Homemade Chinese Food | Marinated Teriyaki Steak and Easy Fried Rice
Jump to recipeIf you love Chinese takeout but don’t want to spend the extra money, consume all the preservatives, or wonder what’s in your dinner, I have a couple of great recipes for you! My marinated teriyaki steak is a big hit with my family, and it’s super-easy to prepare. You can have delicious homemade Chinese food, including sides (like my easy fried rice), and feel good about the ingredients, and the price!
I’ve been a work-at-home Mom for about three weeks now. Being a lady of leisure (yeah, right!) is nice and all, but I’ve had to make some adjustments to our spending. I’m not complaining, because having a food budget has it’s benefits! Homemade Chinese food is a perfect alternative to takeout, and it is much more affordable to cook our Chinese favorites at home.
Having that J.O.B. meant working many late evenings, which definitely meant I could afford to pick up supper, but also made it a bit of a necessity to do so, at times. I hated coming in with takeout, scarfing it down, getting showers and then going to bed within an hour. I felt like I hardly got any time with my family most nights, and then we were all going to bed with stomachs-full of gosh-knows-what. Ick. I love being able to control what ingredients my family is consuming, and the money we save by cooking at home is a huge bonus.
Homemade Chinese Food
Although, I can’t lie, there are some takeout foods that we really enjoyed, and would probably miss after a while. I’ve had to get creative and come up with some delicious, take-out-type foods that will feed our cravings and keep us from giving in and spending money on restaurant fare. As much as I love Chinese food, I usually felt pretty awful after eating it from a take-out place, and my homemade Chinese food is just as good, minus the MSG, excessive grease, and sometimes unidentifiable ingredients. I shared my pork lo-mein method a while back, which we sometimes make with chicken, or just veggies. This time, I was craving something beefy! I found some pretty top sirloin steaks at my favorite grocery store on sale, so marinated teriyaki steak was born!
We had it with easy fried rice (which I’ll share today, too) and some yummy roasted zucchini squash. You could even grab some of your favorite frozen egg rolls that cook up quickly in the oven to serve with it! Have a dessert of instant pudding and canned peaches, and you’ll feel like you’ve been to your local Chinese buffet! {Actually, we love those little sugary, fried donut holes that are on the Chinese buffet. Did you know that they are nothing more than deep-fried wads of whop-biscuits (canned biscuits, for you Northerners), rolled in sugar? Now you know! I love to make those, too….}.
Here is the recipe for my Easy Fried Rice. (<–click that for the printable) You’ll want to cook the rice that you use in this dish ahead of time and chill it first, or just use some leftover rice. It will fry up better that way. If you don’t have a wok, a big skillet works just as well. Daddy-O, my favorite Chinese-food chef, gave me his extra wok, and I use it all the time, but a wok is not a necessity for homemade Chinese food.
Here’s a pic of my yummy roasted zucchini.
All I do is cut it into chunks, toss it onto a cookie sheet covered in foil, then roll it around in some olive oil and cajun seasoning. Roast at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes, but remember to turn it over about halfway through so it will brown evenly (as you can see, I did not…it’s best to brown just one side at my house, so you can hide the browned side from your picky eater).
Be sure to make the delicious dipping sauce for your steak, which is included in the printable recipe! This was a delicious homemade Chinese meal that was very inexpensive, and it satisfied our take-out cravings.
And, like any good Deep-Southerner, be sure to enjoy your Asian meal with a big ‘ol glass of sweet tea!
I’ve often wondered if our International restaurant owners ever balk at having to put sweet tea on their menu? I suppose they learned quickly to either offer it, or just give up trying to run a food business in the Deep South!
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 - 2 pound (4 small-medium steaks) Top Sirloin Steak
- 2 Tablespoons Bourbon
- 1/4 Cup Bottled Teriyaki Sauce
- 1/8 Cup Pineapple Juice
- 1/2 Teaspoon Black Pepper
- 2 Tablespoons Soy Sauce
- 2 Cloves Garlic, Peeled and Minced
- 2 Chopped Scallions
- 1/2 Teaspoon Ground Ginger (or you could use fresh, about 1 Tablespoon)
Instructions
- Place steaks and marinade in a gallon-size, sealable freezer bag.
- Place the bag in a large bowl(just in case it leaks).
- Marinate in the refrigerator for a couple of hours, or even overnight.
- Remove steaks from the marinade.
- Pour the marinade into a small saucepan and add 2 Tablespoons of brown sugar. Bring this to a boil, simmer and reduce for 10-15 minutes…makes a delicious dipping sauce!
- To cook your steaks, pre-heat a cast-iron skillet on the stove on fairly hight heat until it’s screaming hot.
- Add about a teaspoon of vegetable oil, and if it runs all over the pan, quivering, it’s ready.
- Sprinkle your steaks with a little bit of coarse salt and black pepper (optional, as the steaks are plenty flavorful with the marinating).
- Sear the steaks about a minute to a minute anda half on each side. This is as much as we like ours cooked; if you prefer a more well-done steak you’ll want to go two to three minutes per side.
- Remove the steaks from the pan and let them rest for about 5-10 minutes, then slice the steaks on a bias (angle) against the grain. It will be tender, juicy, and delicious!
What is your favorite take-out food? Have you figured out how to make it at home yet? I have a few more of these homemade Chinese food ideas up my sleeve, so you can look out for those in the future! Happy Dining-IN!
X,O,X,O, Martie
*This post has been shared on the Thursday Favorite Things link-up party! Come by and visit all the wonderful blogs gathered there, won’t you?
November 16, 2015 @ 9:49 am
For the record, I have never had this at your house . . . . (subtle hint)
November 18, 2015 @ 2:02 pm
We saved so much and had much better nutrition once I had time to cook, and there’s no so pleasant as sitting down together to a wonderful meal. Sorry I’m behind on reading posts. I’ve been out of town.
November 18, 2015 @ 5:48 pm
I’ve been very behind myself! Yes, cooking at home and eating together are wonderful things. Even if it’s just hamburgers and fries, it’s still better!