Chinese Recipes(4).
Pork Lo Mein
If Lo Mein noodles are not available, substitute a thin egg noodle.
Serves 4.
1 Tablespoon Soy sauce
1 teaspoon Sherry
1 teaspoon Garlic, minced
1 teaspoon Cornstarch
1/2 pound Pork loin, boneless, thinly sliced into 2" x 1" strips
8 ounces Lo mein noodles, dry
2 Tablespoons Oil
1 cup Chicken broth
2 Tablespoons Oyster sauce (bottled)
1 Tablespoon Cornstarch
Whisk together the soy, sherry, garlic and cornstarch in a mixing bowl. Add the pork strips, cover and refrigerate for 20 minutes. Cook the noodles until just tender. Drain and sit aside. Heat the oil in a large skillet or wok. Add the pork and stir-fry quickly (about 3 minutes). Whisk together the broth, oyster sauce and corn starch. Stir into the pork. Toss in the cooked noodles. Cook until thickened (about 2 minutes). Serve warm.
Spicy Chicken With Fresh Water Chestnuts - Mati Jiding *
Famished one day while on a train trip from Hangzhou to Suzhou, we had to risk the dining carīs offering. To our surprise, we savored a dish of bits of chicken and water chestnuts in a spicy, very pleasing sauce. It is easy to make, as befits a dining car speciality.
Serves 4 as a part of a Chinese meal, or 2 as a single dish.
8 oz/225 g boneless chicken breast, skinned
1 egg white
1 tsp salt
2 tsp cornflour
8 oz/225 g water chestnuts, fresh or canned
4 fl oz/125 ml peanut oil
1 tbsp finely chopped garlic
2 tsp finely chopped, peeled fresh ginger root
1 tbsp chili bean sauce
2 tsp dark soy sauce
2 tsp rice wine or dry sherry
2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp sesame oil
Cut the chicken into 1/2 in/12 mm dice. Combine it with the egg white, salt and cornflour in a small bowl and put the mixture into the refrigerator for about 20 minutes. If you are using fresh water chestnuts, peel them. If you are using canned water chestnuts, drain them well and rinse in cold water. Coarsley chop the water chestnuts.
Heat a wok or large frying pan until hot and add the oil. When it is moderately hot, add the diced chicken and stir well to keep it from sticking. When the chicken pieces turn white, about 2 minutes, quickly drain the chicken and all the oil into a stainless steel colander set in a bowl.
Clean the wok or pan and reheat. Return 2 tablespoons of oil to the wok, add the garlic and ginger and stir-fry for 30 seconds. Then add the water chestnuts, chili bean sauce, soy sauce, rice wine or sherry, sugar and salt and continue to stir-fry for 1 minute. Return the chicken to the wok and continue to cook for another 2 minutes. Add the sesame oil, give the mixture a final stir, and serve at once.
Stewed Chicken With Smoked Ham Knuckle - Huo Zhong Dun Ji Tang *
The nutritious, the medicinal and the flavorful are often joined in Chinese cuisine. Pigīs trotters and chicken are both believed to be good for the blood and circulation. The warming richness of this stew is good for whatever may ail you. It can be made ahead of time as it reheats perfectly.
Serves 4-6 as part of a Chinese meal, or 4 as a single dish.
1 1/2 lb/700 g smoked ham knuckle
4 slices fresh ginger root
4 whole spring onions
2 tbsp rice wine or dry sherry
1 tsp salt
3 pints/1.7 litres water
3 1/2 lb/1.6 - 1.8 kg chicken
1 lb Cchinese cabbage
4 slices fresh ginger root
4 spring onions, white parts only
3 tbsp rice wine or dry sherry
1 tsp salt
salt and pepper
Have your butcher cut the ham knuckle in 4 pieces. Wash the pieces in cold running water until cleaned. Place them in a bowl, cover completely with cold water, and soak for 8 hours or overnight.
Place the pieces of ham knuckle in a large pot of boiling water and blanch for 5 minutes. Remove them and drain well. Discard the water and wash the pot thoroughly. Put the ham, ginger, whole onions, rice wine or sherry, salt and water in the pot and bring the mixture to a boil. Turn the heat to low, cover, and slowly cook for 1 hour.
Cut the chicken into quarters and blanch them in a large pot of boiling water for 5 minutes. Drain well and set aside.
Cut the Chinese cabbage into thick 1 x 3 in/25 mm x 7.5 cm strips. When the meat is tender, add the chicken and cabbage, then add the second batch of ginger, onions, rice wine or sherry, and salt. Cover and cook over low heat for another hour. Skim off all surface fat and remove the ginger and onions. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Ladle into a large bowl and serve at once.
Category: Poultry.
Yunnan Steamed Pot Chicken - Qiguo Ji *
The original version of this recipe calls for white Chinese fungus which is rarely available in the West. Tto make it we use a Yunnan ceramic steam pot, a squat, round, lidded vessel with an internal spout that allows steam to circulate but not to escape. Steaming in a covered heat-proof casserole for 2 hours will do almost as well. The steaming broth gently bathes the chicken pieces in a rich and flavorful atmosphere that permeates the meat. Chicken steamed this way produces a superior clear soup enriched by condensation of the natural juices of the bird. Serve the soup accompanied by a platter of chicken with dipping sauces.
Serves 4-6 as part of a Chinese meal, or 4 as a single dish.
4 lb/1.8 kg chicken, cut into pieces
1 tsp salt
6 slices of fresh ginger root
2 spring onions, cut into 2in/5 cm pieces
1 1/4 pints/700 ml chicken stock
2 tbsp rice wine
Dipping sauces:
light soy sauce
chili bean sauce
chopped spring onions
Blanch the chicken for 3 minutes in a large pot of boiling water. Remove the chicken and rinse thoroughly in cold running water. Place the chicken pieces around the Yunnan pot or on a rack set into a heat-proof casserole. Sprinkle the chicken with the salt, and scatter the ginger pieces and onions over the top. Pour in the chicken stock and rice wine or cherry. Cover and gently steam for 2 hours, replenishing the hot water from time to time if needed. Remove the ginger and onion pieces. With a spoon, skim off all the surface fat. Ladle the soup into a tureen, and pass the chicken on a platter with the selection of dipping sauces.
Category: Poultry.
* = Brought to you by the Chinese super cook Ken Hom.
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