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Asian Gourmet - Chinese, Japanese and Thai food products
When we lived on the East coast, visiting Chinatown in New York City or Philadelphia was simply a couple of hours of driving away. We loved going into all the little groceries to find noodles, sauces, teas, vegetables (love Bok Choy), fruits and candies that a regular supermarket didn't have. Then, of course, there were the Dim Sum restaurants that offered up a huge variety of delectables; oh how we miss those restaurants of authentic Chinese cuisine. We didn't order from menus; the restaurant owner knew us and ordered for us; never a disappointment, and always something new to try.
Twice someone tried opening up a "Chinese" restaurant in the area. The first time it was a person who purchased bulk pans of frozen, premade Chinese-like meals; heated them up and sold by the scoop full. Disgusting!!! The second time there were actual owners of Chinese descent; big mistake was hiring locals who knew nothing about the cuisine, didn't want to learn, and didn't want to do much work either. Then again, it was the owners' fault for not insisting they be knowledgeable, or replacing them with those who wanted to learn and work. If a restaurant wants to succeed, the owners have to make sure they have the best staff, attitude, training, atmosphere and products.
I get calls from many restaurants, in the area, to come visit and do a review on them. They know I am honest, can't be bought off, nor bribed; they are also very confident that they have all the musts for success. Now the ones that don't want me to visit know they are not up to par. They don't care if tourists come in or not; their belief is that friends, family and locals, out of blind loyalty, will keep them going no matter how bad the food and service are.
...and so I have digressed from my original thoughts on Asian Gourmet products.
Since the closest Asian restaurants (Chinese, Japanese, Thai) are an hour away in either Moab, UT or Cortez, CO; I have had to learn to do some of my own cooking of these cuisines. Being able to purchase some of the products to accomplish this is a huge help, and many of the major chain supermarkets are carrying Asian Gourmet by Haddon House Food Products, a food distributor on the, what else, East coast. Owning a Wok is an even bigger help; tools of the trade do make a difference.
So, here's one of my latest concoctions...
Chinese Noodle Stir Fry
Ingredients:
1 (8 oz.) package Asian Gourmet Chinese Noodles
2 Tbsp. Stir Fry oil (if not available, canola oil)
and 1/2 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 tsp. Chinese 5 Spice powder
1 (10 oz.) package frozen sugar snap peas, defrosted
1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper
1/2 cup chopped orange bell pepper
1/2 cup Hoisin sauce
1/4 cup soy sauce
Preparation:
Prepare Chinese Noodles according to package direction; set aside, but keep warm.
Heat oil, medium-high, in Wok or large, deep skillet. Mix chicken pieces with 5 spice powder; brown all sides in the oil.
Add the sugar snap peas and bell peppers; mix thoroughly and let cook for 5 minutes together.
Add the kept warm, cooked noodles and sauces to the Wok; mix thoroughly and let cook until the bottom is sizzling. Stir bottom ingredients up to the top, and repeat.
Makes 8 servings.
Mary Cokenour
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