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Stirring Up Something Delicious
Story and Photos by Sarah Jardine

Alex Gomez, senior, psychology major takes others around the world with her Chinese Chicken Stir-Fry.

“Cooking has always been one of my passions,” Gomez says. Growing up in Houston, Alex enjoyed learning how to cook new recipes with her family.

Her favorite food has to be her mother’s homemade chicken flautas.

“I could eat those for weeks straight,” she says.

Even though Gomez is 200 miles away from home she enjoys the strong sense of community at St. Mary’s, “I actually get to know my professors and other students personally,” she says.

She is a part of the Marianist Leadership Program and often finds herself in fellowship or sharing a meal at the senior Marianist house across from Holy Rosary Parish.

After Gomez graduates from St. Mary’s in May 2015, she plans to become a speech pathologist.

“First I will do a year of speech pathology, and then will start grad school to obtain my masters,” she says.

Gomez learned how to make the Chinese cuisine during an HEB Central Market cooking class in Houston.

The class featured a local chef, Dorothy Huang, who specializes in Chinese cuisine and was two full days of cooking. Gomez says, “We learned how to make chicken fried rice, shrimp lo Mein, pork pot stickers, chicken stir-fry, and crispy fried banana with mango sherbet for dessert.”

From this class, Gomez has learned certain cooking techniques and makes the dishes when she gets the chance.

She explains how the chicken stir-fry is a great quick, healthy meal that college students can afford to prepare.

Here Gomez used carrots and bell peppers, but she says, “Be creative and throw your favorite vegetable into the mix.”

Chicken Stir-Fry

(Serves 2-4)
½ pound chicken breast, boned and skinned
2 cups of white rice
1 red bell pepper
2 large carrots
1 white onion
¼ pound snow peas
1 head of broccoli

3 tablespoons cooking oil
¼ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon chopped garlic

Seasoning sauce:
1 teaspoon cornstarch
3 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon soy sauce

marinade for chicken:
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon dry sherry

Directions
First put the 2 cups of rice on to cook, it should take about 20 mins. Then, remove the chicken from the packaging and rinse thoroughly. Next Cut chicken breast lengthwise in half. Slice across the grain into 1/8 inch pieces. Add the cornstarch, soy sauce, and dry sherry to the chicken. Toss to coat thoroughly in a bowl. Let stand for 15 minutes.Wash all vegetables, then chop the bell peppers into thin strips. Chop the carrots, and cut the broccoli. Dice the onion into small squares. Put all the vegetables into separte bowls.  Next combine the seasoning sauce ingredients into a bowl. Mix well.Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a wok (frying pan) over high heat. Add the broccoli, snow peas, and salt. Stir fry for 2 minutes. Remove to a plate. Next do the same thing with the carrots, onions, and bell peppers. Before doing anything else wipe the wok with a paper towel. Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil and add the chopped garlic and chicken. Stir-fry 1 to 2 minutes, or until the chicken turns white.Finally return all the vegetables to the wok including the bell peppers, and snow peas. Pour in the sauce, stir until thickened. Serve the dish over the white rice. For extra flavor add soy sauce to your dish.

Filed under: Class Projects, Entrees, Recipes | Tagged: Alex Gomez, Chicken Stir-Fry, Sarah Jardine, taste of stmu |