Cantonese Cream Corn Soup

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Made with homemade chicken broth, this is a "thin" soup, designed to take the place of a beverage at the dinner table. You can thicken it by mixing in two eggs or two egg whites before serving.

Ingredients
5 - 6 cups chicken stock
1 can creamed corn
4 ounces chicken meat (optional)*
1 chopped green onion**
Salt - to taste***

Directions:
Prepare chicken stock. If not using the stock immediately, let cool, and then store in a plastic container in the refrigerator or the freezer.
Bring stock to a boil. Add 4 tablespoons of water to the chicken meat (if it is being used) and mix well. Stir the creamed corn and chicken meat into the soup. You will know the chicken is cooked when the meat turns white. Add salt to taste and bring the soup to a boil again. Remove the soup from the heat, and add green onions. If desired, add 2 eggs or egg whites.

Variations
* You can substitute other meat, such as ham.
**If you are preparing the soup for someone who is ill, try adding a couple of slices of ginger. Among its many benefits, ginger is believed to be helpful in treating colds and flue.
***For added flavor, drizzle with sesame oil just before serving.

Chinese Chicken Wings with Oyster Sauce

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Serves 6

Ingredients:
2 pounds chicken wings
1 - 2 tablespoons light soy sauce
1 - 2 tablespoons oyster sauce
1 garlic clove
dry sherry as needed
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Marinate the chicken wings for 1 hour.
Place the marinated chicken in a baking dish and bake for approximately 1 hour, until they are done. Turn the wings over and least once and brush with marinade before baking and 2 or 3 times during the baking process. Serve hot or cold as an appetizer.

These chicken wings can also be deep-fried: toss the wings in a flour/cornstarch batter (use as much cornstarch/flour as needed, keeping a 1:1 ratio between the two) so they are well coated, and deep-fry until crispy and well cooked. Drain on paper towels.

Chinese Chicken Salad Recipe

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Serves 4 - 6

Ingredients
4 ounces rice sticks
4 chicken breasts
2 tablespoons light soy sauce
1 head lettuce, shredded
preserved red ginger, chopped

Sauce:

1/2 cup sesame oil
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1/2 cup light soy sauce
2 scallions, chopped fine
1 teaspoon pepper oil (optional)

2 to 4 cups oil for deep frying

Directions:

Deep fry rice sticks quickly, a few at a time in very hot oil until they puff, about 1 second. Drain. Remove.
Rub chicken with soy sauce and sesame oil. Place in shallow pan. Roast 45 minutes in 350 degree oven.
When chicken is cool, discard skin and bones and break meat apart with hands into shreds. Do not cut.
Combine first 3 ingredients of sauce in serving bowl. Mix well. Add scallions and pepper oil (this will make sauce spicy).
Add lettuce and chicken. Toss well. Arrange rice sticks on top. Garnish with preserved red ginger. Serve cold.
* If you like, add toasted sesame seeds and thin almonds to taste

May be prepared in advance through step 4. Only cooked chicken may be frozen.

Chicken in Oyster Sauce

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Serves 4 - 6

1 pound chicken meat

Marinade
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon rice wine
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon cornstarch

3 - 4 Chinese dried mushrooms, softened and sliced
1 can bamboo shoots or 1 can baby corn
2 green onions, sliced on the diagonal into thirds
1 slice ginger, minced
1 garlic clove, minced

Sauce:
1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
2 tablespoons oyster sauce
1 tablespoon dry sherry
1 teaspoon sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/3 cup water
1 teaspoon sesame oil

Oil for stir-frying

Directions:
Combine the marinade ingredients and add to the chicken, mixing in with chopsticks and adding the cornstarch last. Marinate the chicken for 10 - 15 minutes.
While the chicken is marinating, prepare the vegetables and mix together the sauce ingredients. Rinse the canned vegetables in boiling water and drain.
Heat wok and add oil. When oil is hot, add garlic, ginger, and green onion, and stir-fry on high heat. Add the chicken and stir-fry, stirring frequently until the chicken changes color. Remove from the wok.
Add oil and stir-fry the mushrooms and bamboo shoots or baby corn. Return the chicken to the wok. Make a well in the middle of the wok and add the sauce, giving it a quick re-stir before adding. Stir sauce to thicken and mix with meat and vegetables. Serve hot.

Cantonese Steamed Chicken

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Serves 4

Ingredients:

750 g/1 1/2 lb assorted chicken pieces on the bone or half a roasting chicken
1 tablespoon light soy sauce
1 tablespoon Chinese wine or sherry
1 teaspoon fresh ginger juice*
2 teaspoons cornflour (cornstarch)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon oriental sesame oil

Place chicken on sturdy wooden chopping board and with a heavy cleaver chop into bite-sized pieces.
Wipe over pieces with damp paper towels to remove any chips of bone. Put chicken on a heatproof plate, add all the other ingredients and mix well.
Put the plate on a trivet or in a steamer over boiling water. Cover and steam on high heat for 15 minutes.
Serve hot with steamed rice. Vegetables may be steamed at the same as an accompaniment.

*To obtain ginger juice, press grated fresh ginger in a small strainer and discard solids left in strainer.

Cantonese Spring Rolls

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Makes 30 Spring Rolls

1 pound sirloin or center cut pork fillets, trimmed of fat and gristle

For the marinade, mixed together:
1 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp rice wine or sake
1/2 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch

For the filling:
1/3 pound raw medium-size shrimp, peeled, deveined, rinsed, drained and patted dry
1 tbsp plus 1 teaspoon peeled and minced fresh ginger
1 tbsp rice wine or sake
1 teaspoon cornstarch
7 tbsp safflower or corn oil
1 tbsp minced garlic
10 dried Chinese black mushrooms, softened in hot water to cover, drained, stems removed and caps shredded
4 cups thin julienne strips cored Chinese Napa Cabbage
2 cups fresh Chinese garlic chives or leeks (white sections only), cut into 1-inch lengths
2 cups bean sprouts, rinsed and drained

For the sauce, mix together:
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp rice wine or sake
1 teaspoon Oriental sesame oil
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon cornstarch

To Make and Fry the Spring Rolls:
30 spring roll skins
6 tbsp water
3 tbsp all-purpose flour
4 cups safflower or corn oil

To Serve:
Chinese plum or duck sauce
Chinese hot mustard

Directions:
Using a sharp knife, cut the pork across the grain into paper-thin slices, then cut slices into matchstick-size shreds. Place in a medium-size bowl, add the marinade, toss lightly to coat, and let marinate for 20 minutes at room temperature. Drain.
Slice the shrimp lengthwise in half. Cut into 1/4-inch dice. Place in a small bowl, add 1 teaspoon of the minced ginger, the rice wine and cornstarch, and toss lightly to coat.
Heat a wok or a large heavy skillet over high heat until very hot. Add 3 tablespoons of the oil and heat until hot, about 30 seconds. Add the drained pork and stir-fry, stirring constantly, until the meat loses its pink color and separates into shreds. Remove with a handled strainer or a slotted spoon and drain in a colander. Wipe out the pan. Reheat the pan, add 2 tablespoons of the oil, and heat until hot over high heat. Add the shrimp and stir-fry until opaque. Remove with a handled strainer or a slotted spoon and drain in a colander. Wipe out the pan.
Reheat the pan, add the remaining 2 tablespoons oil, and heat until hot over high heat. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon minced ginger, the garlic and mushrooms and stir-fry until fragrant, about 15 seconds. Add the cabbage and toss lightly over high heat until slightly limp, about 1 1/2 minutes. Add the garlic chives or leeks and the bean sprouts, toss lightly for 30 seconds, and add the sauce mixture. Cook, stirring continuously to prevent lumps, until thickened. Transfer to a serving platter to cool. Clean out the pan.
Separate the spring roll skins and cover them with a damp cotton dish towel to keep them from drying out. In a small bowl, mix the water and flour together until smooth. Arrange a skin facing you. Squeeze a heaping tablespoon of the filling to remove any excess liquid and place toward the lower third of the wrapper. Roll up to form a cylindrical shape, folding in the two sides as you roll. Spread some of the flour mixture on the top edge and press to seal the seam. Repeat with the remaining wrappers and filling.
Reheat the wok or skillet over high heat until very hot. Add the oil and heat to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Add a batch of the spring rolls without crowding them and fry, turning constantly so they cook evenly, until golden brown and crisp. Remove with a handled strainer or a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. (You may want to keep them warm in a preheated 250 degree Fahrenheit oven). Reheat the oil until hot again and continue frying the remaining rolls in batches, reheating the oil each time. Serve with the plum sauce and hot mustard. (You can freeze the rolls once they have cooled. To serve, defrost, arrange on a rack placed on a baking sheet, and reheat in a preheated 375 degree oven until crisp, about 15 minutes.)

Beef with Tomatoes

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Beef with Tomatoes

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.

*If preferred, you can leave out this step, cooking the tomatoes with the skins on.

Beef with Broccoli

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Serves 3 to 4

Ingredients:
3/4 lb (375 g) lean beef, sliced thinly into bite-sized pieces

Marinade for Beef:
1 egg
1/3 tsp (1.5 mL) salt
1 Tbsp (15 mL) cooking wine
1 Tbsp (15 mL) cornstarch
2 Tbsp water

1 1/2 Tbsp (20 mL) oil

1 1/2 lb (750 g) broccoli, flowerets removed, slice on the diagonal into thin slices
1 cup (250 mL) cooking oil
2 1/2 Tbsp (30 mL) oyster sauce
2 Tbsp (25 mL) light soy sauce
3/4 Tbsp (10 mL) dark soy sauce
1 Tbsp (15 mL) sugar
a few drops of sesame oil
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1/2 cup (125 mL) chicken broth
2 Tbsp cornstarch (if desired)

Directions
Slice beef and mix together marinade ingredients. Add marinade to beef and marinate for thirty minutes. Add 1 1/2 tablespoons of oil to beef, mix in thoroughly, and marinate beef for another thirty minutes. While beef is marinating, prepare the vegetables.
Heat wok and add 1 cup of oil. When oil is ready, add beef and stir-fry until it is nearly cooked. Remove beef and set aside on a plate. Drain the wok and wipe clean with a paper towel.
Add 1/2 cup water to wok. Bring the water to a boil and add the broccoli. Cover and cook until broccoli is cooked through. Drain the wok.
Heat wok and add oil (about 2 tablespoons). Add the garlic and stir-fry for about 1 minute. Add vegetables and beef and mix together. Make a well in the middle of the wok and add the sauce ingredients. Add cornstarch, stirring to thicken. Mix sauce together with other ingredients. Serve hot.

Variations
*Add carrots and onion if desired. Boil in the wok with the broccoli (you'll need to add more water).

Beef and Peppers in Black Bean Sauce

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Ingredients:

4 ounces Sirloin beef sliced thin or thick steaks
3 green peppers (or red and green peppers as desired)
1/2 small onion
2 sticks of celery
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1/2 teaspoon soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon MSG (if desired)
1 teaspoon black beans
2 cloves garlic
3 slices ginger
1/2 cup stock or hot water
2 tablespoons oil for cooking

Marinade:
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/2 tablespoon soy sauce
2 tablespoons oil

Directions:
Place the beef in a bowl, and stir in the marinade ingredients. Marinate beef for approximately thirty minutes.
While beef is marinating, prepare the vegetables. Cut peppers, onion, and celery into 1/2 inch pieces. Mix the garlic cloves and ginger with the black beans and chop finely.
Heat wok and add 2 tablespoons oil. When oil is ready, add 1/2 of the black bean, garlic, and ginger mixture. Mix and add the beef. Stir-fry until the beef is approximately 60 - 65 percent cooked. Remove the beef and set aside.
Add the rest of the bean mixture, onions and celery. Stir-fry for 3 - 4 minutes and add the peppers. Stir-fry for a couple of minutes longer and add 1/2 cup of stock or hot water. Bring to a boil, cover and simmer for a couple of minutes. Add MSG if desired.
Mix, taste, and adjust the seasoning if necessary. Add the beef. Mix and serve immediately.

Barbecued Pork with hoisin sauce

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Serves 4 - 6

Ingredients:
1-1/2 pound pork shoulder or butt
2 tablespoons rice wine
2 slices ginger root, about 1/4 inch thick
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon five-spice powder
5 teaspoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon sugar
2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
2 tablespoons ketchup
2 teaspoons bean sauce
2-3 drops red food coloring
1 tablespoon honey

Directions:
Cut pork into pieces about 2 x 5-inch. Place pieces in baking dish. Combine remaining ingredients except for honey in bowl and mix together well. Pour marinade on top of pork. Let marinate overnight. Then drain pork, reserving marinade. Add honey to marinade and stir well.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Fill a shallow roasting pan with water and place on oven bottom. Place pork on a roasting rack above water pan and roast for 30 minutes. Baste pork with honey marinade then return to oven and roast for 15 more minutes. Pork should be golden brown. Remove from oven and let cool.
When cool enough to handle, cut pork pieces into 1/4-inch slices. Serve meat at room temperature, or use for Steamed Buns.