Take-out wonder
Sometimes, I wonder what makes take-out food so delicious. It's not nutritious. The ingredients are sub-par, and often not well matched to the dish. The dishes themselves are not well-made, overly greasy and far too salty. And yet...we keep going back. Regardless of the barrage of ad campaigns extolling the virtues of organic, fair-trade, non-GM, 100, locally grown etc etc, in the dead of night, alone in our apartments, we will inevitably call Super Express pizza.
So last week, in my quest to find something, anything, to save me from writing my grant proposal, I stopped myself from ordering take-out and instead, sought to make a take-out style dish at home. It seems that the key to delicious take-out is a) deep-frying and b) drowning the dish in grease; however, I discovered that this was not the case. This dish was delicious served with white rice and a salad with cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, spinach, parmesan and a honey-mustard vinaigrette (courtesy of the culinarily-inclined V). I personally prefer a bit more sauce than the recipe calls for (about double what I list here), but the general guidelines remain the same. Oh, and use lots of veggies!
Here it is, in all of it's non-greasy glory.
Sweet and sour chicken
Adapted from the Food Network
1 large chicken breast (about 350 grams), cut into small pieces
2 1/2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
Salt
2 tsp low-sodium soy sauce
1 tbsp cornstarch
3 tbsp ketchup
3 tbsp sugar, plus a pinch
3 tbsp olive oil
5 cloves of garlic, minced
2 carrots, thinly sliced
3 scallions, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 1/2 cups snow pieces, ends trimmed and cut into half
1 1/2 cups broccoli
1. Toss chicken with 1/2 tbsp vinegar and a pinch of salt in a bowl. Mix the remaining 2 tbsp vinegar, the soy sauce, cornstarch, ketchup, 3 tbsp sugar, 1/3 cup water and 1/2 tsp salt in another bowl.
2. Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a large skillet over high head. Add the chicken and slowly stir until it becomes mostly opaque, about 2-3 minutes (you will simmer it later, so don't worry if it isn't fully cooked).
3. Remove chicken with a slotted spoon and transfer to a paper towel-lined plate. Discard the oil and wipe out the skillet.
4. Heat the remaining 1 tbsp oil in the skilled, and then stir-fry the garlic with a pinch each of salt and sugar, for about 15 seconds.
5. Add the carrots and scallions, and stir-fry until tender-crisp, about 2 minutes (add a splash of water if the garlic starts to the stick to the skillet).
6. Add the chicken, snow peas, broccoli and soy sauce mixture
7. Stir until chicken is fully cooked and the sauce is thickened, about 3 minutes.
Serve with rice, salad and enthusiasm.
So last week, in my quest to find something, anything, to save me from writing my grant proposal, I stopped myself from ordering take-out and instead, sought to make a take-out style dish at home. It seems that the key to delicious take-out is a) deep-frying and b) drowning the dish in grease; however, I discovered that this was not the case. This dish was delicious served with white rice and a salad with cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, spinach, parmesan and a honey-mustard vinaigrette (courtesy of the culinarily-inclined V). I personally prefer a bit more sauce than the recipe calls for (about double what I list here), but the general guidelines remain the same. Oh, and use lots of veggies!
Here it is, in all of it's non-greasy glory.
Sweet and sour chicken
Adapted from the Food Network
1 large chicken breast (about 350 grams), cut into small pieces
2 1/2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
Salt
2 tsp low-sodium soy sauce
1 tbsp cornstarch
3 tbsp ketchup
3 tbsp sugar, plus a pinch
3 tbsp olive oil
5 cloves of garlic, minced
2 carrots, thinly sliced
3 scallions, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 1/2 cups snow pieces, ends trimmed and cut into half
1 1/2 cups broccoli
1. Toss chicken with 1/2 tbsp vinegar and a pinch of salt in a bowl. Mix the remaining 2 tbsp vinegar, the soy sauce, cornstarch, ketchup, 3 tbsp sugar, 1/3 cup water and 1/2 tsp salt in another bowl.
2. Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a large skillet over high head. Add the chicken and slowly stir until it becomes mostly opaque, about 2-3 minutes (you will simmer it later, so don't worry if it isn't fully cooked).
3. Remove chicken with a slotted spoon and transfer to a paper towel-lined plate. Discard the oil and wipe out the skillet.
4. Heat the remaining 1 tbsp oil in the skilled, and then stir-fry the garlic with a pinch each of salt and sugar, for about 15 seconds.
5. Add the carrots and scallions, and stir-fry until tender-crisp, about 2 minutes (add a splash of water if the garlic starts to the stick to the skillet).
6. Add the chicken, snow peas, broccoli and soy sauce mixture
7. Stir until chicken is fully cooked and the sauce is thickened, about 3 minutes.
Serve with rice, salad and enthusiasm.
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| The death of take-out. |
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