Homemade Sweet and Spicy Chile Sauce and Shrimp Spring “Unrolls”

Sweet and Spicy Chile Sauce with Shrimp Spring Unrolls

I tried. I really really tried. I wanted to make shrimp spring rolls to go with this amazing chile sauce I came up with, but spring rolls were not to be. During the fourth attempt at rolling the same rice paper, it fought back and exploded in the middle, dumping the contents onto the plate below. I threw my hands in the air, added more lettuce to the mix, and used the dipping sauce as a salad dressing. Take that spring unroll!

It was quite delicious, if I don’t say so myself! I wish I made more of the chile sauce, as it really does make an amazing salad dressing and of course would go great with spring or egg rolls too. I let hubby roll his own, and he didn’t have much success either. I think we both tried to put too much in each one. But we both ended up with a lovely meal, mess and all.

Rather than bore you with all the details of what went in my “salad,” I basically used the same recipe that I used another time a made spring rolls, but used medium whole shrimp instead of diced deli shrimp and switched up a few of the veggies/herbs. Recipe here —> Shrimp and Vegetable Spring Rolls with a Spicy Peanut Sauce. OK let’s get to the chile sauce (and double this up if you want more to grace your fridge for future use):

Homemade Sweet and Spicy Chile Sauce
Adapted from picturetherecipe.com

4 tablespoons sugar
1/4 cup rice vinegar
1/8 cup water
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon Sambal Oelek
1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch mixed with same amount of water
3/4 teaspoon fish sauce

Add the sugar to a small sauce pan, then whisk in the rice vinegar and water. Turn heat to medium high and bring to a boil, whisking until sugar is dissolved.

Whisking the Chile Sauce

Add the minced garlic, crushed red pepper flakes, and Sambal Oelek. (You can substitute Sriracha if you don’t have any.)

Adding the Sambal Oelek ~ Shhh! It’s the secret ingredient!

Turn heat down and let simmer for several minutes until it slightly thickens.

Whisk in the cornstarch slurry, then simmer at a high bubble until the sauce clears and thickens. Turn off heat, stir in the fish sauce, then set aside to cool down.

Cooling the Chile Sauce

Once cool, store in airtight bottle in the refrigerator until ready to use. Serve as a dipping sauce with spring rolls, or as a sweet/spicy dressing to any salad.

Sweet and Spicy Chile Sauce with Shrimp Spring Unrolls

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Chicken and Bok Choy Soup

Chicken and Bok Choy Soup

Fall is in the air, at least where I live. And that means SOUP season! This is another recipe I made several months ago during a cool spell. The hardest thing about writing a recipe months after the fact is interpreting the scribbles hastily written down while cooking and photographing. I’m sure at the time I thought I would remember what it all means. So if I’ve missed a step or ingredient, please forgive me! But what I do remember is how much I enjoyed this soup.

Don’t let all those bottled sauces intimidate you, as very little of each is used and they keep for a long time in the refrigerator.  And it’s always nice to have just the sauce you need when you’re in the mood for an Asian dish. I think I’ll make this again very soon, as the cool, fall air is making me hanker for some warm, soothing soup!

Chicken and Bok Choy Soup

1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup grated carrot
1­ inch piece ginger, peeled and minced
4 to 5 cups homemade or low­sodium chicken broth
8 ounces boneless, skinless chicken breast tenders
1 serrano or jalapeño pepper, stemmed and thinly sliced
2 heads baby bok choy, sliced crosswise
2 green onions, green part only, chopped
2 teaspoons rice wine vinegar
2 teaspoons oyster sauce
1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
1/4 teaspoon fish sauce
1 teaspoon Sambal Oelek (optional)
Lime wedges, for serving

Chicken and Bok Choy Soup Ingredients ~ I started to crop this photo but couldn’t after I spotted our darling Hannah Banana in the background!

Add the oils to a wok or Dutch oven heated over medium high. Add the shredded carrot and sauté for a few minutes, then add the garlic and ginger and stir until fragrant.

Pour in the chicken broth, rice wine vinegar, oyster, soy and fish sauces to the broth. Raise the heat and cook until starting to boil, then add the chicken tenders and sliced chile pepper.

Simmering the Chicken

Reduce the heat to medium and cook at a low simmer until the chicken is cooked through, about 10 to 15 minutes depending on the thickness. Remove the chicken from broth and set aside until cool enough to handle.

Bok Choy and Green Onions Added

Meanwhile, add the bok choy and green onion to the broth. Optionally, add the Sambal Oelek if you like a little spicy. Simmer until greens are just tender, about 5 minutes.

Shred the chicken tenders with forks, then add back to the pot until warmed through.

Shredded Chicken Added

Serve in bowls with a lime wedge for squeezing into the soup, to taste.

Chicken and Bok Choy Soup

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Asian Pork and Shrimp Noodles with Bok Choy

Asian Pork and Shrimp Noodles with Bok Choy

I had a hankering for fried egg rolls a few weeks ago and thought I was all set with my ingredients, but when I took the egg roll wrappers out of the freezer to defrost, they were totally freezer burnt! I was NOT going to make a trip to the store just for egg roll wrappers, so I put on my thinking cap and decided we could enjoy all the deliciousness of egg rolls — unwrapped! The meal came out perfectly delicious, and just think of all the calories we saved without the fried grease (although I’m not one to pass up a fried egg roll if given the chance).

If you do decide to make this healthier alternative, just make sure you get all your ingredients prepped ahead of time, as it comes together pretty quick once you start cooking.

Asian Pork and Shrimp Noodles with Bok Choy

4 ounces dried rice noodles
1/2 pound ground pork
2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil, divided
2 or 3 green onions, chopped (about 1/2 cup)
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon minced ginger
1/2 cup grated carrot (I used bagged)
3 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
2 teaspoons fish sauce
2 teaspoons rice wine vinegar
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 cup chicken broth
2 baby bok choy, trimmed and sliced
1/2 pound shrimp (I used frozen deli shrimp)
4 ounces fresh bean sprouts
1 tablespoon cornstarch mixed with 1 tablespoon water
1 teaspoon Sambal Oelek (optional)
Lime wedges, for garnish

Asian Pork and Shrimp Noodles Ingredients

Soak rice noodles in hot water according to package directions. (Usually about 10 or 15 minutes.) Drain noodles and set aside. (Ignore my angel hair noodles in the pic and sub in your mind with the green onions I forgot for the shot.) After adding the rice noodles and bean sprouts, I had plenty of food already!)

Browned Ground Pork

In a wok or large skillet, brown the ground pork with 1 teaspoon of toasted sesame oil over medium heat until thoroughly cooked through. Remove from skillet, drain on paper towels, and set aside.

Cooking the Veggies

In the same skillet (without wiping out oil), add the grated carrots and cook about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the ginger, garlic, and green onions, and cook for several more minutes. Remove to a bowl and set aside.

Add another teaspoon of sesame oil to the skillet, then add the sliced bok choy, cooking until just wilted.

Wilted Bok Choy

In a small bowl, whisk together the soy, oyster and fish sauces along with the rice wine vinegar, brown sugar, and chicken broth and pour over the bok choy. Now add all the rest of the ingredients to the skillet (pork, veggies, shrimp, noodles, and bean sprouts.)

Last, stir in the cornstarch slurry and the chili sauce if you like a little spicy and bring up to a simmer. Turn off heat, then serve in bowls with a squeeze of lime wedge.

Asian Pork and Shrimp Noodles with Bok Choy

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Alabama-Style Grilled Chicken

Alabama-Style Grilled Chicken ~ photo credit to inpatskitchen via food52.com

Well I finally broke down and cooked a “real” dish in my tiny temporary kitchen! However, no photos were taken so I’m using one from the author of the recipe. This is an absolutely AMAZING sauce. My only liberties with this recipe were to cut the recipe in half, lessen the sugar, and the chicken was grilled in thin cutlets since there were no skewers to be had in this kitchen. This is an easy and awesome sauce. I wish I had made the full recipe! The recipe below is the modified recipe. This was served with brown rice and side salad. Enjoy. 🙂

Alabama-Style Grilled Chicken
Adapted from Alabama-Style Chicken Kebabs by inpatskitchen, via Food52.com

Sauce
3/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/2 tablespoon Sambal Oelek (or sub with Sriracha)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon minced garlic
Whisk all ingredients together. Cover and refrigerate. (Sauce can be made ahead of time.)

Chicken
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast(s), sliced into thin cutlets
Olive oil
The Sauce

Light your grill to medium heat and oil the grates (or preheat an electric grill, which is all I have in the temp kitchen). Reserve about half the sauce for dipping. Place chicken on the grill and start lightly basting and turning until the chicken is done, about 4 minutes per side. (Be careful not to burn!) Serve them up with reserved sauce on the side.

 

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Crock Pot Asian Beef Stew

Crock Pot Asian Beef Stew

I had every intention of adding some mint and Thai basil to this close to the end, but got busy with work, and next thing you know I’m taking photos with a hungry family in waiting and even forgot to use it as garnish. But nonetheless, it was very tasty and just enough spice and seasonings to make this a great twist on your average slow cooker beef stew. Oh, and I also forgot the minced ginger in the sauce, dang it! I’m sure it would have been a nice addition.

You can throw this together in no time, and have it in the slow cooker in less than 1o minutes, then forget about it the rest of the day! (OK maybe you’ll have to think about it if you want to add some fresh herbs at the end, oh, and cook the rice…)

Asian Beef Stew Ingredients Ready to Cook

Crock Pot Asian Beef Stew

1 pound chuck roast (or other beef cut)
Ground black pepper, to taste
1 cup homemade or low-sodium beef broth
1 tablespoon Hoisin sauce
1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon Sambal Oelek (Thai chili paste)
1 teaspoon minced ginger (FORGOT!)
1/2 large onion, chopped
2 green onions, chopped
1/2 to 1 red bell pepper, chopped
Baby carrots (enough for each serving)
Cooked rice, for serving
Fresh mint, Thai basil, or cilantro, for garnish (FORGOT!)

Crock Pot Asian Beef Stew with Side of Edamame

Season the beef with ground black pepper and place in bottom of a 3-quart crock pot. In a 2-cup measuring cup (or bowl), mix the beef broth, Hoisin suace, soy sauce, Thai chili paste, ginger (if you remember) and set aside. Chop up the onions and peppers and add them to the slow cooker along with the baby carrots. Pour the sauce over everything and cook on low 8 to 10 hours or on high 4 to 6 hours. Serve with cooked rice (we cooked ours in beef broth for more flavor), and a vegetable of choice. We served with steamed edamame pods.

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