A Little Chinese Cook Book

31 Pages·1990·95.238 MB·English

by  Terry Tan, Susan Dray

Scanned & Converted to PDF by FFCcottage
Introduction
First published In 1990 by
The Appletree Press Ltd. 7 James Street South. While Chinese cuisine is universally popular, it has the undeserved
Belfast BT2 81)1_
reputation of being intimidating. Those 'mystifying sauces' are
Copyright 0 1990 The Appletree Press, Ltd. Illustrations 0
1990 Susan Dray used under Exclusive License to easily available in stores. As for methods and utensils, this book will
The Appletree Press, Ltd. de-mystify them. The Ying Yang philosophy that permeates
Printed in Hong Kong. All rights reserved. . Chinese life is evident in its cuisine, giving a balance of opposite
No part of this publication may be
reproduced or transmitted in any form elements — dark and light, soft and crunchy, sweet and sour. The
or by means, electronic or mechanical, result should be a feeling of wellbeing after a meal. No two Chinese
photocopying, recording or any information chefs ever cook the same dish the same way, each creates his own
and retrieval system, without permission in flavours. Whether attempting an imperial Peking Duck or humble
writing from the publisher
peasant stew, approach it with a sense of adventure and boldness.
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data It's a matter of trial, and a few errors, before you know the perfect
Tan, Terry harmony between ginger and sesame oil, plum sauce and vinegar,
A Little Chinese Cookbook soy sauce and garlic, noodles and beansprouts and the endless
I. Food, Chinese dishes. Recipes
permutations therein. A Chinese meal for four consists of two or
I. Title
641.5951 three dishes served with rice. All dishes will serve two or more if
the meal includes other dishes, unless otherwise indicated. A meal
ISBN: 0-86281-253-4
for four can easily be stretched by serving more rice.
First published in the United States in 1990
by Chronicle Books, 275 Fifth Street, A note on measures
San Francisco, CA 94 I 03 Imperial, metric and American measures have been used in this
book. Use one set of measures only as they are not necessarily
ISBN 0-87701-798-8
exact equivalents. The cup referred to is the standard American
9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 measure, and spoon measures are level, not heaped. All recipes will
serve four people.
Savoury Tossed Chicken Noodles
Bread is not truly a part of Chinese cuisine and breakfast is really
pot luck. Mostly a simplified version of lunch or dinner, it draws
from a wide range of single-portion rice and noodle-based dishes. 4
oz/ 100 g noodles is ample for one.
4 oz/ 100 g dry egg noodles
3 tbsp vegetable oil
6 oz/ 150 g/3/4 cup chicken breast
I stalk celery
I oz/25 g/2 tbsp dark soy sauce
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
8 fl oz/250 mI/1 cup water
chicken stock cube
2 stalks spring onions, chopped
Cook noodles to packet instructions. Drain and loosen strands.
Slice chicken into thin strips. Slice celery on the diagonal 3/4 in/1 cm
wide. Heat oil in wok or frying pan until smoking and add chicken,
stirring vigorously until meat turns opaque. Add celery, soy sauce,
pepper, water and stock cube. When this boils, add noodles and
stir well, raking strands with a fork. Cook for 2 minutes and serve
garnished with chopped spring onions. Typically, left-over chicken
will be used.
4
Braised Rice \oodles
With Shrimps and Squid
Chinese noodles are made from wheat, rice or mung bean flour.
Sold dry, or occasionally fresh in specialist stores, they need only be
boiled or soaked till soft. Wheat noodles expand roughly to twice
their bulk but rice and mung bean noodles do not.
8 oz/200 g rice noodles
1 clove garlic, crushed
2 tbsp vegetable oil
3 tbsp oyster sauce
10 fl oz/ 300 ml water
4 oz/ 100 g/ '1/2 cup beansprouts
3 oz/75 g raw shrimps
3 oz/75 g cleaned squid
/2 tsp pepper
fresh coriander or spring onions, chopped
Cook noodles to packet instructions adding 2 tbsp oil when boiling
to prevent sticking. Drain. Clean and devein shrimps. Cut squid into
12 in/ I cm rings or I in/ 21/2 cm square if large. Fry garlic in hot oil till
light brown. Add oyster sauce and water and bring to the boil. Add
shrimps and squid and cook for I minute. Add all other ingredients
and stir well for about 2 minutes. Serve garnished with fresh
coriander or chopped spring onions.
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Ydngzhou jewel Rice
Have you eaten rice?' is the traditional Chinese greeting, explaining
its importance to the Chinese. Yangzhou (sometimes spelt Yang
Chow) is the Eastern city in the Yang Tze region from which fried
rice originated. It is a colourful mix of rice, ham, peas, carrots and
egg, hence the iewel reference.
10 oz/250 g/ 1 cup long grain rice (enough water to cover
in/21/2 cm above rice level)
4 tbsp oil
2 eggs, lightly beaten
6 oz/150 g cooked ham, cut into 3/4 in/ 1 cm cubes
2 tbsp cooked green peas
2 carrots, cubed and blanched
1 vegetable stock cube, crumbled
spring onion stalks, chopped
Wash rice, add water and cook covered, over a medium heat for
I 0- 12 minutes, until all water is absorbed. Switch off heat. Stir to
loosen and allow to get completely cold. Heat oil and cook eggs
until set. Add all other ingredients. Stir well to break up stock cube.
Garnish with chopped spring onions.
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Shrimp Dumpling Soup
From ancient times, Chinese people were fond of eating at tea
houses. From these came a range of snacks now a permanent
feature in most Chinese restaurants. A Dim Sum (literally 'to touch
the heart') meal can be two or 200 dishes!
20 won ton pastry skins, each 21/2 in/6 cms square
12 oz/300 g/minced pork
6 oz/ 150 g raw minced prawns
2 tsp cornflour
2 tbsp sesame oil
1/2 tbsp pepper
2 tbsp light soy sauce
2 oz/50 g translucent vermicelli, soaked till soft
30 fl oz/750 ml water
I chicken stock cube
fresh coriander or spring onions, chopped
Mix pork, prawns, cornflour, sesame oil, pepper and soy sauce.
Place 2 tsp on each won ton skin, gather up and twist to seal with a
little water. Bring water and stock cube to boil. Drop in dumplings
and vermicelli, cook for 3 minutes. Adiust seasoning. Garnish with
fresh coriander or chopped spring onions.
Chicken Pancdke Kolls
This is a nother Dim Sum item with more variations than leaves on a
tree! Mi nced pork and cabbage is the classic filling but you can ring
the chat iges with chicken and beansprouts or any shredded leafy
vegetab le.
6 spring roll skins 10 in/ 125 cms square
2 tbsp oil
2 cloves garlic, crushed
12 oz/300 gl3/4 cup chicken breast, minced
12 oz/300 g/2 cups beansprouts
2 tbsp light soy sauce
I tsp pepper
oil for deep-frying
3 tbsp sesame oil
cucumber, sliced
Heat oil and fry garlic until light brown. Add all other ingredients
and stir-fry for 3 minutes until chicken is cooked. Allow to cool. If
needed, defrost spring roll skins, keeping them covered with a
damp tea towel to prevent cracking while working. Place 2 tbsp of
mixture near the edge of skin. Roll over once, fold in sides and roll
again to make a firm sausage. Seal edges with a little water and
allow to sit for a few minutes. Add sesame oil to deep-fry oil for
nutty fragrance. Deep-fry rolls until golden brown and serve with a
chili sauce dip and sliced cucumbers.
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Sesdme Todst
Though a migrant snack in its use of bread, this is an hors d'oeuvre
with lots of savoury crunch. Use a pastry cutter to make rounds of
bread.
1 sandwich loaf with crust trimmed
12 oz/300 g/1/4 cup minced pork
6 oz/ 150 g raw minced prawns
3 eggs. lightly beaten
2 tbsp light soy sauce
1/2 tsp pepper
8 oz/200 g/ 'A cup sesame seeds
oil for deep-frying
Mix pork, prawns and 2 tbsp of beaten egg with soy sauce and
pepper. Cut bread into rounds about 1 1/2 in /4 cm in diameter. With
a pastry brush, lightly coat each round with egg and spread mixture
about 1/4 in/ V2 cm thick, patting down firmly. You should get
between 20 and 24 pieces. Brush with more egg and coat with
sesame seeds. Fry a few at a time until golden brown, turning once.
Drain on absorbent paper.
15
Chicken
Plum Sauce
Chinese chefs are master at making inexpensive ingredients look
and taste wonderful. With a little work, humble chicken wings
become imperial offerings. All it needs is patience, ingenuity and a
sharp knife.
12 chicken wings, tips removed
2 eggs, lightly beaten
10 cream crackers, finely crushed
oil for deep frying
4 tbsp plum sauce
2 tbsp hoi sin sauce
cucumber rounds
pineapple rings
Cut away thin end of wing joint. Scrape down along the two bones
until meat forms a thick ball at the other end. Shape firmly into little
lollipops. Remove thin bone leaving thick one as a handle. Roll first
in beaten egg and then in crushed crackers. Leave to settle for a few
minutes before deep-frying until golden brown. Keep crisp in a
warm oven. Serve on rounds of cucumber and pineapple rings with
dips of plum and hoi sin sauce.
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Pot Stickers
Legend has it that a forgetful chef burnt a batch of dumplings. His
quick-witted son deflected the Emperor's wrath by saying his
father had invented a special dish called 'pot stickers' with burnt
bottoms. To further mask the fault, he served them with sharp
vinegar and ginger sauce.
12 oz/350 g/3 cups plain flour, sifted
7 fl oz/250 ml/ 1 cup warm water
Filling
5 oz/ 100 g/1 cup shredded cabbage
10 oz/200 g/ 1 cup minced pork
1 oz/25 g/2 tbsp light soy sauce
1/2 tsp pepper
2 tbsp sesame oil
1 egg, lightly beaten
4 oz/ l00 g/5 tbsp oil for frying
Mix flour with the water and knead for 10 minutes until dough
comes away from bowl. Rest dough. Blanch cabbage in boiling
water for 2 minutes, drain and mix with other ingredients. Divide
dough into 3 parts. Roll each into 10 in / 25 cms length. Cut into 10
rings and roll each out into 3 in/7 cms round. Place 2 tsp of filling in
each and shape into half moons, pinching each firmly to seal. Heat
oil in a frying pan and lightly brown as many as you can at one time.
Add 611 oz/ 180 m113/4 cup water, cover and cook until the pan is
dry and the bottom of each pot sticker is brown. To make the dip,
mix 4 tbsp malt vinegar with 2 tbsp soy sauce and 2 tbsp finely
shredded ginger.
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