Read The Cook's Illustrated Cookbook Online
Authors: The Editors at America's Test Kitchen
Tags: #Cooking
The Cook's Illustrated Cookbook (70 page)
SERVES 4
You can substitute plain rice vinegar for the black vinegar, but we prefer the latter for its more complex flavor. Tasters had difficulty detecting differences between various types of peppers in this recipe; de árbol work well and are readily available and pequín make a good second option. You can substitute 1 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes or 3 coarsely crumbled chiles for the whole chiles. Do not eat the whole chiles in the finished dish. You can substitute roasted unsalted cashews for the peanuts if preferred.
SAUCE
³⁄ | cup low-sodium chicken broth |
1 | tablespoon oyster sauce |
1 | tablespoon hoisin sauce |
2 | teaspoons Chinese black vinegar or plain rice vinegar |
2 | teaspoons toasted sesame oil |
1¹⁄ | teaspoons cornstarch |
SHRIMP
1 | pound extra-large shrimp (21 to 25 per pound), peeled and deveined |
1 | tablespoon dry sherry or Chinese rice cooking wine |
2 | teaspoons soy sauce |
3 | garlic cloves, minced |
2 | teaspoons grated fresh ginger |
3 | tablespoons vegetable oil |
¹⁄ | cup dry-roasted peanuts |
6 | small whole dried red chiles (each about 2 inches long) |
1 | red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and cut into ¹⁄ |
3 | scallions, sliced thin |
1. FOR THE SAUCE:
Whisk all ingredients together in small bowl and set aside.
2. FOR THE SHRIMP:
Toss shrimp with sherry and soy sauce in medium bowl and let marinate 10 minutes. Meanwhile, mix garlic, ginger, and 1 tablespoon oil in small bowl. Combine peanuts and chiles in second small bowl and set aside.
3.
Heat 1 tablespoon oil in 12-inch skillet over high heat until just smoking. Add shrimp and cook, stirring about every 10 seconds, until barely opaque, 30 to 40 seconds. Add peanuts and chiles and continue to cook until shrimp are almost completely opaque and peanuts have darkened slightly, 30 to 40 seconds longer. Transfer mixture to bowl and set aside.
4.
Add remaining 1 tablespoon oil to skillet and return to high heat until just smoking. Add bell pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until slightly softened, about 45 seconds. Clear center of skillet, add garlic mixture, and cook, mashing into pan, until fragrant, 10 to 15 seconds. Stir mixture into peppers until combined.
5.
Stir sauce to recombine, then add to skillet along with reserved shrimp, peanuts, and chiles. Cook, stirring and scraping up any browned bits, until sauce has thickened to syrupy consistency, about 45 seconds. Stir in scallions and serve immediately.
STORING FRESH GINGER
We include fresh ginger in many of our recipes, but we generally use modest amounts. Although this is not an expensive ingredient, we hate to just pitch the remaining unused portion. To determine the best way to store fresh ginger, we cut several knobs and stored them in different ways: unwrapped in a dark pantry, on the counter exposed to sunlight, and in the refrigerator or freezer in a variety of unwrapped or aluminum foil– or plastic-wrapped permutations.
After two weeks, all of the samples had dried out, with the frozen ginger faring the worst—after a brief thaw, it was porous and mushy. The room-temperature ginger had shriveled and started to sprout. The wrapped, refrigerated ginger was moldy where condensation had been trapped in the wrapper. The one ray of light was the unwrapped, refrigerated ginger, which had a relatively fresh appearance, with no mold. So the next time you have a leftover knob of ginger, ditch the plastic wrap and foil, and just toss it into the refrigerator unwrapped.
SERVES 4
While we prefer this dish made with chicken thighs rather than breasts because the dark meat has richer flavor and is less prone to drying out, if you prefer, you can replace the thighs with breasts. You can substitute plain rice vinegar for the black vinegar, but we prefer the latter for its more complex flavor. Tasters had difficulty detecting differences between various types of peppers in this recipe; de árbol work well and are readily available and pequín make a good second option. You can substitute 1 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes or 3 coarsely crumbled chiles for the whole chiles. Do not eat the whole chiles in the finished dish. You can substitute roasted unsalted cashews for the peanuts if preferred.
SAUCE
³⁄ | cup low-sodium chicken broth |
1 | tablespoon oyster sauce |
1 | tablespoon hoisin sauce |
2 | teaspoons Chinese black vinegar or plain rice vinegar |
2 | teaspoons toasted sesame oil |
1¹⁄ | teaspoons cornstarch |
CHICKEN
1 | pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces |
1 | tablespoon dry sherry or Chinese rice cooking wine |
2 | teaspoons soy sauce |
3 | garlic cloves, minced |
2 | teaspoons grated fresh ginger |
3 | tablespoons vegetable oil |
¹⁄ | cup dry-roasted peanuts |
6 | small whole dried red chiles (each about 2 inches long) |
1 | red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and cut into ¹⁄ |
3 | scallions, sliced thin |
1. FOR THE SAUCE:
Whisk all ingredients together in small bowl and set aside.
2. FOR THE CHICKEN:
Toss chicken with sherry and soy sauce in medium bowl and let marinate 10 minutes. Meanwhile, mix garlic, ginger, and 1 tablespoon oil in small bowl; set aside. Combine peanuts and chiles in second small bowl and set aside.
3.
Heat 1 tablespoon oil in 12-inch skillet over high heat until just smoking. Add chicken and cook, without stirring, for 2 minutes, allowing chicken to brown on the first side. Stir and cook until no longer pink, 1¹⁄
2
to 2 minutes. Stir peanuts and chiles into chicken and continue cooking until peanuts have darkened slightly, 30 to 40 seconds longer. Transfer mixture to bowl and set aside.
4.
Add remaining 1 tablespoon oil to skillet and return to high heat until just smoking. Add bell pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until slightly softened, about 45 seconds. Clear center of skillet, add garlic mixture, and cook, mashing mixture into pan, until fragrant, 10 to 15 seconds. Stir mixture into peppers until combined.
5.
Stir sauce to recombine, then add to skillet along with reserved chicken, peanuts, and chiles. Cook, stirring and scraping up any browned bits, until sauce has thickened to syrupy consistency, about 45 seconds. Stir in scallions and serve immediately.
WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS
Fried rice is often a greasy, soggy mess. We wanted a quick supper dish with firm, separate rice grains and light, clean flavors. We found that the best fried rice recipe began with cold, dry rice—leftover rice was, in fact, the best choice. Instead of soy sauce alone, we used flavorful oyster sauce that yielded well seasoned but not soggy rice. For fresh-tasting fried rice that wasn’t greasy, we batch-cooked the components
in just 3 tablespoons of oil.
SERVES 4 TO 6
We prefer baby peas in this recipe.
¹⁄ | cup oyster sauce |
1 | tablespoon soy sauce |
3 | tablespoons peanut oil or vegetable oil |
2 | large eggs, lightly beaten |
1 | cup frozen peas, thawed |
2 | garlic cloves, minced |
6 | cups cold cooked white rice, large clumps broken up with fingers |
2 | ounces (1 cup) bean sprouts |
5 | scallions, sliced thin |
1.
Combine oyster sauce and soy sauce in small bowl and set aside.
2.
Heat 1¹⁄
2
teaspoons oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add eggs and cook, without stirring, until they just begin to set, about 20 seconds. Scramble and break into small pieces with wooden spoon; continue to cook, stirring constantly, until eggs are cooked through but not browned, about 1 minute longer. Transfer eggs to small bowl and set aside.
3.
Add remaining 2¹⁄
2
tablespoons oil to skillet and heat over medium heat until shimmering. Add peas and cook, stirring constantly, about 30 seconds. Stir in garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add rice and oyster sauce mixture and cook, stirring constantly and breaking up rice clumps, until mixture is heated through, about 3 minutes. Add eggs, bean sprouts, and scallions and cook, stirring constantly, until heated through, about 1 minute. Serve immediately.
SERVES 4 TO 6
We prefer baby peas in this recipe.
¹⁄ | ounce dried shiitake mushrooms |
¹⁄ | cup oyster sauce |
1 | tablespoon soy sauce |
3¹⁄ | tablespoons peanut oil or vegetable oil |
2 | large eggs, lightly beaten |
8 | ounces small shrimp (51 to 60 per pound), peeled and deveined |
1 | cup frozen peas, thawed |
8 | ounces sliced smoked ham, cut into ¹⁄ |
2 | garlic cloves, minced |
5 | cups cold cooked white rice, large clumps broken up with fingers |
5 | scallions, sliced thin |
1.
Cover dried shiitakes with 1 cup hot tap water in small bowl. Microwave mushrooms, covered, for 30 seconds. Let sit until softened, about 5 minutes. Lift mushrooms from liquid with fork; discard liquid. Trim stems, slice into ¹⁄
4
-inch strips, and set aside.
2.
Combine oyster sauce and soy sauce in small bowl and set aside.
3.
Heat 1¹⁄
2
teaspoons oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add eggs and cook, without stirring, until they just begin to set, about 20 seconds. Scramble and break into small pieces with wooden spoon; continue to cook, stirring constantly, until eggs are cooked through but not browned, about 1 minute longer. Transfer eggs to small bowl and set aside.
4.
Add 1¹⁄
2
teaspoons oil to skillet and heat over medium heat until shimmering. Add shrimp and cook, stirring constantly, until opaque and just cooked through, about 30 seconds. Transfer shrimp to bowl with eggs and set aside.
5.
Add remaining 2¹⁄
2
tablespoons oil to skillet and heat over medium heat until shimmering. Add mushrooms, peas, and ham and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Stir in garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add rice and oyster sauce mixture and cook, stirring constantly and breaking up rice clumps, until mixture is heated through, about 3 minutes. Add eggs, shrimp, and scallions and cook, stirring constantly, until heated through, about 1 minute. Serve immediately.
SERVES 4 TO 6
If you can’t find Thai green chiles, 3 jalapeño chiles can be substituted.
3 | tablespoons fish sauce |
1 | tablespoon soy sauce |
1 | tablespoon dark brown sugar |
1 | pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces |
Salt | |
3¹⁄ | tablespoons peanut oil or vegetable oil |
2 | large eggs, lightly beaten |
1 | tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon curry powder |
1 | large onion, sliced thin |
5 | Thai green chiles, stemmed, seeded, and minced (about 2 tablespoons) |
2 | garlic cloves, minced |
6 | cups cold cooked white rice, large clumps broken up with fingers |
5 | scallions, sliced thin |
2 | tablespoons minced fresh cilantro |
Lime wedges |
1.
Combine fish sauce, soy sauce, and sugar in small bowl and stir to dissolve sugar. Set aside. Season chicken with ¹⁄
2
teaspoon salt; set aside.
2.
Heat 1¹⁄
2
teaspoons oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add eggs and cook, without stirring, until they just begin to set, about 20 seconds. Scramble and break into small pieces with wooden spoon; continue to cook, stirring constantly, until eggs are cooked through but not browned, about 1 minute longer. Transfer eggs to small bowl and set aside.
3.
Add 1¹⁄
2
teaspoons oil to skillet and heat over medium heat until shimmering. Add 1 teaspoon curry powder and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add chicken and cook, stirring constantly, until cooked through, about 2 minutes. Transfer to bowl with eggs and set aside.
4.
Add remaining 2¹⁄
2
tablespoons oil to skillet and heat over medium heat until shimmering. Add onion and remaining 1 tablespoon curry powder and cook, stirring constantly, until onion is softened, about 3 minutes. Stir in chiles and garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add rice and fish sauce mixture and cook, stirring constantly and breaking up rice clumps, until mixture is heated through, about 3 minutes. Add eggs, chicken, scallions, and cilantro and cook, stirring constantly, until heated through, about 1 minute. Serve immediately with lime wedges.
