With Six You Get Egg Rolls

Happy Chinese New Year!

We usually have five at the dinner table, but we were watching a friend's delightful little girl the night we had stir fry.   We had Taie for two days; we miss you Taie!  With the addition of another at our table that made six.  So with six we "got egg rolls" with our Stir Fry!"  I know that "With Six You Get Egg Rolls" is a Doris Day movie, but I can't remember any of the details of it, can you?

Please check back for my review of  Roba Dolce sorbettos and gelatos.  Their coconut gelato is to die for!

These egg rolls were featured HERE in my Light and Airy Chinese New Year's Table post.

I remember many years ago when I made my first egg roll, I thought they were complicated -- which they are NOT at all complicated.  As a young girl, I did not like most Chinese food; when my family would eat at a Chinese restaurant, I would order egg rolls as the entree; I still love them.  This is just a simple, easy recipe for egg rolls.

Egg roll wrappers

1 pound ground chicken or pork -- I used * Gold'n Plump ground chicken.  I love it; it is fresh tasting, low-fat and so convenient!

Cook chicken or pork with in small skillet until browned.  Cool and set aside.

2 cups coleslaw -- the cabbage mix in the bag

3-4 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce

2 teaspoons sesame oil

3 green onions, chopped in small pieces 

2-3 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped
1 teaspoon fresh ginger, chopped in small pieces

1/2 teaspoon black ground pepper

Vegetable oil for pan frying.

Combin the cabbage, soy sauce, sesame oil, green onions, cilantro, and black ground pepper in a medium bowl.  When mixed, add ground chicken or pork.

Take one egg roll wrapper and put 2 tablespoons of ground chicken/pork in the center.  Wrap according to package directions.  In large skillet, at medium-high heat, add 2-3 tablespoons vegetable oil.  Place 4-5 egg rolls in the skillet (with the point down) and cook for 2-3 minutes, turning to brown all surfaces of egg roll.  Place on paper towel-lined plate.  Serve immediately.  These made 21 egg rolls which worked out nicely since there were 21 egg roll wrappers.  Note:  Diced water chestnuts would also be great.  * Awhile back the Gold'n Plump sent me a sample pack of their chicken.

Egg Roll Making Tutorial

Put chicken/pork mixture in center of wrapper.

Roll the bottom half of the wrapper over the mixture; tuck wrapper under the mixture.

Fold left-side of wrapper.  You can put a little water on this to seal it.

Fold right-side of wrapper; in the same manner and try to have points meet -- add a little water to seal.  I don't have a picture of this. Roll up wrapper.

Continue to roll and seal the top point with a bit of water; when you cook the egg roll, place the point down in the skillet.

I hope you make some egg rolls soon!

Happy Chinese New Year!

Posted with the following:  I'm Lov'n It, Foodie Friday, Made By You Monday, Take-A-Look Tuesday, Show and Tell, Weekend Wrapup

Light and Airy Chinese New Year's Tablescape

Hi everyone!  I have always loved pretty dishes.  How about you?   When I was in college, my roommates bought me a four-piece placesetting of these (the blue foral Asian dishes) and I bought myself another.  These dishes could tell many stories of happy Chinese meals eaten throughout the years.  I used them HERE when I just began blogging last year.

There's a blowing wind and really cold temperatures outside so a warming Chinese food sounds good tonight.  We are having homemade egg rolls and stir fry.  My husband is a huge fan of stir-fry and, in his ideal world, he would like to eat it five nights a week; my kids are not such huge fans.   Here is the individual placesetting.

It's such a pretty light and airy, pattern.  The rice bowls are also decorated inside the bowl.

A lovely tea set came along in the pattern.  We are more hot chocolate drinkers, but I just love the tea cups.

Here's an angled view of the plates.  The chopstick rests are so cute and convenient.  Don't worry, I have included flatware also!

When I use bubble glasses, I always include a picture of them.  I like the look of the bubble glasses and the silver candlesticks.

A shot of the full table.

A side shot of the table.  I like using the little sauce dishes -- so tiny and petite.

Ooops, I forgot to put the napkins on!

The egg rolls are hot and ready to eat.

Yum!  Let the feasting begin!  Four on a plate must mean it's my teenage son's plate!

Thanks for stopping by and I wish you a Happy and Prosperous New Year!

Table Information

Placemats, Silver Chargers, and Napkins -- Wal-Mart

Square Plates and Bubble Glasses -- Tai Pan Trading

Asian Dishware -- LaBelle's -- many moons ago

Napkin Rings -- Style Sisters

Pink and Blue Glasses -- Cost Plus or Pier 1 -- many moons ago

Silverware:  Damask Rose -- Wedding Present from my parents

Silver Candlesticks -- Target

Crazy-Good Lemon Chicken

You know a recipe has to be good if you have been making it for over the past 25 years!  My family keeps asking for it and I usually try to appease them and make it once a year.  No, this Lemon Chicken doesn't whip up in minutes, because there is deep frying involved, but it is worth the time. 

Lemon Chicken was featured on my Chinese New Year's Table yesterday.

This recipe and I go waaaaay back. 

• My sister Jacqueline, Purple Chocolat Home, and I used to hold Chinese feasts and invite my brothers and various roommates to dinner.  We were all living, except my eldest sister Jean, in the same town then.  I learned then that Jacqueline is speedy quick in the kitchen.
• Then there was the time that my roommates and I invited some of our guy friends to a Chinese feast at the soon-to-be retirement home of my roommate's parents.    We made Lemon Chicken and some other Chinese Dishes.  There wasn't a phone in the home yet and there were no cell phones back then.  We waited and waited for the guys to come.  After about an hour, we decided to begin eating.-- yes, we did!  By the time they showed up, there really wasn't too much of the feast left!  We did still remain friends.
• I also made Lemon Chicken one year for a Family Feast for over 20 people during the 2002 Olympics that were held in Utah.
• I served Lemon Chicken, and had the girls help deep fry, at my daughter's 9th Chinese birthday party.  See the dragon cake I made below.  It's a pre-blogging picture.  It's just a Bundt Cake cut in pieces.  The long dragon tail is filled with candy and tied with ribbon. 

 Recipe for Lemon Chicken

Note:  I adapted this recipe from the Betty Crocker Cookbook Chinese Cooking, by Leeann Chin printed in 1981.  I think the book was a gift from Jacqueline or my mother.  This recipe makes enough chicken for a feast, you may want to halve the recipe if just cooking for a small family.  To decrease preparation time, you could cook the chicken in larger pieces and then cut the chicken into smaller pieces before serving.  I never do that because we LOVE the batter.

3 pounds of chicken, cut into small pieces

Vegetable oil for frying

Serve over cooked rice

Marinade

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 eggs

4 teaspoons cornstarch

2 teaspoons salt

2 teaspoons soy sauce

1/2 teaspoon white pepper

Batter

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup water

1/2 cup cornstarch

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1 teaspoon baking solda

1 teaspoon salt

Lemon Sauce

1-1/2 cups chicken broth

3/4 cup honey

9 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice -- don't use concentrate

6 tablespoons light corn syrup

6 tablespoons white vinegar

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

3 tablespoons catsup

2-3 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1-1/2 teaspoons salt

Dash of white pepper

Peel of 1 lemon

3 tablespoons corn starch

3 tablespoon cold water

Garnish

Lemon, thinly sliced for garnish

1.  Marinating Chicken:  Place chicken in 13 x 9x 2-inch glass baking pan.  In separate bowl, put together the ingredients for the marinade, as listed above.  Turn chicken to coat both sides.  Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.  Remove chicken from marinade.

2.  Lemon Sauce:  While chicken is in the refrigerator, add the lemon sauce ingredients, as listed above, except the cornstarch and the water, until mixture is brought to a boil in a medium-sized saucepan.  Bring mixture to a boil.  At this point, in a small prep bowl,  add the cornstarch and water together and mix well.  Then add cornstarch mixture to sauce.  Cook and stir until sauce is thickened, about 10-20 seconds.  Remove from heat and remove lemon peel; you can put mixture through a fine strainer.

She isn't pretty, but my electric wok gets the job done.  I think my sister-in-law Lisa gave me this wok, but awhile back the thrift stores had tons of electric woks. 

3.  Deep Frying:  Heat vegetable oil (about 2-3 inches) in an electric Wok (or other electric deep-frying appliance) to 350 degrees.  Dip the chicken, one piece at a time, in the batter.  Before you place each piece of battered chicken in the hot oil, shake off the excess batter.  Fry 8-10 pieces at a time, until lightly brown -- about 2-3 minutes.  I usually find that the first few pieces take longer to cook; after the process gets going, the oil is heated up and the chicken cooks quicker.  Remove and drain chicken on a paper towel-lined jelly roll pan.  I frequently check the chicken for doneness, by cutting the pieces, to make sure there is no pink color.  To keep the deep-fried chicken warm, put jelly roll pan in a 200 degree oven with foil over the top. 

 

Happy little chicken pieces sizzling away.

4.  Arrange deep-fried chicken on a platter, pour Lemon Sauce over the chicken and garnish with lemon slices.  I usually have extra sauce and I serve it on the side.  Serve with cooked rice.

I hope you make Lemon Chicken and serve it to those you love.

Posted with the following: 

Foodie Friday, Feature Yourself Friday, I'm Lov'n It, Fun With Food Friday, Tickled Pink, Weekend Wrapup, Made By You Monday

Chinese New Year's Table

Gung Hoy Fat Choy!

Chinese New Year's begins on February third.  Our family celebrated a little early and had a Chinese New Year's feast this week.   This year is the year of the rabbit.  The Chinese call the New Year's the Spring Festival.  The Chinese character below means Spring.

Image from ChinaPage.Com

I love making and eating Chinese food and it is fun to set a Chinese table; welcome to Tablescape Thursday.  I was fortunate enough to be able to attend a Chinese New Year's Parade in San Francisco once; but celebrating it at home can be fun too!

My individual placesetting.  I have drawn upon some traditional colors in Chinese culture.

This is my dish stack crowned with wooden chopsticks.  I am fairly good at using them, how about you?  I have included a fork for all of your that aren't comfortable using chopsticks.

I am not sure if a plaid napkin really fits in, but I liked it on the table.

Is this working for you as a Chinese Lantern?

I bought these brass Chinese characters many years ago in San Francisco's China Town

We feasted on lemon chicken -- it is my favorite Chinese main dish recipe.  It is a bit time-consuming to make, but worth every minute.  I have made it about once a year for about the last 25 years. 

Jacqueline, Purple Chocolat Home, and I have made this many times together as one of the menu items for a family Chinese feast.  Lemon Chicken is a family favorite.

I hope you enjoyed your visit to Red Couch Recipes and that you will have a prosperous Chinese New Year!  Grab an orange.  In China towns all over the world, they will be stocking up on oranges as they are a symbol of prosperity.

Table Information:

Placemats, Black Dinner Dishes, Red Dinner Dishes, Flatware, Red Ramekins,Black Wire Basket:  Wal-Mart

White Salad Plates:  Smith's Grocery Store

Red Goblets:  Costco

Red Plaid Napkins:  K-Mart

Napkin Rings:  Style Sisters

Lantern:  Pier 1

Brass Chinese Characters:  SF Chinatown

Northern California --- Chinatown Inspired Tablescape

Hi and welcome to Red Couch Recipes and my San Francisco's Chinatown inspired table.  Also Welcome to Tablescape Thursday.  The picture below is of a sidewalk tablesetting at an Asian restaurant, not in Chinatown,  in the Cow Hollow district of San Francisco.  I liked the upside down plates.

This is the placesetting.  I like the floral salad plates with the black and white napkins.  What do you think?  The color red, has great significance to the Chinese people.  There is even a very vibrant red called Chinese Red.

I don't really specialize in centerpieces, but I put this together with some Barberry from the bushes in our backyard.  I think the branches of the bush look a bit Asian.

Here's a sideview of the tablesetting.  My husband and I are pretty good at using chopsticks.  How about you?  When we were dating we had "our" restaurant -- Tu's Hunan in Sacramento.  We had our wedding luncheon there.  Tu's Kung Pao Chicken and Moo Shu Pork were excellent.  Unfortunately, we found out that the restaurant had a fire and is no longer in business.

Here's the view of the light shining through the red glasses.

My sister Jacqueline  -- Purple Chocolat Home --gave me this Chinese dragon puppet years ago. When I was in college Jacqeline and I used to be into a Chinese cooking phase.  We would get together and whip up a great Chinese feast in no time at all.  Someday I will post one of our favorites -- a lemon chicken dish I have been making for years.  I have been in San Francisco's Chinatown during New Years.  It is quite a treat to see the huge New Year's dragon come by.  It is a very festive occasion.

--

I bought the brass Chinese character wall hangings years ago in Chinatown.  The characters mean "Double Happiness."  I DO wish you "Double Happiness."  This character is often stamped on traditional Chinese wedding invitations.

We served Chinese Almond Cookies tonight.  We were not really thrilled with Chinese bakery goods in Chinatown so I came home and made some cookies.  Click here for the recipe on yesterday's blog entry where I show the sights of San Francisco's Chinatown.  My son can't wait until after dinner to eat one.

A taste of China!

I thank you for taking the time to visit me today at Red Couch Recipes.  Like the Chinese, I love the color RED!

Tablescape Information:

White Plates:   Tai Pan Trading

Black Plates:  Wal-Mart

Red Floral Plates:  Wal-Mart this year

Red Goblets:  Costco

Napkins:  Fabric from Wal-Mart

Brass Chinese Characters:  San Francisco Chinatown

Dragon Puppet:  Present from sister

I am posting this with the following:

Style Sisters Centerpiece Wednesday

Between Naps on the Porch Tablescape Thursday

Chinese Almond Cookies and Northern California -- San Francisco's Chinatown

Hi every one and welcome to Red Couch Recipes!  Come take a seat on my Red Couch and visit Chinatown in San Francisco.  It's a must see when you go to San Francisco.  It is the largest Chinatown outside of Asian and the oldest in North America!

The official entrance to Chinatown is located at the Bush and Grant Street intersection.  Many tourists, get their picture taken here.  Yes, we did too!

Leave your car behind and walk around Chinatown; the parking is very limited.  There are at least two cable cars that bring you in the vicinity of Grant Street.  On Grant Street you can find fans, back scratchers,  really cheap San Francisco T-shirts for $2.00, jewelry and many restaurants. When I used to come to conferences that usually were at Union Square Hotels, I always would find my way to wander around Chinatown. 

On previous trips, I have bought lovely beaded purses and a gold lapis lazuli ring...to celebrate my Golden Birthday.  I wish I could fit into the pink silk Chinese dress I bought in my 20's.  Tomorrow my tablescape will feature some brass Chinese characters that I bought many years ago in Chinatown.

 

Street names are given in English and Chinese.

If you want a Chinese language newspaper, you have come to the right place.

Just don't stay on Grant Street, because you will want to check out the Chinese grocery stores.  They are one street over and are really worth a visit.  I think these are bean sprouts, but I am not so sure.

These are dried scallops.  In one grocery store, there was some, apparently precious, Ginseng that was selling for over $800 a pound.  We didn't buy any Ginseng or scallops this trip. 

They also sell an amazing array of candy and bakery goods.  My kids didn't like the candy or the bakery goods.  See my recipe below for the kind of almond cookie we would have liked to eat in Chinatown

A woman in Chinatown was asking for money to feed her cats.  She had us as we are we are major cat lovers; those are my kids petting her cats and wondering how our cats would like to be strapped down.

There was even a bit of wisdom on one of the churches in Chinatown.  Don't you wonder about how they chose this to be on their church?

I have always loved Almond Cookies. This recipe is adapted from a Sunset Magazine recipe. It is yummy! As you can see, even though my kids didn't like the Chinese bakery goods, they do like these! They are yummy and sweet. I added some demerara sugar for crunch and color.

Recipe for Chinese Almond Cookies
1 cup butter, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon almond extract
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1  tablespoon milk
Demerara Sugar or normal sugar
Almonds

1. In a large bowl, with an electric mixer on medium speed, beat butter and sugar until smooth. Add whole egg and almond extract and beat until well blended. Stir or beat in flour and baking powder until well blended. Cover bowl and chill until dough is firm, about 1 hour.

2. Shape dough into 1-inch balls and roll in demerara sugar, flatten each slightly, and place each about 1 inch apart on buttered or cooking parchment-lined 12- by 15-inch baking sheets.

3. Press an almonds into the center of each cookie.

4. Bake cookies in a 325° oven until lightly browned, 15 to 20 minutes; if baking more than one pan at a time, switch pan positions halfway through baking. About halfway though cooking you can sprinkle more sugar on top.  Let cookies cool on sheets for 5 minutes, then use a wide spatula to transfer to racks to cool completely.

I hope you have enjoyed your visit to Chinatown in San Francisco.  You really should think of going there.  It was so much fun to take our children there!  I can't wait to go back and see all the things we missed!  Thanks for stopping by my Red Couch!

Posted with the following: 

It's a Blog Party