Chicken and Green Bean Stir Fry #Recipe Peg Cochran/Margaret Loudon

 

This is a quick and easy weeknight dinner when you have a craving for Asian flavors.  And it's cheaper and healthier than take-out!  I had green beans I wanted to use up and I had chicken thighs and I had a craving for a stir fry.  This recipe fit the bill with a few tweaks.  The recipe called for frozen green beans but mine were fresh.  I microwaved them briefly before adding them to the pan to cut down on cooking time.  I also had a smaller amount of chicken since only two of us were going to be eating this.  I didn't have any green onions and had to do without but it was still delicious.  The recipe called for red pepper flakes but I preferred the taste of sriracha, which I always have on hand.  You can use soy sauce or tamari if you want to make this gluten free.

 

1.5 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into thin strips

2 Tablespoons cornstarch

1/4 cup soy sauce or tamari

3 Tablespoons honey

2 Tablespoons each rice vinegar & hoisin sauce

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1-4 – 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes or sriracha to taste

2 teaspoons cornstarch

3 Tablespoons toasted sesame oil

1 pound green beans, fresh or frozen

5-6 scallions, whites & greens separated

8 cloves garlic, finely minced

  

If using fresh green beans, microwave for 3 to 4 minutes.  If frozen, allow to thaw.

Toss the chicken thigh strips with 2 tablespoons cornstarch. Set aside.

 

Whisk together the soy sauce or tamari, honey, rice vinegar, hoisin sauce, ground ginger, chili flakes or sriracha, and cornstarch. Set aside.

 

Heat about half of the sesame oil over medium-high heat. Working in 2-3 batches if necessary, add the chicken strips. Let the chicken cook undisturbed for a few minutes to allow it to brown. Turn and cook until browned and cooked through, about 5-7 minutes per batch. Remove each batch of chicken and set aside. Add more sesame oil between batches if needed.

Reduce the heat to low. Add remaining sesame oil to the pan. Add the garlic and the whites of the green onions. Sauté for 1-2 minutes until fragrant.

Add the green beans and sauté until tender or to taste. 

 

Return the cooked chicken to the pan. Pour the prepared sauce over the chicken and green beans. Stir well to coat everything evenly. Cook for another 2-3 minutes until the sauce has thickened.  Top with optional green onions.

 

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The 50 Most Delicious Foods and a Recipe for One of Them from Cleo Coyle

"THERE IS NO LOVE SINCERER
THAN THE LOVE OF FOOD."

~ George Bernard Shaw

A fitting quote for this week, given the one-two punch of Mardi Gras and Valentine’s Day. Add the global Lunar New Year celebrations for the Year of the Black Snake and we have a foodie trifecta. 

Every culture has its favorite foods, of course, and a few years ago, members of the travel staff at CNN issued their own picks. The list of "The World's 50 Most Delicious Foods" is highly subjective and plenty of people disagreed with it. If you haven’t seen it, scroll to the end of this post—and feel free to leave a comment on dishes you think should be on there.

A choice I absolutely agree with is the Hong Kong-style egg custard tart, which clocked in at #16, and if you've ever sampled one, then you know why. Creamy, eggy custard combines with flaky, buttery pastry to create a delightful combination of mouth-watering flavor and contrasting textures.

In Hong Kong—and New York’s Chinatown—the tarts are served warm, although they’re just as delightful at room temperature or chilled. (This I know from noshing a few for breakfast, straight from the fridge.) 

Watch a Hong Kong baker make

these tarts in the video below...

Cleo Coyle, trading hearts
for tarts this weeks,
is author of The
Coffeehouse Mysteries

Hong Kong-Style 

Egg Custard Tarts

from Cleo Coyle's 

A Brew to a Kill

You've heard of pub crawls? Well, to research this recipe, along with a few scenes that took place in our recent culinary mystery, A Brew to a Kill, my husband and I did an egg tart crawl to several bake shops in New York's Chinatown. 

In the acknowledgments of the book, you'll find the names of a few of those bakeries along with other fun, foodie destinations to try on your next trip to New York City.

To download this recipe in a PDF document that you can print, save, or share, click here.

The recipe below was also printed in the back of A Brew to a Kill, along with many more. Enjoy!

Makes 12 tarts 

4 large eggs 

4 large egg yolks 

2/3 cup whole milk 

2/3 cup white granulated sugar 

1/4 teaspoon salt 

1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 

Directions: Gently whisk together ingredients. Run the mixture through a sieve. Pour into 12 pre-made tart shells or see my recipe below to make your own. Bake about 25 minutes in an oven preheated to 325° F. Centers should resemble creamy custard and not be rubbery. Tarts are done when an inserted toothpick (like a good alibi) stands up on its own. These tarts are traditionally served warm but are just as delicious at room temperature or chilled. To store, wrap loosely in wax paper or plastic and place in refrigerator. 

Tart Crusts 

Makes 12 small tart shells or 1 large tart crust 

1¼ cup all-purpose flour 

½ teaspoon salt 

1 tablespoon granulated sugar 

6 tablespoons butter (chilled) 

¼ cup vegetable shortening 

2–3 tablespoons hot water

Directions: Sift the flour, salt, and sugar into a bowl. Cut the butter into small pieces and add in the shortening. Using the tips of your fingers, work the fats into the flour until it resembles coarse crumbs. Add the hot water and continue working and kneading until it comes together into a smooth dough. Pat the dough into a large ball, flatten the ball into a disc, and wrap the disc in plastic or wax paper. Refrigerate for thirty minutes. Dust a surface with flour and roll flat. Stamp out circles and press into tart molds or (for more rustic tarts) use muffin pan tins. Bake as directed in the above recipe.

A few photos from our
Chinatown egg tart crawl...

If you see an NYPD cruiser in front of a restaurant, chances are
the food is good, and the egg custard tarts were excellent
at Golden Manna Bakery at 16 Bowery Street. Highly recommended!

No egg tarts on the menu, but you've
gotta dig a pagoda with golden arches.




Happy Chinese New Year!
~ Cleo Coyle

New York Times bestselling author of
The Coffeehouse Mysteries

The Coffeehouse Mysteries are bestselling

works of amateur sleuth fiction set in a landmark
Greenwich Village coffeehouse, and each of the
12 titles includes the added bonus of recipes.  

To learn more...

Friend me on facebook here

Follow me on twitter here.

Visit my online coffeehouse here.

View the Coffeehouse
Mystery book trailer
by clicking here.

 

The World's 50
Most  Delicious Foods 

...as chosen by staff members of CNN

 

1. Massaman curry, Thailand, 2. Neapolitan pizza, Italy,
3. Chocolate, Mexico, 4. Sushi, Japan,
5. Peking duck, China, 6. Hamburger, Germany,
7. Penang assam laksa, Malaysia, 8. Tom yum goong, Thailand,
9. Ice cream, United States, 10. Chicken muamba, Gabon,
11. Rendang, Indonesia, 12. Shepherd’s pie, Britain,
13. Corn on the cob, global, 14. Donuts, USA,
15. Kalua pig, USA, 16. Egg tart, Hong Kong,
17. Lobster, global, 18. Kebab, Iran,
19. Nam tok moo, Thailand, 20. Arepas, Venezuela,
21. Croissant, France, 22. Brownie and vanilla ice cream, glob
23. Lasagna, Italy, 24. Champ, Ireland,  25. Butter garlic crab, India, 26. Fajitas, Mexico, 
27. Montreal-style smoked meat, Canada 28. Pho, Vietnam, 29. Ohmi-gyu beef steak, Japan, 30. Goi cuon (summer roll), Vietnam 31. Parma ham, Italy 32. Ankimo, Japan 
33. Fish 'n’ chips, Britain, 34. Maple syrup, Canada,
35. Chili crab, Singapore, 36. Texas barbecue pork, United States,
37. Chicken parm, Australia, 38. French toast, Hong Kong,
39. Ketchup, United States, 40. Marzipan, Germany,
41. Stinky tofu, Southeast Asia, 42. Buttered toast with Marmite, Britain,
43. Tacos, Mexico, 44. Poutine, Canada,
45. Chicken rice, Singapore, 46. Som tam, Thailand,
47. Seafood paella, Spain, 48. Potato chips, United States,
49. Masala dosa, India, 50. Buttered popcorn, United States

Are your favorites listed?
What would you add?