Asian Dishes

Thai Drunken Noodles (Pad Kee Mao) 

These Thai Drunken Noodles taste better than any restaurant version I’ve ever had. This is one of the easiest and quickest recipes and one of our favorite dishes! A trip to your local Asian grocery store is necessary to get certain ingredients. You can make this dish plain, with veggies, shrimp, or any protein of your choice. It’s very versatile!

Thai Drunken Noodles (Pad Kee Mao)

sofiyababinov
These Thai Drunken Noodles taste better than any restaurant version I've ever had. This is one of the easiest and quickest recipes and one of our favorite dishes! A trip to your local Asian grocery store is necessary to get certain ingredients. You can make this dish plain, with veggies, shrimp, or any protein of your choice.
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Prep Time 10 mins
Cook Time 20 mins
Total Time 30 mins
Course Main Course
Cuisine Thai
Servings 6

Ingredients
  

  • 1-2 LB Shrimp or any protein of choice
  • 1 LB Wide Rice Noodles wide or any rice noodles of choice
  • 1 Thai Chili Pepper less or more depending on your preference
  • 3 Garlic Cloves minced
  • 1 TBS Olive Oil for frying
  • 1 Can Baby Corn drained
  • Any other vegetables of choice I usually add whatever we have on hand
  • 4 TBS Butter for baking shrimp
  • 4 tsp Fish Sauce

Sauce Ingredients:

  • 3 TBS Dark Soy Sauce
  • 3 TBS Light Soy Sauce
  • 6 TBS Oyster Sauce
  • 4 tsp Sugar
  • 2 TBS Water

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Peel, devein and wash the shrimp. Pat shrimp dry with paper towels. Put shrimp into a large glass baking dish, add 4 TBS butter and bake for 15-20 minutes, until shrimp are cooked through. Once cooked through, set aside. Meanwhile continue to next steps.
  • Cook the rice noodles according to package instructions. Some tricks I learned to attain perfect rice noodles is adding 1 TBS of olive oil to the pot of boiled water when cooking rice noodles to keep the noodles from sticking together. I also stir the noodles constantly to prevent sticking. Set cooked noodles aside.
  • Mix the sauce ingredients together in a small bowl and set aside.
  • In a wok or large skillet, heat 1 TBS olive oil on medium heat. Add in 1 finely chopped Thai chili pepper (less or more depending how spicy you prefer), add in 3 minced garlic cloves. Stir until fragrant.
  • Add in the cooked shrimp (butter/water drained). Add 4 tsp fish sauce. Cook a few minutes, until the shrimp crisps up to your preference, 5-10 minutes.
  • Add in the cooked rice noodles. Pour the sauce over the noodles and shrimp. Mix well. Turn the heat down to low. Cook until rice noodles are hot and have absorbed the sauce, about 10 minutes.
  • Lastly, add canned baby corn (drained) and/or any other veggies you want to add. Cook an additional few minutes until veggies are cooked through.

Notes

Make sure you use both Dark and Light Soy Sauce or the sauce will be too salty and not the right flavor.
Some tricks I learned to attain perfect rice noodles is adding 1 TBS of olive oil to the pot of boiled water when cooking rice noodles to keep the noodles from sticking together. I also stir the noodles constantly to prevent sticking.
If you decide to add diced onion, add it in the beginning with the Thai chili pepper.
This recipe reheats well. Fry the Drunken Noodles on a skillet with 1 TBS butter on low heat to heat up.
The Dark Soy sauce, Light Soy sauce, Fish sauce, Oyster sauce and wide Rice noodles can all be found at your local Asian grocery store.  
You can customize this dish with your favorite veggies and protein. I sometimes add mushrooms, scallions, Thai basil. Sometimes I make it with sliced chicken breast instead of shrimp. It’s super versatile! 
Keyword 30 minutes, easy, noodles, shrimp, Thai

Grilled Bulgogi Shrimp

It’s finally cooling down outside and the perfect weather for grilling. If you’re in the mood for grilling but tired of meat, these Bulgogi Shrimp don’t disappoint! Plump, juicy, grilled to perfection shrimp with a hint of a smoky Bulgogi flavor. I first had Bulgogi Shrimp at an amazing Korean BBQ restaurant here in Charlotte and knew immediately I’d be making these at home. Super easy and fast to grill, just make sure you give the shrimp at least 1 night to marinate. A trip to your local Asian market is required to get the Bulgogi sauce needed to marinate this shrimp.

Grilled Bulgogi Shrimp

Plump, juicy, grilled to perfection shrimp with a hint of a smoky Bulgogi flavor. If you're in the mood for grilling but tired of meat, these Bulgogi Shrimp don't disappoint! Super easy and fast to grill, just make sure you give the shrimp at least 1 night to marinate.
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Prep Time 15 mins
Cook Time 15 mins
Total Time 30 mins
Course Main Course
Cuisine Korean
Servings 8

Equipment

  • Grill

Ingredients
  

  • 2 LB Shrimp raw, peeled and deveined
  • 1 29.7 oz. Jar Korean BBQ Bulgogi Sauce enough to cover the shrimp in the sauce
  • 16 Bamboo Skewers for grilling

Instructions
 

  • Peel, devein, and wash the shrimp. Pat shrimp dry with paper towels, put shrimp into a big bowl.
  • Add enough Korean BBQ Bulgogi Sauce (I used about 3/4 of the 29.7 oz. jar). Mix well. Cover the bowl with a lid and let the shrimp marinate in the Bulgogi sauce overnight for best flavor, or for at least 6 hrs.

Grilling Instructions:

  • Soak bamboo skewers in water for at least 30 minutes, this is so the wood doesn't split while you are putting shrimp on skewers. Pat skewers dry with paper towels.
  • Put shrimp onto skewers. I put 6-7 shrimp on each skewer. I had 16 skewers total and the average person ate 2 skewers (with some white rice and steamed veggies on the side).
  • Grill the shrimp until fully cooked to your preference. You don't want to overcook shrimp so they don't taste rubbery. With the preheated grill they took about 10-15 minutes to grill. We flipped them once halfway through, for even cooking on both sides. We use a special kind of charcoal for grilling these Bulgogi shrimp (or anything we grilll really) for the best flavor: Natural Hardwood Lump Charcoal (we use Frontier brand).
  • You can also bake these Bulgogi shrimp but we prefer the smoky, charred flavor that only the grill can give! Bake in 400 degrees until shrimp cook through. Another option is an indoor griddle grill.

Notes

We use a special kind of charcoal for grilling these Bulgogi shrimp for the best flavor: Natural Hardwood Lump Charcoal (we use Frontier brand).
You can also bake these Bulgogi shrimp but we prefer the smoky, charred flavor that only the grill can give!
I serve these with white rice and steamed veggies on the side.
Keyword 30 minutes, grilling, seafood, shrimp

Bourbon Chicken

Homemade Chinese food is one of our favorite things to eat. We have Chinese night every Friday night at our house and this Bourbon Chicken is one of our most frequently made recipes. We made it for a Chinese dinner party once and it was a huge hit with our friends as well. I like to pair it with plain white rice (so we can eat it with the extra yummy Bourbon sauce) or vegetable fried rice. It’s super simple to make and no fancy ingredients required!

Bourbon Chicken

sofiyababinov
Homemade Chinese food is one of our favorite things to eat. We have Chinese night every Friday night at our house and this Bourbon Chicken is one of our most frequently made recipes. We made it for a Chinese dinner party once and it was a huge hit with our friends as well. I like to pair it with plain white rice (so we can eat it with the extra yummy Bourbon sauce) or vegetable fried rice. It’s super simple to make and no fancy ingredients required!
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Prep Time 15 mins
Cook Time 30 mins
Total Time 45 mins
Course Main Course
Cuisine Chinese
Servings 8
Calories 578 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 4 LB Chicken Breast or Thighs cut into 1 inch pieces
  • 1/2 tsp Salt
  • 1/4 tsp Pepper
  • 3 1/2 TBS Cornstarch divided
  • 3 TBS Oil to fry the chicken

Bourbon Sauce

  • 1 Cup Chicken Broth I make my own with Better Then Bouillon
  • 1 Cup Water
  • 1/4 Cup Bourbon
  • 2/3 Cup Low Sodium Soy Sauce
  • 1/3 Cup Ketchup
  • 2 TBS Apple Cider Vinegar
  • 3/4 Cup Light Brown Sugar
  • 2 Garlic Cloves minced
  • 1/2 tsp Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
  • 1/2 tsp Onion Power
  • 1/2 tsp Ground Ginger

Instructions
 

  • Cut chicken breasts or thighs into 1 inch pieces. Transfer to a big bowl. Add 1/2 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp pepper, and 2 TBS Cornstarch. Mix well.
  • Add all the Bourbon sauce ingredients into a big bowl and mix well. Set it aside.
  • Heat 3 TBS oil in a large skillet on medium heat. Fry the chicken pieces in batches, until the chicken is cooked through until well done and golden on the outside. I cooked it in 4 batches. Have a plate lined with paper towels to put cooked chicken into, to absorb the extra oil.
  • Once the chicken is all cooked, wipe off the skillet with paper towels, no need to wash it. Add the bourbon sauce and bring to a boil then add in the cooked chicken.
  • Reduce to low heat and let it simmer, stirring occasionally for 10-15 minutes until the sauce reduces a bit.
  • In a small glass, add 1 TBS water and 1.5 TBS cornstarch and mix well until it becomes a white slurry. Add the cornstarch slurry mixture to the bourbon chicken. Let it simmer a few minutes so the sauce thickens up.

Notes

Serve with white rice (we love pouring the extra Bourbon sauce over it)! This dish reheats well the next day in a skillet on low heat. 
Keyword 30 minutes, chicken, Chinese, easy

Ground Beef Bulgogi Plate

This ground beef Bulgogi plate is a super easy and quick meal yet looks and tastes like a dish from an upscale Korean restaurant! You can use ground beef or cut up pieces of beef (steak) for this recipe. I prefer to use ground beef because it’s easier. I got this amazing recipe from our friend Dre and it’s frequently on our weeknight menu. I hope you love this recipe just as much as we do!

Ground Beef Bulgogi Plate

This ground beef Bulgogi plate is a super easy and quick meal yet looks and tastes like a dish from a restaurant! You can use ground beef or cut up pieces of beef (steak) for this recipe. I love how versatile this dish is, everyone gets to build their own perfect plate.
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Prep Time 15 mins
Cook Time 20 mins
Total Time 35 mins
Course Main Course
Cuisine Korean
Servings 4

Ingredients
  

  • 1 LB Ground Beef
  • 4-5 Carrots peeled, cut into thick matchsticks
  • 1/2 Cup Korean BBQ Bulgogi Sauce from the Asian market
  • 1/4 Cup Soy Sauce
  • 1 tsp Sesame Oil
  • 1 Bunch Cilantro finely chopped
  • 1 Bunch Scallions finely chopped
  • 2 Cups Jasmine Rice cooked according to package instructions
  • 4 TBS Olive Oil divided, for cooking
  • Korean Gochujang Brown Rice Red Pepper Paste from the Asian Market, optional, for serving

Instructions
 

  • Chop up the carrots into large matchstick pieces, toss on a baking sheet with 3 TBS olive oil and salt to taste. Bake on 400 degrees for 20-30 mins, until carrots are soft. Meanwhile move on to next steps!
  • Cook 2 Cups Jasmine rice according to package instructions. Cover and set aside.
  • In a large frying pan, on medium heat, add 1 TBS olive oil then add the ground beef. When the ground beef is almost done cooking, add Korean BBQ Bulgogi sauce, Soy sauce, and Sesame oil. Cook until the ground beef is well cooked through. Cover with lid and set aside.
  • Finely chop 1 bunch cilantro and 1 bunch scallions. Put both into a plate. These will be served on the side as garnishes to serve the Bulgogi with.
  • Serve everything on the table and everyone can build their own perfect Bulgogi plate! This is not only a fun way to serve Bulgogi but makes storing leftovers easy too. I add 1 tsp of the Gochujang paste (for a spicy kick, totally optional) and mix everything together for the perfect Bulgogi plate!
Keyword 30 minutes, beef, easy, Korean