Rhonda's Chinese Food Blog

Nothing says summer is on the way like baskets of fresh strawberries at the supermarket! In Strawberry Chicken Stir-fry, tender strips of chicken are combined with strawberries in a tangy orange-flavored sauce. This simple recipe is a great way to take advantage of strawberry season.

• Strawberry Chicken Stir-fry
• Easy Orange Chicken Stir-fry
• Stir-fry Chicken With Peaches

_{Strawberry Chicken Stir-fry photo, Copyright © 2006, Rhonda Parkinson, licensed to About.com, Inc.}

Velveting is a great way to prepare scallops, making them tender and juicy, with a smooth texture. Velveted scallops can be prepared earlier in the day, and then quickly stir-fried with other ingredients. Just keep the scallops in a sealed container in the refrigerator until ready to use.

More Chinese Recipes With Scallops:

• Velveted Scallops With Snow Peas - with garlic sauce
• Garlic Scallops Stir-fry
• Oriental-style Sea Scallops
• Poached Scallops With Ginger Scallion Sauce

_{Velveted Scallops Photo, Copyright © 2008 by Rhonda Parkinson, licensed to About.com, Inc}

This popular Chinese restaurant dish is easy to make at home. The secret to making Beef With Broccoli is cooking the beef in 1 cup of oil to seal in the juices, and cooking the broccoli in water to make it crisp and tender. For a more authentic touch, try using Chinese broccoli, which has an appearance and taste similar to asparagus.

More Chinese Restaurant Dishes:

• Basic Fried Rice
• Sweet and Sour Pork
• Wonton Soup

_{Beef With Broccoli Stir-fry Photo, Copyright © Rhonda Parkinson, licensed to About.com, Inc}

Fried rice is the quintessential comfort food. Learn more about fried rice, including a bit of history and tips of making fried rice. Then, try several Chinese and Asian recipes, including Basic Fried Rice, Chicken Fried Rice, Indonesian Nasi Goreng and Indian Lemon Rice.
_{Chicken Fried Rice Photo, Copyright © Rhonda Parkinson, licensed to About.com, Inc}

“Have you had your rice today?” This common greeting in southern China illustrates the importance of rice in Chinese culture, particularly in the south (noodles are eaten more frequently in the north). Here are classic Chinese rice recipes that you'll want to learn how to make.

Szechuan and Mexican cuisine come together nicely in this fusion appetizer that spices up a standard guacamole recipe with five-spice powder and chile paste. All of the ingredients to make Szechuan Guacamole can be found in most local supermarkets. This spicy dip goes very nicely with tortilla chips, or you could serve it with baked eggroll wrappers cut into a triangles or baked wonton wrappers (leave out the sugar and almonds).

Looking for different ways to use Chinese sausage? Shelley, a subscriber to the Chinese Food newsletter, writes: “Our exchange student from Hong Kong made us dinner one night. She cooked the Chinese Sausage (sliced into bite-sized pieces), with diced up Daikon Radish (peeled and diced in bite-sized pieces). The Daikon was simmered in chicken stock until it was almost tender, and then the sausage was added for the remaining time. The combination is so tasty that we make it for ourselves at least twice a month.” Thanks for sharing!

• How to Cook Chinese Sausage (with recipes)
• More About Chinese White Radish (Daikon Radish)
• Shanghai Vegetable Rice
• Cabbage With Chinese Sausage

Saturday, May 3rd, is the 134th annual running of the Kentucky Derby. Looking for the perfect recipe to celebrate Kentucky Derby Day? Southern US and Chinese Cuisine come together in this recipe for chicken thighs that are marinated overnight in good bourbon whiskey, soy sauce, red wine vinegar and other seasonings. The recipe calls for baking the marinated chicken, or it can be grilled if your race day plans include an outdoor barbecue. Enjoy Bourbon Chicken on Kentucky Derby Day or any day of the week.

Mother's Day is just over a week away. Here are some interesting gift ideas for moms who enjoy Asian food – but nothing that requires her to go near the kitchen on her special day!

More Mother’s Day Gift Ideas:

• Book Review: The Fortune Cookie Chronicles
• Book Review: What Einstein Told His Cook2
• Homemade Fortune Cookies

Debbie gave this recipe 4 out of 5 stars and writes that it is "easy to prepare (if you purchase pre-cut vegetables it would be a "breeze"). My husband absolutely loved it! We will definitely have it many times, and will try it with chicken and shrimp to compare with the scallops." This recipe for Oriental-style Sea Scallops is from the Calorie Control Council, and includes a nutritional breakdown.

More Chinese Recipes With Scallops:

• Easy Garlic Scallops Stir-fry
• Poached Scallops With Ginger Scallion Sauce