Easy Asian Inspired Meal Solutions + Miyabi Japanese Onion Soup Recipe

This post was sponsored by Ling Ling, all opinions expressed in my post are my own.

I could never be a TV Dinner person-

I get bored with the 'same ol', same ol'' quite quickly, and I require a constant varying of textures, flavor profiles, and ingredients to keep me interested. If I had my druthers I'd be dining out every night, eating my way through every restaurant from the local hole-in-the wall gems to the fine dining restaurants on Main St.

But let's be real- I simply don't have the time or money for that. Instead I am constantly looking for innovative meal solutions I can incorporate into our family's nightly meals. Flavorful, authentic, cuisine I can easily prepare while trying out a new side dish recipe, or something I can serve alongside a family favorite. For me Ling Ling Asian cuisine has not only been an invaluable secret weapon, it's a brand that's been in my family's freezer for generations.

Last month I shared with you my fond memories of Chinese New Year celebrations  at the neighbors, growing up. It was there my mother was first introduced to the Ling Ling brand as her best friend, and our neighbor, divulged the brand's pot-stickers as the very same ones she served to her Mandarin family every year at their big Chinese New Year celebrations. At an event where preparations were made weeks in advance, and hours upon hours were spent slaving in the kitchen making every dish lovingly from scratch it was the only "short cut" she deemed worthy of her celebration table.

Ever since then we've had Ling Ling pot-stickers in our freezer year-round. Those deliciously stuffed dumplings offered an extra treat alongside Momma's own version of fried rice. In fact, you could say I rather looked forward to our family dinners when I saw that yellow bag on the counter!

We enjoy many styles of cuisine in our home today, though I'm far from a professional chef. I particularly love experimenting with Thai, Cantonese, and Japanese dishes- though I find main entrees a bit hard to master with all the spices. For now I generally stick to pressure cooker inspired dishes like General Tsaos or Green Chicken Curry; though a great Asian meal truly does require more than one course.

I was very excited last year when I stumbled upon Ling Ling Fried Rice varieties at my local VONS grocer. Right above our favorite all natural Ling Ling Potstickers were several varieties of Ling Ling Fried Rice inspired by Asian recipes from around the globe. I can honestly say we've tried them all, and they are all delicious thanks to their unique recipes and cooking process that coats and cooks each grain of rice in flavor prior to being packaged and heading to your local grocer.

With hearty varieties such as Ling Ling Bibimbap Beef and Ling Ling Yakatori Chicken Fried Rice I can find a little extra time to try a new recipe. With the weather being as cold as it has been lately a warm broth soup has been a must for our table. Did you know that most Asian cultures consume hot tea and soup with their main meal of the day as it aids in digestion; hot liquids prepare the stomach for more efficient processing of the meal to come!

Whenever we go out to eat Asian cuisine, of nearly any kind, a soup is always served. With Japanese and Chinese traditional 'American' restaurants you'll often see a Miso Broth Soup with green onions and tofu. It's a simple broth with uncomplicated flavors that acts a wonderful palette cleanse in preparation of the meal to come. Japanese Miyabi Onion soup has similar properties but a little more bitterness thanks to the steeping of onions. It's as simple as boiling all of the ingredients over an open flame for 25 minutes, then straining the broth into a few bowls and adding a dash of fried onion, green onions, and mushrooms.

I love this Miyabi Japanese Onion Soup recipe especially because I can easily set it and forget it on the stove while I cook our Ling Ling Fried Rice in the wok. While Ling Ling Fried Rice varieties have microwave preparation instructions for convenience they only take about 20 minutes on the stove, and the extra little 'crisp' you get from the finishing of the rice in an oiled pan is truly worth the little extra effort. The Yakatori Chicken variety is also full of delicious textures and flavors such as carrots, lima beans, peppers, and generous chunks of flavor coated, seared, chicken. It just might beat our local Chinese restaurant- it's that good.

If you haven't tried Ling Ling Fried Rice yet, or perhaps would like to try a variety new to you, take advantage of this limited time printable coupon for $2 off your Ling Ling entree or appetizer of 20oz or more. (You'll also find a store locator at this link.)

My mother taught me to never feel guilty about taking short cuts in the kitchen when the short cuts taste just as delicious as the long route. Ling Ling Asian cuisine is proof that you can save time and still enjoy authentic Asian flavors straight from your kitchen. Now if only I could finally master how to properly fold a Spring Roll I'd be on my way to truly earning a chef's vest!

There are many great ways to integrate Ling Ling products into your family's meal lineup with 5 delicious varieties of Fried Rice, delicious authentic all natural Potstickers, and New Ling Ling Noodle varieties. Feel free to grab our time-saving recipes for Sesame Cucumber Salad and Pressure Cooker Kung Pao Chicken by clicking the photo above, or visiting our Chinese New Year's post. You can also enter to win 1 of 5 $100 Walmart gift card prizes, to enjoy your own Asian-inspired meal at home, when you enter the giveaway, below (now through March 6th, 2018).

Tell me, what type of cuisine does your family love, that you wish you could master?

I-C will randomly select winners from all program entries and will facilitate fulfillment of the winning prizes (5)  

Ling Ling Asian Kitchen Giveaway (Phase 3)

Miyabi Onion Soup

****Click here for printable Japanese Miyabi Soup Recipe

Ingredients:

1.5 C Beef Broth

4 C Chicken Broth 

Large Carrot, OR 1/2 C Shredded Carrots

1 M Red Onion, Halved Then Quartered

1 Garlic Clove, Quartered

2 Green Onions, Thinly Sliced

2 TBS French Fried Onions

1 Portobello Cap, Thinly Sliced

Directions:

1. Combine beef and chicken stocks in a large pot.

2. Add carrot, onion, and garlic.

3. Bring to a boil, lower heat, cover and simmer for 25 minutes.

4. Remove carrot, garlic, and onion, and strain.

5. Place a generous amount of thinly sliced mushrooms, green onions, and fried onion slivers at the bottom of soup bowls and pour the broth over. Serve.