The cookbook and dishes in this post were provided by Jet Tila and
Melissa’s Produce but the opinions expressed here are my own.
 |
| Photo credit: Ken Goodman |
Anyone who watches
anything food-related to Asian-inspired dishes knows this man, Chef Jet Tila.
His parents owned the famous Bangkok Market in Los Angeles, the first Thai
market in the U.S. This is where he worked when he was younger and delivered
ingredients to famed chefs in Los Angeles. This experience, formal culinary
school training, and mastery of ancient traditions from his Cantonese
grandmother, inspired him to go into the culinary world. Now, he’s a media
personality with a competitive spirit with appearances on Iron Chef America, Chopped, The Best Thing I Ever Ate, Cutthroat
Kitchen.
I met Jet back in 2014 at the Los
Angeles Food & Wine Festival. He is the most down-to-earth,
humble, and personable guy you’ll ever meet. Meeting him again in July was so exciting
as he has done so much in his career over the last 3 years. He is a big
inspiration to me as an Asian American foodie, food judge, and competitive home
cook.
I’d like to
give a big thank you to Melissa’s culinary team and Jet who prepared the
following dishes with the utmost care and expertise.
In the Rock The Wok:
Stir-Fry Mastery chapter, Kung Pao Shrimp, while very popular in the U.S.,
originated in southwest China. Jet makes a classic version but substitutes
cashews for the peanuts which add a nice crunch and flavor. The dish is quite
versatile so you can substitute the shrimp with meat, seafood, or tofu. The
shrimp are plump with a nice snap. The sauce is rich and full of flavor. All
you need is a bowl of rice and you’re set. Rating: 5/5
 |
| Photo credit: Ken Goodman |
Mongolian Beef is a Chinese-American dish. The secret to this dish
is the marinade which turns out tender pieces of beef. The beef is so tender
and the sauce has the perfect balance of flavors: salty sweet, sour, and spicy.
Another dish where a bowl of rice would be great to utilize all the sauce. You
won’t want to waste a drop! Check out the recipe below! Rating: 5/5
Mongolian
Beef
From 101 Asian
Dishes You Need to Cook Before You Die by Jet Tila, Page Street
Publishing Co. 2017
SERVES
4 TO 6
Beef
1½
lb (750 g) flank steak, trimmed
1
tsp baking soda
1
tsp salt
2
tbsp (16 g) cornstarch
2
tbsp (30 ml) water
2
tbsp (30 ml) vegetable oil
Sauce
1
tsp minced garlic
1
tsp minced ginger
3
tbsp (45 ml) oyster sauce
3
tbsp (45 ml) hoisin sauce
2
tbsp (30 ml) soy sauce
3
tsp (16 ml) white vinegar
½
tbsp (4 g) cornstarch
Stir-Fry
3
tbsp (45 ml) vegetable oil
3
cloves garlic, minced
4–6
dried chilies
½
red bell pepper, cut into large dice
½
green bell pepper, cut into large dice
½
medium onion, cut into large dice
2
green onions, sliced
Slice
the flank steak across the grain into ¾-inch (19 mm)-thick slices on an angle
to make planks then cut the planks into ¾-inch (19 mm) cubes. Place the steak
in a shallow bowl and add the baking soda, salt, cornstarch, water and
vegetable oil. Massage all the ingredients into the meat. Set it aside until
ready to use, or you can cover and refrigerate for a few days.
Combine
all sauce ingredients and set aside.
Heat
the oil to medium high in a wok or medium sauté pan, and sauté the garlic until
light brown. Stir in the beef and allow to cook undisturbed for about 30
seconds. Stir and scrape the pan and cook for another 30 seconds. Stir in all
the vegetables and let them cook for about 2 minutes, until the onion starts to
turn translucent.
Add
the sauce, stir constantly and let it cook for about 2 minutes, until the sauce
thickens.
Stir
in the sliced green onions and serve.
Szechuan-Style Green Beans uses a “twice cooking” technique. They
are blanched in hot oil, not quite deep-frying, and then stir-fried in a wok.
The technique removes the “rawness” of the green beans and jumpstarts the
cooking process. These are some of the best green beans I have ever had! The
green bean flavor is intact and amplified by the flavors of the sauce – sweet,
salty, zingy, and refreshing. Rating: 5/5
Buddha’s Delight – Vegetable Feast is perfect for the vegetarian
or if you are just craving veggies. It’s crammed full of veggies like bamboo
shoots, water chestnuts, bean sprouts, Napa cabbage, and snow peas. Tofu and
mushrooms adds that meaty, protein packed texture to the dish. Personally, I
would use this as a side dish to chicken or seafood. I need my meat! Rating:
4.5/5
In the Sushi, Salads And
Other Veggies chapter, Chinese Chicken Salad has become a California
favorite since the 1990s and is displayed on menus as an entrée salad all
across the country. Jet makes this dish easy to make at home. It has all the flavors
and textures you know and love about Chinese chicken salad from the crunchy
cabbage and wonton strips to the sweetness of the dressing and mandarin orange segments.
Rating: 5/5
You know I can’t end a review without dessert! In the Sweets: The Tastiest Way To End Any Meal
chapter, Cinnamon And Five-Spice Easy Donuts shows you a donut “hack”. Yes, you
can make a yeast donut from scratch, but if you don’t have time to wait for the
dough to rise, these donuts are amazing! This hack includes some Asian flare by
utilizing five-spice into the sugary outer goodness. It’s like pixie dust for Foodie
Neverland! Rating: 5/5
If you love Asian cuisine, you need to add 101 Asian Dishes You Need To Cook Before You Die to your foodie
bucket list!
For more information:
101
Asian Dishes You Need To Cook Before You Die by Jet Tila
Available on Amazon.com,
Barnes and
Noble, Books-A-Million,
IndieBound,
and Target
On the search for an ingredient that you can’t find in the store,
check out Melissa’s Produce.
If you like
this blog post, check out these:
Review of From Kau Kau to Cuisine: An Island Cookbook, Then and Now by Arnold Hiura + Recipe
- Review of Julie Taboulie’s Lebanese Kitchen: Authentic Recipes for Fresh and Flavorful Mediterranean Home Cooking by Julie Ann Sageer + Recipe
- Review of Sara Moulton’s Home Cooking 101: How to Make Everything Taste Better by Sara Moulton + Recipe
- Review of Upscale Downhome: Family Recipes, All Gussied Up by Rachel Hollis
- Review of Whitney Miller’s New Southern Table by Whitney Miller
