; Supermarket Serenade: Yummy Yummy Chinese Food

Wednesday, April 23, 2008

Yummy Yummy Chinese Food

I have always wondered how Chinese restaurants come up with their names. Some seem to just use the "Chinese-iest" name they can think of, you know to lure you in with authenticity: like Chang Jiang or Ming Bao. Others just seem to use Chinese things like Jade or Green Tea or The Great Wall. But by far the best Chinese restaurant name I've ever seen has to be "Yummy Yummy Chinese Restaurant".

Go ahead, Google it.
You won't believe how many restaurants come up that have that name. I have to ask my brother who speaks Chinese if that is code for something in Chinese or if it's just the restaurant owner's way to convince you that yes, the food is in fact yummy, yummy. I think I would equate it to a laugh track on a TV sitcom...am I so stupid I don't know when to laugh or is the show so not funny, but they're trying to convince me that all these other people are laughing so I should be too.


Well they can call it Yummy, Yummy, Delicious, Delicious or anything they want and I will still probably never be a big fan of Chinese food. That being said though, my husband is a big fan. He is always trying to convince me to cook Chinese food. So every once in awhile I crack out the bottle of "Yummy, Yummy" soy sauce and see what I can come up with.


At Target Greatland the other day I found this really cute packaged Chinese food that is put out by Chef Ming Tsai under his Blue Ginger line. I'll be honest, it was the cute boxes that caught my eye. I bought the Sesame Almond Noodles. They are shelf stable, microwavable Asian entrees and appetizers that have been around for a couple of years, but I seemed to have just noticed them.






The noodles could not have been easier, just pop in the microwave for a minute or so and you are set. I made an Asian Mango Chicken "Stir Fry" to go with it (I had a bit of leftover chicken from my French Chef Chicken and Potatoes). My husband thought that both the noodles and the chicken were indeed Yummy, Yummy.



Asian Mango Chicken “Stir-Fry”

1 Tablespoon Canola Oil
1 shallot, minced
1 jalapeno pepper, seeds removed, minced
1 cup diced mango
1 cup diced cooked chicken
1/4 cup red pepper seasoned rice wine vinegar
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 tablespoons lime juice
2 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh cilantro
2 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh basil
Pinch red pepper flakes
Salt to taste

Heat the oil in a medium sized skillet over medium high heat. Add the shallot and jalapeno and cook, stirring, until tender.

Stir in the mango, chicken, rice wine vinegar, brown sugar, soy sauce and lime juice; cook until almost all of the liquid is absorbed. Stir in the cilantro, basil, red pepper flakes. Add salt or additional soy sauce to taste.



Yield: 2 servings

5 comments:

Tracy said...

My husband and I are the opposite -- I think Chinese is yummy, yummy but not him.

The stir fry looks great. Glad to see Ming Tsai's noodles are good because I like him. I have one of his cookbooks but haven't made anything from it yet! Mostly because my husband doesn't think Chinese is yummy, yummy.

Jenny said...

This looks so yummy! Especially that last picture with the steam, really beautiful! I'll have to check out that product, we love Chinese around here.

Veronica said...

Tracy,
I think white rice is yummy, yummy but that's about it for Chinese food for me-I do like Japanese though.

Jenny,
Thanks-I'm trying with the pictures...I hope to take pictures as lovely as yours one day! Practice makes perfect, I hope.

Jen said...

Luckily my whole family loves Chinese food - alas it does not come with delivery in our area.
This would definitely be a viable option.

Cool site!

Veronica said...

Hi Jen,
We don't have delivery around here either I'm happy ;) to say!