Asian Dinner

Yesterday, D was watching Sandra Lee on the Food Network and she was doing an "easy" Japanese dinner. Of course, D wanted to make something similar right then and there but I couldn't because either I didn't have the ingredients or they were frozen. I pulled some beef and string beans out of the fridge to thaw. Today, I was able to make a meal that I have had on the back burner. D loves teriyaki sauce so I made Teriyaki Beef Stir-Fry and I also made something called Dry Fried String Beans which are quintessential Chinese dish. This was a mixed-up Asian meal but it sure was tasty! We combined these two Asian dishes with my favorite Jasmine Rice. The results were great even though I'm sure that these two dishes would never be paired together in any restaurant.

TERIYAKI BEEF STIR-FRY
from Cooks.com


1 lb. top round steak
6 tbsp. teriyaki sauce
2 tbsp. oil
4 tsp. cornstarch
1 c. broccoli
1 can baby corn
1 can straw mushrooms
Onions

Cut 1 pound top round steak into thin strips. Marinate in 6 tablespoons teriyaki sauce, 2 tablespoons oil and 4 teaspoons cornstarch for 30 minutes.

Stir-fry 1 cup broccoli, 1 can baby corn, 1 can straw mushrooms and onions in 1 tablespoon oil for 3 minutes; remove. Stir-fry beef (1/2 at a time) 2-3 minutes . Return all ingredients. Cook until hot. Makes 4 servings.

I did not make this dish with any of the vegetables. I would definitely try it that way if I wasn't already planning to make the dry fried string beans. I also added chopped fresh ginger to both dishes.

Dry-Fried String Beans
from Cooking.com

Active Time: 15 minutes
Yield: Makes 4 servings

1-1/2 lbs. string beans
1 cup vegetable oil
1 tablespoon chopped scallions
1 teaspoon chopped garlic
1/2 teaspoon Szechuan chili paste or hot sauce
2 tablespoons soy sauce, low-sodium if possible
1 tablespoon dry sherry or rice wine
1 tablespoon sugar

Directions

Wash the beans under running water. Drain the beans well on paper towels.

In a wok or skillet, heat the oil until just before it smokes. Add the beans, standing back to avoid being splattered with oil. Cook the beans over high heat, stirring and turning frequently, until they are wrinkled and lightly browned, about 7 minutes. Remove the beans with a slotted spoon and place in a colander to drain. Set aside.

Discard all but 2 tablespoons of oil from the skillet. Over high heat, reheat the remaining oil. Add the scallions, garlic, and Szechuan paste and stir-fry for 20 seconds. Add the soy sauce and stir.

Put the string beans back into the skillet. Add the wine and sugar and stir well until mixed, about 1 minute. Remove from skillet and serve.

I also finally made the rum balls and imitation rum balls. I didn't use any nuts in either of them. I just added extra cookie crumbs. I think that I added too much liquid to the non-alcoholic ones because they were somewhat gummy. D and his friend said they were good but really sweet. The real rum balls were also a bit too gummy but not as bad as the others. They are pretty potent. I tried one but because I have never eaten a rum ball before in my life I don't know if they are good or not. I have to ask B to try one for a real taste-test.



Enjoy!

The Creative Cook

Rum Balls

I may have mentioned (in fact, I'm sure I did) that I attended a cookie exchange last year right before Christmas at a friend's house. I was actually invited to two exchanges but I couldn't do both. I made the Chocolate Ribbon Cookies and brought 3 dozen of them with me. I received in return a bunch of awesome cookies. We ate them all at our December 26 get together. The ones that everyone made a particularly big fuss over were the Rum Balls. I asked my friend to give me the recipe. I am planning to make them this week to take to a Wining Women event on Friday night. I also promised D that I would make half of them non-alcoholic so he could try them. I doubt that there is very much of a chance he will like them but I will try. I also have to leave out the walnuts because of his nut allergy. I don't think he is going to have a reaction to the walnuts but he really doesn't like them and I don't want to take a chance.

RUM BALLS

2-1/2 cups crushed vanilla wafers
1 cup finely chopped walnuts
1 cup confectioners sugar
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
3/8 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup rum (any type is fine)
2-3 tablespoons dark corn syrup

Mix all ingredients, roll or scoop into balls about 1/2 inch, roll balls in more confectioners' sugar. Let set for 4 to 5 hours. I am not sure how many Rum Balls this recipe will make but I'll find out soon enough. I guess it really depends on how big I make them. Enjoy!

For the non-alcoholic ones I am either going to use a tablespoon or two of rum flavoring and the rest water to make up the 1/3 cup rum or orange juice and orange zest. I saw recipes using both to make rum balls non-alcoholic. I have been told that if I use orange juice I should keep the "Rum Balls" in the refrigerator; otherwise they can stay out of the fridge in an airtight container. I will also need to increase the amount of vanilla wafers to make up for the missing walnuts in the non-alcoholic portion. I am thinking about using almonds instead of walnuts in the other half. I will post something later in the week to let you know how this works out.

The Creative Cook