Stir-fried Squab in Lettuce Leaves

Ingredients

12 soft lettuce leaves, such as butterhead lettuce
8 oz squab meat
1 lb center-cut pork loin, trimmed
1/3 cup light soy sauce
3-1/2 tablespoons Shaoxing rice wine
2-1/2 teaspoons roasted sesame oil
8 dried Chinese mushrooms
1-1/2 cups peeled water chestnuts
1/2 cup oil
2 scallions, finely chopped
2 tablespoons finely chopped ginger
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon cornstarch

Method

1. Rinse the lettuce and separate the leaves. Drain thoroughly, then lightly pound each leaf with the flat side of a cleaver. Arrange the flattened leaves in a basket or on a platter and set aside.
2. Grind the squab meat in a food processor or chop very finely with a sharp knife.
3. Grind the pork to the same size as the squab.
4. Place the squab and pork in a bowl with 2 tablespoons of the soy sauce, 1-1/2 tablespoons of the rice wine and 1 teaspoon of the sesame oil, and toss lightly. Marinate in the fridge for 20 minutes.
5. Soak the dried mushrooms in boiling water for 30 minutes, then drain and squeeze out any excess water. Remove and discard the stems and chop the caps.
6. Blanch the water chestnuts in a saucepan of boiling water for 1 minute, then refresh in cold water. Drain, pat dry and roughly chop them.
7. Heat a wok over high heat, add 3 tablespoons of the oil and heat until very hot. Stir-fry the meat mixture, mashing and separating the pieces, until browned. Remove and drain.
8. Reheat the wok, add 3 tablespoons more of the oil and heat until very hot. Stir-fry the scallions and ginger, turning constantly, for 10 seconds, or until fragrant. Add the mushrooms and stir-fry for 5 seconds, turning constantly. Add the water chestnuts and stir-fry for 15 seconds, or until heated through. Add the remaining soy sauce, rice wine and sesame oil with the salt, sugar, cornstarch and 1/2 cup water. Stir-fry, stirring constantly, until thickened. Add the cooked meat mixture and toss lightly.
9. To serve, place some of the stir-fried meat in a lettuce leaf, roll up and eat.

Makes 6 servings.

Source: Food of China

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Congee with Ground Beef

Ingredients

4 oz rice
1-1/2 teaspoon salt
8 cups water
4 oz ground beef
1 oz rice vermicelli

Seasonings

2 teaspoons egg white
2 teaspoons water
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1 teaspoon oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
dash of pepper
1/8 teaspoon sesame oil

Method

1. Season the ground beef with the seasoning ingredients. Mix well.
2. Trim rice vermicelli into tiny bits. Sprinkle into a pot of hot oil. Remove and drain immediately. Mix with the ground beef in deep bowls.
3. Rinse and marinate the rice with salt. Add 8 cups of boiling water, boil and simmer for 1-1/2 hours.
4. Pour boiling congee into the beef mixture. Mix and serve when beef is done.

Cook’s Tip:

Drop in bits of rice vermicelli to test the readiness of oil. Rice vermicelli should rise and float immediately if the temperature is suitable.

Makes 6 servings.

Source: Distinctive Snacks of Hong Kong

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Simmered Pork Hock

Ingredients

1 kg pork hock
150 g daikon
150 g carrot
300 g spinach
5 Chinese black mushroom
2 sprigs spring onion
5 slices ginger
1/2 tsp Sichuan pepper powder

Method

1. Remove bristles, bones from pork and cut it into big pieces. Blanch with boiling water for about 10 minutes, remove.
2. Mix pork with 1 tbsp light soy sauce and 1 tbsp dark soy sauce.
3. Soak and remove stems from mushrooms. Clean and remove stems from spinach. Cut carrot and daikon into cubes. Cut spring onions into shreds.
4. Make the sauce. In 600 ml of stock or fresh water, add 2 tsp salt, 1 tsp chicken chicken broth mix, 1/2 tbsp sugar, 1/2 tbsp light soy sauce, 1/2 tbsp oyster sauce, 1 tsp dark soy sauce, 2 tsp sesame oil, and a dash of ground white pepper. Stir well.
5. Mix 1 tbsp cornstarch with 1 tbsp water to make the thickening solution.
6. Heat a wok with 4 cups of oil. Fry pork until golden brown. Remove.
7. Fry carrot and daikon in the hot oil briefly. Remove.
8. Pour away most of the oil, leaving 2 tbsp in the wok. Add ginger, mushroom, 1/2 tbsp Chinese cooking wine, sauce, Sichuan pepper powder and pork. Cook for about 10 minutes under low heat.
9. Transfer pork and sauce to a large bowl with the skin portion facing downwards. Steam pork for about 2-1/2 hours until tender.
10. Arrange pork in the serving platter with the skin portion facing upwards.
11. Blanch spinach in boiling salted water. Remove and place around the pork.
12. Pour the remaining sauce into the wok. Add carrot and daikon and cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Adjust the taste with salt and pepper if necessary. Add thickening solution and cook until the sauce re-boils and thickens. Pour the sauce and vegetable over the pork in the serving platter. Sprinkle spring onions on top before serving.

Source: The Master Chef

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Stewed Lamb Brisket in Clay Pot

Ingredients

1-1/2 kg brisket of lamb with skin
70 g bamboo shoots
20 g dried Chinese mushrooms
70 g bean curd sticks
80 g ginger (sliced)
80 g leeks (cut into pieces 1-1/2″ long)
80 g oyster sauce
1/3 whole dried orange peel
70 g water chestnuts
100 g sugar cane
3 lemon leaves
40 g ground fermented soy beans

Seasoning

1 tablespoon rice wine
80 g oyster sauce
1 teaspoon salt

Dipping Sauce

fermented bean curd
shredded lemon leaves
shredded red chili
gravy of the stew

Method

1. Blanch the lamb with 4 litres of water over high heat for ten minutes. Remove the lamb and chop into pieces.
2. Soak the dried Chinese mushrooms and the bean curd sticks until soft.
3. Blanch bamboo shoots in boiling water. Drain and deep-fry until they turn bright yellow.
4. Heat a wok until it is very hot. Add 3 to 4 tablespoons of oil into the pan. Sauté the ginger, leek and fermented soy beans in the hot oil in order until fragrant. Mix in the lamb and the rice wine.
5. Transfer the ingredients from the wok to a clay pot. Add all the remaining ingredients and 2 to 2-1/2 cups of water.
6. Cook for one hour over medium heat. Remove the sugar cane and lemon leaves. Add oyster sauce and salt to taste.
7. Mix the ingredients of the dipping sauce together.
8. Serve lamb with the dipping sauce on the side.

Source: Cooking with Hong Kong Top Chef

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Crispy Shanghai Spring Rolls

Ingredients

12 spring roll wrappers, thawed if frozen
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour mixed to a paste with water
sunflower oil, for deep frying

Filling

6 Chinese dried mushrooms, soaked for 30 minutes in warm water
5 ounces fresh firm beancurd (tofu)
2 tablespoons sunflower oil
8 ounces finely minced pork
8 ounces peeled cooked shrimp, roughly chopped
1/2 teaspoon cornstarch, mixed to a paste with 1 tablespoon light soy sauce
3 ounces each shredded bamboo shoot or grated carrot, sliced water chestnuts and bean sprouts
6 scallions or 1 young leek, finely chopped
a little sesame oil

Dipping Sauce

scant 1/2 cup light soy sauce
1 tablespoon chili sauce or finely chopped fresh red chili
a little sesame oil
rice vinegar, to taste

Method

1. 1 Make the filling. Drain the mushrooms. Cut off and discard the stems and slice the caps finely. Cut the beancurd (tofu) into slices of a similar size.
2. Heat the oil in a wok and stir-fry the pork for 2-3 minutes or until the color changes. Add the shrimp, cornstarch paste and bamboo shoot or carrot. Stir in the water chestnuts.
3. Increase the heat, add the bean sprouts and scallions or leek and toss for 1 minute. Stir in the mushrooms and beancurd. Off the heat, season, then stir in the sesame oil. Cool quickly on a large platter.
4. Separate the spring roll wrappers. Place a wrapper on the work surface with one corner nearest you. Spoon some of the filling near the center of the wrapper and fold the nearest corner over the filling. Smear a little of the flour paste on the free sides, turn the sides to the middle and roll up. Repeat this procedure with the remaining wrappers and filling.
5. Deep fry the spring rolls in batches in oil heated to 375°F until they are crisp and golden. Drain on paper towels and serve at once with the dipping sauce, made by mixing all the ingredients in a bowl

Makes 12 pieces.

Source: Asian Cooking

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