Saturday, June 30, 2012

Recipes with Blue Dragon Stir Fry Sauces

I was a demonstrator for Blue Dragon Stir-Fry Sauces the other day for my job at Infield Marketing. When I was looking through the company's website at the three "stir-fry sauces" I'd be using and trying to convince people to try out, I decided to write a few recipes to really showcase the potential of these (relatively convenient) pouches of flavour. Each packet is 140 mL and according to the packaging "serves 2" - however, during my demo I found them very thick and gloopy, needing additional water to prevent it from sticking and burning in the pan. All the recipes I'm sharing serve 4 thus use one full pouch of sauce, plus another form of liquid to make more of a "coating" that also helps it soak into the rice or noodles you happen to serve it with and keeps the finished mixture from "gumming up" upon standing.

*Disclosure: I was not paid nor asked by Sobeys, Infield Marketing or Blue Dragon to review this product. All recipes and opinions are my own.

Lots of veggies and thick Chinese noodles soak up the delicious sauce. Feel free to use your favourite, the Blue Dragon Sweet and Sour variety is "spiked with star anise and red chopped chillies" and is similar to thick plum sauce with a touch more heat and sourness.

Sweet and Sour Vegetable Noodles
Serves 4
1 tbsp olive or canola oil
½ large white onion, sliced thinly
2 carrots, julienned
1 rib celery, sliced
1 head broccoli, chopped
8 shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and sliced
1 red bell pepper, sliced into thin strips
1 zucchini, sliced into half-moons
Variation with green and red peppers
1 clove garlic, minced
Pinch red pepper flakes
400g package fresh Shanghai or Hokkien noodles (such as Ka-Me brand) or 8 oz whole wheat spaghetti, cooked and drained
1 pouch (140 mL) Blue Dragon Sweet & Sour Stir Fry Sauce
¼ cup water or low sodium vegetable broth
  1. Heat oil in a large non-stick sauté pan over medium heat and add the onion, carrots, celery, broccoli and mushrooms.
  2. Cook for 6-7 minutes, until the vegetables begin to soften and the mushrooms begin to brown.
  3. Raise the heat and add the pepper strips, zucchini, garlic and pepper flakes and cook 3-4 minutes.
  4. Stir in the noodles, Blue Dragon Sweet and Sour Stir Fry Sauce and water or broth. Toss well and simmer 2 minutes. Serve hot.
Amount Per Serving 
Calories: 297.6
Total Fat: 7.0 g
Cholesterol: 0.0 mg
Sodium: 491.6 mg
Total Carbs: 64.2 g
Dietary Fiber: 10.2 g
Protein: 11.8 g


A classic stir fry of lean steak, vegetables and baby corn gets amped up with a spicy (but not too spicy) sauce from Blue Dragon. The label on the Szechuan sauce describes it as featuring "tomato, Szechuan pepper and spicy chilli flakes" and is more fragrant that smack-your-mama spicy.

Spicy Steak Stir Fry
Serves 4
1 tbsp olive or canola oil
340g (¾ lb) inside round or flank steak, thinly sliced
½ large onion, sliced into thin half-moons
1 red pepper, sliced into thin strips
1 zucchini, sliced into half-moons
1 (400g / 15-oz net wt.) can baby corn, drained (216g / 7.6 oz drained)
100g (3.5 oz) snow peas
100g (3.5 oz) bean sprouts
140g (5 oz) fresh baby spinach
1 pouch (140 mL) Blue Dragon Szechuan Pepper Stir Fry Sauce
¼ cup low-sodium beef broth
1 tsp soy sauce
  1. Heat the oil in a large sauté pan over high. Add the steak and cook until browned. Remove to a plate.
  2. Reduce heat to medium and add the onion. Cook, stirring often, until the onion is translucent. 
  3. Stir in the red pepper, zucchini and baby corn and cook 2 minutes. 
  4. Add snow peas, bean sprouts, spinach, Blue Dragon Szechuan Pepper Stir Fry Sauce, beef broth and soy sauce and simmer for 2 minutes. 
  5. Serve with brown rice.
Amount Per Serving
Calories: 314.0
Total Fat: 8.0 g
Cholesterol: 68.3 mg
Sodium: 462.7 mg
Total Carbs: 22.7 g
Dietary Fiber: 5.2 g
Protein: 35.9 g


Finally, I took the sweet and spicy blend of plum, ginger, soy sauce and wasabi in Blue Dragon's Wasabi Plum Stir Fry Sauce and mixed it with tart orange juice for a perfect marinade over buttery salmon fillets. Placed in a foil packet with a fruit and vegetable medley topping, they are perfect done in the oven or on the grill to serve over your favourite starch.

Sweet and Spicy Salmon Pouches
Serves 4
1 pouch (140 mL) Blue Dragon Wasabi Plum Stir-Fry Sauce
3 tbsp orange juice
4 (140g / 5oz each) wild Pacific salmon fillets
2 large sweet onions, sliced into thin half-moons
2 large red peppers, cut into small chunks
6 oz fresh green beans, topped and tailed
2 plums, peeled and cut in eighths
1 small red chilli (such as Serrano), minced
1 clove garlic, minced
¼ cup water
Cilantro and minced green onion, to serve
  1. In a small glass or measuring cup, whisk together the Blue Dragon Wasabi Plum Stir-Fry Sauce and orange juice. 
  2. Spread over the salmon and marinate for at least 30 minutes, but no longer than 2 hours.
  3. Place each piece of salmon on a square of foil.  
  4. Divide remaining ingredients (except cilantro) overtop the fish in each packet.
  5. Spoon leftover marinade into each parcel and add a tablespoon of water to each. 
  6. Fold up the packets and crimp the edges securely to seal. 
  7. Bake at 350°F for 15 minutes (or grill over medium heat for 15 minutes).
  8. Remove the parcels from the oven or grill, pierce a hole to let the steam escape, then serve garnished with cilantro and green onions.
Amount Per Serving
Calories: 346.7
Total Fat: 6.5 g
Cholesterol: 106.3 mg
Sodium: 160.7 mg
Total Carbs: 32.3 g
Dietary Fiber: 5.5 g
Protein: 32.1 g

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