Chicken Chow Mein

Chicken Chow Mein

serves 4 to 6

(Chinese-American)

Everyone's first experience with Chinese restaurant food was probably chicken or pork chow mein, this is a copy cat recipe to help you re-experience that first encounter at home.

                                                                                  Prep time:  30 minutes
                                                                                  Cook time:  15 minutes
                                                                                  Total time: 45 minutes

Ingredients

1 to 1 ½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into approximately ½- inch pieces
2 teaspoons plus ½ cup soy sauce, divided use
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1 tablespoon sesame oil
12 ounces Chinese noodles
2 ½ tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 cold cup water
2 tablespoons peanut or vegetable oil
3 cups sliced celery, thinly sliced on the diagonal
½ cup shredded carrot
1 cup yellow onion, sliced thinly
2 bunches  green onions, green tops sliced diagonally into 1-inch lengths
1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
1 can good chicken broth
2 tablespoon oyster sauce
¼ teaspoon grated fresh ginger
½ pound bean sprouts (rinsed & drained)
5 ounces of bamboo shoots, matchsticked
5 ounces can water chestnuts (drained & sliced)

Rice or dry Chow Mein noodles

Preparation

marinate the chicken:

After you slice the chicken, place it in a bowl with 2 tsp of soy sauce, the rice vinegar and sesame oil and set aside for at least 1 hour.

prepare the noodles:

Cook noodles according to package directions.  Rinse under cold water, drain and set aside.

create a thickener:

Create a thickening slurry by blending the cornstarch and cold water.

create the chow mein:

1.  In large skillet or wok over medium heat, cook chicken in oil until done, about 10 minutes. Remove from skillet.
2.  Raise heat to high and cook celery, yellow onion, scallions,  and sliced mushrooms in the oil until the celery and onions are crisp-tender; 2-3 minutes, stirring constantly.
3.  Add chicken broth, ginger, oyster sauce, and remaining soy sauce.
4.  Add the cooked chicken, bean sprouts, bamboo shoots and water chestnuts.
5.  Add the drained noodles to the pan, and continue to stir fry till the noodles are heated through, about 2 minutes.
6.  .  Bring the liquid to a boil.  Add the slurry and continue heating and stirring until the liquid thickens.

service:

Place the chow mein on a large serving platter and serve accompanied by rice or dry Chow Mein noodles.

Pot Stickers

Pot Stickers

An Asian restaurant staple that you can easily make at home.

(China)

servings 36 dumplings

                                                                                    Prep time:  20 minutes
                                                                                    Cook time:  15 minutes
                                                                                    Total time:  35 minutes

Ingredients

2 large eggs
1/2 pound ground pork
1 slice uncooked bacon, finely chopped
1/2 cup finely chopped Napa cabbage
1/2 cup minced fresh chives (about 2 small bunches)
1 1/2 teaspoons finely grated peeled ginger
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
½ teaspoon Kosher or sea salt
1/2 teaspoon white sugar
1 clove garlic, finely grated
1/2 teaspoon soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon cornstarch
36 round dumpling wrappers, thawed if frozen
6 tablespoons vegetable oil

 Preparation

create the filling:

In a large bowl, lightly beat 1 egg. Add the ground pork, bacon, cabbage, chives, ginger, sesame oil, salt, sugar, garlic, soy sauce and cornstarch; mix with your hands until the ingredients are evenly distributed and combined.

fill the wrappers:

In a separate small bowl, lightly beat together the remaining egg and 1 tablespoon of cold water.
Set 1 dumpling wrapper on a clean, dry surface (keep the rest covered with a damp paper towel so they don't dry out). Place 1 heaping teaspoonful of the pork mixture onto the center of the wrapper. Dab a finger into the egg/water mixture and run it along the edge of the wrapper damping it. Fold the wrapper in half and press the edges together to seal, then transfer to a plate. Cover with a sheet of wax paper and a damp tea towel.  Repeat with the remaining filling and wrappers until all the filling and wrappers are used up.

fry the dumplings:

Heat 2 tablespoons vegetable oil in a large, nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Working in batches to not crowd the dumpling, add the dumplings and arrange in a single layer; cook until the bottoms start to brown, about 30 seconds.

Add 2/3 cups of cold water, cover the pan with a lid and cook 3 minutes. Uncover and cook until the water evaporates and the bottoms are crisp and golden brown, about 2 more minutes. Loosen the dumplings from the pan with a spatula and transfer to a serving plate. Add 2 more tablespoons oil to the pan between batches.

service:

Serve accompanied by your favourite Asian dipping sauce.

Heavenly Pork and Noodle Soup

Heavenly Pork and Noodle Soup

serves 6

(China)

We first tasted this soup in  an Asian restaurant in Southern California, the restaurant had a different name for it but when my wife took her first taste she pronounced it "heavenly".  We developed this recipe from the restaurant's description of the dish.  Do not substitute anise for the star anise, the result will be disappointing.  As an alternative, if you don't have a slow cooking you can use a large pot adjusting the time appropriately.

                                                                                Prep time: 20 minutes

Cook time: 3 hours 30  minutes

Total time: 3 hours  50 minutes

Ingredients

3 pounds boneless pork shoulder

3 cups chicken broth

1/4 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup dry sherry

3 tablespoons packed light brown sugar

4 cloves fresh garlic,  peeled and micro-planed

1 2-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and micro-planed

2 pieces star anise*

1 head bok choy cabbage, roughly chopped

3 1/2 ounces dried rice vermicelli noodles

1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Preparation

1.  Combine the chicken broth, soy sauce, sherry, brown sugar, garlic, ginger, star anise in a large pot over high heat.  Bring the liquid to a rolling boil.

2.  Place the pork shoulder to a 5-to-6-quart slow cooker.   Carefully pour the  boiling broth over the pork, cover and cook on high for 3 hours.

3.  Remove the pork from the slow cooker and roughly shred the it. 

4.  Return the shredded pork to the broth and add the bok choy; cover and cook for an additional 20 minutes.

5.  Break the noodles in half and place them in a deep dish or mixing bowl and pour about 4 cups of boiling water over them.  Allow the  noodles to sit in the water until they are al dente, about 10 minutes.

6.  Divide the cooked noodles among six soup bowls and ladle the desired amount of soup over the noodles, sprinkle with some of the cilantro and serve immediately accompanied by chop sticks, soup spoons, and additional cilantro.

* do not substitute 

Taiwanese Style Crispy Pork Chops

Taiwanese-Style Crispy Pork Chops

serves 4

(Taiwan)

The first time we tasted this meal was on our trip to Taiwan to meet our daughter-in-laws family.  Unlike American pork chops, these delicious breaded and fried scallopini are fragrant with the subtle taste of Chinese five spice supported by the taste of the Char Siu Sauce they are marinated in, the longer they are marinated the more fragrant they become.   These crispy pork chops don't really need a gravy but if you like you can add several tablespoons of the marinade (to your taste) to commercial pork or beef gravy and serve the five-spice flavour gravy as an accompaniment.

Ingredients

4  –  ¾ inch, boneless pork chops

1/3 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup Taiwanese michiu wine (substitute Japanese Mirin)

1/8 teaspoon  white pepper

1/8 teaspoon  five-spice powder

1 teaspoon  Char Siu Sauce (Chinese barbecue sauce, DO NOT substitute American Barbecue sauce)

3-4 cloves garlic, micro-planed

1 cup Panko bread crumbs

1 egg, beaten

2/3 cup sweet potato flour (acceptable substitutes are tapioca  or corn starch)

6 -8 tablespoons of cooking oil

Preparation

1.  One at a time, place each pork  chop in a large, re-sealable plastic bag and pound  the chop into a thin (1/2 to ¼ - inch thick) scallopini and set aside in the refrigerator.  

2.  When all the pork chops have been pounded, create a marinade by combining the soy sauce, the michiu wine, the white pepper, the five-spice, the barbeque sauce, and the micro-planed in a small mixing bowl.  Once the marinade has been created, pour it into a large, re-sealable plastic bag.  Place the pork chops into the bag and seal, squeezing out as much air as possible.  Allow the pork chops to marinate for several hours, turning the bag every so often, to allow all the flavours to develop.

3.  When the pork chops have marinated for several hours, build a breading station by placing the sweet potato starch, the beaten egg, and the Panko bread crumbs in three separate plates.  Bread each of the pounded pork chops  by first dredging each in the sweet potato flour, then in the egg mixture, and finally in the Panko bread crumbs.

4.  Once each of the pork chops have been breaded on both sides  heat enough vegetable oil to fill  a large, heavy bottomed frying pan to a depth of about 1/2 inch over medium high heat and fry the pork chops, turning once, until golden brown on both sides and cooked through. 

5.  Serve accompanied by plain white rice, noodles, or a simple vegetable.