Where East Meets West

Our recent San Antonio RV Park Spring Fling BBQ Potluck gave me a stockpile of wonderful recipes to try and test.  My personal favorite is perfect for RV living and traveling because it's so easy and the ingredients are always in my cupboards.  The Napa cabbage is the only ingredient I needed to buy.  Although I love soy sauce and make it a staple even in the RV, ya'll may need to think about getting some for this recipe because it's a must for the dressing but I think you could successfully substitute teryaki sauce if you have it by chance.  


Our thanks go out to Jeanette Z for this addition, Oriental Napa Cabbage Salad, to our potluck.  A true case of eastern cuisine meeting South Texas western BBQ fare.

Ingredients

   Salad:
2 pkg Ramen Noodles (reserve seasoning packet for future use)
1 c. sliced almonds (my preference) or slivered 
1 stick butter or margarine
1 head Napa cabbage
1 bunch green onions

   Dressing:
1/4 c vinegar
1/2 c sugar
3/4 c salad oil
2 Tbsp soy sauce

Directions

1.  Chop cabbage, not too fine but in easy bitesize pieces.  Chop onions.  Set aside
2.  Melt butter; add raw Ramen noodles and almonds, saute until light brown but watch closely as they tend to burn easily.
3.  Put dressing ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil and boil 1 minute only.

Store all three steps in separate containers till ready to serve them combine them.

Note:  Do not refrigerate the dressing as it will crystallize.

This was so crispy and delicious.  Jeanette didn't include this in her ingredients but I distinctly tasted dried cranberries and it was a perfect addition both for the color and the texture of the salad.  Needless to say there was very little left. 

Let us know how you like it and any variations you made.

One from Column B

Special Fried Rice

I haven't heard that phrase, "One from Column B" for years but Chinese restaurants used to have a menu with 2 or 3 columns of menu items and you would be able to order "one from column A and two from column B."  The B column was usually the veggie dishes.  

Fried rice is an easy, versatile, and quick vegetarian recipe. In fact, the hardest part is remembering to make the rice at least several hours beforehand, so that it has time to chill. It's a great way to use leftover rice, the drier the better.  That way the soy sauce flavors the rice but doesn't "soak" into it.  If you expect meat eating guests you can serve chicken, pork or shrimp bits on the side for them to add. 

Yield	4 servings
Time	20 minutes
Tools	Saucepan Slotted spoon Wok or large frying pan (nonstick) Wooden spoon Bowl or plate
Ingredients	1½ c vegetable stock ½ c diced vegetables (such as broccoli, carrots, green beans, peas, squash, and/or Swiss chard leaves* or any of your favorites, water chestnuts and bamboo shoots are an unusual but easy addition since they're canned) 3 T peanut or vegetable oil 2 eggs, lightly beaten 3 scallions, thinly sliced 4 c cooked, cold long-grain or jasmine rice ½ t salt 2+ T Soy Sauce (watch the salt if you go heavy on the soy sauce.) black pepper
Directions	Bring the stock to a boil over medium-high heat. Add vegetables and blanch for two minutes. Drain and reserve stock for another recipe.* *If you use chard, there are a few changes: blanch for only 1 minute or when wilted and be sure to squeeze out liquid before using. Heat 1 T oil in wok over high heat. Add the eggs and mix around. When lightly set, break into pieces, then transfer to a bowl or plate. Add remaining oil to wok, then add blanched vegetables and most of the scallions. Stir constantly for one minute, then add rice and soy sauce. Continue stirring, and use the spoon to break up any clumps of rice and mix in soy sauce evenly. When the rice is hot, add eggs, salt, and pepper, stir, transfer to bowl or platter, sprinkle with remaining scallions, and serve.
Notes	You can use brown or white rice, or a mixture - the key is for the rice to be cold.

Asian Style Grilled Ribs

This tasted great at our National Get Outdoors Day BBQ on June 11th.  It was one of the many meats we slapped on the Hidden Valley grill for our generous guests who provided all the meats and were treated to loads of fixin's and sweets and of course some soft AND adult beverage. Guaranteed to be just as good on YOUR grill. 6 Servings 5 pounds beef back ribs 1/4 cup finely chopped jalapeño peppers 2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger 1/2 cup catsup 1/3 cup Dijon-style mustard 1/3 cup hoisin sauce (available in most grocers where you find the soy sauce) 2 tablespoons water 2 tablespoons packed brown sugar Garnish: Chopped fresh cilantro In small bowl, place jalapeño, ginger, catsup, mustard, hoisin sauce and water; whisk until blended. Reserve 1/2 cup marinade for basting and add brown sugar to it. Place ribs in large resealable plastic bag; add marinade and turn to coat. Close bag securely; marinate ribs in refrigerator 1 to 4 hours, turning occasionally. Remove ribs from marinade and discard the used marinade. Prepare charcoal grill for INDIRECT cooking by igniting an equal number of charcoal briquettes on each side of fire grate, leaving open space in the center. When coals are MEDIUM, ash-covered (25 to 30 minutes), add 3 to 4 new briquettes to each side. Place ribs, meat side up, in large (16x11x2-inch) foil roasting pan; cover tightly with aluminum foil. Place foil pan on cooking grid; cover with grill lid and grill over MEDIUM heat 1 to 1 1/2 hours or until ribs are fork-tender. Carefully remove roasting pan from grill; remove ribs from pan and place, meat side up, on grill rack. Baste ribs with reserved marinade and grill, covered, 10 to 15 minutes, turning and basting occasionally. Sprinkle with chopped cilantro and serve with Asian greens, rice pilaf and vegetables.  Note:  Also tastes great with pork ribs.