Stir-fried Ground Pork with Soybean Sprout

Ingredients

2 lb soybean sprout
5 oz ground pork
2 oz chive
1/2 tbsp grated ginger
1 stalk green onion (chopped) or 1 tsp minced garlic

Marinade

2 tsp light soy sauce
1/4 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp cornstarch
1 tbsp oil

Sauce

3/4 tsp cornstarch
2 tbsp water
dash of sesame oil
pinch of ground white pepper
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp chicken broth mix

Method

1. Wash and dice chive.
2. Cut off roots of soybean sprouts. Drain and dry. Cut into short sections. Stir-fry in dry wok (without oil) until dry. Remove and set aside.
3. Mix pork with marinade. Set aside for 10 minutes.
4. Mix sauce ingredients in a small bowl. Set aside.
5. Heat 2 tbsp oil in the wok. Stir-fry pork, ginger and green onion till nearly cooked. Add soybean sprout and chive. Stir-fry until pork is cooked.
6. Add sauce. Stir and cook until the sauce thickens. Remove to serving platter and serve hot.

Source: Cantonese Stir-fries

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Today’s Comic

Coq au Vin

Ingredients

10 oz shallots
3 tablespoons flour
6 large skinless, boneless chicken breasts
3 tablespoons olive oil
4 oz chopped bacon or pancetta
2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1/4 cup brandy
3 sprigs of fresh thyme
1 bay leaf
1 bottle dry fruity red wine, 750 ml
8 oz small button mushrooms
1 tablespoon butter, softened (optional)
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
creamy mashed potatoes or tagliatelle, to serve

Method

1. Cut the shallots into even-sized pieces, leaving the small ones whole and cutting the others in half or quarters.
2. Put 2 tablespoons flour in a shallow dish and season it with salt and pepper. Dip the chicken breasts in the flour and coat both sides.
3. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large lidded skillet or deep casserole, add the chicken breasts, and fry for 2 to 3 minutes on each side until lightly browned—you may have to do this in 2 batches.
4. Remove the chicken from the pan, discard the oil, and wipe the pan with paper towels.
5. Return the pan to the heat and pour in the remaining oil. Add the chopped bacon or pancetta and the shallots and fry until lightly browned. Stir in the garlic, then return the chicken to the pan.
6. Put the brandy in a small saucepan and heat it until almost boiling. Set it alight with a long kitchen match and carefully pour it over the chicken. Let the flames die down, then add the thyme and bay leaf and pour in enough wine to just cover the chicken. Bring back to simmering point, then reduce the heat, half cover the pan, and simmer very gently for 45 minutes. (If you’re making this dish ahead of time, take the pan off the heat after 30 minutes, let cool, and refrigerate overnight.) Add the mushrooms to the pan and cook for another 10 to 15 minutes.
7. Remove the chicken from the pan, set aside, and keep it warm.
8. Using a slotted spoon, scoop the shallots, bacon pieces or pancetta cubes, and mushrooms out of the pan and keep them warm. Increase the heat under the pan and let the sauce simmer until it has reduced by half. If the sauce needs thickening, mash 1 tablespoon soft butter with 1 tablespoon flour to give a smooth paste, then add it bit by bit to the sauce, beating well after each addition, until the sauce is smooth and glossy.
9. Return the shallots, pancetta, and mushrooms to the pan. Check the seasoning and add salt and pepper, to taste. Cut each chicken breast into 4 slices and arrange them on warm serving plates. Spoon a generous amount of sauce over the chicken and sprinkle with parsley. Serve with creamy mashed potatoes or tagliatelle.

Makes 6 servings.

Source: Cooking with Wine

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Congee with Meatballs

Ingredients

100 g rice
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp oil
40 g mini conpoy (小元貝)
16 cups water
2 thousand-year eggs (皮蛋), diced
shredded ginger and green onion

Meatballs

240 g ground pork
1/4 cup chopped preserved mustard (葱菜)
1/4 cup Chinese mushroom, soaked and chopped
1 tsp chopped ginger
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp sugar
dash sesame oil and pepper
3 tbsp cornstarch
1 tbsp light soy sauce
5-6 tbsp water

Method

1. Rinse and drain rice, mix with salt and oil, set aside for 20 minutes.
2. Rinse mini conpoy. Bring water to a boil in a pot, add rice and mini conpoy, bring back to a boil, adjust to medium heat, half-cover and cook until congee consistency (approx. 45 to 50 minutes).
3. In a mixing bowl, mix ground pork, chopped ingredients and seasonings together, stir well until sticky. Chill for 30 minutes. Form into meatballs.
4. When congee is ready, add eggs and meatballs, cook and season to taste.
5. Ladle congee to serving bowls. Sprinkle with shredded ginger and spring onion before serving.

Makes 4 servings.

Source: Congee and Noodles

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Today’s Comic

Saltimbocca Roman Style

Ingredients

8 small veal scallops (about 14 lb)
salt
pepper
8 slices prosciutto ( both the lean and the fat)
flour
1/4 cup butter or margarine
8 sage leaves
dry white wine
Boiled baby potatoes tossed in butter and parsley to garnish

Method

1. Trim the veal scallops, and pound, making them all roughly the same size.
2. Season veal with salt and pepper, and put on each 1 sage leaf. Cover with 1 slice prosciutto and fasten with a toothpick . Dip them lightly in flour.
3. Melt half the butter or margarine in a pan, add the meat slices side by side. Increase the heat, and brown on both sides. Continue cooking for a few minutes, until golden and cooked through. Put on a warm serving platter and remove the toothpicks.
4. Add the wine to the cooking juices, and let it reduce on high heat, stirring with a wooden spoon, until it has almost evaporated.
5. Add the remaining butter or margarine, and pour over the saltimbocca.
6. Serve immediately, garnished with baby potatoes tossed in butter and sprinkled with chopped parsley.

Makes 4 servings.

Source: The Cook’s Book

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Lion’s Head Meatballs

Ingredients

1 lb ground pork
1 egg white
4 scallions, finely chopped
1 tablespoon Shaoxing rice wine
1 teaspoon grated ginger
1 tablespoon light soy sauce
2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon roasted sesame oil
1/2 to 3/4 lb bok choy
1 tablespoon cornstarch
oil for frying
2 cups chicken stock

Method

1. Put the pork and egg white in a food processor and process briefly until you have a fluffy mixture, or mash the ground pork in a large bowl and gradually stir in the egg white, beating the mixture well until it is fluffy.
2. Add the scallion, rice wine, ginger, soy sauce, sugar and sesame oil, season with salt and white pepper, and process or beat again briefly.
3. Fry a small portion of the mixture and taste it, re-seasoning if necessary. Divide the mixture into walnut-size balls.
4. Separate the boy choy leaves and place in the bottom of a clay pot or braising pan.
5. Dust the meatballs with cornstarch. Heat a wok over high heat, add 1/2 inch oil and heat until very hot. Cook the meatballs in batches until they are browned all over. Drain well and add to the clay pot in an even layer.
6. Pour off the oil and wipe out the wok.
7. Reheat the wok over high heat until very hot, add the chicken stock and heat until it is boiling. Pour over the meatballs. Cover and bring very slowly to a boil. Simmer gently with the lid slightly open for 1-1/2 hours, or until the meatballs are very tender. Serve the meatballs in the dish they were cooked in.

Makes 4 servings.

Source: The Food of China

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