Sunday, February 23, 2014

Minnesotan Asian Fusion

Asian ingredients and foods have been combined with, inspired by, and played the leading role with ingredients and foods from many different cuisines. Today's blog is about Minnesotan Asian Fusion cooking. Never heard of it before? Well, neither have most people, but I made such a hotdish for a potluck lunch today.
 
First, let's talk about hotdish. The famous Minnesota Hotdish is easy to make and oh, so versatile.All you need is some meat, such as hamburger, chicken, or sausage; a vegetable of some kind, such as corn, green beans, onions, or celery; some kind of starch, such as rice, noodles, or pasta; and some kind of condensed or thick soup to stick it all together. Options include French fried onion rings, shredded cheese, croutons, nuts, etc. You mix and match ingredients from each of the groups and then bake it in the oven (usually at 350 degrees for 45 - 60 minutes) and you have a great entree. Add a salad and dessert and you have a meal!

One last thing you need to know about hotdish - the hotdish is the food that's in a casserole dish. I know, I know, lots of people use the words hotdish and casserole interchangeably, but most Minnesotans will agree with me. You carry a casserole, and you eat the hotdish.

For today's potluck, I made Hamburger Chow Mein Hotdish. For this recipe, as with most other hotdishes, exact measurements are not important and you can substitute almost all ingredients to your liking. 

Ingredients:
1/2 onion
2 stalks celery
1 pound hamburger
1/2 - 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 - 1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 (10 1/2 ounce) can beef with barley soup
1 (10 1/2 ounce) can cream of chicken soup
1/2 cup water
2 tablespoons - 1/4 cup soy sauce
15 ounce can corn (or 1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen corn), drained
1 (12 ounce) bag chow mein noodles

Instructions:
  1. Finely dice 1/2 onion; set aside
  2. Dice 2 stalks celery; set aside
  3. In a frying pan, brown hamburger with the onion and celery; season with pepper and garlic; drain; set aside
  4. In a large mixing bowl, combine the soups, water, and soy sauce
  5. Add corn and hamburger mixture to the soup mixture and mix well
  6. Add chow mein noodles and mix well
  7. Place hotdish in a baking dish or casserole dish and bake covered at 350 degrees for 45 - 60 minutes - until heated through

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