Chop Suey Supreme
2 whole chicken breasts, cooked
1/2 head Chinese cabbage
4 ounces fresh green beans
3 stalks celery
2 medium yellow onions
1 large carrot
8 ounces uncooked medium shrimp
8 ounces uncooked boneless lean pork
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 cup water
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon instant chicken bouillon granules
4 teaspoons soy sauce
1 (8 ounce) can sliced bamboo shoots, drained
Remove skin and bones from cooked chicken. Coarsely chop chicken meat. Shred cabbage. Trim beans and cut into 1/2-inch diagonal slices. Cut celery into 1/2-inch diagonal slices. Chop onions. Pare carrot and chop finely. Remove shells and back veins from shrimp. Chop pork finely.
Heat oil in wok over high heat. Stir fry pork in oil until brown, 5 minutes. Remove pork from wok. Add cabbage, beans, celery, onions and carrot to wok. Stir fry until vegetables are crisp-tender, about minutes.
Combine water, cornstarch, bouillon and soy sauce. Pour mixture over vegetables. Cook and stir until liquid boils and thickens, about 3 minutes. Add chicken, shrimp and bamboo shoots. Cook and stir until shrimp are done, 3 minutes longer.
Makes 4 to 6 servings.
Chocolate Ginger Lychees
1 (20 ounce) can whole peeled lychees
2 ounces preserved candied ginger
6 ounces semisweet baking chocolate
1 tablespoon vegetable shortening
Drain lychees. Spread lychees round side up between several layers of paper toweling. Let stand until dry, about 1 hour.
Cut ginger into sliver or tiny pieces. Carefully stuff ginger inside cavities of lychees. Combine chocolate and shortening in small saucepan or in top of double boiler over boiling water. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, just until chocolate melts. Remove from heat. Cool slightly. Dip each lychee in chocolate to coat completely. Carefully lift lychee out of chocolate and place round side up on greased parchment or wax paper. Drizzle remaining chocolate over lychees. Refrigerate until cold.
Makes about 24.
Chinese Vegetables
1 pound fresh broccoli
8 ounces fresh spinach
8 ounces fresh pea pods or 1 (6 ounce) package
frozen pea pods, thawed
4 stalks celery ginger root
2 medium yellow onions
8 scallions
3/4 cup water
1 tablespoon instant chicken bouillon granules
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tablespoon minced pared fresh ginger root
NOTE: In addition to or in place of the listed vegetables, sliced carrots, zucchini, green beans or green bell peppers may be used.
Clean vegetables. Cut broccoli tops into florets. Cut broccoli stalks into thin strips 2 inches long and 1/4 inch wide. Chop spinach coarsely. Remove ends and strings from pea pods. Cut celery into 1/2-inch diagonal slices. Peel yellow onions, cut into wedges and separate layers. Cut scallions into thin diagonal slices.
Combine water and bouillon. Heat oil in wok over high heat. Add broccoli stalks, onion wedges and ginger. Stir fry 1 minute. Add all remaining vegetables. Toss lightly. Add water mixture. Toss until vegetables are completely coated. Cook until liquid boils. Cover wok and cook until vegetables are crisp-tender, 2 to 3 minutes.
Chinese Spareribs
6 pounds spareribs
1 tablespoon ground ginger
1/2 cup soy sauce
Juice of 1 lemon
2 cloves garlic, crushed
Brown spareribs in a hot (450 degree F) oven for about 15 minutes. Pour off fat. Mix ginger, soy sauce, lemon and garlic to make sauce. Pour over ribs. Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees F. Cover and bake for 1 1/2 hours, basting often. Serve with Hot Mustard Sauce.
Hot Mustard Sauce
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup wine vinegar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 cup Colmans English Mustard
(no substitute)
2 large or 3 medium eggs
Mix all ingredients and cook in double boiler until thick. Do not use blender to mix.
Can be stored in refrigerator for several months and can be reheated. It loses "hotness" the longer it is stored. Use as a dip or spread for crackers and sandwiches or to accompany ham or shrimp.
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.