Chinese – Grow. Cook. Eat.

April 9, 2012

Longevity Noodles: A wish for a long and happy life.

At birthdays, New Year’s and other milestones that mark time, the Chinese have many recipes to bring luck and prosperity… and as I thought about what to make for a Chinese-American friend’s baby shower, I looked to the Chinese tradition for ideas.

I couldn’t help myself to take a play on “Bun in the Oven” to make char sui bao: roast pork buns.

Long strands of noodles symbolize long life. Their length represents the wish for a long and happy life. American spaghetti is not considered long enough, so try to find the Chinese egg noodles, alternatively, you can make your own from scratch.

In order to preserve the wish and symbolisms, it’s important to not cut the noodles when cooking or eating them; instead chew on the noodles when they are inside the mouth. What a great excuse to slurp your noodles.

Longevity Noodles
Adapted from The Chinese Kitchen by Eileen Yin-Fei Lo

½ pound fresh egg noodles (available at Russo’s)

Chicken + Marinade
½ pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into thin strips
1 tsp sesame oil
½ tsp salt
½ tsp distilled vinegar
1 tsp shao-hsing wine or dry sherry
¾ tsp. corn starch
½ tsp soy sauce
Fresh ground white pepper

Mix together to marinate.

Sauce
2 tsp dark soy sauce
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp distilled vinegar
1 tsp shao-hsing wine or dry sherry
1 ½ tsp corn starch
1 cup chicken stock or broth

Mix together and set aside

Vegetables
1 tbs or more of plain (canola or peanut) oil
1 tsp fresh chopped ginger
1 tsp fresh chopped garlic
¼ pound snow peas, stringed and julienned
3 fresh water chestnuts, peeled and sliced
2 scallions, julienned
¼ cup bamboo shoots

1.    Boil noodles for 1 minute in salted boiling water (if using fresh Chinese egg noodles, otherwise, cook 1 minute less than package instructions). Drain well, and set aside.
2.    Mix chicken with marinade ingredients
3.    Combine ingredients for the sauce
4.    Heat a large wok or skillet over high heat. Add oil to coat the bottom of the pan. Add the chicken and cook for 2 – 3 minutes, or until it starts to lose it’s pink color. Remove from pan and set aside.
5.    To the same pan, return to high heat and add a little more oil to coat the bottom of the pan. Add the ginger and garlic, and cook for 1 minute. Add the noodles, snow peas, bamboo shoots and water chestnuts. Toss to coat and add sauce and chicken.
6.    Continue cooking until sauce thickens.
7.    Stir in scallions and serve.

August 22, 2011

Water Spinach (Recipe: Chicken with Water Spinach)

When Brett and I compiled the recipes for The Farmer’s Kitchen, we based it on what farmers told us they were growing: we had already made a half dozen cookbooks for farmers across the eastern seaboard.

But when I go to the farmers’ market in Union Square, I see also sorts of different veggies not covered in our book. The most striking comes Flats Mentor, a farm that specializes in Asian (and African) produce – pea tendrils, bok choy, Asian Flowering Mustard, Water spinach, Chinese long beans, and sweet potato leaves.

Perhaps, more than any other farmer, they need a list of recipes to help the average consumer understand and cook with their beautiful produce. And, in fact, they have a great book of recipes you can download from their website.

I first discovered Water Spinach as a line cook at Biba. The chef/owner Lydia Shire hired a Chinese chef to come in once a month and teach us about authentic Chinese ingredients and recipes. I can’t say we did anything fancy, we simply sautéed the ong toy (as it is called in Chinese) with ginger and garlic and seasoned it with soy sauce and rice wine. In Thailand, water spinach is called pak bung. It was one of my mainstays when I visited 10 years ago. Again, the preparation is very simple – sautéed with soy sauce and garlic.

Water spinach has the supple texture of spinach blended with the refreshing crunch of bok choy. The entire plant is edible, but the tender leaves are considered the most prized. The long stems hallow stems require longer cooking than the leaves, so it’s important to separate them before cooking so you can easily adjust the times.

I adapted a recipe from Eileen Yin-Fei Lo that called for bok choy.

Chicken with Water Spinach
¾ pound boneless chicken (breast or thigh meat), cut into strips
2 teaspoons soy sauce
2 teaspoon oyster sauce
1 teaspoon chopped ginger
2 teaspoon gin
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 ¼ teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 ½ teaspoon corn starch

1 tablespoon canola oil
1 teaspoon chopped ginger
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 bunch water spinach, stems cut into 1 inch pieces, and leaves left whole.
1 cup chicken stock
3 scallions, cut into rings

1.    Marinate chicken with soy sauce, oyster sauce, ginger, gin, sesame oil, sugar, salt and corn starch.
2.    Heat oil over high heat. Add ginger and garlic, and cook for 1 – 2 minutes, or until fragrant. Add chicken and cook until it loses its raw color.
3.    Add the water spinach stems and chicken stock. Cook for 3 minutes, until the chicken is almost cooked.
4.    Add the water spinach leaves and cook until just wilted. The chicken should be cooked through too.
5.    Remove from heat and serve with steamed rice. Garnish with scallions.

July 31, 2011

But it Has a Great Personality (Part 2)

I've always struggled with plating Chinese dishes so that they look as refined as some of the American or European dishes I make. Perhaps it's because I typically serve Chinese family-style, as opposed to plated.

Whatever it is, I wasn't planning to post this photo because the presentation doesn't even begin to tell you how amazing this dish was.

So let me say this:

General Gau's Soft Shell Crab

I cut the crabs in half and then prepared them exactly as I do General Gau's Chicken.

The soft shell crab season will last for a few more weeks, so I will be sure to create opportunities to refine this presentation.

February 27, 2011

A Well-Worn Friend (Recipe: Chicken with Cauliflower)

A clump of pages just fell out from one of my favorite cookbooks. I can stuff them back in, but I wonder if I should buy a second copy. I love the well-worn look and feel … testament to its prized stature in my cookbook collection. But I fear that if I don’t get a back up copy, it might go out of print and I will lose this treasure forever.

The Chinese Kitchen by Eileen Yin-Fei Lo.

Thursday evening the temperatures quickly dropped below freezing. I had been trying to power through my cold for a week, and I had finally succumbed and stayed in bed with a box of tissues and a stack of magazines. Hunger was setting in.

I knew I had a half head of cauliflower, (flaccid) scallions and ginger in the fridge, and chicken thighs in the freezer. And as is my usual habit, I pulled The Chinese Kitchen off the shelf. I knew she had a recipe for cauliflower, so I started thumbing through the pages looking for inspiration.

I let the restorative powers of ginger and chilies work their magic, they cut through the congestion and awakened by my taste-buds. In Chinese culture, ginger is considered a warming food, and is beneficial when suffering from a cold. Indeed, I felt warmer and refreshed after dinner.

What’s your favorite cookbook? Would you buy a second copy to have just in case?

Stir Fried Cauliflower with Chicken
Another recipe adapted from The Chinese Kitchen

For the Sauce:
2 tablespoons oyster sauce
1 ½ teaspoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 tablepoon corn starch
¼ cup chicken broth

8 dried black mushrooms, soaked in hot water for 20 minutes
1 thick slice of ginger smashed
2 cloves garlic smashed
2 ½ teaspoons salt
½ head cauliflower, core cut out, and cut into florets
¾ pound boneless, skinless chicken thigh meat
2 teaspoons corn starch
¼ cup plain oil
2 teaspoons chopped ginger
2 garlic cloves chopped
1 red jalapeno, sliced
3 scallions, cut into rounds

1.    Mix ingredients for sauce together. Set aside.
2.    Bring a pot of water to a boil. Add the hunk of ginger, garlic and 2 teaspoons of salt. Add the cauliflower and cook for 3 minutes. Drain. Scoop out and discard the ginger and garlic.
3.    Cut chicken into strips. Toss with remaining salt and corn starch.
4.    Cut stems off of mushrooms and slice thin.
5.    Heat a large skillet or wok. Add the oil and heat over medium-high flame.
6.    Cook the chicken in the oil, being sure to separate the pieces, for 3 minutes or until they start to lose their pink color.
7.    Remove chicken with a slotted spoon and set aside. Drain all but 1 tablespoon of the oil.
8.    Return pan to a high heat and add the cauliflower.   Stir fry for a few minutes until it starts to brown. Add the ginger, garlic and chilies and cook for two minutes more or until it becomes aromatic.
9.    Return the chcikent to the pan and cook for 1 minute more. Add the sauce and cook until it thickens. Add some water or chicken stock if necessary.
10.    Garnish with scallions.

January 6, 2011

Money, Money, Money

I’m not superstitious. But as I look to grow my business, I’ll explore every tool possible – from a sound marketing plan to feng shui to the foods I eat.

According to the tenets of Feng Shui, the southeast corner represents wealth. The jade plant with its flat, round leaves that resemble coins, symbolizes prosperity. Placing a jade plant in the southeast corner of your office is the ultimate way to attract wealth.

For food, cooked greens resemble folded money, spring rolls gold bars and clams look like coins. As we turn the corner to a new year, now seems the ideal time to incorporate some of these wealth generating foods into my diet.

Happy New Year! I hope it’s filled with prosperity, health, good fortune and joy.

From the garden: tomatoes

Clams with Red Chili Sauce
(Adapted from The Chinese Kitchen )

4 tsp. chili-garlic sauce
1 tbs. soy sauce
½ tsp. rice vinegar
2 tbs. Shao-Xing Wine
½ tsp. salt
1 tbs. sugar

2 dozen little neck clams
¼ cup shao-xing wine
1 tbs. plain oil
1 ½ tsp. chopped ginger
1 ½ tsp. chopped garlic
1 small onion, peeled and chopped
1 – 10 oz. can tomatoes
1/8 tsp. salt
3 scallions – cut into rounds

1.    In a bowl combine ingredients for sauce: chili-garlic sauce, soy sauce, vinegar, wine, salt and sugar.
2.    Wash clams thoroughly. Put in a pot with ¼ cup of shao-xing wine. Cover and cook over high heat until the clams start to open. Remove them from the pan as they open as to not overcook them. Reserve the clams and discard the cooking liquid. The clams may give off more juice – save that to add to the sauce.
3.    In a skillet or sauce pan, heat the oil over medium high heat. Add the ginger, garlic and onions and cook for 1 minute or until they soften. Add tomatoes and salt and cook for 5 minutes more.
4.    Toss the clams (and any juice that may have accumulated) into sauce and sprinkle with scallions.
Serve immediately.

May 25, 2010

Hello? Hello? Is Anybody Out There? (Recipe Salt and Pepper Soft Shell Crabs)

About 6 weeks ago, I started a transition from Blogger to TypePad.

It’s been a rough ride, but I think I’ve finally landed. In case you didn’t notice, I’ve had a whole host of web-hosting issues – from having no template, just plain text to having a lone post from 2 years ago as the only content on the site. But now, after countless hours of calls and emails to tech-support, I think (*finally*) everything is fixed. If you used to subscribe to my blog-feed in reader or through RSS, please re-subscribed. If you didn’t already subscribe, now would be a fine time to start.

Though the blog has been an unhappy place, my garden continues to offer a respite.

With the unusually warm spring, the lettuces developed thick stems and spicy leaves. I like the flavors better now, but it requires a little more cleaning. The stems, though edible, are not palatable. So I trim them.

The garden yields about a gallon of leaves every other day. I realized this is far more lettuce than I can really eat on my own – I’ve been sharing with friends and neighbors, and bringing lettuce to client meetings. As I was strategizing where to plant tomatoes, I realized I could part with some lettuce. Out it went and in went the tomatoes.

I planted scallions several years ago. And when I harvest them, I only cut off the green stems and leave the white bulbs so they will continue to grow. By now, the scallions are quite thick and hardy – still pleasant as a raw garnish, but bordering on tough and fibrous. I planted a replacement crop of scallions, and as soon as those are ready to harvest, I will pull out the older ones completely.

Salt and Pepper Soft Shell Crabs

In Chinese restaurants in Boston, they serve dried-fried shrimp on a
bed of shredded lettuce. I adapted the traditional dish to use soft
shell crabs on a bed of spicy lettuce greens. Serve with steamed white rice for a main meal.

2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. sugar
1/4 tsp. Sichuan peppercorns, ground
pinch Chinese Five-spice
1/4 cup corn starch
2 soft shell crabs, cleaned
1/4 cup plain oil
3 scallions cut into rings
1 red jalapeno cut into rings
salad leaves for garden

Mix salt, sugar, Sichuan peppercorns and five spice.
Dredge soft shell crabs in corn starch
Heat oil in a large skillet over high heat. When oil shimmers, gently place crabs in oil, smooth side down. Cook for 3 minutes or until they start to get crispy. Flip them over and cook fro 3 minutes more.
Remove soft shell crabs from pan, and drain the oil. Return the crabs to the pan over high heat. Sprinkle about 1 tsp. of the seasoned salt on top, and stir to coat. Toss in scallions and jalapenos and cook for 1 minute more.
Remove from heat. Serve crabs with salad greens.

January 2, 2010

Taste-Driving Boyfriends

This weekend, The Boston Globe published a story about my dating trials and tribulations. Yes, it’s more amusing than Fred Flintstone. And all true. I don’t want to give away the punch-line, you should read the story.

Due to space limitations, they could not publish the accompanying recipes.

Dinner for Boyfriend No. 2
Perhaps this dish should be a litmus test for future boyfriends. I don’t think any of the old boyfriends would eat this as it was served in the story… The original recipe, which was written for elk loin, is quite adaptable. I’ve substituted tuna, duck and beef with equal success.

Chamomile Scented Tuna with Blackberry Sage Chutney and Crispy Polenta

Spice Rub:

1 tsp. black peppercorns
1/8 teaspoon star anise
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 tsp. cumin seed, roasted
1 tbs. chamomile, whole
1 tsp. orange zest
1/2 teaspoon paprika

Polenta
½ onion, diced
1 small shallot, diced
1 tbs. butter
3 cups liquid (any combination of chicken broth, milk or water)
3/4 cup polenta,
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Plain oil

Blackberry-Sage Chutney:
3/4 cup diced shallots
2 strips smoked bacon, finely chopped
4 tbs. black- or raspberry liqueur
3/4 cup blackberries, frozen
1 tbs. fresh sage, chopped
2 tbs. brown sugar
4 tablespoons red wine vinegar

To prepare the Tuna:
3 lbs. tuna loin
¼ cup pomegranate molasses

For the Spice rub: In food processor, grind peppercorns and star anise until completely powdered. Add cumin seed and chamomile; grind until smooth and then add remaining ingredients. Set aside.

For the Polenta: Melt butter in a sauce pan. Add onions and saute until soft. Add milk, and bring to a boil. Season with salt and pepper. When polenta is thick, pour onto a 9”x13” pan and bake for 15 minutes. Cool at least 2 hours (preferably overnight) then cut into fry shape. Heat plain oil in a large skillet. Cook polenta fries until crispy on all sides.

For the Blackberry Sage Chutney: Saute bacon in a skillet until lightly brown. Add shallots and cook until soft. Add liqueur and deglaze the pan. Add all remaining ingredients. Cook for 2-3 minutes, just to soften blackberries.

To prepare the tuna: Coat the tuna with the molasses. Dredge in spice mix and place in a very hot cast iron skillet. Sear tuna on both sides until dark in color, about 3 minutes per side. At this point it should be medium rare. If you like your fish more well done, continue cooking in a 400F oven. Slice and serve with polenta and chutney.

Up next: Dinner for Ken………………

December 28, 2009

Alive and Kicking (Recipe: Corn and Scallop Soup)

A few years back, Whole Foods decided to abandon sales of live lobsters. Apparently, customers complained that this was cruel treatment to the feisty crustaceans. The whole thing seemed silly to me, as I can only imagine that the “free range chickens” live and die no better… it’s just a matter of what the consumer sees, I suppose.

In any case, it’s really not that hard to find lobsters elsewhere. Just ½ block from my local Whole Foods is Alive and Kicking. This little seafood market is set so far set back from the street that you could drive past it without even knowing it existed. And that’s just what I did… until just a few weeks ago.

Inside the market are a half dozen lobster tanks and a small display of fresh fish. The selection is small, but everything is impeccably fresh. I went there last week in search of lobsters for my new favorite dish, and walked out with a pound of scallops.

With left-over frost bitten greens and corn kernels from two summers ago (yes, it was time to clean out the freezer), I made a variation of corn and crab soup from The Chinese Kitchen by Eileen Yin-Fei Lo. The clean, light broth let the sweetness of the scallop shine. And the greens added brightness to the whole dish. It was the perfect first course before the richer Cantonese Lobster.

Corn and Greens Soup with Seared Scallops

1 pound corn kernels
5 cups chicken stock
1 tbs. freshly grated ginger
1/8 tsp. white pepper
½ tsp. salt
5 large egg whites, lightly beaten
1/3 cup sliced scallions
½ pound braising greens (such as kale, collards, mustard, or a combination)
1 pound sea scallops
1 tbs. plain oil (canola or peanut)

In a large pot, combine corn, chicken stock and ginger. Let simmer for 5 minutes or until corn is tender. Using a slotted spoon, strain out some of the corn (approximately half) and puree in a blender with one cup of the broth. Return pureed corn to pot. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Wash the greens and slice them thinly. Add to the soup pot and cook for 3-5 minutes, just until they wilt. Remove pot from heat and set aside while you cook the scallops. (Alternatively, you can poach the scallops directly in the broth over medium heat for 5 minutes. If you do this, skip the next step).
Heat a large skillet over high heat. Add oil. Season scallops with salt and pepper. Add scallops to the pan and cook for 3 minutes or until golden brown. Turn over and cook for 1 minute more. Remove from heat and set aside.
Bring the soup back to a simmer, turn off heat and fold in egg whites. Serve immediately, garnishing with scallops and scallions.

December 6, 2009

A Chinese Christmas (Recipe: Five Spice Beef)

It’s really no surprise that Jews and Chinese food are synonymous. When typically thriving urban centers shut down for Christmas, us non-Christian folk have little to do… volunteering is out as most non-profits are already inundated with caring Christians. TV programming focuses on Christmas specials and football. And every store or restaurant is either closed or Christmas-centric.

The only open restaurants not featuring a Christmas special are the Chinese. So the Jews eat Chinese food on Christmas.

By now its tradition – I host (or go to) two holiday parties a year – a latke party and a “Chinese” Christmas party.

This year, I decided to blend the two cultures and will prepare Chinese brisket. Brisket is actually the cut of meat just below the breast.

The muscle, not surprising given its location, is quite active. Active muscle = flavorful meat, and also very tough meat. The only way to cook brisket is to slowly simmer it covered in liquid. This breaks down the meat into meltingly tender deliciousness. The Jews usurped the name to refer to the braised meat dish prepared with this cut.

For Chinese inspired brisket, I turn to my favorite Chinese authority Eileen Yin Fei Lo for Five-Spice Beef.

She suggests serving the dish cold. I serve it hot as part of a larger banquet/buffet.

My favorite four-year old proclaimed that my house “stinked” upon walking in and smelling the brisket in the oven. He changed his opinion quickly.

Five Spice Beef Brisket
Adapted from The Chinese Kitchen by Eileen Yin-Fei Lo

4 cup water
½ cup brown sugar
¼ cup shao-hsing wine
4 garlic cloves, smashed
2 slices ginger, smashed
3 star anise
½ tsp. Sichuan peppercorns
½ tsp. salt
1 cinnamon stick (I used a piece of Vietnamese)
½ tsp. five-spice powder
¼ cup mushroom soy sauce
¼ cup regular soy sauce
¼ cup rice or black vinegar
2 lb. beef brisket

1. Combine ingredients (except beef) in a large pyrex dish. Stir to dissolve sugar.

2. Add beef. Cover dish with foil. Put in a 325 oven.
3. Every hour or so, turn meat over.
4. Cook for 4 hours or until meat is tender.

5. Slice meat thin. Drizzle braising liquid on top. Garnish with scallions if you like.

October 20, 2009

Finger Lickin’ Good (Recipe: Korean Fried Chicken)

I went to bed last night stuffed to the gills, but also a little giddy about the left-overs I’d have for lunch today. Dinner was that good!

How could I have not loved it? It was fried chicken, after all. And my love affair with fried chicken – from Popeyes to General Gau’s – is well documented. The recipe came from a recent article in the New York Times about fried chicken that showcased variations of the classic Southern as well as a Korean version.

I didn’t have the Korean chili paste that the recipe called for. But with a little research, I discovered that it is a spicy bean paste. I had sriracha (Thai Chili Paste) and sweet bean sauce (a Chinese condiment), and blended the two. I used my homemade ketchup which had a nice balance of warm spice.

I’ve struggled over the years to get my general gau’s chicken to stay crispy after it’s been tossed in the sauce. Only once did I achieve that. With this recipe, the chicken is tossed in a mix of corn starch *and* wheat flour. This made a huge difference in crisp-maintenance.

Traditional Fried Chicken is often served with cole slaw. Inspired by Cooking with Amy’s recipe for raw Brussels sprouts, I made an Asian flavored slaw with shredded brussels sprouts.

Korean Fried Chicken
Adapted from Quick and Easy Korean Cooking by Cecilia Hae-Jin Lee

Time: 30 minutes, plus one hour’s marinating

1 small yellow onion, peeled and coarsely grated
3 cloves garlic, minced
6 scallions, cut into rings
1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more for coating
1/4 teaspoon black pepper, plus more for coating
8 to 10 boneless, skinless chicken thighs, quartered
3 tablespoons Korean chili paste (gojuchang), or a blend of Chinese Bean Sauce and Sriracha
3 tablespoons ketchup
1/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds, more for garnish
Juice of 1/2 lemon
Oil for deep frying
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2/3 cup cornstarch

1. In a medium-size bowl, combine grated onion, garlic, 1/2 of the scallions, salt and pepper. Add chicken and toss to coat well. Cover and set aside to marinate for about 1 hour.

2. In a large bowl, stir together chili paste, ketchup, sugar, sesame seeds and lemon juice. Taste and adjust flavors to get a spicy-sweet-tangy finish. Set aside.

3. Pour oil into a large heavy pot to a depth of 1 1/2 inches. Heat to 350 degrees. Combine flour and cornstarch in a shallow bowl and season with salt and pepper.

4. Working in batches to avoid crowding, lift chicken from marinade, dredge lightly in seasoned flour and cornstarch, gently drop into oil and fry for 5 to 7 minutes, turning occasionally, until golden brown and crisp. Drain on paper towels. Repeat with remaining chicken, checking oil temperature between batches.

5. When all pieces are done, increase oil temperature to 375 degrees and refry in batches for 30 to 60 seconds, until very crisp. Drain once more on paper towels. While chicken is still hot, brush thickly with chili sauce. Serve hot, sprinkled with sesame seeds and scallions.

Yield: 4 to 6 servings.