New Asian Cuisine
| Welcoming Summer with Fast Simple Asian Recipes |
For the Chicken Stir-Fry
1/2 Tbsp olive or other vegetable oil
3 Tbsp roughly chopped green onion
2 tsp peeled and finely chopped fresh ginger
1/3 each medium-sized red, green, and yellow sweet peppers, de-seeded and cut into 1/2 inch (1 cm) chunks
salt, for sprinkling
2 oz (60 g) boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into 1/2 inch (1 cm) chunks
black pepper, to taste
1 Tbsp soy sauce
lettuce or shiso leaves used as dividers, optional
Heat the oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Add the green onion and ginger and stir-fry for 1-2 minutes
until the oil is fragrant. Turn the heat up to the highest setting and add the peppers to the pan. Stir-fry
with a spatula or long chopsticks. Sprinkle in some salt–this draws out moisture from the vegetables and
cooks them a bit faster. Continue stir-frying for 4-5 minutes, until the peppers are cooked.
Push the vegetables to the sides of the pan, and add the chicken to the exposed bottom. Leave for a couple
minutes, then turn over to cook the other side. Stir everything together, and add the black pepper and soy
sauce.
Turn the stir fry from the pan onto a cool plate so that it cools rapidly. When cooled, pack into the bento
box, using the lettuce or shiso leaves as a divider.
Make Ahead Note: Cut up the vegetables and chicken the night before, so everything is ready to just cook.
Be sure to keep the raw chicken stored separately from the vegetables for safety.
For the Cabbage and Cucumber Pickles
1 large green cabbage leaf
2 inch (5 cm) length English cucumber, sliced into thin rounds
1/2 tsp sea salt
squeeze lemon juice
Cut out the tough vein of the cabbage leaf and slice the rest into strips. Sprinkle the cabbage and cucumber
with salt, and massage well with your hands until the vegetables go limp. Let rest for at least five minutes.
Add a squeeze of lemon juice.
Squeeze out any excess moisture before packing into a bento box. To prevent the mingling of flavors, put
the pickles into a small container or cupcake liner before adding to the box.
To Assemble Bento Box
1. Pack the rice tightly into up to half the bento box.
2. Fill half to two-thirds the box with the chicken stir-fry. Use a divider or a lettuce leaf to separate the rice
from the stir-fry.
3. Add the small container of the pickles.
4. Fill in any gaps with broccoli florets and/or cherry tomatoes.
1/2 Tbsp olive or other vegetable oil
3 Tbsp roughly chopped green onion
2 tsp peeled and finely chopped fresh ginger
1/3 each medium-sized red, green, and yellow sweet peppers, de-seeded and cut into 1/2 inch (1 cm) chunks
salt, for sprinkling
2 oz (60 g) boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into 1/2 inch (1 cm) chunks
black pepper, to taste
1 Tbsp soy sauce
lettuce or shiso leaves used as dividers, optional
Heat the oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Add the green onion and ginger and stir-fry for 1-2 minutes
until the oil is fragrant. Turn the heat up to the highest setting and add the peppers to the pan. Stir-fry
with a spatula or long chopsticks. Sprinkle in some salt–this draws out moisture from the vegetables and
cooks them a bit faster. Continue stir-frying for 4-5 minutes, until the peppers are cooked.
Push the vegetables to the sides of the pan, and add the chicken to the exposed bottom. Leave for a couple
minutes, then turn over to cook the other side. Stir everything together, and add the black pepper and soy
sauce.
Turn the stir fry from the pan onto a cool plate so that it cools rapidly. When cooled, pack into the bento
box, using the lettuce or shiso leaves as a divider.
Make Ahead Note: Cut up the vegetables and chicken the night before, so everything is ready to just cook.
Be sure to keep the raw chicken stored separately from the vegetables for safety.
For the Cabbage and Cucumber Pickles
1 large green cabbage leaf
2 inch (5 cm) length English cucumber, sliced into thin rounds
1/2 tsp sea salt
squeeze lemon juice
Cut out the tough vein of the cabbage leaf and slice the rest into strips. Sprinkle the cabbage and cucumber
with salt, and massage well with your hands until the vegetables go limp. Let rest for at least five minutes.
Add a squeeze of lemon juice.
Squeeze out any excess moisture before packing into a bento box. To prevent the mingling of flavors, put
the pickles into a small container or cupcake liner before adding to the box.
To Assemble Bento Box
1. Pack the rice tightly into up to half the bento box.
2. Fill half to two-thirds the box with the chicken stir-fry. Use a divider or a lettuce leaf to separate the rice
from the stir-fry.
3. Add the small container of the pickles.
4. Fill in any gaps with broccoli florets and/or cherry tomatoes.
Chicken and Three-Color Pepper Stir-Fry Bento
By Makiko Itoh, The Just Bento Cookbook, Everyday Lunches to
Go
Recipes © 2010 Makiko Itoh from The Just Bento Cookbook
published by Kodansha International
This beginner bento is made with everyday ingredients that you
may already have in your pantry. It can be assembled in twenty
minutes or less without any advance preparation.
Contents:
Chicken and Three-Color Pepper Stir-Fry (recipe below)
Instant Cabbage and Cucumber Pickles (recipe below)
Blanched Broccoli
Basic White Rice
Cherry Tomatoes
By Makiko Itoh, The Just Bento Cookbook, Everyday Lunches to
Go
Recipes © 2010 Makiko Itoh from The Just Bento Cookbook
published by Kodansha International
This beginner bento is made with everyday ingredients that you
may already have in your pantry. It can be assembled in twenty
minutes or less without any advance preparation.
Contents:
Chicken and Three-Color Pepper Stir-Fry (recipe below)
Instant Cabbage and Cucumber Pickles (recipe below)
Blanched Broccoli
Basic White Rice
Cherry Tomatoes
2 whole 3 year old fresh ginseng roots
6 cups clear chicken stock
2 green onions, sliced into thin rings for garnish
1. Wash the chicken in cold water and pat dry with a paper towel. Form the rice into a ball and stuff it
inside the cavity of the chicken. Add the chestnuts, jujubes, garlic, and ginseng roots to the cavity. Sew up
the chicken with kitchen thread.
2.Place the chicken in a stockpot and add the stock. Bring it to a boil, decrease the heat to low and simmer
for 1½ hours. Serve immediately with dishes of salt, freshly ground black pepper, hot red pepper powder
and green onion rings. Allow each guest to adjust the seasoning.
6 cups clear chicken stock
2 green onions, sliced into thin rings for garnish
1. Wash the chicken in cold water and pat dry with a paper towel. Form the rice into a ball and stuff it
inside the cavity of the chicken. Add the chestnuts, jujubes, garlic, and ginseng roots to the cavity. Sew up
the chicken with kitchen thread.
2.Place the chicken in a stockpot and add the stock. Bring it to a boil, decrease the heat to low and simmer
for 1½ hours. Serve immediately with dishes of salt, freshly ground black pepper, hot red pepper powder
and green onion rings. Allow each guest to adjust the seasoning.
Korean Ginseng Chicken Soup (Samgyetang)
By Hisoo Shin Hepinstall, Growing up in a Korean Kitchen: A
Cookbook
Following the traditional rule that this dish be made with utmost care,
this recipe calls for making one portion at a time. Increase the recipe
according to the number of servings.
1 ( 1½ pound) young spring whole chicken (skin removed)
or Cornish game hen
1/3 cup cooked glutinous sweet rice
2 fresh chestnuts, shelled, skinned and halved
5 pitted jujubes (Korean dates)
3 cloves garlic, peeled and slivered
By Hisoo Shin Hepinstall, Growing up in a Korean Kitchen: A
Cookbook
Following the traditional rule that this dish be made with utmost care,
this recipe calls for making one portion at a time. Increase the recipe
according to the number of servings.
1 ( 1½ pound) young spring whole chicken (skin removed)
or Cornish game hen
1/3 cup cooked glutinous sweet rice
2 fresh chestnuts, shelled, skinned and halved
5 pitted jujubes (Korean dates)
3 cloves garlic, peeled and slivered