Getting Creative

Our friend came over for dinner tonight, but she's a semi-vegetarian so my original plan for a traditional Japanese beef dish went out the window. I had some chicken breasts in the fridge, along with some Asian greens, so I opened up my Essential Asian Cookbook. I tend to use this cookbook as a base for what I make, but don't go by them step-by-step very often. I opened the book to a recipe for Chicken with Almonds, so I used this as an example to work from. I was like a mad scientist in the kitchen tonight!

from Flickr - by sweetbeetandgreenbean

The original recipe called for celery, but I substituted some bok choy. While not even in the same family, I see similarities because of the crispness of the raw version, and the soft, mild flavor once cooked. I used Chinese Broccoli instead of green beans, for bright color and crunch. The chicken marinated in some soy sauce and cornstarch for a few minutes before I began to cook.

Cornstarch is a brilliant little ingredient. Asian cooking uses it a lot, and I love the way it quickly thickens sauces. As a rule, always mix your cornstarch with another liquid before pouring it into the wok, but once it comes to a boil, the sauce will thicken before your eyes. It becomes velvety and just coats the items in the pan so well. Today, my sauce consisted of some rice wine, sesame oil, water and chicken broth. There was some ginger sauteed into the veggies and chicken, but really, the only seasoning came at the very end when I used some salt and pepper. 

Served with some hearty brown rice, this made for a wonderful, healthy and quick weeknight meal. For a stray from the current menu, and a spur of the moment invention, I say "not too shabby."