Sweet and Sour Bangkok-Style Chicken with Chilies

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Ketchup - it’s what’s for dinner! Okay, okay, it’s not only what’s for dinner. But did you know that ketchup is amazing in stir-fry dishes?

Ketchup is best used in sweet and sour recipes that can range from being super quick and easy, like this NYT Recipe for Stir-Fried Chicken with Ketchup, or still easy but with complex flavors, like the one I adapted from Chef Andrew Zimmern below! You may be surprised, but ketchup successfully builds an incredible sauce that’s tangy, bright, and delicious!

In making a stir-fry with ketchup, it’s important that I trust the ketchup I’m using. I adore Primal Kitchen’s Organic Unsweetened Ketchup because it’s not only organic, but it also contains ingredients I can trust. It’s even Whole30 Approved and Paleo Friendly! Plus, the color of the ketchup has a beautiful red hue and the ketchup flavor just pops! 

If you love Thai flavors, you’re going to enjoy this dish! In addition to ketchup, Thai ingredients like lemongrass, shallots, garlic, and turmeric are utilized to really make this dish exotic. The peas and carrots also add a nice healthy touch and a satisfying texture!

So what are you waiting for! Get your Primal Kitchen Ketchup (stir-fry) on!

Sweet and Sour Bangkok-Style Chicken with Chilies

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Time: 1 Hour
Serves 6

Ingredients

Pickled Tomatoes
1 tsp sweet soy sauce (kecap manis)
2 tsp coconut vinegar or distilled white vinegar
2 tsp light brown sugar
1 tsp sambal ulek
1/8 tsp shrimp paste
1/2 tsp salt
3 medium vine ripe tomatoes, quartered

Bangkok-Style Stir-Fry
10 fresh birdseye chilies
4 lemongrass stalks, tender inner white part only, roughly chopped
8 shallots, chopped (2 cups) 
8 garlic cloves, peeled
2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken thighs  
1 tablespoon ground turmeric
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
Kosher salt
3 tablespoons peanut oil
1 cup Primal Kitchen Organic Unsweetened Ketchup
1/2 cup white vinegar
1/4 cup light brown sugar
2 carrots, cut into 1/4-inch dice
1 cup frozen peas, thawed
1/2 cup lightly packed mint leaves, coarsely chopped

Directions  
In a medium mixing bowl, prepare the pickle by stirring together the sweet soy sauce, vinegar, light brown sugar, sambal, shrimp paste, and salt. Add tomatoes and stir to combine. Allow pickle to marinate for at least 20 minutes. 

In the bowl of a food processor, combine the chilies, lemongrass, shallots and garlic. Puree, scraping the mixture off the sides as needed, until smooth, about 4-5 minutes.

In a medium bowl, toss the chicken with the turmeric, cinnamon and 1 tsp kosher salt. In a large, deep skillet, heat the oil until shimmering. Add half of the chicken thighs and cook over moderately high heat, turning once, until browned on both sides, about 8 minutes total; transfer to a plate. Repeat with the remaining chicken.

Add the pureed chili mixture to the skillet and cook over medium heat, stirring and breaking up any browned bits from the chicken, until golden brown, about 5-7 minutes. Add Primal Kitchen ketchup, vinegar, sugar and 1/2 cup of water and bring to a simmer. Return the chicken to the skillet with accumulated juices and simmer over moderately low heat until the chicken is tender and cooked through, about 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a medium pot of salted boiling water, cook the carrots until crisp-tender, about 3 minutes; drain. Add the carrots and peas to the chicken and simmer until heated through, about 5 minutes. Stir in the mint and season with salt. Transfer the chicken to a platter and spoon the sauce over the top. Serve With steamed Jasmine rice and pickled tomatoes.

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If you loved this recipe, you will love my recipes for  Stir-Fried Mushrooms and Tofu with Bok Choy, Pork Belly Stir-Fry with Snow Peas and Mixed Mushrooms and Thai Stir-Fried Noodles with Kale and Chicken: Pad See Ew!

Beef Stir-Fry with Shiitake Mushrooms and Snow Peas

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One of the things I love most about living in the modern era is that online grocery delivery makes my life SO much easier. I've been using various grocery delivery services for a couple years now, but finally one of my favorite grocery stores delivers to my house! 

No longer do I have to drive from Alameda to Oakland to get my Sprouts Farmer's Market fix! Powered by Instacart, my delivery arrived swiftly with ingredients that were beyond fresh. It's like magic, really.

To celebrate my first Sprouts delivery, I decided to make a beef stir-fry with shiitakes and snow peas. This recipe is a quick one (just like my delivery) but the depth of flavor is incredible! You can thank the mushrooms and the juiciness of ribeye for that. 

If you live in the Alameda or Oakland area, how are you going to celebrate your Sprouts delivery? Delivery is FREE for first-time Instacart users, so there's no reason to wait! 

Beef Stir-Fry with Shiitake Mushrooms and Snow Peas

Time: 20 Minutes
Serves 4

Ingredients
1/3 cup light soy sauce
¼ cup refined sesame oil
2 tbsp honey
2 tbsp mirin
1 tbsp oyster sauce
1-2 tsp sriracha (optional)
5-10 dried birdseye chilies (optional)
1 tbsp ginger, minced
1 lb ribeye steak, thinly sliced
12 oz large shiitake mushrooms, stems trimmed, thickly sliced
8 oz snow peas
1 cup green onions, chopped, divided
½ tsp five-spice powder
Steamed rice, to serve

Directions
In a small bowl, mix together the soy sauce, 1 tbsp sesame oil, honey, mirin, oyster sauce, sriracha, dried chilies, and ginger. Add ribeye to the sauce and set aside.

Heat a large wok over medium-high heat and lightly coat the wok with sesame oil. Add mushrooms in 3 batches, stirring until the mushrooms are soft and golden brown. Set mushrooms aside on a plate between batches.

Heat an additional layer of sesame oil in the wok over medium-high heat and add ribeye and its sauce. Stir-fry for 1 minute, until the ribeye has browned. Return the mushrooms to the wok with the snow peas, ½ cup of green onions, and five spice powder. Stir for another minute until the snow peas are soft. 

Serve stir-fry with steamed rice on the side. 

Stir-Fried Mushrooms and Tofu with Bok Choy

Aren't stir-fry recipes the best?! I love them because you have all of your ingredients prepped and ready, and then you toss them into the pan for a few minutes, and bam! Dinner is done!

I wanted to go vegetarian for my weeknight stir-fry recipe this week. Knowing that mushrooms and tofu make for amazing meat substitutes, that are healthy to boot, I added them to the mix with all of my favorite ingredients from Chinese cuisine, including five-spice, mirin, and sesame oil. Served over a bed of rice, with bok choy, this is definitely a stir-fry recipe to hit the spot!

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Stir-Fried Mushrooms and Tofu with Bok Choy

Time: 25 Minutes
Serves 4

Ingredients
2 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tbsp dark soy sauce
2 tbsp mirin
1 tsbp hoisin
2 tsbp sesame oil, divided
1/4 cup honey
2 tsp five-spice powder
1 tbsp ginger, minced
1 tsp garlic, minced
12 oz cremini or shiitake mushrooms, thinly sliced
14 oz tofu, drained, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 bunch Chinese chives, roughly chopped
8 birdseye chilies (optional)
3/4 lb bok choy, stemmed
1 tbsp peanut oil
Steamed rice, to serve

Directions
In a large bowl, stir together light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, mirin, hoisin, 1 tbsp sesame oil, honey, five-spice powder, ginger, and garlic. Add mushrooms, tofu, chives, and birdseye chilies, and stir to combine. Let marinate for 15 minutes.

Add 4 cups water 1 tbsp sesame oil to a large wok or Dutch oven and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Add bok choy and reduce heat to a simmer. Cook for 1-2 minutes, until bok choy is still crisp, but tender. Transfer to a platter and toss with hoisin sauce. Keep warm.

Wipe out the wok and heat peanut oil over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms and tofu mixture and stir-fry for about 5 minutes, until the mushrooms are tender. 

Serve stir-fry with bok choy over steamed rice. 

Spicy Korean-Style Chicken with Mushrooms

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Who needs their spicy Korean food fix this weekend? This Korean-style chicken with mushrooms will satiate your need for deep red chilis, no matter your comfort level with spicy food! 

This is because you can adjust the gochujang paste up or down from what I recommend below. I’d say 4 tablespoons would produce a dish that’s medium-spicy, but you could use 2-3 tablespoons for a milder dish. I personally used 6 tablespoons of gochujang and probably 15 birdseye chilis and loved every bite. If you know me as well as you think you do, my spicy additions shouldn’t be a surprise, because you know I’m obsessed with hot peppers!

If you’re shy to spice, feel free to challenge your palate turn your heat levels up just a notch! It’ll be good for you! Capsaicin increases your body temperature just enough to boost your metabolism slightly and help you burn more calories. Over time and with consistency, a spicy habit could mean good things for your waistline.

Other notes about the recipe: feel free to substitute green garlic with 4 thinly sliced garlic cloves and 4 thinly sliced scallions. I chose green garlic because it’s in season and it’s soooo delicious, but if you have to substitute, this dish will be just as delicious! 

Spicy Korean-Style Chicken with Mushrooms 

Time: 45 Minutes
Serves 4

Ingredients
2 lbs skinless, boneless chicken thighs, cut into 1-inch pieces
4-6 tbsp gochujang chili paste (to taste)
4 tbsp sesame oil, divided
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp light brown sugar
4 green garlic bulbs and stems, white and pale green parts only, thinly sliced
1 tbsp chopped fresh ginger
2 tbsp toasted sesame seeds
12 oz crimini mushrooms, trimmed and thinly sliced
10 dried birdseye chilis, stemmed (optional)
1 small bunch chives, chopped
Steamed rice, to serve
Kimchi, to serve (optional)

Directions
In a large mixing bowl, add chicken, gochujang, 2 tbsp sesame oil, soy sauce, light brown sugar, green garlic, ginger, and sesame seeds. Marinate for 20 minutes and up to 2 hours.

Meanwhile, heat 2 tbsp sesame oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms and season with salt and pepper. Sauté for 10-15 minutes until browned and tender. Add chicken with marinade, 1/2 cup water, and birdseye chilis. Reduce heat to a low simmer, and cook, stirring occasionally, for 20-25 minutes until chicken is cooked through. 

Serve over steamed rice with kimchi on the side. Garnish chicken with chives and serve immediately.
 

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If you liked this recipe, check out my recipes for Pork Belly Stir-Fry with Snow Peas and Mixed Mushrooms, Wild Rice Bowl with Mushrooms, Bok Choy & Soft-Boiled Eggs, and Thai Stir-Fried Noodles with Kale and Chicken: Pad See Ew

Seitan and Bok Choy Stir-Fry over Wild Rice

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Wheat meat, it’s what’s for dinner! I decided to work with seitan again, but this time in a bok choy stir fry and a twist on the recipe: adding soy sauce and minced garlic and ginger to the dough. It’s such an amazing meat substitute and really so incredible that vital wheat gluten and water can combine to form the likeness of your favorite style of meat. Not only is it economical, but your meat palate is pleased with that one vegan meal (or more) that we all should be eating a week for our health and to let the environment have a night off from meat production!

If you’re not sure what seitan is, have no fear. I didn’t even know what it was before a suggestion of a friend after I started my Instagram account last May. You can buy it at your local natural market, or you can easily make it on your own. All you do is mix a little vital wheat gluten with water and knead it into a dough for a few minutes. Then you pop it in some broth and cook it for about 45 minutes. Easy, right? The stir-fry recipe that follows is so simple that you can make it in your sleep, so definitely check this one out!

Seitan and Bok Choy Stir-Fry over Wild Rice

Time: 1 Hour
Serves 4

Seitan
2 cups vital wheat gluten
1 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp minced ginger
4 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce, divided
1 1/4 cups water
4 cups vegetable broth
4 slices of ginger

Wild Rice
4 cups vegetable broth
1.5 cups wild rice

Stir-Fry
1 tbsp olive oil
Freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup water
4 heads baby bok choy, trimmed
1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
2 tbsp rice vinegar
1 tbsp ginger, minced
2 tbsp light brown sugar

Directions
In a large mixing bowl, combine vital wheat gluten, garlic, and ginger. Stir in 1 tbsp soy sauce and 1 1/4 cups water to combine. Knead dough for about 5 minutes, until the dough is firm. Let dough rest for 5 minutes and cut into 4 even pieces.

In a large skillet or Dutch oven, add vegetable broth, 3 tbsp soy sauce, and ginger slices and bring to a simmer. Add seitan pieces and reduce heat to low for 25 minutes. Flip pieces over, cover, and continue cooking for another 20 minutes, adding more water if needed. Remove from broth and let cool. Thinly slice seitan and set aside.

While seitan cooks, prepare wild rice by bringing broth to a boil. Add rice and reduce heat to a simmer. Cover and simmer for 40-45 minutes, until some of the grains have burst open. Drain off any remaining liquid, fluff with a fork, and set aside. Keep warm.

In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add seitan and season with pepper. Cook, stirring, until lightly browned. Set seitan aside. 

To the same skillet, add 1/4 cup water and bok choy. Bring to a simmer and cover for 2-3 minutes, until bok choy is tender. Stir in seitan, soy sauce, rice vinegar, ginger, and light brown sugar, and cook for 1-2 minutes, until combined. Serve immediately over wild rice. 

Thai Stir-Fried Noodles with Kale and Chicken: Pad See Ew

Sometimes your noodles fall apart and the dish is still tasty. This is a great example of that! I was sooo excited that the grocery store started carrying "fresh" flat rice noodles that I purchased them the first time I saw them on the shelf. But, it turned out that these noodles weren't as fresh as what I was used to purchasing at an amazing Asian market in downtown San Jose. Darn it! 

Adrian and I learned in the past that even storing the fresh noodles in the refrigerator for longer than a week would cause them to disintegrate, so I'm assuming that's what happened at the store. So if you're going to make these, you might want to check the shipment date with your marketplace to ensure freshness. I'm not too disappointed though, it's really just a different texture and the seasonings brings immense joy to my palate!

We usually make this dish with Chinese broccoli, but we have so much kale growing that it was a fun experiment. If you have access to Chinese broccoli, definitely go ahead and use it over kale. But even though it's not authentic, I'm loving the kale flavor. I'm pretty sure this dish works well with any related green from the brassica family.

Note/Reminder: Light soy sauce is not low-sodium soy sauce! Check out this article on Serious Eats for more.

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Thai Stir-Fried Noodles with Kale and Chicken: Pad See Ew

Adapted from Thai Table
Time: 25 Minutes
Serves 4

Ingredients
2 tbsp peanut oil
6 cloves garlic
1/2 cup thinly sliced chicken thigh or breast
1 lb fresh flat rice noodles, 3/4-inch thick
2 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tbsp dark soy sauce
1 tbsp light brown sugar
1 large egg
1 lb kale or Chinese broccoli (Gai Lan), cut into two-inch long pieces; large stems halved
1 tsp ground white pepper

Condiments
Light brown sugar
Fish sauce
Ground chili pepper
Light brown sugar
White vinegar
Ground white pepper

Directions
Heat a wok to high heat and then add oil. Drop in the chopped garlic and stir until fragrant, about 20 seconds. Add in the sliced chicken and stir until light brown. Add rice noodles, stirring carefully to break up the noodles. Then stir in light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, and sugar. Stir to mix the seasonings into the noodles and chicken. 

Open a spot in the middle of the pan, and drop the egg in. Scramble the egg until it is almost all cooked. Fold in the noodles into the egg until combined.

Add the kale stems and stir for a couple minutes. Then add kale pieces, a couple handfuls at a time, and carefully fold them in. Once the kale is tender, turn off heat and mix in white pepper. Serve on plates with condiments of your choice!

Pork Belly Stir-Fry with Snow Peas and Mixed Mushrooms

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Seeing this recipe, you might ask, is pork belly stir-fry a healthy option? It depends! As a dietitian, I know that it’s totally fine to indulge on occasion. While I wouldn’t recommend eating large portions of this delicious meal below every day, I will say that it can be a part of a healthy diet, especially because it’s packed with so many vegetables. So while I’ll try to keep other meals I eat this week on the lower sodium side, I will allow this on my plate.

Overall, I think that it’s important to allow yourself to eat the foods you enjoy on occasion as long as you keep moderation in mind, and try to be creative by incorporating healthy ingredients as much as possible. That way you can stick to your plan to meet your health goals, but not become discouraged on your journey to getting there!

Pork Belly Stir-Fry with Snow Peas and Mixed Mushrooms

Adapted from Bon Appetit Test Kitchen
Time: 30 Minutes
Serves 4

Ingredients
1 lb pork belly, cut into 2-inch-long by ¼-inch-thich slices
1 tbsp sesame oil
1 tbsp ginger, minced
16 oz mixed Asian mushrooms, such as oyster, enoki, shiitake
8 oz snow peas, trimmed
1 bunch green onions, sliced, divided
12 birdseye chilis (optional)
1 cup fresh cilantro leaves, roughly chopped, divided
3-5 tbsp hoisin sauce (to taste)
2 tbsp chili-garlic sauce
¼ tsp Chinese five-spice powder
Steamed rice, to serve

Directions
Sprinkle pork belly with salt and pepper. Heat a large wok or non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add ginger and mushrooms; stir-fry until mushrooms are tender, about 3 minutes. Add pork belly to skillet; stir fry for 1-2 minutes, until pork has browned, but is not cooked through. Add snow peas, half of the green onions, birdseye chilis (if using), and half of the cilantro; stir-fry for one minute. Stir in hoisin, chili-garlic sauce, and five-spice powder. Sauté until peas are crisp-tender, 1-2 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer to plates with steamed rice and sprinkle with remaining green onions and cilantro.