I was privileged in 1995 to attend a training workshop in a retired dietician's home. She was teaching a group of young wives how to make budget wise meals for their families. One of the most important things I took from her lessons was that the same ingredients can be used in different ways to make so many different dishes.
For instance, take the recipe below, add some Italian herbs and some garlic, remove the noodles and soup, add a can of diced tomatoes, top with shredded parmesan or mozzarella cheese, and this recipe would become a great Italian dish. That's part of the fun of cooking. Just a few tweaks or changes make all the difference.
For instance, instead of the soup in the recipe below, you could use chicken broth and a couple of tablespoons of corn starch for thickening. It would make for a completely different taste, and both are still good.
Chicken Chow Mein Recipe
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- 2 cups chopped cooked chicken
- 1 cup coarsely chopped celery
- 1/4 cup shredded carrots
- 3/4 cup chopped green bell pepper
- 1/2 cup chopped button mushrooms OR 1 (4 oz.) can mushroom ends and pieces
- 1/3 cup slivered, toasted almonds
- 1 tbsp. diced pimiento, drained
- 1 (10 3/4 oz.) can condensed cream of chicken OR cream of mushroom soup
- 1 cup chow mein noodles
Serve with fried rice or white rice.
The Easy Chinese Recipes: Family Favorites From Dim Sum to Kung Pao Cookbook has lots of great recipes, including:
- Crispy Shrimp Dumplings
- Kung Pao Chicken
- Sweet-and-Sour Pork
- Homestyle Chow Mein Noodles
- Mongolian Beef
- Hot and Sour Soup
- Simple Egg Drop Soup
- Steamed Chicken and Mushroom Dumplings
- Cashew Chicken
More Chinese Food Recipes!
Here are more recipes to try!What is your favorite Chinese dish?
Image credit: Chinese Good Luck Sign by MALIZ ONG
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