Want some Sodium with your MSG?
In terms of gastronomy, Americans can learn a lot from the Chinese. The traditional Chinese diet consists mainly of unprocessed foods, with an emphasis on the veggies. Meat is used sparingly, and they consume very little dairy. Unfortunately, what we call “Chinese” food—overflowing with MSG, sodium, and oil—hardly resembles true Chinese fare. The entire time I lived in China, I saw not one mention of general tso’s chicken, orange sesame beef, or deep-fried crab rangoon.
Yesterday, I was hit with a Chinese-food craving. But rather than run to my nearest Wok-n-Roll (where everything is deep-fried and nothing is vegan), I decided to make my own. Later, I made my own dessert as well. It wasn’t Chinese in the slightest:
Gingerbread Cookie Dough Balls
Then again, fortune cookies aren’t really Chinese, either. In actuality, these cookies hail from San Francisco! And my lunch, a few hours earlier? It hailed from Texas:
CCK Ginger Stir Fry
(I didn’t measure anything, so I’ll just give you the gist)
- Broccoli
- Red Peppers
- Zucchini
- Onion
- Pineapple
- Water Chestnuts
- Tamari, Garlic, and Fresh Ginger (or dry)
- You can also add cashews!
Steam broccoli in a covered wok (with a little water), until it turns bright green. Add other ingredients (except pineapple) and stir-fry. (You could also add a little sweetener if desired, and if you want a thicker “sauce” heat the soy sauce in a little dish, then mix with cornstarch.) At the very end, add the pineapple. As seems to be the case with most ethnic foods, this tastes better the day after it’s cooked.
Can’t have a Chinese meal without rice, right?
I took the lazy route and pulled this box from my freezer, where it’d been forgotten for months. Usually, I’m not a rice girl. But every now and then, my cravings surprise me. Today, they said, “Eat rice!” So I did.
I ate my pseudo-Chinese with chopsticks.
Grandma and Grandpa (or, rather, Obaasan and Ojiisan) joined the luncheon. Continuing with the theme of the post, they’re not Chinese either; we bought them in Japan!
What are your favorite Chinese Foods?
And do you ever make your own stir fries, fried rice, or other Chinese fare?
Writing this post reminded me about my Healthier Lo Mein. I haven’t made it in ages! Other American-Chinese dishes I like to make include fried rice (or bulgur) and the ubiquitous stir fry. Also, does anyone else love water chestnuts? I do, but I always forget to cook with them!
Mhm, your dish looks lovely.
I love making stir fries with bunch of veggies and soy sauce, and maybe some tofu too. And specially with addition of cashews and sesame seeds 🙂
Do you eat everything with chop sticks? Do you bring them when you go out to eat or use regular utensils then?
No, not everything. But yup, I bring them to restaurants. Check out my previous post on “Raw Kale Enchiladas.”
omg this looks delicious! you are a vegan guru! lol
Regarding water chestnuts.. is buying them in a can the only option? Are they in the produce section?
It’s sad when a healthy cuisine or recipe is lost in translation, isn’t it?
Something similar happens to Chinese food here in India. Most restaurants use loads of oil and MSG and make the dishes a hodgepodge of Chinese and Punjabi (a region in northern India) tastes. Call it “Chin-jabi” cuisine :-p
At least when you “innovate” at home, you can keep your health scores high! Like this recipe:
http://quirkyeats.posterous.com/stir-fry-in-tangy-peanut-sauce
I’ve made this recipe several times. The pineapple is an excellent addition, I love it. (I love your chocolate-y recipes even more though :P)
LOVED IT! I added tofu to mine and drank ginger lemon tea with it using the leftover ginger. Definitely will be making this again
I like to make my own stir-fry but I think that in order to get the look right you have to add too much soy sauce and it makes it too salty and too much soy. So I use half the soy sauce and have balsamic vinegar. Not really authentic Chinese but I love it anyway.
Awesome recipe!
BTW – The soy and cornstarch will mix up better if you mix while the soy is cold, then heat it up. Whatever liquid you mix with cornstarch should always be on the cool side. Just mix in enough of the cold stuff to make a paste, then you can add to the hot stuff.
Hey Katie, just going over your blog…u have the most amazing recipes! I’m a vegetarian and I love to try new foods, specially dessert and chinese!
You have the most fuss free recipes I have ever come across and I love them!