Chinese tips or recipes

[Mr_Dove]

My wife and I simply LOVE chinese food. Mostly the spicy stuff like sezcuan (bad spelling) and hunan.

We've tried making a few recipes at home but it always comes out very bland and flavorless compared to the restaurant fare that we're used to.

Anyone have any tips on how to make real, quality chinese at home?

We DO have a huge Korean grocer nearby that stocks tons of asian things that we don't even recognize so we probably have access to obscure ingredients if needed.

 

[jkath]

Two-Onion Pork Shreds

1/2 tsp. szechuan peppercorns*
1 tsp cornstarch
4 tsp soy sauce, divided
4 tsp dry sherry, divided
7-1/2 tsp veg. oil, divided
8 oz boneless lean pork (get a really good cut for this)
2 tsp red wine vinegar
1/2 tsp sugar
2 minced garlic cloves (fresh garlic, not the jarred kind)
1/2 small yellow onion, cut into 1/4" slices
8 green onions with tops, cut into 2" pieces
1/2 tsp sesame oil

(*Szechuan peppercorns are very deceiving! They are similar to jalepenos, in that you need to wear gloves when handling, or if you don't, make sure not to touch your eyes while handling!)

Cook peppercorns over med-low heat in a small skillet, skaking frequently, about 2 minutes, till fragrant; crush between waxed paper, using a rolling pin.
Place peppercorns in a bowl with cornstarch, 2 tsp each of the soy sauce and sherry, and 1-1/2 tsp of the veg. oil. Mix well.

Slice meat 1/8" thick; cut into 2-1/2" pieces. Add to marinade; stir to coat well. Cover and refrigerate 30 minutes, stirring occassionally.

Combine remaining soy sauce and sherry with vinegar and sugar in a small bowl and mix well.

Heat remaining oil in large skillet (or wok) on high. Stir in garlic to roast. Add meat mixture; stir fry till meat is done, about 2 minutes. Add yellow onion for 1 minute then add green onions for another 30 seconds. Add soy-vinegar mixture; cook and stir 30 more seconds. Stir in sesame oil and serve.

--->This is really good over steamed white rice, but you can also put it over chinese noodles.

 

[Mary]

Pansit Bihon

Yield: 3 Servings

Ingredients:

• 6 md Dried Chinese mushrooms
• 4 oz Rice vermicelli (pansit -bihon)
• 2/3 c -oil
• 7 cl Garlic; minced
• 2/3 c Onion; chopped
• 1/2 Chicken breast; boned
• 2 sm Chicken thighs; boned
• 1 2/3 c -water
• 1 tb Fish sauce; (patis or nuoc -mam or nam pla)
• 1 Chorizo de Bilbao; diced
• 1 lg Carrot; cut julienne style
• 2 c Cabbage; coarsely shredded
• 2 Eggs; hard-cooked

Instructions:

peeled -and quartered Noodles With Chicken & Deep-Fried Garlic) Soak mushrooms and rice vermicelli in separate bowls of hot water 20 minutes remove tough mushroom stems and cut caps into thin strips. Drain noodles. In soup pot or deep skillet heat about 1 Tablespoon oil and saute 1 1/2 tsp. of minced garlic and onion until tender but not browned. Add chicken and water. Cover and simmer about 20 minutes or until meat falls away from bones. Remove chicken from broth. Chill broth and remove fat or if you are not working ahead just degrease warm broth. Shred chicken meat. (Can do above ahead.) Combine defatted broth and fish sauce and bring mixture to boiling. Add rice sticks and simmer about 5 minutes until most of liquid is absorbed. There should be some unabsorbed broth with noodles to act as sauce for all ingredients. Meanwhile heat remaining oil in small heavy skillet and deep-fry remaining garlic just until pale golden. Pour oil through strainer and drain garlic on paper toweling. Heat 2 Tablespoons of garlic oil in wok or skillet. Stir-fry chorizo until heated through. Add carrot and fry until almost crisp-tender add cabbage and mushrooms and continue to stir-fry until cabbage is almost crisp-tender. Stir in chicken then stir vegetable mixture into noodles. Arrange noodle mixture on platter and surround with hard- cooked egg quarters. Sprinkle fried garlic over noodles. Makes 3 main-dish servings or 6 side-dish servings.


This recipe is similar to chinese recipe. I hope you'll love it.

 

[ironchef]

Get this book. Seriously. It really helps.

 

[Caine]

With my Asian recipes, it's all in the sauce, so you can add any type of meat, seafood, or even tofu and get the same great results.
I learned that from Martin Yan

Here is a really good one:

Kung Pao
1 1/2 pounds meat, poultry, seafood, or tofu (a.k.a meat)

1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 tablespoons sesame oil
1 tablespoon rice wine or sherry
1 egg, beaten
1/2 teaspoon salt

2 Tbs peanut oil
4 dried red chiles, cracked
1 Tbs garlic, minced
1/2 Tbs grated ginger
1 tsp pepper
2 scallions, chopped
1 red bell pepper, cut in strips
2 Tbs soy sauce
3 Tbs rice wine or sherry
2 Tbs Chinese black (or balsamic) vinegar
1 tsp sugar
1 cup chicken broth
1 Tbs cornstarch, dissolved in 4 Tbs water
1/3 cup unsalted, dry roasted peanuts



Combine the soy sauce, sesame oil, rice wine/sherry, egg and salt in a glass bowl. Add the meat and stir to coat. Marinate for at least 1 hour, covered, in the refrigerator.



Place peanut oil in a wok, and swirl to coat sides, then place over high heat. Add the chilies and cook until they begin to darken. Add the garlic, ginger and pepper and continue to cook to infuse the oil. Add the scallions and bell pepper. Remove the meat from the marinade, pat dry with paper towel, then add it to the wok. Stir-fry the meat until cooked through. Blend in soy sauce, rice wine, vinegar, sugar and chicken broth. Add the cornstarch slurry to the sauce and stir to thicken. Add the peanuts and stir to blend.


and yet another:


Mongolian Stir Fry

Ingredients:

1 pound Flank steak or lean pork, sliced thin; chicken, turkey, fish fillets, or tofu, cubed; or shrimp, shelled, cleaned, and de-veined (a.k.a. meat!)
peanut oil for frying

1 small onion or shallot, sliced thin
4 oz snow peas
4 oz Green onion, green part only

4 oz button mushrooms

2 cloves finely minced garlic



Coating:



1 Egg white
1/2 tsp Salt
1 tsp Cornstarch



Sauce:


1 tsp Cornstarch

1 tsp Turbinado Sugar
1 tsp Chinese chili sauce

2 Tbs dry Sherry, white wine, or rice wine
2 Tbs Hoisin sauce
2 Tbs soy sauce
1/4 cup beef, chicken, shrimp, or vegetable stock

Combine sauce ingredients and set aside. Combine egg white, salt and cornstarch, add meat, shrimp or tofu, and mix well to coat. Heat 2 Tbs oil in wok over high heat, then stir fry meat until just cooked through and remove from wok. Add additional Tbs peanut oil to wok and stir fry onion or shallot and snow peas for 1 minute. Add green onion, mushrooms and garlic and continue stir-frying until mushrooms are tender. Add sauce to vegetables and heat until sauce has thickened. Add meat and stir until heated through.

and here is one that works with any seafood, but I don't recommend it for meat:

FIVE SPICE SEAFOOD MARINADE AND SAUCE​

1 lb seafood

4 Tbs sesame oil

¼ cup lemon juice

1/3 cup lite soy sauce

1/3 cup hoi sin sauce

2 tsp turbinado sugar

1 Tbs chili garlic sauce

2 tsp Chinese five spice

1 tsp ground ginger



Marinate the fish in the sesame oil and lemon juice for 30 minutes. While the fish is marinating, combine the remaining ingredients and heat in a pan for 10 minutes over medium heat. Cook the fish for 3 to 4 minutes on each side, turning once, basting occasionally with the sauce.

and last, but not least, I had the following at a very expensive restaurant here in California (on my employer's tab or it would have been sent back!) and I just had to reinvent it. I just wish I could feed it to their chef so he'd know just how bad he screwed it up!

Chinese Dragon
​

3 ½ to 5 pound boneless dragon loin (you can substitute pork loin , but your guests will know the difference)


1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground pepper



Marinade:

1/2 cup hoisin sauce
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 Tbs tomato paste

1 Tbs Chili Garlic sauce
2 Tbs rice vinegar
2 Tbs firmly packed brown sugar
1 Tbs grated ginger
1/2 tsp five-spice powder



Garnish:

1 small green mango

1/3 cup crushed pineapple

2 tsp lemon juice

2 Tbs Pineapple vinegar

1/4 tsp crushed red pepper (optional)

1/2 small red bell pepper, julienned

4 scallions, thinly sliced

1 cup chopped dry roasted unsalted peanuts



1. Combine hoisin sauce, soy sauce, tomato paste, chili garlic sauce, rice vinegar, brown sugar, ginger, and five-spice in a medium saucepan. Simmer over low heat for 10 minutes. Remove from heat; allow marinade to cool.

2. Trim excess fat from loin, season with salt and pepper. Then place in a large plastic bag. When marinade has cooled, pour into plastic bag, squeeze out any excess air, and close with a twist tie. Allow to marinate for at least 1 hour (preferably overnight), refrigerated.

3. Preheat oven to 350°F. Place the loin on a rack in a shallow roasting pan and cook for 20 to 30 minutes per pound, or until internal temperature is 160°F. Allow loin to rest for 10 to 15 minutes, covered with foil, before slicing.

4. Slice thin and serve garnished with mango, pineapple, scallions, bell pepper, and peanuts.

 

[SierraCook]

Here are a couple of my favorite recipes.

Cashew Chicken


Ingredients:
8 ounces boneless chicken breasts, skinned and cut into 1/2 inch cubes


Marinade
1 egg white
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cornstarch

5 fluid ounces cooking oil (vegetable or peanut)
2 ounces cashew nuts
2 teaspoons dry sherry or rice wine
1 tablespoon light soy sauce
1 tablespoon spring onions, finely chopped as garnish (if desired)


Directions:

Add the marinade ingredients to the chicken cubes, mixing with chopsticks and adding the cornstarch last. Allow the chicken to marinate in the refrigerator for 15 - 20 minutes. While the chicken is marinating, mix together the dry sherry and light soy sauce and set aside.
Heat the wok and add oil. When the oil is ready, add the chicken cubes and stir-fry on medium heat, stirring quickly to ensure that the chicken does not stick to the wok, until it turns white. Remove the chicken from the wok and set aside.
Clean the wok with a paper towel and add one tablespoon of oil. When the oil is ready, add the cashews and stir-fry them for about 1 minute. Add the chicken, and the sherry/soy sauce mixture. Stir-fry the dish for about another 2 minutes. If you don't like raw spring onions, you can add them to the dish at this time. Otherwise, remove the dish from wok, garnish with spring onions, and serve.


Garlic Chicken


Ingredients:
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Marinade:
1 tablespoon light soy sauce
1 tablespoon dry sherry

4 garlic cloves, finely minced
2 green onions, finely chopped on the diagonal
a few drops sesame oil
2 tablespoons light soy sauce
1 tablespoon dry sherry
1/4 teaspoon chili paste

Oil for stir-frying

Directions:
Cut the chicken into bite-sized cubes. Place in a bowl, mix in the marinade ingredients and marinate for about 30 minutes. While the chicken is marinating, prepare the green onions and garlic. Combine the sesame oil, light soy sauce, sherry and chili paste in a bowl and set aside.
Heat wok and add oil. When oil is ready, add the marinated chicken. Stir-fry briefly on high heat, then add the garlic and green onion. Add the remaining ingredients and combine (total cooking time should be about 5 minutes). Serve hot with rice

 

[jennyema]

Szechuan peppercorns were banned in the US for quite a while, but now are legal again, as they are heat-treated.