Asian Recipes

[chinadoll]

I love Asian foods- Thai, Indian, Japanese, Chinese, Vietnamese--so I thought I would start a thread just for Asian recipes. Sometimes you want something different and these always fill the bill for me.

Here's one I made this week and we loved it! For Induction leave out the Peanut Butter. Counts at the bottom.

Lemongrass Pork and Eggplant

1 lb. lean pork, cut into small cubes or julienned
4 cups of eggplant, julienned
1/2 c fresh coriander leaf, roughly chopped
3-4 stalks lemongrass, sliced very fine
1 large thumb of ginger, sliced
3 cloves mild garlic, minced
2 Tbsp sambal olek or a red hot pepper sauce
2 Tbsp sugar free maple syrup
2 Tbsp peanut oil
1/3 c peanut butter (opt. for Rung Three and above)

Brown the pork in the peanut oil and remove to slow cooker, retaining oil. Fry eggplant until softened, adding water if necessary. Add in coriander, lemongrass, and other spices. Stir fry one minute then transfer to slow cooker. Add in syrup and broth. Cover and slow cook for 2 hours.

If you are on the nut rung, this is better and the juices are thicker with the peanut butter and it cooks into a thickened brown stew. The peanut does add flavor. I would add an extra Tbsp syrup if using the natural peanut butter since it tends to need that dash of sweetness.

If making this for your family, you can serve it over rice for them and just eat it like a stew for you.

This makes four servings.

Total calories for entire dish (FYI)
(without peanut butter/with peanut butter) 1038/1660

Total net carbs for recipe 36/48 (9/12 gr per serving)

Grams fat 46/90
Grams protein 107/129

[mizski]

Jill, this is a wonderful idea! My biggest problem with low carb Asian cooking is the sauces. Pre-Atkins I used various condiments such as fish paste, oyster sauce, fermented black beans, etc. I have no idea what is allowed now (can't read the labels) or how to make low-carb substitutions.

I'm hoping to get some ideas from this thread. Thanks for starting this.

[chinadoll]

I am pretty sure fish sauce is OK but the beans obviously are not til the legume rung. Alot of the sauces do have sugars. Sambal oelek (sp) is one you have to watch but some are pretty much straight chilies. There are some sweet chili sauces that are a no-no. Curry pastes are usually fine but I make my own Penang curry paste from Red curry paste and peanut butter so I can accurately count the peanut carbs. I will have to check on oyster sauce and see what I can come up with for you.

[chinadoll]

Homemade Oyster Sauce from gourmetsleuth.com site


I N G R E D I E N T S
1/2 lb. shucked oysters with liquid
1 tbsp. water
1 tsp salt
light soy sauce
1/2 tbsp. dark soy sauce I N S T R U C T I O N S
Drain oysters and reserve the liquid. Mince oysters and place in a saucepan. Add water and reserved liquid and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer about 10 minutes. Remove from heat, add salt and cool completely.

Force the mixture through a fine sieve into sauce pan. Measure the liquid, adding 2 Tbsp. light soy sauce to each 1/2 cup. Add dark soy sauce and bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer gently for about 7 minutes.

Cool to room temperature and pour into a sterilized jar. Seal and store in the refrigerator. This sauce can be kept for several weeks.


Here's a link to a site that has a lot of the sauce and paste recipes. Then you can figure out where you need to substitute.
http://asiarecipe.com/

[mizski]

This is a simple dish and is a favorite of ours.

Steamed Meat Cake

¾ pound ground pork
¼ cup water chestnuts, minced
½ TBS ginger root, minced
1 TBS scallion, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
1½ TBS soy sauce (I like to use low-sodium soy sauce or Bragg’s Liquid Aminos)
1 tsp. sherry vinegar (rice vinegar can be substituted)
1 tsp. Splenda or SugarTwin Brown
Pinch red pepper flakes or a couple shakes of red pepper sauce, if desired (optional)

Mix all the ingredients together in a medium-size mixing bowl
Press the meat into a flat cake, approximately ½ - ¾ inch thick in a deep plate or shallow bowl
Set the steamer (bamboo or metal) over boiling water. Place plate on the steamer and cover.
Steam for 15-20 minutes over medium heat until meat is cooked* and has juice all around it.
Serve hot.

*With a chopstick or fork, open a hole in the center of the cake. If the meat is still raw, then cook a few more minutes.

Serves 4.

Per serving: 235 calories, 18g fat, 2g carb, 0g fiber, 15g protein

Based on a recipe by Helen Chen (Joyce Chen’s daughter). The original recipe used 2 TBS Joyce Chen Zesty Spice Stir Fry Sauce which contains sugar and fermented black beans. I’ve made Atkins-friendly substitutions for her sauce in the recipe above.

Good with stir-fried broccoli (add a sprinkling of toasted sesame seeds if on OWL 3 nuts/seed rung).

[chinadoll]

yum that looks good...maybe dinner tomorrow!

[mizski]

Chicken and Pork in Lettuce

This dish is on the idea of mu-shu pork using lettuce leaves instead of pancakes.

½ pound chicken, coarsely chopped
½ pound pork, coarsely chopped
3 TBS peanut oil (for cooking the eggs)
1 tsp salt
2 TBS peanut oil (for chowing)
3 eggs, beaten
1 oz. black fungus (tree ears/cloud ears), soaked in fresh water for 1 hour and then drained
1 TBS oyster sauce
1 TBS sesame oil
3 green onions, chopped
1 head lettuce, separated into whole leaves (iceberg, butterhead, Boston work well)

Marinade for pork

2 TBS light soy sauce
1 egg white, beaten
1 TBS rice wine or dry sherry (OWL 5) – rice wine vinegar or sherry vinegar may be substituted for lower levels
½ tsp freshly grated ginger

Directions

• Chop meats and marinate ONLY THE PORK in the marinade mixture for 15 minutes.
• Heat wok and add the 2 TBS peanut oil and salt. Chow the chicken first, just until barely done, and remove. Add the pork, along with the marinade, and chow until done to taste. Remove.
• Heat wok again and add the 3 TBS peanut oil for the eggs. Beat the eggs and chow over medium heat so that they become scrambled but not dry. Chop them up in the wok with a bamboo paddle and remove to a plate.
• Add the remaining ingredients, except the lettuce, to the wok and chow until the fungus is hot. Add the pork, chicken and eggs to the mixture and toss until all is hot. Remove to a serving bowl.
• Serve by wrapping a few tablespoons of the meat mixture in a lettuce leaf, just like an eggroll.

Variation: Add some red chili paste with garlic to the meat mixture.

Serves 6 as part of a meal.

Per serving meat mixture: 275 calories, 19g fat, 5g carbs, 1g fiber, 4g NET carbs, 21g protein
(Remember to add the carbs for the lettuce you use)

Note: Chicken breast and pork loin were used for the nutritional stats. Other chicken meat such as boneless thigh and other pork cuts may be used. Carb counts will be the same but fat and calories will change.

Glossary

Chow = stir fry
Black fungus = a type of Chinese dried mushroom
Red Chili Paste with Garlic = Very hot sauce made of red peppers and garlic. Can substitute garlic and Tabasco.

Based on a Frugal Gourmet recipe.

[soon2bslim]

I make chicken cutlets with an Asian bent and altho i don't really measure ingredients precisely, here's the gist of it:

Place 4 ? Chicken cutlets (or strips of chicken) into a Ziploc bag
Then add to it:
1-2 tsp Minced Garlic
Ginger (fresh is best but powder works too)
White Pepper
Soy sauce (maybe 2-3 'splashes')
2-3 TBS Oil - Either Olive or Sesame or a mixture of both
1-2 tsp Vinegar (Cider or Rice or mix of both)

Mix it around so that the chicken cutlet are coated w/ all the ingredients and place in the fridge to marinate, flipping it around from time to time. (you can use a glass or ceramic pan and flip it w/ a fork)

Sometimes i marinate this all day, sometimes 15-30 minutes, the longer the better but the flavor still permeates even for a short marinating time.

Sautee in Oil (either Olive or Sesame or a mixture of both) and serve. If you are not serving immediately, cover and flip the cutlets around before serving so that they aren't too dry.

This i great w/ a lettuce or cabbage based salad + Scallions + maybe sprouts >>> dressed w/ Soy sauce, Oil - Olive or Sesame or a mixture of both, 1-2 tsp Vinegar (Cider or Rice or mix of both), Optional - Ginger/White pepper and for those of you on OWL u can add toasted sesame seeds/crunchy bean sprouts/toasted pumpkin seeds.

ENJOY!

[mizski]

Soy Wasabi Sauce for Fish

1 stick cold unsalted butter (8 TBS)
3 green onions, thinly sliced (I use kitchen shears)
1-2 Tbsp. fresh lime or lemon juice
3 Tbsp. soy sauce
1-2 Tbsp. prepared wasabi

Directions

• Combine the butter, onion, lime juice, soy sauce and wasabi in a small pan.
• Heat the butter mixture over low heat, stirring constantly until smooth and emulsified.
• Serve over halibut, salmon or seared tuna.

Serves 4.

From The Low Carb Gourmet by Karen Barnaby

[mizski]

I played around with a low carb version of Kheer (Indian rice pudding). Well, can't have rice or vermicelli or golden raisins BUT it tastes pretty good. The flavoring is there!

Worth a try when you get to OWL 3 (nuts):

Low Carb Kheer

1 c. coconut milk
1 c. heavy cream (if you want it less rich, use 1/2 water and 1/2 cream)
1/4 c. almond meal (gives it a nice thickness)
1/4 tsp. ground cardamom
Splenda to taste (I used 2 TBS but I don't like things too sweet)
1.5 oz. chopped unsalted pistachios (approx. 1/3 cup)

Heat milk and cream almost to boiling. Stir in almond meal, cardamom and Splenda. Simmer for about 5-10 minutes (stir frequently...I used a whisk) or until desired thickness. Remove from heat and stir in chopped pistachios. Transfer the mixture to individual serving dishes or a glass bowl and place plastic wrap directly on the surface of the pudding. Serve chilled or at room temperature.