Hoisin Barbecue Chicken

Hoisin sauce is one of my favorite Chinese condiments.   Like ketchup in the US, hoisin is a dipping sauce that is also used as a base in a lot of Asian inspired barbecue sauces.  Hoisin, made with soybeans, garlic, chilies, and spices, is more complex in flavor and provides an element of saltiness and spiciness in addition to its sweet flavor.  It is also very thick in consistency which is great for this recipe because it allows the sauce to really stick to the meat and create a caramelized crust as it cooks.   This chicken truly benefits from marinating overnight, so if you have the time I would recommend not skipping that step.   I have made this as explained below and with boneless/skinless chicken thighs.  If you use the boneless/skinless thighs, decrease the cooking time to 30 minutes. 

Hoisin Barbecue Chicken

Cooking Light

Serves 6-8

Barbecue sauce:
2/3 cup hoisin sauce
3 tablespoons rice wine or sake
3 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
3 tablespoons ketchup
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon minced garlic
Remaining ingredients:
8 chicken drumsticks, skinned and trimmed (about 2 pounds)
8 chicken thighs, skinned and trimmed (about 2 pounds)
Cooking spray

Preparation
To prepare barbecue sauce, combine first 6 ingredients in a medium bowl. Place 3/4 cup sauce in a large bowl; cover and chill remaining barbecue sauce.

Add chicken to barbecue sauce in large bowl; toss to coat. Cover and marinate in refrigerator 8 hours or overnight.

Preheat oven to 375°.

Remove chicken from bowl; reserve marinade. Place chicken on a broiler pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 375° for 30 minutes. Turn chicken; baste with reserved marinade. Bake an additional 20 minutes or until done. Discard marinade.

Bring remaining 3/4 cup barbecue sauce to a boil in a small saucepan; reduce heat, and cook until slightly thick and reduced to about 1/2 cup (about 5 minutes). Drizzle chicken with sauce.

Wasabi and Panko-Crusted Pork with Gingered Soy Sauce

Boneless pork chops can be difficult. They are not very forgiving once they are overcooked, but unlike some other cuts of meat, they have to be cooked through.  Some of my initial attempts cooking the “other white meat” yielded unpleasant results, so I can sympathize with those of you that “think” you do not like them.  If you are weary of the dry and flavorless pork chop, this is the recipe for you! I have made this recipe at least 20 times and I have never once been disappointed. These pork chops are far from flavorless with their beautiful brown crust that absorbs all of the gingered soy pan sauce!  I like to serve these with wasabi mashed potatoes or rice pilaf and steamed snap peas.  

Wasabi and Panko-Crusted Pork with Gingered Soy Sauce

Serves 2

adapted from Cooking Light

2/3 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
1 large egg, lightly beaten
2 (6-ounce) boneless center-cut loin pork chops (about 1/2 inch thick)
2 tablespoons peanut oil (divided)
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon bottled ground fresh ginger (such as Spice World)
1/3 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
2 tablespoons sake or dry sherry
2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
1 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon wasabi paste
1/3 cup thinly sliced green onions

Place panko in a shallow dish. Place egg in another shallow dish. Dip pork in egg; dredge in panko.

Heat peanut oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat; add pork. Cook for 4 minutes on one side, add more oil when flipping and then cook 4 more minutes on other side until done. Remove pork from pan; sprinkle with salt.

Reduce heat to medium. Add ginger to pan; cook 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Combine broth and the next 4 ingredients (through wasabi) in a small bowl, stirring well with a whisk. Add broth mixture to pan, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Stir in green onions. Spoon sauce over pork.

Five-Spice Pork Tenderloin

Five-spice powder is spice mixture that is commonly used in Chinese cooking. This blend of spices is traditionally developed from cinnamon, cloves, fennel seed, star anise, and Sichuan peppercorns, but can sometimes include ginger or white pepper. Conceptually this mix  was created to deliver a “balance” of the five flavors: pungent, sweet, savory, bitter, and salty. I think it is wonderful!  In this recipe, that I found on the Whole Foods website, the five-spice is mixed with several other spices to create a rub for pork tenderloin. The dish is finished with hoisin sauce and green onions for added flavor and a pretty presentation if you ask me! My husband added this to his “favorites” after one bite!

Five-Spice Pork Tenderloin with Hoisin Sauce 
Recipe from Whole Foods Market
Serves 4

 Ingredients

1 1/2 pounds pork tenderloin 
1 tablespoon five-spice powder 
1 teaspoon dry mustard 
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger 
1/2 teaspoon pepper 
1/2 teaspoon salt 
2 tablespoons peanut or safflower oil 
1/3 cup hoisin sauce 
Sliced green onions for garnish

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°F. 

Put five-spice powder, dry mustard, ginger, pepper, and salt into a wide, shallow dish and mix well. Roll pork in spices to coat all over. 

Heat oil in a large oven-safe skillet over medium high heat. Add pork and cook, turning occasionally, until golden brown all over. Transfer skillet to oven and cook until pork is just cooked through, about 20 minutes. Transfer pork to a cutting board and set aside to let rest for 5 minutes. 

Meanwhile, warm hoisin sauce in a small pot. Cut pork into thick slices and serve hot, with a little hoisin sauce spooned over the top of each slice. Garnish with green onions.

Beef and Broccoli

I would not say that I love Chinese food, but I do LOVE Beef and Broccoli. In an attempt to lighten up this “take out” favorite, I turned to Cooking Light for inspiration on how to recreate this dish at home. I used to stray from recipes that had a lot of ingredients (a lot meaning more than 5!), but realized quickly that I was missing out on some great meals! If you have a well stocked pantry cooking becomes a lot easier because it is less to add to your weekly grocery list. When considering Chinese food, some of the staples to have at home are: dark sesame oil, grated jarred ginger or fresh ginger root, soy sauce, oyster sauce, hoisin sauce, srirachi, sherry, five spice, rice wine, and rice wine vinegar. With these on hand you can create most stir-fry and noodle dishes with whatever meat and vegetables you have around. This one is my husband's favorite!

Beef and Broccoli
Serves 3-4

Ingredients

8 oz cooked whole wheat spaghetti or soba noodles
1 teaspoon dark sesame oil
1 tablespoon peanut oil
1/2 tablespoon minced peeled fresh ginger
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 cups chopped broccoli
1 cup vertically sliced onion
1/2 cup shredded carrots
1/2 cup shelled edamame
1 lb top sirloin – cut very thin- against the grain
3 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon hoisin sauce
1 tablespoon srirachi (chili paste with garlic)
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/3 cup beef broth

Directions

· Prepare pasta water and bring to a boil. First add the broccoli and boil for 2 minutes. Remove all broccoli with a slotted spoon and set aside. Then add pasta to the same boiling water and cook according to package directions and drain. Combine pasta and sesame oil, tossing well to coat.
· While pasta cooks, heat peanut oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
· Season the sliced beef with salt and pepper and add it to the hot pan. Be sure that the meat has room to cook. If there is too much meat in the pan, it will “steam” instead of sear. Cook 1 minute per side or until browned and done. Remove the steak from the pan and set aside. Do not over cook.
· Add more oil if needed and then the onion; sauté 3 minutes, then add the ginger and garlic; sauté 30 seconds, stirring constantly.
· Add broccoli the carrots and edamame and sauté for 1 minute.
· Combine the soy sauce, brown sugar, hoisin sauce, and srirachi and add to the pan, then combine the cornstarch with the broth, stir and add that mixture to the pan and stir for 1 minute until the sauce thickens. (Prepare these two bowls in advance)
· Add the pasta and cook for one minute until everything is coated and heated thoroughly.


* The srirachi adds significant heat to this dish. If you do not care for spicy food, I would decrease the srirachi to 1 teaspoon.