Excerpt from Chapter 4: The Recipes […]
Chicken Chow Mein Ingredients 1 boneless, skinless chicken breast (about 7–8 ounces), cut into thin shreds
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1⁄3 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon soy sauce
¼ cup water
½ pound Chinese egg noodles
2½ tablespoons cooking oil
1 clove garlic, sliced
1 teaspoon minced ginger
½ pound mung bean sprouts
½ cup shredded cabbage
½ red bell pepper, thinly shredded
1 tablespoon chopped green onion (scallions)
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
¼ cup chicken broth
1 tablespoon soy sauce
½ teaspoon sesame oil
Salt, to taste
Directions 1. Marinate chicken breasts with 1 teaspoon of cornstarch, 1⁄3 teaspoon of salt, and 1 teaspoon of soy sauce for 15 minutes.
2. In a large saucepan, add enough water and boil noodles. Stir to separate. Cook until tender but still firm. Drain and rinse with cold water. Drain again and set aside.
3. Heat the wok. Add 1 tablespoon of cooking oil. When the oil is heated, add garlic and minced ginger. Stir for 20 seconds to bring out the fragrance.
4. Add marinated chicken shreds. Stir-fry until cooked. Remove and set aside.
5. Add ½ tablespoon oil, heating until hot. Add mung bean sprouts, cabbage, and red pepper shreds. Stir quickly for 1–2 minutes until mung bean sprouts are soft but still crispy. Remove and set aside.
6. Add remaining cooking oil in the wok and heat until hot. Add green onions, salt, soy sauce, oyster sauce, and chicken broth. Add noodles, bean sprouts, red bell pepper, and chicken shreds. Stir until sauces are well-absorbed and well-mixed.
7. Toss in sesame oil.
Beef and Bell Pepper with Black Bean Sauce Ingredients 8 ounces lean beef
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon rice wine
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon cornstarch
¼ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon minced ginger
2 tablespoons cooking oil
½ green bell pepper, cut into small cubes
1 tablespoon fermented black bean, coarsely crushed
½ red bell pepper, cut into small cubes
Drops sesame oil
Directions 1. Cut beef into very thin slices across the grain. Marinate with 1 teaspoon of soy sauce, 1 teaspoon of rice wine, 1 teaspoon of sugar, 1 teaspoon of cornstarch, ¼ teaspoon of salt, and 1 teaspoon of minced ginger.
2. Heat the wok over medium-high heat. Add 1 teaspoon of oil.
3. Add green bell pepper cubes and stir until 80 percent cooked. Remove and set aside.
4. Reheat the wok over high heat, adding the remaining cooking oil.
5. Add beef slices. Stir quickly and separate pieces completely.
6. When color changes, add black beans while continuing to stir in order to mix with beef slices.
7. Add red bell pepper cubes and stir for another minute.
8. Remove from heat and place on a serving plate. Sprinkle sesame oil on top.
Note Fermented black bean, also called preserved black bean, is a type of fermented and salted soybean, known in Chinese as douchi. It is made by fermenting and salting black soybeans. The process turns the beans black, soft, and mostly dry. The aroma is sharp, pungent, and spicy in smell, with a taste that is salty and somewhat bitter and sweet. They are most widely used for making black bean sauce. It can be found in many Asian grocery stores.
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Copyright © 2013 by David Wang, Wang Renxiang, and Jo Brielyn. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
