Chinese Dinner Ideas

[Sharon]

Next weekend I'm planning a dinner party. I'd like to make as much food low carb as possible. One of my friends who doesn't do low carb surprised me at his last dinner evening with a totally low carb dinner and they don't even eat low carb. Apparently he has a sister who does low carb so he knows the WOE and knows how it works.

I'm thinking about doing Chinese ideas. I've already got Karen's recipe for Egg Drop Soup. I'm also thinking about making Beef with Tomatoes and Green Peppers. I found a recipe this morning exported from MasterCook for Stir Fry Basic Vegatables, which I will try this weekend to see my results. I'm going to make stuffed mushrooms of some sort for one appetizer.

Any thoughts that could help me out??

[Karen]

You could stuff the mushrooms with ground pork and ginger or chopped raw prawns/shrimp with ginger...

Karen

[doreen T]

hi Sharon,

I love stir-fried anything; have it often. You may choose to use a little cornstarch to thicken the sauce, but what I usually do is simply push the food to the sides of the wok (or remove it completely if you have a large amount) and then crank the heat up and let it boil down to half the volume (and twice the flavour ..;) )

- marinated chicken wings might be a good happy-tizer too, and you can prepare well in advance and just reheat. My all-purpose marinade (sorry, no measurements, I just dump and pour till it looks and tastes right, gee, I'm so helpful)..... anyway - equal amount tamari soy sauce and dry sherrry, a dribble or two of dark sesame oil, Chinese 5-spice powder, garlic powder and Splenda or preferably brown SugarTwin. Don't go overboard with the sweetener, you just want to balance the sherry & garlic. Get rid of the wing tips, then marinate the chicken in the fridge at least 4 hrs or overnight, turning once in a while. Bake at 400, for about 30 - 40 min., brushing with marinade and pan juices. These babies are good cold too...... addictive.

- for dessert, how about an Almond Custard? Find a lowcarb baked custard recipe that you like, bake in individual custard cups. Use almond extract instead of vanilla. Serve well-chilled with a small dollop (or piped) UNsweetened whipped cream, and sprinkle with toasted sliced or slivered almonds. For a single carb gram, you could also top with a finely minced 1/2-inch cube of glazed candied ginger.

Doreen

[Edited by doreen T on 26-01-01 at 16:36]

[Karen]

Excellent ideas Doreen. I was going to suggest Egg Foo Yung too. You could jazz it up by making small ones and using shrimp or crab. The egg drop soup in my recipe section is actually Italian and not Chinese, so it may not fit in with Chinese flavours.

lowcarbluxury.com has a good baked custard recipe(or is it unbruleed creme brulee? Can't remember!) that is—as Doreen pointed out—most elegant served in individual ramekins.

Here is another wing idea...

Peanut Butter Wings

2 1/2 pounds chicken wings, trimmed and separated
1/2 cup sugar free peanut butter
2 teaspoons curry powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon Brown Sugar Twin or Splenda
3 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger
3 large garlic cloves, chopped
1 tablespoon peanut oil
1/2 teaspoon Durkee Red Hot Sauce

Mix the marinade ingredients in a large bowl. Add the wings and stir. Marinate for 2 hours at room temperature. Drain and reserve marinade.

Preheat broiler. Place wings on broiling rack and broil 10 minutes. Turn the wings and baste with the marinade. Broil an additional 10 minutes, or until wings are nicely browned and cooked through.

Karen

[doreen T]

I came across this simple salad, it has dinner party potential - can be prepared well in advance. Celery, Carrot and Cucumber Salad (http://www.cs.utk.edu/~plank/plank/recs/cccsalad.html) .. from Madhur Jaffrey's World of the East Vegetarian Cookery.


**** some variations I thought of ....

- might add some matchsticks of lo bok (also called daikon or long white radish). If you can't find lo bok, you could use the small white and purple turnips
- might also add a wee pinch of Splenda or SugarTwin to the dressing

Doreen

[Sharon]

Hi Karen and Doreen, thanks for your ideas...I plan to incorporate a couple. Re: the soup...thought I'd go with a more traditional chinese version of it, (no cheese). I also really like the custard type of dessert idea. Trying the new stirfry veggie recipe I found tonight for supper, so I'll see how that works. One other night this week I'll experiment with the custard.

These folks are lucky this time, I usually just make new recipes and 99% of the time everything is a hit. Most folks are just pleased to be at someone else's table and that they are cooking!! (Isn't this the truth).

Appreciate you both taking the time to give me some recipes. It's so nice to have experts to help out!!

[[email protected]]

I tried this the other day and it is fabulous. You won't believe it isn't rice.

Chinese Fried Rice

1/2 head raw cauliflower (chopped fine to make 3 1/2 cups)
3 green onions
1 clove garlic, minced
3 Tbsp. Soy Sauce
3 eggs, beaten
Olive oil (I used Sunflower oil)
Cooked Chicken, beef, pork, shrimp, ham, turkey, etc.

In a wok or large frying pan, heat enough oil to cover the bottom. Fry minced garlic with finely diced white part of onions for approximately 1 minute. Add cauliflower and fry for 4-5 minutes stirring constantly. Add soy sauce, diced green onion tops, and pre-cooked meat or shrimp. Stir to mix well and brown a bit. Push mixture to one side of the pan. Add more oil if necessary to scramble eggs in empty side of pan until done, but still moist. Stir eggs into "rice" mix and remove from heat.

Serves 3 - 4 5-7 carbs per serving. Stores and re-heats beautifully

NOTE: I did not add any meat to mine, but used it as rice under beef and broccoli or Monglian beef. I even stop at the chinese restaurant and get my entree. I just ask for it without rice. It is very filling and you won't believe you are not eating rice.

Ginnie in snowy Iowa

[tamarian]

Originally posted by [email protected]
It is very filling and you won't believe you are not eating rice.

Ginnie in snowy Iowa [/B]

Thanks Ginnie, I just love new ideas for rice substitutes!

Have you tried using Spaghetti Squash as well? It's posted here by Rachel. I think you'll like it too.

Wa'il

[Sharon]

I just noticed, I never thanked you for the great recipe....it's with my collection of favourites. Isn't this board great for sharing and learning.

[Jane White]

Shrimp wrapped in bacon and grilled is an excellent appetizer.

[Sharon]

Thanks Jane....I've made a note of your suggestion and will try it soon.