My boyfriend had mentioned one day that we should make stir fry together and so that's just what we did. When going into this recipe I had one intention in mind, trying at least one different vegetable that I had never had before. Well, I got lucky! It just so happened that there was one, mung bean sprouts. I had no idea that they even existed nor did I know what they were.
What is a mung bean sprout you may ask?
Mung beans can be found pretty much in any produce section of a store and there are a lot of them packaged in a bag since they are tiny. They look like the "Grow a plant using a Lima Bean" science experiment that has set in the bag for about day or two already. You can see where the seed was at the bottom and there is about an inch and a half stem on each one. I think they vary on taste depending on how they are cooked.
Before they are cooked they are white and crunchy, in this recipe, they are simmered in sauces so they were a little softer and seemed to be more like eating noodles than beans. Cooking them in sauce caused them to soak in some of the flavor and made the dish seem like a Chinese restaurant dish.
Here is how to make it:
Chicken Stir Fry
18 oz of boneless skinless chicken breast
1 red bell pepper (Sliced long ways)
1 yellow bell pepper (Sliced long ways)
1 Sweet or white onion (Cut in half then sliced)
12-15 Baby Bella mushrooms (Sliced thick)
12 oz bag of Coleslaw mix
16 oz bag of Mung bean sprouts
2 tsp minced garlic
3 tbsp Peanut oil
10-12 tbsp oyster sauce
¼ cup lime juice
2-4 tbsp soy sauce
Siracha (optional)
Start by Cutting your Bell pepper and onion lengthwise, but
no more than a quarter of an inch thick, we want them soft not crunchy. Then
cut your chicken into pieces, you can have them as large or as small as you
want but the smaller you cut it the quicker it will cook. Heat a large skillet
(you can use a wok if you have the means) on medium heat and add your Peanut
oil. Once the oil starts to move like water, add the pepper, onions and 1/3rd
of the oyster sauce, lime juice and 1 tbsp of soy sauce. When the onions start
to turn clear, add the chicken and one tsp of garlic, then mix thoroughly.
After chicken is partially cooked add your mushrooms and another 1/3rd of your
oyster sauce, lime juice and 1 more tbsp of soy. Continue to stir when cooking, and after the
chicken is cooked, add all of the coleslaw mix, the bean sprouts, and the rest
of the oyster sauce, lime juice, soy sauce and garlic. Slowly stir everything
into itself (Be careful, skillet will be full) once everything is fully
incorporated , turn the heat down to medium low and cover. After 5-10 min the
cabbage should be tender, and the bean sprouts should be clear. Add siracha (as
much as desired) just before you serve and stir it in.
The stir fry is best served over white rice (and egg rolls also make a great side). Overall when cooking, the house smelled wonderfully of all the ingredients sautéed together. Since we like some spice, we went ahead and added some siracha to the mix before serving it.
I've tasted bean sprouts before in Pad Thai, but I don't know whether or not they were Mung bean sprouts. Are Mung bean sprouts a specific kind of bean sprouts? What do they taste like raw?
ReplyDeleteI have never heard of these. What exactly did they taste like in the stir fry? What flavor did they bring to it? Was it different from what you are used to?
ReplyDeleteReally glad you added ingredients and to your recipe! the layout of your blog is really nice and flows well. Ive never heard of or seen a mug bean sprout. Are they supposed to be stringy like that? did it taste good raw or is cooking it the only way you can eat it?
ReplyDeleteThey were okay raw, they didn't much flavor but were really crunchy. In the stir fry they tasted like pasta noodles and they weren't slimy like I expected them to be once they were cooked. Plus the bean sprouts are really good at soaking in flavor! They were supposed to be a little stringy but with everything that went into the stir fry you couldn't tell that they were. I'm not sure if cooking it is the only way you can eat it, but I think that they are used in some salads.
ReplyDeleteI think I have had bean sprouts in a salad before, but I don't think I've ever had them cooked. Did the bean sprouts loose all of their crunch after they were cooked? Do you think they would make a good substitute for noodles in other recipes?
ReplyDeleteThis is the only one of the fruits/veggies that I've never actually heard of before, which I think is really cool. Your first sentence threw me a little bit- it's a little sudden! Also, I feel like once you start talking about the recipe, you stop talking about the mung beans altogether, so we only really get a few sentences about them. I'd really like to know more! Where are they from and what are some other uses for them? What's their nutritional value? What do they taste like? Also, I've never heard of the science experiment you mention, so that description didn't help me to picture it too much.
ReplyDeleteI've had bean sprouts in most stir fry or fried rice foods. I have them in a few soups as well. Both cooked and raw, they still retain their crunchiness if prepared correctly. Are these a specific kind of bea sprout or one you usually find in an Asian dish? Also, I think you did a great job in describing the recipe but didn't really describe your experience with the vegetable itself in much detail. Maybe some hyperlinks to the recipe will give you a little more room to explore and explain the vegetable in more detail.
ReplyDelete