Celebrating Chinese New Year: Pressure Cooker Kung Pao Chicken Recipe + More!

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

I recall once I had shark fin soup.

At age 11 my parents moved from their humble 'starter home' condo into a brand new house on a legit street, with a real back yard, and a melting pot of neighbors. It was a bit of a culture shock for me, but everyone was quite welcoming from the Latino family 2 doors down to the Vietnamese family directly across, and the several generations of heritage Chinese-Americans living directly next door. As it was a new housing track, we all moved into the neighborhood at roughly the same time, so everyone was receiving and giving traditional welcome dishes.

I recall out Chinese neighbors were the most welcoming of all. They quickly forged a bond with both my mother and father and began inviting my family over regularly for family meals and celebrations. The biggest, of course, was their annual Chinese New Year celebration, which seemed to go on for weeks in my young mind's perception.

While there, indeed, would be a week of solid eating and celebrating, as well as deeply important traditions, the weekend would always bring one giant family gathering meal. This included the building of a roasting pit and the cooking of a whole pig over an open flame. More traditional cuisine was made from scratch indoors, as the buffet of food seemed endless and diverse from multiple styles of fried noodles and rice to the more exotic shark fin soup, Vietnamese inspired quail eggs, and hand rolled spring rolls. But one thing I remember quite vividly was the yellow bag of frozen Ling Ling Potstickers that always lined the kitchen counter next to the family's stove.

I recall once, around 15, feeling bold enough to question the seemingly odd presence of a store-bought dish among all this lovingly hand-made cuisine. Christine, the mother of the family, with a twinkle in her eye pressed her fingers to her lips as if to make a 'Shhhh' motion.

"This is the only thing I don't have to worry about making from scratch, because they are as good as the real thing!" she explained.

And she was right, not only did her family love them, my own family made Ling Ling Potstickers often at home, as well. In fact, hosting a family meal every Chinese New Year isn't the only tradition my childhood neighbors impressed upon my present-day family, we keep a bag of Ling Ling frozen Chinese-cuisine Potstickers in our freezer at all times, too!

Of course I don't claim to have a Chinese heritage, outside of the friendship forged with the amazing, quite large and extended, Le family- who still lives next door to my father this day. But I do have a rich appreciation for their traditions and customs which evokes fond memories and a  (much smaller scale) celebration of my own.

In general Chinese New Year is all about generating, and preserving, one's good fortune for the coming year. The delicious food and family/friends are just a benefit.

Each year I try to observe some of the most important traditions I remember being taught by my neighbors, while serving a giant celebratory meal of my own.

Christine used to, and still today, spend/s hours upon hours during an entire week preparing her handmade dishes and authentic cuisine for celebration. I don't quite have that time, so I like to feature a few simple, but delicious, traditional dishes such as a Sesame Cucumber Salad, marinated in sugar and rice vinegar.

Not only is this dish affordable to whip up, it's pretty and simple to serve. I was taught to core the cucumber seeds out before slicing, as well as peel alternating stripes off the cucumber's skin for saturation and aesthetics- two culinary additions that really help give this easy side dish some pop.

Simple Sesame Cucumber Salad

***Click here for printable Cucumber Salad recipe

Ingredients

2 Medium Cucumbers

1/3 C Rice Vinegar

1 1/2 tsp Rice Vinegar

1/4 tsp Salt

2 TBS Sesame Seeds

Directions:

1. Cut cucumbers in half, width-wise. Peel cucumbers length-wise in alternating green stripes.

2. Gently core the seeds out with s small spoon (optional). Using a sharp knife cut the cucumber into diagonal, thin, slices.

3. Place slices on a double-layered paper towel and place another double layered paper towel on top. Gently pat to remove excess moisture.

4. Combine vinegar, sugar, and salt in a medium bowl, stirring to dissolve. Add the cucumbers and sesame seeds and toss to combine. Let sit at room temperature for 30-40 minutes to allow dressing to soak in or serve immediately if desired.

Ironically, Chinese New Year tradition dictates that the women of the house should not go out on New Year's Day, as it forebodes bad luck for the rest of the year- so all of that traditional celebrating should be well planned and prepared for in advance. This means you'll want to have plenty of Ling Ling entrees and appetizers on hand, you'll find a store locator here. While you may already know, and use, Ling Ling's Potstickers, you may not know that they recently released a line of delicious fried rice options in 5 varieties such as Yakitori Chicken, Thai-Style Chicken, and Bibimbap Beef. Each unique Fried Rice recipe is inspired by a different region and prepares quickly on the stove with rich flavors infused in every grain of rice.

Serving Ling Ling favorites, such as Chicken Potstickers, and our new favorite, Bibimbap Beef, allows me to spend more time creating a unique feature recipe to truly make our Chinese New Year celebration a hit. This year convenience and time has been a big theme for our family; we're in the middle of several major remodels and work around the house and property so much of my attention has been on the droves of workers storming in and out of the house. While I knew I wanted us to take a time out for a special family meal, I didn't have a lot of time to spend a weekend preparing one. As a result I decided to be brave and try a variation of a pressure cooker recipe I'd been itching to give a go, kung pao chicken.

I chose Kung Pao chicken because it features an assortment of fresh vegetables that reminded me of a traditional Chinese New Year dish I used to enjoy at our neighbor's house, Fortune Salad. While you can add even more fresh ingredients (try mushrooms!) the base recipe calls for peppers, baby corn, zucchini, red onions, and peanuts.

I was a bit skeptical of making a traditional Chinese dish in a pressure cooker, but was actually quite impressed with how it turned out- I even substituted the chili paste with Sriracha (which was what I had on hand).

This entire Insta-Pot/Pressure Cooker process takes less than 10 minutes, across 2 cook sessions, and has about another 10 minutes of ingredient prep. It's a recipe that times perfectly with a pan of Ling Ling Potstickers and 1 Box of Ling Ling Fried Rice on the stove. The end result is a 4 course Chinese New Year Meal in about 30 minutes, minus clean-up. I almost feel guilty putting this spread together knowing Christine will be meticulously cooking from scratch all week to feed her family.

One of my favorite things about pairing a pressure cooker entree recipe with our Ling Ling Fried Rice and Potstickers is the rich flavorful sauce of this Kung Pao dish. It perfectly compliments the hearty Bibimbap Fried Rice brimming with edamame, yellow and orange carrots, bell peppers, beef, and spinach and it's savory gochujang sauce. Making fried rice from scratch typically takes me hours so Ling Ling Fried Rice entrees are not only a time-saver, but a flavorful hit in our family.

Preparing our favorite Ling Ling Fried Rice entree for Chinese New Year, or any meal, is as easy as heating a pan coated in oil, adding the rice, and allowing it to cook, covered for a short period of time. I like to remove the lid just towards the end and really 'fry' the rice with some hearty tossing for 2 minutes to get some nice brown edges on those flavorful grains.

While my Pressure Cooker Kung Pao is pressurizing and my Ling Ling Fried Rice is cooking I also heat up my wok with some oil and a shallow layer of water. Next I place my frozen Ling Ling Chicken Potstickers, flat side down, in the pan, side-by-side and cover to cook for about 8 mins. Finishing the potstickers with a nice golden brown edge simply requires removing the lid and cooking the potstickers an additional 2-3 minutes, or until all of the liquid has absorbed. Ling Ling even includes a few pre-portioned savory dipping sauce packets in each re-sealable bag so I don't have to worry about that, either!

I'll admit, I feel quite proud of myself when I pull off a meal as diverse and flavorful as this with so little effort. Sure, it feels like cheating, but it tastes like hours of effort. I especially love how the rich authentic flavors shine in my Ling Ling entree choices.

We always plate our Chinese New Year dishes buffet style, with each entree and side on large plates, bounding with portions. Everyone grabs their own plate and chopsticks and serves up their favorites directly from the family style presentation. It's a great way to get everyone gathered around the table and interacting with one another. Of course, during Chinese New Year, we always have a giant bowl of fresh mandarins to greet family and guests alike, as it is said to bring good luck to both the giver and the recipient. Mandarins are also the perfect way to wrap such a hearty and flavorful meal!

Chinese New Year has a sentimental value in our family thanks to traditions shared by my childhood neighbors, but all of these dishes are ones my family enjoys throughout the year. Find your favorite Ling Ling Asian inspired entrees and side dishes at a store near you, or discover new Ling Ling entrees that are sure to become favorites, this Chinese New Year. Now, tell me, does your family have a Chinese New Year tradition?

Insta-Pot/Pressure Cooker Kung Pao Chicken

****Click here for printable Insta-Pot Kung Pao Chicken recipe

Bring Authentic Asia-Inspired Flavor Home With New #LingLingFriedRice + Delicious Pairings

This post was sponsored by Ling Ling and all opinions expressed in my post are my own. The following content is a representation of my genuine experiences at a #LingLingFriedRice event, hosted by #IC. All photos and opinions contained below are authentic and property of Momma Told Me 2017.

Cooking should be an adventure.

Unfortunately, for many busy mothers and professionals, that 'adventure' consists of deciding which leftovers from last weekend to reheat, or whether to stop by the fast food restaurant manned by a giant clown head or a talking star on their way home. When I talk to my friends, family, and readers I often hear the same thing- these people want to enjoy an authentic home cooked meal but don't feel they have the time to plan and cook them. They also express that they feel a strong sense of guilt when they take short cuts and buy prepared or fast food items.

Luckily Momma taught me that even a great chef needs to take shortcuts now and then- delicious, satisfying, meals can still hit the table on even the most hectic of schedules when the cook builds their meal around a helping hand.

I grew up with Momma serving Ling Ling Potstickers, delicious chicken and vegetable dumplings prepared from the freezer to her wok and served alongside a savory dipping sauce that always seemed to disappear too fast. It was the perfect side dish to a number of Momma's homemade Asia-inspired recipes; mushu pork pancakes, chicken fried rice, general tsao's and kung pao chicken. I recall I'd always get especially excited when I spotted the yellow Ling Ling Potstickers bag in our freezer because I knew we'd be enjoying one of my favorite home made dishes that week!

Having a tool, such as Ling Ling authentic Asian entrees and sides in one's freezer helps inspire cooking and flavor exploration. When some of the time spent planning and cooking a multi-course meal is taken off a home cook's shoulders they have more energy and time to try out a new pairing recipe and explore a world of new cuisine.

This is a concept so brilliantly executed in a cooking workshop I recently attended at a very special event this past week at BLVD Kitchen in Sherman Oaks, CA. As guests of Ling Ling Asian cuisine we were invited to indulge in an evening of delicious food and wine as we learned 3 (yes, 3!) amazing Asia-inspired pairing recipes directly from Chef Katie Chin in a hands on event! Myself and 3 other talented, local, bloggers were challenged to pick up the wok, knives, and whisks to prepare all new to us recipes as part of a team.

There were 2 very notable and exciting elements marking the night- the first being Ling Ling's announcement of 5 brand new Fried Rice Entree varieties. Found in the freezer section at your local grocer are the all new Ling Ling Fried Rice entrees in 5 Asia-Inspired varieties; Japanese Yakitori Chicken, Japanese Yakinuku Beef, Thai-Style Chicken, Chinese Style (Vegetarian) Vegetable, and Koren Bibimbap Beef. Much like the classic Ling Ling Potstickers, the new Fried Rice Entrees are suggested to be prepared on the stove-top and feature a proprietary Infusion Cooking Method which attempts to tumble and coat each grain of rice in flavor for an amazing culinary experience.

The second element we were all very excited about was the presence of Chef Katie Chin, Asian food expert, cookbook author, TV personality, and blogger. Chef Katie opened by sharing with us her own personal memories of the Ling Ling brand, and how her mother had such a fondness for their signature pot stickers, as well as how she 'cheats' from time to time and serves Ling Ling at her son's school events. It was evident right away that Chef Katie had a passion not just for the brand, but for authentic Asian cuisine as well- and a big personality to match. Despite her stature being small I can confidently say that Chef Katie was a fireball in the kitchen and such a delight to interact with.

As the evening went on we learned we were going to collectively make 3 unique, but simple and quick, side dishes to pair with new Ling Ling Fried Rice Entrees. There was plenty of chopping, peeling, and mixing going on- as well as a friendly turf war over the kitchen's only fan. I had the chance to meet 3 amazing local bloggers (2 of whom I already read and followed), the fiery Shannon of Redhead Mom Blog, Sarabeth of February Fox, and Evi of EVs' Eats. Much like the different flavors of Ling Ling Fried Rice each of these women brought their own unique flavor to the event, and my cooking team. Of course, together, it was nothing but a ton of laughs, outtakes, and an amazing time.

Psst: Just look at the Redhead mom multi-task shooting a Facebook Live for Evi and snapping her own personal pics via smartphone at the same time!

One of my favorite pairing recipes that we learned was one I actually make about once a week in my own home, though with a slight variant. Japanese Cucumber Salad requires no stove or hot cooking skills making it the perfect recipe for those hot Summer months, or when you simply don't have the time to heat a second skillet. The secret is in the small details, as Chef Katie Chin shared- we peeled our cucumbers first in an alternating pattern, before halving and coring them, to ensure this dish dazzled on it's serving try and had the perfect balance of sweet and tangy sugared rice vinegar.

Of course preparing a meal with 3 side dishes is a breeze when you're among friends having fun in the kitchen. To be honest, I could hardly keep up with all the great things going on- Above, left, Evi and Shannon share a hearty laugh at one of my "Keeping It Real" home cooking jokes while Chef Katie Chin, above right, rushes bean sprouts into an ice bath for our final side dish.

Of course the star of our meal was the new Ling Ling Fried Rice varieties. We had a chance to try 3 flavors inspired by 3 different regions of Asia, Korea, Japan, and China. Despite each having their own unique flavor profile all 3 were carefully crafted with Ling Ling's unique infusion cooking process prior to being packaged and arriving in a local freezer. Even more importantly all 3 varieties had the same simple suggested stove top preparation procedure. 1 bag prepares in a covered skillet (stirring from time to time) over medium high heat in just 7-8 minutes. Chef Katie Chin noted she suggested using Sesame or Vegetable Oil, over Olive Oil (which can change the flavor and heating point of the rice).

Preparing our group's Ling Ling Fried Rice entree was indeed the simplest task of the night- yes, even simpler than a cucumber salad. We quasi stir-fried the rice in an open pan for about 12 minutes (2 bags/1 box) and found the fragrant aromas to be quite tempting. I wonder if this has anything to do with the unique infusion cooking process?

Towards the end of the night, as we all sat down for a community style dinner Chef Katie Chin was going around on Facebook Live asking us bloggers tough on the spot questions. I was asked which of the Ling Ling Fried Rice Entrees were my favorite and struggled to choose just one. I'd initially said the Chinese Vegetarian- simply because I found it fitting into our Meatless Monday meals with ease. Reflecting back, now, I think the one I enjoy most, flavor wise, was actually the Ling Ling Bibimbap Korea-inspired Fried Rice Entree. It's sweet dark Gochujang chili sauce gives it a wonderful flavor that also happens to come to life beautifully on every grain of rice thanks to that infusion cooking method.

To be honest, I never thought I'd find myself in a group cooking class, or that it would be so much fun. I swear my mouth was sore from laughing and smiling, and it was a true pleasure to meet some amazing local women. Each of us came from very different backgrounds yet found the new Ling Ling Fried Rice Entrees could make a delicious meal effortless on any schedule. Much like their original potstickers, these new Ling Ling offerings are definitely a great secret weapon to building a delicious Asia-inspired meal any night of the week. I hope you've enjoyed a little sneak peek into our night of cooking fun, and hope you'll print out a special $2 off coupon to try Ling Ling Fried Rice Entrees in your own home. I know we'll be enjoying the Bibimbap with Momma's Mushu Pork recipe this week! Now, tell me, have you ever tried a Ling Ling product? Which of the new Fried Rice Entree varieties would you like to try most?