Cook's Country Recipes

When I've got nothing to do on a Saturday I turn on Cook's Country.  It really is one of the best cooking shows on TV.  Not only does it show you step by step how to make a particular dish, but it also gives you cooking tips.  I also love the feature that tests cooking equipment.  The show I saw today determined that Kitchen Aid slow cooker is the best on the market.  Good to know.

Today's show was about Chinese chow mein.  The finished product looked so good I wanted to go out for  Chinese right away.  No, I'll wait until next week and make it at home.   Here are two cooking tips I came away with from today's show.  First, in order to keep chicken in the stir fry from becoming dry and tough, marinate it for 15 minutes before cooking in a little baking soda and water.  Then rinse, and pat dry before cooking.  Also, instead of just coating the chicken in corn starch to thicken the mixture, mix the corn starch with a little water and then coat the chicken pieces.  This will give you enough corn starch to thicken the sauce, but it won't become clumpy.   Below is a modification of the Chicken chow mein recipe from Cook's Country.

                                         Chicken Chow Mein

2 skinless chicken breasts, cut into cubes

2 stalks celery, cut on the bias

1/2 carrots, cut into matchsticks

3 shitake mushrooms, sliced

2 scallions, cut thin and divided into green and white

2 cups bean sprouts

3 T. minced ginger

2 garlic cloves, crushed and minced

2 T. rice wine vinegar

4c. fresh Chinese egg noodles (available in supermarkets)

                                        Sauce

rice wine vinegar, about 1/4 cup

3 T. hoison sauce

3 T. soy sauce

Prepare fresh Chinese egg noodles by cooking 2-4 minutes in boiling water, drain and rinse, then mix with 2T. sesame oil to prevent sticking.  Set aside

Prep veggies and chicken, which should be soaked in baking soda and water mixture for 15 minutes, then rinsed and dried, then coated with mixture of corn starch and water.  In a non stick pan or wok, heat 2 T. vegetable oil until almost smoking.  Add chicken and cook for 2 minutes.  Then add veggies except for bean sprouts and green onions, the thickest ones first.  Next, add ginger, garlic and rice vinegar.  Add bean sprouts, then sauce mixture.  Cook everything together for a few minutes to thicken the sauce.  Finally, add egg noodles and toss to coat mixture.

You can vary this recipe by using any veggies you have on hand.  Zucchini and broccoli also work well.  Enjoy this authentic Chinese chow mein in the comfort of your own home.