Chinese food.

[SarahJane]

Has anybody got any good chinese recipes?

Chinese cuisine is something I have never dabbled in but would like to give it a go.

Some easy recipes to start with please!

[MKG]

I do have the recipe for Heavenly Sea Squirt somewhere. I think you'll want something a little more palatable, so I'll keep my eyes open.

[Pilsbury]

chinese chicken noodle soup

ingrediants
good chicken stock
chopped cooked chicken
cooked fine egg noodles
chinese leaf or green cabbage finely shredded
cornflour
a beaten egg
chinese five spice
soy sauce to serve

method
we make our own stock from a left over carcass and pick the meat off to add
bring the stock to a simmer and add the five spice
add the shredded cabbage, chicken and noodles and bring to a gentle boil
mix up the cornflour with a little water and stir in and allow to thicken
holding the bowl of egg about 8-12 inches above the pan pour in the egg moving the bowl so it forms ribbons
heat gently for 3 mins and then serve with a splash of soy sauce

[possum]

sorry posted on wrong thread initially, but I woul reccommend any recipe from any of Ken Homs books, they are authentic, but explain strange ingredients and suggest alternatives

[MrFalafel]

I make this all the time. It tastes just like the stuff you get from a Chinese restaurant. You can subsitute chicken breast for the tofu.

The chili garlic paste and brown bean paste can be found in Chinese markets or online. They really make the flavour authentic.

Sichuan Kung Pao ‘Chicken'

12-14 ozs firm tofu, cut into strips
1 tbsp light soy sauce
2 tbsp cornstarch
1/8 tsp white pepper
1 tbsp oil
4 green onions, cut diagonally into 3/4 inch pieces
2 tsp minced garlic
1 tbsp chili garlic paste
1 red bell pepper, seeded and cut into 3/4 inch squares
1 tbsp brown bean paste
1/2 cup cold vegetarian broth
1 tbsp cornstarch
1 tsp light unbleached sugar
1 cup unsalted roasted peanuts or cashews, chopped

Mix the tofu with the soy sauce, 2 tsp cornstarch and white pepper.
Heat a wok or heavy skillet over high heat. when hot, add the oil.
When the oil is hot, add the tofu and stir-fry until lightly browned.
Add the green onions, garlic and chili garlic paste. Stir fry for 1
minute.

Add the bell pepper and brown bean paste. Stir fry for 2 minutes.

Stir the broth, 1 tbsp cornstarch and sugar together, and add to the
pan. Stir until thickened. Sprinkle the peanuts on top and serve
immediately with rice.

---------------------
Hunan Hot and Sour Vegetarian "Duck"
This one is amazing, too. Subsitute chicken breast for the mock duck if so desired.

2 10oz cans vegetarian "roast duck" gluten (seitan) (mun chai'ya) (can be found online or in Holland and Barrett or Chinese markets)
1 tbsp oil
1 small green pepper, seeded and cut into 1 inch squares
1/2 cup sliced celery
1/2 cup thinly sliced carrots
1 tbsp fermented black beans, mashed with a fork
1/2 tbsp minced garlic
1 tbsp fresh grated ginger
1 tsp chili garlic paste
1 cup vegetarian broth
2 tbsp light soy sauce
2 tbsp rice, cider or white wine vinegar
2 tbsp dry sherry
1 tsp cornstarch dissolved in 1 tbsp cold water

Rinse the gluten in a colander and cut it into bite size pieces. Heat
a large wok or heavy skillet over high heat until very hot. Add the
oil. When the oil is hot, add the gluten and stir fry for a couple of
minutes. Add the vegetables, black beans, garlic, ginger, chili garlic
paste and broth. Boil for 1 minute. Add soy sauce, vinegar and sherry,
turn down the heat and simmer for 4 to 6 minutes. Add the dissolved
cornstarch and stir until thickened. Serve immediately

------------------------------

Szechuan Noodles
Subsitute normal ham for veggie ham, if desired. This one is really easy.

1 lb spaghettini
4 green onions, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup cold water
1 tsp veggie broth powder
1 tsp cornstarch
1/3 cup soy sauce
2 tbsp ketchup
1 tbsp vinegar
1 tbsp chili paste (chili bean paste, chili garlic paste, or hot
salsa)
1 tsp unrefined sugar
1/4 cup chopped vegetarian 'bacon' or 'ham' or 2 tbsp soy bacon chips
soaked
in 2 tbsp boiling water
1/4 cup chopped dry-roasted peanuts
2/3 cup chopped, peeled cucumber, zucchini or celery
1 (10oz) pkg frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed

Cook the pasta according to the directions on the package.

Heat a large, lightly oiled non-stick wok or skillet. Add and steam
fry the green onions and garlic for about 2 minutes. mix the water,
broth powder, cornstarch, soy sauce, ketchup, vinegar, chili paste and
sugar. Add this to the pan and stir until it boils.

Add the vegetarian 'ham', peanuts, cucumber and spinach. Stir quickly
over high heat until everything is hot. Drain the pasta quickly and
add to the skillet/wok. Toss quickly and serve immediately.

------------

And the best for last! This is so good and easy to make.

Dan Dan Noodles

I think you can subsitute cooked ground beef for the TVP.

4oz thin rice noodles or 6 oz spaghettini or Japanese soba noodles or
angel hair pasta
1 1/2 cups hot vegetarian broth
2 tbsp peanut butter

Sauce:
1 tbsp oil
1 medium onion, chopped
4 dried Chinese black mushrooms, soaked in hot water for 20 minutes,
stems discarded and sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
optional: 1 tbsp chopped Sichuan pickled vegetables
1/3 cup TVP granules soaked in 1/4 cup boiling water or 1/2
cup vegetarian hamburger crumbles
1 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tbsp brown bean paste or light miso
1 tbsp chili garlic paste
1/2 tbsp cornstarch mixed with 2 tbsp cold water
2 tbsp chopped green onion
1 tbsp roasted sesame oil

Boil the noodles in plenty of water according to packet instructions.
Drain in a colander.

Mix the hot broth with the peanut butter. Keep warm.

Heat a wok or heavy skillet over high heat. When it’s hot, add
the oil. When the oil is hot add the onion, mushrooms and garlic and
the pickled vegetables, if using. Stir-fry until the onions soften,
adding a bit of water as necessary to prevent scorching. Add the
textured soy protein, soy sauce, brown bean paste and chili paste.
When it bubbles, stir in the cornstarch mixture and stir until
thickened. Remove from heat.

Run hot water over the noodles, drain, and divide them between 2
heated soup bowls. Heat the broth if necessary and pour over the
noodles. Divide the sauce evenly between the two bowls, top with the
chopped green onions and drizzle with the sesame oil. Serve
immediately.

[Brij]

I love cooking Chinese food! Play around with adapting these...

------------------
Egg-Drop Soup
------------------

(makes 2 portions)

400ml water (roughly),
Chicken stock cube,
Handful beansprouts (mungo beans),
1 med. mushroom,
handful sliced brocolli,
2tsp cornflour, dissolved in a minimal amount of cold water
1 egg (whisked)

or whichever veg you fancy... would advise you avoid onion though, it gives the soup a bitter taste

In a small saucepan, heat water and dissolve stock cube.
Add sliced veg.
Simmer until veg is slightly soft (adding things like brocolli, which take longer to cook, sooner, mushrooms take about 5 mins, and I add the beansprouts right at the end of this step, as they are gorgeous crunchy!)
Take soup off heat, Add cornflour (adjust amount of cornflour according to how thick you want the soup)
Bring soup back to simmer,
Slowly add the whisked egg. It should leave "trails" in the soup.

Yum yum!

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sweet and sour (chicken, pork, prawns are good, tofu or veg are ok too)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

(makes 2-3 servings)

125ml vinegar (white wine is recommended, though I use Jerez vinegar)
90g sugar (caster - but I have heard of people preferring brown sugar)
1 tin pineapple chunks (or rings sliced into chunks) - I sometimes substitute this tin for 10g extra sugar, to make it even richer
2tsp cornflour, dissolved in small amount of cold water (as little as possible)
Meat or vege substitute of choice, cooked through, in chunks, strips or whatever takes your fancy... I sometimes roll (pork especially) in cornflour after cooking
1 small green pepper, sliced into chunks
1 small (brown or white) onion, sliced into chunks
Sweet chilli sauce, soy sauce, ketchup, 1tsp finger- my choice of "flavourings"

In a small saucepan, dissolve the sugar in the vinegar.
Simmer, adding any tinned pineapple (juice and all) plus any "flavourings" you want
Add cornflour
Simmer until thick,
Add onion, green pepper, meat, prawns or vege substitute of choice
Simmer for around 15-18 mins, or until onion is soft-ish

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Faux-satay vermicelli
-------------------------

(4 servings)

100g vermicelli noodles (aka Rice noodles, angel hair noodles) - if you can't get any of these, egg noodles will do
Handful dried (not salted) peanuts, very finely chopped (or 2-3 dessert spoons of peanut butter)
250ml coconut milk (about 50ml if any, if you are using peanut butter)
Chilli sauce (sweet chilli is the one I prefer), or chilli powder, or even curry paste/powder - whatever your preferred spicy stuff is!
2-3 cloves garlic, crushed
Sesame oil
Veg selection (I use a handful of each of beansprouts, of sliced mushrooms, onion and/or carrots - onions are a must, but stick in whatever other veg you want)
Tofu, cut into cubes, gently fried in sesame oil (or cooked chicken cubes)

If using fresh peanuts: boil (in a covered saucepan) the peanuts and coconut milk. Add water if you need to top-up. Boil this for ages (more than 1 hour maybe) until the peanuts are soft and you end up with a nice mush.

In a small amount of sesame oil, fry onions until soft, add peanut-mush (or peanut butter + any coconut milk)
Stir in crushed garlic, chilli/curry flavouring to taste
Add any veg that takes a while to cook through,
Cook gently (slightly bubbling) for 5 mins, this is a good time to boil up the noodles.
Add tofu (or chicken) to the "satay pan", cook gently for a further 5 mins, good time to drain noodles, run them under cold water until cold to the touch, then massage some sesame oil into them (this is especially important for non-egg noodles)
Add remainder of veg, continue to cook for another 5 mins
Add noodles, stir fry on high heat until noodles are hot through

This recipe can use the tofu and vermicelli, to be totally vegan, if you want

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That's all I can think of right now, I'm not very good at recording recipes (cooking for me is a mess-filled playtime!) but this is how I make stuff, with estimated quantities.

I'll add more recipes if I can remember them

[sub]

Made this last night - but only used broccoli and baby spinach as the greens and didn't use coconut cream, just a bit of extra coconut milk...

I reckon next time i'd blanch/quickly steam, for at least couple of minutes, the broccoli before wokking it!

Maybe not chinese but definitely oriental.

http://uktv.co.uk/food/recipe/aid/600495

Ingredients
1 green chilli, roughly chopped
1 garlic clove, roughly chopped
1 knob Ginger, finely sliced
oil, for frying
1/2 tsp Turmeric
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp Garam masala
100ml coconut milk
50g coconut cream
300ml chicken stock
1-2 chicken breasts
2 blocks medium egg noodles
1 head Broccoli
3 stems purple sprouting broccoli
2 Spring onions
5 wild garlic leaves
15 baby spinach leaves
1 splash Soy sauce

1. Pound together the chilli, garlic and half the ginger using a pestle and mortar. Heat a slick of oil in a frying pan and cook the mixture until aromatic.

2. Add all the spices and heat through. Stir in the coconut milk, coconut cream and chicken stock. Simmer for 20 minutes to cook and reduce.

3. Meanwhile cook the chicken breast on a hot griddle for 6-8 minutes on each side, or until cooked through. Leave to rest for 5 minutes, then slice.

4. Cook the noodles following packet instructions and drain.

5. Stir-fry the vegetables in a wok until tender, finishing with a few splashes of soy sauce and the remaining ginger.

6. Put the noodles into serving bowls with the stir-fried vegetables and chicken slices on top. Pour over the coconut sauce.

[SarahJane]

Thanks for all the recipes! They are going to keep me busy for a while!

[Thurston Garden]

When I was in the Navy we often had the joys of being in Portland Harbour near Weymouth on the south coast. It was where ships went for very intense 6 week training courses before deploying. It was hell.

The up side was that an old Chinese couple were allowed to bring their "Chogi Wagon" Bet you can't call it that now into the dockyard. It was a converted ice cream van and the couple cooked to order in front of you. The food was absolutely fantastic and was the (only) highlight of Portland. There was always a very long queue for the Wagon they must have made some money but they worked very hard!

I have only one Indian recipe that I can do, but would love to perfect a good Chinese chicken recipe to put our Sasso hens to good use!

[chadspad]

I see that Brij has done the sweet & sour sauce, Ive got the recipe for the chicken balls to go with it. Theyre really, really easy and they make chicken go such a long way! The measurements are American but ive kinda sorted them into 'normal' lol. Perhaps someone can advise properly with the measurements. I suppose it could also be done with any type of meat or prawns.

chicken balls
3 1/2lbs chicken
2 cups (100g per cup) flour
1tbsp baking powder
2 cups of cornstarch
1 tbsp sugar
2 2/3 cups water (think this is 300ml per cup)
Lots of oil for frying

Mix the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, sugar & water together in a bowl. It makes a sort of gloopy mixture, dont make it too runny. Cut the chicken into small bitesize pieces and add to the mixture. Heat oil in chip-pan or shallow pan, add pieces of chicken in batter and fry for 5 mins. Thats it - easy as and theres loads of it. Ive never had any cornstarch so just use normal flour and it works just as well.


Deep fried shredded beef

This is not perfect to the chinese restaurant recipe but its really good and my hubby loves it. Again it makes a little bit of beef go a really long way!

4 eggs
4 ounces corn starch (I just use flour)
1 pound beef
2 cups veg oil
3 carrots
2 spring onions
2 chillis
3 clovbes garlic
6 tsp sugar
2 tbsp soy sauce
4 tbsp wine vinegar

Mix eggs, flour, cornstarch & toss the beef in it. Heat oil in wok. Stir-fry beef for 1 1/2 mins. Drain. Cook carrots & drain. Pour off most of the oil, leave about 1 1/2 tbsp. Reheat and add onions, chillis, garlic. Stir-fry for 30 seconds, add sugar, soy sauce & vinegar. Return the meat and carrots. Done. Yummy[/b]