Spicy Chili Chicken (3 Star)

For Christmas, one of Brandon's sisters gave him a Korean cookbook. We've had fun trying recipes from it and this recipe is now one of our favorites. I doubled it and made some changes to suit our tastes, but the original recipe is from "Quick & Easy Korean Cooking" by Cecilia Hae-Jin-Lee. This is spicy, (but easily toned down to suit your spice-level) full of vegetables, and cooks up like a stir fry.



Spicy Chili Chicken
doubled and adapted from "Quick & Easy Korean Cooking" by Cecilia Hae-Jin-Lee

3 Tablespoons olive or grape seed oil
2 to 2 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 2-inch slices
1 large sweet potato, peeled and cut into thin strips about 2 inches long
1 large onion, cut in half, then cut into 1/2-inch wedges
2 zucchini, cut into 1-inch cubes
1/3 cabbage, cut into 1-inch cubes
4 cloves garlic, peeled and finely diced
1/2 bunch green onion, cut into 1-inch lengths
3 Tablespoons Korean chili paste called Gochujang, which can be purchased at Asian markets (this is half of what the original recipe called for)
2 Tablespoons soy sauce (this is a lot more than the original recipe called for)
1 Tablespoon sugar (this is more than the original recipe called for)

Heat two tablespoons of the oil in a large skillet or wok over medium-high to high heat. Add the chicken, sweet potato, and onion and stir-fry until the chicken is cooked through and the vegetables begin to brown, about 10-15 minutes. Add one more tablespoon of oil (if necessary) to the pan and add the zucchini, cabbage, and garlic and stir-fry another 3 minutes, until tender-crisp. Add the green onion, chili paste, soy sauce, and sugar and cook stirring, until combined.

Serve immediately with hot rice.

Beef & Pepper (Or Asparagus) Stir-Fry (4 Star)

This stir-fry is one of the best I've ever had! I guess I'm no stir fry connoisseur, but we really love this. The recipe is from a cookbook called "Minute Meals", edited by Evie Righter. This dish is actually called "Beef and Asparagus Stir-Fry" but the asparagus I had bought was going rotten by the time I got to it. Oops. I happened to have some red and yellow peppers so I used those instead and it was fantastic. Brandon said he liked it better with the peppers but it's a toss-up for me because I think it's great with the asparagus, too.

Beef and Asparagus (or Pepper) Stir-Fry (Adapted from "Minute Meals".)

1 piece ginger root, 1 inch long, peeled and chopped (I buy bottled chopped ginger so I just used a teaspoon of that.)
4 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped (or smashed through a garlic press--the easy way!)
3 Tablespoons soy sauce
3 Tablespoons plus 1 Tablespoon cornstarch
1 1/4 to 1 1/2 pounds beef strips cut for stir fry
1 pound asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces -or- 1 red pepper, 1 yellow pepper, and 1 red onion, all cut into strips
3/4 cup beef broth
1 heaping Tablespoon black bean sauce
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
3-4 Tablespoons olive oil

For the marinade: In a small bowl stir the soy sauce into three Tablespoons of the cornstarch until blended. Add the ginger and the garlic. Put the beef strips in a zip-lock plastic bag with the marinade and marinate for at least one hour and up to 24 hours.

Prepare the sauce: In a measuring cup stir together the broth, black bean sauce, remaining 1 Tablespoon cornstarch, and sugar until blended. Set aside.

Heat a wok or a large, heavy skillet over high heat until hot. Add 1 Tablespoon olive oil and swirl to coat. Add the asparagus (or peppers and onion) and toss to coat. Stir-fry over high heat, tossing, about 2 minutes, until crisp-tender. Remove to a plate.

Add the remaining 2-3 Tablespoons oil to the pan. Add the beef and toss to separate the strips. Cook until medium-rare, about 3-5 minutes. Flip and stir the beef occasionally, allowing it to brown. Taste for doneness; the meat should be tender and cooked. Return the asparagus (or peppers and onion) to the pan. Stir the sauce and add it to the pan and bring to a boil, tossing. Cook, tossing, until heated through and the sauce is slightly thickened. Transfer to a serving bowl. Serve over rice.