I was recently chosen by Mom Central Canada and VH Sauces to participate in their Moon Festival blog tour. Moon Festival, also known as the Mid-Autumn Festival, is one of the most celebrated holidays in the Chinese calendar. Moon Festival fell on September 12th this year, but since Hubby was working that night, I decided to wait until the weekend to celebrate. The kids and I had fun decorating lanterns and I bought the most beautiful fall themed lantern garland. We decorated early this morning and I prepared an amazing Moon Festival inspired meal, using VH's incredible sauces. I love VH sauces and most often buy their soy sauce and sweet and sour sauce. I was very excited to try their fabulous Orange Ginger and Garlic Rib sauces.
I decided to try two recipes from the
VH Sauces website. The
Crispy Chicken and Scallion in Orange Ginger Sauce immediately caught both my and Hubby's attention. We LOVE orange chicken and the thought of being able to make this dish at home, had us both salivating, LOL. To go with the chicken, I decided to make one of my favorites,
Vegetable Chop Suey. I had never made this at home and was super anxious to see if it would taste just like at the Chinese Buffet.
Let me tell you, these recipes did not disappoint! The chicken was tender and the sweet and slightly spicy orange ginger sauce was out of this world. This is truly a recipe I am glad I tried, since it will now become a regular in our house. The chop suey was exactly like what we are use to eating. Full of tender vegetables and bean sprouts. Even Mr.B had a big serving of it.
I couldn't be more thankful to Mom Central Canada and VH Sauces for giving me the opportunity to do this blog tour. If not, I never would have found these amazing recipes, that will be in our repertoire for years to come. But on the nights when making a big meal is not possible, we will turn to VH Steamers, to satisfy our Chinese food cravings. These are great since they heat up in just a matter of minutes and are jam packed with delicious flavors. Hubby often heats one up, when he gets home after a long and hard day at work. Our favorite flavor is Thai Chicken and Shrimp.
And what would a Moon Festival be, without Moon Cakes? I was lucky enough to find some at our local Chinese buffet and brought some home for the family to enjoy. For those of you not familiar with moon cakes, they are a Chinese pastry often filled with lotus bean paste and eaten during the Moon or Mid Autumn Festival. It was our first time trying Moon Cakes and I was the only one who enjoyed them. They taste a bit like dates and peanuts mixed together, but not as sweet. And a small piece goes a long way. I am just happy to be able to say that "yes, I did eat Moon cake". Don't forget about the
VH Sauces $50 grocery card Giveaway, courtesy of the generous people at VH Sauces. The giveaway is open to
Canadian Residents only and closes Sept 20th!
Crispy Chicken and Scallions in Orange Ginger Sauce
PAM® Original Cooking Spray
1 ½ lb (675 g) boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into thick 1" strips
2 tbsp (30 mL) VH® Soya Sauce
2 cups (500 mL) frozen broccoli florets, thawed
1 cup (250 mL) red pepper, finely diced
¼ cup (60 mL) corn starch
1 cup (250 mL) vegetable oil
1 bottle VH® Orange Ginger Stir-Fry Sauce
½ cup (125 mL) green onions, finely sliced
4 cups cooked rice
Mix chicken with VH® Soya Sauce in a small bowl. Spray small sauté pan with PAM® Original Cooking Spray. Sauté broccoli and red pepper over medium-high heat until browned [5 minutes]. Add VH® Orange Ginger Stir-Fry Sauce and green onions. Set aside.
Heat oil in large pot over medium-high heat. Coat chicken pieces in corn starch. Carefully place chicken in oil, fry until golden brown [4-5 minutes]. Repeat until all chicken is cooked. Warm sauce and vegetables. Place cooked chicken pieces on 1 cup cooked rice per person. Spoon the warmed sauce and vegetables over the top.
Tip:
Chicken can be grilled, baked or sautéed instead of fried.
Also try serving the chicken on top of noodles or with an Asian-style slaw.
Vegetable Chop Suey
1 Tbsp (15 mL) vegetable oil
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 stalks celery, cut thinly on the diagonal
1 red pepper, cut into thin strips
1/2 red onion, cut into thin strips
1 cup (250 mL) sliced mushrooms
2 cups (500 mL) vegetable broth
2 cups (500 mL) Napa or Chinese cabbage, thinly sliced
1 cup fresh bean sprouts
1/3 cup (75 mL) VH® Garlic Rib Sauce mixed with 2 Tbsp. (30 mL) cornstarch
8 cups (2 L) water
In a large pot heat oil and stir-fry garlic, celery, red pepper, red onion and mushrooms for 5 minutes.
Add cabbage and cook for 5 minutes longer. Pour in water, and VH® Garlic Rib Sauce and cornstarch mixture, bring to the boil. Simmer for 20 minutes.
Serve into bowls and garnish with bean sprouts. Season with VH® Soya Sauce.
“Disclosure – I am participating in the VH Moon Festival program by Mom Central Canada on behalf of VH. I received compensation as a thank you for my participation. The opinions on this blog are my own.”
