My Recipe

Rice Vermicelli (Bun) with Grilled Chicken

Ingredients:

8 oz boneless skinless chicken thigh or breast
8 oz dried rice vermicelli (江西米粉)
1 to 1½ oz fresh or pickled carrot (shredded)
2 to 3 oz cucumber (shredded)
1½ oz lettuce (shredded)
3 oz beansprout
3 Tbsp chopped peanut
to taste cilantro (chopped)
2 tsp red chili pepper (finely minced) optional

Chicken Marinade:

1/3 tsp sugar
3 tsp salt
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper powder
2 tsp lemongrass (finely minced)
2 tsp shallot (finely minced)
1 tsp garlic (finely minced)
1 tsp oil

Sweet and Sour Dressing:

2 Tbsp lime juice
4 Tbsp water
2½ Tbsp sugar
2 Tbsp fish Sauce
1 tsp red chili (finely minced)

Method:

1. Cut chicken into 1/4″ thick, 2″ long slices. Add marinade and mix well. Set aside for about 1 hour.
2. Remove tips from beansprout (optional). Rinse and drain. Blanch in boiling water for about 1 minute, if desired. Drain and arrange in the bottom of 2 large noodle bowls.
3. Mix dressing by dissolving sugar in hot water. Add lime juice, fish sauce and chili. Mix well and set aside.
4. Bring 12 cups of water to a boil in a wok or large Dutch oven. Add rice vermicelli and bring to a boil. Turn off heat. Cover wok and stand rice vermicelli in water for about 13 minutes or according to package instructions. Remove and rinse under running cold tap water until completely cooled. Drain well. Arrange on top of beansprout in noodle bowls.
5. Cook chicken in a non-stick skillet or saute pan with about 1 tsp oil until both sides are golden and with some burnt touches (or simply by grilling it).
6. To assemble: Arrange carrot, cucumber, lettuce and cooked chicken evenly over rice vermicelli. Spoon over about 3 Tbsp dressing. Then top with peanut, cilantro, and chili (if using). Mix well and enjoy as a light and refreshing meal.

Makes 2 servings.

Note:

Dried Rice Vermicelli should be the straight, loose type size like spaghetti but shorter. Taste for tenderness if using other brand than the one suggested.

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Nutrition value per serving:

Calorie 727, Fat 13.1 g, Carbohydrate 110 g, Fibre 2 g, Sugar 14 g, Cholesterol 73 mg, Sodium 1,373 mg, Protein 45 g.

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See my related posts:

• Chicken Breast vs Chicken Thigh in Nutrition Value
• Dried Rice Vermicelli (江西米粉)
• Fish Sauce
• Other cooking class ingredients

What’s for Lunch?

Chinese Dim Sum Lunch

Savoury Dim Sum

Sweet Dim Sum

Vegetable Oil Is Good for You, Researcher Says

A typical American consumes approximately 3 or more tablespoons of vegetable oil each day. Vegetable oils, like those from soy, corn and canola, are a significant source of calories and are rich in linoleic acid (LA), which is an essential nutrient. Since the 1970s, researchers have known that LA helps reduce blood cholesterol levels, and for decades, scientists have known that consuming LA can help lower the risk of heart disease. However, some experts have been claiming recently that Americans might be getting too much of a good thing. A new study from the University of Missouri contradicts that claim.

In the study, “Effect of Dietary Linoleic Acid on Markers of Inflammation in Healthy Persons: A Systematic Review of Randomized Controlled Trials,” researchers at the University of Missouri and the University of Illinois found that no link exists between vegetable oil consumption and circulating indicators of inflammation that are often associated with diseases such as heart disease, cancer, asthma and arthritis. While earlier animal studies have shown that a diet rich in LA can promote inflammation, MU animal sciences researcher Kevin Fritsche says that humans respond to LA differently.

“In the field of nutrition and health, animals aren’t people,” said Fritsche, an MU professor of animal science and nutrition in the Division of Animal Sciences. “We’re not saying that you should just go out and consume vegetable oil freely. However, our evidence does suggest that you can achieve a heart-healthy diet by using soybean, canola, corn and sunflower oils instead of animal-based fats when cooking.”

Linoleic acid is an omega-6 fatty acid that is a major component of most vegetable oils. This fatty acid is an essential nutrient and comprising 50 percent or more of most vegetable oils.

Fritsche, along with Guy Johnson, an adjunct professor of food and human nutrition at the University of Illinois, conducted one of the most thorough studies on LA questioning whether this fatty acid promotes inflammation in humans. When the evidence from numerous clinical trials was gathered and examined, Fritsche said it was clear that LA consumption did not promote inflammation in healthy people.

“Some previous studies have shown that inflammation, which is an immune response in the body, can occur when certain fats are consumed,” Fritsche said. “We’ve come to realize that this inflammation, which can occur anywhere in the body, can cause or promote chronic diseases. We know that animal fats can encourage inflammation, but in this study, we’ve been able to rule out vegetable oil as a cause.”

Fritsche and Johnson reviewed 15 clinical trials that studied nearly 500 adults as they consumed various forms of fats, including vegetable oils. The researchers could find no evidence that a diet high in linoleic acid had any links to inflammation in the body. Due to this discovery, the researchers say that it is important to continue following the current recommendations from the Institute of Medicine and the American Heart Association to use vegetable oil when cooking and consume between two and four tablespoons of vegetable oil daily to reach the necessary amount of linoleic acid needed for a heart-healthy diet.

“Consumers are regularly bombarded with warnings about what foods they should avoid,” Fritsche said. “While limiting the overall fat intake is also part of the current nutrition recommendations, we hope people will feel comfortable cooking with vegetable oils.”

The study was published in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.

Source: University of Missouri

Braised Duck French-style

Ingredients

1/2 dressed duck
25 g flour
1 tsp minced garlic
1 carrot, cut into slices
1 onion, cut into slices
100 g fresh button mushroom, each cut in half
1 can tomato soup
1 cup water
2 tbsp oil
salt and pepper

Method

1. Rinse duck and chop into pieces.
2. Season duck with salt and pepper. Coat with flour.
3. Heat 2 tbsp oil in a pot, fry the duck until golden brown.
4. Add garlic, carrot, onion and mushroom. Cook 1 to 2 minutes.
5. Dilute tomato soup with water. Add to duck and vegetables. Bring to a boil. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes. Remove and serve hot.

Source: Hong Kong magazine

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