When it comes to Chinese cooking, I am from the Martin Yan school: You make a sauce first, add some vegetables, then you add some kind of meat, poultry, seafood or even tofu to finish it off. So here is my recipe for Mongolian Stir-Fry that uses hoison sauce, and you can add whatever protein you like:
Mongolian Stir Fry
Ingredients:
- [FONT=Arial, sans-serif]1 pound of flank steak or lean pork, sliced thin; chicken, turkey, fish fillets, or tofu, cubed; or shrimp, shelled, cleaned, and de-veined [/FONT]
- [FONT=Arial, sans-serif]peanut oil for frying[/FONT]
- [FONT=Arial, sans-serif]1 small onion or shallot, sliced thin[/FONT]
- [FONT=Arial, sans-serif]4 oz snow peas[/FONT]
- [FONT=Arial, sans-serif]4 oz scallion, green part only[/FONT]
- [FONT=Arial, sans-serif]4 oz button mushrooms[/FONT]
- [FONT=Arial, sans-serif]2 cloves finely minced garlic[/FONT]
Coating:
- [FONT=Arial, sans-serif]1 egg white[/FONT]
- [FONT=Arial, sans-serif]1/2 tsp salt[/FONT]
- [FONT=Arial, sans-serif]1 tsp cornstarch[/FONT]
Sauce:
- [FONT=Arial, sans-serif]1 tsp cornstarch [/FONT]
- [FONT=Arial, sans-serif]1 tsp turbinado sugar[/FONT]
- [FONT=Arial, sans-serif]1 tsp Chinese chili sauce [/FONT]
- [FONT=Arial, sans-serif]2 Tbs dry sherry, white wine, or rice wine[/FONT]
- [FONT=Arial, sans-serif]2 Tbs hoisin sauce[/FONT]
- [FONT=Arial, sans-serif]2 Tbs soy sauce[/FONT]
- [FONT=Arial, sans-serif]1/4 cup beef, chicken, shrimp, or vegetable stock[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Combine sauce ingredients and set aside. Combine egg white, salt and cornstarch, add meat and mix well to coat. [/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Heat peanut oil in wok over high heat, then stir fry meat until just cooked through and remove from wok. [/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Add additional 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. [/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Add sauce to vegetables and heat until sauce has thickened. Return meat to wok and and stir until heated through. [/FONT]
Here's a recipe for Sunday dinner or for a dinner party you might like that also uses hoison sauce:
[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Chinese Dragon [/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Ingredients:[/FONT]
- [FONT=Arial, sans-serif]3 ½ to 5 pound boneless pork loin [/FONT]
- [FONT=Arial, sans-serif]½ tsp salt [/FONT]
- [FONT=Arial, sans-serif]¼ tsp ground pepper[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Marinade:[/FONT]
- [FONT=Arial, sans-serif]½ cup hoisin sauce[/FONT]
- [FONT=Arial, sans-serif]¼ cup soy sauce[/FONT]
- [FONT=Arial, sans-serif]2 Tbs tomato paste[/FONT]
- [FONT=Arial, sans-serif]1 Tbs Chili Garlic sauce[/FONT]
- [FONT=Arial, sans-serif]2 Tbs rice vinegar[/FONT]
- [FONT=Arial, sans-serif]2 Tbs firmly packed brown sugar[/FONT]
- [FONT=Arial, sans-serif]1 Tbs grated ginger[/FONT]
- [FONT=Arial, sans-serif]2 tsp five-spice powder [/FONT]
Garnish:
- [FONT=Arial, sans-serif]1 small green mango[/FONT]
- [FONT=Arial, sans-serif]½ cup crushed pineapple[/FONT]
- [FONT=Arial, sans-serif]2 tsp lemon juice[/FONT]
- [FONT=Arial, sans-serif]2 Tbs Pineapple vinegar[/FONT]
- [FONT=Arial, sans-serif]¼ tsp crushed red pepper (optional)[/FONT]
- [FONT=Arial, sans-serif]½ small red bell pepper, julienned[/FONT]
- [FONT=Arial, sans-serif]4 scallions, thinly sliced[/FONT]
- [FONT=Arial, sans-serif]1 cup chopped dry roasted unsalted peanuts[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]
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. [/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]
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. [/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]
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. [/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]
Slice thin and serve garnished with mango, pineapple, scallions, bell pepper, and peanuts. [/FONT]