Recipes for the Wok
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Title: VEGETABLES LO MEIN
Lo Mein refers to the process for cooking noodles; mein means noodle
in Chinese.
1/4 lb soft, fresh wheat flour noodles
6 dried Jyo mushrooms (OR
10 Nami mushrooms)
3 large stalks celery
1/2 c sliced bamboo shoots
2 T cooking oil
1/4 t salt
1 c chicken broth
1/2 t sugar
cornstarch paste
Noodles: Add soft noodles to boiling salted water; stir with chop-
sticks & cook until noodles lose their floury taste but are still
firm. Immediately drain in colander & rinse in cold water to arrest
cooking process. If you hold noodles for more than 10 minutes toss
them with a little oil to prevent sticking.
Vegetables: Soak Jyo mushrooms for 2 hours in warm water (1 hour for
Nami mushrooms); slice in thin strips. Slice celery with the grain in
thin strips about 3" long. Cut bamboo shoots in strips to match
celery.
Stir-Frying: Heat wok to medium-high. When hot, dribble oil around
side of pan. Add salt; stir briefly. Add mushrooms & bamboo shoots;
stir for about 30 seconds. Add celery, stir vigorously for 30 seconds.
Push vegetables up side of wok; add broth & sugar, bring to boil.
Add noodles, a handful at a time, stirring them into broth for about
20 seconds. Combine vegetables & noodles, cover wok, steam for 30
seconds. Push all ingredients to side. If necessary, thicken juices
slightly with cornstarch paste. Add paste a little at a time, stir-
ring constantly. Serve immediately.
Serves 4
KEY WORDS: menu 10, stir-fry, boil
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Title: SHRIMP WITH LOBSTER SAUCE
Contrary to popular belief, lobster sauce does not contain lobster.
It's delicious served OVER lobster or shrimp.
16 raw shrimp, 3-inch unshelled
2 T oil for stir-fry
LOBSTER SAUCE:
2 t salted black beans
1 large clove garlic, minced
2 green onions
1 large egg
1 T water
2 T cooking oil
1/2 lb ground pork (not sausage)
1/2 c chicken broth
1/2 T thin soy sauce
1 t sugar
cornstarch paste
Lobster Sauce: Soak salted black beans for 10 minutes; rinse & drain.
Mash with garlic. Cut green onions in 1/2" sections. In small bowl,
beat egg with water.
Shrimp: Shell, devein & butterfly shrimp. To butterfly shrimp, slice
along the back about 3/4 of the way through the flesh with a small
paring knife. Spread shrimp open; cover but do not refrigerate.
To stir-fry, heat wok to medium-high. When hot, dribble oil around
side of pan. Put shrimp in wok all at once, & start tossing. Keep
shrimp in motion, so they will cook uniformly. When they just begin
to curl, remove to the serving dish.
Heat wok to medium; add remaining oil. When oil is hot (not smoking)
add garlic/bean mixture. Stir briskly until aroma of beans & garlic
is strong, but don't overcook. Add ground pork in little pieces;
stir-fry until cooked, about 4 minutes. Add broth, soy sauce & sugar,
stirring while mixture comes to a boil. Thicken mixture with corn-
starch paste to create a light cream-like sauce (not too thick).
Slowly stir in beaten egg. Cook briefly. Add shrimp. Mix and serve.
Serves 4
KEY WORDS: menu 10, main dish, stir-fry
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Title: SINGAPORE FRIED NOODLES
"Singapore" signals that this dish is seasoned with curry.
6 skeins dried shrimp noodles
1/2 c dried shrimp
1 egg
1 t water
1/2 lb barbecued pork
2 stalks celery
2 c bean sprouts, blanched
1 medium yellow onion
1 green bell pepper
1 medium firm tomato
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 t fresh ginger, minced
1 T curry powder
4 T peanut oil
SAUCE:
1/2 c stock
2 t thin soy sauce
1 t sugar
1 t chili oil
Noodles: Rinse shrimp noodles. Boil noodles in water until cooked
but still firm. These thin noodles only take about 3 minutes to reach
this stage. Drain, reserving boiling water, & rinse with cold water
until noodles are cooled & will not stick together. Place in oiled
bowl, refrigerate until firm. The noodles must be firm before frying.
Can be prepared day before.
Preparation: Wash & soak dried shrimp for 30 minutes; cut into thin
pieces. Combine egg & water; cook as very thin omelet; cool; slice
into 2" long shreds. Thinly slice pork to match. Blanch bean sprouts
in noodle water (this water will have other uses, so hold onto it).
Peel strings off celery stalks, thinly slice. Peel & halve onions,
slice thinly. Core pepper, slice thinly in 2" lengths. Slice tomato
in thin wedges. OR: slice these vegetables to match size of bean
sprouts for better looking dish (a good shredder does this job quick-
ly). Mix sauce ingredients in bowl.
Stir-fry: Add 1/2 of peanut oil to hot wok. When oil begins to
smoke, toss in garlic, ginger, shrimp & vegetables, except tomato;
stir-fry on high heat for 2 minutes. Add sauce, & continue cooking
until sauce reduces by half. Remove to holding bowl.
Rinse wok; return to high heat; when it is dry, reduce heat to medium
& add remaining peanut oil. Heat oil to moderate (don`t let it
smoke); add curry powder, stirring to mix with oil. Avoid burning
curry; if it burns, start over. Cook curry powder for about 30 sec-
onds. Add noodles a fist-full at a time, breaking noodles into short
pieces. Toss noodles to coat & heat them.
When hot, add cooked shrimp & vegetables; toss together to mix. Turn
off heat. Add pork, egg shreds & tomato wedges; mix together. Serve.
By the time dish is on the table, tomatoes will be hot, but still
firm.
Serves 8
KEY WORDS: menu 21, stir-fry
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Title: STEAMED MUSHROOMS
Steamed mushroom caps, filled with a mound of moist meat, make deli-
cious party food.
8 dried "jyo" black mushrooms
8 large button mushrooms
2 c stock
1 piece star anise
1/2 t Sichuan peppercorns
SAUCES:
1/2 c plum sauce
1 T warm water
2 T dry mustard
3 T water
1/2 t white vinegar
1 t thin soy sauce
FILLING:
1 lb fatty pork shoulder
1/2 t cornstarch
1 t water
1 t oyster sauce
1 t dark soy sauce
1/4 t black pepper
2 green onions, minced
1/4 t fresh ginger, minced
1 t Chinese parsley, minced
Preparation: Wash & soak "jyo" mushrooms in warm water for at least 1
hour. Add star anise and peppercorns to stock. Stew button mustrooms
in stock for 30 minutes; remove from stock; discard mushroom stems.
Strain stock for use in another dish. Mix plum sauce with warm water
in dip saucer, cover & reserve. Make a paste of dry mustard & water;
cover & let marry for 30 minutes; then add white vinegar & thin soy
sauce.
Filling: Finely chop pork shoulder. Mix cornstarch & water; add
oyster sauce, soy sauce & black pepper. Add chopped pork; work with
your fingers into thick mixture. Add onions, ginger & Chinese pars-
ley. Allow filling to stand in covered bowl for 30 minutes. Mound
about 1 1/2 teaspoons of filling on each mushroom. Arrange on serving
plate.
Steaming: In steamer, bring water to rapid boil first; steam "jyo"
mushrooms for 30 minutes; steam buttons for 20 minutes. Serve. If
you plan to reheat before serving, steam for 5 minutes less, then
reheat for 10 minutes.
Serves 8
KEY WORDS: menu 21, make ahead, steam
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Title: FIVE-SPICE BOUQUET
A flavorful addition to soups and sauces.
small piece of star anise
cassia bark
orange peel
cardamon
ginger root
Put ingredients together in tea strainer or cheesecloth bag. Add to
soups or sauces during cooking; remove before serving.
Makes 1 bouquet
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Title: BRAISED CHICKEN DRUMSTICKS
This dish is a good example of the whole being greater than the parts.
8 chicken fryer drumsticks
cornstarch for dredging
3 c oil for deep-frying
1 c dried chestnuts
1 five-spice bouquet (OR
1 T five-spice powder)
4 c cold water
1/2 c dark soy sauce
1/2 c rock sugar
1/2 c medium sherry
1/2 t salt
Preparation:At least 12 hours before cooking this dish, rinse several
times then soak dried chestnuts. After soaking, remove pieces of skin
wedged in nutmeat.
Deep-frying: In wok or suitable pan, slowly heat deep-frying oil; oil
is ready when bubbles quickly form around chopstick held vertically
in oil. Meanwhile, dredge drumsticks in cornstarch; shake off excess
starch. Deep fry drumsticks 2 at a time until brown, about 5 minutes.
Remove from oil; drain.
Red-cooking: Pour water in sandy pot or comparable casserole dish;
add 5-spice bouquet, soy sauce, sherry & salt (5-spice powder can be
substituted, though the final flavor will be less distinctive).
Slowly bring to boil, reduce heat, cover pot & simmer 15 minutes.
Remove cover; discard bouquet; add salt & rock sugar; dissolve rock
sugar. You can stop here until near serving time.
About 30 minutes before serving time, add drumsticks & soaked chest-
nuts to hot red-cooked sauce. Simmer in covered pot for 15 minutes;
remove cover; simmer for another 15 minutes. Sauce should have re-
duced by about 1/3, and become bright & thick.
To serve, prop drumsticks up around sides of sandy pot; spear chest-
nuts with sate sticks or long toothpicks.
Serves 8
KEY WORDS: menu 21, make ahead, braise
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Title: SALT BAKED CHICKEN
Contrary to the name, salt baked chicken is not the least bit salty.
Rather the salt acts as a heat conductor. To work well, salt must be
very hot.
3 lb fryer
6 lb rock salt
parchment paper
1/4 c peanut oil
1 t salt
3 T dark soy sauce
1 whole star anise
2 T sherry
1 T fresh ginger, minced
1 T garlic, minced
2 green onions, coarsely chopped
Preparation: Wash chicken & pat dry. Swab cavity with sherry; stuff
with ginger, garlic & green onions; seal with clip or string. Rub
outside of chicken with dark soy sauce;allow to stand until soy sauce
is absorbed. Wrap chicken in 3 layers of parchment paper, tie with
string, coat outer layer with peanut oil.
Baking: In wok or large pot, heat rock salt, stirring periodically,
until it begins to brown. Place wrapped chicken in rock salt, spoon-
ing some salt around sides & over top. Cook for about 10 minutes.
Turn over chicken, cover with rock salt (but always have at least 2"
layer of salt under chicken) & cook for another 10 minutes. This
cooking time will give a moist, slightly underdone chicken. Increase
baking time to 15 minutes on each side, for well done.
Remove chicken from salt; strip off paper; allow to stand for 15
minutes to cool & congeal juices. Cut in half, then into bite-size
pieces. Serve with soy dip.
Serves 4
KEY WORDS: main dish, roast
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Title: STEAMED BREAST OF CHICKEN WITH BLACK MUSHROOMS
Steaming maximizes nutrition and minimizes last minute preparation.
1 large chicken breast
8 dried Nami black mushrooms
2 green onions
8 water chestnuts
1 Chinese sausage (opt)
MARINADE:
2 T dry sherry
1 T cornstarch
2 slices ginger root, minced
1 t sesame oil
2 T thin soy sauce
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 t sugar
Preparation: Soak dried mushrooms in hot water for 1/2 hour or until
soft. Remove stems; thinly slice caps. Debone chicken; slice into
1/2" thick, quarter-size coins; place pieces in shallow, heat-proof
dish. Add marinade ingredients to chicken; marinate for at least 30
minutes. Slice water chestnuts in thin circles. Cut green onions on
bias into 1" sections.
There are 2 varieties of "Cantonese-style" Chinese semi-dried sausage
available in Chinese markets: duck liver & sweet pork meat. Either
will do for this dish. Cut sausage on bias into 1/8" thick slices.
Marinade is not used with sausage.
Steaming: Mix sliced mushrooms & water chestnuts with chicken. If
desired, add sausage. Steam for 20 minutes. If using deep bowl, stir
chicken after 10 minutes to make certain bottom pieces get cooked.
Just before serving, add green onions. Serve immediately, since
cornstarch will become gummy if dish is allowed to cool.
HINT: If using metal steamer, stretch dish towel under steamer cover,
to prevent build-up of condensed steam in dish.
Serves 2
KEY WORDS: main dish, steam
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Title: HONEY SPONGE CAKE
A popular Cantonese tea house treat.
6 eggs, separated, at room temperature
1 c granulated sugar
1/4 c almond powder (OR
1 t almond extract)
1 T honey
1 1/2 c all purpose flour
1 1/2 t baking powder
1/4 t salt
1/2 t baking soda
4 T milk
2 T melted butter, cooled (or peanut oil)
In bowl, sift flour, baking powder and salt; set aside. In another
bowl, beat egg whites until stiff.
With electric mixer, beat egg yolks; gradually blend in sugar and
almond powder. Cream mixture until smooth, about 5 minutes. Add
honey (and almond extract).Mix together milk, baking soda and cooled
melted butter; add to egg yolk mixture. Gradually add sifted flour
mixture.
When batter is thoroughly blended, quickly but gently fold in egg
whites.
Steaming: Before mixing, bring water in steamer to boil. Grease
bottom only of 9" round flat-bottom, high-sided bowl (or tube pan,
bundt pan or cupcake tins). Pour batter into bowl. Steam for 1 hour.
Best served steaming hot, cake can be resteamed without suffering.
Makes 1 cake
KEY WORDS: make ahead, dessert, steam
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Title: STEAMED FRESH CRAB IN CURRY SAUCE
Chinese chefs tend to favor a milder curry sauce, compared to Indian
and Southeast Asian cooks.
1 large whole fresh crab
6 slices ginger root
2 T dry sherry
3 spring onions or Chinese parsley
SAUCE:
1/2 bell pepper, coarsely diced
1 t curry powder
1/4 t salt
1/2 t sugar
1 c stock
1 t ginger, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
2 T peanut oil
cornstarch paste
Make Sauce: Heat oil in medium-hot saucepan. Saute minced garlic
until fragrant. Add curry powder. Stir over medium heat for about 1
minute -avoid burning powder. Add stock, salt, sugar and ginger;
bring to boil; cook for 1 minute. Add bell pepper, which has been
coarsely diced into 1/4" squares; stir in enough thin cornstarch paste
to make a light sauce. As soon as sauce thickens, remove from heat
and reserve. This sauce can be made up ahead and reheated just before
serving.
Clean & Steam Crab: Pry off plate from crab in one piece. Separate
legs with cleaver; wash all parts, cleaning out junk; cut soft inner
sections of legs into manageable pieces. Carefully crack claws,
keeping them intact. Reassemble crab on oval platter. Before putting
on back, sprinkle meat with dry sherry; lay ginger on top; then put on
back plate. Wash green onions, remove roots, and shred, greens and
all, into 2" sections.
Bring water in steamer to rolling boil. Steam crab for about 15-20
minutes, depending on size. Meanwhile, reheat curry sauce (or keep
hot in double boiler). Remove steamed crab from steamer; drain excess
water. Lift back plate off crab; pour curry sauce over crab; sprinkle
with onion shreds; return back plate. Serve.
Serves 4
KEY WORDS: main dish, menu 22, steam
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Title: BRAISED LION`S HEAD IN A SANDY POT
The further ahead you start this delicious "soup" the better it will
taste.
1 lb pork butt, ground or chopped
1/4 c water chestnuts, minced
1 t ginger root, minced
2 green onions, minced
1/2 c cooked rice, minced
1 T dark soy
1/2 t sesame oil
2 T water
3 c Chinese mustard cabbage, shredded
4 c stock (or water)
1/2 t salt, to taste
1/4 t sugar
6 T peanut oil
Preparation: In bowl, thoroughly mix pork, water chestnuts, ginger
root, green onions, cooked rice, dark soy, sesame oil & water. Allow
mixture to marry for 30 minutes. Form into firm balls, one for each
serving, each the size of a tennis ball (about 3 1/2" across).
Braising: Heat wok or skillet to hot; add oil. When oil begins to
smoke, introduce meatballs 1 at a time, so as not to cool oil. Fry
meatballs until a brown crust has formed. They must be well crusted
in order to retain their shape while stewing.
Cooking in Sandy Pot: Line sandy pot with shredded Chinese mustard
cabbage; sprinkle with pan oil from meatballs, salt & sugar. Add
meatballs, then add cool or cold stock. Bring slowly to boil; cover;
reduce heat to medium & simmer for about 2 hours. Correct seasoning
if necessary. Serve.
Serves 4
KEY WORDS: menu 22, soup, braise
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Title: LAMB SOUP POT
We suggest serving this flavorful soup bubbling hot in the traditional
Mongolian Fire Pot. It is both a dramatic presentation and very prac-
tical.
4 lbs lamb bones, cracked
1 lb lamb meat (shoulder or leg)
4 qts. cold water
1 T fresh ginger, sliced
1 large onion, quartered
1/2 t salt
1 t sugar
1/2 c light sherry
1/2 lb canned salted mustard green
1 lb bean sprouts
1/2 c unsoaked "cloud ear" dried black fungus
4 scallions
1/2 lb dried bean thread noodles
8 charcoal briquettes
Make stock: Put lamb bones, ginger, onions & water in stock pot.
Bring to boil, reduce heat & simmer for 2 hours, reducing liquid by
half. Skim froth. Shred lamb meat. Add meat, salt, sugar & light
sherry to stock. Simmer for another 20 minutes.
Finish soup: Wash & soak "cloud ears." Soak noodles for a few
minutes until soft. Drain & rinse mustard green; slice into shreds.
Rinse bean sprouts. Wash & remove roots from scallions; shred on
bias, greens & all.
Prepare Fire Pot: Heat charcoal briquettes. When they start to turn
white, transfer to bottom of Fire Pot;place pot on heat-proof tile on
your table.Add half the broth & half the other ingredients, reserving
the rest for later in dinner. Serve after broth has boiled briefly.
Serves 4
KEY WORDS: soup, boil
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Title: LAMB SLIVERS IN PUNGENT SAUCE
Unlike so many Chinese lamb recipes, the aim here is to retain and
enhance the fat-rich lamb flavor.
1 lb lamb meat (shoulder or leg)
2 T sherry
1/4 t salt
1/2 t cornstarch
1/2 c peanut oil
4 scallions
1/2 large bell pepper
1 clove garlic, minced
1 t fresh ginger, minced
1/2 c stock
1 T thin soy sauce
1/2 T dark soy sauce
1/2 t sugar
1/2 T cider vinegar
Preparation: Cut lamb across grain in slivers about 2" long. In bowl,
sprinkle lamb with salt & cornstarch; rub into meat; add sherry.
Marinate lamb for 15 minutes. Trim & cut scallions in 2" pieces.
Halve, core & slice bell pepper into slivers to match lamb. Combine
stock, soy sauce, sugar and vinegar; reserve.
Cooking: Heat peanut oil in wok to deep-fry temperature (bubbles form
around dry chopstick held upright in oil). Fry lamb slivers briefly,
until coating of starch begins to brown. Remove to strainer & reserve.
Remove oil from wok and save. Wash wok.
Return wok to high heat. Add 2 T oil to very hot wok. When oil
starts to smoke, add scallions & bell pepper. Stir-fry for 30 sec-
onds; add garlic & ginger. Keep stir-frying. When pepper turns
bright green, add stock mixture. Stir until liquid boils and reduces
slightly. Add lamb. Stir-fry until lamb is hot. Serve.
Serves 4
KEY WORDS: main dish, stir-fry
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Title: BRAISED CHINESE CABBAGE
2 lbs Napa (or celery) cabbage
1 t salt
8 Chinese "jyo" black mushrooms
1 T dried shrimp
1/4 c Sichuan preserved mustard green
1 T peanut oil
1 c chicken stock
1/4 t salt
1 T sherry
1/2 t sugar
1 t thin soy sauce
cornstarch paste
1 T rendered chicken fat
Preparation: Wash & soak Chinese mushrooms & dried shrimp in warm
water for 1 hour until soft. Mince shrimp. Remove hard stem from
mushrooms. Wash & thinly slice mustard green. Separate cabbage
leaves; blanch in salted boiling water for 30 seconds; drain; slice
into 2" sections. In a bowl, combine stock, salt, sherry, sugar & soy
sauce; reserve. Render chicken fat in small saucepan at medium heat;
discard pieces of fat; keep oil hot.
Braising: Heat peanut oil in wok until hot but not smoking. Stir-fry
mushrooms, shrimp & mustard green for 15 seconds. Add cabbage; stir-
fry for 1 minute. Add stock mixture; bring to boil. Reduce heat,
cover wok, & simmer for 10 minutes, reducing liquid by half; add more
stock if needed. Turn up heat; add enough cornstarch paste to make
light sauce. Swirl in hot chicken oil. Serve.
Note: Cabbage leaves should become transparent, but avoid overcooking;
they should be soft but not wilted.
Serves 4
KEY WORDS: main dish, braise
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Title: SHANGHAI RED-COOKED CHICKEN
Red-cooking is a form of stewing with a seasoned liquid containing
soy sauce and spices.
3 1/2 lb. (approx) whole frying chicken
1/2 c dark soy sauce
1 1/2 c peanut (or vegetable) oil for braising
2 T peanut oil for stewing
4 green onions
1/2 t minced fresh ginger
4 c water
1/2 c medium sherry
1/2 c thin soy sauce
1 clove star anise
1 t salt
3 lumps rock sugar
1 T sesame oil
cornstarch paste
If serving more people, get more chickens. Chickens should not exceed
about 4 lbs. each.
Marinating: Wash chicken thoroughly under cool water: dry. Cut off
fat pockets around cavity opening. Place chicken in snug bowl.Brush
or rub dark soy sauce into skin; let stand in bowl for 30 minutes;
repeat brushing several times. Remove from bowl.
Braising: In wok heat oil for braising under medium high flame.When
oil is hot, but not smoking, quickly lower chicken into oil. Protect
yourself against splattering oil by holding wok lid over wok; don't
actually cover it. Using large spoon, baste chicken with hot oil, &
turn once or twice so skin browns evenly (about 10-15 minutes).
Carefully remove chicken from wok, trying not to break skin.
Stewing: Chop green onions into 2" sections. Heat peanut oil in
heavy pot or dutch oven, in which chicken will fit snugly. When oil
is hot, add green onions & ginger. Saute until onions are lightly
brown. Add water, sherry, thin soy, star anise & salt. Bring mixture
to boil.While liquid is heating, loosely tie legs of chicken together
with a piece of twine. Lower chicken into boiling liquid.
Bring liquid to boil again, then reduce heat for very slow simmer.
Chicken should actually be floating free in liquid. Cover & simmer
for about 1 hour or until chicken is very tender. Leave chicken in
covered pot until 5 minutes before serving. Then remove it carefully
to serving platter; remove twine. Remove all but 1 cup of liquid from
pot (including onion pieces). Bring liquid to boil; thicken slightly
with cornstarch paste; glaze with sesame oil. Pour sauce over chicken
& serve.
Serves 4
KEY WORDS: main dish, menu 13, braise
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Title: FIERY PORK & WINTER BAMBOO SHOOTS OVER SNOW
This attractive dish is spiced with pungent, hot chili sauce with
garlic.
1 large end-cut pork chop (OR
1/2 lb pork butt)
1 1/4 c slivered winter bamboo shoots
1 t minced ginger root
2 large garlic cloves
2 T peanut oil
1/2 c chicken stock
1 t chili paste with garlic
1 pinch sugar
1 1/2 c vegetable oil
1/2 c rice stick noodles
2 t thin soy sauce
2 t cornstarch
cornstarch paste
1 t Chinese red vinegar
Preparation: Rinse bamboo shoots; slice & sliver to the size of thick
matchsticks. Slice pork like bamboo & marinate in thin soy sauce &
cornstarch for 10 minutes. Peel & slice garlic in thin rounds.
Combine stock, chili paste & sugar.
Deep-frying Rice Stick: Break up rice stick before measuring. Heat
vegetable oil in hot wok. When oil is medium hot, test a few pieces
of rice stick: it should fry quickly to a puffy white. If it browns,
turn down the heat. Fry rice sticks in very small batches. Spread
out fried snow on serving platter, reserve in warm place.
Stir-Frying: Clean wok; then reheat to very hot. Add peanut oil,
heating until it just begins to smoke; add drained pork & stir-fry
briskly for about 2 minutes. Add bamboo, garlic & ginger. Toss with
pork for 1 minute. Re-stir liquids and add to wok. Cover wok, &
simmer for 3 minutes. Remove cover; turn up heat again; boil briefly
to reduce sauce; sprinkle on vinegar. Ladle over rice stick & serve.
Serves 4
KEY WORDS: main dish, menu 13, stir-fry, deep-fry
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Title: ASSORTED VEGETABLES IN A CLEAR SAUCE
This recipe can be used with any firm, mild flavored vegetables in
season.
2 medium turnips
2 small carrots
4 green onions
3 fresh asparagus spears
1/2 c button mushrooms
1/2 c peeled straw mushrooms
8 baby sweet corn
8 water chestnuts
1/2 t fresh ginger root
1 T Tientsin preserved vegetable
2 T peanut oil
2 c chicken stock
1 t salt
1 pinch sugar
cornstarch paste
1 T chicken fat
1/2 c crab meat or shelled shrimp (opt)
Preparation: Peel turnips & carrots. Use melon scoop to cut turnips
into large balls. Slice carrots 1/2" thick; then with paring knife,
cut 4 evenly spaced notches into rim of each slice (don't cut into
center core). Carrots should look like little flowers. Parboil
turnip & carrots in stock until barely tender. Remove from stock &
plunge pieces into cold water; drain. Cut onions, asparagus & baby
corn into 1 1/2" pieces. Mince together fresh ginger root & Tientsin
preserved vegetable. Insmall pot or beaker on medium heat, render
pieces of chicken fat.
Stir-frying: Add peanut oil to hot wok. When it begins to smoke,
briskly fry crab meat or shrimp for 1 minute. Add asparagus, baby
corn, mushrooms & water chestnuts, stir-frying until they are hot.
Add ginger mixture, then onions. Stir-fry another 30 seconds. Add
1/2 stock, salt & sugar; bring to boil. Add turnips & carrots. Cover &
reduce heat; simmer for 5 minutes.Uncover, push ingredients out of
liquid, & dribble in cornstarch paste to thicken slightly. Stir
liquid to prevent lumping while it thickens to a thick soup. Recom-
bine, then mix in chicken oil. Remove to serving platter.
Serves 4
KEY WORDS: menu 13, main dish, stir-fry
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Title: SWEET ALMOND PUDDING WITH RED DATES
this unusual dish as a dessert, as a mid-way course in a large dinner,
or as a snack. Pudding may be misleading, since it is really a thick,
hot soup.
1/3 c sweet rice flour
2 T + 2 t almond powder
1/2 c cold water
3 c cold milk
1/4 c granulated sugar
1/4 c sliced pitted red dates
3 T cold milk, if needed
In small bowl, mix rice flour & almond powder; add cold water a little
at a time to make a thick, smooth paste. Thin further with 1/2 cup of
milk. Pour into heavy saucepan, add remaining milk, and slowly heat to
just under boiling, stirring constantly. Keep stirring to prevent
lumping & burning. Turn off heat, cover & remove to cool place. You
can prepare this first stage anytime ahead of dinner, keep covered &
refrigerated. Pudding should be finished just before serving.
Just before serving, reheat pudding, stirring constantly. When hot,
add sugar a little at a time. Keep stirring. Add sliced dates. Cook
just under boiling point for 1 minute. Add extra milk if pudding
becomes too thick: it should have consistency of melted ice cream.
Pour into individual bowls & serve hot.
Serves 4
KEY WORDS: dessert, menu 13, soup, boil
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Title: SHRIMP CHIPS
Great as a before dinner snack or served with a dinner dish, such as
roast or steamed stuffed chicken, to offer a flavor and texture con-
trast.
1 lb box shrimp chips
3 1/2 c (approx) vegetable oil
Shrimp chips are thin translucent wafers in assorted colors, made from
shrimp flavored rice flour paste. When deep-fried very briefly, they
puff up to three times their original size.
Heat vegetable oil to deep-frying temperature, and fry a few chips at
a time. Serve hot. Keep leftover wafers in an airtight jar.
Serves 4
KEY WORDS: menu 14, snack, deep-fry
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Title: LEMON CHICKEN
This is one of the most appealing and unique recipes in Chinese cook-
ing that goes by this name.
2 whole chicken breasts
1/3 c water chestnut powder
1/3 c lemon sauce
5 c vegetable oil
1 T water
1/2 T sugar
cornstarch paste
Preparation: Pull chicken skin from breasts, then carefully pull meat
from breast bone, keeping meat intact. Thin inner filet will come off
separately. Cut meat across the grain into strips about 3/4" wide by
1 1/2" long. Put water chestnut powder in bowl large enough to hold
chicken, & deep enough to keep powder from flying around. Add chicken
pieces a few at a time, tossing gently to thoroughly coat each piece;
they should be entirely white. Leave them in bowl while you prepare
sauce.
Sauce: In small saucepan, mix prepared lemon sauce (we suggest Mee
Chun brand from Hong Kong), water & sugar. Bring to boil; reduce heat
& simmer for 2 minutes. Just before serving, thicken with cornstarch
paste to consistency of a fudge sauce.
Deep-frying: In deep-fryer or wok, slowly heat oil to deep-frying
temperature. (Don't let oil smoke.) Test with piece of chicken: it
should reach a medium brown in about 35 seconds. Fry chicken in
batches of 5-6 pieces at a time; drain. Place on serving plate,
keeping warm until ready to serve. Pour lemon sauce over chicken at
last minute.
Serves 4
KEY WORDS: menu 14, main dish, deep-fry
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Title: BUTTERFLY SHRIMP WITH SNOWPEAS
Always a favorite, you will want to serve this fresh tasting combina-
tion over and over again.
1/4 lb fresh or frozen medium-sized shrimp
1/3 lb fresh snowpeas
8 large fresh or canned water chestnuts
1/2 c unpeeled straw mushrooms
2 t fresh ginger, slivered
1 large clove garlic, minced
2 green onions
3 T peanut oil
1/2 c chicken stock
2 t thin soy sauce
1 t dry sherry
1/2 t salt
1 pinch sugar
cornstarch paste
Preparation: Soak snowpeas in cold water for 2 hours to make crisp.
Soak shrimp in salted cold water for 1 hour. Drain straw mushrooms.
Break off ends of snowpeas. Peel & rinse water chestnuts. Shell
shrimp, keeping tail intact. Deeply slit shrimp around upper curve
(don't cut through), deveining, & spreading shrimp almost flat. Cut
freen onion on the bias in 2" lengths. Slice water chestnuts thinly
crosswise. In small bowl, mix stock, soy sauce, sherry, salt & sugar.
Stir-frying: Swirl peanut oil into very hot wok. When oil begins to
smoke, add shrimp & stir-fry until they curl (about 20 seconds).
Remove shrimp to serving platter. Stir-fry mushrooms for 30 seconds;
add garlic & ginger; stir-fry another 30 seconds. Add snowpeas &
water chestnuts; stir-fry briskly for 1 minute. Add stock mixture;
bring to boil; keep tossing until snowpeas are bright green. Push
ingredients out of liquid, dribble in cornstarch paste to thicken
slightly. Return ingredients, including shrimp. Stir briefly. Serve
immediately. HINT: snowpeas should be slightly undercooked when
served.
Serves 4
KEY WORDS: main dish, menu 14, stir-fry
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Title: MIXED FRUITS WITH GRASS JELLY
A simple yet exotic dessert of mixed tropical fruits and an unusual
nutritious prepared gelatin, grass jelly, made from a subtle tasting
seaweed.
1/2 can lychee fruit with juice
1/2 c canned mandarin oranges
1 can grass jelly
Have all ingredients well chilled. Open both ends of grass jelly can;
push out gelatin; slice, then cut into 1/2" cubes. Place grass jelly
cubes in serving bowl with lychee fruit and mandarin oranges. Cover
and keep refrigerated until ready to serve.
Serves 4
KEY WORDS: menu 14, dessert
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Title: ASPARAGUS SALAD WITH PICKLED RED GINGER
Asparagus salad is typical of many Chinese vegetable salads, in that
the vegetable is first steamed, then cooled, before slicing and dress-
ing.
12 medium-size asparagus
4 pieces pickled red ginger
DRESSING:
1 T thin soy sauce
1/4 t ginger juice
1 pinch sugar
1 T sesame oil
Wash asparagus spears. Use sharp paring knife to peel off tough white
skin on lower stem and cut off the very end. When steamer is hot,
steam spears until barely cooked. They are overcooked when the color
is olive. Remove from steamer, drain any water, and cool to room
temperature. Meanwhile, mix dressing ingredients in small bowl. Slice
pickled red ginger into thin slivers. About ten minutes before serv-
ing, slice spears on the bias into 2" segments. Place on serving
dish, intermingled with pickled ginger. Pour dressing over asparagus,
and let it permeate the salad. Serve at room temperature. This salad
can also be served while asparagus is still warm, or it can be
chilled.
Serves 4
KEY WORDS: salad, steam
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Title: BARBECUED LAMB ON SKEWERS
Marinated meat, skewered and barbecued, is popular throughout the
Orient -much of the world, for that matter. This recipe from central
Asia, where lamb reigns supreme, is seasoned with a piquant marinade.
2 lbs stewing lamb, cut in 1 1/4" cubes
4 T fresh lemon juice
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 T hot chili oil (or
1/2 t cayenne and
1 T salad oil)
1/4 t salt
1 pinch sugar
Combine all ingredients and marinate lamb cubes for 2 hours in covered
bowl. Drain lamb, reserving marinade for basting during barbecuing.
Skewer lamb; you should have enough for two skewers per serving.
Barbecue until browned, but still juicy. Overcooking will dull fla-
vors. Serve with nang (Moslem bread) or shao bing (baked sesame
rolls).
Serves 4
KEY WORDS: New Year, main dish, roast
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Title: STEAMED WHOLE FISH
A New Year's dinner is incomplete without a whole fish, which symbol-
izes prosperity and good fortune for the coming year: the larger,
plumper and more decorative the fish, the better. Quite often, the
fish is not even eaten, just presented.
2 lb whole fish (cleaned weight)
e.g. rock cod, flounder, pomfret
2 t salt
4 scallions
1 T ginger slivers
1 c stock
1 T dry gin
1/2 t sugar
cornstarch paste
2 T peanut oil
1 sprig Chinese parsley
For more people, use more than one fish. Each fish should be no more
than 2 lbs. unless you have a very large steamer. Have your fishmon-
ger clean and scale fish, leaving head and fins intact. You can tell
if fish is fresh by the clearness of the eyes and a red tint on the
inner edge of the gills. Wash and pat dry, rub with salt. Allow to
stand at room temperature for 30 minutes.
On both sides of fish, make parallel diagonal cuts 1" apart through
meaty section. Trim and shred scallions diagonally in 2" lengths.
Peel and shred fresh ginger root. Place pieces of scallion and ginger
in cuts.
Place fish on greased plate. Steam at rapid boil for 15 to 25
minutes, depending on size. Fish is cooked when you can flake flesh.
Overcooking will toughen flesh, so watch closely.
Heat peanut oil in beaker or small saucepan. In wok, heat stock, gin
and sugar. When fish is cooked, remove from steamer. Drain juices
into stock mixture. Thicken slightly with cornstarch paste. Pour hot
oil, then stock mixture, over fish. Garnish with Chinese parsley.
Serve.
Serves 6
KEY WORDS: New Year, main dish, steam
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Title: CORNSTARCH PASTE
Here's a way to make the cornstarch paste called for in many of our
recipes.
THIN
3 T cold water
1 T cornstarch
THICK
1 T cold water
1 t cornstarch
Our recipes call for cornstarch paste as the thickening agent without
specifying the exact proportions of cornstarch and water. This recipe
is offered as an approximate guide until you find what works best for
you. Some cooks prefer the thin paste, some prefer thick.
Thoroughly mix together cornstarch and cold water. Always stir mix-
ture again just before using because the starch settles.
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Title: STIR-FRIED VEGETABLES WITH BEANCURD
This dish can be prepared ahead and served at room temperature, or
served right from the wok.
2 sq seasoned pressed beancurd
2 stalks celery
1 large carrot
6 c boiling water
1/2 c giant bamboo shoots, cut into sticks
1/2 medium white onion
1 T peanut oil
1/2 c chicken stock
1/4 t salt
1 pinch sugar
1/2 t ginger root, minced
2 t medium sherry
1/2 t sesame oil
cornstarch paste as thickener
Preparation: Cut pressed beancurd into sticks 2" long, the size of a
lead pencil. Wash and trim celery and carrots; trim strings from back
of celery; cut into sticks to match pressed beancurd. Wash and slice
giant bamboo shoot across grain to match beancurd sticks. Peel onion,
take apart layers; cut into sticks.
Combine chicken stock, salt, sugar, ginger, sherry and sesame oil in
bowl.Reserve.
Put carrots in rapidly boiling water; in 15 seconds, add celery; in
another 15 seconds, drain and plunge vegetables into running cold
water to stop cooking process. Drain and reserve.
Stir-frying: Heat wok to very hot; add oil. Let oil heat for a few
seconds, then add onions; toss for 10 seconds. Add celery, carrots
and bamboo shoots; toss for 1 minute. Slowly pour in chicken stock
mixture around sides of pan so it will heat quickly. When liquid
boils, add beancurd sticks, taking care not to break pieces. Thicken
liquid slightly with a dribble or two of cornstarch paste. Keep
stirring gently to reduce liquid. Remove to serving platter.
Serves 4
KEY WORDS: menu 23, stir-fry
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Title: WINED FISH CHUNKS IN BROTH
The unique character of this dish is the marriage of firm textured
oily fish with a good quality of wine. We suggest you also use white
rice wine, such as sake. Don't stint on the quality of the wine;
flavor is important. This dish is an entree, not a soup course, so
the amount of broth is less than you would expect for a soup.
2 lb oily fish, such as mackerel
2 t salt
1/2 c good quality dry white wine
3 c chicken stock
1/2 t ginger root, minced
1/4 t salt
4 Napa cabbage leaves
2 scallions
2 cubes hard beancurd
1 T cooked salad oil
1/2 t ground white pepper
Marinating: Have fishmonger clean fish, discard head and fins. Wash
fish, cut across fish in 1 1/2" sections. Mix salt and white wine in
bowl. Add fish chunks; rub with marinade; cover bowl; refrigerate for
6 hours. After 2 hours, turn fish to mix with marinade.
Preparations: Wash cabbage; slice leaves down middle, then in 2"
sections. Rinse beancurd; cut into 1" cubes. Wash, trim and shred
scallions, greens and all. Peel and mince ginger. Heat salad oil to
point of smoking. Remove from heat; reserve.
Cooking: Rinse fish chunks, drain. Heat chicken stock, beancurd,
ginger and salt in sauce pan. Reduce heat, cover pan, and simmer for
10 minutes. When you are ready to add fish and cabbage, turn up heat
to boil; add fish and cabbage when liquid boils; cover pan. Fish and
cabbage are cooked in about 3 to 5 minutes - cabbage leaves will be
bright lime green.
Ladle fish, cabbage and beancurd into warm shallow serving bowl; add
soup. Garnish with cooked oil, minced scallion and pepper. Serve.
Serves 4
KEY WORDS: menu 23, main dish, boil
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Title: ASPARAGUS & CHICKEN IN BLACK BEAN SAUCE
2 chicken thighs
12 medium asparagus spears
3 T peanut or corn oil
MARINADE:
1 T dry sherry
1 t cornstarch
2 t thin soy sauce
1 pinch sugar
SAUCE:
2 t fermented black beans
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 t brown sugar
2 t black soy sauce
3/4 c chicken stock
cornstarch paste as thickener
Marinating: With sharp paring knife, scrape chicken meat from thigh;
slice into thin strips across the grain. (Breast meat is not pre-
ferred for this dish, as meat is too dry and spongy.) Combine sherry,
soy, cornstarch and sugar in bowl; massage liquid into meat with your
fingers. Marinate for 15 to 30 minutes.
Preparation: Wash asparagus; peel tough white outer skin off ends;
slice on diagonal in 2 1/2" sections. Rinse fermented black beans.
In bowl, combine and mash black beans and garlic, brown sugar, black
soy sauce and chicken stock; stir; reserve for 15 minutes.
Stir Frying: Add 2/3 of oil to hot wok; when oil is very hot, add
chicken. Stir-fry for about 3 minutes on high heat - or until chicken
begins to shrink and firm up. Remove chicken to holding bowl.
Reheat wok to high, add remaining oil. When oil is hot, add black
bean sauce. Stir-fry for 1 minute. Add asparagus; mix with sauce.
Stir sauce with asparagus. When sauce boils, add cooked chicken; toss
to combine. Dribble in a little cornstarch paste if needed; cornstarch
in chicken marinade might be enough. Toss ingredients until very
little liquid remains and is reduced to glaze. Dish is ready when
asparagus brightens. If you still have too much liquid, remove ingre-
dients, continue to reduce sauce, then return ingredients to coat them
with sauce. Serve in individual portions.
Serves 6
KEY WORDS: main dish, stir-fry
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Title: WHITE FISH PIECES IN SOUP
Refreshing to the palate, very tasty and filling.
1/2 lb fish fillet (e.g. sole, snapper, butterfish)
4 c chicken stock
1 c bean thread noodles (or vermicelli), soaked
1 medium cucumber
1 slice ginger root
1 pinch sugar
2 t cornstarch paste
Chinese parsley leaves
Preparation: Peel cucumber; slice in half lengthwise; slice thinly
cross-wise. Or, use fancy vegetable cutter to make animal figures.
Cut fish into dollar-size pieces; blanch in boiling vinegared water
for 15 seconds, drain. Wash Chinese parsley; remove stems.
Cook Soup: Combine stock & ginger root in sauce pan; bring to just
under boil. Remove ginger slice. Add noodles, sugar & cornstarch
paste; stir. Add fish & cucumber. Cook at high simmer until fish is
done: 3-5 minutes. Don't allow broth to boil; you want it to remain
clear. Remove to covered serving bowl; garnish with parsley leaves;
serve.
Serves 4
KEY WORDS: soup, boil
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Title: RAW FISH SALAD
For a starter course on a warm fall evening, this dish has few peers.
1/2 lb fillet of red snapper (fresh!) or
tuna, sea bass, shark or swordfish
2 oz thin rice stick noodle
2 c oil for deep-frying
1/2 head iceberg lettuce (inner leaves only)
1/4 c pickled red ginger
1/2 c Chinese parsley (cilantro) or watercress
1 T white sesame seeds
1 fresh lemon
MARINADE:
2 T peanut oil
3 T cool water
2 t thin soy sauce
2 t sugar
3 slices fresh ginger, half-dollar size
1/2 t ground cinnamon
1/4 t white pepper
Marinating: Slice fish with the grain in pencil-thick, 2" strips.
Mix marinade ingredients; blend with fish in bowl. Cover and marinate
in refrigerator for 3 to 8 hours.
Preparations: Heat oil in wok to medium high. Toss 2 strands of rice
stick noodle in oil to make sure it is hot enough; noodles should puff
up instantly without browning. Deep-fry rice stick noodle briefly
until it expands; drain on paper towels; bag and reserve. Shred
lettuce; bag and reserve in regrigerator. Thinly shred or mince
pickled red ginger; reserve. Chop parsley in 2" lengths. Toast sesame
seeds in dry wok at low-medium heat until they are light tan; reserve
in tea cup or condiment saucer.
Assembling: Slice lemon in wedges. Separately pile ingredients on
large platter, removing slices of ginger from fish (discard slices).
Sprinkle salad with sesame seeds and toss on platter, squeezing lemon
over salad as you toss.
Serves 4
KEY WORDS: menu 24, salad, deep-fry
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Title: RED-COOKED BEEF WITH GRAVY NOODLES
A fatty cut of beef gives this dish more beef flavor, which is the
point of the dish; rich, mellow, gently seasoned.
1 lb boned chuck roast or thick steak
3 T cooking oil
2 T peanut oil or deep frying oil
2 scallions, coarsely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 t fresh ginger, minced
4 large stalks Napa cabbage, leaves removed,
cut in 2" squares
1/2 lb fresh egg noodles
RED-COOKING LIQUID:
1 t Sichuan peppercorns
4 c water
1/2 c black soy sauce
2 T Chinjiang vinegar
2 scallions
3 slices ginger
1 piece dried licorice root (opt)
GRAVY INGREDIENTS:
1 1/4 c chicken stock
2 T medium sherry
1 t ground bean sauce
1/2 t sugar
cornstarch paste
Red-Cooking Meat: In medium hot wok, toast peppercorns until fra-
grant (avoid burning); crush & finely mince with cleaver; reserve.
Cut beef into 1 1/2" chunks. Heat cooking oil in hot wok until it
starts to smoke; brown beef in several batches; drain oil & discard.
Combine peppercorns & remaining ingredients of red-cooking liquid; add
to wok. Bring to boil; reduce heat & simmer, covered, for 1 1/2 to 2
hours, until meat is very tender. (If liquid evaporates before meat
is tender, add cup of water or stock and continue cooking.) Remove
meat from liquid. If desired, cool meat, cover and refrigerate.
Boiling Noodles: Bring 4 qts. water to rolling boil; add noodles.
Drain when still slightly undercooked.
Stir-frying: Heat peanut oil in hot wok. When oil starts to smoke,
add scallions & stir-fry until fragrant. Add garlic, ginger & Napa
cabbage; stir-fry for about 1 minute, until cabbage is slightly wilt-
ed. Add meat & all gravy ingredients except cornstarch paste. Reduce
heat to medium, cover, & simmer for about 3 minutes. Remove cover;
dribble in enough cornstarch paste to make a light gravy; not too
heavy as you want to coat noodles, but not too soupy either. Turn up
heat; when sauce returns to boil, add noodles. Toss to mix (& reheat)
noodles. Transfer to warmed serving platter or large bowl.
Serves 4
KEY WORDS: menu 24, stir-fry, poach
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Title: SAUTEED ZUCCHINI AND MUSHROOMS IN SPICY SAUCE
This dish is intended to be a simple statement using seasonal vegeta-
bles.
3 slender, firm young zucchini
1/2 lb fresh button mushrooms
1 T Sichuan vegetable, washed and minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
8 small dried chilies
4 T peanut oil
1/2 c chicken stock
1 t thin soy sauce
1 T sherry
1 T brown bean sauce
1/4 t sugar
1 t yellow rice vinegar
cornstarch paste to thicken
Preparation: Trim zucchini and mushrooms. Slice zucchini in half
lengthwise, then roll-cut or simply slice on bias in thick 2" long
sections. Zucchini should be bite-size but not chunky. Cut mushrooms
in half through the stem. Wash, then finely mince Sichuan vegetable
(this is the secret ingredient!). Rinse chilies; leave whole. Com-
bine stock, soy sauce, sherry, bean sauce, sugar, and vinegar in bowl;
reserve.
Stir-frying: Heat oil in very hot wok. Just before oil smokes, add
zucchini, mushrooms, Sichuan vegetable, garlic, and chilies; stir-fry
for about 1 minute, tossing continuously so vegetables do not scorch.
Add liquid ingredients; bring to boil; dribble in cornstarch paste to
make a light sauce (it should not have a gravy look); then combine
sauce well with vegetables. Serve when zucchini is still slightly
undercooked.
Serves 4
KEY WORDS: menu 24, stir-fry, braise
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Title: GINGER TEA
A refreshing addition to any Chinese dinner.
2 thin slices of fresh ginger
1 cup boiling water
sugar to taste
Steep fresh ginger slices in boiling hot water for 10 minutes.
Add approximately one teaspoon of sugar per cup of water.
Serves 1
KEY WORDS: beverage, menu 25, boil
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Title: CHICKEN AND BANANA EGGROLL APPETIZER
1 large whole chicken breast
2 large firm bananas
2 t sesame oil
2 eggs
2 T milk
1/2 c all-purpose flour
2 t flour mixed with
2/3 t cold water to make thick paste
4 eggroll wrappers
3 c oil for deep-frying
Preparation: Halve chicken breast; lay one half flat and slice
through it horizontally. Repeat with other half. Use rolling pin to
roll breast meat pieces into very thin slices. Brush lightly with
sesame oil. Peel and cut bananas in half to yield two round sections
about length of chicken breasts. Beat eggs with milk. Wrap thin piece
of chicken around section of banana; dredge with flour; dip in egg
mixture. Roll wrapped banana in eggroll wrapper, tucking sides of
wrapper as you roll. Seal end of wrapper with flour paste. At this
point, you can cover and chill or freeze them until ready to deep-fry.
Deep-frying: Heat deep-frying oil in wok until bubbles form around a
bamboo chopstick held upright in center of oil. Deep-fry until light
brown; drain. After rolls have cooled slightly, slice into 1" sec-
tions. Serve.
If not serving right away, refry rolls briefly to recrisp, then slice
and serve.
Serves 6
KEY WORDS: make ahead, menu 25, deep-fry
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Title: STIR-FRIED ZUCCHINI, CARROTS, AND LEEKS
2 medium young zucchini
3 fresh carrots
2 large leeks
3 cloves garlic
1 t ginger, minced
2 T peanut oil
1/4 t sesame oil
SEASONINGS:
1/2 t salt
1/2 t sugar
1/4 t 5-spice powder
Preparation: Wash vegetables. Trim zucchini and slice into 2" long
matchsticks. Peel carrots and cut into 2" long matchsticks. Trim
leeks and do likewise. Peel garlic and cut into thin slices.
Stir-frying: Heat peanut oil in hot wok until it starts to smoke.
Stir-fry garlic and ginger for 30 seconds, splashing with water to
prevent burning. Add carrots and stir-fry for another 30 seconds. Add
leeks; stir-fry for 1 minute. Add zucchini; stir-fry for another 30
seconds. Sprinkle with seasonings, tossing ingredients as you do.
When vegetables are cooked, sprinkle with sesame oil. Transfer to
serving platter or individual plates to serve.
Serves 6
KEY WORDS: menu 25, vegetarian, stir-fry
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Title: MELON VELVET PIE
2 T cold water
1 envelope unflavored gelatin
1/2 c boiling water
1/2 c sugar
1/2 c orange juice
2 T lemon juice
1/3 c Midori melon liqueur
1 c heavy cream
1 baked 9-inch deep pie shell
1 c honeydew melon balls
GLAZE:
1/4 c apricot preserves
1 T Grand Marnier or other orange liqueur
Preparation: Place cold water in bowl and sprinkle gelatin over it.
Let sit for 2 minutes, then stir in boiling water. Add sugar and stir
until dissolved. Add orange and lemon juice and melon liqueur and
stir well. Regrigerate until slightly thickened but not set.
Whip cream until thick and fold in gelatin mixture. Pour into baked
pie shell.
Halve the melon balls and arrange on top of filling, cut side down.
Heat apricot preserves and liqueur until well blended. Press through
sieve into small bowl, then brush on top of melon balls. Chill pie
well before serving.
Serves 6
KEY WORDS: make ahead, dessert, menu 25, boil
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Title: DEEP-FRIED CRAB BALLS WITH VINEGAR DIP
You can serve this dish hot or cold. We prefer the crab balls hot,
when their exterior is crisp and the meat hot and moist. They also go
better with the vinegar dip when hot. If you prefer to serve them
cold or at room temperature, delete the dip, or substitute something
like mustard and catsup.
1/2 lb fresh cooked crab meat
2 oz. pork fat from loin
6 peeled water chestnuts
1 scallion
2 eggs
2 T dry sherry
1 t salt
2 T cornstarch
1/2 t minced ginger root
2 c deep-frying oil
VINEGAR DIP:
2 T black Chinjiang vinegar
1 T yellow rice vinegar
2 t thin soy sauce
1/2 t sugar
Preparation: If you're using food processor, crab and pork fat should
be cold. Cut pork fat into cubes. Trim and cut scallion into 1"
sections, including greens. Using steel blade, place water chestnuts
and scallion in bowl; pulse/start to chop vegetables. Add crab meat
and pork fat; pulse/start to mince. Add eggs, sherry, salt, corn-
starch and minced ginger. Pulse/start 3 or 4 times to blend. Don't
overdo it; you don't want a puree.
Deep-frying: In wok or deep-fryer, heat oil until bubbles form around
a bamboo chopstick held upright in oil. Using teaspoon, form small
ball of crab mixture. Test cooking temperature; it should brown and
cook through in about 5 minutes; adjust heat if necessary. Proceed
with deep-frying about 6 balls at a time; avoid crowding them. Drain
on bamboo strainer or towel. If you can't serve them immediately,
refry briefly to crisp skin. Avoid overcooking.
Vinegar dip: Mix ingredients in a shallow bowl; place on serving
platter and surround with crab balls.
Serves 4
KEY WORDS: deep-fry
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Title: STIR-FRIED PORK AND ASPARAGUS WITH FISH SAUCE
This is a basic stir-fried vegetable and meat dish. Adding just a
touch of fish sauce lends an interesting dimension to the taste.
1/4 lb boneless pork butt
12 medium asparagus spears
1/2 t fresh ginger root, minced
1 T peanut oil
1/3 c chicken stock
1 pinch sugar
1 t fish sauce (OR
2 t #2 oyster sauce)
thin cornstarch paste
Preparation: Slice pork butt (or comparable boneless pork) across the
grain into strips 2" by 1/4" by 1/8" thick. Wash and trim tough white
skin from asparagus. Cut asparagus into 2 1/2" segments. If asparagus
is thick (3/4" or more), cut on bias so it will cook quickly and be
balanced in size with pork strips.
Stir-frying: Heat peanut oil in wok until it just begins to smoke.
Add pork strips and stir-fry about 1 minute until no longer pink. Add
asparagus and stir-fry briskly for another minute. Before asparagus
turns bright green, add ginger, chicken stock and sugar; keep stir-
ring. When liquid boils, reduce heat to medium, add fish sauce (not
oyster sauce, though), cover and simmer for about 1 minute or until
asparagus is cooked but still firm. Uncover, turn up heat, and push
ingredients out of liquid. Dribble in cornstarch paste, stirring
continuously until liquid thickens. You may need 1 to 2 tsp of paste.
Recombine ingredients. Serve.
Serves 4
KEY WORDS: main dish, stir-fry
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Title: SESAME SHRIMP TOAST
These tasty dainties are quick and easy to prepare. They are a popu-
lar snack and banquet dish that takes several forms, depending on
budget and occasion. The lesser tea houses stretch the shrimp by
adding 1/3 soft-flesh fish.
1/2 lb peeled raw shrimp or prawns
2 egg whites
3 c oil for deep-frying
3 slices day-old bread
1/4 t salt
1/2 t cornstarch
1 c white sesame seeds
Preparation: Peel and devein raw shrimp. Chop, then mash, shrimp to
soft pulp. A cleaver or food processor works well for this. Mix
shrimp meat with salt and cornstarch. Remove crust from bread; slice
each into 6 rectangles. We used heavy wheat bread, which gives a
chewy texture; light white bread would be more crisp and absorb less
oil. Separate eggs; beat whites to stiff peaks. Fold egg whites
completely into shrimp mixture.
Deep-frying: Because shrimp mixture is a little runny, wait until you
are ready to deep-fry before spreading mixture on bread. Put about 1
teaspoon of mixture on each piece of bread. Set them on plate; sprin-
kle with raw white sesame seeds.
Heat oil slowly to medium hot. Test with crust of bread; it should
brown in 10 seconds. Deep-fry 6 pieces at a time, shrimp side down,
until they brown; then roll them over to brown the bread. Pieces are
buoyant balls, which may be uncooperative, so keep an eye on them.
Frying time is about 3 minutes. After frying, remove to warm serving
platter. Serve.
After deep-frying, they keep for about 30 minutes in warm oven.
However, they are best right out of deep-fryer. We suggest you fry a
second batch midway through the buffet; to fry 18 takes about 7
minutes.
Serves 8
KEY WORDS: snack, menu 21, deep-fry
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Title: WHITE FISH FILETS IN BEAN SAUCE
Cook this dish quickly so fish will be flaky and tender.
1/2 lb fish filets (soft flesh fish like sole)
1/2 c dry sherry
1 t sugar
1/2 t thin soy sauce
1/2 t fresh ginger, minced
1 T Cloud Ear black fungus (or water chestnuts)
2/3 c chicken stock
1/2 t Szechuan Soybean Paste
1 t cornstarch paste (approx)
1/2 t sesame oil
Preparation: Wash and soak Cloud Ear fungus for about 30 minutes or
until soft; drain. Slice fish filets into 2" squares; marinate in
sherry, sugar and soy sauce for 15 minutes. Mix stock and soybean
paste; add in half the marinade when fish is removed.
Cooking: Heat wok to high. Add stock mixture; when it comes to slow
boil, add ginger and Cloud Ear fungus; cook fungus for about 1 minute.
Dribble in cornstarch paste; keep stirring as you do; sauce should
attain a medium consistency. Allow sauce to cook for another minute.
Reduce heat to medium, then introduce fish pieces. Poach for about 1
minute or until flaky and milky white. Avoid overcooking. Stir in
sesame oil. Serve.
Variation: Use thinly sliced water chestnuts in place of Cloud Ear
black fungus; garnish with minced green onion.
Serves 4
KEY WORDS: main dish, stir-fry
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Title: ALMOND FLOAT WITH MANDARIN ORANGES
A light, sweet, gelatinous pudding of very delicate texture, totally
unlike a typical gelatin dessert - Jello it is not.
1 1/4 c boiling water
1/2 c agar-agar, cut in pieces
1 c evaporated milk
1/3 c sugar
1 T almond extract
2 c hot water
1 c Mandarin oranges
Have large cooled bowl or (preferably) 9" x 9" glass dish ready for
gelatin mixture.
Add agar-agar to boiling water and stir until thoroughly dissolved.
(Watch for burning on bottom.) At this stage, agar-agar will impart
noticeable odor, but it does not carry through to finished dish.
Add evaporated milk and sugar; bring back to boil and boil for 1
minute, stirring constantly. Add almond extract. Slowly add hot
water, continuing to stir until sugar is completely dissolved. As
soon as mixture returns to boil, turn off heat.
Pour mixture into bowl for setting. When it has cooled slightly,
cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Turn jellied mixture out
onto flat plate, then cut it in 1" squares. Place squares in individ-
ual serving bowls with Mandarin orange wedges and their juice. Cover
and return to refrigerator until ready to serve.
Serves 4
KEY WORDS: menu 10, make ahead
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Title: CAULIFLOWER WITH BEEF "SICHUAN STYLE"
Typical Sichuan spicing in a simple vegetable and meat combination.
1/2 lb round steak, in 1/2" cubes
5 Nami black mushrooms
2 medium carrots
2 c cauliflower
3 green onions, minced
1/2 t fresh ginger, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 t Szechuan peppercorns, crushed
3 T peanut oil for stir-frying
MARINADE:
1/4 c thin soy sauce
1/4 c dry sherry
SAUCE:
1 c chicken stock
1 t "Lan Chi" black bean paste with chili
2 splashes Chinkiang black vinegar
3 drops sesame oil
cornstarch paste
Plus these amounts of liquids
generated during preparation:
1/2 c reserved carrot stock
1/4 c marinade
1/4 c mushroom soaking liquid
Preparation: Combine soy and sherry for marinade; marinate steak
pieces for 1 hour; massage meat in marinade to aid tenderizing; drain,
reserving marinade. Wash and soak mushrooms for 1 hour; drain, re-
serving soaking liquid, thinly slice. Wash, peel and roll-cut car-
rots. (Roll-cut means slicing on a slight bias in 1" lengths but
turning the carrot a quarter turn (90 degrees) between slices.
Wash cauliflower, trim off thick part of stems, and either break or
cut florets into pieces about the size of the carrot pieces.
Parboil carrots in boiling stock for about 3 minutes or until just
beginning to soften. Reserve carrots and stock.
Stir-frying: Heat peanut oil in hot wok. When oil just begins to
smoke, add drained steak cubes; stir-fry briskly for 1 minute until
meat begins to lose pinkness. Don't overcook meat or it will be
tough. Remove to holding plate.
Swirl remaining oil into wok. Add ginger, garlic and peppercorns;
stir-fry 15 seconds. Add cauliflower and mushrooms; stir-fry 1
minute. Add specified amounts of liquids generated during prepara-
tion: reserved carrot stock, marinade, and mushroom soaking liquid;
bring to boil. Cover wok; reduce heat to medium, and simmer 3
minutes.
Remove lid; turn heat to high. When sauce boils again, add carrots
and beef. Mix together. Splash vinegar down sides of wok. Push
ingredients out of sauce, thicken with thin cornstarch paste. Sauce
should be a light gravy. Add seasame oil. Toss in green onion.
Serve.
Serves 4
KEY WORDS: main dish, spicy, stir-fry
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Title: STEWED CAULIFLOWER IN CREAM SAUCE
Vegetables in cream sauce are typically Shanghai-style.
2 c cauliflower florets
1/2 c unpeeled canned straw mushrooms
3 green onions
1 clove garlic, smashed
1 t Tientsin cabbage
shrimp or crab meat (opt)
1 t salt
1 t sugar
2 T peanut oil
1/2 t peanut oil
cornstarch paste
SAUCE:
2/3 c stock
1 t dry sherry
1/4 c milk
Preparation: Wash cauliflower, and cut florets about twice the size
of straw mushrooms. Dice green onions into 1/4" pieces. Mix stock &
sherry.
Cooking: Heat first oil to medium hot. Add garlic & stir for about
30 seconds. Remove garlic before it begins to brown. Turn heat high;
add cauliflower. Stir-fry for about 1 minute. Add onion, salt &
sugar; stir-fry 30 seconds. Stir in Tientsin cabbage. If desired,
add shrimp or crab meat.
Immediately add stock & sherry; bring sauce to boil, mixing with
cauliflower. Cover & simmer 4 minutes. Remove lid; thicken with
cornstarch. Sauce should be very heavy, so that when milk is added,
it will thin slightly, but still have body. Bring sauce back to boil;
slowly add milk while stirring. Add remaining peanut oil for a final
glaze. Serve.
Serves 4
KEY WORDS: vegetarian, stir-fry, poach
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Title: BARBECUED SPARERIBS
A perennial favorite.
2 lbs spareribs
2 T dark soy sauce
2 T thin soy sauce
3 T orange honey
3 T "Koon Chun" Hoisin sauce (or
Chee Hou or Chap Sam sauce)
1 clove garlic
1/2 t hot chili oil (omit with Chap Sam sauce)
1 green onion
1 T dry Marsala
Preparation: Chop ribs into 2" sections. Mix remaining ingredients
and marinate ribs in mixture for 4-6 hours, turning several times. If
you marinate overnight, keep refrigerated, allow to warm up before
baking.
Baking: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Drain ribs, saving marinade.
Place ribs on rack in roasting pan. Bake at 325 degrees for 45
minutes, basting every 15 minutes. Turn up heat to 375 and finish
undisturbed for 15 minutes - until slightly rusty. Serve hot.
Serves 4
KEY WORDS: main dish, roast
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Title: SHRIMP SAUCE MIXED VEGETABLES & SHREDDED CHICKEN
A delicious vegetable dish.
2 c mung bean sprouts
8 Nami dried black mushrooms
1 large green bell pepper
1/2 stewed chicken breast
8 green onions
1 t fresh ginger root
2 T peanut oil
3/4 c rich chicken stock
1 T medium sherry
1/2 t sugar
1/2 t shrimp sauce
1 t thick cornstarch paste
Preparation: Wash and soak mushrooms in warm water for 45 minutes;
remove stems; slice caps in thin strips. Wash bell pepper; slice in
half lengthwise; slice in long, thin strips. Remove chicken meat from
bone; pick meat apart into shreds. Wash green onions; cut off roots
and discard; shred green tops and whites. Peel and slice fresh ginger
root into thin matchsticks. Rinse bean sprouts to remove any loose
pieces.
Place bean sprouts and sliced pepper in colander in a larger bowl.
Pour boiling water over vegetables to cover. Steep for 2 minutes.
Remove colander from hot water; flush vegetables with cold water.
Stir-frying: Heat oil in wok until it just begins to smoke. Stir-fry
mushrooms for 30 seconds. Add chicken and ginger sticks; stir-fry
another 30 seconds. Push ingredients up side of wok. Add stock,
sherry and sugar; bring to boil; then add shrimp sauce and cornstarch
paste; stir liquids until fairly thick. Return vegetables, plus bean
sprouts and peppers. Stir-fry for another minute until everything is
hot. Add green onions. Serve. Gravy will tend to thin as sprouts
give off liquid, so be sure it is thick to start.
Serves 4
KEY WORDS: menu 18, main dish, stir-fry
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Title: BRAISED & DEEP FRIED PORK SLICES IN WINE SAUCE
The flavoring of the pork with our version of Fujinese "wine lees
paste" gives it a distinctive and uniquely delicious flavor.
1 t red rice vinegar
2 T medium sherry
3/4 c stock
cornstarch paste
1 1/2 lbs boned pork butt
3 T peanut oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 egg yolks
1 t water
1 c fine plain bread crumbs
4 c oil for deep-frying
PASTE:
2 T cooked rice
1/2 t sugar
1 t dry baker's yeast
2 T dark soy sauce
2 T warm water
1 t wet bean cheese (opt)
Prepare Paste: Use mortar and pestle to pulverize cooked rice.
Combine with sugar, yeast, soy and warm water. Let stand in warm
place for 30 minutes to activate yeast. Authentic wine lees paste is
not available in the U.S. to our knowledge, this is the best substi-
tute we have found. You can add wet bean cheese for a sharper flavor.
Braise Pork: Slice pork butt across the grain into strips, 1" by 3"
by 1/2" thick. Heat peanut oil in wok until it begins to smoke. Add
some of pork to hot oil; stir-fry pieces until they lose their pink-
ness; repeat in batches until all pork is browned. Next, add garlic
to wok; stir briefly. Pour in wine lees paste, rice vinegar, sherry
and stock; bring to slow boil; add pork slices. Reduce heat, cover,
and simmer for 30 minutes.
Remove pork, without sauce, to large platter. Cool pork. Cooling is
essential so that it will deep-fry properly. Reserve sauce in small
pan. You can hold pork for several hours, if you wish to braise it in
advance.
Deep-fry Pork: Heat deep-frying oil in wok. While oil is heating,
beat egg yolks with water; set out bread crumbs on platter. Dip pork
pieces in egg mixture, then bread crumbs, to thoroughly cover.
When oil is at deep-frying temperature, 375 degrees, slip in a slice
of pork as a test: pork should lightly brown in about 1 minute.
Place 6 pork slices on Chinese strainer, and lower into oil, strainer
and all. Check in 2 minutes (browning should take slightly longer
than test because strainer cools the oil). If you prefer to fry in
larger batches, use more oil. Remove fried pork to warm platter,
uncovered.
Finish: Reheat sauce, and pour over pork just before serving.
Serves 4
KEY WORDS: menu 18, make ahead, main dish, deep-fry, braise
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Title: ASPARAGUS AND SESAME CHICKEN SOUP
This recipe was inspired by a memorable soup first tasted in Taipei.
It has its origins in Fujian, only 125 miles from the Straits of
Taiwan.
2 lb chicken
3 T sesame oil
6 slices ginger root
1/2 c medium sherry
1/2 t salt
2 c warm water
1 t sugar
1/2 c button mushrooms, canned
8 fresh asparagus spears
Preparation: Rinse chicken, remove fat pockets, pat dry, and chop
into bite-size pieces. NOTE: if tempted to use breast meat without
bones, please don`t; bones add to body and flavor of soup. Peel and
slice ginger root. Wash and cut asparagus into 2" sections.
Braising: Heat wok to medium hot. Add sesame oil. Start braising
chicken a few pieces at a time when oil begins to smell. Sesame oil
will burn at lower temperature than other cooking oils, so avoid hot
wok. After browning lightly, return chicken pieces to wok; add ginger
slices, sherry and salt. When sherry boils, add water and sugar. Turn
up heat, bring to boil, then reduce heat to simmer, cover and simmer
for 30 minutes. Add mushrooms and asparagus, simmer for another 15
minutes.
Transfer to covered soup tureen (or put plate on top of soup bowl),
place in steamer on low, and hold until ready to serve.
You can make this soup in large sauce pan, if wok is needed for some-
thing else.
Serves 4
KEY WORDS: menu 18, soup, braise, boil
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Title: CHICKEN AND LOTUS SEED SOUP
This delicious thick soup is a meal in itself.
1 c chicken breast, julienne
12 dried lotus seeds
4 Nami black mushrooms
1/2 c celery, julienne
1 T Smithfield ham, julienne
2 sprigs Chinese parsley
5 c chicken stock
2 slices fresh ginger root
2 T dry sherry
1/2 t sugar
1 t salt
2 t lotus root powder
Preparation: Blanch lotus seeds, remove reddish brown tip. Wash and
soak mushrooms in warm water until soft, about 30 minutes; remove
stems; slice in thin matchsticks. Before slicing celery, scrap off
stringy back of stalk; slice julienne lengthwise in 1" sections.
Slice chicken breast and Smithfield ham or other pungent pressed ham)
in 1" strips.
Soup: Heat stock in 3-quart pan or sandy pot. Add ginger, sherry,
sugar and salt. Bring to gentle boil, then add lotus seeds, chicken
and mushrooms. Simmer soup for 30 minutes. Add celery and ham.
Simmer for another 15 minutes. Mix lotus root powder with a little
hot stock, then stir into soup. Transfer to heated serving bowl, or
serve in sandy pot. Garnish with Chinese parsley.
NOTE: Lotus seeds require about 30 minutes in simmering water to
soften. Check them before adding ham and celery; simmer longer if
necessary.
Serves 4
KEY WORDS: soup, boil
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Title: BEGGAR'S CHICKEN
A beggar wrapped a plucked chicken in lotus leaves from the pond to
prevent it from burning, then coated it with mud to disguise his
prize. Onto his small fire it went. When he unwrapped it 2 hours
later, this aromatic dish awaited him.
3 1/2 lb frying chicken
3 dried lotus leaves
4 lbs wet modeling clay
STUFFING:
1/2 lb ground pork
2 T salted mustard green, minced
1 T peanut oil
1 t sugar
1 t fresh ginger root, minced
MIXTURE FOR SKIN:
1/2 t salt
1 T medium sherry
1 t sesame oil
1 T dark soy sauce
Prepare Chicken: Trim excess fat from chicken; remove wing tips. Mix
mixture for skin; rub chicken inside & out with it. Leave uncovered
at room temperature, while coating is absorbed and dried. Repeat if
necessary.
Stuffing: In hot wok, heat peanut oil to smoking. Stir-fry ground
pork 2 minutes; add mustard green, ginger & sugar; stir-fry 1 more
minute. Remove & cool.
Lotus Leaves: Number of leaves depends on their size & that of chick-
en. Reduce heat under boiling water to simmer, & steep leaves for 3-5
minutes, until wet through & pliable (no longer or leaves may shred).
Now soak in cold water for 10 minutes, or longer, until time to use
them; open folded leaves in cold water to wash them.
Wrap Chicken: Preheat oven to 550 degrees. Stuff chicken with pork
mixture. Cut hard center out of lotus leaves, then slit along fold
about 3" on each side of center, so cut away center can be overlapped.
Wrap chicken in 3 layers of lotus leaves. Tie securely with piece of
cotton or fiber string (don't use nylon; it might melt). Spread soft,
wet modeling clay about 1/2" thick on sheet of newspaper. Bring clay
pack around chicken & seal. Remove newspaper. (Use foil if clay
unavailable.)
Roasting: Place clay-covered chicken on rack in shallow roasting pan
in preheated oven. Bake for 1 hour; reduce heat to 350 degrees & bake
for another 1 1/2 hours.
Serve: Present fired clay chicken to table. Crack clay with suitable
object, allowing some of steam to escape before you proceed. Remove
clay; carefully cut open lotus leaves with scissors. Chicken will be
very soft & tender; break apart to get at stuffing. Serve guests, or
invite them to pick with chopsticks.
Serves 4
KEY WORDS: menu 19, main dish, roast
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Title: CLEAR FISH SOUP
A classic.
1/2 lb white fish fillets, fresh or frozen
4 c superior chicken broth (clear)
1 T medium sherry
8 slices winter bamboo shoots
1 bunch fresh spinach
1 t salt
1 T cooked peanut oil
Preparation: Heat chicken broth. Cut fish fillets into 1" by 2"
pieces. Cut off root ends of spinach & thoroughly wash. Slice bamboo
shoots into paper-thin strips; add to stock as it is heating.
Using wire strainer, blanch fish pieces in boiling water for 15
seconds, reserve. Add salt to water. Blanch spinach for 10 seconds,
drain & reserve.
When stock reaches rapid simmer (don't let it boil), add fish,spinach
& sherry. Cook for 3 minutes. Heat peanut oil in ladle over flame.
Mix oil into soup, transfer to serving bowl, & serve.
Serves 4
KEY WORDS: menu 19, soup, boil
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Title: SWEET AND PUNGENT LOTUS ROOT WITH PORK
For this simple and tasty dish, use fresh lotus root if available.
You can substitute canned lotus root, though it is less crisp and
sweet.
1 lb lotus root
1/2 lb pork butt
2 slices fresh ginger root
1 T peanut oil
2 T sugar
3 T water
1 T thin soy sauce
2 T white vinegar
cornstarch paste
Place pork & ginger in boiling water: simmer for 30 minutes. Immedi-
ately transfer pork to bowl of iced water to cool for another 30
minutes. Slice pork with the grain in 2" strips. Wash & peel fresh
lotus root. Slice crosswise into 1/4" pieces. Blanch for 10 minutes
in same water used for pork; drain in cold water. Arrange lotus root
in circle of overlapping slices on round serving plate; mound pork in
center. Cover & reserve.
In wok or saucepan, heat oil to medium hot. Add sugar, water, soy
sauce & vinegar. Stir until sugar is dissolved, then add cornstarch
paste to make light sauce. Cook briefly. Pour sauce over lotus root
& pork. Allow to marinate for at least 15 minutes before serving.
Serve slightly warm.
Serves 4
KEY WORDS: menu 19, main dish, make ahead, boil
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Title: FOUR KINDS OF STEAMED VEGETABLES
In this recipe, you can substitute almost any selection of bland
vegetables that provide contrasting texture and color.
8 stalks canned baby corn
1 can peeled straw mushrooms
2 medium size fresh tomatoes
8 small stalks of bok choy or choy sum
1/2 t salt
1 c chicken stock
1 t peanut oil
1/4 t sugar
cornstarch paste
2 T chicken oil (rendered fat)
Preparation: Have water in steamer boiling. Dip tomatoes to loosen
skins; remove skins; slice in half. Wash and trim bok choy stalks.
Use slender end of stalk only (use leaves and thick stalk in other
dish). Drain baby corn and straw mushrooms.
Steaming: First steam baby corn and straw mushrooms for 5 minutes.
Place tomatoes and bok choy on separate plate; sprinkle with salt;
steam for 3 minutes; drain. Arrange vegetables on warm round serving
platter in flower pattern.
Sauce: To render chicken fat, place pieces in small saucepan with a
few drops of oil to prevent sticking. Cook on medium heat for 20
minutes or so, until chicken oil separates from solids. Drain oil,
reserve. Alternatively, make aromatic oil by steeping several peeled
garlic cloves in hot cooking oil (after removing it from heat). In
small saucepan, heat chicken stock, peanut oil and sugar. When it
starts to boil, dribble in enough cornstarch paste to give a light
body. Keep warm until ready to use. When vegetables are being
steamed, reheat sauce with chicken oil. Pour sauce over vegetables.
Serve.
Serves 4
KEY WORDS: menu 19, steam
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Title: STUFFED BEAN CURD WITH PEAS AND MUSHROOMS
Clay pot cookery.
4 sq. fresh hard beancurd
1/2 lb ground pork, unseasoned
4 dried Nami black mushrooms
1/2 c fresh shelled peas
2 t thin soy sauce
1 T dry sherry
1 clove garlic, minced
1 green onion, minced
1/4 t fresh ginger juice
1/4 t sesame oil
cornstarch
3 c frying oil
4 c chicken broth
salt and pepper to taste
cornstarch paste
Wash and soak mushrooms in warm water for 30 minutes. Combine ground
pork, soy sauce, sherry, garlic, onion, ginger juice and sesame oil.
Cover and set aside.
Slowly heat deep-frying oil in wok; oil is hot enough when vigorous
bubbles come up around a bamboo chopstick stood vertically in oil.
Deep-fry beancurd squares until brown; drain.
Cut beancurd squares in half diagonally. Use paring knife and spoon
to make hollow pocket in beancurd. Fill pocket with a tablespoon or
so of meat mixture; dredge meat face with cornstarch. Deep-fry each
piece until face is brown and crusty; drain.
Combine chicken broth, stuffed deep-fried beancurd, whole mushrooms
and peas in clay pot. Bring to boil, cover, reduce heat, and simmer
for 10 minutes. Uncover, return to boil, and thicken soup slightly
with cornstarch paste. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve.
Serves 4
KEY WORDS: soup, main dish, deep-fry
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Title: BRAISED PORK AND FRESH OYSTERS IN CLAY POT
Among our favorite clay pot dishes is something only a Cantonese chef
would dare to have created.
1/2 lb boneless pork butt, cut in 1 1/2" cubes
8 medium fresh Pacific oysters (OR
1 10 oz. jar)
4 green onions
1 1/2 c warm water
1 T brown bean sauce
1 t dark soy sauce
1 t fresh ginger, minced
1 piece dried orange peel
2 T medium sherry
cornstarch paste
1/2 c peanut oil
Chinese or Italian parsley for garnish
MARINADE:
1/4 c medium sherry
2 t thin soy sauce
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 t 5-spice powder
1 t lemon juice
Marinating: Combine marinade ingredients in bowl large enough to hold
pork, mixing well. Add pork, cover, and marinate at room temperature
for 1 hour.
Braising: Drain pork, taking care to remove pieces of garlic. Heat
oil in wok until it begins to smoke. Fry pork cubes, a few at a time,
until brown and crusty. Do this quickly to sear meat without cooking
it through. Drain in Chinese strainer or on paper towel. Strain and
reserve cooking oil.
Clay Pot: In cool clay pot, combine water, bean sauce, dark soy,
minced ginger, dried orange peel, and sherry. Bring to boil, then add
braised pork cubes. Reduce heat, cover pot, and simmer for 30
minutes. Meanwhile, wash and trim green onions, cut into 2" sections.
Drain oysters. When pork has simmered 30 minutes, add onions and
oysters. You can stop the dish before adding oysters and onion.
Cover and cook at medium heat for 15 minutes more. Turn up to boil,
dribble in cornstarch paste to make light gravy. Serve with garnish
of parsley.
Serves 4
KEY WORDS: menu 20, main dish, make ahead, braise
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Title: SOUR SOUP WITH RICE NOODLES
5 c chicken stock, strained and fairly clear
1/8 lb boneless pork butt
4 black mushrooms
1/3 c dried bamboo shoot tips, soaked and shredded
1 green onion
1/2 c rice stick noodles, soaked
1 t thin soy sauce
1 pinch sugar
2 t white vinegar
1/2 t sesame oil
Preparation: Wash and soak mushrooms in warm water for 30 minutes;
shred. Wash and soak dried bamboo shoots in warm water for 1 hour;
shred in 1" pieces. Slice pork butt into 1" matchsticks. Wash and
trim green onion, shred on the bias into 1" pieces. Soak rice stick
noodle in warm water until soft.
Cooking Soup: In sauce pan, heat broth. When it reaches gentle boil,
add pork, mushrooms, bamboo shoots, soy sauce and sugar; simmer 10
minutes. Add soaked rice stick noodles; simmer for another 10
minutes. A minute before removing from heat, add vinegar and sesame
oil; stir. Remove to serving bowl; garnish with shredded green on-
ions. Serve.
Serves 4
KEY WORDS: menu 20, soup, boil
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Title: STEAMED CHICKEN & HAM WITH BROCCOLI SPEARS
The blissful marriage of chicken and ham.
3 1/2 lb whole chicken
2 green onions, chopped
2 slices fresh ginger
2 T sherry
1 t salt
1/2 lb picnic ham, uncooked
1 T peanut oil
1/2 lb fresh broccoli
1 t fish sauce
GLAZING SAUCE:
3/4 c stock
2 T rock sugar, crushed
cornstarch paste
1 T cooked oil
Marinating: Combine chopped onions, ginger slices, sherry and salt.
Place chicken on platter, rub inside and out with onion mixture, and
place onion and ginger inside chicken. Allow chicken to marinate for
1 hour. Rub ham with same marinade, reserve.
Steaming: Steam chicken, breast-side up, for 25-30 minutes. At the
same time, steam ham for 20 minutes. Chicken should still be firm but
very moist when removed from steamer. Drain chicken and allow to cool
until juices congeal. Chop Chinese-style into bite-size pieces.
Start by cleaving chicken in half lengthwise through the breast.
Remove legs, thighs, and wings; chop in pieces. Turn carcass, skin
down; cleave in half parallel to breast; turn and chop in pieces.
Carefully remove and discard bones.
Slice ham in bite-size pieces to match chicken pieces. Organize in
alternating strips on serving platter, in shape of a chicken if
possible. Leave space around perimeter for vegetable.
Blanching and Stir-frying Vegetable: Wash and remove tough skin of
broccoli. Slice into spears with flowerette at tip of each spear.
Blanch spears in salted water for 20 seconds. Heat peanut oil in wok
until it begins to smoke; stir-fry broccoli until bright but still
crisp. Sprinkle with fish sauce, toss briefly, then remove to serving
platter with meat.
Glazing Sauce: Heat stock and crushed rock sugar in sauce pan; stir
while bringing to boil. Dribble in cornstarch paste to make a light
sauce. Stir in cooked oil. Pour over meat. Serve.
Serves 4
KEY WORDS: menu 20, main dish, steam
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Title: SALMON STEAK WITH CLOUD EARS AND NOODLES
In China, it might be more common to cook a whole garoupa or carp for
this dish, but we enjoy the rich flavor and color of fresh Pacific
salmon.
2 salmon steaks, 1 1/2" thick
8 cloud ear black fungus
2 c soaked bean thread noodles
1 sq. pressed beancurd
2 sprigs Chinese parsley (or slivered green onion)
2 T peanut oil
2 slices fresh ginger root
1 clove garlic, sliced
3 c chicken stock
1 T sherry
1/4 t salt
1 pinch white pepper
4 drops sesame oil
1 t red (sweetened) vinegar
Soak cloud ears and bean starch noodles separately in warm water for
30 minutes, or until soft. Wash and dice pressed beancurd into 1/4"
cubes.
Heat peanut oil in medium hot wok; add ginger and garlic; remove when
oil becomes fragrant. Take care not to burn garlic; if you do, start
over. Lightly saute one steak at a time in aromatic oil until surface
is firm.
In clay pot, combine chicken stock, cloud ears, sherry, salt and
pepper. Bring to boil; add bean thread noodles; return to boil. Now,
reduce liquid to gentle simmer; add salmon steaks carefully so they
remain whole; add diced bean curd. Cover and simmer for 5-7 minutes,
until steaks are cooked.
Uncover, swirl in red vinegar and sesame oil. Garnish with parsley.
Serves 2
KEY WORDS: main dish, stir-fry
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Title: BOK CHOY WITH WHITE PORK
A delicious, easy-to-prepare combination of a fresh, crisp, spicy,
cabbage-flavored vegetable, and rich, succulent pork.
1/4 lb boneless pork shoulder
1 lb bok choy stalks
1/2 t minced garlic
1/2 t minced fresh ginger
3 T peanut oil
1/4 t salt
1/4 c chicken stock
1/2 t sugar
1 t dry sherry
cornstarch paste
1 t MSG (opt)
Slice pork against the grain into thin strips about 2" by 1/2".
Seperate outer fleshy stalks from center flower stalk of bok choy.
Use center stalk in another stir-fry dish or in soup. Wash outer
stalks, and diagonally slice into 3" pieces. The meatier ends of the
stalks should be sliced a little thinner.
Swirl oil around in very hot wok. When oil begins to smoke, add pork
and stir-fry until meat is seared (about 1 minute). Add bok choy,
garlic and ginger. Stir-fry until green leaves are bright and shri-
velled, stirring and tossing constantly so stalks won't burn. Add
salt, stock, sugar and dry sherry.
When liquid begins to boil, cover wok and steam for 30 seconds or less
on high heat, until stalks are tender but still crisp. Push ingredi-
ents up side of wok; dribble cornstarch paste into liquid and stir to
make a light sauce. Recombine and add MSG. Serve immediately.
Serves 4
KEY WORDS: main dish, boil
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Title: BEAN CURD WITH OYSTER SAUCE
A blissful marriage of flavor, texture and good health.
1/2 lb soy bean curd (canned or fresh)
2 green onions
1/2 t minced garlic
2 T peanut oil
1/2 c chicken stock
1 pinch sugar
2 T premium oyster sauce
cornstarch paste
1 t peanut oil
Slice bean curd into 1/4" cubes; sliver green onions. In hot wok,
heat oil just to point of smoking. Add bean curd, green onions and
garlic. Stir gently to avoid breaking up curd; turn pieces to coat
with oil. Be sure oil is not too hot or curd will tend to stick to
pan.
When aroma of garlic is apparent, add stock and bring to boil. Lower
heat, cover, and simmer for about 30 seconds (don't let curd fall
apart). Remove cover; stir in oyster sauce and sugar. Increase heat,
and when liquid boils again, add enough cornstarch paste to make a
creamy (but not too thick) sauce. Swirl in peanut oil to make a
glaze. Serve over rice or in a shallow serving bowl.
Serves 4
KEY WORDS: main dish, stir-fry
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Title: TWICE COOKED PORK AND SPICY VEGETABLES
Twiced-cooked pork in its many versions is a typical dish of south-
western China.
1/2 lb pork butt in one piece
5 large Jyo black mushrooms
2 small dried red chili peppers, minced
2 large cloves garlic, minced
2 t fresh ginger root, minced
1 small bell pepper
1/4 c bamboo shoots
1 large carrot
1 cube bean curd
1/3 c mushroom liquid
1 T thin soy sauce
1 pinch sugar
1 t salt
2 T peanut oil
cornstarch paste
Preparation: In saucepan, cover pork butt with water, bring to a boil
& simmer for 30 minutes. Add more hot water if level goes below pork.
Cool pork in its cooking water. Wash, then soak mushrooms in warm
water for 1 hour. Squeeze liquid from mushrooms, reserving liquid.
Discard mushroom stems, and halve mushrooms. Halve, seed & core bell
pepper; cut into pieces about 1" by 1 1/2". Slice bamboo to match
bell pepper. Peel carrot; slice on bias into ovals. Remove pork from
cooking water, & parboil carrots in water for 1 minute. Slice 2/3 of
pork butt into rectangles same size as bell pepper. Save remaining
1/3 for another dish.
Strain mushroom liquid; combine specified amount with soy sauce, sugar
& salt. Drain bean curd, rinse in cold water, and slice same size as
bell pepper.
Stir-fry: Add oil to very hot wok. When oil begins to smoke, stir-
fry mushrooms, garlic and ginger for 1 minute. Add bell pepper,
bamboo shoots, carrots & pork; stir-fry for 1 minute. Add bean curd &
mushroom liquid; bring to boil. On medium heat, cover wok & cook for
1-2 minutes, until bell pepper is bright green & crisp. Push ingredi-
ents up side of wok. Restir thick cornstarch paste, then dribble into
liquid until it thickens; cook briefly while stirring. Recombine with
ingredients. Serve.
Serves 4
KEY WORDS: main dish, menu 11, poach
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Title: VELVET CORN SOUP
New world corn was introduced to China by European explorers over 400
years ago.
1 T peanut oil
4 green onions, minced
1/2 t fresh ginger root, minced
3 c chicken stock
1 c canned cream-style corn
1/4 t salt
1/4 t white pepper
1 t sugar
1 T dry sherry
1/2 t MSG (opt)
2 T cornstarch and
1/8 c stock for cornstarch paste
2 egg whites
1 T cooked Smithfield (or hickory-
smoked) ham, minced
Wash corn in stock. Drain corn, reserving stock; chop finely and
return to stock. In a cup, mix cornstarch and cold stock to make
paste.
In heavy 2-quart saucepan, heat oil until hot. Saute green onions &
ginger for about 30 seconds, stirring constantly to avoid burning.
Add stock & corn; stir & bring to just under boil. Add salt, pepper &
sugar. Simmer 15 minutes or until ready to serve. Just before serv-
ing, turn up heat again to a bubbly boil. Dribble in cornstarch paste
until soup acquires a waxy translucence. It should still be thin, but
not watery. Add sherry. Now beat egg white with a fork to a light
froth. Turn off heat. Quickly swirl in egg whites. Pour into serving
bowl. Garnish with ham. Serve.
Serves 4
KEY WORDS: menu 11, soup, boil
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Title: STEAMED PUNGENT COD WITH CABBAGE
This dish is an unusual combination of steamed fish filet and a crisp,
fresh vegetable, topped with a pungent (sweet & sour) pickle sauce.
3/4 lb thick filet of cod
4 large leaves of Napa (celery) cabbage
1/2 T fresh ginger root, minced
1 t sesame oil
1 1/2 c water
1 T crushed rock sugar
1/2 c sweet Mixed Pickles, diced
1/4 c pickle juice
1/2 T thin soy sauce
1 T white vinegar
cornstarch paste
2 green onions, sliced in thin strips
Sauce: In saucepan, heat water & crushed rock sugar until sugar
melts. Add pickle juice, soy sauce, vinegar & diced pickles. Bring
to boil, stirring constantly. Restir cornstarch paste, and dribble it
into boiling sauce, until sauce has consistency of thin pancake bat-
ter. Remove from heat. Reserve in saucepan.
Preparation: Slice cod filet across the grain about 1/2" thick,
keeping slices in position.Cut leafy fringes off of cabbage (save for
your stock pot). Cut cabbage stalks lengthwise into pieces to match
fish slices. Insert cabbage slices between each slice of fish. Hold
together and slice fish & cabbage in half. Using broad side of cleav-
er, lift fish & cabbage, as is, onto 10" oval serving dish. Sprinkle
ginger and sesame oil on fish.
Steaming: 15 minutes before serving time, bring water in steamer to
boiling. Steam fish platter in steamer for 7-10 minutes, until fish
turns milky white. Meanwhile, reheat sauce. Remove fish from steamer
and pour off any water. Pour sauce unevenly over fish so it is only
partly covered. Garnish with green onions. Serve.
Serves 4
KEY WORDS: menu 11, main dish, steam
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Title: CRUNCHY BEAN SPROUTS WITH BEEF
Sprouts are tasty, healthy, easy to grow at home and inexpensive.
1/2 lb flank steak
2 c mung bean sprouts
1/2 medium yellow onion
1 T peanut oil
1/2 c chicken stock
1 T dark soy sauce
1 T dry sherry
cornstarch paste
2 t salt
1 t Szechuan peppercorns
Preparation: Rinse bean sprouts; drain. Separate layers of onion and
slice into thin strips to match sprouts. Cut steak into slices across
the grain 1/4" wide by 2" long. Mix stock, soy sauce and sherry in a
cup.
Prepare Szechuan pepper/salt: heat dry wok to medium and add Szechuan
peppercorns, stirring constantly until peppercorns exude a strong
aroma; remove from heat. Crush peppercorns with salt, using rolling
pin or blender. Sift to remove coarse pieces. Store in closed jar.
Scalding: In large bowl, cover onions with boiling water; drain in 10
minutes. Add sprouts, cover both with boiling water; drain in 3
minutes. Sprinkle with about 1/2 tsp. Szechuan pepper/salt.
Stir-fry: Add oil to hot wok. When oil starts to smoke, add steak,
and stir-fry briskly for 1 minute or until meat loses pinkness. Push
meat aside in wok; add stock mixture and bring to boil. Dribble in
thin cornstarch paste until light gravy is formed. Mix with beef.
Pour over sprouts and onions in a serving bowl. Serve.
Serves 4
KEY WORDS: menu 12, main dish, stir-fry
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Title: THREE FLAVORS SOUP
Simple soups play an important role in Chinese cuisine because they
refresh the palate without neutralizing food flavors.
5 c light, clear chicken stock
10 fresh medium shrimp (OR
1/4 lb cooked baby shrimp)
8 water chestnuts
2 green onions
1 t salt
Preparation: Wash, shell & devein shrimp. Slice water chestnuts into
thin circles. Mince entire green onions. Bring stock to boil with
onions & water chestnuts. Add shrimp & salt. Taste & correct salt if
necessary. Return soup to boil. Serve.
Serves 4
KEY WORDS: soup, menu 12, boil
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Title: PORK IN HOT PEANUT SAUCE
Peanuts were introduced into Chinese cuisine from the West several
centuries ago. Their food value, distinctive, rich flavor & crunchy
texture have made them a happy addition to Chinese dishes.
3 T peanut oil
1/2 lb pork butt
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 T minced fresh ginger root
1/2 c preserved radish
4 sq. canned firm bean curd
2 green onions
SAUCE:
2 T crunchy peanut butter
1 T dark soy sauce
1 T cider vinegar
2 T sesame oil
2 minced dried hot red chilis
2 t sugar
1/3 c stock
1/2 t MSG (opt)
Preparation: Soak radish in warm water for 45 minutes. Cut pork into
1/2" cubes. Drain & rinse canned bean curd; cut into 1/2" cubes. (If
using fresh bean curd, wrap it in clean dish towel and press it for 1
hour to make it more firm. Wrap it tightly & use about a 5-pound
weight.) Drain radish & cut into 1/2" cubes. Cut green onions,
including tops, into 2" lengths.
Sauce: In a cup, cream together peanut butter and soy sauce. Slowly
mix in remaining sauce ingredients. Set aside.
Stir-frying: Add oil to hot wok. When oil starts to smoke, add pork.
Stir-fry for about 1 minute. Add garlic & ginger; stir-fry for anoth-
er 30 seconds. Transfer pork to saucepan; add peanut sauce; heat &
simmer for 15 minutes, adding onions about mid-way. Skim off excess
oil. Add more stock if sauce thickens.
Steaming: In Chinese steamer, steam radish & bean curd on its serving
plate for 15 minutes, just prior to serving. When ready to serve,
drain water off plate, and top vegetables with pork & peanut sauce.
Serves 4
KEY WORDS: menu 12, main dish, stir-fry, steam
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Title: STEAMED HONEY PEARS
We are presenting this very delicious dessert in the country fashion,
with the pear skins on. Should you wish to create a more elaborate
dessert, peel the skins first.
4 fresh Bartlett pears, moderately ripe
4 T orange honey
4 t minced preserved jujubes (Chinese dates)
Preparation: Wash pears. Carefully slice off the tip quarter, leav-
ing the stem intact. Core each pear through to the bottom. Make four
lengthwise cuts from the core outward but not through the skin. If
you have peeled the pears, do not make these cuts. Place pears in
individual bowls, such as rice bowls or dessert dishes. Pack core
with minced dates, add 1 tablespoon of orange honey to each pear.
Replace top quarter. Hold at room temperature until ready to steam.
Steaming: In steamer, bring water to boil. Place pears in their
individual bowls on steaming tray. Steam pears for about 30 minutes,
checking frequently to see they don't overcook and become mushy.
Remove tray from steamer. Allow pears to cool for about 30 minutes.
Serve at room temperature.
Serves 4
KEY WORDS: menu 12, dessert, steam
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Title: BIRD'S NEST SOUP
Easy to prepare and enjoyable.
3 1/2 oz. (approx) dried bird's nest
6 c rich chicken stock for soup
1 large chicken breast
2 T cornstarch
2 T rich chicken stock for paste
1 T dry sherry
1/4 c rich chicken stock
2 egg whites
1 t salt
2 green onions, minced
1 T minced Smithfield ham
Preparation: Soak bird's nest in cold water overnight. Drain and
rinse.Spread softened nest pieces on plate; pick out prominent pieces
of "foreign" matter (e.g. feathers, twigs) with tweezers. Debone
chicken breast, remove membrane and muscle fiber, pound meat with
cleaver handle to break down tissue, mince chicken until it is pulp.
Make medium thick paste with cornstarch and chicken stock.
Cooking: Bring rich chicken stock for soup to boil. Immediately add
bird's nest; simmer 30 minutes. Mix dry sherry and remaining stock;
dribble slowly into minced chicken. Lightly beat egg whites with a
fork; fold gently into chicken so they are not completely blended.
Add salt to soup. Bring soup back to boil and add chicken mixture
slowly so soup does not cool. When soup returns to boil, it is ready
to serve. You can hold it at this point on low heat. Pour into
serving bowl, garnish with green onions and ham.
Serves 6
KEY WORDS: soup, boil
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Title: BUDDHA'S DELIGHT
This dramatic "hot salad" is typical of Buddhist vegetarian dishes.
1 c oil for deep-frying
1 t MSG (opt)
2 T dark soy sauce
2 T medium sherry
1 T water
1 sq. fermented bean curd
1 t salt
1/2 t sugar
2 T sesame oil
DRIED INGREDIENTS:
4 lily buds, Golden Needles
4 wood ear black fungus
6 Nami Black mushrooms
2 bean curd sticks
1/2 c dried bamboo shoots (opt)
2 oz. bean thread noodles
FRESH & CANNED INGREDIENTS:
2 c mung bean sprouts
2 stalks celery
2 medium carrots
1 bell pepper
1 long white turnip
2 leaves Napa cabbage
1/2 c canned ginko nuts
1/2 c canned baby corn
2 cakes pressed bean curd (OR
6 fried gluten balls)
Preparation: Rinse, then soak dried ingredients in warm water: soak
bean curd sticks overnight; soak rest about 1 hour. Cut bean curd
sticks and lily buds into 2" sections. Remove hard stems from wood
ears, and slice thinly. Remove stems from black mushrooms (reserve
for stock pot); halve the caps. Cut thin strands of bamboo shoots
into 2" lengths. Cut soaked bean thread noodles into 3" pieces.
Wash and blanch bean sprouts, celery and pepper.Slice celery, pepper,
carrots, turnip and cabbage into 2" long pencil-size pieces. Halve
baby corn on the bias.
Slice pressed bean curd same size as vegetables. Deep-fry in shallow
oil until slightly tan but still pliable. Drain.
Mash fermented bean curd, then blend with sugar, dark soy, sherry and
water.
Stir-frying: Heat wok until medium-hot. Add 4 tablespoons of deep-
frying oil. Add all dry ingredients, except noodles; stir-fry 1
minute. Turn wok to high. Add fresh and canned ingredients, and
stir-fry for 2 more minutes: sprinkle in salt after first minute. Add
liquid mixture, mixing with juices in pan. Add noodles. Reduce heat
to medium, cover wok, and steam for 5 minutes, or until vegetables are
cooked but still firm. Uncover, sprinkle in MSG and sesame oil. Toss
briefly. Serve in a warm bowl.
Serves 6
KEY WORDS: vegetarian, main dish, stir-fry
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Title: SUGARED WALNUTS
2 c walnut halves, raw
1 T sugar
1 c peanut oil
Blanch walnut halves for 30 seconds; drain. While still slightly
damp, dredge nuts in sugar. Spread them out to dry. Heat oil in wok
to about 200 degrees, or until a test walnut browns in about 30 sec-
onds. If walnut is too dark, oil is too hot. Deep-fry nuts, 1/2 cup
at a time. Sugar will melt and form a thin, hard outer shell. Cool
and cover until ready to serve.
Serves 4
KEY WORDS: dessert, make ahead
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Title: VELVET CHICKEN UNDER SNOW
The term "velvet" denotes a method of poaching chicken breast to turn
it white and make the texture very soft and smooth.Care must be taken
to use simmering liquid for just long enough to cook the chicken
through.Boiling water or prolonged poaching will toughen the texture.
1 lb. chicken breast, boned
1/2 c chicken stock
1 T sherry
1/2 t ginger root juice
1 t sugar
1 pinch salt
1/2 c condensed milk or light cream
cornstarch paste
1/4 t sesame oil
1 c rice stick, broken up
2 c oil for deep-frying
Velvet chicken: Heat 6 cups of water to boil. Reduce to simmer.
Remove skin from chicken breast; cut breast into 1" chunks.Simmer in
uncovered pan for 3-5 minutes, until meat is cooked through.
Sauce: In wok or sauce pan, heat chicken stock, sherry, ginger juice,
sugar & salt. When sauce is very hot, slowly add condensed milk or
cream. Stir to combine. DON'T ALLOW SAUCE TO BOIL. Dribble in corn-
starch paste to thicken. Enrich with sesame oil. Add chicken before
serving to reheat.
Rice stick: Heat oil in wok for deep-frying until hot enough to puff
up rice stick but not brown it. Fry in small batches; drain. Process
takes just seconds. Place rice stick on platter; cover with chicken.
Serves 4
KEY WORDS: main dish, poach
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Title: DUCKLINGS SWIMMING IN A POND
Even mature adults - gourmets no less - "oo" and "ah" when presented
with this simple-to-prepare soup.
6 c rich chicken broth
1/2 c shelled green peas (or quartered snowpeas)
12 shelled baby shrimp
4 Nami black mushrooms
3 egg whites
Yellow food coloring
Preparation: Wash & soak mushrooms in warm water for 1 hour; slice
into thin strips; reserve. Blanch shrimp in salted boiling water
(omit if shrimp are precooked).
Make ducklings within hour or less of serving. Have steamer ready.
Work with eggs & mixing bowl at room temperature. Separate whites &
yolks; reserve yolks for another recipe. Beat egg whites, starting
slowly, then progressively faster after eggs begin to foam, until
eggs are stiff but not runny. If whites are too stiff, they tend
to break apart in shaping process.
Form 2 ducklings per serving. Use tablespoon to form body; flatten
egg in spoon; turn over onto steaming plate. To body, add blob of egg
for neck & head, another piece for tail. Use toothpick to carefully
shape head & tail.
Steam one as test. Steaming should take 30-60 seconds to set surface
of egg. After steaming, swab beak & tail with yellow food coloring;
put color on toothpick to mark eyes.
Soup: 30 minutes or so before serving, heat broth to just under boil;
add mushrooms & peas. 5 minutes before serving, add shrimp & desired
seasonings. Pour soup into warm serving bowl. Float ducklings on
soup. Serve.
Serves 4
KEY WORDS: soup
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Title: STIR-FRIED SCALLOPS IN A BASKET
Contrasting texture, color and appearance are hallmarks of this im-
pressive banquet dish.
12 fresh scallops (or prawns,
chicken breast, or fish balls)
12 slices giant bamboo shoot
12 slices carrot
12 fresh snow peas or thinly sliced broccoli
2 c shredded lettuce
2 medium potatoes
1/2 t salt
4 c oil for deep frying
3 slices fresh ginger
1 clove garlic, crushed
2 T peanut oil
1 pinch salt
2/3 c chicken stock
2 T gin
1/2 t sugar
1/4 t white pepper
2 t thin soy sauce
cornstarch paste
Preparation: Slice bamboo shoot across grain into 2" triangles. Peel
& slice carrots on bias. Remove strings from peas & wash. If substi-
tuting broccoli, use peeled stems only; slice thinly on bias. Shred
lettuce; arrange like nest on round 10" serving plate.
Making Potato Basket: Peel, then coarsely shred potatoes. Or, slice
potatoes into thin matchsticks. Rinse potatoes in cold water twice;
soak them 30 minutes in cold salted water; rinse & drain. Slowly heat
deep-frying oil in wok to medium hot; test potato slice: it should
brown in 30 seconds. Dust potatoes with cornstarch so they will stick
together when fried. Arrange them in a cross-hatch pattern on Chinese
wire strainer or other suitable strainer to form deep basket. Press
them in position with another strainer. If you use bowl for pressing,
heat it first, because you don't want to cool frying oil. Immerse in
oil & deep-fry until potatoes begin to brown. Remove from oil; take
away top strainer only; drain; reserve.
When ready to serve, heat oil to very hot, but not smoking; deep-fry
potatoes in strainer again until they are brown & crisp. Place basket
in nest of lettuce.
Blanching: Dip scallops in hot but not boiling water; remove in 15
seconds when scallops are warmed: don`t allow them to cook.
Stir-frying: As you heat wok to medium hot, stir-fry ginger slices &
garlic to flavor wok; remove when they start to brown; discard. When
wok is hot, add peanut oil & salt; stir. Add bamboo shoots & carrots;
stir-fry 1 minute. Add stock. When stock boils, add scallops, snow
peas, sugar, white pepper, gin & soy sauce. Stir 1 minute. Add
cornstarch paste to thicken. Transfer to potato basket. Serve.
Serves 4
KEY WORDS: main dish, stir-fry
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Title: BEEF SHREDS WITH GREEN PEPPER
This dish is simplicity itself, and, of course, that's the challenge.
You should be in and out of a very hot wok in about 2 minutes. It is
very easy to overcook. The method is a hot wok, hot oil, having every-
ready, and fast action.
1 lb flank steak
2 medium bell peppers
1 clove garlic
4 T peanut oil
1/4 t salt
SAUCE:
1/4 c stock
1 t thin soy sauce
1 t chili paste with soybean
1 t sherry wine
1 1/2 t (approx) thin cornstarch paste
Preparation: Remove membrane from flank steak. If it is a thick slab
of meat, slice with grain into thin sheet about 1/4" thick. Slice
across grain into matchsticks about 2 1/2" long. Halve and core bell
pepper; scald pepper halves until color turns bright green; plunge in
cold water to stop cooking process. Slice pepper thinly to match
cooked meat. Peel and quarter garlic clove; add to peanut oil. Mix
sauce ingredients.
Stir-frying: Heat wok as hot as possible. Add garlic and 1/2 the
oil; stir; remove garlic when it browns. Add salt to oil; stir. Add
half of flank steak; toss and stir briskly to coat with oil and pre-
vent scorching of meat. When meat begins to shrivel, remove to plat-
ter. Rinse wok; reheat; add rest of oil. Stir-fry remaining meat.
Add peppers, sauce, other beef; toss briskly for about 1 minute until
sauce evaporates. Serve.
Garnishing note: Time and inclination permitting, deep-fry about 12
shrimp chips. Arrange on serving platter around beef and peppers.
Serves 4
KEY WORDS: main dish, stir-fry, boil
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Title: STEAMED CHICKEN AND BEANCURD
This dish looks good, tastes good and is simple to prepare. It is one
of a family of pudding-like dishes.
1 c chicken meat, minced
2 c beancurd, mashed
3 egg whites
1/2 t ginger juice
1 T gin
1 T peanut oil
1/4 t salt
1/2 t five-spice powder
1 pinch sugar
1 large carrot
1/2 c stock
1 t sesame oil
cornstarch paste
3 large cabbage or lettuce leaves
Preparation: All mixing can be done in food processor. Or, use
cleaver to finely mince chicken and mash beancurd. In bowl, combine
egg whites, oil, ginger juice, gin, salt, five-spice powder and sugar;
stir to breakdown egg and blend. Add chicken and beancurd; mix
thoroughly. Dip cabbage leaves in boiling water to make limp. Wash
and peel carrot; slice thinly on bias.
Steaming: Place limp leaves in shallow bowl. Arrange carrots on
leaves in decorative pattern. Pack chicken/beancurd mixture tightly
in bowl to fill it. Steam for about 40 minutes at medium boil.
Steaming will make mixture very smooth and firm (avoid over-steaming,
which causes beancurd to become dry and hard). When ready to serve,
turn out on serving platter; gently remove leaves; cover with glaze.
Glaze: Heat stock in saucepan; when hot, add cornstarch paste to
thicken. When ready to use, reheat and add sesame oil; pour over dish.
Serves 4
KEY WORDS: main dish, steam
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Title: SPICY COLD NOODLES WITH CHICKEN
A great way to use leftover noodles, since they must be boiled and
cooled first anyhow, these cold, spicy noodles are a colorful and
tasty appetizer. Almost any meat and vegetable garnish works well.
1/2 lb thin Chinese flour noodles (or any firm noodle)
1 medium chicken breast
2 green onions, slivered
3 egg yolks
2 T peanut oil
1 t cool water
1 T thin soy
1 t Chinkiang vinegar
1 t hot chili pepper oil
1/2 t ginger juice
1 clove garlic, minced
1 pinch sugar
2 T oil
Noodles: In large pot of salted boiling water, cook noodles until
chewy; rinse in cold water; drain. Toss noodles with 1/2 t oil to
prevent sticking. Cover & refrigerate until ready to use.
Chicken: Remove and discard skin from chicken breast. Steam breast
for 15 minutes; remove from steamer and cool uncovered.
Shred chicken with fingers; slice into 3" strips.
Egg Yolks: Mix yolks with cool water. Brush skillet at medium heat
with peanut oil. Pour some egg yolk mixture in skillet; spread to
make a thin sheet; remove when egg is set. Repeat until egg is used.
Cool egg sheets. Slice into thin strips to match chicken shreds.
Onions: Wash & remove roots. Slice the long way, then thinly slice on
the bias.
Dressing: Mix soy, vinegar, chili oil, ginger juice, garlic & sugar.
Heat oil until it begins to smoke; add to other ingredients. Cool.
Using hot oil gives dressing distinctive & mellow flavor.
Mixing: Just before serving, mix dressing with cold noodles, chicken
& onion. Garnish with egg strips. Serve.
Serves 6
KEY WORDS: menu 26, leftovers, boil
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Title: BEEF AND BEANCURD CLAY POT
This dish is almost a meal in itself. It is easy to prepare and a
dramatic addition at the table.
1 lb ground beef
1/2 c cooked rice
1/4 t five-spice powder
2 T peanut oil
1 medium yam
2 sqs. beancurd
6 fresh mushrooms
2 c warm water
1/2 c dark soy sauce
2 T sherry
1 t fresh ginger, minced
cornstarch paste
Preparation: Mix beef, rice & five-spice powder; form into firm 1"
balls.Peel yam; cut into chunks. Cut beancurd into 1" cubes. Wash
mushrooms; remove dried part of stem.
Cooking: Heat wok until smoking; add peanut oil. When oil is hot,
braise meatballs. Add warm water, soy sauce, sherry & ginger. Bring
to boil, transfer to clay pot, cover, and simmer for 30 minutes. Add
yam chunks, beancurd & mushrooms. Cook uncovered another 20 minutes
until yams are done but still firm. Thicken sauce with cornstarch
paste; boil briefly. Turn off heat, cover to keep hot until ready to
serve.
Serves 6
KEY WORDS: menu 26, main dish, braise
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Title: STEAMED SHREDDED CABBAGE
Steamed vegetables are common to many cooking traditions. You may
discover in this recipe a dish that suits non-Chinese meals as well.
1/2 medium head cabbage
1/4 c peanut oil
1/2 t salt
1/4 c white sesame seeds
Toast sesame seeds in dry wok at low temperature.
Wash cabbage; slice into 1/2" shreds; pull head apart to make a loose
mound. Sprinkle with salt; allow to stand, uncovered, for 10 minutes.
Place on round serving platter and steam in Chinese steamer for 5
minutes.
While cabbage is steaming, heat oil in small pan or in your ladle.
Hot oil keeps the vegetable hot, and adds a rich taste.
Remove cabbage from steamer.Douse with hot oil; sprinkle with toasted
sesame seeds. Serve.
Serves 6
KEY WORDS: menu 26, vegetarian, steam
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Title: STIR-FRIED CUCUMBER WITH PORK
Don't add other vegetables to this dish. Keep it simple. Just be
artful in cutting vegetables.
1/4 lb pork butt, boned
1 large cucumber (or zucchini, Chinese white radish
or turnip)
1 clove garlic, minced
2 T peanut oil
1/4 t salt
1 T thin soy sauce
1 T sherry
1 pinch sugar
1/2 c chicken stock
cornstarch paste
Preparation: Slice pork butt across grain, then into strips 1/4"
thick by 2" long. Marinate with soy sauce, sherry & sugar for 15
minutes. Peel cucumber; slice in half the long way & remove seeds;
slice in strips to match pork; marinate in salt water for 15 minutes.
Stir-frying: Heat wok until very hot; add 1/2 of oil. Drain pork;
reserve liguid. When oil just begins to smoke, add pork & stir-fry
rapidly for about 1 minute until shrivelled. Remove pork from wok;
wash wok.
Reheat wok until very hot; add remaining oil. Drain cucumber. When
oil just begins to smoke, add cucumber and stir-fry rapidly until
heated through - about 30 seconds. Add pork & garlic; stir briefly;
add stock. Bring stock to boil; then stir in enough cornstarch paste
to make a light gravy. Bring sauce to boil. Serve.
Serves 6
KEY WORDS: menu 26, main dish, stir-fry
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Title: CHICKEN IN BROTH WITH SOUR VEGETABLE
This is a lovely, simple dinner soup.
1 fryer chicken without breast meat (OR
2 chicken legs & thighs & wings
8 c cold water
1 c salted mustard green, shredded
Preparation: Separate thighs, legs and wings from chicken carcass,
and chop them into bite-size pieces. Be sure to remove any bone
splinters. Chop carcass into several pieces. Drain the mustard
green; cut into 2" square pieces.
Soup: Put chicken and cold water in large pot. Bring to boil; skim
froth and chicken fat; reduce heat to simmer. Simmer for 2 hours.
Remove chicken carcass. Add mustard green; simmer another 15 minutes.
Transfer soup with pieces and mustard green to serving bowl. Serve.
Serves 6
KEY WORDS: menu 26, soup, boil
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Title: FRIED EGGS SHANGHAI-STYLE
This recipe will introduce you to an inexpensive gourmet treat.
1/4 lb crab meat (or lobster)
6 egg whites
1/2 c milk
2 green onions
5 leaves Boston lettuce
1 t sherry
1 pinch salt
2 t cornstarch
3 T peanut oil
Preparation: Flake crab meat into strands, removing any cartilage.
Mix with sherry. Wash onions; remove roots and greens; finely mince
white part. Wash and pat dry lettuce leaves; arrange on round serving
plate. In a mixing bowl, beat egg whites. When eggs begin to stiff-
en, slowly add milk. When eggs are stiff, fold in crab, onions, salt
and cornstarch. Eggs will tend to break down at this point into a
frothy soup.
Stir-frying: Heat wok to medium hot. Add oil. When oil is heated,
add egg mixture, carefully folding and turning while eggs become firm.
Remove to serving platter. Serve.
Serves 6
KEY WORDS: menu 26, main dish
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Title: HOT ORANGE SOUP WITH WAFERS
Hot orange soup from China is unlike orange juice or soda pop.
5 c water
3/4 c rock sugar
4 c fresh orange juice
1 T preserved ginger, in syrup
3 T cornstarch paste
6 thin slices of orange
6 thin slices of lime
6 maraschino cherries
6 mint leaves
12 coconut (or vanilla) cream wafers
Preparation: Squeeze orange juice, strain. Break up rock sugar.
Mince preserved ginger.
Cooking: Combine water and rock sugar; bring to boil. When rock
sugar is dissolved, add orange juice and cornstarch paste; stir.
Cornstarch paste should give soup a light body. Pour into individual
warmed bowls; add preserved ginger to each serving. Float orange and
lime slice and a cherry; garnish with mint leaf. Serve with wafers.
Serves 6
KEY WORDS: soup, boil
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Title: SMASHED RADISHES IN SOY DRESSING
This violent sounding dish is more an appetizer or side dish than a
salad.
2 dz. fresh red radishes
2 t salt
1 t white vinegar
1 t sugar
3 t thin soy sause
3 T peanut oil
1 t sesame oil
1/4 t fresh ginger juice
Chinese parsley for garnish
Remove heads and tails from radishes; wash. Using bottom of heavy
drinking glass, about 2" across base, hit radishes on side to crack
them - not mash them -so dressing can get into flesh. Avoid rendering
a crushing blow no matter how you feel that day. Sprinkle radishes
all over with salt, put them in a bowl, and set aside for about 15
minutes at room temperature.
Prepare dressing: Combine vinegar, sugar, thin soy sauce, peanut oil,
sesame oil and fresh ginger juice. Double amount of vinegar for a
sharper taste, if desired. Drain liquid from radishes (salt will have
drawn off quite a bit of water); pour dressing over them; cover and
refrigerate for 30 minutes. If you make this dish ahead of time, pour
on dressing 30 minutes before serving. Immediately before serving,
transfer radishes to serving dish; garnish with Chinese parsley and
serve.
Serves 4
KEY WORDS: make ahead, salad
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Title: SOUP NOODLES WITH CHICKEN
A noodle dish for the winter months.
2 nests shrimp-flavored noodles
4 qt. salted water
1/2 c lily flowers, soaked
1 green onion, slivered
1 c Napa cabbage, shredded
1 c steamed chicken breast, cooled & shredded
3 c chicken broth
2 T white rice vinegar
1 t sugar
1/2 t salt
1 T peanut oil
Preparation: Cut hard tips off soaked lily flowers; cut in half.
Wash noodles, then boil until tender - about 2 minutes. Drain, place
in bowls.
Heating Broth: Heat broth in sauce pan with salt & sugar. Add vinegar
just before adding broth to bowls.
Stir-fry: Add oil to hot wok. When it begins to smoke, add onions, &
stir-fry until fragrant. Add vegetables; stir-fry for 1 minute. Put
onto noodles; top with chicken; add soup, and serve.
Serves 4
KEY WORDS: soup, stir-fry, boil
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Title: WATERCRESS SALAD WITH BEAN CHEESE DRESSING
White bean cheese is a variety of fermented beancurd, called bai dou-
fu yu; when properly aged, it resembles a cross between Camembert and
blue cheese, though more pungent and salty.
1 1/2 lb fresh watercress (or spinach)
DRESSING:
1/2 c salad oil
1/2 t sesame paste
1 sq. bean cheese, unseasoned
1/2 t chili flakes
1 pinch sugar
1 t lemon juice
2 T cold water
Wash watercress (or spinach) in colander. Pour boiling water over
watercress. Immediately plunge vegetable into cold water to stop
cooking process; drain and reserve. You can refrigerate or use at
room temperature.
Cream sesame paste, bean cheese and salad oil. Add chili flakes,
sugar, lemon juice and cold water; mix well. Shortly before serving,
toss dressing with watercress. Serve on individual salad plates.
Serves 6
KEY WORDS: salad
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Title: FRESH SPINACH IN BEAN CHEESE SAUCE
If fresh spinach is unavailable in your area, experiment with thawed,
frozen spinach.
2 bunches fresh spinach
2 T peanut oil
1 small dried chili pepper
1 t minced ginger root
1/3 c stock
1 t thin soy sauce
1/2 t sugar
2 cubes fermented bean curd with chili
(bean cheese)
cornstarch paste
Preparation: Slice off root end and half stem of spinach; wash com-
pletely and drain leaves. Wash chili pepper. Incidentally, double
amount of dried chili if using plain fermented bean curd. Mash fer-
mented bean curd with thin soy; mix with stock and sugar.
Stir-frying: Heat wok to very hot; add oil. When oil just begins to
smoke, add 1/2 spinach, and toss until it begins to wilt. Push wilted
spinach up side of wok; add remaining spinach, and toss until it
wilts. Push all spinach out of bottom of wok; add chili and ginger;
stir for about 10 seconds. Add liquid ingredients; stir; when liquids
boils, thicken to medium consistency with dribbles of cornstarch
paste. Recombine with spinach. Stir to coat spinach. Serve. Spinach
should remain bright green until you pour in liquid.
Serves 4
KEY WORDS: vegetarian, stir-fry
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Title: "LONG LIFE" NOODLES WITH EGG
This dish is a traditional birthday snack in China.
1 lb "Long Life" egg noodles
8 qts. salted water
1/2 lb spinach
4 eggs
1 c chicken broth
1 T dark soy sauce
1 t sesame oil
1/4 t salt
1 t cornstarch paste
2 green onions, minced
1/4 c boiled ham, slivered
Preparation: Wash & trim spinach. Wash, then boil noodles; drain;
divide among soup bowls. In same water, blanch spinach; drain; press
dry; chop coarsely; put on noodles.
Heat broth in sauce pan. Add soy sauce, sesame oil, salt & cornstarch
paste to thicken slightly.
Poaching Eggs: Put 4 cups of water in wok; bring to boil. Break eggs
in ladle one at a time; poach for 2 minutes. Place egg on spinach.
Finishing: Pour hot soup over egg. Garnish with minced onion & ham.
Serve.
Serves 4
KEY WORDS: snack, poach, boil
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Title: ROMAINE LETTUCE WITH OYSTER SAUCE
We decided on romaine lettuce for this dish because it is crisp tex-
tured, and readily available.
1 head romain lettuce
1/4 t salt
2 T peanut oil
1 T premium oyster sauce
Preparation: Wash & remove core from lettuce. Combine oil & oyster
sauce in small sauce pan; bring to simmer; keep hot until ready to
serve.
Blanching: Heat about 2 gallons water in large pot. We use bottom of
aluminum steamer. Add salt. When water reaches rolling boil, blanch
lettuce for about 20 seconds - until leaves are bright green.
Remove leaves, shake off excess water. Stack leaves & cut cross-wise
into 4 parts. Use cleaver to place leaves on serving platter. Pour
hot oyster sauce on leaves. Serve.
Serves 4
KEY WORDS: salad, boil
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Title: STEAMED PORK WITH PRESERVED TIANJIN VEGETABLE
Fresh pork lends itself well to steaming, either cubed, sliced or
minced, and combined or topped with "flavoring" ingredients.
1 lb pork butt, chopped fine
4 water chestnuts, coarsely chopped
1 green onion, minced
2 T preserved Tianjin vegetable
MARINADE:
1 1/2 t dark soy sauce
1/2 t sugar
1/2 t salt
1/2 t sesame oil
1 t cornstarch
Preparation: Mix marinade. In bowl, mix chopped pork, water chest-
nuts, 1/2 preserved vegetable, & marinade; mix together with your
fingers - it's faster. Spread mixture on round 12" plate. Sprinkle
with remaining preserved vegetable. Refrigerate if working in ad-
vance.
Steaming: Bring pork mixture to room temperature before steaming.
Bring water in steamer to rapid boil. Steam for about 20 minutes.
Sprinkle with chopped onions just before serving.
Serves 4
KEY WORDS: main dish, make ahead, steam
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