After a long holiday, it’s amazing how much left-overs one can have on hand. If you are like me, I hate to toss perfectly good food. Moreover, I detest it when my perishables go to waste. It irks me when I see wilted carrots and other wholesome veggies begging to be rescued. It’s like hard-earned money going down the drain.
So, with that said, I ventured to the veggie tray and retrieved what I had in same. I managed to grab and salvage a couple of carrots and a few florets of broccoli that still had their beautiful green hue. On my way out I fetched a half of an onion that I had wrapped in a piece of plastic along with a few grape tomatoes I got on sale. With a quick reach in the freezer, I snatched the left-over asparagus/brown rice from a week ago. All I needed was the pack of chicken tenderloin that I had previously cut in strips. These were seasoned with salt, pepper, and crushed garlic.
I was on a mission. I was going make a home-made Chinese dish. A few days before I had purchased a bottle of the hoisin sauce for a little over $3.00. This sweet and salty sauce is like a plum sauce in Chinese cooking. It’s main contents are: peanut sauce, soy, molasses, honey, etc. It’s excellent for a great dip and for marinating meats, fish or poultry.
Once in a while I like to order a meal at my neighborhood Chinese eatery. But, not today. Thus, I went to work. The cooking was a breeze because half the work was already done. Therefore, all I did was to cut up my veggies. I blanched the veggies so as to retain and bring out the natural colors.
After veggies were dried I did a quick stir-fry on medium to high heat. I made sure to season along with pinch of salt and pepper. And because it was a hoisin sauce dish, I drizzled a teaspoon or two of the sauce with a splash of red wine vinegar I had on hand. In less than five minutes I had a crunchy stir-fry dish of veggies ready.
Chicken tenderloin pieces were lightly dredged in a mix of bread crumbs and whole-wheat flour. Then in a hot skillet, with a drizzle of olive oil, chicken was fried for approximately two to three minutes on each side until brown in color.
After placing chicken on paper towel to remove excess oil, chicken strips and grape tomatoes were placed on skewers. I made sure to soak skewers for at least 15 minutes so as to prevent burning under broiler. Skewered chicken and tomatoes were then brushed with hoisin sauce and placed on foiled tin sheet. This was then placed under broiler for a couple of minutes.
I served my hoisin chicken and assorted veggies with left-over steamed asparagus/brown rice along with extra dipping hoisin sauce. Now, all I need is my fortune cookie! I’ll pass.
