Harissa is a Tunisian chili based sauce, which is not only adds a little heat to your favorite dishes, but also have a bright flavor full of Mediterranean spices. To make your own Harissa at home is very easy, and believe me it tastes so much better than any store bought one. And it’s definitely a good alternative to Sriracha and ketchup. The secret is that I use only fresh peppers, they make the taste more colorful.Harissa is perfect for summer BBQ. It complements almost every dish. Meat, fish, and veggies become so much better with Harissa; I particularly like it with grilled chicken!
P.S. Thanks Jerusalem cookbook for inspiration!

Harrisa from Scratch

By voloshyna, May 30, 2015

• Total Time: 50 minutes
• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook time: 40 minutes

Ingredients:

• big red bell peppers - 2
• olive oil or vegetable oil - 2 tablespoon
• caraway seeds - 1 teaspoon
• coriander seeds - 1 teaspoon
• cumin seeds - 1 teaspoon
• medium purple onion - 1, finely chopped
• red chili peppers - 4-5, or to taste, seeded and chopped
• tomato paste - 2 tablespoons
• garlic - 5 cloves, minced
• lime juice - 2 tablespoons, or to taste
• salt - to taste

Instructions:

Brush the bell peppers with 1 tablespoon of oil. Broil them in the over, occasionally turning until they are very soft, about 25-30 minutes. Place them in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap and let to cool. Then peel the peppers. Toast the caraway, coriander, and cumin in a dry skillet over medium heat. Stir occasionally to prevent burning. When the spices are fragrant, remove them from the pan and put into a mortar. Grind the spices to a powder. Heat the remaining oil in a frying pan, and fry the chili, garlic and onion together for 10 minutes. Now put all of the ingredients in a food processor and blend until smooth. Store in the fridge topped with a thin layer of olive oil. Use with your favorite summer dishes.

Do you know this feeling when you try some amazingly delicious dish and even before you’ve finished it you realize that you want to visit the country this dish is origin from? This is exactly how I feel about this Mediterranean Kofta. Every ingredient reminds me of beautiful and far Israeli. And it is not a coincidence. I always try to find some inspiration for my cooking, this time my amusement was fantastic and very talented cookbook called Jerusalem by Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi. I am sure lots of you have heard about it already. The book is saturated with Jewish spices and cooking traditions. Maybe it is the reason I am so eager to visit Israeli. I can only imagine what a breathtaking culinary adventure I would have there. I guess I would gain a few extra pounds, trying to taste everything that the country could offer me. Luckily for my body shape, this is not going to happen in the nearest future. Lol! But if seriously, I feel like I have already made the first step to start learning more about wonderful Jerusalem cuisine, even if this step is inside my kitchen.I am sure you can find many different Kofta recipes on the internet, but I really want you to try this one. Garnish it with some simple salad and this meal will highlight your day!

Kofta with Tahini Sauce

By voloshyna, January 21, 2015

• Total Time: 50 minutes
• Prep Time: 20 minutes
• Cook time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

• For the Kofta: -
• ground beef - 1 lb
• ground lamb - 1 lb
• bread crumbs - 1/2 cup
• yellow onion - 1 medium, finely chopped
• garlic - 2 large cloves, minced
• toasted walnuts - 6 tablespoons, coarsely shopped
• red chili pepper - 1 small, finely chopped
• grated nutmeg - 1/2 teaspoon
• ground allspice - 1 1/2 teaspoon
• grund cinnamon - 1 3/4 teaspoon
• freshly ground black pepper - 1 1/2 teaspoon
• salt - 1 3/4 teaspoon
• freshly grated lemon zest - 1 1/2 teaspoon
• For the Tahini Sauce: -
• light tahini paste - 2/3 cup
• lemon juice - 3 tablespoon
• water - 1/2 cup
• garlic - 1 clove, crushed
• toasted pine nuts - 2 tablespoons
• For garnish: -
• parsley - 2 tablespoons, finely shopped
• sweet paprika - 1/2 teaspoon

Instructions:

Put all the ingredients for Kofta in a big bowl and mix well with your hands or wooden spoon. With damp hands, shape the meat into 3 inches oval shape meatballs. Heat the oil in a large frying pan. Sear kofta in batches, so they can cook evenly. Sear until golden brown about 6 minute for medium-rare. If you want your kofta well done, just put them in the oven (425F) for 3-4 minutes. In a small bowl mix, all the ingredients for tahini sauce, adjust to taste. Whisk well and spoon over kofta before serving. Sprinkle with sweet paprika and chopped parsley.

Everybody knows that moving to a new place is always stressful. But for me it was not just a stressful event, it was almost a tragedy (fortunately only for the first two days). Our landlords, nice and sweet people, by the way, decided to sell the condo we were renting, and we had two months to find a new home for us. I freaked out and decided to find a new place before the Thanksgiving and all the holiday season madness. The thing is I loved my old apartment so much that I thought we would never find a place as good as that one. Everything was perfect there: the pool, the price, the location, not to mention that our neighbors became our best friends. So I wanted to take my time and choose the best market could offer. I was so busy with all the searching and packing, and moving that I had no time for cooking and blogging. Actually, I think the nearby restaurants made a decent money on our everyday takeouts. Long story short, one month and 25 boxes later we are finally settled in a wonderful 2 bedroom condo in the heart of lovely Menlo Park. And I am peaceful, happy and ready to start blogging again.

After almost three weeks of takeouts and junk food my husband and I decided to watch our diet and eat healthy. That is not easy I need to say, you know old habits die hard. But anyway, we are doing pretty good. MyFitnessPal app helps a lot. Now my motto is – New healthy habits in a new sunny apartment!

From December 1st Sasha and I try to eat healthy, cut alcohol and count our daily calories. So, today I came up with this Sweet Potato Fries snack idea, which he loved very much. The best part is this avocado sauce, which in my opinion is absolutely delicious. Just try it folks and tell me what you think!

Baked Sweet Potato Fries with Avocado Dip

By voloshyna, December 2, 2014

• Total Time: 30 minutes
• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook time: 20-25 minutes

Ingredients:

• sweet potatoes - 3 medium, washed
• olive oil - 1/2 tablespoon
• sugar - 1/2 teaspoon
• paprika - 1 teaspoon
• chili powder - 1/2 teaspoon
• lemon zest - 1 teaspoon
• sea salt - 1 teaspoon
• dry garlic - 1/2 teaspoon
• For the Avocado Dip: -
• ripe avocado - 1, peeled and cut into wedges
• lemon juice - 1 teaspoon or to taste
• grape seed oil - 1/6 cup
• parsley - 3 table spoon, chopped
• grated parmesan - 1/4 cup
• chili powder - 1/4 teaspoon
• freshly ground black pepper - to taste
• garlic - 2 cloves, chopped
• salt - to taste

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 400 F (200 C). Cut the potatoes into slim french fry shaped pieces. Try to cut them into even In a small bowl mix all the dry ingredients. Lay the fries in a single layer on a baking sheet, drizzle olive oil all over. Season with the spice mix. Bake for 10 minutes then gently flip with a spatula to cook evenly and bake for another 10 minutes. Turn the oven to broil and cook for 2 more minutes until crisp and golden brown. Be careful your fries might burn very fast. Arrange the fries on a platter. Meanwhile make the Avocado Dip. Place all the ingredients in a food processor and process until smooth. Transfer the dip to a serving bowl.

Porcini Fettuccine Aflredo is officially my major comfort food this autumn and definitely on top of my autumn recipe list, specially considering the fact that I absolutely crazy about porcini mushrooms. Since I figured there are already lots of restaurant-style fettuccine alfredo recipes in the internet, this time I have decided to go a little healthier and present a “lighter” version of Fettuccine Alfredo, made with light whipped cream cheese. No worries it is still very creamy, thick and full of flavor. However you can feel less guilty about eating a whole plate of this delicious pasta. I also recommend use olive oil instead of butter and whole wheat pasta instead of a regular one. Those small twists will make a big difference.
Bon Appetite! Eat delicious food and stay fit.

Porcini Fettucine Alfredo (Light version)

By voloshyna, October 21, 2014

Ingredients:

• dried porcini mushrooms - 3/4 cup
• boiling water - 1 cup
• whole wheat fettuccine - 12 oz
• garlic - 1 clove, finely chopped
• shallot - 1, finely chopped
• light whipped cream cheese - 8 oz
• heavy cream - 1/3 cup
• freshly grated Parmesan - 1/3 cup
• lemon zest - 1/2 teaspoon, optional
• parsley - 1/4 cup, finely chopped

Instructions:

Combine 1 cup boiling water and mushrooms in a small bowl; cover and let stand 30 minutes or until soft. Drain through a sieve over a bowl, reserving 1/4 cup of soaking liquid. Chop the mushrooms. Cook pasta al dente according to package directions, in generously salted water. Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add garlic and sauté 30 seconds, stirring occasionally, until fragrant. Then add shallot and mushrooms; sauté 5 more minutes, stirring frequently. Add cream cheese and heavy cream, bring to a boil. Stir in salt, pepper, lemon zest (optional), Parmesan and reserved mushroom soaking liquid; simmer 5 minutes or until slightly thickened. Add pasta, toss well to coat. Sprinkle with cheese and chives. Serve immediately.

 

This very traditional Italian dish will become a wonderful, easy and fulfilling weeknight family dinner.

Pasta Bolognese

By voloshyna, September 10, 2014

Ingredients:

• extra virgin olive oil - 1/4 cup
• medium yellow onion - 1, finely diced
• medium bell pepper - 1, finely diced
• celery stalks - 3-4, finely diced
• thickly sliced pancetta - 2 slices, finely diced
• ground beef - 1 lb.
• ground pork - 1/4 lb.
• garlic - 2 cloves, minced
• dry red wine - 1 cup
• diced tomatoes - 14 oz. can,
• tomato paste - 2 tablespoons
• chicken stock - 3/4 cup
• fresh thyme lives - 1/2 teaspoon
• crushed red pepper - 1/2 teaspoon or to taste
• freshly ground black pepper - to taste
• salt - to taste
• fresh basil leaves - 1/2 cup, chopped
• fettuccine or other pasta - 2 lb, fresh or dried
• freshly grated Parmesan - to taste

Instructions:

Heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a large, heavy saucepan. Add the onion, celery, bell pepper and pancetta and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are softened but not browned, about 7- 8 minutes. Transfer the vegetable mixture into a large bowl. Heat  the remaining olive oil in the same skillet over medium-high heat. Add the ground meat and cook, crumbling the meat with a wooden spoon, for 5 to 7 minutes, until the meat has lost its pink color and has started to brown. Stir in the garlic, thyme, and red pepper flakes and cook for 1 more minute. Pour 1 cup of the wine and 3/4 cup of the stock  into the skillet and stir to scrape up any browned bits. Add the tomatoes, tomato paste and vegetable mixture, stirring until combined. Bring to a boil, lower the heat, and cook for 40 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Cook for another 10 minutes. Add chopped basil leaves and remove from the heat. In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the pasta until al dente. Drain well, return to the pot and toss with the sauce. Serve the pasta in deep bowls and pass the Parmesan at the table.

This fabulous Asian style side dish is an intriguing blend of sweet, spicy and tangy. This dish works especially good because an eggplant soaks up the flavors of sauces, oil and spices. If you have a great sauce or marinade you want to really show off, eggplant is an ideal choice. You may want to offer it as a vegetarian entree with steamed rice.

Sweet & Spicy Chinese Eggplant

By voloshyna, August 28, 2014

• Total Time: 15 minutes
• Prep Time: 5 minutes
• Cook time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:

• big Chinese eggplants - 2, ends trimmed
• sunflower oil - 1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon
• garlic - 3 cloves, chopped
• oyster sauce - 1 1/2 tablespoons
• sweet chili sauce - 1 tablespoon
• fresh lemon basil leaves - small bunch
• salt - to taste

Instructions:

Prepare the eggplants by cutting them into 2-inch pieces. Heat sunflower (or vegetable) oil in heavy non-stick frying pan or wok. Fry eggplants, a few pieces at a time, until tender (but not mashy) and golden-brown, about 4-5 minutes. Drain on paper towels. Set aside. Add 1 teaspoon of oil in the empty pan. Add garlic and cook for 20 seconds. Add the fried eggplants, oyster sauce and lemon basil leaves. Gently stir for few seconds until flavors combine. Transfer to a plater. Taste good hot or cold!

Look at this perfectly roasted bird, isn’t it look delicious? The recipe is straight and easy, but the result is fantastic. Juicy chicken with beautiful crispy skin, and the smell is divine!

Roasted Lemon Chicken

By voloshyna, July 17, 2014

Ingredients:

• whole chicken - 4 lb
• red onion - 1
• medium carrots - 2
• garlic - 1 bulb
• medium lemon - 1, unwaxed
• kosher salt - 1 tablespoon
• freshly ground black pepper - 1 teaspoon
• fresh thyme - 1 small bunch

Instructions:

Rub the chicken inside and out with a generous amount of salt and freshly ground black pepper. Leave for about 2 hours or overnight. Preheat oven to 400 F. There's no need to peel the vegetables – just give them a good wash and roughly chop them. Break the garlic bulb into cloves, leaving them unpeeled. Put all the vegetables and garlic into the roasting tray and drizzle with olive oil. Drizzle the chicken with olive oil too. Carefully prick the lemon all over, using the tip of a sharp knife or a fork. Put the lemon inside the chicken's cavity, with the bunch of thyme. Place the chicken on top of the vegetables in the roasting tray and put it into the preheated oven. Roast the chicken for about 70-80 minutes. Remove the chic hen from the oven, cover it with a foil and let to rest for 7-10 minutes before serving.

This absolutely amazing recipe I’ve found in the March issue of Savuer Magazine. OMG this chicken is so good! It has a perfect combination of different flavors which create a very bright and remarkable dish. I’ve made some changes in the ingredients, but you know, I do this with every recipe.

After I’ve tasted my home cooked Cuban-style chicken, I’ve started dreaming about travel to Havana someday, and stay there at least for a week. I definitely know what I would do there, just drink mojito, eat delicious food and learn how to dance rumba. Thats funny, what a nice dream poped up in my mind after just one bowl of hearty chicken stew. So try to cook this dish dear fellows, it definitely worth the efforts!

Cuban-Style Chicken Stew

By voloshyna, April 14, 2014

• Total Time: 02h 35min
• Prep Time: 01h 15min
• Cook time: 01h 20min

Ingredients:

• fresh lime juice - 1/4 cup
• orange juice - 1/4 cup
• garlic - 2-3 cloves, minced
• chicken - 4 lb. quartered (backbone discard)
• salt - to taste
• freshly ground black pepper - to taste
• olive oil - 1/3 cup
• large red bell pepper - 1, roughly chopped
• small jalapeno - 1, roughly chopped
• large shallot - 1, quartered
• dry white wine - q cup
• small potatoes - 1 lb., peeled and quarteed
• kalamata olives - 1/3 cup
• capers - 1/4 cup
• raisins - 1/4 cup
• tomato sauce - 8 oz
• chicken stock - 1/2 cup
• smocked paprika - 1 1/2 teaspoons
• frozen peas - 1 cup, defrosted
• parsley - 1/3 cup, finely chopped

Instructions:

In a big bowl mix lime and orange juices, garlic, and chicken. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Cover with plastic wrap; refrigerate for about 1 hour. Heat an olive oil in a big cast iron sauce-pan. Remove chicken from the marinade; pat dry with a paper towel; reserve the marinade. Cook chicken, flipping once until golden brown. Transfer chicken to a plate. At the same pan cook onion and peppers until soft, about 7 minutes. Add wine and deglaze the pan. Simmer until reduced by half. Reduce chicken to pan and add reserved marinade, olives, capers, potatoes, raisins, tomato sauce, smoked paprika and. Bring to a boil an dredge heat to medium-low. Cook covered, until chicken and potatoes are tender. Season to taste, stir in peas and chopped parsley.

While this spring week seems to be pretty rainy in Palo Alto, that doesn’t mean we can’t have a vivid sunny meals on our plates! This fresh veggie appetizer seems like a perfect option to me. These rolls are roster eggplant slices, with creamy but light filling and slices of fresh ripe tomatoes inside. Since the eggplant is roasted instead of fried, this is a low-calorie, vegetarian dish. What else is good about this appetizer, is that it could be a perfect starter and set the mood for your tastebuds before the main dish, but at the same time it could be a light dinner when you try to eat healthy.

I don’t know which country had created this wonderful dish, but we love it in Ukraine. This time I’ve decided to make it more piquant by adding chopped walnuts and cilantro, but you can actually create your own unique filling with any ingredients you like. Just don’t be shy and express your creativity!

Eggplant Rolls with Cream Cheese, Walnuts and Cilantro

By voloshyna, April 3, 2014

• Total Time: 25 minutes
• Prep Time: 10-15 minutes
• Cook time: 15-20 minutes

Ingredients:

• medium eggplants - 3
• extra-virgin olive oil - 2-3 tablespoons
• salt - to taste
• light cream cheese - 8 oz, room temperature
• raw walnuts - 3 tablespoons + more for garnish, finely chopped
• garlic - 2-3 cloves, minced
• cilantro - 1/4 cup, finely chopped
• freshly ground black pepper - to taste
• medium tomatoes - 2, cut into equal bars

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 400 F. Cut the eggplant lengthwise into thin slices, about 1/4 inch thin. Brush the eggplant slices with olive oil on both sides and place on a baking sheet. Sprinkle with salt. Bake eggplants for about 8-10 minutes or until tender. Meanwhile cook the filling. In a small bowl mix cream cheese, minced garlic, walnuts and cilantro. Seson to taste with salt and black pepper. Remove eggplants from the oven and leave to cool on a wire rack. To assemble the rolls, place a couple of tablespoons of filling and one tomato bar at one of end of a slice of eggplant. Roll and place on a plate seam-side down. Top the eggplant rolls with the chopped walnuts and cilantro.  

It’s taken me a while, but here is another Asian stir-fry recipe I have cooked in my beloved wok. Basically nothing fancy, just simple and delicious Thai comfort meal – Pad See-Ee. This dish is made with flat rice noodles, stir fried thinly sliced meat, vegetables and main ingredient – high-quality soy sauce. Nothing complicated. Anyway, my recipe is a bit different from the traditional one, because I’ve added more different vegetables on my taste, as I really like stir fry veggies. Can tell you, the Pad See-Ew came out very delicious. Eventually, cooking without experiments is so boring!

Pad See-Ew

By voloshyna, February 13, 2014

• Total Time: 25 minutes
• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:

• light soy sauce - 1/2 cup
• oyster sauce - 2 tablespoons
• brown sugar - 2 tablespoons
• peanut or vegetable oil - 2 tablespoons
• Chinese broccoli florets (or substitute regular broccoli) - 1 cup
• wood ear mushrooms - 1/2 cup, sliced
• bok choy - 2, halved (optional)
• chicken breast - 8 oz, cubed
• ginger - 1 tablespoon, minced
• garlic - 3 cloves, minced
• eggs - 2, lightly beaten
• flat and wide rice noodles - 1 lb if fresh, 8 oz if dry (blanched)
• scallion - 1/4 cup, chopped (for garnish)
• sesame seeds - 1 tablespoon, (for garnish)

Instructions:

In a small bowl mix together the soy sauces, oyster sauce and sugar. Stir to dissolve the sugar and set aside. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in the wok and stir-fry broccoli, boo choy and mushrooms until just tender and crispy, about 2 to 3 minutes. Set aside. In the same wok, add the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil. Add the chicken cubes and stir-fry until they begin to brown, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and ginger, continue to cook another minute. Pour the eggs to the wok and cook until they set, stir to mix with the chicken. Toss in the blanched rice noodles and the pre-cooked vegetables. Cook about 2 minutes. Add the soy sauce mixture and stir until all the ingredients are well-coated. Transfer to a serving platter; garnish with scallion and sesame seeds.

The most romantic holiday in the year is just around the corner, and that means you got to think about an amazing dinner you will cook for your sweetheart. Personally I’m still deciding what dish to make, to impress my (a little spoiled) husband. But I already have some very nice ideas that I want to share with you. As for the start I want to offer an incredibly delicious and refined salad with grilled lobster tail and roasted beets, which I adopted from Laurent Touronder cookbook “Go Fish”. I’ve cooked it recently, I it was a truly remarkable experience. First of all that was a first time I cooked lobster and it was fun and challenging at the same time. Second of all I very much enjoyed a delicate, well balanced taste of the dish. Hands down, the secret is in the incredible sauce: homemade mayo with bunch of fresh herbs, truly makes the difference. No doubt, this sophisticated dish can amaze anyone.

The most important thing I want to tell you, is don’t be afraid to cook something you think too complicated for you. Because cooking is definitely not a rocket since, and if I can cook, you can cook as well, maybe even better! You just have to give it a shot. I wish you courage and inspiration to climb new culinary heights!

Grilled Lobster Tails with Roasted Beets Salad

By voloshyna, February 10, 2014

• Total Time: 01h 20min
• Prep Time: 20 minutes
• Cook time: 60 minutes

Ingredients:

• For the Lobster Salad: -
• green beans - 2 oz
• yellow and red beets - 2
• extra virgin olive oil - 4 tablespoons +1/2 tablespoon
• lobster tails - 1
• cayenne powder - to taste (optional)
• freshly ground black pepper to taste -
• red wine vinegar - 1/2 teaspoon
• garlic - 1/2 clove
• For the Dressing: -
• soft-boiled egg - 1
• Dijon mustard - 1 tablespoon
• red wine vinegar - 1 tablespoon
• grapeseed or vegetable oil - 3/4 cup
• kosher salt - to taste
• freshly ground black pepper - to taste
• chopped fresh dill - 1 tablespoon
• chopped fresh tarragon leaves - 1 tablespoon
• chopped chives - 1 tablespoon
• freshly squeezed lemon juice - 1 tablespoon
• kosher salt - to taste

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Rub the beats with olive oil. Wrap the beets loosely in aluminum foil, place on a baking sheet and roast until tender, about 1 hour. Meanwhile bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Fill a medium bowl halfway with ice water. Add the beats to the boiling water and blanch for 2 minutes. Drain and transfer to the ice water to cool them. Drain and place on a paper towel sheets.  Preheat the grill or the broiler. Cut lobster tails in half by splitting them down the middle. Loosen meat from tail, keeping it in the shell.  Coat the tails with an olive oil, season with salt, pepper and cayenne. Grill the lobster over indirect heat or broil them, until firm and opaque. To make the sauce put the egg, mustard and 1 tablespoon of wine vinegar in the bowl of food processor fitted with metal blade. With the motor running, slowly add the oil in a thin stream to make an emulsified sauce. Add all the herbs, lemon juice and season with salt and pepper to taste. When the beats are done, remove them from the oven and let to cool. Then remove the skins and cut them into quarters. Pot beats in a bowl, add 1/2 tablespoon of olive oil,  1/2 teaspoon of red wine vinegar and garlic. Toss gently to combine. To serve: Spoon some mayonnaise over the center of the plates. Arrange 4 beet quarters and beens over the mayo on each plate. Top with the lobster tails. Taste best with chilled Veuve  Clicquot Champagne.

This may be a bit strange, but I was inspired to cook this dish by one of the nastiest restaurant experiences of my life. My friend and I had recently decided to go for lunch to one of the oldest (about 25 years) Chinese restaurants in our city. I had heard many nice reviews about this place from my close friends, so I definitely didn’t expect any unpleasant surprises. Oh, I was so wrong! The food was incredibly awful, we were disappointed with every dish we ordered. The Teriyaki Beef was more like a cheap beef jerky, and the Mandarin Beef tasted like a deep fried wood. But the food was not the worst part. When we made an attempt to send the food back to the kitchen, the manager told us that they would not accept it. She was pretty rude and told us that even if we were in McDonald’s we could not have returned our cheeseburger or fries back to the kitchen. Except in McDonald’s I would pay $2 for the meal not $20!! They gave us 10% or 20% discount for Teriyaki beef, and that’s it! I will never ever return to this restaurant, even if they pay me to do so.

Long story short, that day I decided that I could cook any Chinese dish better than that restaurant in my own kitchen. I came home and I wrote a letter to Santa Clause (aka my husband Sasha), and asked him to bring me a huge wok for Christmas and he did! So that’s how my new culinary journey began! I’m in love with Asian cuisine and ready to experiment with it!

Kung Pao Chicken it’s the first dish I’ve cooked in my brand new wok and it’s really really delicious, so now you can expect more Asian recipes from me. I would be happy to hear which Asian dishes are your favorite!

By the way, here is a great food blog, for those like me, who new to Asian cuisine.

Kung Pao Chicken

By voloshyna, January 8, 2014

• Total Time: 50 minutes
• Prep Time: 40 minutes
• Cook time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:

• For Marinade: -
• rice wine or dry sherry - 2 tealespoons
• soy sauce - 1 tablespoons
• sesame oil - 1 tablespoon
• cornstarch - 1 1/2 teaspoon
• For the sauce: -
• soy sauce - 2 tablespoons
• Chinese black vinegar, or good-quality balsamic vinegar - 1 tablespoon
• hoisin sauce - 1 teaspoon
• sesame oil - 1 tablespoon
• hot chile paste - 1 tablespoon or to taste
• brown sugar - 2 teaspoons
• cornstarch - 1 teaspoon
• Ingredients: -
• chicken breast (skinless, boneless) - 1 lb, cut into chunks
• peanut or vegetable oil - 2 tablespoons
• green onion - 2, white and green parts separated and thinly sliced
• garlic - 2 cloves, minced
• freshly grated ginger - 1 teaspoon
• unsalted dry-roasted peanuts - 1/4 cup

Instructions:

To make the marinade, combine 1 tablespoon of rice wine or dry sherry, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, 1 tablespoon oil and 1 tablespoon cornstarch and mix together. Place chicken pieces in a bowl and add marinade. Toss to coat. Cover dish and place in refrigerator for about 30 minutes. In a small bowl, combine the ingredients for the sauce. Set aside. Heat a wok or large skillet over high heat until very hot. Bring the peanut oil to almost smoking temperature. Stir-fry the ginger, garlic and white part of the green onions for about 30 seconds. Add the chicken and stir-fry until a slightly  golden in color, about 2 to 3 minutes. Pour in the sauce and mix to coat the all ingredients. Add the peanuts. Let simmer together until sauce thickens. Transfer to a platter and garnish with chopped green onion.