alt="Image26153.JPG"/>
Water chestnuts are small, acorn-shaped roots with a brown leathery skin outside and a crisp, crunchy flesh and a juicy sweet flavor inside. Fresh water chestnuts can be found packed in water in the refrigerator sections of Asian supermarkets. Canned water chestnuts are commonly available.
Wonton wrappers are made from wheat dough, and come in a variety of sizes and thicknesses. They are filled with meat or vegetables, then steamed, fried or used in soups. Fresh or frozen wonton wrappers are available in many supermarkets.
Wood ear fungus, also called wood ear mushrooms, have little flavor and are added to dishes for their chewy texture and as a meat substitute. They are sold dried in plastic packets in Asian supermarkets and comes in small, crinkly sheets. Soak them in water before using. Wash well and discard any hard bits that remain after soaking.
Chili Garlic Sauce
| 5 red finger-length chilies 3 cloves garlic 3 tablespoons rice vinegar 1 teaspoon sugar 1/2 teaspoon salt |
1 Process all the ingredients in a blender until smooth. Store refrigerated in a dry, covered jar until ready to use. Serve with steamed poultry or rice, and use this as a dip with Lettuce Cups with Mushrooms and Tofu (recipe on page 13).
Yields 1/4 cup (60 ml) Preparation time: 10 mins
Hunan Chili Relish
| 5 red and 5 green finger-length chilies 5 cloves garlic 1 onion 1 tablespoon oil 1/4 teaspoon salt |
1 Coarsely chop the chilies, garlic and onion.
2 Heat the oil and stir-fry the chopped ingredients for 1 minute. Add the salt and serve warm, or at room temperature as an appetizer, or as an accompaniment to Classic Fried Rice (recipe on page 44).
Yields 2 cups (500 g)
Preparation time: 5 mins
Cooking time: 1 min
Chinese Chicken Stock
| 3 lbs (1.5 kg) chicken bones or 1/2 chicken 2 in (5 cm) fresh ginger, peeled and sliced 3 green onions (scallions) 1 stalk fresh celery, leaves attached, roughly chopped 1 teaspoon white peppercorns 10 cups (2.5 liters) water |
1 Combine all the ingredients in a large stock pot and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat and simmer for 1 hour. Discard the solids and strain the stock through a fine sieve. The stock can be frozen for up to 3 months.
Yields 8 cups (2 liters)
Preparation time: 5 mins
Cooking time: 1 hour 10 mins
Spicy Cabbage Pickles
| 1 small Chinese (Napa) cabbage 2 teaspoons salt 3 red finger-length chilies, deseeded and thinly sliced 1 in (2.5 cm) fresh ginger, peeled and grated 4 tablespoons sugar 4 tablespoons rice vinegar 1 tablespoon oil |
1 Wash and dry the cabbage leaves. Slice the leaves into thin ribbons and place them into a bowl. Sprinkle with the salt, mix and set aside for 1 hour.
2 Drain the cabbage of any excess liquid, squeezing gently, and place it in a clean bowl. Add the remaining ingredients, except the oil and mix well.
3 Heat the oil and pour it over the cabbage. Store in a dry, glass container in the refrigerator and marinate for 2 days before consuming. Serve as a side dish with Classic Chinese Egg Rolls (recipe on page 10).
Yields 4 cups (900 g)
Preparation time: 1 hour 10 mins + 2 days marinating time
Crispy Fried Shallots
| 6–8 small shallots, peeled and thinly sliced 1/2 cup (125 ml) oil |
Yields 3 tablespoons
Preparation time: 5 mins
Cooking time: 10 mins
1 Heat the oil in a skillet or wok over medium heat and stir-fry the shallots until golden brown, taking care not to burn them as this makes them taste bitter. Remove from the oil and drain on paper towels. If not using them immediately, allow to cool, then store in an airtight jar to preserve their crispness.
2 Reserve the Shallot Oil for frying or seasoning other dishes.
Seasoned Sliced Chilies
| 10–15 bird’s-eye chilies, deseeded and thinly sliced 2 tablespoons soy sauce 2 tablespoons lime juice |
1 Combine the chilies, soy sauce and lime juice in a small bowl and serve with Claypot Chicken Rice (recipe on page 43).
Yields 1/4 cup (60 g)
Preparation time: 5 mins
Classic Chinese Egg Rolls
| 20 spring roll wrappers 1 egg, beaten Oil, for deep-frying Bottled plum sauce, to serve Hot Chinese or English mustard, to serve Spicy Cabbage Pickles (page 9), to serve |
| Filling 1 teaspoon cornstarch 1 teaspoon soy sauce 11/4 cups (250 g) ground pork, or diced ham 2 tablespoons oil 1/2 cup (75 g) thinly slivered bamboo shoots 2 carrots, peeled and grated 2 cups (180 g) thinly sliced Chinese (Napa) cabbage 2 green onions (scallions), sliced 2 cups (100 g) fresh bean sprouts 1 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon pepper |
1 To make the Filling, blend the cornstarch with the soy sauce and combine with the pork. Set aside.
2 Heat the oil in a wok and stir-fry the pork until it changes color, about 3 minutes. Add the bamboo shoots and carrot, and stir-fry for 2 more minutes.
3 Add the cabbage and stir-fry for about 2 minutes, or until the cabbage is soft but still crisp. Remove from the heat and stir in the rest of the ingredients. Drain the filling before using.
4 Lay a spring roll wrapper on a clean flat surface, with a corner facing you. Spoon 2 tablespoons of the Filling onto the wrapper, about 2 in (5 cm) from the bottom corner. Shape the Filling into a long, narrow strip.
5 Fold the bottom corner up and over the Filling, and roll once, away from you. Dab the left and right corners with some egg and fold inwards, pressing to seal. Dab the top corner with a bit of egg and roll, sealing the egg roll. Repeat to make more rolls.
6 Heat the oil in a wok over high heat until almost smoking. Add 5 egg rolls at a time and fry until crisp and golden, about 3 minutes. Remove the egg rolls with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Serve with plum sauce, mustard and Spicy Cabbage Pickles.
Makes 20 egg rolls
Preparation time: 30 mins
Cooking time: 30 mins
|
|
|