A Stylish Hot Chicken Noodle Salad

February 3rd, 2012

Noodles and JADE Sichuan Peanut Sauce pair deliciously in this quick one-bowl meal. Add a topping of stir-fried chicken and serve on a bed of cool crunchy vegetables and you’ll have marvelous hot chicken noodle salad that will become a family favorite.

You can make the salad look stylish with a simple presentation. Line a wide shallow serving bowl with thin shreds of cabbage then sprinkle sweet pepper slivers over the top. Mound boiled noodles on top. Stir-fry chicken and onions until lightly browned, then cloak with spicy peanut sauce. Spoon the hot chicken over the noodles. At the table, with large serving forks, mix the elements together. Pass more peanut sauce to add to taste.

Jade Hot Chicken Noodle Salad

I arranged the salad in a large wide shallow bowl that I use for pasta.  A wide salad bowl might also work. If you don’t have an appropriate serving dish, mix all the elements in a big mixing bowl then distribute onto plates. Or if you use a wok, after cooking the chicken, remove from heat and stir in the noodles and vegetables and lightly mix together, then serve.

Use almost any kind of noodle. I used dried Asian white wheat noodles, but the darker soba noodles also would work. In a pinch, you could even use spaghetti, just adjust the cooking time.

Makes 3 main-dish servings

3 cups thinly shredded napa cabbage or green cabbage

1 cup thinly slivered red bell pepper

8 ounces boned and skinned chicken thighs, fat-trimmed and cut in 1/4-inch thick strips, about 2 inches long

2 teaspoons soy sauce

8 ounces dried Asian wheat noodles

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 cup thinly sliced onion

1/3 cup water

1/4 cup JADE Sichuan Peanut Sauce, or to taste.

1/2 cup coarsely chopped cilantro

1. In a large wide shallow serving dish spread the napa cabbage in an even layer. Distribute red pepper slivers over cabbage.

2. Mix the chicken with the soy sauce.

3. In a 5- to 6-quart pan over high heat, bring about 2 1/2 to 3 quarts water to a boil. Add the noodles, stir to separate, and cook until barely tender to bite, 5 to 6 minutes. Drain and rinse with very hot water, drain again. Mound the noodles over the red pepper.

4. Set a 14-inch wok or 12-inch frying pan over high heat. When the pan is hot, add the oil and rotate the pan to spread. Add the onion and stir-fry until lightly browned, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the chicken and stir-fry until lightly browned, about 2 minutes longer. Add the water and stir to loosen browned bits. Stir in JADE Sichuan Peanut Sauce to taste. Mound the chicken and sauce over red pepper. Sprinkle with cilantro. At the table, gently mix the noodles with the chicken and vegetables, then serve. Offer more JADE Sichuan Peanut Sauce to add to taste.

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Celebrate Chinese New Year with JADE Sauces

January 19th, 2012

Symbols of prosperity and good luck for the new year

Ring in the Year of the Dragon on January 23, 2012. According to the Chinese lunar calendar this will be year 4709. It’s such a big celebration festivities go on for more than two weeks. Use JADE sauces to make Chinese New Year entertaining easy.

Consider a Chinese hotpot party where guests do the cooking. You just prepare the ingredients and arrange them around a pot of boiling broth. Everyone immerses the bite-sized foods into the bubbling broth to briefly cook. Finish with a delicious dip into a JADE sauce, then eat.

Or consider an Asian small plate party. Seat a few guests around a table or for a bigger party, stage it as a walk-around appetizer party. Guests build a meal from small bites from an array of different dishes. Offer some of these delicious options: JADE Ginger Spareribs, Easy Chicken Satay with JADE Sichuan Peanut Sauce, Sweet Potato Fries and Jade Sichuan Peanut Sauce,

Thai Beef in Lettuce Cups

Thai Beef in Lettuce Cups, or Jade Ginger Pork Sliders.

Jade Ginger Pork Slider

Add a green vegetable simply dressed with JADE Sesame Soy Marinade such as asparagus or baby bok choy. Seat a few guests around a table or for a bigger party, stage it as a walk-around appetizer party.

Any way you choose, JADE Sauces streamlines your party planning.

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Jade Sichuan Peanut Sauce plus ……

January 5th, 2012

What’s for dinner?  Start with Jade Sichuan Peanut Sauce and the rest comes intuitively. In just one pan, you cook green beans, followed by ground pork. Add the magic ingredient–JADE Sichuan Peanut Sauce– and presto you have one easy delicious meal.

Serve with hot rice or over a bowl of boiled noodles and you have a quick supper, perfect for nights when you’re at a lost what to cook.

Green Beans with Pork and JADE Peanut Sauce

Makes 2 or 3 servings as a main course

Vary vegetables according to the season. Asparagus, snow peas, and broccolini would all work well as an alternative to the green beans.

12 to 16 ounces green beans

About 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste

About 1/3 cup water, or as needed

8 ounces ground pork

1 small onion (6 oz.), peeled and chopped

3 tablespoons JADE Sichuan Peanut Sauce, or to taste

1. Trim and discard stem ends off the beans and cut the beans in 3-inch lengths,

2. Set a 14-inch wok over high heat. When the pan is hot, add 1 teaspoon oil and rotate pan to spread. Add the salt and the beans. Stir-fry to coat the beans with oil. Add the water, cover and cook, stirring once, until the beans are tender-crisp, about 3 minutes. If the water evaporates before the beans are done, add 1 to 2 more tablespoon water, cover and continue cooking. Transfer the beans to a serving dish.

3. Return the pan to high heat. Add 2 tablespoons oil and rotate the pan to spread. Add the pork and stir-fry until the meat is loose and crumbly and begins to brown, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the onion and stir-fry until the pork is browned, 2 to 3 minutes longer. Add JADE Sichuan Peanut Sauce to taste. Spoon the pork mixture over beans.

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Easy vegetarian appetizer

December 1st, 2011

Easy vegetarian appetizer with Jade Peanut SauceFill slender spears of Belgian endive with spicy tofu mixture seasoned with JADE Sichuan Peanut Sauce. It’s a perfect choice if you’re looking for an easy holiday appetizer for vegetarians or those who want a party nibble they don’t need to feel guilty about. There’s no cooking. Simply finely dice firm pressed tofu and crisp vegetables. Then mix with the magic ingredient that ties the filling together–JADE Sichuan Peanut Sauce. The sauce instantly empowers the neutral-tasting tofu with bold flavor.The firm, crisp Belgian endive spears are a perfect container for the filling. Their slender shape make it easy to eat as an appetizer and their texture holds up well on a buffet table.

A few months ago, I visited California Vegetable Specialties and viewed the labor intensive process of growing endive (say on-deev). In the spring, chicory seeds are sown and grow through the summer in the field until the root is the size of a large carrot. The roots are topped, harvested and placed in cold storage in a warehouse-sized walk-in. When needed, the roots are placed in dark humid “forcing” rooms. The root’s bud grows to produce pale white tight heads of endive. At California Vegetable Specialties, they also produce a red variety that is a cross between white endive and a red Italian chicory known as treviso.

Endive Spears with Sichuan Tofu and Vegetables

You can assemble this appetizer up to 4 hours ahead, cover and chill. For a delicious variation of this appetizer use ground poultry and JADE Mekong Ginger Sauce. Trader Joe’s carries super-firm tofu and the endive. Cut the recipe in half for fewer servings.

Makes about 5 dozen, 18 to 20 appetizer servings

6 to 7 large heads Belgian endive

1 pound pressed tofu (may also be called super-firm or nigari)

3/4 cup finely diced or chopped red or golden bell pepper

1/2 cup finely diced celery

1/2 cup JADE Sichuan Peanut Sauce

1/4 cup thinly sliced green onion

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1. Rinse endive, pat dry, and trim off root ends. Separate leaves.

2. If tofu is packed in water or moist, drain in a colander at least 5 minutes, then pat dry and let stand on towels at least 5 minutes. Chop or dice tofu into about 1/4-inch chunks. In a bowl, mix the tofu, bell pepper, celery, JADE Sichuan Peanut Sauce, green onion, and cilantro.

3. Fill each endive leaf with the tofu mixture and arrange on a platter. Serve or cover and chill up to 2 hours.

Or for more casual service: Spoon the mixture into a serving bowl and surround with endive leaves on a platter. Let diners spoon the tofu mixture into endive leaves to eat.

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New links to Thanksgiving sides

November 13th, 2011

If you read the last post about Easy Thanksgiving Sides and had trouble with the links, try again. Hope the problem is corrected. Sorry, about the confusion. Happy Thanksgiving!

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Easy Thanksgiving Sides with JADE Sauces

November 12th, 2011

Turkey day is coming up fast. JADE Sauces can help simplify and speed up meal preparation without sacrificing taste or flair.

Need some quick ideas? Instead of marshmallows with sweet potatoes, consider baking small whole sweet potatoes in their skins until soft and tender. Slash potatoes open and push in ends gently to open slit and expose the sweet flesh. Drizzle spicy JADE Sichuan Peanut Sauce into the potato. Or for another variation try Sweet Potato Fries with JADE Sichuan Peanut Sauce.

For a easy and portable appetizer, consider Toasted Sesame Hummus served with a platter of fresh crisp vegetables. Just whirl canned garbanzos with JADE Toasted Sesame Sauce.

Want to dress-up green vegetables? Blanch vegetables like green beans, broccoli, bok choy, sugar snap peas, or asparagus briefly in boiling water just until tender-crisp, drain, and drizzle with JADE Sesame Soy Marinade.

Contributing a salad to a potluck feast?  Green Bean and Cherry Tomato Salad with Peanut Sauce will stand up to the vigors of travel. It’s also a delicious make-ahead salad to serve at home.  For best color, dress salad shortly before serving.

Enjoy your Thanksgiving. Let JADE Sauces make it easy.

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Jade Ginger Sparerib Nibbles

November 6th, 2011

I can’t resist bite-sized pieces of sticky ginger-glazed pork spareribs. They’re finger-licking good and so easy to make with JADE Mekong Ginger Sauce.

Marinate narrow strips of ribs in the sweet spicy gingery sauce, then bake. Finish with a final coat of more ginger sauce for a shiny glaze. Cut the ribs between the bones and serve as an appetizer. Guests will love them.

Mekong Ginger Sparerib Nibbles

Ask the meat man to saw across the spareribs to make long narrow strips 1- to 2-inches  long. Asian supermarkets often sell the ribs pre-cut.

2 pounds pork spareribs, sawed across the bone in 1- to 2-inch pieces

3/4 cup JADE Mekong Ginger Sauce, or as needed

1. Trim excess surface fat off ribs, if needed. Rinse ribs to remove any bone chips and pat dry. Place ribs and 1/2 cup of the JADE Mekong Ginger Sauce in 1 gallon heavy duty plastic bag with zipper lock. Turn ribs to coat with sauce. Chill, turning bag occasionally, at least 1 hour or up to the next day.

2. Preheat oven to 300° F. Set a wire cake rack or broiler rack set over a foil-lined 10-by 15-inch or larger shallow baking or broiler pan. Lightly coat rack with nonstick spray. Lift out the ribs and place slightly apart on rack. Drizzle any remaining marinade in bag over ribs or discard.

3. Bake until the ribs are tender when pierced, about 1 1/2 hours. Increase oven temperature to 400°F. Remove the ribs from oven and brush generously with about 1/4 cup JADE Mekong Ginger Sauce. Return ribs to oven and bake until glaze is bubbly, about 5 minutes.

4. Remove ribs from oven and let rest about 5 minutes. Cut between bones and serve.

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Potluck salad with personality

October 1st, 2011

Unlike so many meek potluck offerings, this salad radiates personality. It’s colorful and spicy.  Another plus–this salad holds its texture longer than lettuce salads that seem to wilt instantly. The secret is JADE Sichuan Peanut Sauce.

I came up with this easy salad when I needed a dish to bring to a potluck picnic. I had everything in my refrigerator–green beans, cherry tomatoes, red onions, and of course, JADE Sichuan Peanut Sauce. With just these four ingredients, the salad takes only minutes to prepare. Boil the beans briefly, cool quickly, drizzle with the spicy nutty peanut sauce, then top with cherry tomatoes and red onions.

Green Bean and Cherry Tomato Salad with Peanut Sauce

Rinsing the chopped onion removes some of their hot bite. Offer more JADE Sichuan Peanut Sauce on the side, so people can add more sauce to taste.

Makes 6 to 10 servings

1 to 1 1/2 pounds green beans, rinsed

1/3 cup JADE Sichuan Peanut Sauce, or to taste

1 to 1 1/2 cups cherry tomatoes, cut in halves

1/3 cup chopped red onions, rinsed

1. Trim stem ends off beans and if desired, cut in 3-inch lengths.  In a 5- to 6-quart pan over high heat, bring about 2 quarts water to a boil. Add beans. Cook until tender-crisp to bite, 3 to 5 minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water or immerse in ice water until beans are cool. Drain well.

2. Spread beans in a shallow serving dish. Drizzle with Jade Sichuan Peanut Sauce to taste.  Scatter tomatoes and onions over top.

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Summer salad for vegetarians

September 1st, 2011

On hot summer days, there’s nothing better than a big salad for supper. Playing a solo role as the main course, the salad needs to be a bit more satisfying than the basic tossed green.

To provide a bit of protein and heft to the salad, add chunks of grilled marinated tofu. The porous neutral flavored dense tofu readily soaks up the essence of JADE Sesame Soy Marinade or JADE Mekong Ginger Sauce. When skewered and grilled, the tofu takes on bold personality from their marinades.

For another layer of flavor, lightly dress baby greens studded with kernels of summer sweet corn, cherry tomatoes, and crunchy cucumbers with JADE Toasted Sesame Sauce or JADE Sichuan Peanut Sauce. Set the tofu skewers on the greens and drizzle more dressing on the tofu to taste. It’s such an easy and healthful summer supper, it’s likely to become a regular at your table.

Grilled Tofu Kebabs on Baby Greens

Use a very firm, pressed tofu for grilling. The compact, dense, ivory block is not packed in water and may be called pressed, nigari, or super-firm.

If you would like the use JADE Sesame Soy Marinade or JADE Mekong Ginger Sauce for the salad dressing, mix about 1/4 cup rice vinegar with about 3 to 4 tablespoons of the JADE marinade or ginger sauce, or to taste.

Makes 3 or 4 main-dish salads

1 pound super firm or pressed tofu

3 to 4 tablespoons JADE Sesame Soy Marinade or Mekong Ginger Sauce

2 green onions, cut in 1-inch lengths

6 cups mixed baby salad greens or argula, rinsed and crisped

1 cup fresh-cut raw corn kernels

1 cup cherry tomatoes, cut in halves

1 cup thinly sliced cucumber, preferably Persian or Japanese

1/2 cup JADE Sichuan Peanut Sauce or Toasted Sesame Sauce, or to taste

1. Cut tofu into 1/2-inch thick slices, then cut slices into about 1 inch squares. Coat the tofu with the JADE Sesame Soy Marinade or JADE Mekong Ginger Sauce. Marinate at least 30 minutes, turning occasionally, or up to 1 hour.

2. Lift out tofu and run a thin skewer through center of the 1/2-inch thick side of tofu pieces, alternating with green onion. Repeat filling 4 to 6 skewers using all tofu and onions.

3. Set tofu skewers on an oiled grill over medium-high heat. If skewers are wood, set a piece of foil under exposed ends of skewers to prevent burning. Grill, turning once, until browned on both sides, 5 to 7 minutes total.

4. Meanwhile, in a large bowl combine salad greens, corn, tomatoes, cucumbers, and 3 or 4 tablespoons JADE Sichuan Peanut Sauce of Toasted Sesame Sauce. Lightly mix together and place salad on 3 or 4 dinner plates. Set tofu skewers on top. Drizzle tofu and salads with JADE Sichuan Peanut or Toasted Sesame Sauce to taste.

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Food truck special–Korean tacos

August 1st, 2011

I love food trucks–tasty food, variety, value prices, and surprising combinations. But I hate the long lines.

One popular offering is Korean tacos. Enjoy this food truck hit without waiting in line. JADE Sesame Soy Marinade makes it easy. Marinate beef flank steak in the savory marinade, then grill. Slice the meat and pile into warm tortillas. Add a spoonful of spicy cabbage slaw, and top off with chile-laced kim chee, a Korean relish. People will be lining up for your Korean tacos.

JADE  Korean Tacos

Use very fresh corn tortillas that are soft and pliable. Kim chee is a  pickled Korean relish, sort of like a spicy sauerkraut. Look for it in the refrigerator of some supermarkets and Asian grocery stores.

Makes 10 to 12 tacos, 4 to 6 servings

1 beef flank steak (1 1/2 lb.)

1/3 cup JADE Sesame Soy Marinade

1/4 cup mayonnaise

2 tablespoons rice vinegar

2 teaspoons sugar

1/4 teaspoon cayenne

3 cups thinly slivered napa cabbage

2/3 cup diced tomato

1/3 cup thinly sliced green onion

1 cup well-drained kim chee, or to taste

10 to 12 very fresh corn tortillas (6 in.)

1. In a 1-gallon zip-lock bag combine steak and the JADE Sesame Soy Marinade. Press air out of bag and seal bag.  Turn bag several times so marinade coats steak completely. Cover and chill at least 1 hour or up to overnight, turning occasionally.

2. In a bowl, whisk together mayonnaise, rice vinegar, sugar, and cayenne. Add cabbage, tomato, and onion. Wrap stack of tortillas in foil.

3. Lift steak out of marinade (discard used marinade) and place on grill over high heat or hot coals. Cook until medium-rare or pinkish-red in center of thickest part (cut to test), turning once, 4 to 5 minutes a side. Transfer steak to a board and let rest about 5 minutes. Place the packet of tortillas on hot grill and cook, turning occasionally, until hot and steamy, 6 to 8 minutes.

4. Thinly slice steak across the grain at about a 45° angle to make 1/4-inch thick slices. Set steak slices, tortillas, cabbage slaw, and kim chee on table. To eat, for each taco, place 1 tortilla on plate, top with a spoonful of slaw, a few slices of steak, and kim chee to taste. Fold up and eat. Serve any extra slaw on the side.

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