½ cup Vegetable Stock (page 14)
3 scallions, trimmed, cut into 2-inch pieces
1 slice fresh ginger, 1 inch thick, lightly smashed
Soak mushrooms in hot water for 30 to 45 minutes, until softened. Wash thoroughly and squeeze out excess water. Remove stems and place mushrooms in a steamproof dish. Add all other ingredients to the mushrooms. Place steamproof dish in a steamer, cover and steam for 30 minutes. (See steaming directions, page 30.)
Turn off heat and remove dish from steamer. Discard the scallions and ginger and gently toss mushrooms in remaining liquid. Serve hot immediately, or allow to cool before serving. The mushrooms will keep, refrigerated and covered with plastic wrap, for 4 to 5 days.
SERVES 4 TO 6
Steamed Black Mushrooms Braised with Bean Curd and Tianjin Bok Choy
(DONG GU DAU FU KAU JUN CHOY)
This preparation relies upon firm bean curd, to ensure that it does not come apart while cooking. This is one of those dishes that proceeded from my grandmother’s kitchen, through my mother’s kitchen, to mine.
SAUCE
2 tablespoons oyster sauce
2 teaspoons light soy sauce
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1½ tablespoons Shao-Hsing wine, or sherry
1½ teaspoons sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons cornstarch
Pinch white pepper
3 tablespoons Steamed Black Mushroom liquid (page 32)
3 tablespoons peanut oil
1 tablespoon minced ginger
¼ teaspoon salt
1 head fresh Tianjin bok choy (Napa cabbage) washed, drained, dried,
and cut into:
4 cups stalks, cut across into ½-inch strips
5 cups leaves, cut across into ½-inch strips
6 Steamed Black Mushrooms, cut into thin strips
½ cup Vegetable Stock (page 14)
2 cakes firm fresh bean curd, cut into ½-inch strips
½ cup red bell peppers, cut into 2-inch by ⅛-inch strips
In a small bowl, combine all ingredients for sauce; set aside.
Heat wok over high heat for 30 seconds. Add peanut oil and coat wok with spatula. When a wisp of white smoke appears, add ginger and salt, stir for 30 seconds. Add bok choy stalks, stir and cook for 2 minutes. Add leaves, stir and cook for 2 minutes more. Add mushrooms and stir mixture together.
Add stock, stir and braise for 4 to 5 minutes, until stalks soften. As mixture cooks, toss 2 to 3 times. Add bean curd, stir and allow to come to a boil. Stir sauce, pour into mixture and stir well until sauce thickens and bubbles, about 2 minutes. Add peppers, stir and mix for 1 minute. Turn off heat and serve immediately with cooked rice.
SERVES 4 TO 6
Steamed Black Mushrooms and Chicken Ding
(DON GU GAI DING)
One afternoon when I was about eight years old, Ah Paw said to me, “Ah Fei, it is time for you to make a ding.” A ding, she explained was a special way of preparing foods by cutting them into small cubes, before cooking; a method, she said, that was favored by Confucius.
SAUCE
2½ tablespoons oyster sauce
1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
2 teaspoons sesame oil
2 teaspoons sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons Shao-Hsing wine, or sherry
Pinch white pepper
⅔ cup Chicken Stock (page 13)
2 tablespoons Chicken Stock
1½ tablespoons cornstarch
3 tablespoons peanut oil
½ teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons minced ginger
2 teaspoons minced garlic
½ cup onions, cut into ¼-inch dice
3 scallions, trimmed, cut into ¼-inch pieces diagonally, separate white
and green portions
1 cup Steamed Black Mushrooms (page 32), cut into ⅓-inch cubes
6 cakes (1¼ pounds) firm bean curd, or 1 package of 4 cakes, 18 ounces,
drained, cut into ½-inch cubes
2 tablespoons coriander, finely sliced
Prepare sauce mixture and reserve. Combine 2 tablespoons stock with cornstarch; set aside.
Heat wok over high heat for 45 seconds. Add peanut oil, coat wok with spatula. When a wisp of white smoke appears, add salt, ginger and garlic, mix. When garlic releases its fragrance, add onions. Cook for 1 minute. Add white portions of scallions and toss mixture together. Add mushrooms and cook for 1 minute. Add bean curd, mix well.
Add the reserved sauce mixture to the wok, stir well and cook for 5 to 7 minutes until bean curd absorbs the liquid. Make a well in the mix, stir cornstarch mixture, pour in and stir until mixture thickens, 1½ to 2 minutes. Add green portions of scallions and coriander and mix thoroughly. Turn off heat, transfer to a heated dish and serve immediately with cooked rice
SERVES 4 TO 6
Stir-Fried Pork with Steamed Black Mushrooms and Onions
(DONG GU YEUNG CHUNG CHAU YUK SEE)
There were differences in vegetables, my grandmother taught me. For example, in this traditional dish of pork, steamed mushrooms and onions, she pointed out the differences in onions. Those that were white and new contained much water; those that were yellow were older. Use the older ones, she taught, because they would give the stir-fry a crisp texture. She was right, as always.
MARINADE
1½ tablespoons oyster sauce
1½ teaspoons sesame oil
2 teaspoons light soy sauce
¾ teaspoon ginger juice mixed with 2 teaspoons Chinese white rice
wine, or gin
2 teaspoons cornstarch
Pinch white pepper
1 teaspoon sugar
⅛ teaspoon salt
¾ pound fresh lean pork loin, cut into 2-inch by ¼-inch julienne
SAUCE
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
1½ teaspoons light soy sauce
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon sugar
Pinch white pepper
2 teaspoons cornstarch
2 teaspoons Chinese white rice wine, or gin
¼ cup Chicken Stock (page 13)
3½ tablespoons peanut oil
1 tablespoon minced ginger
⅛ teaspoon salt
1½ cups onions, julienned
¾ cup Steamed Black Mushrooms (page 32), julienned
⅔ cup bamboo shoots, julienned
½ cup scallions green portions only, julienned
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 tablespoon Chinese white rice wine, or gin
Combine all marinade ingredients and add to it the pork; reserve. Mix all ingredients for sauce in a bowl and set aside.
Heat wok over high heat for 40 seconds, add 1½ tablespoons peanut oil, coat wok with spatula. When a wisp of white smoke appears, add ginger and salt and stir. Add onions, stir and cook for 1 minute. Add mushrooms, stir and cook for another minute. Add bamboo shoots, and mix well. Add scallions, stir and cook for 1 minute. Remove mixture from heat, transfer to a dish and reserve.
Wipe off wok and spatula. Heat wok over high heat for 30 seconds, add remaining 2 tablespoons peanut oil and coat wok. When a wisp of white smoke appears, add garlic, stir. When garlic releases its fragrance, add pork and marinade. Spread in a thin layer, tip wok side to side to cook evenly. When pork begins to turn white, turn over, mix well. Drizzle the wine into the wok along its edges, stir to mix, cook until pork turns white. Add reserved vegetables, stir and mix thoroughly. Make a well in the center of the mixture, stir sauce, pour in and mix well to combine. When sauce thickens and the pork is well coated, about 1 to 1½ minutes, turn off heat. Taste to ensure that the cornstarch is cooked through and there is no floury taste. If necessary, stir-fry another 30 to 45 seconds. Turn off heat, transfer to a heated dish and serve immediately with cooked rice.
SERVES 4 TO 6
Five-Spice Kau Yuk
(NG HEUNG KAU YUK)
This was a favorit
e of Ah Paw’s. Its name defies English translation. The words kau yuk translate loosely as long-cooked, or stewed, fresh bacon or pork belly. Fresh, or uncured, it was available year-round in the butcher shops. This dish of fresh bacon is flavored with five different spices and cooked several hours until the meat has softened and absorbed its cooking liquid, and much of its fat has run off. It is a true heirloom dish cooked in the way it has been for generations without alterations. Only occasionally do its flavorings change. This kau yuk of my grandmother’s will be passed, unchanged, on to my granddaughter.
In our family this kau yuk was traditionally served with Chinese broccoli and cooked rice.
6½ cups cold water
4½ ounces sugarcane sugar or dark brown sugar
1 piece ginger, 1½ inches long, lightly smashed
4 scallions, trimmed, cut in half
3 cinnamon sticks 3 inches long
4 pieces 8-star anise
10 cloves
¼ teaspoon anise seeds
¼ teaspoon Sichuan peppercorns
2 to 2½ pounds fresh bacon, left in 1 piece (Usually cut by Chinese
butchers into a piece about 11 inches long, 2½ inches wide, about 2½
inches thick. There will be two ribs attached, which should be left on. Tie
the meat around four times along its length, which will prevent the meat
from falling apart during the cooking.)
⅔ cup double dark soy sauce
⅔ cup Shao-Hsing wine, or sherry
Place water, sugar, ginger, scallions and five spices into a large pot. Stir to blend, add bacon. Cover and bring to a boil over high heat. As it boils, add soy sauce and stir. Return to a boil, add Shao-Hsing wine and mix. Return again to a boil. Lower heat, cover pot, leaving a slight opening at the lid and simmer for 4 hours.
As it simmers, turn meat over 8 times, so that each of the 4 sides cooks through. Turn off heat. Close lid and allow meat to come to room temperature. Place entire contents of pot into a large bowl and refrigerate overnight. This allows the meat to further absorb the spices.
TO SERVE: Remove meat from refrigerator to a chopping board. Cut off string, remove ribs and discard. Cut meat across into ⅓-inch slices and allow to come to room temperature. Place slices in a steamproof dish, ladle sauce over slices and steam for 10 to 12 minutes until very hot. (See steaming directions, page 30.) Serve immediately.
MAKES 4 SERVINGS
Chinese Broccoli
(GAI LAN)
Chinese broccoli differs greatly from the broccoli most people are familiar with. Its stalks are long and green, and its dark green leaves do not resemble broccoli florets, rather they are true leaves. When bought in Asian markets the bunches usually display both small white flowers and green buds. The fewer flowers, the more tender the broccoli. After buying, the broccoli should be prepared immediately since it tends to flower and become tougher quite quickly.
To prepare, remove old top tough leaves, cut off flowers and buds. Peel green outer layers from stalks, to reveal tender insides. Chinese broccoli is widely available these days.
8 cups water
1 slice ginger, ½ inch thick, lightly smashed
1 tablespoon salt
¾ teaspoon baking soda (optional)
1 bunch Chinese broccoli, trimmed, peeled, yield 1 pound
Place water, ginger and salt in a large pot and bring to a boil over high heat. Add baking soda before water comes to a boil. Water-blanch broccoli for 1 minute. It will turn bright green in seconds, but continue to blanch to make it tender. Remove from water, immerse in ice water to halt cooking. Drain well.
Cut individual stalks in half and arrange in a steamproof dish. Place kau yuk slices, skin side up, atop the broccoli. Spoon sauce over kau yuk and broccoli. Steam for 10 minutes until both are very hot. (See steaming directions, page 30.) Serve with cooked rice.
SERVES 4
Bok Choy with Chinese Bacon
(BOK CHOY CHAU LOP YUK)
Cured Chinese bacon, also sold in butcher shops, was available only in the winter months. It was a particular preparation, cured with a so-called Ji Yau, or “pearl sauce,” made from a very thick, dark and sweet soy sauce, wine and salt, then dried in the sun. These days it is oven-dried. But in Ah Paw’s day, Chinese bacon was a seasonal anticipated treat.
SAUCE
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon dark soy sauce
⅓ cup Chicken Stock (page 13)
1 tablespoon cornstarch
⅔ cup cured Chinese bacon, thinly sliced, with fatty portions separated
from portions striped with meat
1 slice ginger, ½ inch thick, lightly smashed
¼ teaspoon salt
1¼ pounds bok choy, washed, dried, leaves and stalks separated, cut into
1-inch pieces
Combine all ingredients for sauce in a small bowl; set aside.
Heat wok over high heat for 40 seconds. Place fatty portions of bacon in wok, cook for 1 minute. Add remainder of bacon, cook 1 to 2 minutes until bacon browns. Remove bacon from wok, reserve. Leave bacon fat in wok.
Raise heat, add ginger and salt, stir. When ginger turns light brown, add white bok choy stalks and stir-fry for 2 minutes. Add bok choy leaves and stir-fry for 1 minute more. If too dry, sprinkle a little cold water in wok to create steam. The leaves should turn bright green. Make a well in the mixture, stir sauce, pour in and mix thoroughly until sauce thickens and turns dark brown. Add reserved bacon, mix well until hot. Remove to a heated dish, serve immediately with cooked rice.
SERVES 4
Barbecued Pork
(CHAR SIU)
This cooked pork was bought in the market most often, but occasionally, as a treat for Ah Paw’s table, it would be roasted on the small, charcoal-fired ceramic stove that sat on a bench in the open area off Ah Paw’s kitchen. We loved the meat for its versatility. It could be eaten as a sliced snack, as an appetizer, a first course, stir-fried with other foods or as a perfect addition to fried rice. It was eaten hot or at room temperature. Here is how I make it, in my oven.
4½ pounds pork loin
MARINADE
3 tablespoons dark soy sauce
3 tablespoons light soy sauce
½ cup honey
1 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoon oyster sauce
3 tablespoons Shao-Hsing wine, or sherry
4 tablespoons hoisin sauce
⅛ teaspoon white pepper
2 cakes wet preserved bean curd (page 245), mashed
1½ teaspoons five-spice powder
Quarter the pork loin lengthwise. Using a small knife, pierce each length repeatedly at 2-inch intervals, to tenderize. Line a roasting pan with foil, arrange lengths of pork in a single layer. Combine marinade ingredients. Pour over pork and allow to marinate at least 4 hours, or overnight.
Preheat oven to Broil. Place pork loin in a roasting pan and roast 30 to 50 minutes. During cooking time, meat should be basted 5 or 6 times and turned 4 times. To test, remove one strip after 30 minutes, slice it to see if it is cooked through. If sauce dries out, add some boiling water to pan. When cooked, allow pork to rest 3 to 4 minutes, then serve. Or allow to cool, then refrigerate until further use. It will keep, refrigerated 4 to 5 days, and can be frozen for as long as 3 months. Allow to defrost or come to room temperature before use.
Barbecued Pork Ribs
(SIU PAI GUAT)
I prepare barbecued pork spareribs similarly to Barbecued Pork (43). These were never made in Ah Paw’s house, but they have been for years in mine, to the delight of my children, and now to that of my granddaughter. The marinade differs, but cooking them is similar to cooking Char Siu.
1 3- to 3½-pound rack pork spareribs
MARINADE
3 tablespoons hoisin sauce
3 tablespoons oyster sauce
2½ tablespoons light soy sauce
2½ tablespoons dark soy sauce
4 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons Shao-Hsing wine, or sherry
¾ teaspoon salt
Pinch white pepper
My Grandmother's Chinese Kitchen Page 4
