For the past couple of months, I have been focusing a lot more on the ingredients I use. At home we have a kitchen garden and I have an aunt with a small farm which provides us with a lot of the produce that I need. Currently we are growing cherry tomatoes that I’m excited to sun dry and pickle in olive oil as well eat in a fresh caprese salad with homegrown basil. 

I was just going through my recipe list and I realized that a newfound ingredient that I have been using a lot has been sesame. Its this amazingly tiny yet flavorful seed. Crisp when fresh while earthy and smoky once toasted. Its also found in derivatives such as sesame oil and paste (tahini). In fact, its funny to see how three different cuisines use sesame seeds vastly differently.  Sesame oil is used a lot in asian preparations, tahini is used in a lot of the middle east, while sesame seeds are vastly popular in pockets of Indian food. In fact there is a whole sweet dish that is basically solidified molasses. 

I usually have a story to tell with every recipe— things that remind me of the past, but this one is a little different. This quinoa bowl is a new recipe that captures new techniques and flavors that I’ve been learning all throughout year. The stir fry is similar to the one I used in my red cabbage udon stir fry, while the breading of the shrimp is a technique I have learnt from Chinese cookbooks (basically cornstarch and eggs). The grain in this dish is quinoa which yes has some protein but what I like about it the most is its texture.Tiny bubbles of fiber with no flavor and a lack of stickiness like a egg on teflon. Its separates the dish as though you’re eating the stir fry and the grain together while still separate at the same time. But unlike most things that don’t go together, this add complexity that might be confusing as you begin chewing but soon after you realize there is no better way to eat this. 

I am going to continue my sesame series with some other recipes. The next two will be in one blog post largely celebrating the colors of spring! The first would be a beetroot hummus and the next is an inspired dish- miso pesto ramen. 

I hope you enjoy this recipe. Its quick, healthy, and far more filling than your usual boring meal. 

OH BEFORE I FORGET, I also post all my recipes on Yummly! Its a super cool recipe sharing website that actually reads through web pages and actually tells you all you need for each recipe. If you have a Yummly account you can “Yum” this recipe with the button below. Additionally, check out my Yummly page right here. K. Shameless plug over. Now go enjoy this recipe ❤️

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Sticky Sesame Chicken Hoisin Burger

Udon Stir Fry

Ingredients

Stir fry

1/2 head of red cabbage

3 spring onions, green thinly sliced and whites minced

1/4 head of broccoli par boiled (place in boiling water for 2 mins)

2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds 

2 teaspoons of sesame oil

2 teaspoons ginger, finely chopped 

5 cloves of garlic, finely chopped 

Fried Shrimp

300 grams of fresh shrimp

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 egg, beaten

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup cornstarch

Sauce

2 tablespoons sriracha

2 tablespoons hoisin sauce 

2 tablespoons rice vinegar

1/2 tablespoon cornstarch 

2 tablespoon water

1 tablespoon brown sugar

Methods

Step 1

Mix all the sauce ingredients in a small bowl and set aside.

Step 2 

Combine shrimp vegetable oil, and salt in a big bowl. Mix well and let marinate for 10 to 20 minutes.

Step 3 

Add the beaten egg into the bowl with the chicken. Stir to mix well. Add cornstarch. Stir to coat chicken, until it forms an uneven coating with a little dry cornstarch left unattached.

Step 4

Heat oil in a heavy duty skillet until hot, until it just starts to smoke. Add shrimp one at a time into a single layer in the skillet. Cook on each side until they are golden brown. Once cooked, put it on the newspaper and sprinkle some salt

Step 5

Place the pan back onto the stove and turn to medium heat. You should still have 1 to 2 tablespoons oil in the pan. Add garlic and ginger. Cook and stir a few times until it releases its fragrance. Add all the veggies and cook them down. About 2 minutes

Step 6 

Stir the sauce again to dissolve the cornstarch completely. Pour into the pan. Stir and cook until it thickens, when you can draw a line on the bottom with a spatula without the sauce running back immediately.

Step 7 

Add back the shrimp pieces. Stir to coat chicken with sauce, 30 seconds. Transfer everything to a plate immediately.