Chinese Pot Stickers
Meat Filling
1 1/2 pound ground pork
6 tablespoon soy sauce
6 scallions, minced
2 tablespoons dried shrimp, soaked and minced (optional)
3 tablespoons shrimp water (optional)
1 tablespoon sesame oil
2 tablespoons peanut oil
1/2 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
1 egg
1 to 2 cloves garlic, minced
1 to 1 1/2 pounds Chinese cabbage
2 teaspoons salt
Mix together well the pork, soy sauce, scallions, dried shrimp, shrimp water, sesame oil, peanut oil, ginger, egg and garlic. Set aside. Core cabbage and chop it finely. Cover cabbage with the salt and let sit for 1 hour. Press out the water and add the cabbage to the meat mixture. Set mixture aside until ready to assemble pot stickers.
Pastry
5 cups flour
2 cups water
Mix flour and water. Keep it rather soft for ease in handling. Let it rest for 10 minutes. Cut or pull off walnut-size balls and roll each one out to the size of a 3-inch circle. The edges of the dough should be thinner than the middle. Fill each round with approximately 1 teaspoon of meat filling. Pinch together in the shape of a half moon.
Cooking and Serving
Peanut oil
1/2 cup water
Vinegar
Chinese hot oil (chili oil)
Soy sauce
Fresh cilantro, chopped
Heat about 2 tablespoons of peanut oil in a skillet and stand the pot stickers up close together in the skillet with the seam side up. Saute over medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes. Do not allow them to burn. Add 1/2 cup water, cover, and steam for 20 minutes. Serve immediately with vinegar, Chinese hot oil, soy sauce and cilantro.
Chinese Peas
1/2 pound Chinese pea pods
1 tablespoon oil
1/2 cup thinly sliced water chestnuts
1 cup chicken stock
1 tablespoon cornstarch
2 tablespoons cold water
Salt
Snap ends from pea pods and remove strings. Heat oil in skillet. Add peas, water chestnuts and stock. Cover and cook over high heat 3 minutes.
Combine cornstarch and cold water. Push vegetables to one side and add cornstarch mixture to liquid. Cook, stirring, until slightly thickened. Season to taste with salt. Serve with soy sauce, if desired.
Chinese Mixed Pickles
Pickling Liquid
3 cups granulated sugar
3 cups white vinegar
1 1/2 cups water
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
Combine all ingredients in 3-quart saucepan. Cook and stir over medium heat until liquid boils. Remove from heat; cool.
Pickles
3 large carrots
1 (1 pound) Chinese white radish
1 large cucumber
4 stalks celery
8 scallions
4 ounces fresh ginger root
1 large red bell pepper
1 large green bell pepper
Wash all vegetables. Pare carrots and radish. Cut cucumber lengthwise into quarters and remove seeds. Cut carrots, radish and cucumber into matchstick thin strips about 2 inches long. Cut celery into 1/2-inch diagonal slices. Cut onions into 1/4-inch diagonal slices. Pare ginger root and cut into thin slices. Remove seeds from peppers and cut peppers into 1/2-inch cubes.
Fill a 5-quart Dutch oven half full of water. Cover and cook over high heat until water boils. Uncover and add all vegetables. Remove from heat immediately. Let vegetables stand uncovered for 2 minutes. Drain vegetables in large colander. Spread vegetables out on clean towels and allow to dry 2 or 3 hour. Pack vegetables firmly into clean jars with lid. Pour pickling liquid into jars until vegetables are completely covered. Cover jars tightly. Store in refrigerator at least 1 week before using.
Makes 1 1/2 to 2 quarts.
Chinese Glazed Fruit
3/4 cup cold water
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup cornstarch
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
Peanut or vegetable oil
2 medium apples, pared and cut into eighths
2 firm medium bananas, cut diagonally into 1/2-inch slices
2 cups granulated sugar
1 cup water
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1/4 cup white or black sesame seed
Iced water
Beat 3/4 cup water, the flour, cornstarch, baking powder and salt with hand beater until smooth. Heat 1 to 1 1/2 inches oil to 360 degrees F. Stir apples into batter until coated. Remove 1 piece at a time with slotted spoon, letting excess batter drip into bowl. Fry 6 to 8 pieces at a time, turning occasionally, until golden brown, about 5 minutes; drain. Repeat with bananas.
Thoroughly mix sugar, 1 cup water and the corn syrup in heavy 3-quart saucepan. Heat to boiling, without stirring, over high heat. Cook, without stirring, over high heat to 300 degrees F on candy thermometer or until small amount of mixture dropped into very cold water separates into threads that are hard and brittle (mixture will be light golden brown). Decrease heat to very low; stir in sesame seed.
Generously oil large flat serving plate. Stir 1 piece of fruit at a time into syrup until evenly coated. Immediately remove from syrup and place on oiled plate. Do not let pieces touch. At the table, dip each piece of fruit into iced water to harden coating.
Yields 6 servings.
Toffee Apples (China)
2 medium green cooking apples
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups water
3 teaspoons sesame oil
3 cups vegetable oil
2 cups granulated sugar
2 tablespoons sesame seeds
Cold water
Ice cubes
Pare apples, cut into quarters and remove cores. Cut each quarter in half crosswise, making 16 pieces total. Measure flour into bowl. Gradually blend in 1 cup of the water using a whisk. Add 2 teaspoons of the sesame oil. Beat until smooth. Brush remaining 1 teaspoon sesame oil over a serving plate. Set aside.
Place apple pieces in batter, turning to coat completely. Heat 3 cups vegetable oil in wok over medium-high heat to 375 degrees F.
Using a slotted spoon, lift apple pieces from batter and place in oil. Cook half of the pieces at a time until light brown, about 2 minutes. Drain on absorbent paper. Pour oil out of wok but do not clean wok. Measure remaining 1 cup water and the sugar into wok. Cook, stirring constantly, until mixture reaches about 235 degrees F on a candy thermometer, 10 to 13 minutes. Remove from heat immediately. Mix in apples and sesame seeds. Transfer to the oiled serving plate.
Place cold water and ice cubes in bowl. Dunk apples in the ice water before eating.
Easy Sweet and Sour Pork
1 pound cubed pork
2 tablespoons oil
20 ounces pineapple chunks with juice
1/2 cup light Karo corn syrup
1/4 cup cider vinegar
2 tablespoons catsup
2 tablespoon ssoy sauce
1 clove garlic, crushed
Green bell pepper, cut into chunks
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons water
Brown pork in oil. Add pineapple, corn syrup, vinegar, catsup, soy sauce and garlic. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat. Simmer uncovered for 10 minutes.
Add green bell pepper, cornstarch and water. Boil for 1 minute.
Serve over rice.
Deep-Fried Wonton Cookies (Teem Gok)
1 1/2 cups chopped prunes or dried apples
1 cup chopped dried apricots
1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
1 1/2 cups flaked coconut
1 cup chopped almonds
24 wonton skins
Vegetable oil
Mix prunes, apricots, broth sugar, coconut and almonds. Place about 2 teaspoons mixture in center of each wonton skin. Moisten edges with water. Fold each skin in half to form triangle; press edges firmly to seal. Cover to prevent drying.
Heat 1 to 1 1/2 inches oil to 360 degrees F. Fry 3 to 4 wontons at a time, turning occasionally, until golden brown, about 1 minute on each side; drain. Cool thoroughly and stir in airtight container. Serve with ice cream or sherbet if desired.
Makes about 24 cookies.
Chinese Lemon Sauce
This sauce is great with tempura-battered shrimp or fish, wontons and egg rolls.
1/4 cup chicken broth or water
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon vinegar
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 1/2 teaspoons catsup
1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1 teaspoon cold water
Heat chicken broth, lemon juice, honey, vinegar, vegetable oil, catsup and garlic salt to boiling in a 1-quart saucepan.
Mix cornstarch and water; stir into broth mixture. Heat to boiling, stirring constantly. Cover and refrigerate.
Makes 2/3 cup.