Chinese Potstickers (Northern-Style Pan-Fried Dumplings)
This recipe comes from Diana Y. Lee of Denver, who was born in China. Dumpling wrappers are available at Asian grocery stores. Ground chicken or turkey can be substituted for pork. To make a dipping sauce, combine 1/2 cup soy sauce, 4 tablespoons of rice (or black rice) vinegar and grated ginger per person. Proportions are approximate. Makes about 60 dumplings.
Ingredients
1 pound ground pork
5 bunches green onions, washed, dried and finely chopped
1 tablespoon finely grated fresh ginger root
1 teaspoon cornstarch
2 tablespoons Chinese rice wine (or pale dry sherry)
4 tablespoons soy sauce (or oyster sauce)
1 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons sesame oil
60 dumpling wrappers
Water
Canola oil
1 cup chicken stock
Directions
In a large bowl, thoroughly combine pork, green onions, ginger, cornstarch, rice wine, soy sauce, salt and sesame oil.
Fill a small bowl with water and place it next to the bowl with the meat filling. Place 2 teaspoons meat filling in center of wrapper. Moisten the outer rim of the wrapper with a drip of water. Fold it in half and, with your fingers, pleat the edges together as you would a pie crust, making 5 or 6 pleats (the more pleats, the larger the bottom surface for browning).
Transfer completed dumplings to a tray and cover with a damp dishtowel.
Coat a heavy 15-inch non-stick skillet with 1 tablespoon canola oil. Arrange dumplings in the pan in a circular pattern, with sides of dumplings touching, until skillet is filled.
Cook, uncovered, over medium- low heat for about 6 minutes or until the bottom of the dumplings are golden brown (test with chopsticks, taking care not to puncture any bottoms).
Add chicken stock and cover the skillet tightly and cook over medium heat 10-12 minutes, or until all liquid has evaporated. Uncover and allow dumplings to cook for another 3-4 minutes.
Remove skillet from stove. Gently shake from side to side to loosen potstickers. Invert skillet over a large round plate. Serve immediately with individual bowls of dipping sauce.
Sesame Pork Rice Salad
You can substitute chicken
slivers if you prefer. The recipe, from tsingtaobeer.com, serves 6.
Ingredients
3 cups cooked rice
1 1/2 cups slivered cooked pork
1/4 pound fresh snow peas, trimmed and cut into thin strips
1 medium cucumber, peeled, seeded and cut into thin strips
1 medium red pepper, cut into thin strips
1/2 cup sliced green onions
2 tablespoons sesame seeds, toasted (optional)
1/4 cup chicken broth
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon vinegar
1 tablespoon peanut oil
1 teaspoon sesame oil
Directions
Combine rice, pork, snow peas, cucumber, pepper, green onions and sesame seeds in a large bowl. Combine broth, soy sauce, vinegar and oils in small jar with lid. Pour over rice mixture; toss lightly. Serve at room temperature or slightly chilled.
Pork Chops with Lemongrass and Garlic
From “Keo’s Thai Cuisine Revised” by Keo Sananikone. If you don’t have time to fine-slice cabbage, buy two 12-ounce bags of cabbage shredded for slaw. Serves 4.
Ingredients
4 pork chops, 3/4-inch thick
3 stalks lemongrass, chopped fine
1/4 cup chopped garlic
1/4 cup chopped Chinese parsley roots
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 cup vegetable oil
Sliced cabbage
Cooked sticky rice or long-grain rice, for 4
Chinese parsley sprigs, cucumber slices and red chile peppers for garnish
Directions
In a bowl, combine pork chops with lemongrass, garlic, Chinese parsley roots, soy sauce, brown sugar and black pepper. Toss lightly to coat. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator overnight.
In a frying pan, heat the oil to medium. Remove pork chops from marinade (reserve marinade) and fry 5-6 minutes per side.
Line a serving platter with cabbage and top with pork chops.
Heat marinade in the hot oil for 1 minute, or until brown, then pour over pork chops. Accompany with sticky rice or hot steamed rice. Garnish with parsley sprigs, cucumber slices and peppers.
Lion’s Head with Cabbage
From the new “Shun Lee Cookbook” by Michael Tong, the lion’s head is the meatball, and its mane the leafy cabbage. Tenderness is the way to judge the quality of Lion’s head: traditional cooks use very fatty pork to add juciness. Others use bean curd for its softness. Tong mixes pork and bean curd, “and the results are excellent,” he says. “This soothing dish is perfect family fare.” Serves 4.
Ingredients
Meatballs:
8 ounces firm tofu, drained
10 ounces ground pork
1 green onion, white and green parts, trimmed and minced
1 large egg, beaten
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon cornstarch
Vegetable oil
Sauce:
3 cups chicken stock
1/4 cup rice wine or dry sherry
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 scallions, white and green parts, trimmed and cut in half
1 one-inch piece peeled fresh ginger, cut into 3 slices
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper
12 leaves Napa cabbage, cut in four-by-two-inch pieces
1/4 cup sliced bamboo shoots (cut into pieces 2 inches long and 1/4 inch thick)
4 Chinese dried black mushrooms, soaked in hot tap water until softened, stems trimmed, each cap cut in half
1 tablespoon cornstarch
Directions
Using the flat side of a cleaver or large knife, mash tofu flat and mince it fine. Lightly mix pork, green onion, egg and salt in a medium bowl. Add bean curd and lightly mix again. Add cornstarch and mix just until combined. (Overhandling makes tough meatballs, so use a light touch, as the next step will combine the ingredients more.)
Using your hands, pick up a quarter of the pork mixture and throw it against the rest of the mixture in the bowl. This will help the pork mixture adhere and not fall apart in the cooking. Repeat 10 times. (It’s fun. It’s the food equivalent of slapping a softball into a catcher’s glove). Repeat with remaining pork mixture.
Heat a large wok over high heat. Add enough oil to come about 1 1/2 inches up the sides of the wok, and heat it to 325. Form the pork mixture into 4 meatballs, and gently lower them into the wok. Fry in gently bubbling oil, carefully turning them once or twice, until golden on all sides, about 3 minutes.
Using a wide wire-mesh strainer, transfer the meatballs to a colander to drain. Discard the oil. Rinse wok and dry completely.
To make the sauce, combine stock, rice wine, soy sauce, scallions, ginger, sugar and white pepper in the wok, and stir.
Add meatballs, cabbage, bamboo shoots and mushrooms to wok, and bring to a boil over high heat. Cover wok and reduce the heat to medium-low. Simmer until the meatballs are cooked through, about 30 minutes.
In a small bowl, dissolve cornstarch in 3 tablespoons cold water, and stir into the sauce. Cook until sauce thickens lightly, about 30 seconds. Serve immediately over rice.
Good Fortune Pork Chops with Black Bean Sauce and Stir-fried Vegetables
From “Hawaii Cooks” by Roy Yamaguchi. This contemporary preparation combines classic Chinese flavors with the rich traditions of French cuisine. Note: If you can’t find yard-long green beans, which are sold at Asian stores, buy fresh or frozen baby green beans, also called haricot verts. Serves 4.
Ingredients
Sauce:
2 tablespoons fermented black beans
2 tablespoons sesame oil
1 tablespoon minced fresh garlic
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
1 tablespoon minced green onion
1/3 cup red wine
1/2 cup bottled clam juice
1/2 cup veal demi-glace (sold in specialty markets)
2 teaspoons sugar
2 teaspoons oyster sauce
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
Pork chops:
1/2 cup bottled char siu (Chinese barbecue pork) sauce
2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
4 (1 1/2-inch thick) pork chops trimmed of excess fat
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
Stir-fried Vegetables:
2 tablespoons sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon minced fresh garlic
1/2 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
1/2 cup julienned red bell pepper
1/2 cup julienned yellow bell pepper
1 cup one-inch pieces yard-long beans or green beans
3 green onions, cut into thin strips, for garnish
Directions
In a small bowl, soak fermented black beans in water for 5 minutes. Drain and mince.
Place a saucepan over medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon sesame oil with garlic, ginger and green onion and sauté 20-30 seconds, until barely light golden brown.
Add remaining 1 tablespoon oil, then add the black beans and cook for two minutes, or until seasonings are aromatic. Add wine and bring to a boil for 2-3 minutes.
Add clam juice and bring to a boil for 2-3 minutes. Add demi-glace and bring to a boil for 2-3 minutes.
Whisk in sugar and oyster sauce and blend well. Taste and adjust seasonings with sugar if necessary. Add butter and mix well. Decrease heat to low simmer and keep sauce warm.
Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
Combine char siu sauce and hoisin sauce in a bowl and mix well. Coat pork chops with marinade.
Heat a large ovenproof sauté pan over high heat. Add oil. When hot, add chops and sear 3-4 minutes, until caramelized and brown. Turn and sear 3-4 minutes, until caramelized and brown (do not allow to blacken).
Remove pan from heat and place in oven to finish the chops, about 10 minutes, or until an instant-read thermometer registers 140 degrees.
To prepare vegetables, place a wok over high heat. Add oil, garlic and ginger and stir-fry for 20 to 30 seconds, until barely light golden brown. Add red and yellow bell pepper and green beans and cook 3-4 minutes, until cooked but crunchy.
To serve, spoon a pool of sauce onto each of four plates. Divide vegetables among plates and place a pork chop on top. Garnish with green onions and serve immediately.
Char Siu Pork on Steamed Bok Choy with Sweet Orange Sauce
From “China Modern” by Ching-He Huang.
Ingredients
1 18-ounce pork tenderloin
Marinade:
2 garlic cloves, crushed and finely chopped
2 tablespoons freshly grated ginger
1/4 cup light soy sauce
1/4 cup rice wine
3 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon hoisin sauce
2 tablespoons yellow bean sauce
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/4 cup honey
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Sweet orange sauce:
Juice of 3 oranges
Dash of light soy sauce
3 tablespoons honey
Pinch of cinnamon
1 tablespoon cornstarch blended
with 2 tablespoons cold water
14 ounces bok choy
1 green onion, finely sliced
Directions
Cut slashes into the sides of the pork tenderloin.
Combine all marinade ingredients and marinate tenderloin, refrigerated, overnight.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Remove pork, reserving marinade, place on a rack over a roasting pan and pour hot water into the pan to half-full. Roast pork 20 minutes, turn tenderloin over and brush with marinade, basting well. Reduce temperature to 350 degrees and roast 20 minutes more. Turn off oven, cover with foil and keep warm in the oven.
Fill a wok or pan with boiling water to a depth that will not submerge the base of the steamer. Place the bok choy in the steamer and steam 2 minutes.
Heat orange juice, soy sauce, honey and cinnamon in a small pan. When the sauce boils, stir in the blended cornstarch and remove from the heat.
Slice the pork, arrange on the bok choy and drizzle the sweet orange sauce over the top. Sprinkle with freshly chopped green onion and serve with fried rice.
Buddha’s Delight
Diana Yun Lee of Denver, who annually prepares a multicourse traditional Chinese New Year’s meal, says this is a Shanghai-style dish also known as Twelve Guards of the Buddha. It is important to combine 12 vegetables of different textures. The ingredients listed below are Lee’s choices; you may also use squash, your favorite mushrooms, celery, carrots, snow peas, onion, book choy, or bean curd. The ingredients listed below can be found at Asian supermarkets.
The key to successful stir-frying is good temperature control. It is important to start out with a very hot wok, then try to maintain that heat throughout cooking. Ingredients must be added gradually and in small portions. Begin with those that will take longest to cook. Serves 6.
Ingredients
2 ounces dry white bamboo grove mushrooms
2 ounces dry hair mushrooms
6 dry Chinese black mushrooms (reserve 1/4 cup liquid)
3 ounces dry tiger lily buds
6 dry cloud’s ear mushrooms
3 dry soy bean sticks, rehydrated and cut into 2-inch sections
2 pounds of Napa cabbage
6 fresh water chestnuts, peeled
1/2 cup thin-sliced lotus root
6 arrow plant bulbs
1 cup fresh broccoli florets
1/2 cup canned gingko nuts
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt to taste
Directions
Rehydrate all dry ingredients in separate bowls, discarding tough stems. Rinse and dry with a paper towel. Discard outermost leaves of Napa cabbage and cut cabbage into 2-inch strips. In a large pot of water, boil water chestnuts, lotus root, bamboo grove mushrooms and soy bean sticks 1 minute. Use a salad spinner to remove as much water as possible.
Heat wok to searing. Add 2 tablespoons canola oil and heat until oil smokes. Add lily buds and all mushrooms except the white bamboo grove. Stir fry 1 minute.
Add water chestnuts, stir-fry 1 minute. Add arrow plant bulbs, stir-fry 1 minute.
Add Napa cabbage (divided into 2 or 3 batches, added 1 minute apart).
Add broccoli, stir-fry 1 minute.
Add gingko nuts, stir-fry 1 minute
Add bamboo grove mushrooms, stir-fry 1 minute.
Add reserved black mushroom liquid, soy sauce, sugar and salt to taste. Cover wok for 2 minutes. Serve immediately.
