Econo Chic: Asian Food

I love Asian food. Chinese, Japanese, Thai... you name it, I eat it. But I have noticed that the food from my local Chinese restaurant is going up in price and the quality is going down. So I have decided that I need to put my cooking skill to good use and make my own Chinese food. Not only will it be cheaper and better tasting, it will be healthier. So on this weeks Econo Chic I give you Kung Pao Chicken.

1/2 cup reduced sodium chicken broth
1/3 cup Sake or Mirin
3 tablespoons hoisin sauce
2 tablespoons reduced sodium soy sauce
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons honey
3 tablespoons Asian sesame oil
1 pound skinless boneless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
2 scallions, chopped
1 tablespoon grated peeled fresh ginger
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 8 ounce can sliced water chestnuts, drained
1 1/4 cup unsalted dry roasted peanuts

1) Combine the broth, sake, hoisin sauce, soy sauce, cornstarch, and honey in a bowl; mix well.

2) Heat a large nonstick skillet or wok over medium high heat until drop of water sizzles. Pour in 2 teaspoons of the oil and swirl to coat the pan, then add the chicken. Stir-fry until the chicken is cooked through, 4-5 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a plate.

3) Add the remaining 1 teaspoon oil to the skillet and swirl to coat the pan. Add the scallions, ginger, and crushed red pepper; stir-fry until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the water chestnuts and peanuts; stir-fry until heated through, about 1 minute. Add the broth mixture and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture bubbles and thickens, about 1 minute. Add the chicken and cook until heated through, about 1 minute longer.

Serve with white rice.

This meal is only 345 Calories and 12 grams of fat.

You can also substitute the chicken and make it out of shrimp or sea scallops. It is just as yummy!

Enjoy!

Ciao!! xoxo

~Dissolved Girl

* Picture from Flickr. Next time I make this dish I will update with my own picture.