Takeout with the Tos #15

Officially, this is the second takeout post for this summer. We've survived our jet lag and are back on a normal schedule. I'm excited to bring some new dishes this week from our takeout menu.  If you're new joining in, don't forget to check out the first post which explains where this series came from. We're not actually order takeout....

1. Pressed Tofu, Snow Pea, Fried Dace Stir-Fry: $21.99

2. Chinese Broccoli: $16.99

3. Pork with Garlic Sauce: $20.99

4. Pan Fried Pork: $9.99

5. Beef Noodle Soup (calculated from 6+ adult-sized portions): $59.99

Take Out Total: $129.95

Tax: $10.72

Grand Total: $140.67

1. Pressed Tofu, Snow Pea, Fried Dace Stir-Fry

I was inspired to cook with fried dace because Woks of Life posted a recipe earlier this year. I always thought I grew up eating sardines. This statement is true. However, we also grew up eating this canned fish and black beans. I incorrectly associated this fish as sardines as well. Now, I know what it was. It's deliciously salty straight from the can. I'd eat it with plain rice if I could, but being a reasonable and healthy person, I can't let myself do that. I haven't read the nutrition on the can. I probably won't to save myself some sanity because I want to keep eating it. 

I didn't use their recipe but I wanted to try stir-frying this canned fish and black beans. I decided to mix tofu and snow peas instead. I've done stir fry with these two ingredients before, but it was my first time adding this fried fish and black beans to the mix. I was cautious not to over-season the dish because I knew the fish was salty. At the end of cooking I tasted one tofu and one snow pea. They still needed a little more umami in my opinion so I did add some sugar and salt to bring out the flavor. I think it was a very successful dish. 

2. Chinese Broccoli (bottom left) 

It was nice to cook my own vegetables again. We didn't order a lot of side dishes which is where the majority of vegetables come from overseas. It would have been too much food so whatever vegetables came inside the dishes we ate were what we got for two weeks. This was nice. I boil them quickly in salted water and then pull them out. I include the stems but peel the outside off to make it more tender. 

3. Pork with Garlic Sauce 鱼香肉丝 (top right) 

I've always loved this dish at the restaurants. It's saucy with this mix of savory and sour. I've made it many times before, but it has never been the same or even close to what I've tasted in restaurants. In my recipe binder, I had two different recipes. There was one I ended up throwing out because every time I made it, I didn't like it. I printed it five years ago and I've never enjoyed the result. This time, I followed the recipe from Woks of Life.  I will say my ingredient proportions are probably double their recipe which is why I personally doubled the sauce portion of the recipe. Mine never looks like their photo on the recipe because somehow I always end up short on the sauce. One of these days...I'll try to get it right.

Honestly, I haven't tasted it yet because since I've made this dish, we've been eating other things or leftovers from the previous week. So, ironically, I can't tell you if this version of the recipe is any more authentic in my opinion. You'll have to ask me personally about this one. It looks nice from the photo? I liked the smell of it when I finished cooking....

4. Pan Fried Pork

This turned out amazing. I wish I had more actually. The irony is I can't even actually tell you how I made it. I thawed a frozen pack of 18 oz of pork. Half of it I used in the previous recipe above. The other half I cut into boneless chops and marinaded before throwing it on a nonstick and pan-frying. I added a mixture of corn starch, rice wine, soy sauce, and sugar. It sat in the bowl for about a half hour on the counter and then I threw it in the pan. 

It's really delicious. I will need to attempt to recreate this another time. I wish I had more descriptive instructions to share with you but I really don't. This was one of those cooking improvisations which resulted in very tasty food. 

5. Beef Noodle Soup

We came back from Taiwan and were missing the food there. On one of my grocery trips, I saw stew beef on sale and decided to buy a pack with the intention of making beef noodle soup. It's not the most ideal cut of beef but it was quick and easy. (In all honesty, it was too lean. You need a fattier cut of beef for this to be at its richest flavor.) I did an overnight broth in the Instant Pot. My recipe inspiration was from Woks of Life again. I don't actually have all the ingredients so I didn't follow it to a tee, but what I made wasn't half bad. 

The next day, I threw in the beef and the carrots and slow cooked everything in the broth on low for about 6 hours. We boiled some noodles on the stove and the dish came together pretty easily. The amount of soup I made ended up lasting 6+ adult-sized portions of soup.  

The original batch I made did not include the quintessential bok choy. We used boiled carrots instead. I'm a little surprised I've never tried to make this before in the past. It's such a warming meal, perfect for a cold winter night. 

I'm surprising myself right now with what I'm cooking. Hoping to include some new recipes soon. Will need to brainstorm with my family what everyone wants to eat/try this summer.