Okay, so today I’m sharing some super simple Chinese recipes that even I can’t mess up (hopefully!). I’m no chef, trust me, but I love Chinese food, and ordering takeout all the time gets expensive.
Scallion Oil Noodles (Cong You Ban Mian) – My First Attempt!
Alright, first up: Scallion Oil Noodles. I saw this on some random food blog and thought, “Hey, I can probably do that.” Here’s what I did:
- Got the stuff: I grabbed some dried noodles (the thicker kind, like udon-ish), a bunch of scallions, soy sauce, sugar, and some cooking oil. I think I used vegetable oil? Whatever was cheapest.
- Chopped, chopped, chopped: Man, that was a lot of scallions. I chopped ’em into small-ish pieces. My eyes were watering like crazy!
- Fried ’em up: I heated up a good amount of oil in a pan (maybe ½ cup? I wasn’t really measuring), then threw in the scallions. The recipe said to cook them until they were crispy and brown, but I think I might have slightly burned some of them. Whoops! It smelled amazing though.
- Made the sauce: I mixed together soy sauce (maybe 2 tablespoons?), a teaspoon of sugar (brown sugar because that’s what I had), and a splash of water. Just eyeballed it, to be honest.
- Noodle time: I cooked the noodles according to the package directions. Duh.
- Combined everything: I drained the noodles, put them in a bowl, poured the scallion oil and crispy scallions on top, then drizzled the sauce over.
The Verdict: Pretty good! It was a little salty, I think I went overboard on the soy sauce. Next time, I’ll definitely use less soy sauce. Also, I need to watch the scallions more carefully so they don’t burn. But overall, for a first try, not bad! I actually ate the whole bowl.
Egg Fried Rice – A Classic For a Reason
Okay, egg fried rice. Everyone makes this, right? But I wanted to try my own version. Here’s how I rolled:
- Leftover rice is key: I used leftover rice from the night before. Seriously, fresh rice is a no-no for fried rice. It’s too sticky.
- Veggies, veggies: I chopped up some carrots, peas (frozen), and onions. Nothing fancy.
- Egg time: I whisked two eggs with a little bit of salt and pepper.
- Cooked the eggs: I heated up some oil in a wok (okay, it’s just a big pan, but “wok” sounds cooler), then poured in the eggs and scrambled them. I took them out and set them aside.
- Fried the veggies: I added a little more oil to the wok and tossed in the veggies. Cooked them until they were a little bit soft.
- Rice to the rescue: I added the rice to the wok and broke it up with a spatula. I kept stirring until it was heated through.
- Mixed it all: I added the scrambled eggs back in, poured in some soy sauce (again, probably too much), and mixed everything together.
The Verdict: Decent! It was definitely edible. I think I need to learn how to control the heat better. Some of the rice got a little burnt on the bottom. Also, I think I need to find a better soy sauce brand. The one I’m using is kinda…meh. But hey, it was quick, easy, and filled me up!
Super Simple Garlic Bok Choy
I needed something green, so I tried making garlic bok choy. This is probably the easiest thing ever.
- Got the bok choy: I bought a head of bok choy and washed it really well. Then I chopped it into bite-sized pieces.
- Garlic power: I minced a couple of cloves of garlic. I love garlic, so maybe I used a little more than the recipe called for.
- Stir-fry time: I heated up some oil in the wok, added the garlic, and cooked it for like 30 seconds until it was fragrant. You don’t want to burn it!
- Bok choy in: I threw in the bok choy and stirred it around until it was wilted and tender. This only took a few minutes.
- Seasoned: I added a little bit of soy sauce (not too much this time!), a sprinkle of salt, and a dash of sesame oil.
The Verdict: Delicious! This was so easy and so good. The garlic flavor was amazing, and the bok choy was perfectly cooked. This is definitely going into my regular rotation.
So yeah, those are my super simple Chinese recipes. Nothing fancy, but they’re all pretty quick and easy to make. Maybe next time I’ll try something more adventurous, but for now, I’m happy with these!