Simple Chinese Cookery
Page 6
For the sauce:
2 teaspoons finely chopped garlic
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh root ginger
1 teaspoon chilli bean sauce
1 tablespoon Shaoxing rice wine or dry sherry
1 tablespoon light soy sauce
2 teaspoons dark soy sauce
2 fresh red chillies, seeded and chopped
3 tablespoons finely shredded spring onions
3 tablespoons groundnut oil
1 Scrub the oysters clean. You will have to steam them in 2 batches, so divide them between 2 heatproof plates. Next set up a steamer or put a rack into a wok or deep pan and fill it with 5 cm (2 in) of water. Bring the water to the boil over a high heat. Put one plate of oysters into the steamer or on the rack, turn the heat to low and cover the wok or pan tightly. Steam the oysters gently for 5 minutes or until they are open.
2 Meanwhile, combine all the sauce ingredients except the groundnut oil in a heatproof bowl.
3 Heat a small pan over a high heat. Add the oil and, when it is very hot and slightly smoking, pour it over the sauce ingredients.
4 Remove the oysters from the steamer and cook the second batch. Give the sauce several good stirs. Remove the top shell of each oyster and pour a little sauce over the oysters. Garnish with coriander sprigs and serve.
MEAT and POULTRY
Recipe List
Stir-fried pork with spring onions
Sweet and sour pork, Chiu Chow style
Crackling Chinese roast pork
Stir-fried beef with oyster sauce
Stir-fried chicken with black bean sauce
Spicy chicken with peanuts
Classic lemon chicken
Chinese chicken curry
Cashew chicken
Peking duck
Crispy aromatic duck
Stir-fried pork with spring onions
This recipe illustrates the relative ease of using a wok. A basic stir-fried meat dish can be made in minutes. The key to success here is not to overcook the pork.
serves 3–4
preparation time: 5 minutes, plus 10–15 minutes’ marinating
cooking time: 5–10 minutes
450 g (1 lb) lean boneless pork
1 tablespoon groundnut oil
8 spring onions, cut on the diagonal into 5 cm (2 in) lengths
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon sugar
For the marinade:
1 tablespoon Shaoxing rice wine or dry sherry
1 tablespoon light soy sauce
2 teaspoons sesame oil
1 teaspoon cornflour
1 Cut the pork into thin slices 5 cm (2 in) long.
2 Put the sliced pork into a bowl and mix in all the marinade ingredients. Leave for 10–15 minutes so that the pork absorbs the flavours of the marinade.
3 Heat a wok to a very high heat, then add the groundnut oil. When it is very hot and slightly smoking, add the pork slices and stir-fry for abour 2 minutes, until brown. Remove the meat with a slotted spoon and leave to drain in a colander.
4 Reheat the wok and add the spring onions, salt, pepper and sugar. Stir-fry for 2 minutes or until the spring onions are wilted. Return the pork to the wok and stir-fry for another 2 minutes or until heated through. Serve at once.
Sweet and sour pork, Chiu Chow style
This delicious and unusual version of sweet and sour pork is based on a dish from a region of southern China. It is unlike most of the sweet and sour pork dishes offered in restaurants, which have become clichés bereft of their true character. Here, the minced pork is combined with crisp, sweet water chestnuts, seasoned and covered in caul fat. If you can’t get caul fat, then just omit step 3 and dust the pork balls with the cornflour before deep-frying.
serves 4
preparation time: 35 minutes
cooking time: 15 minutes
450 g/1 lb minced fatty pork
1 egg white
4 tablespoons water
175 g/6 oz fresh or tinned water chestnuts, peeled if fresh, coarsely chopped
2 tablespoons light soy sauce
1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
2 tablespoons Shaoxing rice wine or dry sherry
1½ tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Caul fat for wrapping
100 g/4 oz carrots, thinly sliced on the diagonal
100 g/4 oz green pepper, cut into 2.5-cm (1-in) squares
100 g/4 oz red pepper, cut into 2.5 cm (1 in) squares
Cornflour for dusting
600 ml/1 pint groundnut oil
50 g/2 oz spring onions (about 4), cut into 2.5-cm (1-in) pieces
75 g/3 oz tinned lychees, drained, or fresh orange segments
For the sauce:
150 ml/5 fl oz Classic Chinese chicken stock (see here) or good-quality bought stock
1 tablespoon light soy sauce
2 teaspoons dark soy sauce
2 teaspoons sesame oil
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground white pepper
1½ tablespoons Chinese white rice vinegar or cider vinegar
1 tablespoon sugar
2 tablespoons tomato paste or tomato ketchup
2 teaspoons cornflour, blended with 1 tablespoon water
Fresh coriander leaves, to garnish (optional)
1 Mix the pork with the egg white and water, using your hand (this helps incorporate air). The mixture should be light and fluffy. Do not use a blender as it would make it too dense. Add the water chestnuts, light and dark soy sauce, rice wine or sherry, sugar, salt and pepper and mix thoroughly.
2 With your hands, shape the mixture into small rounds, about the size of golf balls.
3 Spread out the sheet of caul fat on a work surface and place the pork balls on it at 7.5-cm (3-in) intervals. Then cut the caul fat into 7.5-cm (3-in) squares and wrap it around each pork ball.
4 Bring a pan of water to the boil and blanch the carrots and peppers for about 4 minutes, until just tender. Drain and set aside.
5 Dust the pork balls with cornflour, shaking off any excess. Heat the oil in a deep-fat fryer or large wok until slightly smoking. Reduce the heat to moderate and deep-fry the pork balls for 3–4 minutes, until crisp and cooked through. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen paper.
6 In a large saucepan, combine all the sauce ingredients except the cornflour mixture and bring to the boil. Add the peppers, carrots and spring onions and stir well. Stir in the cornflour mixture and cook for 2 minutes, then turn the heat down so that the mixture is simmering. Add the lychees or orange segments and the pork balls to the sauce. Mix well, then serve at once.
Crackling Chinese roast pork
One of the most fascinating sights in Chinatowns all over the world is shops with whole roast adult pigs as well as suckling pigs hanging in the window. The meat is delicious with rice or in stir-fried dishes. The secret of crispy skin is to blanch it and then let it dry using a technique similar to the one used for Peking duck (see here). Then the skin is slowly roasted so that most of fat runs off, leaving soft, tender pork flesh marbled with velvety fat. No wonder most diners are addicted to this delicious dish after the first bite. Much of the work can be done ahead of time and it is surprisingly easy.
serves 4–6
preparation time: 15 minutes, plus drying overnight
cooking time: 2½ hours
1.5 kg (3 lb) boneless pork belly, with rind
For the dry rub:
2 tablespoons coarse sea salt
1 tablespoon ground roasted Sichuan peppercorns (see here)
2 teaspoons five-spice powder
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoons sugar
Perfect steamed rice to serve (optional, see here)
1 Pierce the rind side of the pork with a sharp fork or knife until the skin is covered with fine h
oles. Insert a meat hook into the pork.
2 Bring a large pan of water to the boil. Hang the pork up from the meat hook and, using a large ladle, pour the hot water over the rind side several times. Set the pork aside.
3 Heat a wok, then add all the ingredients for the dry rub and stir-fry for 3 minutes until they are well mixed. Leave to cool slightly. When the dry rub is cool enough to handle, rub it all over the flesh side of the pork.
4 Hang the meat up to dry for 8 hours or overnight in a cool place or in front of a cold fan. Pre-heat the oven to 200°C/400°F/Gas Mark 6. Place the pork, rind side up, on a rack over a roasting tin of water. Roast for 15 minutes, then reduce the heat to 180°C/350°F/Gas Mark 4 and continue to roast for 2 hours.
5 Turn up the heat to 230°C/450°F/Gas Mark 8 and roast for a final 15 minutes. Remove the pork and leave to cool. Then carve it into bite-sized pieces, arrange on a platter and serve. Alternatively, serve on beds of rice as shown.
Stir-fried beef with oyster sauce
This used to be one of the most popular dishes in my family’s restaurant, especially with Westerners. It is very savoury and quite addictive. Buy the best brand of oyster sauce you can find. Good oyster sauce does not taste at all fishy. Rather, it has a meaty flavour and goes very well with beef or pork. This simple dish is delicious served with plain steamed rice.
serves 4
preparation time: 10 minutes, plus 20 minutes’ marinating
cooking time: 10 minutes
450 g (1 lb) lean beef steak
1 tablespoon light soy sauce
2 teaspoons sesame oil
1 tablespoon Shaoxing rice wine or dry sherry
2 teaspoons cornflour
3 tablespoons groundnut oil
3 tablespoons oyster sauce
1½ tablespoons finely chopped spring onions, to garnish
1 Cut the beef into slices 5 cm (2 in) long and 5 mm (¼ in) thick, cutting against the grain of the meat. Put them into a bowl.
2 Mix in the soy sauce, sesame oil, rice wine or sherry and cornflour. Leave to marinate for 20 minutes.
3 Heat a wok until it is very hot, then add the groundnut oil. When it is very hot and slightly smoking, add the beef slices and stir-fry for 5 minutes or until lightly browned.
4 Remove the meat from the wok and drain well in a colander set inside a bowl. Discard the drained oil.
5 Wipe the wok clean and reheat it over a high heat. Add the oyster sauce and bring it to a simmer.
6 Return the drained beef slices to the wok and toss them thoroughly with the oyster sauce. Turn the mixture on to a serving platter, garnish with the spring onions and serve at once.
Stir-fried chicken with black bean sauce
This is a favourite of many first-time diners in Chinese restaurants, and no wonder. The fragrance of fermented black bean sauce mixed with garlic and ginger is mouthwatering. It can be cooked ahead of time and reheated, and it is also delicious served cold.
serves 4
preparation time: 15 minutes
cooking time: 10 minutes
450 g (1 lb) boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 5 cm (2 in) chunks
1 tablespoon light soy sauce
1½ tablespoons Shaoxing rice wine or dry sherry
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon sesame oil
2 teaspoons cornflour
2 tablespoons groundnut oil
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh root ginger
1½ tablespoons coarsely chopped garlic
2 tablespoons finely chopped shallots
3½ tablespoons finely chopped spring onions
2½ tablespoons coarsely chopped salted black beans
150 ml (5 fl oz) Classic Chinese chicken stock (see here) or good-quality bought stock
1 Put the chicken in a bowl and mix with the soy sauce, rice wine or sherry, salt, sugar, sesame oil and cornflour.
2 Heat a wok over a high heat, then add the oil. When it is very hot and slightly smoking, add the chicken and stir-fry for 2 minutes.
3 Then add the ginger, garlic, shallots, 1½ tablespoons of the spring onions, and the black beans and stir-fry for 2 minutes.
4 Finally, add the stock. Bring the mixture to the boil, then reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 3 minutes or until the chicken is cooked. Garnish with the remaining spring onions and serve.
Spicy chicken with peanuts
This classic western Chinese dish is better known as gongbao or kung pao chicken. There are many versions of this recipe; this one is close to the original and is also easy to make.
serves 4
preparation time: 15 minutes
cooking time: 5–10 minutes
3 tablespoons groundnut oil
3 dried red chillies, split lengthways in half
450 g (1 lb) boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 2.5-cm (1-in) chunks
75 g (3 oz) roasted peanuts
For the sauce:
2 tablespoons Classic Chinese chicken stock (see here) or good-quality bought stock
2 tablespoons Shaoxing rice wine or dry sherry
1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
2 teaspoons sugar
1 tablespoon coarsely chopped garlic
2 teaspoons finely chopped spring onions
1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh root ginger
2 teaspoons Chinese white rice vinegar or cider vinegar
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons sesame oil
1 Heat a wok over a high heat. Add the oil and chillies and stir-fry for a few seconds (you may remove the chillies when they turn black or leave them in).
2 Next add the chicken and peanuts and stir-fry for 1 minute. Remove the chicken, peanuts and chillies from the wok and drain in a colander.
3 Put all the sauce ingredients except the sesame oil into the wok. Bring to the boil and then turn the heat down.
4 Return the chicken, peanuts and chillies to the wok and cook for about 3–4 minutes in the sauce, mixing well.
5 Finally, add the sesame oil, give the mixture a good stir, remove the chillies, if you prefer, and serve straight away.
Classic lemon chicken
The southern Chinese have made a speciality of chicken cooked with lemon. The tart sauce goes very well indeed with the receptive flavour of chicken. Unlike many versions, which employ a cloyingly sweet sauce, this recipe balances tartness with sweetness. Sometimes the lemon chicken is battered and deep-fried but I think it is equally good stir-fried, especially if the chicken is ‘velveted’ in hot oil or water beforehand.
serves 4
preparation time: 15 minutes, plus 20 minutes’ chilling
cooking time: 10 minutes
450 g (1 lb) boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips 7.5 cm (3 in) long x 1 cm (½ in) thick
1 egg white
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sesame oil
2 teaspoons cornflour
300 ml (10 fl oz) groundnut oil or water
2 tablespoons finely chopped spring onions, to garnish
For the sauce:
65 ml (2½ fl oz) Classic Chinese chicken stock (see here) or good-quality bought stock
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon light soy sauce
1½ tablespoons Shaoxing rice wine or dry sherry
1½ tablespoons finely chopped garlic
1–2 teaspoons crushed dried red chilli
1 teaspoon cornflour, blended with 1 teaspoon water
2 teaspoons sesame oil
1 Put the chicken strips in a bowl and combine with the egg white, salt, sesame oil and cornflour. Put the mixture in the refrigerator for about 20 minutes.
2 If you are using oil for velveting the chicken, heat a wok until very hot and then add the oil. When it is very hot, remove the wok from the heat and immediately add the chicken, stirring vigorously to prevent it sticking. After about 2 minutes, when the chicken tu
rns white, quickly drain it and all of the oil in a stainless steel colander set over a bowl. Discard the oil. If using water, do the same but bring the water to the boil in a saucepan before adding the chicken. It will take about 4 minutes to turn white in the water.
3 If you have used a wok, wipe it clean. Heat it, then add all the sauce ingredients except the cornflour mixture and sesame oil. Bring to a boil over a high heat and then add the cornflour mixture. Simmer for 1 minute.
4 Return the chicken strips to the wok and stir-fry long enough to coat them all with the sauce. Mix in the sesame oil, then turn on to a platter, garnish with the spring onions and serve at once.
Chinese chicken curry
Curry blends well with chicken, especially when used Chinese style as a light, subtle sauce that does not overpower the delicate taste of the meat. The chicken is ‘velveted’ before cooking to preserve its juiciness and flavour. You can do this by the traditional oil method or, for a less fattening dish, substitute water instead. This curry is mild, unlike traditional Indian curry.
serves 4
preparation time: 15 minutes, plus 20 minutes’ chilling
cooking time: 10 minutes
450 g (1 lb) boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 2.5-cm (1-in) chunks
1 egg white
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sesame oil