Jellyfish and White Radish Salad
serves 4
Chef Tip It is best to soak the jellyfish overnight. Keep it as dry as possible so the dressing will not be diluted.
PROCEDURE
serves 4
Chef Tip It is best to soak the jellyfish overnight. Keep it as dry as possible so the dressing will not be diluted.
PROCEDURE
- 1 Rinse jellyfish with cold water, squeezing and rubbing to remove salt. Cover in cold water and soak, preferably overnight, then rinse thoroughly. Drain in colander for 1 hour, or until most moisture is gone. Pat dry and wrap with a towel. Chill and refrigerate.
- 2 Rub radish with 1 tablespoon salt and let stand at room temperature for 2–3 hours or until limp. Rinse radish with cold water to remove salt, then squeeze shreds by hand to remove excess moisture. Repeat until all shreds are squeezed dry.
- 3 Process carrot in the same manner as radish.
- 4 One hour before serving, mix dressing, and combine with all ingredients. Toss well. Serve chilled.
Pearl Balls Porcupine Meatballs
serves 4 as an appetizerChef Tip Make sure the egg is well incorporated, it is a binding agent. If rice is not sticking to the pearl balls, wet with a little cold water.
PROCEDURE
serves 4 as an appetizerChef Tip Make sure the egg is well incorporated, it is a binding agent. If rice is not sticking to the pearl balls, wet with a little cold water.
PROCEDURE
- 1 Rinse the rice and soak in cold water for a least 1 hour. Drain thoroughly and spread in one layer on pan lined with paper towels. Make sure the rice is dry before using.
- 2 Combine pork, salt, and soy sauce. Mix with your fingers and scoop up pork mixture by the hand, beating it back into the bowl several times until firm. Add the egg, sherry, sugar, ginger, sesame oil, tapioca powder and pepper to the meat, scooping and beating several more times.
- 3 Blanch the bamboo shoots in boiling water for two minutes. Run cold water over to stop the cooking process; shred into bite sized bits. Squeeze out as much moisture as possible.
- 4 Add the green onion to the pork together with bamboo shoots. Mix well; chill for at least 2 hours or until ready to use.
- 5 Scoop up a handful of pork mixture and squeeze out through the fist until it reaches the size of a walnut (1 tablespoon is 1 ounce). Scrape off with a wet spoon.
- 6 Drop pork balls onto the rice, rolling around until the surface is evenly covered with the rice. Place on a greased container that can be used in a steamer; or on a lettuce leaf (banana leaf, bamboo leaf, napa cabbage) allow ½ inch (1.2 cm) separation between each pearly ball.
- 7 Place the meatballs in a steamer; steam over high heat 25 to 30 minutes or until the rice is cooked and turns shiny and translucent.
- 8 Combine vinegar and ginger to make sauce. Serve meatballs hot or warm with sauce.
Emerald Shrimp
serves 4
PROCEDURE
serves 4
PROCEDURE
- 1 Arrange the shrimp in one layer on double paper towels. Roll up like a jelly roll and chill for at least two hours. The shrimp need to be very dry.
- 2 In a blender, combine 1 cup (8 ounces, 240 ml) water with the spinach. Process until reduced to a puree. Pour the puree into a very fine-mesh strainer; press the pureed spinach to extract liquid. Reserve strained liquid and spinach.
- 3 Transfer spinach puree to a bowl and thin with remaining water. Pour it through the strainer again to combine liquid with the previously extracted spinach juice.
- 4 Heat the spinach juice over high heat until small bubbles start to appear gradually along the sides of the pan and the liquid begins to foam. Remove immediately from heat.
- 5 Set a coffee filter into a cone and skim the spinach foam from the pan into the filter. Let it drain thoroughly and squeeze to extract all the liquid; there should be about 1 tablespoon of very fine spinach paste. Cover and chill until ready to use. Discard the juice in the pan.
- 6 Pat shrimp with paper towel; they must be very dry for the green spinach coloring to adhere. Combine shrimp and 1 teaspoon spinach paste, mixing it well by hand. Continue to add ½ teaspoon at a time, mixing well after each addition until shrimp is tinted evenly with green coloring. You need at least 2 teaspoons of spinach paste; avoid over-coloring.
- 7 Mix marinade with wire whisk until smooth. Add to the green shrimp, mixing well by hand until evenly coated. Chill for 1 to 2 hours.
- 8 Set a wok over high heat. When very hot, add about ¼ cup (2 ounces, 60 ml) oil, swish around the wok to grease the surface, and remove that oil from the wok. Add remaining oil, heat to 325°F (163°C) or until a piece of green onion dropped in oil bubbles, sizzles, and moves around.
- 9 Stir shrimp mixture, and then add the whole batch to the oil at once. Stir to separate shrimp quickly, about 20 seconds. Pour shrimp and oil into a strainer-lined container to drain oil, leaving about 1 tablespoon (½ ounce, 15 ml) of oil in wok.
- 10 Return wok to high heat. Add garlic. Remove wok quickly from heat, let garlic cook in hot oil for 10 seconds, then discard. (This ensures the oil in wok is clear.)
- 11 Reset wok on high heat. Return the shrimp to wok and stir-fry 15 to 20 seconds. Sizzle in the mirin, then add green onions and ham. Stir 20 seconds and serve immediately.
Red-Cooked Duck
serves 4
Chef Tip Cold Red-Cooked Duck is outstanding, should be served garnished with cilantro.
PROCEDURE
serves 4
Chef Tip Cold Red-Cooked Duck is outstanding, should be served garnished with cilantro.
PROCEDURE
- 1 Remove excess loose fat from duck, then flatten the duck. Rinse and pat dry. Prick the skin.
- 2 Combine marinade ingredients, mix well, and rub evenly on the skin and cavity. Let marinate at room temperature for at least 1 hour, turning occasionally.
- 3 Drain duck, reserving excess marinade. Set wok over high heat; when hot, add 2 (1 ounce, 30 ml) tablespoons oil. Swish oil around and then place duck in wok. Turn heat to medium and brown the duck slowly and evenly on all sides.
- 4 Mix together the braising mixture and bring to boil over high heat, then add the duck. Return to a boil; add reserved marinade, garlic, green onion, and star anise. Cover and reduce to a simmer; cook 1 to 1½ hours or until a chopstick pierces through the thigh easily. Remove duck and chile; degrease the sauce.
- 5 Return braising liquid to a boil, add duck to reheat, remove, drain, cut into serving pieces, and place on serving platter.
- 6 Mix tapioca powder with the water and add to the liquid in the wok, stirring constantly until thickened. Correct seasoning, then glaze sauce with sesame oil. Pour over duck. Serve hot or cold.
Yangchow (Yangzhou) Fried Rice
serves 4
This colorful fried rice may have started in Yangzhou, a city famous for Eastern cuisine, but many versions are found all over China. The original version was said to have at least eight ingredients and each grain of rice coated with egg!
Chef Tip Always marinate dark meat with whole egg.
PROCEDURE
- 1 In separate containers, combine the ingredients for the chicken marinade and shrimp marinade; mix well. Add the diced chicken thigh meat to the chicken marinade; toss to coat, chill for 30 minutes. Add the shrimp to the shrimp marinade; toss to coat, chill 30 minutes.
- 2 Set wok over high heat. When very hot, add two tablespoons (1 ounce, 30 ml) oil. Add chicken, stirring constantly until separated and just cooked (no longer pink). Remove and reserve.
- 3 Heat one tablespoon oil in wok, over high heat. When oil is hot, add the pork and mushrooms. Stir 1 minute, add ham, stir 30 seconds. Add green peas and carrots, stir-fry 15 seconds. Remove and reserve with chicken and shrimp.
- 4 Rinse wok and wipe dry. Set over high heat; when wok is hot, add remaining oil. Scramble the eggs until set, and turn heat to medium. Break the scrambled eggs in the wok into small pieces; about the same size as the chicken. Add the rice and sprinkle with salt. Stir-fry the rice, about 5 to 7 minutes.
- 5 Return all cooked items to the wok and stir-fry to mix with rice.
- 6 Add green onions, and correct seasoning with ¼ teaspoon sesame oil, white pepper and salt.
Shanghai Sweet-and-Sour Spareribs
serves 4
PROCEDURE
serves 4
PROCEDURE
- 1 Combine salt, sherry, and tapioca powder, and mix well. Add sparerib pieces, toss to coat, and marinate for minimum of 30 minutes.
- 2 Heat oil in a wok over medium heat to about 350°F (176°C) or until a piece of green onion dropped in oil bubbles, sizzles, and moves around.
- 3 Add the spareribs and deep-fry until crisp, stirring to keep them from sticking together, 5 to 7 minutes. Remove from oil and drain on paper towels.
- 4 Reset empty wok on medium high heat. Stir sauce ingredients to blend, pour into wok, and cook, stirring, until thickened. Return pork to wok and stir well until each piece is coated with sauce. Serve hot.
Bean Curd in Oyster Sauce
serves 4
PROCEDURE
serves 4
PROCEDURE
- 1 Combine sauce ingredients.
- 2 Heat wok over high heat; when hot add oil and swirl. When the oil is just below the smoke point, add the white parts of the green onions; stir-fry 10 seconds.
- 3 Add the tofu and stir-fry 1 minute, turning gently to coat with oil and onions.
- 4 Add sauce ingredients; Bring to boil, reduce to simmer and cook 2 minutes.
- 5 Add green onions tops; toss and serve.