Quick and easy Chinese recipe for busy people!

James Ling

jamesling@fastmail.com.au

http://www.healthychinesefood.com

With our busy lifestyles, it's very easy to become
disenchanted with the prospect of having to prepare the evening
meal for yourself or your family, night after night. The
challenge is often more about what to cook, rather than the act
of cooking itself. Of course, after a busy day at work (or at
home), cooking a complicated meal is the last thing we feel
like doing.

Many of us love chinese food, but may not realise that it is
entirely feasible to prepare quick and simple healthy chinese
food at home using fresh and readily available ingredients.
Often, chinese food is presented as being rather complicated,
fussy and exotic; not the kind of food we might prepare at home
after a busy day. In fact, this is far from the truth, as there
are many recipes for healthy chinese food that are quick,
simple and easy to prepare.

The tremendous diversity of ingredients and cooking methods
means that it is also possible to cook meals that are delicious
and nutritious, as well as being quick and simple. Chinese food
can engender a feeling of health, vitality and wellbeing if
prepared correctly.

The following is an example of a dish that is delicious
comforting and easy to prepare and cook:

Lions head meatballs

Serves 4

Ingredients:

750 g / 26 oz minced pork
1 chopped red onion
4 chopped garlic cloves
1 tbsp chopped ginger
1 can water chestnuts chopped
2 tbsps mushroom soy sauce
2 teaspoons sesame oil
4 cups chicken stock
Flour to bind pork balls
Peanut or vegetable oil to cook
4 whole bok choy

Directions:

Combine the pork, onion, garlic, ginger and chopped water
chestnuts together in a mixing bowl. Add the soy and sesame oil
and mix.

Make into small balls about the size of a golf ball. Roll in a
little flour to hold the meat balls together.

Stir fry the balls in a wok with a little peanut or vegetable
oil until brown (not completely cooked).

Heat the chicken stock in a separate saucepan and bring to a
simmer. Add browned pork balls to the stock and simmer on low
for 1 hour (or until the pork is cooked). Add washed and cut
bok choy after 30 minutes.

Serve with steamed rice with some light soy and sesame oil to
season.

This dish is the perfect comfort food, especially for a cooler
day. Preparing the pork mixture into balls is very easy using
your hands or two spoons. It needen't cook for an hour if you
don't have enough time, just as long as the pork is cooked
through. The stock will develop with a rich and intense
flavour, and the dish is ideal served on top of steamed rice.

For those of you who are gluten intolerant, use riceflour
instead of normal flour, and a gluten free soy sauce, such as
the wheat free Tamari soy products from San-J, and Eden brands
(and others).

Healthy chinese food offers flavour, colour, aroma, texture and
variety, and if the right recipes are used, is quick, simple
and easy to cook at home.

Try some more of our recipes and learn more about healthy chinese
food at www.healthychinesefood.com.

© James Ling 2005

www.healthychinesefood.com

Recipes, tips and info for quick and simple, easy and delicious

healthy chinese food for busy people.