mikestalder on Xanga

Food of China

Weblog

Sunday, 21 June 2009

Star Ferry

Okay, this isn't really about food. It is an instrumental about my favorite place on Earth, Hong Kong. More than that, it's about my favorite place in Hong Kong...the Star Ferry. I've taken the subway from Mong Kok to Central and I always get off just before the bay crossing and take the Star Ferry the rest of the way. The best ride in the world! I wrote this as a way to express my feeling about the Star Ferry.

Wednesday, 31 December 2008

Twice Cooked Pork

I really like the product line from Lee Kum Kee (LKK). This recipe uses two of my favorite sauces from their long line of great sauces. Here are the ingredients:

1 lb cooked pork sirloin, ( I cooked it previously using the "Red Cooked Pork" method I talked about three entries back)
cut in thick pieces (see photo for an idea of size and shape).
4 or 5 head of baby bok choy washed and cut into indiviual leaves. I like leaving the leaf whole, cut to your liking.
4 to 6 cloves of garlic, minced
4 green onions cut in 2 inch lengths, then sliced lengthwise thinly.
2 tablespoons LKK Sichuan Spicy Noodle Sauce
3 tablespoons LKK Guilin Chili Sauce
1 cup chicken broth
2 tablespoons peanut oil
1 tablespoon corn starch with a little water

Heat the wok and add the oil when hot, add the green onions and garlic and stir for a few seconds, and then add the pork. It is already cooked, so move it around till covered with the garlic and onions and hot. Then add the LKK Sichuan Spicy Noodle Sauce and LKK Guilin Chili Sauce. Stir to cover the meat with the sauce. I usually add a few tablespoons of broth to help the coating of the pork with the two sauces.

Once it is heated through add the bok choy on top and the rest of the broth to steam the vegetables for a few seconds. Stir several times to mix it all up and make sure the bok choy is still crisp, but somewhat wilted. Add the corn starch and water mixture to thicken. When ready, serve immediately.

I usually serve it with rice, but sometimes I will add cooked noodles during the last step to heat and mix with everything else. My family likes "La", or spicy food, so for folks who don't like as much heat you may want to cut back on the Gluilin Chili Sauce and add more Sichuan Spicy Noodle Sauce (which is a tastey sauce that isn't as spicy). I'm not sure why it is called Sichuan Spicy Noodle Sauce, because it has a definite shrimp flavor in it and Sichuan is a land locked province. The flavor reminds me more of Hong Kong cooking that I've had during my stays in that great culinary capital of the world.

Thursday, 25 December 2008

Spiced Baked Chicken (with Sizzling Oil)

Tonight we had Spiced Baked Chicken with Sizzling Oil. We had a Red Cooked Pork left over from the night before, so we also had that, and Gailan (Chinese Broccoli), with rice. I steamed the Gailan and added a little Soy and Sesame Oil when it was done. The whole family likes veggies, so I made enough for seconds.

The Spiced Baked Chicken was very moist and really easy to make. Here are the ingrediants:

Dry Rub: 2 teaspoons each of Sichuan Pepper, finely minced ginger, and finely minced garlic. Mix together well.

Sizzling Oil: 3 slices of ginger and one green onion (both julienned), 3 tablespoon oil (preferably peanut oil) and 3
tablespoons of soy.

One green onion (cut in 2" lengths and 4 slices of ginger, smashed with the flat blade of a cleaver.

Extra Oil: Keep a few tablespoons of oil ready for basting about half the way through. I use peanut oil.

One whole chicken

First, rinse the chicken and get out any parts that are put in the innards of the bird. Pat the bird dry and rub it inside and out with the dry rub mixture. Cover the chicken and place it back in the refrigerator for at least two hours to allow the rub to set in.

When you are ready to cook, preheat the oven to 425. Put the bird on a rack in a roasting pan and placed the extra green onion (in 2" lengths) and the smashed ginger inside the chickens cavity. When the oven is ready put it in for at least an hour. After 30 minutes take the bird out, turn it over, and baste using some of the extra oil. Put it back into the oven for the rest of the time. I always use a meat thermometer to check when the chicken is cooked. Seldom is it done at one hour because I usually select large birds, or cook two at a time. When the correct temperature is reached take the bird out and cover with foil while you prepare the sizzling oil

Take a small saucepan and put three tablespoons of oil in and heat to smoking. While waiting julienne the three slices of ginger and the green onion and place in a heat proof bowl. Once the oil is hot (it should be smoking) pour it over the julienned ginger and green onion. Add the three tablespoons of soy and pour over the cooked chicken. Slice and serve immediately.

The chicken should be very moist and tastey.
Kulfi

Ah, Christmas vacation...time enough to indulge my passion for cooking. This is the first new new food I've made since last summer. It is from India and is called Kulfi. It is very simple to make and pretty fast! Here's what to do:

Ingredients

1/2 cup pistachio nuts (chopped to tiny pieces)
1 cup evaporated milk
2 cups heavy cream
4 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

First, combine the evaporated milk and heavy cream in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Once it starts to boil, add the sugar and vanilla and reduce to simmer. Heat for 15 minutes, stirring often. It should thicken some.

After 15 minutes take it off the stove and pour into a freezer proof container. Add the chopped nuts and allow to cool. Then freeze it and it should be ready to eat in about 5 hours.

We loved the taste and it was so easy to make. Li didn't like the nuts, and I told her that next time we might add broken chocolate pieces instead.

Saturday, 19 July 2008

Red Cooked Pork

A new recipe that the girls and I all love. It takes around 3 hours total, but very easy to make and a big hit. The first time I made it was almost my last, though. The original recipe called for a 3 lb ham (bone in with rind), so I went looking and the smallest I found was 8.5 lbs. It looked like it would fit in my sha guo, so I bought it. When I got it home I tried to fit it in either pot (large pot for blanching and my largest sha guo pot), and it was way too big. I was pretty bummed out, but after some thought I got my hacksaw out, changed the blades (put a brand new one on and cleaned it too), and cut the ham in half. Now I had two 4 lb. hams! While I cooked one in the traditional red cooked method, I baked the other in the oven.

Everyone loved the meat. It literally falls off the bones when it is done and is so good! I tried the recipe again today, this time purchasing a 4 lb. ham. It just fit in the pot and I didn't have to cut it I was a "happy camper"! Here's the recipe:

3 lb. ham, pork leg, or shoulder (or bigger if your pot can hold it. Adjust ingredients upwards accordingly)
4 green onions (tied in a knot)
4 slices of ginger (smash them flat with the side of your clever)
3/4 cup of dark soy
4 tablespoons Shaoxing wine
1 tsp. five spice powder
2 oz. rock sugar
2 1/2 cups water

Blanch the ham in boiling water for about 4 or 5 minutes. Take it out and rinse.
Place the ham in the sha guo with all the rest of the ingredients. Bring it to a boil, then lower to a simmer and cover it for 2 1/2 to 3 hours. Turn the ham several times while cooking. When it is done the meat will just fall off the bones. Take the ham out and let it set for a few minutes. You can take the liquid and strain it for a dipping sauce. I put it in small cups in front of my girls so they could spoon it on the meat in the portion they wanted.

I served the meat with rice and we piled the meat on the rice. I also included a mess of stir fried bok choy with garlic and soy. Like I said, everyone liked it and had seconds and thirds! Ya'all should give it a try!