I have embarked on trying to fit some Asian dishes into our WW regimen. DW doesn't really like Asian although she likes mine well enough that she doesn't complain! I think for her it is all the weird looking things she can't identify and the exotic flavors she encounters as well as the vegetables that are not cut up properly and are almost raw instead of having that "cooked but crisp" bite to them. She is relatively sure that any meat she finds in my dishes will be something that she would actually eat if she knew what it was! Chicken feet or fish eyes are not something I would try to feed her! Like most food eaten out you can be relatively sure it is heavy on fat, salt, and sugar so that is the part I try to attack first. Here is my take on a nice Shrimp and Snow Pea dish:
Shrimp & Snow Pea Stir-Fry
4 servings, 1 1/2 cups each
PointsPlus = 3
Ingredients
1 tablespoons canola oil, divided
1 pound raw shrimp, (21-25 per pound), peeled and deveined
3 cups snow peas, trimmed
8 ounces shiitake mushrooms, stemmed, sliced
2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger (I used the squeeze tube)
1/4 cup dry sherry
2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
2 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
3 cups mung bean sprouts
Preparation
Heat 1/2 tablespoon oil in a wok or large nonstick skillet over high heat. Add shrimp and cook, stirring, until pink and beginning to curl, about 1 minute. Transfer the shrimp to a plate (it will finish cooking later)(I actually used my spray bottle here instead of pouring the oil).
Heat the remaining 1/2 tablespoon oil in the pan over high heat. Add snow peas, shiitakes and ginger and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are softened, 5 to 7 minutes.
Meanwhile, whisk sherry, hoisin, soy sauce, cornstarch and pepper in a small bowl.
Stir bean sprouts, the cooked shrimp and the sherry mixture into the snow pea mixture and cook, stirring constantly, until the sauce is slightly thickened and the shrimp are cooked through, 1 to 2 minutes.
I served this over 1/2 cup brown rice and added the 3 points. A sliced cucumber, Splenda, Rice vinegar, and dash of soy sauce mixture served as a salad.
This turned out well but I will admit the half we had left over didn't work so well as left overs. In reheating the vegetables got over cooked and the shrimp turned a bit tough ... so perhaps adjusting the potions to just one meal would be best.
Both retired. Travel with Nicky the Schnoodle. Son graduated and is teaching high school math. We still love our 2006 34' Allegro Bay XB and have 40,000+ miles on her.
I don't have the WW points on this, but I found it on the box of instant brown rice several years ago and it's a great, quick, easy meal.
1 boneless chicken breast, chunked into 1/2" cubes
1 bag frozen broccoli florets
1 clove garlic, minced
1 cup instant brown rice
1/4 low sodium (reduced) soy sauce
1 1/2 cup water
Brown chicken in a skillet with a tsp of canola oil. Add remaining ingredients, bring to boil, place lid on skillet, lower heat to low and cook until water is absorbed, approximately 10-15 minutes.
I will also add about 1 tsp.of sesame oil, powdered ginger or Chinese five spice at the very end of cooking for more flavor. This is just my additions.
This is one of the "arrival" dinners that we will occasionally have when pulling into a new campsite in the evenings. I will have the chicken pre-cooked, add everything to a skillet, bring to a boil and 15 minutes later, ready to eat.
I started cooking Chinese about 40 years ago. Breaking in the wife, especially if there were suspect ingredients, was a bit of a problem.
Recommend two things - get a rice cooker to use real Asian rice. Also, chopsticks are a way to slow down the meal so that you consume less.
In general, leftovers are considered by my family to be better than the original. I don't do shrimp very often but I will remember the hint about re-warming the shrimp separately.
Recommend two things - get a rice cooker to use real Asian rice. Also, chopsticks are a way to slow down the meal so that you consume less.
Well, they slowed me down for a few weeks. Now I can put food away quicker with chopsticks than I can with a fork or spoon!! My children are the same way. Our 7 year old can eat with chopsticks with less dropping than with a fork and our 4 year old is quickly mastering them.
I have been cooking Asian for about 40 years. One of the most significant factors is to use the kinds of ingredients the Asians use.
Many of those ingredients require a visit to an Asian Market. Most of the stuff available at the average supermarket just won't work for best results.
When you have something you like at your favorite restaurant, jot down the name, Google it for a recipe pick one you like and make it at home. I do this all the time with Vietnamese, Chinese, Thai, Ethiopian, Korean, Indonesian etc. It ain't rocket science.
Most of the time I already have all the necessary sauces, rice wine and spices to prepare anything from any of those countries.
Then I just need whatever meat, seafood or veggies are required.
Just had a great fried rice for lunch with some leftover rice, Vietnamese Lemon Grass Pork, green peas, an egg, some Kecap Manis (Indonesian Sweet Soy), Sesame oil, Golden Mountain Seasoning Sauce (Thai) and Sriracha Hot sauce (Vietnamese) on the table to kick it up a notch.
Took me longer to write this than it took to make it.
Sidney
* This post was
edited 04/30/12 12:17pm by SidKaye *
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