Summer Finger Foods with Asian Twist

Summer is upon us once again! Time to head outdoors with your friends and soak in the sun. So dust-off the patio set, fire up the grill and turn your backyard into party central with these five Asian-inspired finger foods that would surely be a hit! This list is a conglomeration of items I have taken from various websites – tried and tasted with flying colors! They’re very tasty and, more importantly, easy to make!

Chicken Lollipops With Rikki’s Gourmet Miso Vinaigrette Dip

Recipe for Chicken Lollipop (from Allrecipes.com)
Makes 5 servings

INGREDIENTS
* 10 chicken wings
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 1 teaspoon soy sauce
* 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
* 1 drop red food coloring
* 1 teaspoon distilled white vinegar
* 1 teaspoon chopped garlic
* 1 teaspoon finely chopped green chile peppers
* 4 tablespoons cornstarch

DIRECTIONS

1. TO MAKE MARINADE: Combine the soy sauce, red chili powder, red food coloring, vinegar, garlic and green chiles. Mix well.
2. On each chicken wing, push the meat down to one end. Marinate the wings for AT LEAST 1/2 hour.
3. Remove the wings from the marinade and add the cornstarch to the marinade to make a batter. Dip the wings in the batter and deep fry.

Serve with Rikki’s Gourmet Miso Vinaigrette Dip from Costco and enjoy!

Source: Allrecipes.com

Chicken and Mango Rice Paper Rolls (from Kraft.au website)
Makes 10 servings

INGREDIENTS
* 3 spring onions, finely sliced
* 250g chicken mince
* 2 tablespoons super crunchy Peanut Butter
* 1 teaspoon soy sauce
* 1 tablespoon lime juice
* 1 tablespoon coriander
* 1 small birds eye chilli, finely chopped
* 10 rice paper rolls
* 1 small mango, peeled and thinly sliced
* 50g rocket leaves

DIRECTIONS

1. HEAT oil, saute spring onions. Add chicken, cook until browned. Add peanut butter, soy sauce, lime juice, coriander and chilli, heat through.
2. DIP the rice paper rolls in warm water. Place chicken filling mix on one edge, top with mango and rocket. Roll up into a spring roll shape.

Source: Kraft.au Website
Savory and Sweet Mango Wraps (from Costco Recipe Book)
Makes 4-5 servings

INGREDIENTS
* 8 to 12 strips Philippine Brand Dried Mango
* 1/2 cup whipped cream cheese
* 2 8-inch (burrito size) flour tortillas
* 1/2 small red bell pepper, sliced into thin strips
* 3 ounces thinly sliced smoked turkey or ham

DIRECTIONS

1. Pour boiling water over mango strips and soak for about 5-10 minutes to reconstitute. Drain and pat dry.
2. Spread cream cheese over tortillas and layer with mango, green onions, bell pepper and sliced meat. Roll up tightly
3. Gently squeeze rolls to secure ingredients, then cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices

Source: Costco Recipe BookP. F. Chang’s Chicken Lettuce Wraps (from Sparkspeople)
Makes 2-3 Servings

This is a pretty popular recipe so it appears in different websites. This particular recipe was from Sparkspeople but different variations of this dish are linked below the recipe.

INGREDIENTS
* 3 tablespoons oil
* 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
* 1 cup water chestnut
* 2/3 cup mushroom
* 3 tablespoons chopped onions
* 1 teaspoon minced garlic
* 4-5 leaves iceberg lettuce

SPECIAL SAUCE
* 1/4 cup sugar
* 1/2 cup water
* 2 tablespoons soy sauce
* 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
* 2 tablespoons ketchup
* 1 tablespoon lemon juice
* 1/8 teaspoon sesame oil
* 1 tablespoon hot mustard
* 2 teaspoons water
* 1-2 teaspoon garlic and red chile paste

STIR FRY SAUCE
* 2 tablespoons soy sauce
* 2 tablespoons brown sugar
* 1/2 teaspoon rice wine vinegar

DIRECTIONS

1. Make the special sauce by dissolving the sugar in water in a small bowl.
2. Add soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, ketchup, lemon juice and sesame oil.
3. Mix well and refrigerate this sauce until you’re ready to serve.
4. Combine the hot water with the hot mustard and set this aside as well.
5. Eventually add your desired measurement of mustard and garlic chili sauce to the special sauce mixture to pour over the wraps.Bring oil to high heat in a wok or large frying pan.
6. Saute chicken breasts for 4 to 5 minutes per side or done.
7. Remove chicken from the pan and cool.
8. Keep oil in the pan, keep hot.
9. As chicken cools mince water chestnuts and mushrooms to about the size of small peas.
10. Prepare the stir fry sauce by mixing the soy sauce, brown sugar, and rice vinegar together in a small bowl.
11. When chicken is cool, mince it as the mushrooms and water chestnuts are.
12. With the pan still on high heat, add another Tbsp of vegetable oil.
13. Add chicken, garlic, onions, water chestnuts and mushrooms to the pan.
14. Add the stir fry sauce to the pan and saute the mixture for a couple minutes then serve it in the lettuce”cups”.
15. Top with”Special Sauce”.

Sources: Sparkspeople, Recipezaar, Teamsugar, GroupRecipes, WasabimonSpicy Chicken Balls with Satay Sauce (from Kraft website)
Makes 20 servings

INGREDIENTS
* 500g chicken, minced
* 2 spring onions, finely chopped
* 1/2 teaspoon garlic, crushed
* 2 tablespoons chili sauce
* 1/4 cup crunchy peanut butter
* 1/2 cup breadcrumbs

DIRECTIONS

1. COMBINE all ingredients in a large bowl mixing well.
2. ROLL into bite size balls.
3. PLACE in a shallow baking dish and bake at 200C for 20 minutes.
4. SERVE with Satay Sauce.

Simple Satay Sauce

INGREDIENTS
* 1/2 cup crunchy peanut butter
* 1/2 coconut milk
* 1/4 cup water
* 2 tablespoons chili sauce
* 2 teaspoons curry powder

DIRECTIONS

1. COMBINE all ingredients in a small saucepan over a low heat and stir until smooth and heated through. Remove from heat.
2. SERVE with chicken or beef skewers or as a dipping sauce.

Source: Kraft.au website

Reference:

• www.kraft.com.au/
• allrecipes.com/Recipe/Chicken-Lollipops/Detail.aspx
• www.recipezaar.com/P-F-Changs-Chicken-Lettuce-Wraps-15865