I Started helping my mom in the kitchen when I was about 5 or 6 years old. I remember I burnt off some of my hair once when we were lighting the stove. I have been cooking since I was about 11 years old. The First Thing I Made Was T-Bone Steak that I bought with my own money, the next thing was Doughnuts.
A Pan Seared Rib Eye Steak, Salt Pepper, Steamed Broccoli, With French Fries. The Steak And The French Fries Are Topped Off With A Beef Stock And Mushroom Gravy. The Gravy Has A Dash Of Adobo Spice.
4 x small sirloin steaks, approx 200g each, trimmed of rind and excess fat
3 shallots, peeled
100g chestnut mushrooms, cleaned
1 garlic clove, peeled
1 Table Spoon Of Worcestershire sauce
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
50ml brandy
200 ml Heavy cream
Small handful of flat-leaf parsley 300g
Approx 30g salted butter
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
For the sautéed potatoes:
Approx 500g-600g small Charlotte potatoes, cut in half
2 garlic cloves, peeled Few sprigs of rosemary
Method
1. Parboil the potatoes in boiling salted water for 4-5 minutes or until just tender. Drain the potatoes and set aside.
2. Using a rolling pin, roll out the steaks to flatten and cut off the rind of fat. Season the steaks on both sides with salt and pepper.
3. Heat a little olive oil in a heavy based pan. Quickly sauté the steaks on both sides for approx 1 minute to color, then remove from the pan and set aside to rest.
4. Bring the same pan back up to temperature and add a little more oil if necessary. Slice the shallots and mushrooms add to the pan, season with salt and pepper and sauté briefly. Crush in the garlic and stir.
5. Add the Worcestershire sauce and mustard and heat through for 1-2 minutes. Tilt the pan away from you, pour the alcohol into the far end and allow it to ignite. Once the alcohol has burnt off, swirl the juices around the pan. Pour in the cream and add the steaks and any resting juices back into the pan. Allow the steaks to heat through for 2-3 minutes. Chop the parsley and sprinkle it into the pan.
6. Introduce the steaks back into the pan and cook for 2- 3 minutes (depending on how well done you like your steak).
7. Heat a little oil in a separate pan and add the potatoes. Season with a little salt and pepper and add the rosemary. Crush in two garlic cloves and sauté. Toss the potatoes, add a knob of butter and sauté for a further 1-2 minutes until golden and cooked through.
8. Cook the peas for 2-3 minutes in boiling salted water with a little butter. Drain, and keep warm.
9. To serve, transfer the steaks to serving plates and spoon the sauce over. Arrange the sautéed potatoes and peas alongside.
Arriving in America in the 1970’s I was introduced to a few American Chinese restaurants that still served chop suey and chow mein.
The name “Moo Goo Gai Pan” is a Cantonese phonetic translation for Stir-fried Chicken with Mushrooms. Moo Goo (蘑菇), or Mo Gu in Mandarin, refers to mushrooms, and Gai Pan (雞片), or Ji Pian in Mandarin, means sliced chicken. Combined the characters refer to any stir-fry dish that contains mushrooms and sliced chicken. There seems to be no definitive record of when the name was first used. It’s most likely the dish was popularized from being listed in the menus of American Chinese restaurants.
For me I interpret the dish literally as simply a stir-fry with chicken and mushrooms.
Moo Goo Gai Pan is a dish that uses the moist stir-fry technique, which results in a slightly thickened sauce. To complement this sauce the chicken is coated with an egg white and starch mixture then shallow fried in a pool of oil before being drained thoroughly and used for stir-frying. This process, known as “velveting” results in tender chicken covered with a silky smooth coating.
Preparation time: 30 minutes
Rapid cooking time: 10 minutes
Velveting Mixture (Marinating)
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper (Or Black)
1 egg white
Mix together and put into a boll, add the chicken next
8 oz. boneless skinless chicken breasts
Slice The Chicken Up Into 1/8 Inch Slices, And Place The Chicken In The Velveting Mixture (Marinating) And Put The Chicken In The Refrigerator For 15 Mins Or So.
Wash The Chopping Board!
Slice Up 8 to 12 oz. mushrooms
Chop up four or so cloves of garlic.
garlic, chopped
one small carrot sliced
four or so slices fresh ginger root.
1\2 of a head of Bok Choy
Bok Choy Chopped.
2 sliced scallions\Spring onion
Finishing Sauce
1/4 cup rice cooking wine
1/2 cup chicken stock or water
2 tablespoons oyster sauce
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 Tablespoons of sesame oil
Mix together in a measuring cup and add right before it is finished cooking
sesame oil
oyster sauce
Soy Sauce
Lets Cook
Cook The Chicken Making Sure The Chicken Don't Stick.
