Did you know in China, soup is something that is always on the table, particularly at dinner. According to Chinese tradition, dinner should always include at least three dishes and one soup. Chinese soups are very easy to make and usually made with simple ingredients. And this recipe is no exception!
I absolutely LOVE the flavor and crunch bok choy brings to this fragrant garlicky ginger soup! If you can’t find Bok Choy, you can use any green, such as cabbage, spinach or other Asian greens.
This recipe also calls for one of my new favorite spices…Star Anise. I was first introduced to Star Anise by one of Gordon Ramsay’s recipes.The star-shaped pods look beautiful and have an exotic flavor you’ll fall in love with. It has earthy, subtly sweet spice that is perfect in savory dishes. Star Anise is also an ingredient in Chinese five spice, where it’s combined with fennel, cinnamon, Szechuan peppercorns and cloves. So if you can not find Star Anise, you can use Chinese five spice.
Honestly this is one of my go to soups, it’s perfect in cold or even warm weather, who doesn’t love a nutritious, comforting, and flu-fighting soup! Get your grocery list together and let’s get cooking!
INGREDIENTS
1 tbsp olive oil
3 shallots, chopped
1 bunch green onions, chopped, green and white divided
4 cloves garlic, chopped
2 tbsp ginger, fresh, minced)
5 ½ cups chicken broth (or water)
2 whole star anise or ¼ teaspoon Chinese five spice season
2 tbsp soy sauce
10 oz crimini mushrooms, sliced
6 oz rice noodles
1.5 heads bok choy, roughly chopped
sesame seeds (for topping)
red pepper flakes (for topping)
INSTRUCTIONS
Heat 1-2 tablespoons olive oil in a medium-sized stockpot over medium heat. Saute the shallots over medium heat for 4-5 minutes, or until the shallots turn translucent and start to soften. Stir often. Add the white part of the green onions, garlic, and ginger to the shallots and mix. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 1-2 minutes or until garlic and ginger is fragrant. Carefully pour the chicken broth into the pot and bring to a simmer. Add the star anise and soy sauce. Cover and continue to simmer for 10 minutes. Remove the lid from the pot and carefully remove and discard each star anise from the soup. Add the mushrooms, uncooked noodles, and bok choy to the pot and simmer for 5-8 minutes, or until noodles and bok choy are tender. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with sesame seeds, the green parts of green onions and red pepper flakes.
I recently had an abundance of leeks and asked my friends to give me some recipe ideas. My friend, Natasha suggested Stir fry and I am so glad she did!! This recipe was inspired by the Food & Wine Stir Fry recipe, Natasha shared with me.
This is one of those dishes that is unbelievably simple and super tasty. I love spicy Asian food! So when I found this chili paste, Dragon Fly Fried Chili Paste at my local Asian market, I fell in love! It is absolutely delicious but be careful it is SPICY! A ½ teaspoon gives you the perfect amount of heat! If you like your food spicier then by all means add a full teaspoon.
You can eat this stir fry alone or over rice. I served it alongside Chicken thighs and a side of brown rice.
Ingredients
3 tablespoons olive oil
10 ounces mushrooms, thinly sliced
1 large leek, white and tender green parts only, thinly sliced
½ onion, diced
4 garlic cloves, chopped
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
1 1/2 teaspoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon Chinese chile paste, II love DragonFly Fried Chili Paste
Instructions
Heat a large skillet.
Add 2 tablespoons of the olive oil, tilting to coat the skillet.
Add the mushrooms and onions, stir-fry over high heat until golden, about 8 minutes.
Stir in the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil.
Add the leek, garlic and ginger and stir-fry until the leek is tender, about 2 minutes.
Add the soy sauce, sesame oil and chile paste and stir-fry for 1 minute.
If you’re looking for an easy, delicious and healthy dinner, this salmon in parchment paper is the perfect recipe. The salmon is cooked in a parchment paper pouch creating an almost mess free dinner that’s not only easy, but yummy! Best part? It’s ready in just about thirty minutes. Just mix up a handful of pantry staples, pour over top, fold up the parchment paper, and bake. Every bite is sweet and savory!
We’ve been looking for ways to reduce our calories and eat healthier. In this recipe, you’ll notice Liquid Aminos and may be asking yourself, what is that?
Liquid Aminos look and taste similar to soy sauce. It is made by fermenting coconut sap with salt and water or treating soybeans with an acidic solution to break them down into free amino acids. It adds a savory, salty flavor to meals and is naturally vegan and gluten-free. You can find it at most grocery stores. Can’t find Liquid Aminos, you can use Soy sauce.
So here’s the story behind the parchment paper. I wanted to make an easy clean up dish- it’s been a crazy week. So I thought I’d make salmon in a foil packet. I opened my pantry and to my surprise… No foil! I’ve been reading about French cuisine and I remember reading about Salmon en Papillote, which translates to Salmon enveloped in paper! I had plenty of parchment paper and so this recipe was born!
By cooking the salmon in a parchment paper packet, you’re creating an envelope for your food to cook inside of. Not only does this save on mess and dishes, but cooking your food in parchment steams the food and cooks everything in their own juices. Cooking food this way preserves nutrients and creates an insane amount of flavor because all of the aromas are trapped inside. You can add vegetables into the packet with the salmon. I served mine with side salad.
How to make the parchment paper packet?
Creating the packet isn’t difficult, but it requires a particular shape and folding technique.
Fold a 12-by-16-inch piece of parchment in half, then cut it so that it’ll be shaped like a heart when you unfold it.
Cut a 12-by16-inch piece of parchment paper for each piece of salmon you’re cooking and fold it in half. Using scissors, cut the folded paper into half of a heart, then unfold.
Brush both sides of the paper lightly with olive oil.
Place your salmon to one side of the creased line down the middle of the heart. Pour the sauce over the salmon.
Fold the other half of the heart over the salmon. Starting at the pointy end—the bottom of the heart—fold the edge of the parchment paper in small, overlapping triangles. This helps create a tight seal, making sure that the salmon will cook in its own juices and not dry out or lose flavor.
And that’s it! Just transfer each packet to a dinner plate, cut a small opening in the paper, pull apart the packet and devour the contents. You’ll barely even need to wash the plates.
Looking for a wine?
Scout & Cellar Hushkeeper Pinot Gris is the perfect pairing! Zippy-yet-balanced with lemon, pear, and underripe pineapple on a medium-bodied frame with a bright finish. For this Pinot Gris, grapes were picked by hand from dry-farmed vines planted over 30 years ago. After harvest, the grapes were pressed and placed in stainless steel vessels where they fermented for 3 weeks. The wine then aged in stainless steel until bottling, unfined and lightly filtered with natural bentonite clay.
In a small bowl, whisk together honey, garlic, soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, ginger, Sriracha and pepper, to taste.
Take two pieces of parchment paper, fold in half, and cut a half-circle starting at each crease. They should look similar to a heart-shape when unfolded.
Brush each piece of parchment with olive oil on both sides.
Place the one piece of salmon in the middle of one side of a prepared parchment paper.
Pour the ginger syrup mixture over the salmon. Save the rest of the sauce for serving.
Fold the other half of the circle over and seal the parchment edge by making overlapping folds around the edge. At the end, fold the last crease in the opposite direction of the rest to ensure it seals.
Repeat with the second piece of prepared parchment and remaining ingredients.
Place pouches on a baking sheet.
Place into the oven and bake until cooked through, about 15 minutes.(Baking time may need to be adjusted depending on the thickness of the salmon).
Remove from the oven and allow to sit for 5 minutes before cutting open parchment.
The salmon is done when it flakes easily with a fork.
I love salmon! This is one of my go to salmon recipes. It’s garlic, sweet and sticky with simple ingredients.
This salmon recipe pairs great with Scout & Cellar’s 2018 LITTLE JANE PINOT NOIR. Little Jane Pinot Noir is elegant and complex with red plum, black cherry and fresh raspberry balanced by garrigue, Asian spice, and a hint of coffee bean with soft tannins and a lingering finish.
Take salmon out of the fridge, 20 minutes before cooking.
Pat dry with a paper towel and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
In a bowl, whisk together the sauce ingredients.
In a skillet, drizzle olive oil and gear over medium high heat.
Place salmon in a hot pan and cook the first side for 3-4 minutes. Turn and cook on the other side for 2-3 minutes.
Pour sauce over salmon. Cook for 1 minute until the sauce starts to thicken. If the sauce thickens too much before the salmon has cooked to your temperature then just add 1 tablespoon of water to the pan and stir.
Remove to plates & drizzle with sauce and serve.
Tip:
To determine the wellness of the salmon, check the side of the salmon to tell how cooked the salmon is- I like my salmon medium rare inside, if it’s coral inside (rare to medium rare). You can use a thermometer too. Insert the thermometer into the thickest part of the salmon- 120 F for medium rare and 130 degrees for medium
Remember the salmon will continue cooking for a minute after removing it from the skillet
Whisk Away Kitchen 