Recipe for Moo Goo Gai Pan

Confession:  I don’t like Moo Goo Gai Pan.  I would never eat Moo Goo Gai Pan.  But, I love saying “Moo Goo Gai Pan”.  And I figured if I posted a recipe for Moo Goo Gai Pan, I would have a ready excuse to say “Moo Goo Gai Pan” many times.  Yes, I talk out loud when I type.  Don’t you?  Perhaps I’m talking in my head.  I hope you’re listening.  And if you do decide to try this recipe for Moo Goo Gai Pan, please don’t tell me.  For, I still won’t try it.  But, do feel free to share this recipe with your friends and family.

What is it about Moo Goo Gai Pan, that when you say it, you can’t help but smile?  And you sound like a real expert in Chinese cuisine just by saying it.  It’s not even hard to pronounce.  Say it with me.

Perfect!

Now let us, umm, no, YOU, make some Moo Goo Gai Pan now!

Here’s what you’ll need:

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
2 cups chopped broccoli florets
1 (8 ounce) can sliced bamboo shoots, drained
1 (8 ounce) can sliced water chestnuts, drained
1 (15 ounce) can whole straw mushrooms, drained
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast, cut into strips
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon white sugar
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
1 tablespoon rice wine (Optional: A bottle of Riesling to enjoy with the Moo Goo Gai Pan)
1/4 cup chicken broth

That’s a heck of a lot of ingredients.  I hope you like Moo Goo Gai Pan as much, if not more, than I enjoy saying it.

Now that you’ve taken basically something from every shelf in the supermarket, putting it all together to make some Moo Goo Gai Pan worth shouting about is a snap.

Preparation:

1. Heat 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil in a wok or large skillet over high heat until it begins to smoke.
2. Stir in the fresh mushrooms, broccoli, bamboo shoots, water chestnuts, and straw mushrooms.
3. Cook and stir until all the vegetables are hot, and the broccoli is tender, about 5 minutes.
4. Remove from the wok, and set (the contents) aside. Wipe out the wok (but, save the food!)
5. Heat the remaining tablespoon of vegetable in the wok until it begins to smoke.
6. Stir in the garlic, and cook for a few seconds until it turns golden-brown.
7. Add the chicken, and cook until the chicken has lightly browned on the edges, and is no longer pink in the center, about 5 minutes.
8. Stir together the cornstarch, sugar, soy sauce, oyster sauce, rice wine, and chicken broth in a small bowl.
9. Pour over the chicken, and bring to a boil, stirring constantly.
10. Boil for about 30 seconds until the sauce thickens and is no longer cloudy.
11. Return the vegetables to the now cleaned wok, and toss with the sauce (VERY poetic ending, I must say!).

Enjoy!  Better you than Mee! 😉

You’ve probably been asking yourself, “Why won’t he eat Moo Goo Gai Pan?”.  Because a) I don’t like mushrooms, and b) Moo Goo Gai Pan is an Americanized version of a Cantonese dish, and while I can eat almost anything, I just won’t eat THAT!

Now you know the rest of the story!

Humbly submitted for your consumption,

—Mee Magnum  (“Chop!  Chop!”)