Liquid Ginger Inspired Meal!!

If you are from Gainesville or in its vicinity, then you MUST go and try out Liquid Ginger. It's in downtown Gainesville and located sorta behind the Hippodrome and by the Sun Center. It is my favorite place to eat in Gainesville!!!! It's an asian thai tea house and the atmosphere is so very relaxing!

Here is what I normally order at Liquid Ginger:

Appetizer

Buddah Rolls

Drinks

pot of hot tea (I change it up every time!)

often a glass of plum wine

Entree

I ALWAYS order the Spicy Cream Shrimp. These shrimp are HUGE, breaded and covered in a spicy mayo sauce. All of their main entrees include a side salad, bowl of miso or spinach & tofu soup and an assortment of sides. My favorites are the cold ginger noodles, pickled cucumbers and curried potatoes. They also include a dessert that vary, but my favorite is the strawberry cheesecake ice cream! My dinner guests also rave about the green tea and red bean ice cream.

Now to the semi-bad part. Liquid Ginger is not one of those restaurants that you go to once a week. I usually get out the door with a $20-$30 bill. Now, when I am short on extra cash and am craving Liquid Ginger... I usually hit up Bento for their Spicy Cream Chicken. Bento is much more affordable and offers a more casual dining atmosphere.

Now to the really good part!!! I have come up with a homemade inspired version of a Liquid Ginger meal. This post is to share my recipes with you all and hope to save someone else a little money from time to time!!

Pickled Cucumbers

diced cucumbers; I prefer to leave the skin on IF they are in season

minced garlic

minced ginger root

salt and pepper to taste

sesame oil

toasted sesame seeds

red pepper flakes

chile paste

rice OR white vinegar

splenda

Now for these delicious pickled cucumbers I have found that you CANNOT leave the vinegar on them for more than a day without them turning into, well, pickles.

I dice my cucumbers, toss them into a bowl, and add all of the above ingredients. I don't measure, I just eye ball it. You will need to have enough liquid to almost cover your cukes. Go LIGHT on the chile paste, sesame oil and red pepper flakes. Best if made an hour in advance and then chilled, but I wouldn't recommend making them the night before since they lose a ton of their crunchiness by then!!

ignore the Kikoman's Terriaki Sauce Bottle, I used this later!

Toast the sesame seeds in a tablespoon or so of sesame or vegetable oil!

sesame seeds, chile paste and red pepper flakes

Mix it all up, snap on a lid and into the fridge they go!!

Cold Ginger Noodles

any thin noodles

minced garlic

minced ginger

2 T ketchup

1/2 c soy sauce

1 t chile paste

2 T water

2 T sesame oil

2 T lime juice

toasted sesame seeds

I usually use angel hair, but would love to try this with udon noodles!!

most of my ingredients!!

Add all ingredients but the noodles into a sauce pan and simmer for approximately 15 minutes!!

After you cook your noodles and simmer your sauce, mix them all in a bowl together after cooled and pop them in the fridge! Make sure they are nice and cold before you serve them!!! If they look a little "dry" just pour in some more soy sauce and mix well with the noodles!

Stir Fried Green Beans

Hear 2 tablespoons of sesame oil in a wok

Add green beans and cook for three minutes

Add 2 tablespoons of water, cover and cook for two minutes

Add stir fry sauce, recipe below, and cook for another five to six minutes until they reach desired tenderness

Throw in a few sesame seeds in the last few minutes of cooking so they won't burn!!

Stir Fry Sauce:

minced garlic

minced ginger

2 T sesame oil

2 T splenda

1 T water

chopped scallion to taste

1 t chile paste

sesame seeds

Terriaki Chicken

Chicken Breasts

Marinade:

1/2 c water

1/2 c soy sauce

2 T olive oil

4 T sugar

2 T sesame oil

1/4 c Kikoman's Terriaki Sauce

3 T dark brown sugar

minced garlic to taste

minced ginger to taste

salt and pepper to taste

-Best if chicken marinated overnight!-

Cook at 350 degrees for 30 minutes and baste every 5-8 minutes

Baste:

all ingredients of marinade

2 extra T soy sauce

2 T honey

Sweet Soy Sauce

3/4 c soy sauce

3 T sesame oil

2 T water

1 c sugar or 1/2 c sugar & 1/2 c splenda

minced garlic to taste

minced ginger to taste

-Simmer for 15 minutes, stirring constantly, and then chill until cold and thick!

I usually serve this over jasmine rice!

The Full Meal:

Terriaki Chicken, Pickled Cucumbers, Stir Fried Green Beans

Cold Ginger Noodles, ready for my tummy!!

Side salad topped with fresh ginger root and an asian ginger dressing

Yum! I also added a spoonful of jasmine rice topped with sweet soy once I remembered I was missing something!! It was so very yummy and the noodles are DIVINE as leftovers. Definitely something I don't mind grabbing out of the fridge for a quick lunch. Next down will be to learn what is in their spicy mayo sauce and whip up some spicy cream shrimp Liquid Ginger style!!