Chicken with Broccoli

The key to this recipe is the brown sauce.  With this sauce, you can make any dish taste like Chinese takeout.  I'll post more sauces in the future, but for right now, this will definitely get you started. Remember, you don't have to have the pan scorching hot to make restaurant Chinese at home.  You can cook everything on medium heat without sacrificing anything.  Always make sure everything is sliced as thinly as possible.  Sorry for the blurry final plating picture.

Broccoli, prepped and ready

 Carrots and Yellow Peppers

Marinating the Chicken

Making the Slurry

Stir Frying the Chicken

Stir Fry the Vegetables

The Final Plating

Ingredients:

1 Chicken Breast - halved and thinly sliced
1 Large Carrot - thinly sliced
1 Yellow Pepper - chopped
2 Leaves of Napa Cabbage - sliced
8 oz. Broccoli
1 Cup Brown Sauce
1 Tsp. Sesame Oil
2 Tbsp. Corn Starch
Salt



Directions:

Marinate the chicken:
1/4 Cup Water
Sliced Chicken Breast
Dash of Salt
1 Tbsp. Corn Starch

Combine ingredients and let stand for about 10 minutes.

Prepare Chicken:
Add 1-2 tablespoons of oil to the pan and let it heat up.  Add the chicken and constantly stir.  The chicken should cook very quickly.  Once done remove the chicken and set aside.

Make Slurry:
Combine 1 tbsp. corn starch with 2 tbsp. water.  Mix until corn starch is dissolved.


Prepare Vegetables:
Add the carrot, yellow pepper, napa cabbage, and broccoli.  Stir fry for a few minutes.  You will see the broccoli turn to a very nice bright green color.  When this happens add the chicken.

The Finish:
Add the brown sauce and then add the slurry mixture.  Mix thoroughly.  Wait until the mixture comes to a boil and then stir constantly until the sauce thickens.   Once the sauce thickens, you are ready to plate.

Homemade Pastrami

Homemade pastrami is one of my favorites.  It takes some time to make, but it's worth every minute.   This pastrami has a nice slight crunch on the outside from the crust and just melts in your mouth.  It goes well naked or on a sandwich.  Pastrami is more than just a brisket.  It's actually a corned beef brisket.  The process of smoking a corned beef is what actually produces pastrami.  I smoke the pastrami at around 225 degrees for 12 hours.  When smoking a corned beef, you are looking for an internal temperature of around 185 degrees.  Brisket is one of those things that you hear horror stories about.  If you don't cook it long enough it will taste like shoe leather.  Don't be intimidated.  It's very easy to cook, it just takes some time.  I would recommend 11-12 hours.  This seems to yield the best results.

Now, to make an authentic pastrami - you have to corn the brisket first.  This recipe will not go over this because I actually cheated and purchased a corned beef brisket.  I know, I'm such a heel.  The process of corning takes about 5-7 days.  Most people don't have that kind of time to spend on a brisket. Honestly, most people may not have 12 hours to make this either.  But it's worth it and if you have the time, I would recommend you try your own corning process.  

To make the pastrami, I used a Bradley Smoker.  This is an electric smoker that automatically inserts wood discs to create the smoke.  I used hickory flavor wood chips for about 2.5 hours of the cook. You can use any flavor of wood you would like.  

Once the pastrami is made, it is perfect for sandwiches.  I will go over the sandwiches in this section also.  

5 lb. Pastrami

 Apply the rub

Pastrami after 12 hours in the smoker

 Making the Sandwich

The Final Plating

Pastrami Rub

5 lb Corned Beef Brisket

4 tablespoons Ground Black Pepper
2 teaspoons Cumin

1 teaspoon Season Salt

2 tablespoons Coriander Powder
1 teaspoon Mustard Powder
1.5 tablespoons Brown Sugar
1 tablespoon Paprika
2 teaspoons Garlic Powder
2 teaspoons Onion Powder

Directions:
Mix all ingredients.  Generously apply to the entire brisket.

The Perfect Pastrami Sandwich

2 Slices Toasted Rye Bread

1 Slice Swiss Cheese

2 Tablespoons Sauerkraut

1-2 Tablespoons Thousand Island Dressing

3-4 Slices of Pastrami

Directions:

• Toast 2 Slices of Bread
• Add one slice of swiss cheese to the bottom piece of bread
• Place 3-4 thick slices of pastrami to the top of the cheese
• Add 2 tablespoons of sauerkraut to the pastrami
• Generously add 1-2 tablespoons to the top of the sandwich
• Top with last piece of toast and serve warm.

Fried Rice

For years I have tried to solve the mystery of fried rice.  I get this with just about every Chinese take out dinner I order.  It's one of my favorite dishes and seemed impossible to replicate.  I have tried a million times and just couldn't get it right.  I think the problem was I was trying to over complicate the dish.  It's actually one of the easiest dishes to make.  I have always heard the key to making Chinese dishes was the high heat.  I've learned recently that when you're making these dishes at home, the heat really doesn't matter.  It doesn't need to be super hot.  It works just find on medium to medium high heat.  I actually like this better because you can control the heat a little more and not worry about it burning.

This dish turned out just like the fried rice from the Chinese takeout restaurant.  You can also add chicken, pork, shrimp, etc.  Whatever you want.  Once you try this, you will see how easy it is to make fried rice.

Saute carrots and onions

Add Peas and Continue to Saute

Cooked White Rice

Add White Rice to the Pan

 Add Soy Sauce to the Rice

The Final Plating

Ingredients:

1 Cup Peas
3 Carrots - diced
1 Large Onion - diced
1 Tablespoon Sesame Oil
3 Tablespoon Soy Sauce
2 Cups Cooked White Rice
1 Tablespoon Season Salt or MSG (Accent)


Directions:

• Cook white rice
• Dice Carrots and Onions
• Sauté carrots and onions for a few minutes (make sure to season with season salt)
• Add peas and sauté for a few minutes longer
• Add white rice to pan
• Use a spatula and break apart the white rice
• Add the soy sauce.  You may need to add a little more - you're looking for that light brown color with the rice.
• Add the sesame oil and mix into the rice and vegetables
• Add some more season salt if needed to taste

** Remember it doesn't have to be high heat **