Yang Chinese Restaurant – Snapshot Review

There’s only three words hungry vegetarians need to know before rushing down to the CTA train stop on Roosevelt Road: General Tso’s Tofu.

Sticky, sweet, and spicy, Yang Chinese Restaurant‘s General Tso’s Tofu could be the most delicious surprise of the month.

In fact, everything we had at a restaurant we normally walk right by was delicious. The orange tofu was good, but placed a distant second to the Tso’s. The fried rice was cooked just right. And the veggie egg rolls were stuffed with crisp vegetables.

Seriously, seriously, some of the best quick stop Chinese food we’ve ever grabbed on a whim.

Yang Chinese Restaurant
28 E. Roosevelt Rd.
Chicago, IL 60605
312-986-1688

P.S. Bangkok – Snapshot Review

Our original plan was to finally check out Matsuya after several recommendations; but with time short we made an executive decision to hit up P.S. Bangkok instead.

Appetizers were a fried sweet corn cake and tofu satay. The corn cake was perhaps lacking a little too much flavor, relying solely on the dipping sauce to add something to the deep fried crunch. The satay, however, was supremely satisfying. The peanut sauce was not the typical thick, rich paste; but instead a perfectly flavored drizzle on top of the already well marinated tofu.

The Pad Thai was easily some of the best I’ve eaten since moving to the city, perfectly creamy and seasoned. Katie was also pleased with her Chicken Panang Curry, complaining only that she could have used some vegetables to mix up the flavors.

Relativley fast AND affordable, P.S. Bangkok was definitely a nice surprise for two people originally in the mood for some sushi.

P.S. Bangkok
3345 N Clark St
Chicago, IL 60657
(773) 871-7777

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Indian Garden – Snapshot Review

Spicy. Spicy. Spicy.  That about sums up Indian Garden.

I could eat the pakora by the plateful. It’s like the popcorn shrimp of the vegetarian world.  Always crisp, never greasy.  As I mentioned, everything has a kick.  From the saag paneer to the aloo gobi.  By the time we were done, I was convinced my eyes were sweating.

While their full menu offers a wider variety of dishes, but the buffet gives you a decent sampling of their food.

Try the iced tea. It’s confoundingly some of the most delicious ice tea I’ve ever had.

Veggie Chicken Peanut Ginger Curry w/ Rice

What happens when you just randomly try experimenting with recipes?  You tend to over prepare; which is exactly what happened when I made my peanut ginger sauce two weeks ago.  The ice cream I finally made used maybe 1/8 cup of the peanuty, gingery goodness.  That sadly left me with nearly 3 cups of the stuff left to use in another recipe.  The results of some more mad science?  A curry meets a dipping sauce!  Sure.  Why not.  Who doesn’t love Indian and Thai food together in an unholy marriage?

Veggie Chicken Peanut Ginger Curry

• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1/2 cup water
• 3 cups Peanut Ginger Dipping Sauce
• 1/3 cup unbleached flour
• 2 tsp curry powder
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 1/2 tsp powdered ginger
• 1/2 tsp sugar
• 16 oz chopped veggie chicken

Put the onion and water in a large saucepan.  Cook and stir until the onion is soft.  Add the chopped veggie chicken.  Add the dipping sauce and stir well.  Gradually mix in the flour to thicken the sauce.  Add the curry, ginger and sugar and stir thoroughly.  Add more curry if you’re looking for a spicier dish.  Serve over brown rice.

Serves 4-6

Simple Taco Soup

Who doesn’t love easy?  Ten hour work days and hours of comicon recovery time has left me with little initiative to get any food prepped for the week.  But alas, the leftovers are gone, and I’m forced to throw something together.  And now we have taco soup.  To give it a heartier vibe I added some spices, veggie chicken and orzo to great effect.

Simple Taco Soup

• 8 oz uncooked orzo
• 7 cups vegetable broth
• 2 15-oz cans black beans, rinsed and drained
• 2 1/2 cups chunky mild or medium salsa
• 2 1/4 cups frozen corn kernels
• 12 ounces veggie chicken strips
• 2 tsp cumin
• 2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp cayenne (or to taste)

Boil water in a medium sauce pan.  Cook the orzo according to package directions.

In a large soup pot add the broth, beans, salsa, chicken strips, and spices.  Cook over medium heat until simmering.  Adjust to low heat and let flavors blend.  Add the cooked orzo, stir and serve.

Serves at least 8 people.

Peanut Ginger Dipping Sauce

I received the Kitchen-Aid Ice Cream Maker for my birthday, something I’ve always wanted but never wanted to pay for.  With my greatest of birthday wishes fulfilled, I jumped right into coming up with the craziest ice cream ideas I could think up.  Sure, I could try vanilla or chocolate, but where’s the fun in that?  Instead I’m hoping to make a french vanilla ice cream with a peanut ginger swirl and puffed ramen noodle.

First step?  Finding the right sauce to use.  Below is an adapted version of a FoodTV recipe.  I added slightly more peanut butter and a little sugar to cut the spice without removing it completely.  Grating the ginger is fine, as opposed to using a microplane, because the blender takes care of the rest for you.

Peanut Ginger Dipping Sauce (adapted from FoodTV’s The Cookworks recipe)

Ingredients

• ½ cup Orange Juice
• 3 Tbsp Honey
• 2 Tbsp Soy Sauce
• 1/2-1 Tbsp Lime Juice
• 1 Tbsp EVOO
• 1 Tbsp Red Wine Vinegar
• ¼ tsp Cayenne Pepper
• 1 tsp Salt
• 1 1/2 tsp sugar
• 5 Tbsp. Peanut Butter
• 1 heaping Tbsp. grated Ginger

Place all ingredients into a blender and puree. Let sit for 30 minutes at room temperature (in the fridge if not using right away).