Take-out - of the freezer

Good things.....

Some times.....Just sometimes super tasty things CAN come out of the freezer case. This is one of those oh so special times! On a recent trip to Korea Town, I picked up a few things that I usually have at the sushi restaurant, one of which happens to be gyoza. I had my doubts about this product.....about how tasty frozen dumplings could be...about if the sauce I picked up would even come close to what they serve at the restaurant....about how maybe ...just maybe this packaged stuff was aimed at us poor saps who can't get enough of everything they serve in the sushi place nor can recreate it on our own... at home.

Repudiating those thoughts, I shout loudly and sing the praises of gyoza from the freezer and the "spot on" sauce that is sold in a bottle,....that I'm sure the sushi place has a huge one of in the back cellar!

This "Cookin' Mama" didn't make this....but I sure ate it!! LOL

Chicken & Broccoli Bam!

With this dish I officially declare the opening of Valles Garden!.....or Mom foo's as the kiddos call it! LOL!

Here is my (I must say AWESOME) version of one of my favorite Chinese dishes! Thanks to my recent shopping trip, I finally have the ingredients to make it.


What you need

• 1½ lb chicken breast (skinned & DE-boned)
• 2 medium eggs (whites only)
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• ½ cup oyster sauce (or more if you like)
• 2 tablespoons regular soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon water
• 1 pound broccoli (I use florets or baby)
• Salt
• 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
• 4 garlic cloves
• 3 oz stir-fry oil
Cook it up!

Velvet the chicken.....
slice the chicken up into strips. Combine egg whites, 1 teaspoon corn starch, and two pinches of salt in a bowl....then add mixture to the chicken slices and store in a container with a tight fitting cover for 30 minutes. Next heat the wok to high and add 2oz of oil, stir fry chicken until it is white then promptly remove and place chicken on a plate or in a colander with paper towels to absorb moisture. Clean out the wok.

Place the broccoli in a microwave safe container, add ½ cup water and cook on high for 3 minutes (more or less depending on how firm you want your broccoli to be). drain and set aside.

Make the sauce by combining 2 tablespoons soy, oyster sauce, and water in a small bowl. In another small bowl, mix 2 teaspoons cornstarch and water.



Heat wok and add a few tablespoons of oil (more if needed). Add the broccoli and the velveted chicken, stirring and tossing to cook the chicken through. Add the sauce and cornstarch mixture, stir quickly to thicken. Mix everything together and serve hot rice.

All done!


*To add a spicy zip add a tiny dollop of Huy Fong chill sauce!

K-Town!

Lucky me!

With the thoughts of better homemade Asian fair in the back of my mind, An impromptu trip to K-Town (A strip of Korean stores & restaurants in Manhattan) turned into a super cool shopping trip!

When I walked into the little market I didn't expect to be visually assaulted by the humongous array of Asian food products! I'm sure some of you are wondering why I was so excited.......I mean it's just food right? Well for me it is exciting when I can walk into a market, and find Asian food other than soy sauce and ramen noodles! It's not like I live near a store that carries even 1/100th of what they had there so naturally I went nuts. I think I looked at everything they had in the store from pots to frozen pork patties, to dried anchovies and shitake mushrooms! they had it all........or maybe most of it..LOL!

On the list of goodies picked up by me were a few of my favorites! Shumai, red bean ice cream, gyoza and something else I can't remember without getting up and looking in the freezer..... :-p
Now with that said you know some super tasty food is coming your way soon!