An Asian Vacation

It wasn’t my birthday but it sure felt like it! Asian Chicken Lettuce Wraps, Homemade Egg Rolls with Sweet and Sour Sauce, and Coconut Jasmine Rice…Sound good?
The other night my son, HHjr wanted to cook dinner for us. He loves to cook, and is VERY good at it! His presentation isn’t bad either!
After a hard day of working okay, SHOPPING, I was pretty excited, not to mention pretty hungry. I was sick all last week and was just starting to get my energy and appetite back.
It was a cold rainy Sunday so he decided to whip up an Asian meal with some leftover grilled chicken and some ingredients we had on hand plus a few other things…
He cooked and chopped and whipped these up…he used a little sausage and lots of veggies.
Can you say fabulous? Plus they’re baked, not fried. You can see details of the technique from my post SOUTHWESTERN EGG ROLLS.
Egg rolls are a great way to use a variety of ingredients, any leftover meat would be good or seafood of course.
He used iceberg lettuce for the lettuce wraps, I wonder how PF Chang’s gets their lettuce so cold and crisp? Any tips? It was still good, but not crisp and icy cold like theirs.
Look at all these perfect prep bowls filled with perfectly prepped ingredients, perfectly lined up in order of use…Sigh…he does NOT get that from me…
He made a sauce for the chicken from an internet recipe that was supposed to be a PF Chang’s knock off on food.com. He changed it up a little, no hot mustard {thank goodness, that stuff can KILL ya!} I’m not sure what he did exactly, but it was GOOOOOOOOOOD.
He found the recipe for the rice on allrecipes.com. The secret here is use Jasmine rice and to cook the rice in coconut milk. Yum! The flavor is recognizable yet subtle.
He toasted some coconut to garnish the rice…REALLY?
You know what was my favorite part of this meal? The coconut rice. I don’t even like white rice, I mean it’s ok, but I can take it or leave it…this stuff was amazing! He said the secret was using Jasmine Rice……he went on to explain the complexities of the different types of rice…showoff!
Notice how he plated the food, a perfect timbale of rice in the center of the plate garnished with toasted coconut and green onion. He used La Choy Sweet and Sour sauce for the egg rolls.
This was such a treat, and even though there was some prep involved, it can be done throughout the day when there’s a free moment. HHjr made the egg rolls early in the day, chopped the chicken and the rest of the ingredients in the afternoon, in between tossing the football with Super Boy and playing with him. Then right before dinner, he stir fried the chicken lettuce wrap ingredients while the egg rolls baked in the oven and the rice simmered on the stove top. Dinner was ready!
I felt so pampered….
The painted tableware is from JMdesigns Gallery
I’m joining
the Tablescaper for SEASONAL SUNDAY
Between Naps on the Porch for METAMORPHIS MONDAY & TABLESCAPE THURSDAY
Stone Gable for ON THE MENU MONDAY and TUTORIALS, TIPS & TIDBITS THURSDAY
The Gunny Sack for WHAT’S IN THE GUNNY SACK?
Savvy Southern Style for WOW US WEDNESDAY
Rattlebridge Farms for FOODIE FRIDAY
The Everyday Home for “Better Late than Never” Christmas inspirations
Alderberry Hill for Make the Scene Monday
The Dedicated House for Make it Pretty Monday
No Minimalist Here for Open House Thursday
check out these amazing blogs!
Making all this at home is very impressive, and it all looks scrumptious!
thanks Lulu, it was divine!