a collection of food: Chinese

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Gu's Bistro Dim Sum - Unfortunately Disappointing

Smoked chili tofu - the first (and best) dish of the meal.

Sweet rice porridge with dried fruit.

As part of Calvin's birthday weekend I planned a special dim sum brunch at Gu's Bistro. We were served about 12-14 items for $15 each - definitely a good deal. Unfortunately the selection was not what I was hoping for and was rather disappointing compared with Gu's regular menu. The items were very starch/noodle heavy and while we enjoyed many of the items, it was too much of the same thing and included no seafood and very few vegetables. Several of the items were very interesting, however, including textures not commonly eaten in the US. It wouldalso be helpful to have a printed menu of the selections since the servers were not too good at explaining each dish. Next time we'll definitely go back to the regular menu, which is wonderful and unique for Atlanta.

Dumplings in broth. Tasty.

Very interesting cold noodle.

Beef noodles with greens.

Cashew Chicken

OK, time to post a few more recipes. It's been awhile, I know :)

This recipe for cashew chicken is really terrific. It tastes just like it came from your favorite Chinese take-out restaurant--only better! It's comes together fairly quickly and I'm sure is a healthier version too. The only change I would make next time, would be to add some red or orange bell pepper for color and more crunch. Other than that, it is really spot on!

If you are going to serve a small side salad with this (like your local Chinese place might), it's usually just romaine lettuce and some shredded carrots with a soy-ginger dressing. This Trader Joe's Goddess dressing is perfect for such a salad. My son and I are slightly OBSESSED with this dressing....it is that good!

Ingredients:

1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 tablespoons dry sherry (or cooking wine, or leave out)
2 tsp. minced, peeled, fresh ginger
3 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
coarse salt
1/2 cup chicken broth
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 teaspoons sugar
1 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
2 garlic cloves, chopped
2/3 cup unsalted cashews, toasted
2 green onions, white and green parts separated and thinly sliced

Directions:

In a medium bowl, toss chicken with sherry, ginger, and 1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch; season with salt. Refrigerate 30 minutes. In another bowl, combine broth, soy sauce, vinegar, sugar, and 2 teaspoons cornstarch. Set sauce aside.

In a large nonstick skillet, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium-high heat. Add half the chicken and cook until golden and cooked through, about 5 minutes. Transfer chicken to a covered plate. Add 1 teaspoon oil to skillet and cook remaining chicken (reduce heat if chicken is over-browning). Transfer to plate.

To same skillet, add 1 teaspoon oil, garlic, cashews, and green onion whites. Cook, stirring constantly, until garlic begins to soften, about 30 seconds. Whisk sauce and add to skillet along with chicken. Cook until sauce thickens, about 30 seconds. Top with green onion greens and serve with rice or noodles.

Source: The Bitten Word, originally from Everyday Food (September 2009)

Canton House

Salt & Pepper Squid.

When we found our usual dim sum place closed for renovations, we took out of town guests to Canton House instead and were delightfully surprised at the variety and quality of the weekend dim sum. We tasted lots of dumplings and buns as well as excellent duck (not pictured). The salt & pepper squid, my stepdaughter's absolute favorite, was a huge hit even with our niece who had never tried squid before. On another note, my local cousin told me she returned here for dinner and was not very impressed. She advises sticking to the dim sum, which we will most definitely continue to do.

Chinese broccoli and clams.

Various dim sum desserts - the egg custard tarts are always a favorite of mine but here they also have custard filled buns - a favorite with the kids!

Signage on Buford Highway.

P.F. Chang's Triple Happiness Happy Hour

Tuna Tataki Crisp - my favorite street fare offering.

P.F. Chang's China Bistro is offering a special Happy Hour they call Triple Happiness. The triple refers to "drinks, dim sum and street fare". I was invited to come sample several of the drinks and food selections just a few weeks ago. Beverage Director Mary Melton and Market Chef Nico Roldan were on hand to explain the food/drink pairings and answer questions.

I was impressed with the variety and quality of the drinks. Many of the ingredients are made in-house such as fresh squeezed juices and unique sphere-shaped ice cubes. The Coconut Lemon Sour really hit the spot for me. I also really enjoyed the tuna tataki crisp, the Shanghai street dumplings and the spicy wontons.

Although the fare is quite tame for the adventurous eater, the selections may cause the uninitiated to branch out from chain restaurants like P.F. Chang's to try smaller, off the beaten track Chinese restaurants that offer more unique and authentic dim sum: think Buford Highway. P.F. Chang's Triple Happiness is a fun idea and I hope the promotion continues. Being at P.F. Chang's also brought back fond memories of eating at the Charlotte outpost as a youngster - thanks P.F. Chang's!

Pork & Rice Siu Mai.

From left, clockwise: Dragon martini with Dragon fruit vodka, pomegranate juice and yuzu puree; Dark & Spicy with fresh juiced ginger and Cruzan rums; Blue Moon Belgian White beer; Coconut Lemon Sour (my fave) with coconut water, Pearl Coconut Vodka, fresh lemon and pure cane sugar; Yuzu Ginger Mojito with ginger, yuku and sake.

Flaming Red Wontons. These were also very tasty.

Asian street tacos - beef, pork and shrimp.

Edamame.

Special gin & tonic with Fever Tree tonic water and ice sphere.

Shanghai street dumplings filled with chicken, ginger, green onion and soy. I really liked this sauce.

P.F. Chang's China Bistro (Vinings) on Urbanspoon

Gu's Bistro

Tea smoked duck with scallions and ginger.

While my dad was visiting we took a group out to Gu's Bistro, a fairly new Szechuan Chinese spot just OTP in a strip mall on Buford Highway. This is now one of my new favorites, mostly because of the unique, delicious dishes served and the huge menu. Gu's also offers dim sum set lunch meals available by reservation on some weekends. Once a large enough group makes a reservation, other smaller parties can too and the dim sum is served course by course individually, instead of on carts. I really want to do this soon! The smoked duck and cumin lamb were outstanding as was the eggplant, which had just the right level of spice without the grease that sometimes accompanies this dish. I will definitely be back. This is definitely a fun new destination in the Atlanta area.

Menu - they have a traditional Szechuan menu as well as the American favorites for your non-adventurous friends.

Eggplant with garlic sauce.

Cumin lamb - very spicy and delicious - not for those who can't handle a little heat!

Salt and pepper jumbo shrimp - just wondering, why no squid?!

Chengdu dumplings - Zhong style - delicious and flavorful.

Family Visit: Bo Bo Garden and Super Brunch

Wonderful tofu with minced pork in spicy sauce and crispy garlic chicken.

Another trip down Buford Highway with out of town relatives brought us to Bo Bo Garden, a Cantonese restaurant I'd tried once before with my Dad after it first opened. This time the experience was much improved and we enjoyed our meal at a large, round table - bring friends so you can try more! Standouts include the 3 kinds of dumplings, the crispy garlic chicken and the fried tofu with minced pork in spicy sauce. Although lobster sounded like a good idea, it is always so difficult to eat when cut into tiny pieces. The duck was a bit greasy for my taste, but the salt & pepper squid was satisfying as usual. This is definitely a great place to check out if you have not yet been. They have awesome lunch specials, which include authentic Chinese dishes. So often restaurants that have good authentic menus do not offer those selections at lunch. Bravo to Bo Bo Garden for including these on the lunch menu.

Coming in the next few weeks: a review of Gu's Bistro, which I think is one of the best Chinese restaurants around.

Lobster with ginger and scallions.

Superb dumplings.

Duck with sauteed vegetables.

Family favorite: Salt & Pepper Squid.

On Sunday morning our cousin Craig prepared a bountiful and beautiful brunch. His pancakes are AMAZING! They involved whole grain mix from Whole Foods (aka Whole Paycheck), mashed bananas and nuts. Sausages, eggs with feta cheese and chives and fruit salad rounded out the meal.

Fruit salad.

Pancakes and sausages.

Eggs with feta.

Shrimp Fried Rice

Shrimp fried rice has always been one of my favorite Chinese take-out items. That is why I bookmarked this recipe a while back. This week I found myself with some leftover plain white rice one night and I knew it was time to give it a try.

How did it compare to my local take-out place? While it didn't taste exactly like their shrimp fried rice (less greasy- which is a good thing) it did taste very good (and fresh!). I will definitely be using this recipe again!

If you have some extra time, why don't you try to make these homemade fortune cookies too!

Ingredients:

1 lb. raw shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 tsp. kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp. cornstarch
2 tbsp. vegetable or canola oil, divided
3 eggs, beaten
2 stalks green onions, minced (I was out of green onions and used white onions instead)
4 cups leftover rice (DO NOT USE FRESHLY COOKED RICE!)
¾ cup frozen peas and carrots, defrosted
1 tbsp. soy sauce
Few drops sesame oil

Directions:

In a medium mixing bowl, combine the shrimp, salt, pepper and cornstarch, and toss well to coat the shrimp. Let sit at room temperature for 10 minutes. Heat a large skillet or wok over high heat. When a drop of water immediately sizzles and evaporates, the pan is hot enough to add 1 tablespoon of the oil. Swirl to coat the pan well.

Add the shrimp to the hot pan and quickly spread them out so that they are in a single layer, and all touching the pan surface. (You may need to do this in two batches to ensure even cooking.) Let them cook untouched for 30 seconds, then flip over (tongs work well for this) and let cook for 30 more seconds, so that the shrimp are about 80% cooked through. Remove to a plate and set aside.

Lower the heat on the pan to medium. Add the eggs to the pan and stir quickly, to break up and scramble the eggs. When the eggs are almost cooked through but still slightly runny in the middle, remove from the pan to the same plate as the shrimp.

Use paper towels to wipe the pan clean and return the pan to high heat. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil, swirling to coat. Once the oil is very hot, add the green onions to the pan and cook until fragrant, about 15 seconds. Add the rice to the pan and mix well to combine with the green onions. Spread the rice out evenly over the pan and let cook without stirring, until you hear the rice grains sizzle, about 1 to 2 minutes. Toss the rice a bit with your spatula, and again spread it out over the cooking surface.

Drizzle the soy sauce all over the rice, and toss again. Add the peas and carrots, the cooked shrimp and eggs, and the sesame oil to the pan. Toss to combine all the ingredients well with the rice. Let everything heat back up again until the rice grains are sizzling again. Add additional soy sauce to taste, if needed. Serve.

Source: adapted from Annie's Eats , originally from Jaden Hair of Steamy Kitchen via Simply Recipes

Steamed Red Snapper at Little Szechuan

Steamed Red Snapper with Ginger Sauce.

I have written about Little Szechuan on Buford Highway before, but found this dish I'd never had before noteworthy after dinner here with the extended family. As usual the other dishes were excellent, too, although they did not provide the customary "free dish" as usual.

I was reminded again that the pickled cabbage, carrots and jalepeno peppers as well as the spicy bean sprout goodies they bring you upon arrival here contain some of my favorite flavors. Does anyone know other Chinese restaurants that provide these gratis snacks (or have them on the menu for purchase)?

Canada O' Canada - May Toronto Trip

Pure bliss - a Toronto Hot Dog from the cart - with fries.

Back in May Calvin and I traveled to Toronto for a wonderful extended weekend for a family wedding. We stayed at the awesome Fairmont Royal York Hotel, which reminded me of what I think it would have been like to stay on The Titanic. The wedding was held at the hotel and was gorgeous. See below for a photo-log.

Shabbat Dinner at our cousin's house.

St. Lawrence Market goodness: St. Urbain Bagel. These bagels are nothing like what we get in the south: warm, chewy, with a very unique taste - there's really nothing like it!