Moo Goo Gai Pan

I just got back from visiting my brother, sister in-law, and their children.

It had been two years since I last saw them.  It's crazy how time flies.  I didn't realize it had been so long.  When I saw my nieces and nephews, I couldn't deny the passing of time.  They were so changed.  

I question how I am spending my life when I come face to face with how fleeting time is.  Is my job meaningful and fulfilling?  Should I be living in this area?  I don't know.

This maybe a little too deep for an introduction to a post about moo goo gai pan, but it's on my mind.

This is another recipe from The Chinese Takeout Cookbook.  I check it out of the library, and it has been delightful.

Moo goo gai pan is an Americanized version of a Cantonese dish called mógū jīpiàn in Mandarin Chinese.  It's called mòhgū gāipín in Cantonese.  It is a simple stir-fried dish with chicken, mushrooms, and other assorted vegetables.

The ingredients for the marinade are 1 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce, 1 1/2 tablespoon Chinese rice wine, 1 teaspoon cornstarch, and 3/4 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts.  The ingredients for the sauce are 1/4 cup chicken stock, 1 tablespoon Chinese rice wine, 2 teaspoons soy sauce, 2 teaspoons oyster sauce, 1 teaspoon sugar, and 1 teaspoon cornstarch.

The remaining ingredients are 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, 1 teaspoon minced garlic, 1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger, 4 ounces snow peas, 1/2 pound white button mushrooms, salt, and pepper.

I started by marinating the chicken.  I combined the soy sauce, rice wine, and cornstarch.  I stirred the marinade until there were no lumps.  I chopped the chicken breasts into fourth of an inch chunks and stirred it into the marinate.  I let it sit for ten minutes.

I prepared the sauce by combining the chicken stock, rice wine, soy sauce, oyster sauce, sugar, and cornstarch.  I stirred the sauce until the sugar and cornstarch had dissolved.

After the chicken had marinated for ten minutes, I added the vegetable oil to a hot skillet.  I added the chicken and stir-fried it for three minutes.  I removed the chicken and set it aside.

I added garlic and ginger into the same pan and stir-fried the ginger and garlic for 30 seconds.

I added the sliced snow peas and mushrooms.  I cooked the vegetables for three minutes.

I added the chicken and sauce to the skillet and let the ingredients simmer for two minutes.

The sauce should be thick and the chicken fully cooked after two minutes.  I added salt and pepper to taste.

 I served this with white rice.

This was another great recipe.  There were many deep and rich flavors.  It was savory and aromatic.

It was quick to prepare, perfect for a quick meal.

It was a pleasant and toothsome dish.  I recommend it!