From Cleaver to Wok by Jennifer Thai

from cleaver to wok

A short publication on authentic Chinese Cooking by Jennifer Thai

when you hear

someone say Chinese cuisine, what comes to your mind? For most people they think of the following dishes: sesame chicken, General Tsoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s chicken, crab rangoon, and fried rice. However, these dishes are a part of the Americanized version of Chinese cuisine.

What are the differences between the two cuisines? Some of the differences are the amount of oil and use of dairy products. In authentic Chinese cuisine, the use of dairy products, such as cream cheese or milk, is minimal if any at all. The amount of oil that is used is a difference as well. You may hear some people say that Chinese food is greasy; however, in authentic Chinese cuisine, you only use enough oil that is required to cook each dish. In each of the regions of China, these two differences hold true, which brings us to the regional styles of Chinese cooking. The four regional styles are Peking, Szechuan, Shanghai, and Canton. Under these regional styles are eight subcategories of known cooking styles and are listed as the following: Hunan, Sichuan, Shandong, Guangdong, Fujian, Zhejiang, Anhui, Jiangsu. Throughout the following chapters, you will read about the important equipment and ingredients typically found in a Chinese kitchen, recipes for savory dishes, and recipes for sweet dishes.

cooking equipment This chapter will introduce the equipment needed to prep and cook Chinese food. The tools usually used in preparing the ingredients are the cleaver and Chinese chopping block or thick wooden cutting board. After the prep is done, the food is prepared in a wok over a gas stove. Chinese food can be prepared with the most rudimentary tools. With a bit of imagination and ingenuity, you can substitute a frying pan for a wok, and a spaghetti pot and pie plate can become a makeshift steamer. However, it is good to start with the traditional tools first.

cleaver and chopping board The cleaver is an indispensable tool since Chinese cooking involves far more hacking, chopping, mincing, and scraping than Western cooking. Also, a cleaver eliminates the need for the enormous number of different types of knives that would be needed in Chinese cooking. Larger and heavier than regular cutting knives, Chinese cleavers provide both weight (crucial to rough cutting) and dexterity (essential to fine cutting). The partner to the cleaver, the Chinese chopping block, is rarely sold in Chinese stores anymore. A substitute is a large, thick wooden cutting boardâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;at least 12 inches to a side and at least 2 inches thick. Anything smaller will slip away under pressure of heavy chopping. Plastic cutting boards are dangerous; although, if you choose a plastic cutting board, get the largest most solid piece you can find.

wok Once the prep work is done for the ingredients that make up a dish, one must find a vessel to cook them properly. That vessel is the wok. The wok is one of the most prominent pieces ofequipment stocked in a Chinese kitchen. It is where majority of the cooking is done and presents the food a delicate, even coating of flavor. The wok is a round-bottomed pan that is traditionally made from thin, tempered iron, for the fast conduction of even heat. Woks range in size from 12 to 24 inches in diameter and are sold with an aluminum cover and rim collar. The 14-inch size is the most useful; it is large enough to be versatile—providing enough space for spirited stir-frying of a few small-cut ingredients as well as enough depth for the deep-frying, simmering, and steaming of bulky meats, large fowl, and fish—but it is not too large to interfere with the functioning of the other burners on the stove. Although, today, woks are made in various metals, from thin iron to stainless steel, copper, brass, and aluminum, the first is the best to buy. A 14-inch size should not weigh less than 2¼pounds, however, so that while the metal is thin enough for the fast spreading of heat it is thick enough so that the oil won’t smoke immediately.

You may notice that the two woks pictured are slightly different based on their handles. The wok pictured above is used mostly in Northern China whereas the wok pictured to the right is typically used in Southern China.

rim collar and spatula The rim collar should be sloping, not straight, and about 2 1/2 inches high. The 9-inch top spreads to about 10 1/2 inches on the bottom. Set your wok over the smaller opening when you want less heat and over the larger one when you want it to be closer to and more engulfed by flames. Make certain the rim collar is anchored very securely over the burner, removing the regular burner grid if necessary. A more traditional wok should not be used on an electric stove, as there is not enough heat to engulf the pan for even cooking and provides the reason behind the rim collar. If you have an electric stove, a large, deep skillet is recommended to act in place of a wok. This leads us to what will toss and stir the food in the wok. The wok spatula is a must-have tool to go with a seasoned wok, especially when stir-frying. Other options include a wooden spoon, spatula, or chopsticks. Being light, chopsticks enable you to move your arm and wrist agilely when you are stir-frying in those turning, sweeping, tossing motions. If you are comfortable with a cooking spoon, by all means stay with it. These cooking tools are extensions of your hands and you should have complete control over them to yield quality results.

staple ingredients In ancient times, North China had a limited range of spices and flavorings, which made their diet less interesting than later, when South Chinaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s contributions were greater. The conquest of the south and expansion of trade contacts with Southeast Asia and India brought a much greater range of spices and flavorings into use. The following pages list a range of ingredients commonly used in Chinese cooking.

Seasonings Scallions are used liberally either cooked to add flavor or raw as garnishes. They are a staple in most stir-fry dishes. Garlic is common

Cilantro is a very popular herb

Chili sauce is from chili peppers; it's used

in Chinese cooking.

with a strong flavor. It is used in

for dipping and stir-frying. The most

The most common

Chinese cooking with sauces,

popular type is sriracha, a Thai chili

use is with stir-fries.

soups, dim sums, and a garnish.

sauce, which can be served on the table

Fresh Chilies are added

Soy sauce comes in two kinds,

to sprinkle over food as desired.

chopped, sliced, crushed

light soy sauce and dark soy

Rice vinegar is popular for its strong,

or whole for that extra

sauce, make sure you use the

smoky flavor. It is made of glutinous

zing! There are many

kind your recipe calls for. Dark

rice and can be added to soups,

kinds of chilies with

soy sauce is for cooking and

dipping sauces and braised dishes.

varying degrees of heat.

seasoning meats. Light

Sesame Oil is a dark,

Black bean sauce is made of

soy sauce can be served

aromatic and very

fermented beans, garlic, peppers,

on the table for dipping

flavorful ingredient.

vinegar and soy sauce. This flavorful sauce

spring rolls or dim sum.

is added to stir-fries and steamed dishes.

There are several

Five Spice Powder is made of ground

kinds, the one used

peppercorns, star anise, cloves, fennel

for Chinese cooking

and cinnamon and sometimes coriander

is usually heavier

seeds. It is a mix of flavors, from sweet

and darker and it

to hot, fragrant, salty and pungent, and

is not used for

used to condiment meats, fish, poultry

frying but rather as a marinade, sprinkled at the end just for flavor, or added to dipping sauces.

and vegetables. Ginger, along with garlic, is the most common Chinese Food ingredient used for flavoring. Ginger is popular with Cantonese dishes as well as the more spicy Szechuan recipes. Besides fresh ginger, you can also find it ground and pickled.

Oyster sauce is made with oysters and soy sauce. The brown sauce that is produced doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have a strong fishy taste, its taste is rather mild and is used for cooking meats and vegetables. There is also a â&#x20AC;&#x153;vegetarianâ&#x20AC;? version made with mushrooms. 8

Vegetables and Grains There are a variety of grains and vegetables eaten in

food of the poor. However, wheat was important in the

China. The most common is rice, followed by wheat

classical times. Today, wheat ranks second in production

and barley. Rice is the staple of China, and for the

and barley is third in production. Vegetables play an

majority of its people, it is an integral part of Chinese

important role in Chinese dishes and are of critical

meals. Rice is used as a palette cleanser as well as a

dietary importance. They balance out the meaty dishes

contrast for the dishes. In ancient times, barley was the

and more fatty dishes. They offer a contrast of texture

most plentiful and inexpensive cereal, the everyday

for the palette as well in a meal.

Rice is usually grown in rice fields that stretch for miles. It is prepared by boiling or steaming.

Bok choy, or

Napa Cabbage

Gai lan is from the kale

Chinese Mustard,

is common and

and broccoli family, the

has meaty white

great stir-fried

taste is similar to broccoli,

stems with dark

with your choice

perhaps a bit sweeter. It

green leaves. It

of sauce and

is a very popular dish

is used in soups,

condiment, eaten

served stir-fried with

stir-fries, and

in salads, or

garlic or steamed with

can be steamed.

simply pickled.

oyster sauce.

Tofu is made from

Noodles, especially wheat flour noodles

soymilk and resembles

are usually stir-fried with tasty meats

the consistency of

and veggies. They are also used to

cheesecake. It is a very

create noodle soups. Noodles also

nutritious ingredient,

symbolize longevity.

rich in minerals and an excellent source of protein.

Meat The traditional Chinese diet was overwhelmingly

indirectly, and less efficiently, through domesticated

vegetarian, with consumption of meat and fish far

animal intermediaries. To a more considerable

lower than in Western Europe or the United States.

degree, moreover, the animals kept for food

As has often been noted, Chinaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s vegetarian diet

in China are self-sufficient scavengers. These

is a concession to its shortage of land and dense

animals make up those self-sufficient scavengers:

human populations which can be supported only

pigs, chickens, ducks, and seafood.

by consuming cultivated plants directly, rather than

China has by far a larger number of pigs than any

In modern times, the Chinese diet includes a variety

other country. The dishes made of pork in China

of fish. For instance, fish will be bathed in hot liquid

are impressive in number and variety. It is used in

so that its natural juices slowly gather beneath the

soups, as ham, bacon, sausage, ground pork, and

skin or shrimp with be salt-whipped into a clear,

pork balls.

crisp delicacy.

Chicken is plentiful and all the more reason for

As for the duck, there are said to be two main

presenting an extensive sampling of the way

types of true ducks raised in China, Peking and

Chinese cooking methods and seasonings enhance

Nanking. Peking ducks are known for roasting

the qualities of this bird.

whereas Nanking ducks are used for salting.

recipes In this chapter, recipes will be introduced and put into categorized sections. As tempting as it may be to pick and choose which recipes to make, go through all of them. Each recipe is different and will present a variety of personalities for your palette to taste. This will not only open your mind to eating and trying these dishes, but will help build your creativity for future dishes.

Chinese Barbecued Pork In cooler temperatures of the year where hot dishes are preferred or for the times where you are just yearning for comfort, this dish is perfect for that. Who can resist slices of half-fatty, half-lean roast pork, crisp and dripping with caramelized juices? When you get char siu at a Cantonese restaurant, it will most likely be red from a little food dye, used to attract customers. A small amount of dye isn’t harmful (think of all those M&Ms and Skittles you’ve eaten). But sometimes a restaurant will go overboard. If you want to avoid the dye altogether, the solution is to make char siu at home. Char siu is often translated as Chinese barbecued pork, but these days hardly anyone skewers the pork and cooks it over an open fire. (Cantonese or Chinese roast pork is a more apt description). Rather, the name has stuck because the outside of char siu is blackened from roasting. Serves 4 to 6 as part of a multi-course meal

In a large bowl, mix together the rice wine, dark soy sauce,

1 pound pork belly, unsliced with skin trimmed off

sugar, garlic, hoisin sauce, and five-spice powder. Rub the

2 tablespoons dark soy sauce, or regular soy sauce

pork belly with the marinade mixture and marinate for 2

2 tablespoons white, granulated sugar

to 3 hours in the refrigerator.

2 tablespoons rice wine

Preheat the oven to 325°F. Rub the excess marinade off the

2 cloves garlic, minced

pork belly (but don’t rub it all off!) and place in a roasting

½ tablespoon hoisin sauce

pan. Brush the top with the honey. Roast the pork for 40 to

½ teaspoon five-spice powder

45 minutes, flipping the pork belly over halfway through and

2 tablespoons honey

brushing honey on the other side. The pork is done when the outsides begin to crisp and blacken, and the center of the pork belly strip feels firm. Remove the pork from oven and let it cool for 5 to 10 minutes. Transfer to a cutting board and cut into thin slices. Arrange the slices on a plate and serve, either plain as part of a multi-course meal, or with rice or noodles.

Steamed Spareribs with Black Bean Sauce In dim sum restaurants, steamed spareribs with black bean sauce are commonly seen rolling around on the food carts. It is in small pieces, but presents the person eating it a little bit of meat with a lot of flavor. It also goes extremely well with eating with rice because each piece is small. A little bit of rice with a bit of meat and you taste a lot of richness and contrast that work in harmony. To obtain the ribs, you can ask your butcher to cut normal ribs cross-wise to get small 1 - ½" riblets. Another alternative is to look for a package in the meat aisle marked as "rib tips." Traditionally, whole black beans are used in this dish. However, jarred black bean sauce. may be substituted instead.

Serves 4 as a part of a multi-course meal ½ teaspoon grated ginger (on microplane grater) 1 tablespoon Chinese rice wine (or dry sherry) ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper 2 tablespoons black bean sauce 1-1½ lbs pork spare rib (rib tips) 2 teaspoons cornstarch 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 teaspoon cooking oil 1 teaspoon sesame oil 1 teaspoon sugar

Cut the spareribs crosswise into 1” - 2” sections. Combine the rest of the ingredients. Transfer spareribs and sauce into a shallow, heatproof pan that will fit inside your wok (a pie plate or 9” cake pan works great). Let marinate at room temperature for 30 minutes. Set steaming rack inside of wok and fill with water almost up to height of rack. Turn heat to high and when water is boiling, turn heat to medium-high. Set pan with spareribs on top of a steaming rack in wok. Steam on med-high heat for 18-20 minutes until ribs are no longer pink.

Red-Cooked Cubes of Pork These red-cooked cubes of pork make the most basic of all Chinese stews. The light-brown-sauced meat and vegetables are mellow. The meat is very smooth and the bamboo shoots crisp. It can be cooked plain or combined with a variety of secondary ingredients. As with all red-cooked dishes, it not only reheats well but the flavor improves as well. You can remove the skin before cooking, but it is rarely done. The skin and the fat is 80% of what makes hongshao rou so darn good.

Serves 4 to 6 with rice, buns, or bread 2 whole green onions, each cut into 4 pieces 1½ to 2 tablespoons crushed rock sugar 3 lbs boneless pork-loin roast or butt 4 quarter-sized slices peeled ginger 1-lb-3 oz can spring bamboo shoots 5 tablespoons dark soy sauce 4 tablespoons dry sherry 1 cup boiling water 1 whole star anise 2 tablespoons oil ½ teaspoon salt

Cut the meat lengthwise into 1½–inch-wide strips; then cut the strips crosswise into 1½-inch cubes. Heat a heavy stewing pot or casserole over high heat until hot; add the oil, swirl, and heat for 30 seconds. Add the ginger and green onions; give them a fast stir and then add the meat; toss and turn the cubes until all the pinkness is gone. Add the seasonings and stir to color the meat evenly. Then add the boiling water and stir. When it boils again, adjust heat to maintain a gentle, steady simmering, cover, and simmer for 1 hour, turning the meat a few times. In the meantime, roll-cut the spring bamboo shoots into 1½-inch-long pieces. Rinse and drain. After the meat has cooked for 1 hour, mingle in the bamboo shoots and let the stew simmer covered for another 30 minutes, turning once or twice. Uncover, turn heat high, and let the meat and vegetables bubble for a minute or so to darken their color and to thicken the sauce—stirring gently with a spoon. Pour into a hot serving dish.

Soy Sauce Chicken Cantonese people enjoy this dish often. Originating on the island of Hainan, it became a national dish of Singapore, and is enjoyed anywhere on the globe where the Cantonese dine. Although, chicken without sauce allows you to taste the freshness of the skin and meat, much like eating shrimp with nothing but a spritz of lemon. Soy sauce chicken is a simple casserole dish that can be whipped up within 30 or 40 minutes. A Dutch oven or earthenware casserole dish is ideal, but a medium sized pot also works. And just a note—you’ll definitely want to prepare a side of rice or plain noodles in broth head of time, to soak up all the extra sauce. Serves 4 to 6 2 to 2½ pounds chicken wings and drummettes separated 1 2-inch piece ginger, peeled and sliced 1 scallion, shredded or chopped 3 cloves garlic, smashed

3 tablespoons sugar 2 pieces star anise 1 cup soy sauce 1 cinnamon stick 3 cups water*

*More if needed to cover chicken at least ¾ of the way, but maintain the 1 part soy sauce to 3 parts water ratio.

In a large Dutch oven or pot, heat the chicken, soy sauce, water over medium flame. Bring the liquid to a simmer. Reduce heat to very low and cover the pot. Make sure heat is as low as can be without turning off; simmering soy sauce can easily become rapidly boiling soy sauce, which can easily become a big mess to clean up. Add the ginger, garlic, sugar, cinnamon, star anise, and sugar. Allow the chicken to simmer for 25 to 30 minutes, or up an hour if you want fall-off-the-bone tenderness. Ladle the chicken and sauce into a deep platter. Garnish with scallions and prepare to enjoy some savory, succulent chicken.

Chicken with Fresh Mushrooms This dish is light and simple. The texture of the chicken gives more chew while the texture of the mushroom is subtlety spongy.

Shiitake Mushrooms

Serves 2 to 3 2 teaspoons cornstarch dissolved in 2 tablespoons chicken stock or water 1 pound sliced chicken breast, velveted cup sliced bamboo shoots 2 quarter-sized slices peeled ginger ½ pound sliced fresh mushrooms 1 tablespoon light soy sauce 2 teaspoons sesame oil 4 tablespoons oil ½ teaspoon salt

Velvet the sliced chicken breast (may be done up to 1 hour in advance, do not refrigerate). Rinse and drain the sliced bamboo shoots. Wipe the mushrooms with a damp paper towel; dry and slice them. Heat a wok or large, heavy skillet over high heat until hot; add 2 tablespoons of the oil, swirl, and heat for 30 seconds. Scatter in the bamboo shoots and stir rapidly for about 1 minute to evaporate their moisture—lower the heat if necessary to prevent scorching. Remove to a plate. Dry the pan, add the 2 remaining tablespoons of oil, swirl, and heat over high heat until hot. Toss in the ginger slices and press them against the pan. Add the mushrooms and stir and flip them rapidly for about 30 seconds, until their color brightens. Add the bamboo shoots and the salt and stir briskly with the mushrooms for 1 minute. Then add the chicken and stir to mingle well; add the soy sauce and stir briskly to season evenly. Pour in the cornstarch mixture and stir until the contents are smoothly coated. Add the sesame oil, flip the contents a few times, and pour into a hot serving dish.

White Cut Chicken

There are many variations on Cantonese white cut chicken. All involve simmering and steeping a whole bird. Most require some sort of light seasoning. There is no seasoning â&#x20AC;&#x201C; none â&#x20AC;&#x201C; a rarity in Chinese cooking. The idea is to cook the chicken until it is just done, before it starts leaking juices and flavour, and its fibre starts to break down. The flesh should be firm and succulent. The dish can be eaten hot but is more commonly it served cold and as a starter.

Serves 7 to 8 *For a smaller or larger chicken, adjust simmer times.

Rinse chicken inside and out. Put breast-side up in a large pot. Add enough water to cover chicken. Bring pot to boil. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes. Turn off flame. Skim off any scum on water. Replace lid and let chicken steep for 30 minutes. Pour off hot water leaving chicken in pot. Pour in ice water and immerse chicken for several minutes to prevent overcooking and to seal in juices. Cover and place in refrigerator for 2 hours. Remove from refrigerator, cut into pieces Chinese-style. Spread on a serving dish and put back in refrigerator for at least 30 minutes to ensure even cooling. Eat with a dipping sauce such as soy sauce, kumquat sauce, or Salt and Pepper Dipping Powder.

Ginger and Scallion Steamed Crab Pity the other dishes at the dinner table when crab is served. Everyone is so focused on getting to every last bit of scrumptious crab meat, and slurping with pleasure, that by the time they’re done, all the other food has become cold. And anti-climatic. Like whole lobster and monster sushi rolls, crab is not a first date food. It’s messy, That said, if you want to make a great easy dish for intimate friends and family members (a.k.a. people you don’t need to impress), give this crab recipe a try.

Serves 4

Clean and separate the crab into pieces: rinse well under cold water, carefully

1 tablespoon peanut or vegetable oil

removing the yellow gills or spongy insides. Twist apart the legs and claws.

1 stalk scallion, cut to 2-inch lengths

With the blunt side of the cleaver, crack the legs and larger front claws and

1 small piece ginger, thinly sliced

set aside. (This makes the crab easier to eat after it’s cooked.)

2 pounds whole crab

In a small pot, bring water to a boil. Remove from heat and stir in salt.

2 teaspoons salt 1 cup water

Heat oil in the wok over medium-high heat. Stir-fry ginger and scallions until aromatic, about 1 minutes. Add crab pieces and stir-fry for another minute. Add salted water, then cover the wok and let the crab steam for 10 minutes. Transfer to serving dish.

Shrimp with Spicy Garlic Sauce The dish could be either perfectly manageable, or, if the chef was overly generous with his chili oil, throat-burningly spicy. In the U.S., shrimp with garlic sauce in Chinese restaurants is rarely very spicy, even if the entree is marked with a big red star or chili pepper on the menu. Of course, because this dish is all about the garlicky taste, nothing beats freshly sautéed garlic. There is nothing wrong with adding garlic on top of garlic. You’ll want to start with sautéing a few cloves, crushed or chopped. Then add the shrimp and the sauce, and the entree will be done in, seriously, 5 minutes.

Serves 4

Peel the shrimp, leaving the tail segments intact, then devein them.

3 gloves garlic, crushed or finely chopped

In a small bowl, mix together the soy sauce, chili sauce, sesame oil, rice wine, and sugar and set aside.

1 pinch freshly cracked black pepper 1½ pounds uncooked large shrimp 2 teaspoons Chinese rice wine 2 tablespoons chili sauce 3 tablespoons soy sauce 2 teaspoons sesame oil 2 tablespoons olive oil

In a wok or large pan, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Stir-fry the garlic until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the shrimp and cook until both sides are pink, about 2 minutes on each side. Add the sauce mixture and stir so the shrimp is fully coated. Season with black pepper. Remove from the heat and garnish with chopped scallions. Serve with rice or vegetables.

1 scallion, thinly sliced 1 teaspoon sugar

Dragon Well Shrimp Tea is not only a beverage in China but a part of its cuisine as well. This dish is just one of the many examples. This dish pleases one’s palate with the lingering fragrance of the tea and the crunchy texture of the shrimp If you do not have Dragon Well Tea, Green Tea works just as well.

Serves 2 to 4

In a medium sized bowl, combine the shrimp, Shaoxing, and

1 pound fresh shrimp (peeled, deveined,

cornstarch. Marinate in the fridge for 15 to 20 minutes. Now is

and rinsed) or frozen shrimp (rinsed) 2 tablespoons Shaoxing wine for marinating, + extra splash for cooking 1 tablespoon cornstarch for marinating, + 1 teaspoon cornstartch dissolved in 1 teaspoon of water 2 cup Longjing tea, leaves strained out

a good time to steep the tea, if you haven’t already done so. You can always brew extra tea to drink with dinner. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a wok or large skillet. Quickly stir-fry the shrimp until half-done, about 1 to 2 minutes, then remove and set aside.

Longjing leaves for garnish (optional)

Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil. Stir-fry the garlic and ginger

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

until just fragrant. Return shrimp to the wok, give a quick toss, and

2 teaspoons minced ginger

then a light splash of Shaoxing. Pour in tea and cook until liquid is

1 clove garlic, minced

reduced by half, about 3 minutes. Stir in the cornflour mixture to

Salt to taste (optional)

thicken the sauce. (Personally, this dish doesn’t need any salt, but you can add a pinch if you deem necessary.) Transfer to a plate, garnish with optional dry leaves, and serve immediately.

Simple Bok Choy Recipe This is extremely important when making this dish. Do not use a very hot work or frying pan to stir fry with minced garlic and ginger is that you’ll probably burn it. Burnt garlic and ginger is big time suckky. When stir-frying the vegetables, like bok choy, you should add the minced garlic and ginger to COLD oil and COLD wok or pan. As the wok and oil heat up, the ginger and garlic gently sizzles. The longer the aromatics stay in contact with the oil – the more flavor it infuses into the oil. So, now you’ve got a tablespoon of that an incredible garlicky, gingery oil. Toss the bok choy leaves in that oil, so that each leaf of the bok choy is bathed in heavenly flavor. If you had used a hot wok and hot oil, you only get a few seconds before they burn. The result will be bitter food. Bitter can be good sometimes; but when you’re going for a more delicate flavor, especially in a bok choy dish, you might not want bitter. Serves 4

Start by trimming the stem off - don’t trim too much - just the end. Cutting

1½ pounds bok choy

the thick stem off will ensure that the bok choy cooks evenly. Separate out the

or baby bok choy 1½ tablespoons canola, vegetable or peanut oil

leaves, keep the tender center intact and clean under running water. Drain. Finely mince garlic and grate fresh ginger with a microplane grater. Grating

1-2 cloves garlic, finely minced

the ginger helps break up the tough fibers! (and yeah, sometimes when the

1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger

ginger is nice and fresh, I don’t even bother peeling off the paper-thin skin)

3 tablespoons broth or water (or

Place wok or frying pan on your stove and pour in the cooking oil. Add the

2 tablespoons broth/water & 1 tablespoon wine) salt to taste ½ teaspoon sesame oil

garlic and ginger. Turn the heat to medium-high. Let the ginger and garlic gently sizzle in the oil. When the aromatics become fragrant and light golden brown, add the bok choy leaves. Toss very well to coat each leaf with the garlicky, gingery oil for 15 seconds. Pour in broth, water or wine. Immediately cover and let cook for 1 minute. Season with salt and drizzle a bit of sesame oil on top.

Mushrooms in Oyster Sauce Dark and glistening, the two kinds of mushrooms offer two distinct texturesâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;the straw mushrooms are silky and soft, the button mushrooms firm and slightly crunchy. Of course, you could also use just one kind of mushroom with an equally tasty result. Straw mushrooms are harder to find fresh in the U.S., so canned straw mushrooms work just fine.

Serves 2 to 4 1 cup small canned button mushrooms 1 whole green onion, finely chopped 1 teaspoon cornstarch dissolved in 2 tablespoons water 1 teaspoon light soy sauce 1 tablespoon oyster sauce 1 teaspoons sesame oil 1 cup straw mushrooms 2 tablespoons oil

Rinse both canned mushrooms and drain. Heat a wok or large, heavy skillet over high heat until hot; add the oil, swirl, and heat for 30 seconds. Scatter in the green onions and stir a few times; then add the mushrooms and stir and toss for about 1 minute. Add the soy sauce and oyster sauce and stir for another minute. Add the cornstarch mixture and sesame oil; stir until the mushrooms are glazed. Pour into a hot serving dish.

Stuffed Tofu The tofu texture is soft and the filling very juicy. A light sauce glazes the dish. It is both a delicate and substantial treat. Serves 2 to 4 4 squares fresh tofu ¼ pound ground pork Marinade: 2 teaspoons finely chopped green onions 1 teaspoon cornstarch dissolved in 1 tablespoon water 2 small whole green onions, in 1½-inch-long shreds 2 teaspoons light soy sauce 1 cup chicken or meat stock 2 teaspoons dry sherry

Cut each bean-curd square into 2 triangles; then cut a deep slit down the

Dash black pepper

long side and one short side to within ¼ inch of the third side. Repeat with

¼ teaspoon salt

all the triangles.

3 tablespoons oil

March-chop the ground pork a few times to loosen its formation. Put it in a

Sauce:

bowl and add the marinade, mixing in the dissolved cornstarch last. Divide it

1 tablespoon of light soy sauce

into 8 portions and stuff a portion inside each bean-curd triangle, smoothing

2 teaspoons cornstarch dissolved

the edges with your fingers. Combine sauce ingredients.

in 1 tablespoon water and 1 teaspoon sesame oil

Heat a large, heavy skillet over high heat until hot; add the oil, swirl, and heat for 30 seconds. Turn heat to medium low. First shallow-fry the triangles briefly on their meat-filled edges (standing up), a minute for each—this works, and the filling will not fall out. Then turn them flat and brown each side for about 1 minute. Add the stock and when it boils adjust heat to low to maintain a gentle simmering, cover, and simmer for 8 minutes, turning once. Remove the triangles carefully with a spatula to a hot serving platter without the liquid. Add the sauce to the liquid in the pan. Stir over low heat until the mixture is smooth and thickened. Pour the sauce over the bean curd and scatter the shredded green onions on top.

Summary Food plays such an important role in Chinese life as to lead many to characterize the Chinese as having a food-centered culture. Not only are they wide-ranging in their choice of foods, but concern with the excellence of food is found in all segments of society and is reflected in the common greeting “Have you eaten already?” Indeed some have noted that food is not only a common topic of conversation, but often the dominant one. Cooking was more than necessity to the Chinese. It was an art whose mastery was sought after, one in which there was constant experimentation in the quest for better dishes, including ones that were visually attractive and sometimes shaped into unusual forms, as of birds and animals. The introduction to the equipment followed by the ingredients and recipes themselves is akin to the beginning of a relationship. You don’t start dating someone before you introduce yourself to each other, same thing in cooking. One must learn the cooking equipment first that will be the vessels in creating the meals. Next, one must learn the ingredients and become familiar with them. You must taste what you make; otherwise, how will you know what a dish may need, what it has too much of, or whether it doesn’t need additional items? Becoming familiar with the ingredients allows one to reach into their library and know how to bring ingredients together in harmony. Last is the recipe, the execution of what you have learned and know of both equipment and ingredients. In these chapters, I hope you have gained a better understanding of Chinese cooking, their significance in the culture, and how to overall create delicious dishes.

If you have wondered how to get to the roots of authentic Chinese cuisine, look no further. In this book, you will find a variety of recipes that will help shape an understanding of Chinese cooking starting with the equipment and ending with a beautiful dish.

ÂŠ 2011. Jennifer Thai.