Cooking Inspiration - How to Ease Into Spring Cooking

Cooking Inspiration

How to Ease Into Spring Cooking

Article_How to Ease Into Spring Cooking

Spring marks the transition from cold and hearty to light and bright.  So, this leads to the question, how do we fuse hearty and light?  Well, look no further, because Lee Kum Kee Recipes are here to make this transition a breeze in the kitchen.

 

Kale Stir Fry

Bright kale delivers the light salad feel while stir-fry elements create a sense of warmth- in our opinion, this is THE transition dish.

Ingredients

  • 1 block of extra firm tofu
  • 2 tsp. cooking oil
  • 1 garlic clove, roughly chopped
  • 1 small bunch of kale, stem removed and roughly chopped
  • ¼ cup shredded red cabbage
  • 1 carrot, julienned
  • 1 green apple, peeled and thinly sliced
  • white sesame seeds, to garnish (optional)

 

Seasoning

  • salt and pepper, to taste
  • 1 Tbsp. Panda Brand Oyster Flavored Sauce
  • 2 Tbsp. Panda Brand Cooking Soy Sauce

 

How to make it

  1. Drain the tofu and try and get as much moisture out of it as possible before cutting.
  2. Cut the tofu into small 1 inch cubes and then season with salt and pepper.
  3. Place oil in a large frying pan and add the tofu.  Cook until golden brown and crispy and then remove and set aside.
  4. Add the chopped garlic and cook for a minute, and then toss in the chopped kale and shredded cabbage.  Cook that down until the kale starts to wilt and soften.
  5. Add in the julienned carrot, Panda Brand Cooking Soy Sauce and Panda Brand Oyster Flavored Sauce and cook for another couple minutes.  Add sliced green apples, place the tofu back in and give a few final tosses.
  6. Serve the stir fry over noodles, rice or by itself.  Optional: top it off with some white sesame seeds.

 

Homemade Sweet Potato Fries

Still crispy and satisfying to the heartier part of our palate, but much healthier.  You will leave you grabbing these by the handful (guilt-free, may we add).

Ingredients

  • 2 lbs. sweet potatoes, peeled

 

Seasoning

  • 2 Tbsp. olive oil
  • 1 tsp. garlic powder
  • 1 tsp. smoked paprika
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • ½ tsp. black pepper

 

Dipping

  • ¼ cup Lee Kum Kee Sriracha Mayo, for dipping

 

How to make it

  1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
  2. Peel the sweet potatoes and then cut them into sticks about ¼ in wide and a few inches long.
  3. Place them in a mixing bowl and toss with olive oil and the spices.
  4. Spread them out onto a greased baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes and then flip fries over and cook for another 10 minutes until that side is crisp, don’t let them burn.
  5. Serve hot with a side of Lee Kum Kee Sriracha Mayo.

 

Beet and Goat Cheese Salad with Triple Citrus Dressing
This salad will awaken the senses with the flavorful citrus dressing.  This is the perfect side to any grilling dish.

Ingredients

  • 1 bag or box of spring green salad mix
  • ¼ red onion, thinly sliced
  • 2 small cooked beets, cut into ½” cubes or wedges
  • 1 orange, peeled, pithed and segmented
  • ¼ cup goat cheese, crumbled
  • 3 Tbsp. roasted pistachios, roughly chopped

 

Dressing

  • ¼ cup fresh orange juice
  • 1 Tbsp. Panda Brand Triple Citrus Grilling and Dipping Sauce
  • 2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
  • salt and pepper to taste

 

How to make it

  1. In a bowl, make the dressing by whisking together the orange juice, Panda Brand Triple Citrus Grilling and Dipping Sauce, and olive oil.  Season with salt and pepper and set aside.
  2. Spread out green on a plate or in a salad bowl.
  3. Layer red onion, beets, orange segments, goat cheese and pistachios.
  4. Dress salad with vinaigrette.  Lightly toss and serve.

 

Poke

Spring marks the transition towards lighter meats, such as fish.  This light poke dish is drizzled with a warming sriracha mayo, which makes it a nice balance for the spring season.

Ingredients

  • 1 lb. tuna (sashimi grade)
  • ¼ tsp. Kosher salt
  • 3 Tbsp. mixing sauce

 

Seasoning

  • Mixing Sauce:
  • 1 cup Lee Kum Kee Sriracha Mayo
  • 2 tsp. soy sauce
  • 2 tsp. sesame oil
  • 2 Tbsp. lime juice
  • 4 green onion stalks
  • 1 tsp. sesame seeds (black and white), toasted

 

How to make it

  1. Dice tuna into half-inch cubes, season with salt, set aside.  Cut green onions into thin rings, reserve half, set aside for garnishing.
  2. In a blender, combine remaining green onions, Sriracha Mayo, sesame oil, and lime juice.  Puree until smooth to make a sauce.
  3. In a bowl, combine tuna with sauce and mix well.
  4. Garnish with sesame seeds and green onions.
  5. Note: Sauce can be prepared up to 2 days in advance.

 

Fish Tacos

We probably had you sold at “taco”, but the soy sauce and sriracha elements bring to a whole ‘nother level.

Ingredients

  • 1 lb. tilapia or other white fish
  • 2 cups finely shredded cabbage (or 1 bag coleslaw mix)
  • 2 carrots, grated (or 1 bag coleslaw mix)
  • ½ cup cilantro leaves, roughly chopped
  • cooking oil
  • corn or flour tortillas
  • sour cream (optional)
  • avocado slices (optional)

 

Marinade

  • ¼ cup Panda Brand Cooking Soy Sauce
  • ¼ cup rice vinegar
  • 1 Tbsp. Lee Kum Kee Minced Garlic
  • juice of 1 lime

 

Seasoning

  • ½ cup Lee Kum Kee Sriracha Mayo
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • fresh lime juice to serve

 

How to make it

  1. In a baking dish, whisk together Panda Brand Cooking Soy Sauce, rice vinegar, Lee Kum Kee Minced Garlic and lime juice.  Add in the fish fillets and turn to coat.Let sit for 20 minutes or so to marinate in the refrigerator.
  2. Make the slaw mixture by combining Lee Kum Kee Sriracha Mayo with cabbage and carrots, or 1 bag of coleslaw mix.  Then add cilantro and toss to combine.Season with salt and pepper to taste.
  3. Cook fish by heating a nonstick skillet over medium high heat.  Add in a little oil and then the fillets.Cook for 2 - 3 minutes per side ,until opaque but still moist and tender.  Transfer fish to a plate.
  4. Heat tortillas in a skillet over medium high heat until soft and pliable.  Keep warm in foil or in a clean kitchen towel until ready to serve.
  5. To build tacos, place slaw on tortilla then top with a piece of fish.  Add sour cream and avocado (optional) with a sprinkle of salt and pepper and a squeeze of fresh lime juice.

 

Sources:

https://usa.lkk.com/en/recipes