Yangtze

I love a good Chinese restaurant. I'm not talking about cheap takeout, because my standards have been raised sky-high by all of my discoveries in New York's Chinatown. I'm a little on the picky side when it comes to authenticity, and I've been bummed out about the Chinese population over here in England. Don't get me wrong, it's not like this country is devoid of good Chinese cooks, but there's a distinct lack of large immigrant groups in small areas. Let's be realistic; America is relatively young, and most ethnic groups that immigrated together, settled together. Not really the case over here, since there wasn't that sort of immigration boom in a short period of time. So I started to panic that I wouldn't be able to find the really good Chinese food that I grew to know and love in NYC.

I hate to be proven wrong most of the time, but not this time. After our Sunday adventures at Blackbushe market, hubby and I went out for a lunch date at Yangtze in Windsor. Down at the end of a street, a little off the beaten path, without any real signage or decor outside, lies a £14 all-you-can-eat experience that will knock your socks off. It's like a buffet, but different and better. To be honest, I think this is a genius idea, though I've never experienced it in an Asian restaurant before. You basically get a menu - with plenty of options for first, second, and third courses - and you just pick as much as you'd like. The portions are sort of tapas-sized, so you get to try a lot of stuff (although, we may have overeaten just a little bit).

Wonderfully authentic flavors and ambience, I'd recommend it to anyone. It cured my homesickness instantly (Isn't it kind of funny that I was most homesick for Chinese food?) and I can't stop thinking about the crispy duck pancakes. If you haven't had them before, it's super crispy duck, cooked pulled-pork style, accompanied by cucumber, slivers of spring onion, and a sweet plum sauce. You wrap everything up in a wafer-thin pancake (sort of like a tiny burrito) and it's fabulous. This place totally rocked it, and I can't wait to go back and stuff my face again.

Moving Meals!

Well, it's no secret: in less than a week... we will officially have moved to England! Consequently, most of our apartment is being put in boxes, and our kitchen is growing emptier by the day. I'm determined to use up as much of the contents of our fridge/freezer/pantry as humanly possible before we depart, and so I bring you the "Moving Meals" series. These recipes are quick, cheap, require minimal ingredients, and are perfect for those ramen-noodle-budget times. Today's lunch: Cheap Chicken Chow Mein!

Ingredients: 

Ramen noodles, or rice noodles (whichever you have or prefer, one serving)
Broccoli: one box frozen, or one small head, fresh
1 bell pepper (optional)
1/2 of one yellow (or red) onion
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1 chicken breast, diced (or 1 can of cooked chicken breast meat)
Soy Sauce
Black bean garlic sauce (or hoisin sauce + rice vinegar)
Water
Corn starch (optional, it just helps the sauce to thicken & look nicer, but doesn't effect taste)

Saute all of the vegetables with olive oil or sesame oil in a lidded pan while the water for the ramen (or rice) noodles comes to a boil.
Combine 1 tbsp black bean sauce with 3/4 cup water and 1/2 tbsp cornstarch and set aside
(Alternative: combine 1/2 tbsp hoisin, 1 tsp rice vinegar, and 1 clove finely minced garlic with cornstarch)
Add 1/2 of the sauce/water mixture to the vegetables, and cover while continuing to cook on medium low heat.
Add cooked noodles to vegetables (after straining, obviously) and add the rest of the sauce, too.
Cover with a lid, toss a little, and cook on low/medium low for another 1-3  minutes.
Garnish with... whatever! Herbs, lime, radish, etc - use up all the fresh bits in the fridge, and dig in!

If you try this recipe, comment below and let me know what you think!