Chinese Recipes
(Many thanks to Louisa Lam for the following recipes) Read the article here.

Soybean Curd (Tofu) with Sliced
Chinese Mushrooms and Dates(Serves 4)
This is a wonderful dish, very high in protein. The tofu is fried first and then drained 
several times before the sauce is added.
 
8 large cubes of Soybean Curd*
 1 Cup (2 dl) dried Chinese mushrooms
1 Cup (2 dl) pitted dried Chinese dates
1 clove garlic minced
1 small piece of ginger, minced
¼ Cup (2 fl oz / ½ dl / 65 ml) vegetable oil
1-2 Tbsp rice wine
1-2 Tbsp sesame oil
1-2 Tbsp oyster sauce
1-2 Tbsp soy sauce
2 Tbsp corn starch

Soak the mushrooms in one container and the dates in another container 
for 2-3 hours. Drain the mushrooms and slice them julienne. Drain the 
dates, cut in half and remove the pits.

Cut the Soybean cakes into smaller portions i.e. cut in half and then slice 
each half to make thinner portions. In a large wok, heat about ½ cup 
vegetable oil and fry the tofu slices 2-3 at a time until golden brown, set 
aside on a platter.

In a large wok, heat the vegetable oil, add the freshly minced garlic and 
ginger and cook for about ½ minute. Add the sliced mushrooms and 
dates, add about 4 Tbsp of water and 2 Tbsp cornstarch and heat 
through. Add the rice wine, soy sauce, and oyster sauce heat through. 
Drain the liquid off of the fried Soybean Curd and top with the 
mushroom-date sauce. Serve.

* Soybean Curd can be bought in most Asian shops as well as some 
delicatessen shops.

 

Sweet and Sour Pork
(Serves 4)
This sweet and sour pork recipe does not have the bones and grisly pork that the spare 
ribs can have. The meat in this dish is tender, tasty and quite easy to prepare. It is not 
quite as piquant as some of the more traditional Chinese sweet and sour pork dishes.
 
½ lb pork cut julienne
1 clove garlic, minced
1 small piece ginger, minced
3-4 Tbsp rice wine (sherry),
1-2 Tbsp oyster sauce
1 tsp sugar
1-2 Tbsp soy sauce
Salt and pepper

Mix rice wine, oyster sauce, sugar, soy sauce and a little salt and pepper and 
pour over the pork. Marinate over night.

In a wok, heat about ¼ cup oil and add the garlic and ginger and cook for ½ 
minute. Add the pork and cook until done, stirring constantly.

Sweet and Sour Sauce
1 small tins tomato pure (ca. 2-1/2 oz / 70 g)
1 tin pineapple, cubed and drained
Juice of ½ lemon
2-½ tsp sugar
1/8 tsp Five Spice Powder
¼ Cup (2 fl oz / ½ dl / 65 ml) vegetable oil
1-2 tomatoes cut into quarters.

Heat the oil in a wok and add the tomato pure, add the pineapple, lemon 
juice, sugar and Five Spice Powder. Stir constantly and heat through until 
mixture bubbles. Add the pork and heat through quickly over fairly high 
heat. Place on platter and decorate with tomato wedges and serve.

 

Spring Rolls

3 green bell (capsicum) peppers
1/2 head white cabbage
1/2 package (5-6 oz / 150 - 180 g) fresh bean
sprouts
1 lb lean pork
3-4 carrots
4-5 dried Chinese mushrooms (called fungi) 
soaked overnight, then shredded
1/2 package glass noodles
2-3 cloves of garlic
1 inch (3 cm) piece of ginger
1 package of spring roll wrappers - frozen
Large cast-iron wok
Vegetable oil
Salt to taste


Other spices optional*
Leave the spring roll wrappers in the sealed package and let them thaw out - about one hour. 

Pour boiling water on the noodles and let them rest in the water until soft. Drain the noodles. Add a little pork gravy or sauce and let the noodles soak.

Wash, remove seeds and slice the green bell peppers julienne. Wash and cut the white cabbage into thirds and then shred as fine as possible. Peel and cut the carrots into quarters, length wise, then dice into very small, thin cubes. You can also shred the carrots if that is easier. Sauté the vegetables in a little oil until lightly tender but still crisp or firm. Place all the vegetables in one bowl. Add the spices and salt. A little curry powder can be added to enhance the taste.

Wash and drain bean sprouts. Place in a bowl.

Mince the garlic and ginger. You can add more garlic and ginger if you like a stronger taste.

Cut the pork into smaller pieces and slice into small thin strips. The strips should be about 1 inch (3 cm) in length. Sauté the ginger and garlic in a little oil, add the meat and cook it until the meat is just lightly browned. Remove and place in a bowl. 

Mix a little flour and water into a thick paste.

Open the package with spring roll wrappers. Remove one sheet at a time and in the center place a small portion of vegetables, bean sprouts, then the pork and top with the glass noodles.

Take one corner of the wrapper and tuck it firmly under the filling. Take the right and left corners and fold them into the middle. Take a little of the flour paste and brush on the sides of the last corner, then roll the spring roll until the last corner is firmly rolled up. Set aside on a large platter. Continue until all the spring rolls are made.

In a large wok, place about 1/2 pint of vegetable oil and heat until quite hot. Place 2-3 spring rolls into the hot oil and cook until lightly brown. Remove and drain on paper towels. 

Serve the spring rolls as a starter or with the meal. Serve with sweet chili sauce, Chinese tomato sauce or soy sauce.

Other spices optional*
1 tsp soy sauce
1/2 tsp sugar
1 tsp rice wine
1 tsp sesame oil
1/2 tsp chili sauce or hoisin sauce
1-2 chopped spring onions

 


Stir-fried Chinese Radish

About 10 dried Chinese black fungi, soaked overnight
1 large Chinese radish
2 cloves garlic
3 tsp oyster sauce
1 fresh chili pepper, sliced.
Small piece of ginger (about 2 inches (5-6 cm) long
Oyster sauce
Vegetable oil
Optional:
pinch of sugar
a little soy sauce
a little sesame oil
a little chili sauce - if you like a bit more spice
finely chopped spring onion

Peel and slice the radish into fairly thin slices. Remove any core of the (if necessary) and slice them if you prefer them smaller. Peel and finely mince the garlic and ginger.

In the same wok you used for the spring roll, add a little oil and stir fry all ingredients until the radish turns a glassy but is still firm. Add the little oyster sauce, salt and water as needed. There should be a little liquid in the vegetables at all times while cooking or the radish will get too dry and begin to burn. When the vegetables are cooked, place in an oven-proof dish and keep hot while  preparing the rest of the feast.

 

 

Fried Tofu

4 large, thick pieces of tofu (about 3 or 4 inches 
(8 or 10 cm) square
Vegetable oil
5-6 Chinese mushrooms, soaked overnight
(these look more like the button mushrooms)
6-8 Dried red dates, soaked overnight, then shredded
4-5 Dried scallops, soaked overnight
2-3 cloves minced garlic
small piece of ginger, peeled and minced
Salt
Note: May add
pinch of sugar
sesame oil
finely shopped spring onion

Slice the tofu in half through the middle so that you have eight thinner pieces of tofu of the same dimensions (4 inches / 10 cm square). Pour a little oil in the large wok and shallow fry the tofu on each side, 2-3 pieces at a time to a light golden brown. Remove to an oven-proof dish. 

When all the pieces have been fried make the sauce by removing a little of the oil and leaving 2-3 tablespoons oil in the wok. Add the ginger and garlic and sauté 
gently. Drain the scallops, dates, and mushrooms, reserving the liquid of each. Add the drained scallops, dates and mushrooms to the garlic and ginger. Cook
gently for a few minutes then add the liquids from the drained scallops, dates and mushrooms. Add a little oyster sauce if you wish, add a little salt and thicken 
the sauce with a chicken-flavored gravy thickener. If you do not have a flavored gravy thickener, use a chicken bouillon (cube) cornstarch. Chop up the chicken 
bouillon and add it to about 2 tsp cornstarch, adding enough water to make a medium paste. Remove the wok from the heat and stir in the cornstarch mixture, 
place back on the heat and cook and stir until gravy is thickened. It should not be too thick. Pour the sauce over the tofu and set aside keeping hot.

 

 

Stir-fried Noodles

1 package of rice vermicelli
Vegetable oil
2-3 cloves garlic
Salt
Spices such as 5 spice powder, etc.
Piece of ginger (1-2 inches/3-5 cm)
200 g fresh or frozen shrimp
1/2 - 1 tsp yellow curry powder
1/2 package (5-6 oz / 150 -180 g) fresh bean
sprouts
Fresh or dried Chinese mushrooms, sliced
1 shredded carrot or other vegetables
2 green bell (capsicum) peppers
2 Tbsp oyster sauce
2 Tbsp soy sauce
2-3 Tbsp sweet chili sauce (optional)

 

Bring a large pot of water to boil. Remove from heat and place the rice vermicelli (noodles) in the hot water. Leave the noodles until they are just tender (about 2-4
minutes). Drain the noodles. 

Peel and mince the garlic and ginger. Wash, core and slice the green peppers julienne. Slice the mushrooms.

Pour a little oil (about 1/2 to 3/4 cup) and add the ginger and garlic and sauté lightly. Add the curry powder and fry lightly to bring out the flavor; add the oyster and soy sauces and sweet chili sauce. Add the bean sprouts, mushrooms and peppers and cook gently 2-3 minutes. Add a little boiling water to keep the sauce liquid. 

Reduce the heat to medium low and add the shrimp and noodles. Mix the noodles until they are coated with the sauce and no white patches appear. Add a little more oil if necessary so the noodles do not stick together. 

Remove noodles to an oven-proof dish and keep hot.

 

 

Fish Balls in Sweet Chili Sauce

2 packages cuttlefish balls *
3-4 Tbsp Thai sweet chili sauce
Vegetable oil
Salt
Optional: minced ginger and garlic
pinch of 5 Spice Powder
Little sesame oil
finely chopped spring onion

Pour a little oil (1-4 cup 1/2 dl) vegetable oil in the large wok, heat the oil and add the fish balls. Fry the fish balls until they turn a light golden brown. Add the sweet
chili sauce and continue cooking until the fish balls are well coated with the chili sauce. Remove the fish balls to an oven-proof dish and keep hot.

*Cuttlefish is like a squid but has a rounder body.


 

Sliced Chicken Simple

2 halves or 1 whole chicken breast
1 tsp Chinese black beans
Vegetable oil
Optional: finely chopped ginger and garlic
Salt
Pinch of ginger
A little rice wine or sherry
Oyster sauce
freshly sliced chili
Finely shopped spring onion
A little sesame oil 


Remove skin and bones from the chicken breast - if necessary - and slice into thin strips.

Pour a little vegetable oil (1/4 cup - 1/2 dl) in the large wok. When the oil is hot, add the chicken, the spices you wish to include and black beans. Sauté until the chicken is opaque or just cooked. Remove to an oven-proof dish and keep hot.

 

 

Boiled Rice

No Chinese meal is complete without rice. Cook one or two cups rice by following 

the directions on the package of your favorite type of rice.