Top Secret Restaurant Recipes 2
Page 20
7. Make the special sauce at the table by adding your desired measurement of mustard and chill sauce to the special sauce blend: I teaspoon each of mustard and chili sauce for mild, 2 teaspoons each for medium and 3 teaspoons of each for hot. Stir well.
8. Assemble lettuce wraps by spooning filling into a lettuce cup, adding special sauce over the top, folding the sucker up like a taco, then munching down upon it with reckless abandon.
• SERVES 2 TO 3 AS AN APPETIZER.
TIDBITS
Follow the directions on the package for frying the maifun (rice sticks)—usually by pouring 2 inches of vegetable oil into a pan and heating to around 400 degrees. Add maifun, a little at a time, and when it floats to the top remove it to a paper towel. The rapid noodle expansion is actually quite exciting.
Rather than powdered Chinese hot mustard, you can instead use the kind that comes already prepared in the bottle so that you don’t have to add water Your choice.
P. F. CHANG’S SHRIMP DUMPLINGS
MENU DESCRIPTION: “Served with a ginger chili pepper soy sauce. (Pan-fried or steamed.)”
Shrimp Dumplings from P. F. Chang’s are scrumptious mounds of shrimp and other yummy ingredients wrapped in wonton wrappers and steamed. You can also order them pan-fried, which makes the bottom of each little package a nice crispy brown. The dumplings are served with a soy-based dipping sauce that can be cloned by combining six ingredients in a saucepan. Recreating that part was easy. But those dumplings—oh, man! I must have gone through a couple boatloads of shrimp trying to figure out the best way to get my filling to hold together like the real thing. I tried adding egg and cornstarch and potato starch and flour to pureed cooked shrimp, but all I got was a shrimp mush that made the dumplings starchy and less flavorful than the real deal. It was only when I remembered hearing about how years ago shrimp molds were created into which pureed raw shrimp was poured and then cooked, creating uniform shrimp shapes that still had the taste and texture of unprocessed shrimp. No binders necessary. So get out your food processor and prepare yourself for the not-so-pretty sight of pulverized raw shrimp. At least you don’t have to worry about the size of the shrimp you buy for this recipe, since you’re going to mash up the little dudes anyway.
SAUCE
½ cup water
¼ cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
I tablespoon chopped green
onion (green part only)
½ teaspoon chili oil
FILLING
½ pound raw shrimp (peeled and
deveined)
1 tablespoon finely minced carrot
I tablespoon finely minced green
onion
1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
½ teaspoon minced fresh garlic
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon granulated sugar
8 wonton wrappers
1. egg, beaten
1. Make dipping sauce by simmering ingredients over medium heat for 1 minute. Remove the sauce from the heat and set it aside to cool.
2. Make shrimp filling for the dumplings by pureeing the shrimp in a food processor until it makes a smooth paste. Add carrot, green onion, ginger, garlic, salt, and sugar and pulse the food processor a couple times to mix.
3. Measure a heaping tablespoon of this filling into the center of a wonton wrapper. Brush beaten egg on each of the top four edges. Bring two opposite corners up to meet in the middle and press together over the filling. Bring the other two opposite corners up and pinch all the edges together making a square package with sealed edges. Repeat with the remaining ingredients and let the dumplings sit for about ten minutes in the refrigerator so that the “egg glue” sets up.
4. Prepare a steamer with hot water When the water is simmering and steaming nicely drop in the dumplings (four at a time if your steamer is small) and steam them for 15 minutes. Serve these immediately if you want steamed dumplings. To clone the pan-fried version heat up some vegetable oil that’s about ¼-inch deep in a skillet over medium heat. When the oil is hot place the steamed dumpling with the flat side down in the oil and saute for a couple of minutes or until the bottom is golden brown. Serve with the dipping sauce.
• SERVES 2 TO 4 (MAKES 8 DUMPLINGS).
P. F. CHANG’S GARLIC SNAP PEAS
MENU DESCRIPTION: “Stir-fried with garlic.”
This is a standard side dish at the country’s hottest Chinese dinner chain, and it’ll take you just a couple minutes to duplicate at home as a good veggie side for any entrée, Chinese or otherwise. It’s especially good when you’re pressed to slam together a last-minute vegetable to go with tonight’s dinner. You can certainly stay traditional and use a wok for this, but I always just use a medium-size nonstick skillet. The trick is to saute the snap peas quickly over pretty high heat, tossing often, until they’re hot, yet still crispy and bright green. You get the garlic in right at the end, and then quickly pop it off the heat so the garlic doesn’t scorch. You don’t want anyone getting “bitter garlic face.”
2 cups fresh sugar snap peas
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
⅛ teaspoon salt
dash ground black pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced
1. Prepare snap peas by cutting off the tips on each end of the pods.
2. Preheat oil in a wok or medium skillet over medium/high heat.
3. Saute snap peas in oil with salt and black pepper for 2½ to 3 minutes, tossing often, until peas are cooked, but still crispy.
The pods should begin to get a few dark brown scorched spots developing on them when they’re done. Add minced garlic, toss a bit more, then immediately pour the snap peas out onto a serving platter. If you keep the garlic in too long it could burn and get bitter on you, so don’t leave it in the hot pan for any longer than about 10 seconds.
• SERVES 2 TO 4.
P. F. CHANG’S CHANG’S SPICY CHICKEN
MENU DESCRIPTION: “Lightly dusted, stir-fried in a sweet Szechwan sauce. (Our version of General Chu’s.)”
The sweet and spicy zing in the secret sauce sets this recipe apart as one of P. F. Chang’s top picks. If you’re looking for something simple to make with those chicken breasts sitting in the fridge, this is a good choice. Once the sauce is finished all you have to do is saute your chicken and combine. And you’ll probably want to make up a little white or brown rice, like at the restaurant. If you can’t find straight chili sauce for this recipe, the more common chili sauce with garlic in it will work just as well.
SAUCE
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons chopped garlic
(3 to 4 cloves)
3 tablespoons chopped green
onions (about 3 onions)
1 cup pineapple juice
2 tablespoons chili sauce
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
4 teaspoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon soy sauce
2 tablespoons water
½ teaspoon cornstarch
1 cup vegetable oil
2 skinless chicken breast fillets
⅓ cup cornstarch
1. Make the sauce by heating 2 teaspoons vegetable oil in medium saucepan. Saute the garlic and onion in the oil for just a few seconds, not allowing the ingredients to burn, then quickly add the pineapple juice, followed by chili sauce, vinegar, sugar, and soy sauce.
2. Dissolve cornstarch in 2 tablespoons water and add it to the other ingredients in the saucepan. Bring mixture to a boil and continue to simmer on medium/high heat for 3 to 5 minutes or until thick and syrupy.
3. Heat I cup vegetable oil in a wok or a medium saucepan over medium heat.
4. While oil heats up, chop chicken breast fillets into bite-size pieces. In a medium bowl, toss chicken pieces with cornstarch until dusted.
5. Saute coated chicken in the hot oil, stirring occasionally, until light brown. Remove chicken to a rack or paper towels to drain for a mo
ment. Pour chicken into a medium bowl, add sauce and toss well to coat chicken. Serve immediately with rice on the side.
• Serves 2.
P. F. CHANG’S DAN-DAN NOODLES
MENU DESCRIPTION: “Scallions, garlic and chili peppers stir-fried with ground chicken nesting on hot egg noodles. Garnished with shredded cucumber and bean sprouts.”
To clone P. F. Chang’s take on this traditional Chinese noodle dish you should use a wok, but I found that a large saucepan works well too. Saute a couple chicken breasts ahead of time and give them a chance to cool so you can finely mince them up. The menu says the chicken is “ground” but it’s actually more of a fine mince. Get out the cleaver, if you’ve got one, and chop away. Or just use a big chef’s knife. You can prepare the chicken ahead of time and keep it covered in the fridge until you’re ready to make the dish. Once you’ve got the chicken hacked up, you’ll have tasty noodles on the table in less than 10 minutes.
2 skinless chicken breast fillets,
cooked and minced
(approx. 2 cups)
1 6-ounce pkg. chow mein
noodles, cooked
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tablespoon minced garlic
¼ cup chopped green onions
(green part only)
6 tablespoons soy sauce
½ cup chicken broth
¼ cup dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon chili-garlic sauce
4 teaspoons cornstarch
½ cup water
GARNISH
½ cup julienned English cucumber
½ cup bean sprouts
1. Cook chicken fillets first by simply sautéing them in a skillet in a little oil for 10 to 12 minutes. Let the chicken fillets cool, and then mince them into little bits with a sharp knife.
2. Prepare noodles following the directions on the package: boil noodles for 3 to 5 minutes in 8 to 10 cups water
3. Make sauce by heating oil over medium heat in a saucepan or wok. Add garlic and green onion and saute for just a few seconds, being careful not to burn the garlic. Add the soy sauce, chicken broth, brown sugar and chili-garlic sauce. Combine the cornstarch with ½ cup water and stir it into the sauce. Simmer sauce for about 2 minutes or until it thickens.
4. When the sauce is thick, add the chicken and simmer for an additional 5 minutes.
5. Pile cooked noodles onto a serving plate. Spoon chicken and sauce over the top of the noodles, then garnish with julienned cucumber on one side and bean sprouts on the other
• SERVES 4.
P. F. CHANG’S LEMON PEPPER SHRIMP
MENU DESCRIPTION: “Stir-fried with chives and bean sprouts,”
Chefs at P F. Chang’s China Bistro cook most dishes in heavy woks over extremely high heat with sparks flying and flames nipping at their noses. The special stove is designed so that the tall fires work at the back end of the wok, away from the chef The well-ventilated stove is built with a steady stream of running water nearby to thin sauces and rinse the woks after each dish is prepared. Since we don’t have those phat, bad-boy stoves at home, the challenge is to tweak the recipe for standard kitchen equipment. Using a gas stove and a wok will get you the best duplicate, but this recipe can be knocked off nicely with a large skillet, if that’s all you’ve got. Things are moving fast back in those P. F. Chang’s kitchens. The chefs are well-trained, but they eyeball measurements for sauces with a ladle, so each wok-prepared dish is going to come out a little different. Considering this, I figured the best way to get a good clone would be to order the dish several times. I averaged the flavors by combining several batches of sauce (requesting extra on the side) into one large bowl, and then used that mixture to create the recipe. This technique works great for recipes like this one where the sauce is key, and measurements at the restaurant aren’t exactly scientific. The shrimp is lightly breaded—they use potato starch, but cornstarch is a good substitute—and flash fried in oil. Strain the shrimp out of the oil, add it back to the pan with the sauce, and you’ve got yourself a clone.
SAUCE
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 tablespoons chopped
garlic
½ teaspoon minced
ginger
cup soy sauce
cup water
2 teaspoons cornstarch
¼ cup dark brown sugar
2 teaspoons lemon juice
2 teaspoons coarse grind black
pepper
I pound medium raw shrimp
(31/40 count), shelled and
deveined
½ cup cornstarch
1 cup vegetable oil
4 thin lemon slices, each cut into
quarters
GARNISH
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
2 large green onions
1 cup bean sprouts
1. Make sauce by heating 1 tablespoon oil in a wok or large saucepan over medium heat. Saute garlic and ginger in the hot oil for about 15 seconds being careful not to burn the garlic. Add the soy sauce, then dissolve cornstarch in the water and add the mixture to the pan. Add brown sugar, lemon juice and black pepper and bring mixture to a boil. Simmer for two minutes then remove it from the heat.
2. Coat all the shrimp generously with cornstarch. Let the shrimp sit for about five minutes so that the cornstarch will adhere better
3. Heat a cup of oil in a wok or large skillet over medium heat. Add the shrimp to the pan and saute for 3 to 4 minutes or until the shrimp start to turn light brown. Strain the shrimp out of the oil with a slotted spoon or spider and dump oil. Replace shrimp back in the wok along with the lemon slices, saute for a minute, then add the sauce to the pan. Toss everything around to coat the shrimp thoroughly. Cook for another minute or so until the sauce thickens on the shrimp.
4. As the shrimp cooks, heat up I teaspoon of oil in a separate medium saucepan. Cut the green part of the green onions into 3-inch lengths. Add those green onion slices and bean sprouts to hot oil along with a dash of salt and pepper. Saute for a couple minutes until green onions begin to soften.
5. Build the dish by pouring the green onions and sprouts onto a serving plate. Dump the shrimp over the veggies and serve.
• SERVES 2.
P. F. CHANG’S MONGOLIAN BEEF
MENU DESCRIPTION: “Quickly cooked steak with scallions and garlic.”
Beef lovers go crazy over this one at the restaurant. Flank steak is cut into bite-size chunks against the grain, then it’s lightly dusted with potato starch (in our case we’ll use cornstarch), flash-fried in oil, and doused with an amazing sweet soy garlic sauce. The beef comes out tender as can be, and the simple sauce sings to your taste buds. I designed this recipe to use a wok, but if you don’t have one a skillet will suffice (you may need to add more oil to the pan to cover the beef in the flash-frying step). P. F. Chang’s secret sauce is what makes this dish so good, and it’s versatile. If you don’t dig beef, you can substitute with chicken. Or you can even brush it on grilled salmon.
SAUCE
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
½ teaspoon minced
ginger
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
½ cup soy sauce
½ cup water
¾ cup dark brown sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
1 pound flank steak
¼ cup cornstarch
2 large green onions
1. Make the sauce by heating 2 teaspoons of vegetable in a medium saucepan over medium/low heat. Don’t get the oil too hot or you’ll get a major spatter when adding the other liquids. Add ginger and garlic to the pan and quickly add the soy sauce and water before the garlic scorches. Dissolve the brown sugar in the sauce, then raise the heat to about medium and boil the sauce for 2 to 3 minutes or until the sauce thickens. Remove it from the heat.
2. Slice the flank steak against the grain into ¼-inch thick bite-size slices. Tilt the blade of your knife at about a forty-five degree angle to the top of the steak so that
you get wider cuts.
3. Dip the steak pieces into the cornstarch to apply a very thin dusting to both sides of each piece of beef. Let the beef sit for about 10 minutes so that the cornstarch sticks.
4. As the beef sits, heat up one cup of oil in a wok (you may also use a skillet for this step as long as the beef will be mostly covered with oil). Heat the oil over medium heat until it’s nice and hot, but not smoking. Add the beef to the oil and saute for just two minutes, or until the beef just begins to darken on the edges. You don’t need a thorough cooking here since the beef is going to go back on the heat later. Stir the meat around a little so that it cooks evenly. After a couple minutes, use a large slotted spoon or a spider to take the meat out and onto papertowels, then pour the oil out of the wok or skillet. Put the pan back over the heat, dump the meat back into it and simmer for one minute. Add the sauce, cook for one minute while stirring, then add all the green onions. Cook for one more minute, then remove the beef and onions with tongs or a slotted spoon to a serving plate. Leave the excess sauce behind in the pan.