I didn’t learn to eat with chopsticks until 10th grade. I ate plenty of Asian food before then, but it was usually takeout eaten at home with forks and spoons. If I did use the chopsticks, it was to poke a dumpling from the side and cautiously try to dip it into duck sauce without it falling off.

But then, in 10th grade, a magical thing happened: A Panda Express opened up in the Comm. Ave cafeteria where I ate lunch. I could have Panda Express Every. Day. Let’s ignore how unhealthy that must have been for me—their orange chicken was sensational. It was great enough to motivate me to learn to use chopsticks. 

This is one skill I hold dear to my heart. While I don’t always post it, I love working with Asian ingredients to make flavorful, often unphotogenic meals. You can’t go wrong if you keep adding soy sauce, vinegar, and honey with a little spice. My favorite dish is Pad Thai, but like orange chicken, the original is probably not something you should eat every day. But now you can.

This recipe uses vegetables in place of the noodles to cut down on refined grains and carbs and boost the vegetable servings. Trust me when I say you won’t miss them. The sauce has an extra protein punch from peanut flour, which is higher in protein and lower in fat than peanut butter, which also works well in this recipe in a pinch. I use eggs which are my favorite protein to make this a filling meal but you can swap in cubed tofu to make this a vegan dish. The result is filling and just as delicious as the original. If you don’t know how to use chopsticks yet, let this be a reason to learn.

Protein-Packed Mock Thai

Ingredients(Makes 2 small portions or 1 large):

• 1 zucchini, peeled into shreds
• 1 carrot, peeled into shreds
• 1/2 cup bean sprouts
• 3 eggs
• 1/4 cup partially defatted peanut flour*
• 2 Tablespoons tamarind paste**
• 1/2 Tablespoon sesame oil
• 2 teaspoons soy sauce(or wheat-free tamari)
• 1/2 Tablespoon rice vinegar
• 1/4 teaspoon chili powder
• ~2 Tablespoons water to thin

*If unavailable, swap for 2 tablespoons peanut butter and omit the water.

**This is the signature flavor of Pad Thai. The best substitute is brown sugar, though the flavor won’t be as complex.

Heat a pan to medium and add in the zucchini and carrot noodles and bean sprouts. Sauté for a few minutes until cooked and softened.

Crack in the eggs and toss the vegetables with them. Continue sautéing until the eggs have completely cooked.

Turn off the heat, pour in the sauce, and toss it together with the noodles until completely mixed. Scoop into bowls for serving.

Garnish with salted peanuts and Thai basil leaves.

Dig in.

What’s your favorite dish to order at a Chinese/Japanese/Thai restaurant?

One of my parents’ favorite things to eat for dinner is chicken. It’s a nice, lean protein(because you know everyone’s always on a diet until the weekend) and it takes on flavors wonderfully. We like to keep things simple here, so a marinade is perfect; you just throw the chicken and sauce together in a bag in the morning and it’s ready to bake that night—no fuss!

This has a fun, savory flavor that’s not too abrasive but definitely not boring. It pairs perfectly with seasoned rice or steamed vegetables.

Hot Honey Asian Chicken Marinade

Ingredients:

• 1lb skinned and deboned chicken
• 3 tablespoons sesame oil
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
• 3 tablespoons water
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

In a large Ziploc bag, combine the sesame oil, soy sauce, honey, vinegar, water, salt, chili powder, and black pepper. Add in the chicken and shake it so that the liquid mixture covers everything. Put the chicken and marinade in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours to rest.

Preheat an oven to 350 degrees. Bake the chicken for 45 minutes in the sauce until it has cooked through.

I love it when a recipe has extra sauce so that you can pour it all over your sides and make it feel like a complete dish. This makes plenty of extra, so pour it on thick and dig in.

Let me tell you about my Veteran’s Day: I woke up at 7 to run; I went to Whole Foods before lunch which, if you think would be less crowded, you would be very very wrong; I was shocked at least twice with what’s been going on on Days Of Our Lives in my absence; and I cooked a lot. 2 out of 4 of the recipes I tried actually came out. I’m going to be happy because, if this were professional baseball, that’d be a good batting average. This was my lunch and my dinner. Why mess with a good thing? And this was really really good.

Beef Stir-Fry With Brown Sugar Glaze

Ingredients(Makes 2 servings):

• 1/2lb stir fry beef strips
• 2 tablespoons sesame oil + more to drizzle
• 3-4 tablespoons flour(or cornstarch)
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/2 tablespoon rice vinegar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• Leeks for garnish

Heat the sesame oil over a medium-high burner until it comes up to temperature. In the meantime, add the flour or cornstarch sparingly to the beef until coated. Set aside.

In a small bowl, add the brown sugar, soy sauce, vinegar, salt, chili powder, garlic powder, and water. Mix to dissolve the sugars.

Next, add the beef to the pan to cook. Keep stirring and tossing until all of the beef has browned.

Once the beef has browned on all sides, slowly pour in the cooking liquid. Continue to cook as the water evaporates off. Cook until the liquid forms a thick glaze that coats the beef.

Once the glaze has formed, remove the beef from the heat. Add a drizzle of sesame oil and toss to finish. Add leeks on top for an oniony flavor.

This was spicy and delicious. I needed this kitchen-win in my life to make me feel good, especially since dessert was 2(or maybe 3) very very flat cookies. Who would have thought the day would come where I could cook better than I bake? Oh well.

No complaining here.