pieces).
Step 2: In a separate bowl beat 1 egg. Lay out a wanton wrapper so it forms a diamond shape and place 1 teaspoon of filling just below the center of each wrapper.
Step 3: Brush the opposite corners of the wanton wrapper with the egg mixture. Fold over the edges of the wrapper to form a triangle and seal tightly.
Step 4: Deep fry the rangoons in batches at 375 degrees for 2-3 minutes or until golden brown.

Cooking Instructions:

Step 1: In a large bowl whisk the eggs with milk, baking powder, salt, and black pepper. Whisk until well combined. Let stand at room temperature for at least 5 minutes.
Step 2: Heat a large non-stick skillet over medium high heat. Add butter and melt until sizzling. Whisk eggs again briefly then mix in the cheddar cheese (if using). Pour the egg mixture into the hot skillet. Stir constantly with a spatula until the eggs have reached desired consistency.
Step 3: Remove from the pan and plate.
(Makes 2 Servings)

Cooking Instructions:

Step 1: In a large bowl add the avocados and the lime juice, Mash them together and toss to coat. Add salt, cumin, cayenne pepper and mix well.
Step 2: Fold in onion, tomatoes, cilantro and garlic. Let sit for 1 hour and serve.

The first thing you are going to want to do is bread the chicken pieces and fry them. This is a universal breading that will work perfectly for all of the sauces in this post. The sauces can be prepared in advance or while the chicken tenders are frying.

Ingredients:
3 boneless skinless chicken breasts (cut into 1” chunks)
Oil (for deep frying)
1 cup all purpose flour
2 teaspoons salt
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon paprika
1 egg
1 cup milk

Cooking Instructions:

Step 1: Heat oil in a deep-fryer to 375 degrees. In a large bowl combine flour, salt, black pepper, cayenne pepper, garlic powder, and paprika. In a small bowl whisk together egg and milk. Dip each piece of chicken in the egg mixture, and then roll in the flour mixture. Repeat so that each piece of chicken is double coated. Refrigerate the breaded chicken for 20 minutes.
Step 2: Fry chicken in the hot oil in batches until the outside is nicely browned and the juices run clear (about 5 minutes per batch). Drain on paper towels. Repeat until all of the chicken is gone.
Step 3: Mix fried chicken bits with your favorite wing sauce (sauce recipes found below).

Now, here are the sauces. The sauces can be prepared in advance or while the chicken bits are frying. I have recipes for 5 different types of delicious wing sauces. Most of these sauces will make a lot, so they will be able to cover large batches of boneless wings.

Buffalo Wing Sauce-

Ingredients:
¼ cup hot pepper sauce
1 tablespoon butter

Cooking Instructions:

Step 1: Combine hot sauce and butter in a small bowl. Microwave on high until the butter has melted (about 20 to 30 seconds). Mix well. This recipe can easily be double if you are making a large amount of wings.

Honey BBQ Wing Sauce-

Ingredients:
1 ¼ cups ketchup
1/3 cup white vinegar
¼ cup molasses
¼ cup honey
1 teaspoon liquid smoke flavoring
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon onion powder
¼ teaspoon chili powder

Cooking Instructions:

Step 1: In a small saucepan over medium heat combine all of the ingredients. Stir until well combined and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 15 to 20 minutes.

Parmesan Garlic Wing Sauce-

Ingredients:
4 garlic cloves (peeled)
1 teaspoon olive oil
½ cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
5 teaspoons grated parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon white vinegar
1 teaspoon lemon juice
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
¼ teaspoon dried basil
¼ teaspoon dried marjoram
¼ teaspoon dried oregano
¼ teaspoon dried thyme
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper

Cooking Instructions:

Step 1: Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees. Toss garlic cloves with olive oil in a small oven safe dish. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes or until the garlic cloves began to turn light brown. Remove from the oven, cool garlic, and finely mince with a sharp knife.
Step 2: Combine garlic and the remaining ingredients in a small bowl. Stir well, cover and chill for several hours before using.

Asian Wing Sauce-

Ingredients:
2 teaspoons cornstarch
4 teaspoons rice wine vinegar
½ cup corn syrup
1/3 cup sugar
¼ cup chili-garlic sauce
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon lemon juice
¼ teaspoon ground ginger
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon garlic (minced)

Cooking Instructions:

Step 1: In a small bowl mix cornstarch with rice vinegar. Set aside. In a small sauce pan combine remaining ingredients. Add the cornstarch and rice vinegar mixture and mix well.
Step 2: Bring the mixture to a boil, reduce heat the simmer until it becomes thick. Remove from heat, allow it to cool then cover and chill it until ready to use (you can also use it right away if the chicken is ready).

Caribbean Jerk Wing Sauce-

Ingredients:
3 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons green onion (minced)
1 cup water
¾ cup ketchup
½ cup dark brown sugar
¼ cup apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons hot sauce
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 ½ teaspoons cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon cornstarch
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon onion powder
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1/8 teaspoons nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon allspice
1/8 teaspoon sage
1/8 teaspoon thyme

Cooking Instructions:

Step 1: In a small saucepan sauté onion in butter over medium heat. Whisk in the remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 45 minutes.

With Easter only a few short days away, most of us are probably getting ready to hard boil eggs. Some of you may be new to hard boiling eggs altogether, or you might have tried it in the past and been a bit disappointed with the results – or maybe you just want those perfect fried or poached eggs to go along with your breakfast? Whichever it may be, if you’re looking to cook perfect eggs, this is the article for you. The problem with eggs is that they are very easy to over cook. Pan fried eggs can end up burnt, poached eggs can end up rubbery, and hard boiled eggs can end up with that nasty greenish ring around the yolk. In this article I will give you three easy methods of cooking eggs. This article will explain how to perfectly boil, pan fry, and poach your eggs.

Cooking Methods:

Method 1: How to Pan Fry an Egg

For eggs sunny side up-
Step 1:  Over medium heat, using a non-stick frying pan (stainless or cast iron will work as well but non stick works the best) warm a small amount of butter, oil, or non-stick cooking spray. Crack egg/s into a bowl or saucer and gently slide the egg into the pan. Cook until the white appears solid, about 3 to 4 minutes. (The key here is to cook the whites all the way through while leaving the yolk still soft. If the heat is too high it will result in uneven cooking. You want to keep the heat low enough so it doesn’t burn but high enough so it still cooks)
Step 2: If you are having problems getting the whites to cook fast enough without overcooking the yolk, you can baste the top of the eggs with butter. Simply tilt the pan and baste hot butter over the top of the eggs.
For eggs over easy-
Step 1: Over medium heat, using a non-stick frying pan (stainless or cast iron will work as well) warm a small amount of butter, oil, or non-stick cooking spray. Crack egg/s into a bowl or saucer and gently slide the eggs into the pan. Cook for 2-3 minutes.
Step 2: Flip the egg over and cook for another minute or two.

Method 2:  How to Boil an Egg
Intro- Boiling an egg is actually really easy and if you follow these instructions you should have no problems what so ever. It is best to use eggs that are at least 3-5 days old because fresher eggs will be more difficult to peel. The eggs should also be pulled out of the refrigerator so they are at room temperate before boiling.

Step 1: Gently place large eggs in a single layer in a pan with just enough cold water to cover the eggs completely. Over high heat, bring the water to a boil. Just as it reaches a rapid boil remove the pan from the heat, and cover it tightly with a lid. Let the pan sit covered for 17 minutes for hard boiled eggs (6 minutes for medium cooked yolks, and 4-5 minutes for soft yolks) and immediately transfer eggs to a bowl of cold water.
Step 2: Let the eggs sit in the cold water for at least 10 minutes before trying to peel them.This method is for using standard large eggs. For other sizes you should follow this:
Medium sized eggs:
Soft Yolk- 3 minutes
Medium yolk- 5 minutes
Hard Yolk- 12 minutes
Extra Large eggs:
Soft Yolk- 5 minutes
Medium yolk- 8 minutes
Hard Yolk- 28 minutes

Method 3: How to Poach an Egg
Intro- Poaching is perhaps one of the hardest ways to cook eggs. The biggest issue is keeping the egg together in the pan. You want to be using freshest eggs possible because the fresher the egg, the better it will stay together. Older eggs have a tendency to come apart easily. It would also be a good idea to use a deep pan (at least 3 inches deep) so that the egg doesn’t stick to the bottom. You might want to add a little distilled vinegar to the water because it will help the egg stick together better.

Step 1: Break an egg into a small bowl or saucer.  In your pan bring water to the point where it’s almost at a boil. To the point where there are small bubbles forming on the bottom of the pan (the water should not be boiling!). Turn the heat off immediately.
Step 2: Gently try to create a whirl pool motion in the water, and carefully slide the egg out of your bowl or saucer and into the middle of the whirl pool. This will help the egg wrap around itself and will help it stay together.

Step 3: Put the lid on for about 3 minutes (or a little longer if you want firmer yolks). Remove with a slotted spoon. Drain well before serving.
If you want perfect shape you can use an egg poaching mold (showed in the fourth picture).
Tags: cooking, recipes, food and drink, recipe

Unless you’re a vegetarian you probably love to eat bacon. With good reason it has become one of the most popular foods on the planet. After all, what would breakfast be like without some delicious, crispy bacon? That brings us to a commonly asked question, how do I cook crispy bacon? Because of its thin cut and high fat content, making your bacon perfectly crispy can be a little bit tricky at times. In this article I will give you three easy methods of cooking bacon. I will explain how to successfully crisp bacon on your stove top, and in your microwave or conventional oven.

Method 1: Cooking Bacon in a Frying Pan

Step 1: Add 3-4 slices of bacon to a cold large frying pan and turn the heat to medium-low. What you want to do here is cook as much fat off the bacon as you can without it burning. In other words you want to use high enough heat that it cooks the bacon, but low enough that it doesn’t burn.
Step 2: As your bacon is cooking constantly turn it over so that it cooks evenly on both sides. If too much fat collects in the pan you’re going to want to drain it. During this process there shouldn’t be any black on the edges of the bacon at all. If there is that means it’s burning and you need to turn down the heat. Depending on how thick your slices are or how many are in the pan, your bacon should be done in about 10-15 minutes. You will know it’s done when it turns a deep brown color. When finished drain on paper towels. The bacon should not be fully crisp while it’s still in the pan. It will crisp after the paper towels soak up the fat.

 

Method 3: Cooking Bacon in the Oven

Step 1: With your oven rack in the middle position, pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees.
Step 2: Line your baking pan with aluminum foil. The one I use is about 1 ½ inches deep but you could use one that is about ¾ of an inch deep. Now separate your slices of bacon and place them side by side on the baking sheet.
Step 3: Place your baking pan into the oven. During the cooking process if fat becomes excessive you should take your pan out of the oven and drain it off.
Step 4: The bacon should be crisp into about 15-20 minutes. Remove from the oven and transfer bacon onto paper towels to soak up the fat.