Chinese Cooking

Yield: About 1/3 cup

Ingredients:
3/4 cup beef broth (beef bouillion cubes can be used)
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon oyster sauce
1 teaspoon dark soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch

Directions:
Combine the above ingredients in order and bring to a boil, stirring.

Ingredients:
50 grams (3 1/2 tablespoons) button mushrooms
50 grams (3 1/2 tablespoons) straw mushrooms
50 grams (3 1/2 tablespoons) abalone mushrooms
2 dried mushrooms
a few small pieces golden fungus
a few small pieces black fungus
a few small pieces white fungus
20 grams (about 1 1/2 tablespoons) dried lily flowers
50 grams (3 1/2 tablespoons) carrot
50 grams (3 1/2 tablespoons) sweet peas/pea pods
1 teaspoon rice wine or dry sherry
2 tablespoons oil

Stock:
500 ml (2 1/8 cups) water
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon sugar
1 slice ginger
1 stalk spring/green onion

Seasoning:
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon light soy sauce
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
300 ml (about 1 1/4 cups) vegetarian stock

Thickening:
1/2 teaspoon cornstarch (cornflour)
1 tablespoon water

2 tablespoons oil for stir-frying

Directions:
Wash and soak the dried mushrooms, fungi and dried lily flowers.
Wash, peel and thinly slice the carrot. Wash the sweet peas, and parboil for 1 minute. Drain. Rinse the remaining mushrooms.

Boil the vegetarian stock. Add the yellow fungus, black fungus and the dried lily flowers and
cook for 5 minutes. Drain.
While the fungus and dried lily flowers are boiling, prepare the seasoning and the cornstarch mixture. Set aside.

Heat wok and add 1/2 tablespoon oil. When oil is ready, add the carrots and sweet peas and stir-fry on high heat. Remove and set aside.

Heat 1/2 tablespoon oil in the wok. When oil is ready, add all the mushrooms and stir-fry on high heat for 1 minute. Remove and set aside.

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in the wok. When oil is heated, add the fungus, dried lily flowers and the rice wine and seasoning. Braise for 5 minutes. Add the mushrooms and braise for another 5 minutes.

Add in the carrots and sweet peas, stirring. Give the cornstarch/water mixture and add in, stirring to thicken. Serve hot.

1 package egg roll wrappers (4 1/2 inches by 5 1/2 inches – each wrapper makes 2 bow ties)

Syrup
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup corn syrup
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup water

Oil for deep-frying

Directions
Lay out a wrapper so that the longer (5 1/2 inch) are on the top and bottom, and the shorter (4 1/2 inch) sides on the left and right. Cut each egg roll wrapper from top to bottom into 4 equal pieces. Using a paring knife, cut a 1/2 inch slit in the center of each piece. Using 2 pieces, one laid on top of the other, make a knot like a bow tie. (Fold one end of the piece on top and thread it through the slit. Turn over, fold, and thread through the other way. Open the folded ends before deep-frying).

Heat wok and add oil. Deep-fry the bow ties until golden brown, about 5 at a time. Drain on paper towels or a tempura rack if you have one.

Boil the syrup ingredients in a pot on medium heat for about 5 minutes. Dip the bow ties into the boiling syrup (if the syrup isn’t boiling the bow ties will be too sweet), and drain well. Set aside to harden. Serve cold. (The bow ties can be stored in an air-tight container).

3 large garlic cloves, crushed
2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger
1 bunch fresh cilantro, stemmed (about 2 cups)
1/4 cup dry-roasted peanuts
1/2 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper
1/2 cup peanut oil
8 ounces bow tie pasta
12 ounces cooked peeled deveined medium shrimp
4 green onions, chopped (including green tops)
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice

With processor or blender running, drop garlic and ginger through feed tube. Add cilantro, peanuts and red pepper. With machine running, gradually add oil. Season to taste with salt. (Can be prepared up to 1 day ahead of time). Cover and refrigerate.

Bring pot of salted water to boil. Add pasta and cook until just tender. Place shrimp in colander. Pour pasta into colander. Drain. Return shrimp and pasta to pot. Add pesto sauce (the cilantro and oil mixture), onions, and lime juice. Toss to coat. Divide between plates and serve.

2 Servings

Ingredients:

1/2 chicken (about 1 pound) or 1 pound of chicken breasts
10 small green bean sheets
1 cucumber
1/2 tablespoon ginger, minced
1/2 tablespoon garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon ground Sichuan peppercorn
1/2 teaspoon salt

Seasoning Sauce:
2 tablespoons sesame seed paste
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon hot red pepper oil
2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon peppercorn oil (optional)

Directions
Bring water to boil in a large pot. Add the chicken and cook for 20 minutes. Remove the chicken from the pot and let it cool.

Slice the peeled cucumber into small slices, and soak these with salt for about 10 minutes. Squeeze the slices and lay on a plate.*

Cut the bean sheets into slices 1/2 inch wide and soak in cold water for several minutes. Lay the sheets on top of the cucumber slices.

Remove the large chicken bones (if not using chicken breasts), and cut the meat into pieces about 1 1/2 inches long and thick as a pencil. Place the chicken pieces on top of the beans sheets. Sprinkle with Sichuan peppercorn, ginger, and garlic.

Mix together the sesame seed paste and soy sauce, and add sesame oil, vinegar, hot red pepper oil, and sugar. Pour the seasoning sauce over the chicken just before serving.

*Another option is to rub 1/2 teaspoon of salt over the chicken and let it sit for thirty minutes before boiling. In that case you would just peel and slice the cucumber without salting.

The inspiration for the sauce in this recipe comes from Calgary’s Silver Inn Chinese Restaurant, rumored to be the place where authentic Alberta Ginger Beef was created. I’ve adapted the sauce from their recipe for Sliced Chicken with Broccoli in Garlic Sauce.

Serves 3 – 4
3 medium chicken breasts, boneless and skinless
3 large bok choy stalks with leaves

Chicken Marinade:
1 TB Chinese rice wine or dry sherry
1 green onion, diced
2 tsp cornstarch

Sauce:*
1/4 cup low-sodium chicken broth
2 TB water
1 tsp white rice vinegar
1/2 tsp black rice vinegar
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1/4 tsp salt

dash freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp cornstarch mixed with 4 tsp water
4 – 5 TB oil for stir-frying

Directions:
Cut the chicken into thin strips about 2-inches long. Add the rice wine or sherry, green onion and the cornstarch. Marinate the chicken for 30 minutes.

While the chicken is marinating, prepare the bok choy and the sauce. Separate the bok choy leaves and stalks, and cut both cross-wise into thin strips.
Combine the sauce ingredients and set aside. Combine the cornstarch and water in a small bowl and set aside.

Heat wok and add 2 TB oil. When oil is ready, add the chicken and stir-fry until it turns white and is nearly cooked. (Stir-fry in two batches if necessary). Drain the stir-fried chicken on paper towels.

Clean out the wok and add 2 – 3 TB oil. When oil is ready, add the bok choy stalks. Stir-fry briefly and add the leaves.

Push the bok choy up to the sides of the wok and add the sauce in the middle. Turn up the heat to bring to a boil. Add the cornstarch/water mixture to the sauce and stir rapidly to thicken. Add the chicken. Mix through and serve hot.

The inspiration for the sauce recipe comes from Calgary’s Silver Inn Chinese Restaurant, rumored to be the place where authentic Alberta Ginger Beef was created. I’ve adapted the sauce from their recipe for Sliced Chicken with Broccoli in Garlic Sauce.

Serves 4
Ingredients:
2 ounces bird’s nests (approximately 6 whole nests)
7 tablespoons crushed rock sugar, or to taste
4 cups water

Directions:
Prepare the bird’s nest: soak it in cold water for several hours or overnight. Rinse well. Go over the nests and pick out any loose feathers. Bring a pot of water to boil and simmer the bird’s nests for about 5 minutes. Again, rinse well and squeeze dry. (You should have about 1 1/2 cups at this point. If not, adjust the amount of water and rock sugar accordingly).

Place the bird’s nests in the pot and add the water. Bring to a boil and simmer until the bird’s nests are quite soft. Add the rock sugar, stirring to dissolve. Serve the soup hot.

Note: You’ll want to save this for a special occasion. Authentic bird’s nests are quite expensive, not surprising given that the nests come from the hardened saliva of the swiftlet swallow. It could be a good choice for a romantic evening, as bird’s nest is rumored to be an aphrodisiac.

Yield: 2 1/2 cups sauce
Serves: 6

Ingredients
6 pounds baby back pork ribs
1/2 cup hoisin sauce, or more to taste
1/2 cup mashed, black bean sauce, or more to taste
18 ounces tomato purée
1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 1/2 teaspoons five-spice powder
1 1/2 teaspoons ground anise
10 ounces (5/8 cup) granulated sugar
2 tablespoons puréed fresh garlic
1 tablespoon Tomato Shade (red food coloring, optional)
3 tablespoons salt, or to taste
1 tablespoon dry sherry

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit

Cut the ribs into serving size pieces and place them in a glass dish.

In a bowl, mix all the other ingredients thoroughly. Spread the mixture on the ribs and let them sit for 4 to 6 hours at room temperature, or covered, overnight in the refrigerator if you prefer.

Set a rack over a roasting pan with 1 to 1 1/2 inches of water in it. Remove the ribs from the marinade and place them on the rack. Cook the ribs until they are done, about 30 to 40 minutes. Turn and baste them every 10 minutes during the cooking.

Serves 4

1 fresh chicken, about 3 pounds (1.5 kg) cleaned
2 – 3 lotus leaves, soaked in hot water to soften and dried*

Marinade for Chicken
3 TB dark soy sauce
1 tsp salt
1 TB sugar
1 TB water
1/2 tsp five-spice powder
few drops of sesame oil

Stuffing
5 ounces (150 grams) pork, finely shredded
3 1/2 ounces (100 grams) preserved mustard greens, finely chopped
5 Chinese dried black mushrooms, soaked in hot water to soften, stems removed and diced
3 pieces ginger, finely shredded
2 green onions, minced
2 tsp sugar
2 TB light soy sauce
3 TB Shao sing wine or dry sherry

Dough wrapping
5 cups plain flour
2 1/2 lbs salt
2 cups water

Description
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.

Clean the chicken thoroughly, removing excess fat. Mix together the marinade ingredients and rub inside and outside the chicken. Set the chicken aside to allow the marinade to dry.

To prepare the dough: Mix the flour and salt together. (Don’t sift the flour). Slowly add the water, stirring. Knead to make a firm dough. (You don’t want the dough to be too soft, as this will make it difficult to handle). Add more water if required.

To prepare the stuffing: Mix together the stuffing ingredients. Stuff the chicken loosely, and close the two ends with skewers or strong toothpicks. Wrap the stuffed chicken in the lotus leaves. Make sure that the chicken is completely enclosed.

Roll out the dough into a rectangle that will be large enough to wrap around the chicken (it should be about 1/2-inch thick). Fold the dough over the chicken and press the edges together, sealing well so that there are no holes.

Bake the chicken at 450 degrees F. for one hour, then reduce the heat to 300 degrees F. and bake for approximately three more hours.

*Instead of lotus leaves, you can wrap the chicken in aluminum foil. Secure like a parcel.

Serves 3 – 4

Ingredients
1 pound (500 g) tender beef (sirloin or round is good)
6 medium tomatoes
2 stalks celery
2 green onions
2 thin pieces ginger
1 clove garlic, crushed

Seasonings for Beef
1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
1 – 2 tablespoons oyster sauce
1 teaspoon sugar
2 teaspoons oil
1 teaspoon salt
pepper to taste

Oil for cooking
1 tablespoon sugar (if desired)

Mixture
1 tablespoon cornstarch mixed with water

Directions
Cut the beef across the grain in thin slices that are approximately 1 1/2 inches long. Add to seasonings and mix with chopsticks. If you like, you can add a small piece of baking soda to tenderize the beef. Let the meat marinate for about 15 minutes.

While meat is marinating, heat a large pot of water to boiling and prepare the vegetables. Cut 2 slices of ginger into slivers. Crush and chop garlic into thin pieces. Cut the celery and green onion along the diagonal into thin slices.

Scald the tomatoes, plunging them briefly into the boiling water, remove the skin and cut each into six equal-sized pieces.

Heat wok and add oil. When oil is ready, add meat, spreading out to brown. Stir fry until the redness is gone, turning the meat over once. Remove and set aside. Add more oil, and stir-fry the ginger, garlic, and celery, and add the tomatoes. Add 1 tablespoon of sugar and salt to taste. Cover and bring to a boil.

Thicken with cornstarch mixture, add meat and mix together quickly. Serve hot with rice and green onions as a garnish.