Cook Chinese...: May 2006 Cook Chinese...

Cook Chinese...

Monday, May 29, 2006

Braised Seafood Trio Over Chinese Noodles

Preparation Time: 10 minutes
Marinade Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 20 minutes
Serves: 4


Ingredients:
2 tsps. cornstarch
2 Tbsps. dry sherry or Chinese rice wine
1/4 tsp. ground white pepper
8 uncooked medium shrimp, shelled and deveined
4 sea scallops, butterflied
1/4 lb. firm white fish fillets, such as halibut or cod, cut into 4 pieces
1/3 cup low sodium chicken broth
1/2 tsp. sesame oil
1/4 tsp. salt
1 lb. flat Chinese egg noodles
3 baby bok choy, halved lengthwise through the core
2 Tbsps. vegetable oil
1/4 cup thinly sliced carrots
1/4 cup straw mushrooms, drained

Preparation:
1. Stir the cornstarch, rice wine, and pepper together in a medium bowl until the cornstarch is dissolved. Add the scallops, shrimp and fish and stir gently to coat. Let stand 10 minutes.

2. Prepare the sauce: Stir the chicken broth, rice wine, sesame oil, salt and pepper together in a separate bowl until the salt is dissolved. Set aside.

3. Heat a large pot of salted water to boiling. Cook the bok choy until tender-crisp, 2 to 3 minutes. Scoop them out with a large wire skimmer and set them aside.

4. Cook the noodles according to the package instructions in the same pot of water. Drain well. Divide the noodles between four large soup bowls. Arrange the bok choy around the noodles and cover the bowl with aluminum foil to keep warm.

5. Heat a wok over high heat until hot. Add the oil and swirl to coat the sides. Add the seafood and carrots, stir-fry until the shrimp turn pink, about 3 minutes. Add the mushrooms and sauce; and toss until well mixed. Bring to a boil. Divide the seafood, sauce and vegetables evenly between the four bowls.

Wednesday, May 24, 2006

Tofu Stir-Fry

Preparation Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 10 minutes
Serves: 4


Ingredients:
1 Tbsp. plus 1 tsp. oil
1 clove garlic, crushed
13 oz. firm tofu, drained and cut into 4/5 inch cubes
4 shallots or green onions, chopped
1/4 Chinese cabbage, shredded
1 red bell pepper\cooked, thinly sliced
1 tomato\cooked, diced
1 Tbsp. plus 1 tsp. soy sauce
1/4 cup Hoisin sauce
1/3 cup plus 3 Tbsps. fresh bean sprouts

Preparation:
Heat oil in a frying pan over a moderate to high heat. Saut garlic; add tofu and cook for about 5 minutes, or until crispy. Add shallots or green onion, cabbage, red bell pepper, and tomato to pan; cook 3-4 minutes over high heat. Stir in soy sauce and Hoisin sauce. Top with fresh bean sprouts and serve with rice.

Saturday, May 20, 2006

Pork with Eggplant

Preparation Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 30 minutes
Serves: 4



Ingredients:
1 cup chicken stock
1 cup water
1 cup long grain white rice
3/4 lb. eggplant, peeled, cut crosswise into 1/2 inch slices
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1-1/2 lbs. pork tenderloins, trimmed and cut into 1/8 inch strips
1/4 cup carrots\grated, shredded
1/4 cup canned water chestnuts, drained and chopped
1/4 red bell peppers\cooked, seeded and diced
2 Tbsps. rice wine vinegar
2 Tbsps. scallions, minced
2 tsps. soy sauce
1 tsp. fresh ginger, peeled and grated
1/2 tsp. orange rind, grated
1/8 tsp. chili pepper flakes, crushed
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 tsp. sesame seeds
1/4 cup cilantro (optional), chopped

Preparation:
Bring chicken stock and water to a boil in a heavy saucepan over high heat. Stir in rice and return to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover pan tightly and simmer 20-25 minutes or until rice is tender and liquid is absorbed. Stand off heat 5 minutes before fluffing with a fork. Set aside and keep warm. While rice is cooking, preheat oven to temperature 350°F. Place eggplant slices in a single layer on a baking sheet. Brush with 1 Tbs. oil. Bake 30 minutes, or until eggplant is tender. Transfer to a platter. Cut eggplant into 2 inch pieces. Cover and set aside.

Heat remaining oil in a wok or heavy nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Sauté pork 4 minutes, stirring frequently. Add remaining ingredients, except sesame seeds and cilantro. Cook 1-2 minutes, stirring constantly, until heated throughout. Stir in eggplant and toss. Serve over rice, sprinkled with sesame seeds and chopped cilantro.

Monday, May 15, 2006

Chicken Wings

Ingredients:
3 or 4 pounds chicken wings
2 tsp. lemon juice
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
3 tbsp. brown sugar
4 tbsp. soy sauce
5 tbsp. honey
1/8 tsp. pepper
3/4 c. hot water



Preparation:
chicken wings cut apart at the joints;
Mix together rest of ingredients;
Pour over chicken wings in 9 x 13 inch cake pan;
Bake at 350 degree oven for 1 1/2 hours;
Turn frequently;
Serve hot.

Thursday, May 11, 2006

Chinese Duck Soup

Preparation Time: 15 minutes
Marinade Time: 20 minutes
Cooking Time: 25 minutes
Serves: 4

Ingredients:
12 small Chinese dried mushrooms
boiling water
1-3/4 lbs. Chinese barbecued duck
4-1/4 cups chicken stock
1 red bell pepper\cooked, seeded and sliced
1 Tbsp. tamari or soy sauce
1 tsp. oyster sauce
3 Tbsps. dry sherry
4 scallions, trimmed and chopped
5 oz. canned sliced bamboo shoots, drained

Preparation:
Place mushrooms in a bowl and cover with boiling water. Let stand 20 minutes. Drain and chop. Remove meat and skin from duck. Chop and set aside. Discard bones. Bring stock to a boil. Add last 6 ingredients and mushrooms and simmer 10 minutes, uncovered. Stir in duck meat just before serving and simmer until heated through.

Monday, May 08, 2006

What did the Chinese eat to remain So Healthy?

by Amy Huang

Eat just one cup of entree along with one cup of steamed rice and Chinese Food suddenly become good for you. To get that proportion, you'll need at least two orders of rice for every entree.

The principal food of all Chinese is rice, for although they have wheat and sell bread kneaded therefrom, yet they do not eat it save as if it were a fruit. Their chief bread is cooked rice, and they even make a wine from it which is comparable with a reasonable grapewine and might even be mistaken for it. They eat seated at tables, but they do not use table-cloths or napkins; for they do not touch with their fingers anything that they are going to eat, but. they pick up everything with two long little sticks, They are so expert in this, that they can take anything, however small, and carry it to their mouth, even if it is round, like plums and other such fruits. (see Chinese Food)



At the beginning of a meal they eat meat without bread, and afterwards instead of bread they eat three or four dishes of cooked rice, which they likewise eat with their chopsticks, even though somewhat hoggishly. At banquets, a table is placed for each guest, and when the banquet is a formal one, each guest gets many tables and to explain this I would like to recount what sort of banquets they offered us, and the way in which they were served. (see Chinese Food)

The more rice you pile on, the more portions you create, and the less fat and sodium each one has. That's more like the healthy Chinese diet you think you're getting down at your local Hard Wok Cafe. For example, one of the nastiest dishes is Kung Pao Chicken. A dinner portion without the rice averaged 1,275 calories, 75 grams of fat (13 of them saturated), and more than 2,600 mg of sodium. That's about a day's worth of fat and sodium crammed into one entree.
But if you add one cup of rice to every cup of Kung Pao and then divide it into two-cup portions (split it with friends, take it to work ... you get the idea), each will have about 653 calories, 23 grams of fat (four of them saturated), and 791 mg of sodium. That's still not great, but it's much better.

The next time you cook Chinese food, don't leave the vegetables behind. Yes, vegetables are grillable! What exactly makes them taste so good? The juices stay concentrated in the middle, while the outside becomes seared with smoky flavor. So why heat up the kitchen when you can do it all outdoors?

About the Author:
Amy Huang has an interest in Chinese Culture related subjects. If you are interesting in finding out more information on Chinese Culture, please visit this successful Chinese Food site: http://chinesefood.smartreviewguide.com

Sunday, May 07, 2006

Thai Chinese Style Noodles

Ingredients:
2 chicken breasts or equivalent of beef, cut into flat strips (use minute
or flank steaks)
1/2 stalk fresh broccoli, tops only
1/2 lb. fresh mushrooms, sliced
2 stalks celery, sliced
Onion and garlic, chopped to taste
Chinese cabbage, optional
1/4 c. oyster sauce
1-2 tbsp. fish sauce (very salty)
2 tsp. soy sauce
1/2 lb. noodles

Preparation:
Fry broccoli, mushrooms and celery in vegetable oil until tender. Add onion and garlic, then strips of meat. Cook about 5 minutes on each side. Add sauces (fish, oyster, and soy) and about 1 tablespoon of water, cover and simmer while noodles cook. When noodles are done, add to mixture and serve.