Food Literacy StudentsHoning in your Knife Skills
Today we will be making Easy Sesame Chicken Stir-Fry! This recipe will be detailed below but can also be found on allrecipes.com here. I included the recipe and directions for the teriyaki dressing the original recipe calls for, but for this blog post, I did not make it. It’s totally optional! Additionally, any ingredient marked with * is one that I either couldn’t find or didn’t use when making this, so feel free to pick and choose what you want to include when you make this dish yourself! Before starting to cook anything make sure you have any ingredients that need to be chopped or measured out ahead of time to make the cooking process go smoothly. I would also highlight and remind you to start your rice especially early since it has the longest cooking time.
Cost Breakdown
| Ingredient | Amount | AP Unit Cost | Recipe Ingredient Cost |
| Low-sodium Soy Sauce | 1/2 cup | $1.58/15 fl oz | $0.42 |
| Orange | 1/2 | $0.86 | $0.86 |
| Sesame Oil | 2 tsp | $3.14/5 fl oz | $0.21 |
| Stevia Powder | 2 tsp | $6.30/9.8 oz | $0.21 |
| Garlic Powder | 1/2 tsp | $0.98/3.4 oz | $0.02 |
| Ground Ginger | 1/8 tsp | $3.97/1.6 oz | $0.05 |
| Vegetable Oil | 1 tsp | $2.98/48 fl oz | $0.01 |
| Chicken Breast | 2 (8 oz) breasts | $9.60/2.39 lb | $4.57 |
| Garlic | 3 cloves | $0.44/bulb (~10 cloves/bulb) | $0.13 |
| Broccoli | 1 cup | $2.58/12 oz | $1.74 |
| Canned Bamboo Shoots | 1/2 cup | $1.12/8 oz | $0.57 |
| Red Bell Pepper | 1/2 cup | $1.38 | $0.67 |
| Yellow Bell Pepper | 1/2 cup | $1.38 | $0.67 |
| Orange Bell Pepper | 1/2 cup | $1.38 | $0.67 |
| Green Onion | 1/2 cup | $0.88/bunch | $0.88 |
| Black Sesame Seeds | 1/2 cup | $2.98/3.75 oz | $0.40 |
| Long-grain White Rice | 1 cup | $2.88/14 oz | $2.88 |
| Wild Rice | 1 cup | $2.88/14 oz | $2.88 |
| Total Recipe Cost | $15.02 | ||
| Cost per Serving (4 servings) | $3.76 |
This recipe requires many culinary skills in order to be made properly; however, I would argue that the most important one is knife skills. Many ingredients in this recipe need to be cut in some way, namely the chicken and bell peppers (broccoli too, but that can be bought in precut packages). Knife skills are so important for this recipe because in order for this dish to really shine, everything needs to be cut evenly. The experience of eating this dish would be ruined by having some pieces of chicken that are perfectly cooked while others are raw, or by having some bites of bell peppers be way too large and others be way too small. Holding the knife so that your thumb and forefinger are on the bolster (the little notch where the blade meets the handle) helps give the knife much more stability when cutting. This helps make consistent cuts as well as making it safer for you to be handling the knife. Cutting in a circular motion so that the tip of your knife stays close to the cutting board helps as well. Be sure to take your time while cutting to make sure that everything is getting cut the same size. That way, everything cooks evenly and helps the dish come together *that* much more. Taking your time to be safe and ensure a good product will always be smarter (and safer) than rushing to get it done. As always, when cutting food be careful of your fingers. Take time to use the proper knife-cutting technique as it will help ensure that you keep yourself safe as well as help you cut everything evenly.
I really enjoyed making this dish! It was pretty easy and very satisfying to eat (tasty as well!) I kind of wish that I had made the dressing for it since that would have tied everything together a bit better. There were no real issues with making this dish. One possible issue would come from having to make two different types of rice. This either requires two pans to make each set of rice or making one after the other. One solution to this would simply be to use one type of rice since, in my opinion, having two different types of rice doesn’t necessarily add much to the dish other than creating either more dishes to clean up or requiring more time to complete the recipe. Neither of these is ideal. In general, though, this recipe is easy to make and quite straightforward. It’s very cost-efficient only costing $3.76 per serving. The main ingredients are easy to find and easy to work with while preparing and cooking. The process of actually making this dish is very simple as long as you take time to prepare ingredients before you need them, if you don’t then it can become very stressful and potentially more time-intensive than it needs to be. As I kind of mentioned toward the beginning of this blog post, I did make alterations to the recipe that made it more cost-effective and tasty for me. I didn’t use the bamboo shoots or garlic in the main dish and I didn’t end up making the teriyaki dressing.
In the end, this is a really quick, easy, and tasty recipe that I enjoyed making and eating. I enjoyed the simplicity of this recipe. It is definitely one that every college student should have in their back pocket as a go-to, especially when time is relatively short – as long as you have precooked rice. This recipe is also nice because it makes multiple servings at a time. This helps remove the stress of having to search for meals when short on time. Additionally, its cost-effectiveness is something that cannot be ignored. This makes a really cheap meal that doesn’t sacrifice food groups or nutrients, something that cheap foods often do. It also gives a great opportunity for practicing good knife skills by requiring you to cut multiple ingredients in numerous ways. I highly recommend this recipe and hope you give it a try!
