Wednesday, March 31, 2021

PORK AND DRIED TOFU STICK 枝竹豆腐炆火腩

枝竹豆腐炆火腩
JI JUK DAU FU MAN FO NAAM


Half a pound of roast pork (火腩), chunk-chopped.
One or two sticks of dried tofu (枝竹).
One slab of firm tofu (half a tub).
Three slices ginger.
Half a head of garlic (6-8 cloves).
Three scallion, minced.
One Tbs soy sauce.
Half TBS oyster sauce.
Half Tsp. sugar.
One cup water.
One Tsp. cornstarch dissolved in a tablespoon of water.

Cook dried tofu stick in some water till soft, cut into suitable segments. Cut the firm tofu into eight chunks and fry in hot oil till golden, remove and drain.

Sauté ginger and garlic briefly. Add the sauces, sugar, and water, bring to a boil and put in the dried tofu pieces. Simmer for about three or four minutes, then add the roast pork and fried tofu and simmer just a little while longer to heat through and combine flavours. Add the cornstarch solution and the minced scallion, stir to combine, and decant to a plate.


FROM HERE: FIRED LOIN


ROAST PORK AND TOFU 火腩炆豆腐

火腩炆豆腐
FO NAAM MAN DAU FU


Half pound of fire belly pork (火腩), chunk-chopped.
One tub of firm tofu, sliced into two, flat-wise.
Ten cloves garlic, left whole.
One onion, chopped.
Three slices of ginger.
One TBS soy sauce.
One TBS Shaoxing rice wine (紹興酒).
One Tsp. oyster sauce (蠔油).
One Tsp. sugar.
A dash of sesame oil (麻油).
One Tsp. cornstarch dissolved in a tablespoon of water.

Lightly dust the tofu with cornstarch and a pinch of salt on all sides, fry in hot oil till golden brown. Remove, drain, and cut into large chunks. Gild the ginger slices and whole garlic cloves. Reserve to a saucer.
Sauté the chopped onion, add the fire belly pork. When the edges turn golden add the soy sauce, Shaoxing rice wine, and a splash of water, plus the garlic and ginger. Simmer a few minutes, then put in the tofu, and stir the cornstarch solution in. Add a dash of sesame oil, serve.


NOTES: For the Shaoxing rice wine (紹興酒 'siu hing jau') you may substitute sherry. The effect will be no different. For drinking, you may replace the sherry with Shaoxing. That, too, is good. Oyster sauce (蠔油 'ho yau') is essential, sesame oil ((麻油 'maa yau') adds fragrance.


From here: FIRED LOINS


DOUBLE MUSHROOM CHICKEN 雙菇雞

DOUBLE MUSHROOM CHICKEN
雙菇雞 ('seung gu gai')


About a pound of chicken de-boned cut into small chunks, rinsed, and mixed with beaten egg white and half a tablespoon of cornstarch. Tree oyster and fresh champignon in equal measure, rinsed and trimmed, sliced thick, more than the amount of chicken. A little chopped yellow onion, somewhat more than that chopped bell pepper.

Very small amounts of garlic and ginger.
A tablespoon of oyster sauce.
A dash of soy sauce.
Pinch of sugar.
Oil.

Briefly gild the garlic and ginger, decant. Same with the onion and bell pepper. Do likewise with the mushroom. Now over high heat stirfry the chicken, splash with water or sherry, add the oyster and soy sauce, and throw in everything else. Stifry till mixed and turn out onto a plate.


From here: DOUBLE MUSHROON


GREEN CHILI STIR-FRIED FATTY PORK 尖椒炒五花腩

GREEN CHILI STIR-FRIED FATTY PORK
尖椒炒五花腩 ('tsim chiu caau ng faa naam')


One pound of five flower pork.

Half a dozen or more big Jalapenos, deseeded, cut, and briefly blanched in boiling water to tone the buggers down a bit. You could also use smaller hotter green chilies, or sweeter milder bellpeppers. And the duration of blanching to lessen the heat effect is also flexible. Or mix it up.

Garlic and ginger as seems appropriate, chopped.
Scallions, sliced.
Salt and oil.

Slice the pork semi-thin. Gild the pork in the pan with a little oil, remove and drain. Add the chopped ginger and garlic to the pan with a little salt, stirfry briefly, cast in the peppers and stirfy. When they start to turn, add the meat, and seethe with a small splash of water. Strew the scallion into the pan, turn over with a spatula a couple of times till the liquid is reduced.
Cant it all onto a plate.


From here: DOUBLE MUSHROOM


PICKLED MUSTARD STIR-FRIED FATTY PORK 榨菜炒五花腩

PICKLED MUSTARD STIR-FRIED FATTY PORK
榨菜炒五花腩 ('jaa choi chaau ng faa naam')

One pound of five flower pork.

Small amounts of white pepper powder, oyster sauce, and up to half a cup roughly of Szechuanese pressed mustard stem (which is nice and crunchy, and need not be rinsed before use - taste it to judge how much you want in the dish), plus between a teaspoon and a tablespoon of soy sauce, teaspoon or two of cornstarch.
Sherry or rice wine.
Oil.

Slice the pork not too thin, taking care to divide the pieces into fatty bits and lean. Cut the pickled mustard into thick shreds.

Rinse the pork slices, dry, and marinate them with the cornstarch, oyster sauce, and soy sauce. Mix well to distribute the flavours. Let it sit for half an hour.

Separate out the fatty bits, and fry these a little first. Then add the lean meat, stirfy with the fatty bits. Add the pickled vegetable, toss to mingle, and splash in the sherry or rice wine, plus a little water.
While it seethes sprinkle white pepper over it.

Cook a little bit longer, and plate it.


From here: DOUBLE MUSHROOM


AMOY RICE NOODLES 廈門炒米

AMOY NOODLES
廈門炒米
['haa mun chaau mai']
Amoy Rice Noodles


2 eggs.
Half a dozen large shrimp.
One bowl boiled ham, matchstick cut.
One medium onion, sliced.
One red bell pepper, sliced.
One or two scallion, cut long and diagonally.
One clove of garlic, minced.
10 oz. thin rice noodles, broken and soaked in warm water for at least half an hour (that's somewhat more than half a pack, usually).
A brisk dash of rice wine or sherry.
A small splash stock or water.
A pinch of sugar.
Two Tsp. oyster sauce.
One Tsp. soy sauce.
A small drizzle sesame oil.

Scramble the eggs lightly, set aside. Quickly stirfry the shrimp, and set aside also. Now put the flame on high, add a bit more oil when the pan smokes, and dump the onion, garlic, and bell pepper in. Stir around, throw in the ham, followed shortly by the drained noodles. Stirfry, add everything, and toss till toasty. Serve, with sambal on the side.


Originally here: CHAO MAI


Wednesday, February 10, 2021

STEWED CHICKEN WITH RAISINS

D'JAJ M'ZBIB
Poulet a la Juif; Stewed Chicken with Raisins.

One chicken, skinned and cut up into large pieces.
Two large onions.
Half a cup raisins, rinsed.
Half a TBS ground coriander.
Quarter Tsp. each: ground pepper, cinnamon powder, dry ginger.
Generous pinches mace, cayenne, turmeric, salt, and sugar.
Smaller pinches oregano, thyme, rosemary.
Two cups chicken stock.
The juice of one lemon.
Sherry.
Bay leaves.
Olive oil.


Chop the onions, fry golden them in a little olive oil, and remove to a plate.
Fry the chicken pieces till gilded, add the coriander, cayenne, and turmeric. Continue frying while stirring till material starts sticking to the bottom of the pan. Add onions and raisins, stir briefly, and deglaze with a splash sherry. Now add all else, and simmer for half an hour, stirring occasionally.



Originally from here: Completely Chicken


CREAMY CURRY CHICKEN -- MURGHI MASALA

MURGHI MASALA
Creamy Curry Chicken


One pound of chicken, chunk-cut on bone.
Two onions, chopped.
One dozen Roma tomatoes, peeled seeded chopped.
One cup cashews.
Half a cup heavy cream.
Quarter cup yoghurt.
Two TBS garam masala.
Half TBS cayenne.
Thumblength ginger.
Five or six cloves garlic.
Pinches of salt and pepper.
One teaspoon cumin seeds, roasted till quite dark, then ground fine.


Mince and smash the garlic and ginger to a paste, mix it with the yoghurt and the pinches of salt and pepper. Marinate the chicken in this for an hour.
Pour boiling water (enough to cover) over the cashews and let them soften. Take the chicken pieces out of the marinade, and colour them well in hot oil. Remove to a plate, add the onions to the pan with a little more oil. Saute till coloured, add the tomatoes and all spices except the dark-roasted cumin seeds, and cook soft, which will be about five minutes.
Dump the cashews and their soaking water into a blender, add the contents of the pan, and osterize smooth. Return this to the pan and reduce till velvety, then put in the chicken pieces. Bring back to a boil, turn heat low, and simmer a few minutes. Stir the cream into the dish, and let it heat, but do not bring it to a boil.

Dust the dark-roasted cumin powder over the top before serving.
Decorate with the merest sprinkle of sliced green chili.



Originally from here: Completely Chicken


PAPRIKA CHICKEN

PAPRIKASZ
Paprika Chicken

1 whole chicken (about 3 pounds), cut into 8 pieces.
2 garlic cloves, minced.
2 onions, thinly sliced.
2 - 4 TBS sweet Hungarian paprika.
1/2 cup chicken stock.
4 TBS sour cream.
A very generous pinch of ground caraway seed.
Olive oil, or butter, or bacon grease.
Salt and pepper.


Gild the onions and garlic. Rub the chicken bits with oil, plus salt, pepper, and some of the paprika. Add to the pan and brown slightly. Now add the remaining paprika and the ground caraway, stir to mix, and add the chicken stock and enough water to barely cover. Simmer for about half an hour, then stir in the sour cream.
Garnish with plenty of chopped parsley.



Originally from here: Completely Chicken


DRENCHED CHICKEN CHUNKS

淋雞件 LIM KAI KIN
Drenched Chicken Chunks

One three pound chicken, chopped into chunks.
Half a cup of shelled peanuts.
Quarter cup of rice wine or sherry.
Two TBS expressed ginger juice.
One TBS cornstarch.
Half TBS sugar.
Half TBS soy sauce.

Plus:
Four cups broth.
Four cups rice wine or sherry.
Minced ginger and garlic.
Chopped scallion.


Marinate chicken pieces for an hour in the half cup sherry, ginger juice, corn starch, sugar, and soy sauce. Drain and pat dry. Reserve marinade. Meanwhile wash and soak the peanuts to remove the red skins and to soften them.

Heat oil in a pan, add ginger, add garlic, then add chicken pieces, followed shortly by the peanuts. Stir over high heat till coloured somewhat and fragrant. Add the sherry and the broth, bring to a boil, turn low and simmer for twenty minutes. Remove the chicken pieces to a dish. Add the reserved marinade to the pan, bring to a boil, and pour over the chicken. Let it stand a few minutes, then garnish with the chopped scallion and serve.



Originally from here: Completely Chicken


SALT WATER CHICKEN

鹹水雞 HAAM SUI KAI
Salt Water Chicken

One three pound chicken.
Two cups water.
Half a cup of cane sugar.
Quarter cup of salt.
Jigger of rice wine or sherry.
Two star anise pods, two chopped scallion, two or three thick slices ginger (whacked with the back of the cleaver), and one clove garlic (also whacked).


Bring the water and the various flavourings listed to a boil.
Simmer briefly, cool down and refrigerate.

In a second vessel heat enough water to inundate the chicken entirely. When it boils, do precisely that. Remove the chicken, rinse under cold water, and repeat. The third time place the chicken in the boiling water, put a lid on the pot, and turn off the heat. After thirty minutes remove the bird and rinse under cold water. It is now at the exact stage of cooked that Chinese people like, but it would have done no harm if you had simmered it for a few minutes before turning off the heat. Or you could turn on the flame, and once it boils place the chicken in it one more time, turning off heat and letting it stand for ten minutes.

Once the chicken has been removed from the water for the last time wipe it dry, then brush it very thoroughly with sesame oil. Now prick the chicken all over with a needle, and place it in the cold salt-water mixture in the refrigerator for twenty-four hours. To serve, chop it into chopstickable chunks, strew with a little freshly minced scallion, and sprinkle with a little of the soaking liquid. The boil-water can be used for a broth.



Originally from here: Completely Chicken


GINGER SCALLION CHICKEN CHUNKS

薑蔥炆雞丁GEUNG CHUNG MAN KAI DING
Ginger-Scallion Simmered Chicken Chunks

One pound chicken on the bone, whacked into chopstickable pieces.
Three scallions, sectioned.
Sliced ginger.
Four TBS sherry.
Two TBS soy sauce.
One TBS sugar.

Wash and dry chicken, dust with a teaspoon of cornflour, add a dash of oil and toss to coat. Stirfry in scant oil to firm up. Decant temporarily to a plate.
Sauté ginger and scallion till fragrant, add chicken to the pan along with the sherry, soy sauce, sugar, and a splash of water. Simmer on low for ten to fifteen minutes.
Put in a shallow bowl to serve.



Originally from here: Completely Chicken