J – And, now, for something completely different!
Luke and Chris both can cook Asian dishes quite well. But, you would wonder, given this funny conversation driving back from 99 Ranch Market and having just spent $50 on Asian cooking ingredients.
Luke: Uh, I don’t want to offend anyone… but, don’t we have a lot of Asian recipes on the blog?
Me: (looking at Christina, deadpan) Uh…. Christina’s Asian.
Luke: Right.
To his credit, Luke was partly correct. While there have been only 10 Asian recipes so far, one recent week had four Asian dishes in a row. And, of course, here we were planning on doing four more this week. It’s nice we all like Asian cooking. That said, our goal at Be Mindful. Be Human. is to explore a wide range of cooking styles and recipes. It’s going to be an adventure.
Arrival at the Be Mindful. Be Human. kitchen ignites the usual flurry of activity. While Chris is working on the appetizers, Luke begins whipping out the stir fry and the grilled veggies.
First, the grilled Japanese eggplant and bok choy.
Then, the bay scallop stir fry with noodles and spinach.
| Asian Stir Fry with Luke |
- 1 ear fresh corn, kernels trimmed from the cob
- ½ pound bay scallops
- 2½ ounces vermicelli (bean thread or “clear glass”) noodles
- ½ red bell pepper, diced
- 1 jalapeno pepper, diced including seeds
- 20 Bunashimeji mushrooms
- 2 cups Vietnamese spinach (Note: This spinach can be a bit slimy when blanched. Fine for those who like it. Otherwise, use a different spinach)
- 2 heads small bok choy
- ½ a Japanese eggplant
- Pinch of dried red chile flakes
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 2 Tbsp oyster sauce
- 1 Tbsp soy sauce
- 1 Tbsp sesame seed oil
- Soak dry noodles in warm water for 10 minutes
- Blanch Vietnamese spinach and let everyone taste, tastes slimy
- In a medium saute pan, saute mushrooms, add corn into the same pan, add peppers,
- In a different saute pan, heat to medium high and add 1 Tbsp. grapeseed oil when hot.
- Add scallops and reduce heat to medium. Saute about 5 minutes, or until done.
- Heat a medium pot of water to boiling. Boil noodles for 2 minutes, or until clear and soft. Drain.
- Lay the Vietnamese spinach on a plate, add clear glass noodles, then add stir fry, then top with sauteed scallops.
- Serve immediately
- Enjoy!
- Cut ½ a Japanese eggplant in half lengthwise, drizzle olive oil, and sprinkle salt and pepper.
- Place on a moderately high heated grill. Grill eggplants for 2 minutes on each side.
- Place in bowl to cool.
- Cut baby bok choy in half lengthwise, drizzle olive oil and sprinkle salt and pepper.
- Place on a moderately high heated grill. Grill bok choy for 1½ minutes on each side.
- Place in bowl with eggplants to cool.
- When cool, cut eggplant pieces lengthwise into ½-inch strips and place back into bowl.
- Drizzle sauce and toss.
- Sprinkle dried red chile flakes and mix well.
- Place in bowl and serve.
- Enjoy!
This time, they took a bit more than an hour… but it was well worth it.
Thanks Luke and Chris for an excellent lunch.