This weekend I was just clicking my way through You Tube when I came across a video about how to get the most from an all you can eat Chinese buffet. The basic premise is most of us are doing it all wrong. We fill up our plates and our bellies with the food that is cheap to make, like fried rice, lo mein and sweet and sour pork. We then neglect the most expensive stuff, like crab legs. In order to get the most of an all you can eat Chinese buffet, we should be concentrating more on eating the expensive stuff.
I guess I am doomed to never get the most out of all you can eat Chinese buffet because my favorites are all things that, according to the video, are the cheapest to make. I love fried rice, lo mein, sweet and sour pork and stir-fried chicken and broccoli the best. The rest is nice but if I don’t get to it I haven’t missed anything. Well, I don’t think I miss anything. The gentlemen in the video might disagree. Maybe, if I make more of the Chinese food I like at home, I’ll get more out of the next Chinese buffet I go to.
Stir-Fried Chicken With Broccoli
From How To Cook Everything The Basics
1 lb broccoli
2 TBS minced garlic
1 TBS minced ginger
1 medium onion, halved and sliced
1/2 cup water
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1/4 cup olive oil
salt and pepper, to taste
2 TBS soy sauce, sub coconut aminos and adjust salt for Whole 30
Prepare all your ingredients before you start cooking. Once you start cooking things progress quickly. Trim your broccoli and cut into 1 -2 inch pieces; set aside. Mince your ginger and your garlic; set aside. Peel and slice your onion; set aside. Place your salt, pepper, water and soy sauce to the side with your vegetables.
Add 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large skillet over medium-heat. When hot, add the chicken and season with salt and pepper. Stir it once, and then let it sit for at least one minute, until it begins to brown and sizzle before stirring again. Add the garlic, ginger and onion to the chicken. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the chicken is no longer pink and the vegetables are soft, 3 -5 minutes. Remove the chicken mixture from the pan and set aside.
Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil to the pan. Add the broccoli right away and raise the heat to high. Cook, stirring frequently, until the broccoli starts to char in some spots and turns bright green, 1- 2 minutes. Add 1/4 cup of water and stir to scrape the bottom of the pan to remove the brown bits. Taste the broccoli, it should be tender but not mushy. If it isn’t tender, cook for 1-2 more minutes. Return the chicken mixture to the pan and toss to combine. Add the soy sauce, and the remaining 1/4 cup water, if the mixture looks dry. Taste and adjust the seasoning, if necessary.
A Cuppa And Conversation 