Wok & Roll

Recently I added a couple of cook books to my collection. I tend to buy them like certain women buy shoes. My collection keeps growing even though I have never used quite a few of the ones I already have.

Anyway, I've set myself the goal of cooking my way through Kylie Kwong's Simplified Chinese Cooking. Except for the squid recipes, despite the helpful step-by-step illustrated instructions on cutting its head off and so on. Miss Darkside has kindly offered to assist in the adventure by eating the results. Always so generous! So here are my observations so far.

Mongolian Beef
This one I will be making again and again! It uses mince so it's economical, and it makes the house smell like chinese take away. Yum! I liked it so much I made it for the parental units for Sunday lunch. It seemed to go over well, although my father had to smother it in salt and pepper before he had even tasted it. He does this to everything.

Stir Fried Chicken Fillets and Cashews
I added some bok choy. Dry sherry and boatloads of garlic make for yummy vegetables but Miss Darkside thought the chicken was a bit bland. She was placated with some soy sauce. We both agree our mother will love it.

Stir Fried Beef with Oyster Sauce
This reduced Miss Darkside to incoherant noises so I think it's a hit.

Stir Fried Chicken Fillets with Honey and Ginger
Sweet and spicy, this is better in small doses I think, but Miss D liked the bold flavours.

I'm also finding you can never have enough ginger, spring onions or sherry. Must start buying the really BIG bottles of the latter from now on.