Sweet and Sour Spareribs

Not many Chinese restaurants prepare this.  I think it is because of the small bones.  But, this is one of my favorite dishes.  This is a new version of a classic using ketchup and canned pineapple.  You can use fresh pineapple if you prefer. Asian grocery stores have spareribs already cut into 1-2 inch strips. All you do is cut between the bones. What I love about this is you get the sweet and sour flavors, but without the heavy breading.

Ingredients:
1 lbs of spareribs (cut into bite size pieces)
Enough oil (canola or peanut) for deep frying

Marinade:
2 tblsp of light soy sauce
salt and pepper
1 tsp sugar

Sauce:
3 tblsp rice wine vinegar
3 tblsp sugar
2 tblsp light soy sauce
2 tblsp ketchup
1 green bell pepper (rough chopped)
1 small onion (rough chopped)
1 carrot (sliced)
2 cloves garlic (minced)
1/2 inch ginger (minced)
3.5 oz canned pineapple chunks or fresh equivalent

Combine marinade ingredient and pork. Stir until well coated.  Let marinate for 1 hour. In a deep pan or pot add enough oil to fry the ribs. Heat the oil. Deep fry spareribs in batches for approximately 8-10 minutes until done and brown.  Drain on a papertowel and set aside.

In a small bowl, combine vinegar, sugar, soy sauce and ketchup.  Set aside.

In a deep pan, heat 1 tblsp of oil (can use from the deep frying). Stir fry garlic and ginger for approximately 1-2 minutes.  Add bell peppers, onions and carrots and continue to stir fry for another 2 minutes.  Add the sauce mixture and allow to come to a boil.  Add the spareribs and pineapple chunks.  Continue cooking and stirring until everything is heated through.  Serve over white or fried rice.  Enjoy!

Soy Chicken

So easy and flavorful.  I find this under a different section of the Chinese restaurant's menu.  It is always served with steamed rice and is priced differently than the other entrees.  When I discovered the recipe, I tried it and now I can have Chinese soy chicken at home. This is great when serving a crowd.  Picky eaters love it as well.

Ingredients:

1 lb chicken (cut up pieces)
1 cup water
2 stalks green onion (sliced)
2 inches ginger root (sliced)
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 star anise
2 tblsp sugar

In a sauce pan, brint to a boil, the water, soy sauce, star anise and sugar.  Reduce to a low boil, add green onion, ginger root and chicken. Return to a full boil.  Reduce to a simmer, cover and let cook for 45 minutes.  Stirring occasionally to ensure all the chicken pieces are cooked in the sauce.

Remove chicken from sauce and discard cooking broth.  Grill chicken for approximately 6-8 minutes either on the grill or in the oven's broiler on low.  Rotate chicken and grill the other side for another 4-5 minutes. This is to develop a nice slightly crisp outer layer.  Serve immediately with steam rice.

Pork Pot Stickers

I don't think I have met anyone who does not like pot stickers.  What's great is these can be either fried or steamed.  And the dipping sauces to choose from can vary (dumpling sauce, soy sauce, Ponzu, sweet & sour).  The sauces can work on either steamed or fried versions of the pot stickers.  You can either buy the skins at your Asian grocery store, or make it yourself (I've included the recipe).  For a light dinner we do the pot stickers with egg rolls and fried rice.  Yummmmmmm!

Ingredients for filling:
1lb ground pork
3 tblsp ginger (minced or grated)
6 cloves garlic (minced)
4-5 stalks of green onions (minced)
1/2 napa cabbage (finely chopped)
1tblsp salt
1 tsp sugar
6 tblsp sesame oil
Ground pepper to taste

Ingredients for skin:
2 cups water
4 cups all purpose flour
Pinch of salt

Cooking options:
6 tblsp Canola or olive oil for frying and 1/2 cup water
Steamer with pot of water

In a bowl, combine the finely chopped cabbage and 1 tblsp of salt. Set aside for approximately 20 minutes.  Transfer the cabbage to a clean kitchen cloth or paper towel and gently squeeze out the excess water.  Mix the cabbage with the rest of the ingredients for the filling.  Mix well to ensure all the ingredients are well incorporated.

To make the skin:

Bring water to a boil.  In a bowl mix the flour with the pinch of salt.  Slowly add the boiling water in 1/4 cup increments, mixing with chopsticks until a vall is formed and the dough is no longer too hot to touch or handle. All the water may not be needed to create the ball of dough.  Sprinkle some flour onto a work surface and knead the dough for approximately 15 minutes. Return the ball of dough to the bowl and cover with a cloth. Let it rest for 1 hour.

Roll the dough into a long baton approximately 1 inch in diameter.  Cut into 1/2 inch pieces. Flatten each piece with the palm of your hand until you form a circular disk approximately 3 inches in diameter and 1/16 inch thick.  Repeat with remaining dough pieces.

Creating pot stickers:

To fill each pot sticker, get 1/2 teaspoon of filling and place into the center of one of the skins.  Fold the skin over the filling creating a half moon.  Gently press the ends together to seal the filling in the skin.  Press the the non sealed side gently on the surface to create a flat bottom. 

When all the pot stickers are done, choose one of the cooking methods. 

Frying:  Heat the oil in a frying pan. Add pot stickers with the flat side down.  Rotate pot stickers. Cook in batches.  Allow the pot stickers to brown, then add 1/2 cup of water.  Cover and continue cooking for 5 minutes. Drain liquid and refry to crisp up the bottom for another  2-3 minutes.  Remove from pan and serve with your favorite dipping sauce.

Steamer:  Heat a deep pot or stock pot until water come to a boil. Reduce heat to a slow roiling boil. Line steamer basket with lettuce leaves or parchment paper.  Place pot stickers in steamer basket leaving room so they do not touch.  Place steamer basket over the pot of boiling water.  Steam for 6-8 minutes.  Server in steam basket with your favorite dipping sauce.

Bacon and Egg Fried Rice

I am always looking for something different for breakfast.  I enjoy the standard American fare, but I like to do something different just to make it interesting.  With the daily grind to the office, I usually do something quick or fast food.  But on the weekends, it's nice to do something different.  Fried rice is such a versatile dish.  You can make it with just about anything.  This is a breakfast fried rice.  I normally use garlic and ginger, but since this is breakfast, I thought I would forgo it this time.  Use any bacon you prefer.  I find applewood bacon is really good with this dish. 

Ingredients:

2 tbls canola or olive oil
4 Eggs (beaten)
6-8 slices of bacon  (cut into bitesize pieces)
1/2 cup frozen peas and carrots (or peas only if preferred)
2 stalks of green onions (chopped)
3 cups cooked rice
3-4 tblsp light soy sauce
2 tblsp sesame oil
Salt and pepper

Heat the oil in a wok or deep skillet.  On medium heat, add the beaten eggs and season with salt and pepper.  Scramble the eggs until soft but not runny.  Remove the eggs from the skillet.  Increase the heat and add the bacon to the skillet and cook until brown and crisp.  Add the green onion and cook until heated through, approximately 1minute.  Add the green peas and carrots and continue stirring until heated through.  Add in the rice. Reduce the heat to medium and continue stirring, breaking up the rice as you go.  When all the ingredients are incorporated, add soy sauce; continue stirring until soy sauce is well mixed and rice is well coated.  Drizzle the sesame oil and return the eggs into the skillet.  Continue cooking, breaking up the scrambled eggs so that it can be completed incorporated.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  If rice appears too light, add a little more of the soy sauce being careful not to add too much as this will make the dish very dark and salty.  Serve immediately with your favorite morning beverage.

Whole Fish with Black Bean Sauce

Something I have always wanted to try was to cook a whole fish.  It is not as difficult as I thought it would be.  It was actually a lot of fun.  Note: there is a difference between fresh fish and frozen.  Asian and ethnic grocery stores have huge fish tanks for live seafood.  It is amazing how wonderful it is to cook with very fresh seafood.  I recommend it highly.  Have your fishmonger scale and clean the fish for you.  The original recipe normally steams the fish.  I prefer baking or broiling; this creates a different texture to the fish.  If you wish to steam, wrap the fish in foil and steam for 30 minutes.

Ingredients:

2 whole fish (cleaned) trout, sea bass, tilapia

2 tblsp salted black beans

1 tsp sugar

2 inches of fresh ginger (shredded)

6 cloves garlic (thinly sliced)

3 tblsp Chinese rice wine

3 tblsp Light soy sauce

4-6 spring onions (shredded or sliced)

3 tblsp olive or canola oil

1 tsp sesame oil

Wash the fish inside and out and dry with a paper towel.  With a sharp knife, cut deep diagonal slices across the each side of the fish. Cut deep enough to expose the flesh but not to the bones.  Mash half of the beans in a small bowl with the sugar.  Add the remaining whole beans and mix well.  Place fish on a glass or ceramic plat and place half of the shredded ginger and sliced garlic inside the fish cavity spreading as evenly as you can.  Rub the blackbean mixture on to the outside of the fish making sure you get it between the diagonal slices.  Turn fish over and do the same on the other side. Cover with plastic wrap and marinade for 30 minutes in the refrigerator.

Turn oven on to 350 degrees.  Place fish in a foil covered pan.  Mix rice wine with 1 tblsp of soy sauce and 1 tblsp oil.  Pour mixture over the fish. Cover fish with another piece of foil and place in the oven.  Bake for 15 minutes. Remove the foil covering and continue to cook for another 5-10 minutes or until fish is done (flesh is opaque).

In a small pan, heat the remaining oil until almost smoking; remove from heat. Add the sesame oil and the remaining soy sauce and stir.  Remove fish from the oven and transfer to a plate, sprinkle with the spring onions.  Drizzle with the oil and soy sauce mixture.  Serve hot with steamed rice.

NOTE: If you are not comfortable with cooking a whole fish, ask your fishmonger to remove the head.  This also works with fish fillets. Reduce cooking time if cooking fillets.

Five Spice Fish Fillet

Quick and easy and oh so yummy. I made some changes to the original recipe, tried it at home and got a winner.  Try any light white fish (tilapia, cod, mahi-mahi) fillet.

Ingredients:
1lb thin fish fillet (tilapia, mahi-mahi, cod or any white fish)
1/2 cup flour
2-3 tsp five-spice powder
3 tblsp canola or olive oil
1/4 cup soy sauce
3 tblsp brown sugar
1 tblsp sesame oil
Salt and pepper
2 green onion stalks (chopped diagonally)

Place flour in a flat dish, season flour with salt and pepper and set aside.  Rub the five-spice powder on each side of the fish fillet.  Roll fish fillet into the flour and dust off the excess.  Heat the oil in a deep frying pan.  When oil is hot, place the fish fillets into the hot pan without crowding.  Cook each side for approximately 2 minutes until opaque.

In a small bowl, mix soy sauce, sugar and sesame oil; season with pepper.  Pour soy sauce mixture onto fish.  Reduce heat and continue to cook turning fish fillets occassionally to coat.  Continue cooking until sauce thickens and creates a nice glaze on the fish.  Do not allow the glaze to burn.  Transfer fillets to a warm plate and garnish with the chopped green onions.  Serve hot with steamed rice or fried rice.

Egg Rolls

Okay, I have received a lot of requests for my egg roll recipe. So, I have decided to take some liberties with my blog and publish my egg roll recipe.  I have been perfecting this recipe for close to 10 years; tweaking and adjusting.  I started making egg rolls when we were preparing lunch every 3rd Sunday of the month for Revlon House. No matter what we served (Chinese, Mexican, Indian, etc.) we had to make egg rolls.  We made between 75-100 egg rolls each time.  I have made egg rolls for office pot lucks and as a treat/snack for my team. I have even been asked to make it for individuals.  Well, here it is.

Ingredients:
6 stalks green onions (chopped)
1 small cabbage head (shredded)
1 can sliced water chestnuts (cut into matchsticks)
2 carrots (peeled and julienned)
1cup fresh bean sprouts
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 tblsp oyster sauce
1 tblsp ginger paste
1 tblsp garlic (minced or paste)
2 tblsp sesame oil
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 tblsp sugar
salt and pepper
1 pkg egg roll wrappers (large)
2 tblsp canola or olive oil
Additional oil for deep frying (approx. 3 cups) preferably peanut oil
bowl with 1 cup water and 1 tblsp of flour - mixed well

For pork mixture:
1lb ground pork
3 tblsp soy sauce
1 tsp ginger paste
1 tsp garlic paste
1 tsp sugar
1 tblsp oyster sauce
salt and pepper

In a bowl, combine all the ingredients for the pork mixture. Using your hands, mix the ingredients well.  Set aside.
In a large bowl, combine cabbage, carrots, green onions, bean sprouts and water chestnuts.  Mix well.  In a separate bowl combine, soy sauce, oyster sauce, chicken broth, garlic, ginger, sesame oil, sugar, salt and pepper. Whisk until ingredients are totally incorporated.  Pour into bowl of vegetables.  Mix well making sure all the vegetables are well coated. Set aside, stirring occassionally.

In a pan, heat 2 tblsp of oil.  Add the pork mixture, stirring constantly and breaking up the meat while cooking.  Brown the pork and break up until crumbly.  When done, add the pork to the vegetables.  Mix well, stirring until pork and sauce is totally incorporated with the vegetables.

Unwrap egg roll wrappers. Remove one wrapper and place infront of you on the clean counter.  Have one of the corners pointing towards you (a triangle).  Get a heaping table spoon of the filling (make sure you drain the sauce). Place the heaping filling at the point closest to you. Shape filling into a log. Start rolling the egg roll at least once then bring in the end points toward the center of the roll. Continue rolling the egg roll away from you.  until you reach the end point farthest from you. Dip your finger in the bowl of water and flour, run it on the edge of the point and finish rolling the egg roll. Set egg roll aside and do the same with the rest of the wrapper and filling.

Heat oil in a large dutch oven or deep fryer.  When temperature is hot, slowly add egg rolls. Do not crowd, only put in about 4 at a time.  Fry until golden brown, about 4-5 minutes.  Remove from pot and allow to drain on paper towel.  Serve with your favorite sweet and sour or duck sauce. Don't forget the fried rice and you have lunch or dinner.

Note: You can add a 1/2 lb cooked chopped shrimp as well.

Chinese Barbeque Ribs

To say we "love" barbeque at my house is an understatement.  We love all kinds of barbeque and have numerous recipes that we have prepared and tried.  One of our favorites is Chinese barbeque. I could fix this at least once a week.  It is absolutely wonderful!

Ingredients: 
2lbs spareribs (cut into individual ribs)
1/3 cup hoisin sauce
1/4 cup soy sauce
3 tblsp red wine
2 tblsp brown sugar
1 tsp red food color
1/4 tsp five spice powder
2 cloves garlic (minced or paste)
1 tblsp olive or canola oil

In a bowl, whisk together all the ingredients except for the spareribs until well blended.  In a large resealable bag, add the ribs and pour the marinade.  Seal the bag and rub outside of the bag to coat all the ribs with the marinade.  Allow to marinade in the refrigerator for 4 hours or over night. 

Heat oven 350 degrees.  In a deep baking dish, line the bottom with foil creating a separate container within the baking dish by creating a wall with the foil.  Arrange the ribs, meat side up in the foil.  Between the foil and baking dish add about 1/2 to 1 inch of water.  Do not let the water get inside the foil, or touch the ribs. Cover the ribs with foil and place in the oven.  Allow to bake for 45 minutes, checking occassionally to make sure water does not dry out completely.  Remove top foil and raise oven temperature to 450 degrees.  Continue to bake for another 20 minutes until ribs become brown and glazed.  Serve with shrimp fried rice, jasmine rice or basmati rice.

Shrimp Fried Rice

Everyone has a version of fried rice. I found several during my reseach and taste testing. It is absolutely amazing, but you will find everyone uses the same basic ingredients, the  seasoning may change which creates the uniqueness. This one is super easy and is great when using yesterday's leftover rice.   I prefer spring onions to regular onions and I like garlic in mine.

Ingredients:

3 cups cooked long grain rice (jasmine or basmati)
2 eggs
2 tblsp oil (canola, peanut or olive)
1 tsp ginger (grated)
1 1/2 cup shelled and deveined shrimp (roughly chopped)
2 stalks of green onions (finely chopped)
2-3 tblsp soy sauce
3 tblsp butter
3 cloves garlic (minced)
1/2 cup carrots (finely chopped)
1/2 cup bean sprouts
Salt and pepper

Beat eggs separately and season with salt and pepper.  Heat 1 tblsp of oil in a pan.  pour one of the beaten egg into a large frying pan and fry on one side until firm and and sides begin to brown (approximately 2 minutes). Flip egg and continue to cook on the other side for another 1-2 minutes until edges begin to brown and egg is cooked through.  Remove from pan and set aside.  Heat 1 tblsp oil with 1 tblsp butter in the large frying pan.  Add green onions and carrots. Stir for approximately 1 minute and add garlic, ginger and shrimp.

Continue to stir for another minute until garlic and ginger is well incorporated with the green onions and carrots and shrimp is slightly pink.  Add another tablespoon of the butter into the pan.  When butter is melted and heated, add rice. Continue stirring. Do not allow rice to stick to the bottom of the pan. Continue stirring, add the beans sprouts, until everything is mixed thoroughly.  Lower heat to medium-low.  Create a well in the middle of the rice mixture where the bottom of the pan appears.  Add the last table spoon of butter.  Pour  the last beaten egg into the center.  Allow egg to cook gently constantly stirring.  When egg is still soft but not runny, stir the rice mixture into the egg and continue stirring until egg is incorporated into the rice mixture. Slowly add soy sauce and continue stirring until soy sauce is evently distributed.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Spoon into small bowls. Turn bowls over onto separate plates creating a small mound.  Slice the previously cooked egg into thin strips. Garnish rice with strips of the cooked egg.  Serve with your favorite Chinese dish and/or egg rolls.  Or enjoy alone as a light meal for lunch or dinner.

Eggplant and Red Bell Pepper Stir Fry

We love eggplant at my house. In London, my husband got really tickled that every where we went, this wonderful vegetable was called aubergine.  There are so many different versions: large, baby, Japanese, Indian, and white, just to name a few. I could probably do a blog on eggplants alone. I try to find just as many ways to prepare eggplants.  I found this in an old Chinese cookbook and revised to fit the American palate. This is really great and so easy to prepare.  It goes great with Chinese barbeque or fried pork chops and of course rice.

Another really pretty dish to make.

Ingredients:
3 tbsp olive or canola oil
3 garlic cloves (minced)
2 regular eggplants or 3 Japanese eggplants (cut diagonally)
1 tsp cider vinegar
1 red bell pepper sliced into strips
3 tbsp soy sauce
2 tsp sugar
1 tbsp cilantro (chopped)
Salt and pepper

Heat oil in a deep pan. Add garlic and stir fry for approximately 1 minute. Add the eggplant, continue to stir fry for another 30-45 seconds until the eggplant is coated with oil and garlic.  Add the bell pepper strips and continue to stirring.  When the eggplant pieces appear softened, add soy sauce, vinegar and sugar.  Continue stirring and allow to cook for another 2 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  When done, remove from heat, toss lightly with cilantro.

Egg Fu Yung (Shrimp Omelet)

I love egg fu yung, but not a lot of Chinese restaurants prepare this dish. When I order it, the owner always tells me that this dish takes a while to prepare. One day, I asked the owner of my favorite Chinese restaurant why not many restaurants have this on the menu. She told me that this can only be prepared by a true Chinese Chef. That egg fu yung is time consuming and not easy to prepare. During one of my forages through a second hand book store, I found a Chinese cookbook that had the recipe with 1 problem.......part of it was written in Chinese....I don't read Chinese. I bought the book and kept it on my book shelf for almost 4 years. I kept wanting to try to make this dish, but kept remembering the Chinese proprietress' comment about the difficulty. One day, I stopped at the restaurant and found it closed for remodeling. No egg fu yung!!!! So, I went home, took the cookbook out, squared my shoulders and started to make it. After several attempts (remember, I don't read Chinese) I found it....and it was no where near as difficult as she said it would be. It is as simple as fixing an omelet. So, below is "my translation".

Ingredients:

8 eggs

2 tbsp water

8 fresh mushroom (chopped)

1 1/2 cups bean sprouts

1 1/2 cup cooked shrimp (chopped)

4 green onions (finely chopped)

1 celery stalk (finely chopped)

salt and pepper to taste

oil for frying

Sauce:

2 cups water

6 tsp cornstarch

3 tsp sugar

5 tsp soy sauce

2 chicken boullion cubes

salt and pepper to taste

Prepare the sauce by disolving the 2 cubes of chicken boullion in 2 cups of water. In a sauce pan, combine the chicken boullion in water, sugar and soy sauce. Heat thoroughly. In a small bowl, pour a small portion of the heated liquid, add the cornstarch and stir until completely disolved and there are no lumps. Slowly stir it back into the pot, continually stirring so as not to create lumps (stirring with a whisk reduces the chances of lumps). Gently boil until sauce thickens; reduce heat to keep warm. Season with salt and pepper.

Beat eggs and 2 tbsp water in a bowl and season with salt and pepper until it froths; set aside. In a bowl combine mushrooms, shrimp, onion, celery and sprout. Stir until well combined; add beaten eggs and stir until well mixed.

In a skillet heat oil (approx. 1 tablespoon at a time) for frying. Using a ladle, pour a portion of the mixture in the pan. Cook until it starts firming up and edges are light brown (2-3 min). Flip the egg omelet and cook other side. When light brown, remove and place into a warm plate. Continue cooking each omelet and stack on top of each other when done. Pour warm sauce over stack. Garnish with sliced green onions and serve while hot with your favorite rice - long grain, jasmine or basmati.

Note: the filling is flexible in this dish. I've used peas and carrots. You can also use ground pork instead of shrimp. Be sure to season the pork with salt and pepper and brown first before adding to the omelet.