Chinese Take-Out a.k.a Awesome Late Night Food

I think it's apparent, but I'm going to play Captain Obvious and tell you anyway: I eat a lot. Not only do I eat a lot, I often eat late at night. I don't know why other than I don't feel hungry until 9 p.m. Maybe that's because I eat non-stop from 7 to 7. Maybe it's work, painting, friends and family distancing my face from my food. No, it's definitely my snacking tendencies. Regardless of my eating habits, it is time to talk about the best import since coffee...take-out!

There are three different Chinese fast food places I want to talk about.

SAMPAN
675 East 2100 South #C
801-467-3663
http://www.esampan.com/
The first is Sampan at their Sugar House location. Sampan came highly recommended. As I recall their delivery was quick. Plus, the kid at the door was very friendly and didn't complain about being paid half in cash, half in check. The food was okay, but not much better than Panda Express. Considering the price range, the recommendation, the delivery and the food, Sampan ranks last. You can expect to pay between $10 and $15 a person for soup, egg rolls, rice and an entree each. Honestly what rankles most is the price. If Sampan were half the cost, I would have twice the love.

THE DRAGON DINER
1331 East 3900 South
801-272-9333
The second place we tried take out from was the Dragon Diner in Holladay. This was by far and away my favorite take out. I called at 9:59 p.m. on a Saturday night. They close at 10. The girl on the phone took my order. By 10:45 I had a hot delicious bag of deep fried wonder in my hands. The price is right, too. For about $7 a person you get soup, egg rolls, rice and an entree. The food was very good with lots of vegetables and great flavor. I tried the moo goo gai pan, beef and broccoli and sesame chicken. The sesame chicken was my favorite, but the veggies in the moo goo were cooked to a perfect crispy tender state. They didn't skimp on the broccoli with the beef. I want to order from this place again.

CHARLIE CHOW'S
255 East 400 South
801-328-3663
http://www.charliechows.com/
Charlie Chow's Dragon Grill in Downtown was the third Chinese place we ordered take out from. The boy on the other end of the line was very friendly and helpful. He recommended the imperial chicken. For about $9 a person you get soup, rice, spring rolls and an entree each. I had the hot and sour soup, the imperial chicken, the orange peel chicken and the sweet and sour chicken.

For the appetizers, I found the soup to be below my expectations. I've had better and the emphasis was on heat rather than a balance of sour and heat. The spring rolls were dry and seemed a little overcooked. The rice was surprising good after the drought of the soup and rolls. Charlie Chow's ham fried rice was easily the best dish of the night.

The entrees seemed to be influenced by an emphasis on spice rather than flavor. The imperial chicken was very heavy on the ginger (pickled, from the flavor). The orange chicken suffered the same fate of over spiciness. The chicken had great flavor, but after three bites I could only feel the spice in my throat. The sweet and sour chicken was my favorite. The chicken is breaded and cooked separately, the sweet and sour served on the side.

The delivery guy was abrupt, but on time. Overall, I will order Charlie Chow's again, if the Dragon Diner goes out of business.

Chicken Stir-Fry

...brought to you courtesy of late night house painting. This is a chicken version of a mushroom, pepper steak stir-fry recipe my sister gave to me. It's yummy and goes great with rice and plum wine!* Maybe next week I'll do something without chicken, hmm.

Hardware:
Chef's knife
Wooden cutting board
One wok or large skillet
Wooden spoon
Spatula
Small mixing bowl
Fork
1/2 Cup measurer
Tablespoon measurer
Teaspoon measurer

Ingredients:
2 skinless, boneless chicken breast
1 Tbs. canola oil**
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tsp. ginger root, minced
1 Tbs. kosher salt
1 Tbs. fresh ground black pepper
1 red bell pepper, sliced
1 green bell pepper, sliced
1/2 C. yellow onion, sliced
1 C. crimini, sliced
1/2 C. sherry cooking wine
3 Tbs. rice vinegar
1 Tbs. corn starch
6 stalks green onion, chopped
1 tomato, quartered

Instructions:
Using your chef's knife and cutting board, mince the garlic and ginger. Heat your wok or skillet over a medium-flame. Once the pan is hot add the canola oil. Heat the oil for 30 seconds to 1 minute. Add the garlic and ginger, saute with wooden spoon.

As the garlic and ginger saute, rub the chicken breast with salt and pepper. Place the chicken smooth side down in the skillet. As the chicken is grilling, slice your red pepper, green pepper and onion. After 5-7 minutes flip the chicken, use a spatula.

Let the chicken grill for 5-7 more minutes. While you wait, whisk together the sherry, vinegar and cornstarch. This should create a sauce, about the consistency of soup.

Remove the chicken from the skillet and let rest on cutting board. Add the peppers and onion to the pan. Let the vegetables grill for about 2 minutes. Add the mushrooms. Saute the vegetable mixture for about 5 minutes.

Gently pour in the sherry, vinegar and cornstarch mixture. Stir the vegetable, as the sauce thickens. Continue to cook for 2-3 minutes letting the sauce thicken. Turn off the heat.

Toss in the green onions and tomato and stir. Slice the chicken breasts across the grain about 1 inch thick slices. Stir into the stir-fry, serve on top of rice and enjoy!

*As a side note, I want to try this recipe with peanuts and water chestnuts. (Sorry Andrew, no bok choy.) This recipe was the creation of a late night, a hungry tummy and whatever food was available in the fridge.

**Measurements are approximate. Please feel free to make any changes you think are necessary. And let me know about them all.

Balsamic Chicken

The beauty of balsamic chicken is in it's simplicity and complexity. Simple because it takes 20 minutes to make with relatively little effort. Complex in it's flavor with a blend of olive oil, balsamic vinegar and shallots. This is a recipe of my own invention so please let me know what you think!

Hardware:
A skillet
A wooden spoon
A spatula
A chef's knife
A wooden cutting board
A plate
A small sheet of aluminum foil

Ingredients:
1 lb. thawed, skinless chicken breast
1 shallot offset
1/2 Cup balsamic vinegar
kosher salt
fresh ground black pepper
1 Tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

Instructions:
Begin by warming the skillet over a medium flame until it is nice hot. While the skillet is heating up, season the chicken breast with kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste. Add one tablespoon olive oil to the hot skillet. Let the oil heat for about 30 seconds, just long enough for it to begin to smoke.

Place the seasoned chicken breasts smooth side down on the hot skillet. Let the chicken grill for 5-7 minutes. While the chicken is grilling, peel and slice the shallot using your chef's knife. If you don't have a shallot you can substitute a mixture of sliced garlic and onion.

Flip the chicken over and continue grilling for 5-7 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through. Put the cooked chicken on your plate. Tent the plate with aluminum foil to keep the chicken warm.

Add the sliced shallots to the skillet. Using your wooden spoon scrape up all the brown little bits you can. Let the shallots saute over medium heat for 2-3 minutes until tender.

Carefully pour in the 1/2 cup or so of balsamic vinegar. The pan will sizzle a lot so be careful. After pouring in the vinegar use you wooden spoon and continue to stir the mixture scraping up the last of those browned bits of flavor. Let the sauce reduce for 5 minutes until a nice sauce consistency.

As the sauce is reducing slice your chicken and arrange on a plate. Pour the finished balsamic sauce over the chicken slices and garnish with the caramelized shallots and a sprig of flat-leaf parsley.

Enjoy!

Chicken Divan

Chicken Divan is a simple chicken casserole dish. Because casserole is a Utah tradition it seems only appropriate to begin my recipe throw down with a nod to the culture I live in. Prepare to be amazed, this casserole is yummy, filling, cheap and easy to make. Let's begin...

Ingredients:
1 bag (16 oz) frozen broccoli florets
1 lb. chicken breast, thawed
Kosher Salt
1 Tbs. fresh ground black pepper, plus some for the chicken
1 Cup Mayonnaise (use real mayonnaise and skip the low-fat)
1 can Cream of Mushroom soup (use reduced sodium)
1 can Cream of Broccoli soup (use reduced sodium)
1 Tbs. lemon juice
1 Tbs. garlic powder
2 Cups grated sharp cheddar cheese
1 bag (16 oz) croutons
non-stick cooking spray

Hardware:
350 degree oven
2-quart sauce pan
Strainer
Skillet
Metal spatula
Rubber spatula
Medium sized mixing bowl
One cup
Tablespoon
Wooden cutting board
Chef's knife
9" x 13" casserole dish

Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Place the frozen broccoli in a 2-quart sauce pan and cover it with hot water. This allows the broccoli to thaw as you prepare the other casserole layers.

Rub the chicken with kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste. Both sides should be evenly spiced. On your stove top warm the skillet over medium heat. Place the chicken with the smooth side down on the heated skillet. This makes it brown more evenly and is easier for turning. Let the chicken cook on one side for 5-7 minutes.


While the chicken is sizzling, use your rubber spatula to mix together the mayonnaise, cream of mushroom, cream of broccoli, cheese, lemon juice, garlic powder and pepper in a medium sized mixing bowl. Continue folding and stirring until the mixture is well-blended.


Using the metal spatula flip the chicken. Continue to let the chicken grill for another 5-7 minutes. As with any protein the less you touch it the more tender it will be in the end. So let it grill away in peace.


Now spray your 9" x 13" casserole dish with a non-stick cooking spray. Next add the bag of croutons to the mayonnaise mixture. I like a little bit more crunch to my casserole so I add the croutons just before I put the casserole together. (For softer croutons add them to the mayonnaise mixture sooner.)

Remove the cooked chicken from the skillet and place on a wooden cutting board. Using your chef's knife carefully slice the chicken into 1-inch cubes. Evenly spread the chicken across the bottom of your greased casserole dish.

Next strain the thawed broccoli. Evenly spread the broccoli over the chicken.

Now take your mayonnaise mixture and spread it on top of the broccoli and chicken. Use the remaining cup of sharp cheddar and sprinkle it evenly across the top of the Divan.

Let the casserole bake in your 350 degree oven for 30-35 minutes (at high altitude) until the cheese is bubbly and the edges are beginning to brown. Carefully remove the hot dish from the oven, serve alone or with your favorite sides and dig in. Yumminess is only a casserole away!