Chengdu Chicken

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Serves 2 by itself, or 3 - 4 as part of a multicourse meal

Ingredients:
1/2 lb chicken breasts, boned

Marinade:
1 tablespoon light soy sauce
1 teasoon cooking wine (or sherry)
2 tablespoons water
2 teaspoons tapioca starch (or cornstarch)

4 tablespoons oil

1/2 bunch spinach
1 tablespoon chopped green onion
1 tablespoon chopped ginger
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
1 tablespoon hot bean sauce

Sauce:
1 teaspoon cooking wine (or sherry)
1 teaspoon light soy sauce
2 teaspoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon vinegar (red wine or rice vinegar)

1 1/2 tablespoons water
1 teaspoon cornstarch

1/2 teaspoon freshly-ground Szechwan pepper

Directions:
Remove fat from chicken. Cut first into strips, then cubes.
Mix together marinade ingredients. Marinate chicken for twenty minutes.
While chicken is marinading, prepare vegetables. Peel skin off ginger, cut into thin slices, and mince. Peel and cut garlic into strips (whack it first with the cleaver to make it easier to peel). Chop green onion two to three times into fine pieces.
Heat wok. When wok is hot, add oil. Add spinach, and sprinkle a bit of salt on top. As soon as spinach wilts, remove and set aside.
Mix together sauce ingredients. Set aside. Mix cornstarch and water. Set aside.
Heat wok again and add three tablespoons oil. Put in chicken cubes and stir-fry, stirring continually to keep the chicken from sticking.
When the chicken is approximately 80 percent cooked, move it to the side of the wok. Add the ginger, garlic, and green onion in the middle of the wok.
Mix in the hot bean sauce. Stir the sauce mixture and mix in. Stir the cornstarch and water mixture and mix in.
Serve over spinach and sprinkle with ground szechuan pepper.

Salt and Pepper Spareribs (Jiaoyan Pai Gu)

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1 pound boneless meaty spareribs or pork shoulder

Marinade:
2 teaspoons light soy sauce
2 teaspoons rice wine or dry sherry
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sesame oil
2 teaspoons cornstarch

350 ml/12 fl ounces peanut oil
2 tablespoons finely chopped garlic
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons roasted ground Szechuan peppercorns
1 teaspoon five-spice powder
1/2 teaspoon chili powder

3 - 4 cups oil for deep-frying
2 tablespoons oil for stir-frying

Directions: Cube the pork and place in a bowl. Add the marinade ingredients one at a time, mixing in with chopsticks and adding the cornstarch last. Marinate the pork for about 15 minutes.
Heat wok and add oil. When oil is ready, carefully slide the pork cubes into the wok. Deep-fry until they are golden (this should take approximately 10 minutes). Use a slotted spoon to remove the pork. Drain on paper towels.
Clean out the wok, saving the oil for future use if desired. Heat again and add 2 tablespoons of the used oil. Add the garlic and stir-fry until aromatic. Add the salt, peppercorns, five-spice powder, and chili powder. Add the deep-fried pork cubes and stir-fry for another 2 - 3 minutes. Serve hot.

Red Cooked Chicken

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Red cooking - a process whereby meat is slowly simmered in dark soy sauce, imparting a reddish tinge to the final product - is a popular cooking technique in eastern China.


Serves 6

Ingredients:

1 large roasting chicken, about 1.5kg/3 lb
375 ml/12 fl oz/1 1/2 cups dark soy sauce
375 ml/12 fl oz/1 1/2 cups water
125 ml/4 fl oz/1/2 cup Chinese wine or sherry
8 large slices fresh ginger
2 whole star anise (or about 12 sections)
1 large clove garlic
2 tablespoons crushed rock sugar
2 teaspoons oriental sesame oil

Directions:

Rinse chicken with cold water inside and out, remove any flaps of fat from the cavity and discard. Choose a saucepan just large enough to hold the chicken so it will be almost submerged in the cooking liquid.
Put chicken into saucepan breast downwards and add all the ingredients except the sesame oil. Bring slowly to the boil. Turn heat very low, cover and simmer gently for 15 minutes.
Use tongs to turn the chicken over without piercing its skin.
Replace lid and simmer for 15 minutes more, basting with liquid every 5 minutes.
Turn off heat and leave chicken submerged in liquid in the covered saucepan for 45 minutes. Lift chicken out, letting any liquid in the cavity drain back into the saucepan.
Brush the chicken all over with sesame oil. Carve or chop and assemble on serving plate. Serve with some of the cooking liquid as a dipping sauce. Save remaining liquid, refrigerate and use for red-cooking other food. The flavor will become deeper and more intense with each time it is cooked. Add a little more of this master sauce to flavor other dishes.

Crispy Shrimp Balls

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Makes 30 to 32 balls

2/3 pound medium shrimp, peeled, scored down the back, deveined, rinsed, and patted dry
1/2 cup water chestnuts, blanched in boiling water for 10 seconds, refreshed in cold water, drained, and patted dry

Shrimp Ball Seasonings:
1 1/2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger
1 1/2 tablespoons minced scallions
1 1/2 tablespoons Chinese rice wine or sake
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
3/4 teaspoon salt

1 large egg, lightly beaten
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 pound thin rice stick noodles (vermicelli)
Safflower or corn oil for deep-frying

Plum or duck sauce and hot mustard for dipping

Directions:

In a food processor fitted with a steel blade, process the shrimp to a paste. Transfer to a large bowl: add the water chestnuts, seasonings, egg white, and cornstarch. Stir vigorously until a stiff paste forms. Chill thoroughly.

With a towel draped over the hand that holds a sharp knife, cut the noodles into 1/2-inch lengths. The towel prevents the noodles from flying around. Spread evenly on a cookie sheet.

Shape scant teaspoonfuls of the shrimp mixture into balls, then roll in the noodle pieces, pressing lightly to coat. Set on a cookie sheet.

Heat a wok or a deep skillet or saucepan over high. Add the oil and heat to 375 degrees F. Deep-fry the shrimp balls in batches, turning them constantly, until golden brown, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove with a handled strainer or a slotted spoon, drain briefly in a colander, then transfer to paper towels. Between batches, skim the oil with a fine strainer, and reheat until hot. Serve the shrimp balls warm with sauce and mustard. To reheat, warm on a cookie sheet in a 375 degree F. oven, about 10 minutes.

Cold Asparagus Salad

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Serves 4 to 6

Ingredients:

4 cups water
1 pound asparagus, cut diagonally
2 tablespoons light soy sauce
2 tablespoons sesame seed oil
1/4 teaspoon sugar
1 clove garlic, chopped fine

Directions:

Bring 4 cups water to boil in saucepan. Drop in aspargus. Boil 1 minute. Drain. Rinse with cold water.
Mix next four ingredients in bowl. Pour over asparagus.

*Note: May be kept in covered jar in refrigerator about a week.

Stir-fried Broccoli, Hong Kong Style

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Sautéed fresh broccoli with Oyster Sauce
Serves 3 -4 as part of a multicourse meal

Ingredients:
1 pound broccoli
1 garlic clove
2 thin slices ginger
2 teaspoons sugar
salt to taste
1/4 cup water


Sauce
1/4 cup water
2 tablespoons oyster sauce
1 tablespoon sherry
1 -2 teaspoons cornstarch

2 tablespoons oil for stir-frying

Directions
To prepare broccoli, break off the flowerets and then split them into either halves or quarters. Discard any leaves. Peel and slice the stems along the diagonal. Wash and thoroughly drain the sliced broccoli.
Mix sauce ingredients and set aside. Prepare garlic and ginger, crushing and peeling the garlic and finely mincing both.
Heat wok and add 2 tablespoons oil. When oil is ready, add the garlic and ginger, sautéing until brown. Add the broccoli, stir-frying until they turn a brilliant green, then add the sugar and salt. Mix together well, then add the water, cover and cook for about two minutes.
Give the sauce a quick re-stir and add to the wok, pushing the broccoli to the side to make a well in the middle of the wok for the sauce. Stir the sauce with chopsticks until thickened, mix together with the broccoli, and serve hot.

Lobster Cantonese Style

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Serves 4 to 6

2 lobster tails (about 1 pound each)
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons flour
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon salted black beans, pounded and soaked in 1 tablespoon water
1 tablespoon ginger, chopped fine
1 scallion, chopped fine
1/4 pound ground pork
2 tablespoons sherry
1 tablespoon light soy sauce
1 cup chicken stock
1 tablespoon cornstarch, dissolved in 2 tablespoons water
2 scallions, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 egg, beaten

2 to 4 cups oil for deep-frying and stir-frying

Directions:

Cut each lobster tail in half. Wash thoroughly. Drain. Cut tails into pieces 1 1/2 inches in length, leaving shells on.

Sprinkle 1/2 teaspoon of salt and the flour on lobster.

Mix garlic with black bean mixture in a bowl. Stir well.

Heat oil for deep-frying to smoking hot. Put in lobster pieces. Deep-fry until shells are red. Drain. Remove.

Reheat 1 tablespoon of oil in wok. Stir-fry black bean mixture 30 seconds. Remove.

Reheat 2 tablespoons of oil in wok. Stir-fry ginger and scallion until there is an aroma, about 30 seconds. Add pork. Stir-fry on high heat until color changes. Add 1 tablespoon of sherry, soy sauce, black bean mixture, and stock. Bring to boil.

Add lobster to meat mixture. Add 1 tablespoon sherry. Cover. Cook 3 minutes.

Remove lid. Bring to boil. Thicken gravy with dissolved cornstarch. Season with 1/2 teaspoon salt. Add scallions. Slowly pour in beaten egg. Stir-fry about 10 seconds. Remove.

May be prepared in advance through step 6 and refrigerated, or frozen after step 8.

Quick-Fried Beef in Oyster Sauce

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Serves 6 as part of a multicourse meal

1 pound beef steak, julienne

Marinade
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 tablespoon vegetable oil

2 slices ginger root, chopped
2 1/2 tablespoons oyster sauce
3/4 teaspoon sugar
pepper as desired

Sauce
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons sherry
4 tablespoons beef stock
2 teaspoons cornstarch

Directions:

Cut the beef and rub the pieces with the salt and vegetable oil. Prepare the sauce ingredients and chop the ginger.

Heat the wok and add oil. When oil is ready, add the beef, pushing the pieces out so that they cook evenly. Turn once. Stir-fry until the meat changes color. Remove from wok and set aside.

Add oil and stir-fry the ginger. Add the oyster sauce and sugar. Make a well in the middle of the wok and add the sauce mixture, stirring to thicken. Add the meat, mix quickly, and serve on a heated dish.

Honey Garlic Barbecue Pork/Spareribs

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Ingredients
3 - 4 pounds Boston pork butt and/or spareribs

Marinade-Sauce
2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
2 tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon salt
3- 4 garlic cloves, crushed

1/4 cup (approximately) liquid honey

Cut the pork into strips that are 3/4 inches in length, trimming off part of the fat. Mix together well the marinade/sauce ingredients, and pour it over the pork. Marinate the pork at room temperature for 1 - 2 hours.
Line 1 or 2 cookie sheets (as needed) with aluminum foil, and place a cooking rack on each sheet. Place the pork on the rack and bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.
Brush the pork strips with honey, and then turn them over and brush the other side with honey.* If there is any extra marinade brush it on as well. Bake for another 30 minutes.
If using spareribs, leave in large flat pieces, and marinate and cook the same way as the pork.

*If the pork isn't cooking quickly enough, you can broil them for about 5 minutes before turning them over.

Variations
For a more garlicky flavor, add extra garlic when brushing the pork with honey.
If you need a substitute for honey, try using brown sugar or corn syrup.

Crispy Cantonese Noodles with Vegetables

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Serves 4
Ingredients
225 grams/8 ounces dried or fresh thin Chinese egg noodles
2 tablespoons groundnut (peanut) oil
4 garlic cloves, lightly crushed
1 teaspoon salt
55 grams/2 ounces celery, coarsely chopped
115 grams/4 ounces red pepper, finely shredded
25 grams/1 ounce button mushrooms, finely shredded
115 grams/4 ounces mangetout (snow peas), trimmed
6 spring onions, finely shredded
300 ml/ 1/2 pint vegetable stock
2 teaspoons cornflour (cornstarch) mixed with 2 teaspoons water
3 tablespoons Chinese rice wine or dry sherry
2 teaspoons light soy sauce
2 tablespoons dark soy sauce
1 teaspoon chili bean sauce
shredded spring onions, to garnish

Directions:
If you are using dried noodles, cook according to packet instructions, or boil for 2 minutes until soft. If you are using fresh Chinese egg noodles, boil for 3 minutes, then drain thoroughly. Scatter on a baking tray.
Heat a large non-stick frying pan and add half the oil. When hot, add the noodles and press down to make the noodles conform to the shape of the pan. Turn the heat to very low, and cook for 10 - 15 minutes until brown. Flip the noodles over in one piece and continue cooking until the other side is brown. You may have to add a little oil or water from time to time to keep the noodles moist.
Meanwhile, heat a wok or large frying pan until hot. Add the remaining oil, the garlic and salt and stir-fry for a few seconds. Stir in the celery, red pepper, and mushrooms and stir-fry for 3 minutes. Add the mangetout and spring onions and stir-fry for 2 minutes.
Stir in the stock and bring to the boil. Add the cornflour and stir until the sauce is cooked through and thickened. Add the rice wine or sherry, soy sauces and chili bean sauce. Place the noodles on serving plates, then pour over the vegetables and sauce. Garnish with spring onions.