Re: other slowcooker recipes being bland or burnt, I think slowcookers get a bad rap from a lot of lackadaisical “lazy mom” recipes spread via Church mixers and family gatherings initially, then crummy food bloggers who write more about their day with the kids than the actual recipe they’re supposedly posting. Yeah, sure, you can make decent BBQ Pork by throwing a 6lb pork shoulder into 2 liters of Dr. Pepper or okayish “Italian Beef” by glugging a jar of pepperocinis over a beef roast and cooking on High for Full Work Day + Picking the Kids Up From Soccer hours, but with a little more effort, you can do some awesome stuff. So, in that vein, those books you’re describing sound awesome.
Ginger is sort of a giant bitch. I cook a lot of Indian, which calls for Ginger + Garlic, minced finely, in even proportions all the fucking time. Happens a lot in Chinese and Thai cuisine, too. I’ve taken to doing this:
Roughly chop a large “hand” of ginger (peeled if you’re feeling extra-spunky). Then, smash-and-peel a couple of whole heads of garlic (or, even better, just grab the pre-peeled stuff at your local Indian grocer because Jesus you don’t really need to spend 4.5 hours straight cooking again, do you ArmandoPenblade?!). Toss both into a food processor/blender/wet-dry grinder with enough oil to make it go, plus a little salt (maybe a teaspoon tops, probably only half that).
Blend till it’s a smooth, creamy paste, then keep in the fridge for a couple of months if you’re like me and really trust your food not to kill you with DeathSpores.
Oh, and fish sauce does magical things to sauces. Thai is all about the interplay between sour, sweet, salty, and spicy, and the particular brand of salty that most typifies it is only gonna come from that stuff. Even mixed up with tamarind paste and a healthy glob of palm sugar, it’s still gonna assault your nostrils when tossed into a stir fry, though, so keep the fan running for that step if/when it comes up ;)
I spent the entire post thinking “Wait, isn’t Tim just talking about a Low Country Boil?” Man that stuff is frigging good. I love it even more with crawfish, I think, but I commit sacrilege and prefer the pre-peeled tails. Cracking and scooping every other bite for several meals running just ain’t my thang, son.
Over the holiday weekend, I visited my family. Dad loves takeout Chinese food (heavily Americanized–he first fell in love with it while growing up in southern Louisiana, so, you know. . . not super authentic). Since I almost always cook some weird Indian or Thai stuff @ home (mom loves that), I figured to be nice and go with Chinese this weekend.
In the end, I made:
[ul]
[li]General Tso’s Chicken
[/li][li]Kung Pao Chicken
[/li][li]Beef and Broccoli
[/li][li]Spicy Chicken Lo Mein
[/li][li]Chicken Eggrolls
[/li][li]Cream Cheese Wontons (parents hate seafood, so no crab :( )
[/li][li]Fried Rice
[/li][li]Steamed Rice
[/li][/ul]
I’m particularly proud of the lo mein, since I synthesized that recipe myself. It, uh, made a lot. I think it was something like this (realized my typed recipe is on my home PC and not in my Dropbox, so here goes from memory):
[ul]
[li]1 lb Chicken Breast, cut into thin strips
[/li][li]3 tbsp Dark Soy Sauce, divided
[/li][li]3 tbsp Shaoxing Wine, divided
[/li][li]2 tsp Sesame Oil, divided
[/li][li]2 tsp Rice Wine Vinegar, divided
[/li][li]1 tbsp Corn Starch, divided
[/li][li]1 tbsp Chili Paste
[/li][li]1 tbsp Oyster Sauce
[/li][li]2 tbsp Chicken Broth
[/li][li]2 tbsp Water
[/li][li]2 tsp Sugar
[/li][li]1 tsp White Pepper
[/li][li]2 tbsp Vegetable Oil, divided
[/li][li]2 tsp Minced Garlic
[/li][li]2 tsp Minced Ginger
[/li][li]2 Green Onions, minced (separate white sections from green)
[/li][li]2 cups Cabbage, shredded
[/li][li]1 Green Bell Pepper, cut into strips
[/li][li]2 stalks Celery, sliced thin
[/li][li]2 Carrots, sliced thinly on the bias
[/li][li]~6oz Snap Peas
[/li][li]~4 oz Baby Bella Mushrooms, sliced thin
[/li][li]1/2 - 3/4 box of Thin Spaghetti, cooked according to package directions for Al Dente
[/li][/ul]
For the italicized veggies, just pick what you like. Mom is a vegetable fanatic, so I just did all of them, since we had them leftover from other recipes.
Combine the chicken breast with 1 tbsp of the Dark Soy Sauce, 1 tbsp of the Shaoxing Wine, 1 tsp of the Sesame Oil, 1 tsp of the Rice Wine Vinegar, 1 tsp of the Corn Starch, and the chili paste. Stir well and let marinate for 30-45 minutes while you prep the rest.
Make your stir-fry sauce by mixing up the remaining 2 tbsp of Dark Soy, 2 tbsp of Shaoxing, 1 tsp of Sesame Oil, 1 tsp of Rice Wine Vinegar, and 2 tsp of Corn Starch with the Oyster Sauce, Chicken Broth, Water, Sugar, and White Pepper. Helps to make a slurry out of the Corn Starch + White Pepper by mixing it with just the water before mixing into the rest to prevent lumps.
In a large stockpot (or industrial sized wok, which I lack), heat the Vegetable Oil over high heat until smoking. Add in the ginger, garlic, and minced Green Onion (white part only), stirring into the oil vigorously for a few seconds. Before it starts to brown, add in the remaining vegetables (Cabbage, Bell Pepper, Celery, Carrots, Snap Peas, and/or Mushrooms, as you like). Cook, stirring frequently, for about 3-5 minutes until the vegetables are softened, but not browning or getting soggy. Add in your stir fry sauce mixture from earlier and cook another minute.
Finally, mix in the cooked spaghetti, stirring very well to combine and heat through. Serve immediately, garnishing with the green sections of the green onions.
Picture from dad’s make-it-himself meal of leftovers the day I left (which I think includes everything but the wontons and rice, although some of it’s pretty hidden):
