Tag Archives: asian

Deviled Eggs with Yum Yum Sauce

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eggs on platterI don’t know why I didn’t think of this sooner, deviled eggs made with Yum Yum sauce. Yes, you know the delicious pinkish sauce you get at Japanese steakhouses? The one you drown your shrimp in.

I’ve written a food column for more than 15 years, which means 15 years of Easter stories.  After that amount of time it’s easy to get in a rut, so this year I challenged myself to rethink deviled eggs.

And this is one of the results.

I created Asian  inspired deviled eggs that are easy and amazing. I used Yum Yum sauce for the base and skipped mayonnaise or mustard.

I topped it with wonton crisps for crunch (you can find these with salad condiments), and a little green onion. If desired, add some chopped cilantro. These are fantastic. I will definitely serve these again outside of Easter. They were my husband’s favorite, too.

As a side note, after filling the eggs I had leftover yolk mixture and spread it on a piece of toast for breakfast. It was lovely.

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This is the new deviled egg recipe to try. It’s awesome!

Asian inspired Deviled Eggs

6 large  boiled eggs

1/4 heaping cup Yum Yum sauce

Salt and pepper to taste

Wontons crisps

1 green onion

Cilantro (optional)

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Slice eggs in half, and place egg yolks in a bowl and smash with a fork until the yolks are crumbs. Then stir in Yum Yum sauce and add salt and pepper to taste.

Take a green onion and slice the green part only- don’t use the white because it will be too strong. Fill the eggs with the yolk mixture, top with wonton strips, green onion and if desired, cilantro. Serve. If you are not serving these immediately, leave off the wontons until the last minute.

Potatoes Stuffed with Rotisserie Chicken in a Peanut Sauce

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There has been a chill in the air all weekend which makes me crave comfort food. Stuffed potatoes takes me back to my childhood, but I have put a modern, and more healthy, twist on traditional baked potatoes.

I have always loved chicken with Asian chicken sauce. Until a trip to Indonesia, I made it Thai style with coconut milk, but an Indonesian woman taught me this recipe which I now use because it’s so easy and has minimal ingredients.

These serve as a main course and are inspired by chicken satay. This recipe is so easy! While the potatoes cook in the microwave, you can assemble everything else, including the sauce.  Then add a few condiments to adorn your dish and you are done.

 

Potatoes Stuffed with Rotisserie Chicken in a Peanut Sauce

Makes 4 modest portions or 2 large portions

2 large cooked Russet potatoes

2 rotisserie chicken breasts, shredded

Peanut Sauce (see recipe below)

2/3 cup shredded carrots

3 green onions

1 small cucumber, chopped

chopped cilantro to garnish

Peanut sauce:

½ cup boiling water

1/3 cup smooth peanut butter

1 tablespoon brown sugar

1 teaspoon Tamari soy sauce

¼ teaspoon ginger paste

½ teaspoon lime juice

Note: This can serve as many as four if you use half a potato per person. We eat smaller dinners, so this is ample for my family, but some families may want a whole potato per person, in which case this will only serve two.

To microwave a regular potato, simply wash it, pierce it many times with a fork and then microwave for 4 minutes. Turn it over with tongs and cook another 3 minutes, until it’s super tender.

Pull breasts off chicken, shred with your hands and set aside.

To make the sauce, combine boiling water, peanut butter, brown sugar, soy sauce, ginger paste and lime juice. Stir until well combined and smooth.

Pour half of the sauce over the chicken and stir to coat. Set it aside and slice the green onions, chop the cilantro and cucumber.

Slice the potatoes in half and place one half on each plate. Add salt and pepper. Take a fork and smash the inside and add 1 teaspoon peanut sauce to each potato. Next, top with shredded chicken, carrots, cilantro, onion and cucumber. Drizzle with remaining peanut sauce and serve.

Asian Inspired Salad with Chicken, Edamame, Granny Smith Apples and Ginger Dressing

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I must say, I chose the wrong color of bowl to showcase this delicious salad. I was STARVING when I made this and all I wanted to do was photograph it so I could gobble it up. I rushed and it didn’t pay off in terms of my photo. If I had just swapped out a white bowl for the green, this salad would look more appealing.

Let me tell you, it’s DELICIOUS, HEALTHY and very LIGHT. It’s perfect when it’s hot outside. My husband and I both commented on how good we felt after we ate this salad and how long that feeling lasted.

We are both trying to shed a few pounds, so I will likely be posting more healthier food options. Don’t worry, for you junk food lovers there will be plenty of indulgence, too.

This salad gets protein from the chicken and edamame; fiber from the apples, lettuce, and Napa cabbage. The ginger dressing is light and refreshing. And then there’s the flavor punch from the cilantro and green onions. Yummy! I love it and I hope you enjoy it, too. If you do, please share it.

Asian Inspired Salad with Chicken, Edamame, Granny Smith Apples and Ginger Dressing

Makes two generous dinner or lunch portions (we had a little leftover)

1 cup shredded Napa cabbage

4 cups shredded Romaine lettuce

½ cup cooked, shelled edamame

1/2 cup chopped carrots

1/3 cup chopped red bell pepper

2 green onions, sliced

First full of cilantro

Two rotisserie chicken breasts

Dressing:

2 tablespoons canola oil

½ teaspoon sesame oil

2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar, plus 1 teaspoon

1 teaspoon ginger paste or finely shredded fresh ginger (I prefer ginger paste in the tube because it’s so easy and I can grab it whenever I need)

1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

2 teaspoons honey

For the dressing, whisk all ingredients together in a glass bowl and set aside.

For the salad, chop all the vegetables and place in a large serving bowl or divide between two bowls or plates.

Remove chicken breast and pull off the skin. Chop the meat into desired pieces and place on top of vegetables. Toss with the dressing. Allow it to rest for 5 minutes before serving.

Lettuce Wraps with Sweet Peanut Sauce

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Looking for something easy, light and refreshing in this summer heat?

Well, try my lettuce wraps. They are SO EASY and healthy.

They are versatile, too. You can add any vegetable you’d like. I have swapped soba noodles for rice noodles; added snow peas in my wraps; and love to add shiitake mushrooms!!! A little mint is nice, too. Thinly sliced daikon is great in these.

The more veggies, the merrier. The peanut sauce comes together in minutes. It doesn’t have any ginger, but you can add some if you ‘d like.I’d suggest starting with 1/8 teaspoon and going from there because ginger is potent.

There’s hardly any cooking in this recipe, so it’s perfect for people who don’t want to spend much time in the kitchen.

I hope you enjoy these.

Lettuce Wraps with Sweet Peanut Sauce

Serves 2

2 rotisserie chicken breasts, sliced

8-10 Bibb or Butter lettuce leaves, washed and dried

Two handfuls of fresh cilantro

½ cup shredded carrots

1 ounces of rice noodles

Sesame oil or your favorite Asian dressing

1 cucumber, sliced thin

1 green onion, sliced thin

Sliced bell pepper (optional)

Peanut Butter Sauce

¼ cup creamy peanut butter

½ cup boiling water

1 tablespoon brown sugar (do not make this heaping or it will be too sweet)

1 teaspoon fresh lime juice

1 teaspoon soy sauce

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First: cook your rice noodles according to package directions. They cook fast, usually in about 3 minutes. When they are done, drizzle with sesame oil or your favorite Asian salad dressing like Sesame Ginger. Rice noodles are fairly flavorless and this will add some depth of flavor and prevent them from sticking together.  If you want then to cool quickly, place in a metal bowl and pop it in the fridge.

Slice all the vegetables and place on a large platter or divide them between two plates.

Remove the skin from the chicken and place on a plate.

Make your peanut sauce.

For the sauce: Stir all ingredients together until they are combined. The water must be very hot to dissolve the peanut butter.

You can also make this on a stovetop in a small pot, but then it needs to cool before serving because the peanut butter will separate and become too thin while piping hot.

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Then make your own wraps by placing desired toppings in the lettuce leaves and then either topping it with peanut sauce or dipping in peanut sauce.

Sprinkle with sliced green onion and eat.

Asian Chicken Salad (three ways)

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I love, love, love chicken salad and am constantly creating different versions.

My top three recipes are this one, my rosemary chicken salad and my curried chicken salad.

My Asian version always wows people and I think it’s because it’s so unique. I love it because it’s easy, delicious and I can serve it three ways.

. I have served this on Ritz crackers at parties and it’s a huge hit;

I have piled it in the middle of a salad and devoured it for lunch (pictured here).\;

And I have served it on French bread as a sandwich and that’s pretty fantastic, too. I recommend topping the sandwich with thinly sliced cucumbers.

Every version is fantastic. In my recipe, I recommend using celery OR water chestnuts. I prefer celery but have made it both ways.

They key to this salad is you must have Soy Vay Veri Veri Teriyaki sauce. If you’ve never used that sauce, you should. It’s one of my favorite kitchen condiments.

It’s AMAZING on stir fried vegetables, soba noodles, on chicken. The great thing is, it’s a complete sauce so you don’t need to add other sauces.  I have used it for dipping sauce, as a marinade, etc, etc. It’s so versatile. Once you try it, you will ask that bottle: “Where have you been all my life?”

If you can’t find it on your local store, you can order it online: https://www.soyvay.com

You can search stores in your area on the website to see if they carry it.

This salad is perfect for entertaining or enjoying at home. Take it on a picnic or out on the boat. It’s lovely. Enjoy.

Asian Chicken Salad

3 1/2 cups chopped rotisserie chicken, skin removed

3/4 cup mayonnaise

1/3 cup Soy Vay Veri Veri Teriyaki

2 stalks of celery OR 5 ounces water chestnuts, minced

3 green onions, sliced

1/4 cup chopped cilantro

Pepper to taste (you don’t need salt)

2 tablespoons shredded carrot (optional) I add carrots when serving as a salad

Ritz crackers to serve, or bread, or a bed of lettuce

Dark meat is great in this dish, so if you’re not crazy about legs and thighs, try adding the meat to this. It makes a wonderful appetizer. A buttery Ritz is a wonderful complement, or serve it on a slice of cucumber when it’s hot outside for a refreshing appetizer.

While I am not an iceberg lettuce fan, if you are serving this on lettuce, iceberg is the way to go. It’s so crisp and light and is a beautiful compliment to the salad.

Directions:

In a large bow, mix mayonnaise and Soy Vay sauce together. Then add chicken, celery or water chestnuts, onion and cilantro. Stir until thoroughly combined. Add pepper to taste.

If serving as a salad, serve it over lettuce with cucumbers and topped with carrots.

In serving for a party, you an sit it out surrounded by crackers or plate each individual cracker. Cucumber slices are a nice addition if it’s self serve. You an also use cucumber slices to serve the salad if you are avoiding extra carbs. You can garnish with extra cilantro, if desired. I did it more for aesthetics for the photo.

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Or serve on bread.

Asian Chicken Quinoa Salad

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This dish is packed with protein from three sources: quinoa, chicken and edamame. It’s a light dish and has vitamin C, antioxidants, B vitamins, fiber and more.

.This makes a large batch, so you can enjoy it for several days. It’s so easy to pack for lunch and leftovers are great cold. I actually prefer it cold.

You can use any combination of stir-fried vegetables, like broccoli. I sometimes toss that in if I have takeout leftovers. I personally love ginger, so I’d prefer twice as much ginger, but to tame it for everyone else, I use this amount. If you love ginger, you can add more, too.

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Asian Chicken Quinoa Salad

This serves 6

2 cups white quinoa

4 cups chicken broth

½ teaspoon ginger paste

1 bunch green onions

2 cups shelled edamame (microwave is most convenient)

1 tablespoon canola oil

1 (7.75-ounce) bag of tri-colored cole slaw mix

1 red bell pepper

1 teaspoon soy sauce

Black pepper, to taste

1/2 bunch fresh cilantro

Meat from one rotisserie chicken

Dressing:

4 tablespoons canola oil

2 teaspoon soy sauce

2 tablespoon rice wine vinegar

4 teaspoons sesame oil

4 teaspoons sugar

½ teaspoon ginger paste

For the dressing: whisk all ingredients together and set aside.

For the quinoa, in a medium to large pot with a tight fitting lid, bring broth, ginger paste and quinoa to a boil for 3 minutes, then cover and reduce heat to low for 15 minutes. You will know quinoa is done when the grain releases what looks like a little hook. If it’s not done after 15 minutes, cover and cook another 5.

While that cooks, slice roots off green onions and thinly slice the rest of the onions and set aside. Chop red bell pepper and set aside.

Cook edamame according to package directions.

Grab your bundle of cilantro and chop the leaves.

Next, in a large frying pan, heat canola oil over medium-high heat. When hot, add onion and cole slaw mix and cook 7 minutes. Add red bell pepper and stir fry 3 minutes. Then add soy sauce and pepper to taste.

Debone and de-skin your chicken and chop it into small cubes.

By now, quinoa should be done.

Transfer it to a large bowl. Add edamame, cabbage mixture, cilantro and chopped chicken. Toss with the dressing and serve.

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Rice Noodles with Asparagus, Chicken and Shiitake Mushrooms

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It actually feels like spring today and this recipe is perfect for warmer weather,

First, spring signals asparagus season.

Asparagus is very high in vitamin K (almost all you need for the day); and is good source of potassium, fiber, vitamin B6, vitamins A and C, and thiamin.

When buying asparagus, the first signs of spoilage can be found at the tips. If the tips are browning, slimy or even opening, don’t buy it. Fresh asparagus have tightly closed tips. Also, look at the ends and avoid stems that are limp, or ridged, as ridged stems is a sign the sugar is converting into carbohydrates and the stalks will be tough and woody.

Spears can range in size from fat to thin, but it’s best to pick spears that are as uniform as possible in one bunch so they cook evenly. I usually opt for thinner asparagus because it’s a sign the plant was harvested earlier and is potentially tenderer. However, bigger is better when you’re wrapping the asparagus in bacon or prosciutto because it’s easier to handle.

Also, it depends on the thickness of the stalks, but a pound has roughly 20-26 asparagus, so if you are wrapping it that will help you factor in how much meat you need, too.

The best way to store asparagus, is to slice off the bottoms and place the stalks in a glass with 1-inch of water. Loosely cover with a plastic bag and refrigerate.

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Rice Noodles with Asparagus, Chicken and Shiitake Mushrooms

Serves 4

3 ounces rice noodles

1 teaspoon canola oil

1 small yellow onion

2 cups sliced asparagus (about ¾ a pound)

1 cup fresh, sliced shiitake mushrooms (can substitute to large Portobello mushrooms if you can’t find fresh shiitakes)

1 teaspoon soy sauce

2 cups chopped, rotisserie chicken

Salt and pepper to taste

Sauce:

2 teaspoons sesame oil

½ teaspoon canola oil

1 tablespoon, plus 1 teaspoon soy sauce

2 teaspoons rice wine vinegar (or white wine vinegar)

2 teaspoons sugar

1 teaspoon black pepper

Note: the pepper is strong in this dish, if you’re serving it to small children, you might want to cut the pepper in half.

Rice noodles only take about 3 minutes to cook, so this dish comes together quickly

Put a large pot of water on to boil and salt the water.

Make the sauce by whisking together all sauce ingredients and set aside.

Slice the tough ends off asparagus and discard. Then cut the remaining asparagus into 1-inch pieces.

Slice onion and set aside.

Remove stems from the shiitake mushrooms and slice the tender mushroom heads. Note, the stems are tough but can be reserved for making stock as the stems are tough but add rich flavor to stock or soup.

In a large skillet, large enough that you will be able to add the rice noodles later, heat 1 teaspoon canola oil. When hot, add onion and cook 3 minutes. Then add asparagus and mushrooms and cook 7 minutes.  In the last minute, add 1 teaspoon soy sauce and chicken.

Cook rice noodles according to directions on package. After straining the water off, add it to the pan with the vegetables and chicken. Add the sauce and toss until everything is thoroughly coated and then serveDSC_0379 (2)