Cooking is a delightful way of sharing cultures and getting to know your international student, what better way to make your student feel at home than a home-cooked meal. Invite your student to join you on a shopping trip to your local Asian Market. You’ll learn about your student’s food preferences while walking through the market shopping for ingredients. In this edition of the Cooking Corner, we’ll introduce you to some simple and easy dishes to make with your student.
Asian Cabbage Salad
Ingredients:
- 2 pieces of Chicken breasts, cubed
- ¼ tsp Garlic
- 4 cups Red cabbage, shredded
- ¼ cup Green onions, chopped fine
- 1 pkg Ramen noodles and seasoning packet
- 1 cup Almonds, slivered
- 1 tbsp Sesame seeds
- 1/3 cup Salad oil
- 3 tbsp Rice vinegar
- 2 tbsp Sugar
- ¼ tsp Salt
- ¼ tsp Ground pepper
Directions:
- Saute garlic in olive oil. Add cubed chicken. Cook for about 10 minutes or until browned.
- Toast Ramen noodles on a baking sheet for 3-4 minutes at 350˚F. Add almonds and sesame seeds and toast for another 8 minutes or until golden brown.
- In a jar, mix salad oil, vinegar, sugar, salt, pepper, and Ramen seasoning packet. Shake well.
- Combine everything just before serving, so the salad will be crunchy.
Shanghai-style Cold Noodles
Ingredients:
- 1 lb. thin dry wheat noodles
- ⅓ cup bean sprouts
- ¼ cup chives, cut into 3-inch pieces
- ⅓ cup cucumber, sliced
- 1 tablespoon garlic, minced
- ½ tablespoon white pepper
- 2 tablespoons light soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon black vinegar
- 1 teaspoon black pepper (optional)
- 1 teaspoon chili oil (optional)
- 1 teaspoon white sesame seeds
- 1 tablespoon roasted peanuts, crushed
- All-purpose peanut sauce – made with peanut butter, light soy sauce, sesame oil, sugar, and hot water. Recipe here
Directions:
Prepare the noodles, in a pot bring 5 cups of water to a boil. Add dried wheat noodles to the pot and cook the noodles for a few minutes following the package suggestion, stirring occasionally so that the noodles don’t stick to each other. Transfer to a colander and rinse with the cold water for about 30 seconds. Drain the noodles and add into a large mixing bowl, splash a small amount of sesame oil to prevent the noodles stick together
Blanch or sauté the bean sprouts for about 1 minute. Transfer them into the large bowl of noodles.
Add in cucumber, garlic, white pepper, soy sauce, black vinegar, pepper (optional), and chili oil (optional). Stir well to coat the noodles evenly.
In a separate small bowl, mix well until it becomes a smooth and creamy consistency. Add the peanut butter sauce to the large bowl. Stir well to coat the noodles with peanut sauce.
Transfer noodles to a plate, sprinkle white sesame seeds and crushed peanuts, and chopped green onions on top, and serve.
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