Quick & Easy Chinese

by Nancie McDermott

2 tablespoons dry sherry or Shaoxing rice wine

  2 tablespoons orange juice

  1 tablespoon sugar

  2 teaspoons cornstarch

  ½ teaspoon dark soy sauce

  1 teaspoon salt

  2 tablespoons vegetable oil

  ½ cup shredded carrots

  ½ teaspoon Asian sesame oil

  3 tablespoons finely chopped green onion

  SERVES 4

  NOTE To use dried tangerine or orange peel, soak a small handful of pieces in warm water until they are softened and pliable, about 20 minutes. Drain well, and slice them into very thin strips. Cut strips crosswise to make very small pieces, about ½ inch by 1/8 inch.

  You can find dried orange or tangerine peel in Asian markets in small cellophane packages. You could also dry your own, removing the peel from a tangerine in a long spiral, scraping away some of the white pith, and setting it out for 3 to 5 days to dry completely at room temperature; it will still be pliable, like leather. Then store airtight, for up to 6 months.

  In a small bowl, combine the beef with the soy sauce and toss to season the meat evenly. Set aside for 10 minutes. Combine the orange peel, ginger, garlic, and red pepper flakes in a small bowl, and stir to mix them together lightly.

  In a medium bowl, combine the sherry, orange juice, sugar, cornstarch, dark soy sauce, and salt. Stir well to dissolve the cornstarch and mix everything into a smooth sauce.

  Heat the vegetable oil over high heat in a wok or a large, deep skillet. Scatter in the beef and its mariande and spread the beef out into a single layer. Let it cook undisturbed for about 15 seconds, and then toss well. Add the carrots and cook, tossing now and then, until the beef is no longer pink and the carrots are beginning to wilt, about 1 minute.

  Add the orange peel mixture and cook, tossing often, until it releases its fragrance, about 30 seconds.

  Add the orange juice mixture, pouring it in around the sides of the pan, and toss well. Cook, tossing now and then, until the beef is tender and evenly seasoned with the sauce. Add the sesame oil and green onion, toss well, and transfer to a serving dish. Serve hot or warm.

  SESAME BEEF

  This recipe works wonderfully as part of a party menu. There’s a quantity of meat to be thinly sliced; but once it has marinated, it needs only a quick stir-fry, since the marinade includes all the seasonings. Plan ahead so that you can leave the sliced beef in the marinade for at least an hour before cooking it, or let it marinate in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours. We love it with rice, a small platter of cucumber slices and halved cherry tomatoes, and a big salad. If toasting the sesame seeds is too much, replace them with 1 tablespoon of toasted Asian sesame paste or peanut butter, stirring it into the marinade before you add the beef.

  2 tablespoons white sesame seeds or

  1 tablespoon peanut butter or Asian sesame paste

  ¼ cup soy sauce

  3 tablespoons sugar

  2 tablespoons Asian sesame oil

  2 tablespoons finely chopped garlic

  ½ teaspoon salt

  ¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper

  1¼ pounds beef sirloin tip, tri-tip, or eye of round

  2 tablespoons vegetable oil

  ¼ cup finely chopped green onion

  SERVES 4 TO 6

  To toast the sesame seeds, heat a small, dry skillet over medium heat. Add the sesame seeds, and let them brown gently for 1 to 2 minutes, shaking the skillet and stirring them often to avoid burning. When most of the seeds are a handsome light brown and giving off a toasty aroma, scrape them out onto a small plate to cool. (If using peanut butter or Asian sesame paste, simply add it to the marinade along with the other ingredients.)

  In a medium bowl, combine the soy sauce, sugar, sesame oil, garlic, salt, and pepper. Stir to dissolve the sugar and mix everything together well.

  Grind the toasted sesame seeds in a spice grinder, or use a mortar and pestle, to make a very coarse, seedy paste. Or pile them up on a cutting board and chop them coarsely, stopping once or twice to scrape the seeds back into a mound. Scrape the toasted sesame seeds into the soy sauce marinade, and stir to mix well.

  Cut the beef across the grain into very thin slices, about 2 inches long. Transfer the sliced beef to the soy sauce marinade, turning to coat evenly. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or as long as 24 hours, turning occasionally to season all the beef evenly. (You could combine the marinade and the beef in a resealable plastic bag and then refrigerate the bag.)

  To cook the beef, heat the vegetable oil in a wok or a large, deep skillet over medium-high heat until very hot. Scatter in about half the beef and spread it out in one layer to cook on one side for about 1 minute. Toss well, and then turn the pieces so that the other side can cook, for up to 1 minute, until the color changes. Add half the green onion, toss well, and transfer to a serving platter. Allow the pan to heat up again, so that a bit of meat sizzles at once. Repeat with the remaining beef and its marinade and green onion. Serve hot or warm.

  SPICY BEEF IN LETTUCE CUPS

  This Szechuan-style dish is quite delicious, quick to prepare, and fun to eat. You can use flatter lettuce leaves, such as romaine or oak leaf lettuce, and fold them into small packets for eating. Or enjoy the filling in tortillas or pita bread, along with a handful of shredded lettuce and a dollop or two of spicy salsa. We love it with rice and greens for a weeknight supper.

  3 tablespoons soy sauce

  2 tablespoons dry sherry, white wine, or Shaoxing wine

  2 teaspoons cornstarch

  ½ teaspoon sugar

  ½ teaspoon salt

  ½ pound ground beef

  2 tablespoons vegetable oil

  2 tablespoons chopped fresh ginger

  1 tablespoon chopped garlic

  ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes

  3 tablespoons finely chopped green onion

  1 tablespooon Asian sesame oil

  About 20 cup-shaped lettuce leaves, such as Bibb, Boston, or iceberg

  SERVES 4

  In a small bowl, combine the soy sauce, sherry, cornstarch, sugar, and salt, and stir well to dissolve the cornstarch and combine everything into a smooth sauce.

  Place the ground beef in a medium bowl, and use a spoon to separate it into five or six big clumps. Add about half the soy sauce mixture, and gently mix the seasonings into the ground beef, using your hands or a large spoon. Set aside for 10 to 15 minutes.

  To cook, heat a wok or a large, deep skillet over medium-high heat until very hot. Add the vegetable oil; swirl to coat the pan, and then toss in the ginger and garlic. Cook for about 1 minute, tossing once, until fragrant but not browned.

  Crumble in the seasoned ground beef, and use your spatula or a big, slotted spoon to break it up and spread the meat out over the hot pan to help it cook evenly. Let it cook until it changes color on one side, 1 to 2 minutes.

  Toss the meat just enough to turn the uncooked side onto the hot pan, and let it cook another minute undisturbed. Then toss well, using your spatula to break up any large chunks. When the meat is cooked, add the red pepper flakes and the green onion, and toss well. Add the sesame oil and remove from the heat, tossing once more to mix everything well.

  Transfer to a serving plate and serve hot, warm, or at room temperature. Arrange lettuce cups on a serving platter, and fill each one with a spoonful or two of the cooked beef. Or provide lettuce cups and the serving plate of beef and invite guests to make up lettuce packets themselves.

  BEEF IN OYSTER SAUCE

  Savor this hearty dish with rice and either steamed broccoli or a salad of spinach leaves or crisp romaine in a fruity vinaigrette. You could add sliced shiitakes or button mushrooms along with the carrots, or toss in a cup of tiny peas to make it a one-dish supper, serving it in bowls over rice.

  2 tablespoons soy sauce

  1 tablespoon dry sherry or Shaoxing rice wine

  1 teaspoon cornstarch

  ¾ pound thinly sliced beef

  2 tablespoons oyster sauce<
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  1 tablespoon chicken stock or water

  1 teaspoon sugar

  ½ teaspoon salt

  2 tablespoons vegetable oil

  2 teaspoons chopped fresh ginger

  ¾ cup shredded carrots

  3 tablespoons thinly sliced green onion

  SERVES 4

  In a medium bowl, combine the soy sauce, sherry, and cornstarch, and stir to mix them well. Add the beef, toss to season it evenly, and set aside for 10 minutes. In a small bowl, combine the oyster sauce, chicken stock, sugar, and salt, and stir well.

  Heat the oil in a wok or a large, deep skillet. Add the ginger and toss well. Scatter in the beef and spread it out into a single layer over the surface of the pan. Let the beef cook undisturbed for 15 seconds, and then toss.

  Add the carrots and cook, tossing now and then, until they are shiny and softened, about 30 seconds. Add the oyster sauce mixture, pouring it in around the sides of the pan, and toss well.

  Cook, tossing often, until the beef is cooked and the sauce thickens and evenly coats the beef, about 1 minute more. Add the green onion and toss well. Transfer to a serving dish and serve hot or warm.

  pork

  SALT-AND-PEPPER PORK CHOPS, TAIWANESE-STYLE

  MU SHU PORK

  SWEET-AND-SOUR PORK

  PORK WITH BLACK BEAN SAUCE

  MA PO TOFU

  LION’S HEAD MEATBALLS

  CHAR SHIU PORK

  Pork is the favorite meat within Chinese cooking, treasured for its richness and flavor, and the myriad ways it can be prepared. Pigs have been raised for food in China for centuries and are utilized both in home cooking and in barbecue-specialty shops, cafés, noodle shops, dim sum parlors, and banquet halls.

  This chapter provides you with recipes for restaurant favorites including Sweet-and-Sour Pork (page 89), Mu Shu Pork (page 87), and Ma Po Tofu (page 93). My versions are streamlined to keep these classics doable in a Western home kitchen on a busy day, and I think you will find the resulting recipes to your liking.

  Boneless pork tenderloin is lean and easy to use, but it can also be dry. I often buy pork shoulder, pork butt, pork chops, or country-style ribs, dividing them into half-pound portions to freeze for future use.

  I hope you will also try several of the less-familiar dishes that don’t show up as often outside of communities where Chinese customers know their delights. Lion’s Head Meatballs (page 95), a simple and completely delicious casserole of gargantuan pork meatballs simmered with delectable Asian greens, is perfect with rice as the centerpiece for supper on a wintry night.

  Char Shiu Pork (page 98) is a definite make-in-advance item, but once you’ve marinated it and roasted it in the oven, you will have a versatile and luscious ingredient on hand for noodle dishes, sandwiches, and fried rice. Of course, you can simply serve it sliced and stir-fried with a dash of sesame oil to be eaten with Bok Choy Stir-Fried with Garlic (page 120) and rice or noodles. Pork with char shiu flavors is a quick route to the sweet, salty, and rich flavors of Chinese-style barbecued pork.

  Pork with Black Bean Sauce (page 92) is a rustic classic sure to become popular at your table. Salt-and-Pepper Pork Chops, Taiwanese-Style (page 85) are fantastic and fast, a memorable dish to share with family and friends.

  SALT-AND-PEPPER PORK CHOPS, taiwanese-style

  When my family arrives at the Taipei airport after our long journey from our North Carolina home, our first stop after baggage claim is the noodle shop located outside the main arrivals hall, en route to the bus ticket counters. Its menu of hearty, comforting street-food meals reminds us that the long journey was worthwhile and marks the beginning of another happy reunion with my husband’s family. In the original dish, a thin-cut bone-in pork chop is served atop a bowl of soup noodles or a small mountain of rice. I like to present it on a serving of Everyday Noodles with Sesame Oil (page 143). Plan ahead so that these delicious Taiwanese-style pork chops have an hour or more to marinate before cooking time.

  3 tablespoons soy sauce

  2 tablespoons cornstarch

  1 tablespoon sugar

  ¼ teaspoon salt

  1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

  1¼ pounds boneless, thin-cut pork loin chops (see Note)

  2 tablespoons vegetable oil

  SERVES 4

  NOTE To use bone-in thin-cut pork chops, buy about 1¾ pounds and allow a little extra cooking time.

  In a medium bowl, combine the soy sauce, cornstarch, sugar, salt, and pepper. Stir well to dissolve the sugar and cornstarch, and mix everything together into a smooth and flavorful marinade.

  Add the pork chops, turning to coat them evenly, and then cover and refrigerate for 1 hour, and up to 24 hours, turning now and then to season them well.

  To cook the pork chops, heat a large skillet over medium-high heat until very hot. Add the oil and swirl it to coat the pan well.

  Add the pork chops and their marinade in batches, cooking 1 to 2 minutes per side, until they are golden brown and cooked through. Transfer to a serving platter and serve hot or warm.

  MU SHU PORK

  I adore this northern Chinese–style dish, whether we eat it tucked into Mandarin Pancakes (page 179) seasoned with a little hoisin sauce or enjoy it as part of a rice-centered meal. Mu shu means “cassia blossom,” a delicate yellow flower which is suggested by the puffy chunks of softly scrambled eggs in the dish. This is my weeknight version of the classic dish, in which I’ve included fresh mushrooms, shredded napa cabbage, and carrots. I’ve omitted the traditional dried lily buds and cloud ear mushrooms, which require soaking and trimming before cooking.

  ½ pound thinly sliced pork (such as pork shoulder, pork butt, or thick-cut pork chops)

  2 tablespoons soy sauce

  3 tablespoons chicken stock

  2 tablespoons dry sherry or Shaoxing rice wine

  1 teaspoon salt

  ½ teaspoon sugar

  2 tablespoons water

  2 teaspoons cornstarch

  3 tablespoons vegetable oil

  2 large eggs, beaten well

  1 tablespoon chopped garlic

  2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh ginger

  ¾ cup shredded carrots

  ¾ cup thinly sliced fresh mushrooms

  2 cups shredded napa cabbage or

  3 cups baby spinach leaves

  2 teaspoons Asian sesame oil

  ¼ cup finely chopped green onion

  SERVES 4

  NOTE Though the pork for this dish is traditionally shredded into thin strips, sliced pork works fine. Instead of button mushrooms, you can use 3 ounces of fresh shiitakes. Cut away and discard the stems, and then cut their caps into thin strips, about ¼ inch wide, to make about 1 cup.

  Cut the pork crosswise, against the grain, into thin slices. Stack the slices and cut them lengthwise into shreds. Put the pork in a medium bowl, add the soy sauce, and toss to season it evenly. Set aside for 10 minutes.

  In a small bowl, combine the chicken stock, sherry, salt, and sugar, and stir to mix everything well. In another small bowl, combine the water and cornstarch and stir to mix evenly, leaving the spoon in the bowl so you can give it a final stir. Place a medium bowl by the stove to hold the eggs after they are scrambled.

  Heat a wok or a large, deep skillet over high heat. Add 1 tablespoon of the vegetable oil, and swirl to coat the pan.

  Add the eggs, and swirl to spread them out over the surface of the pan. Cook until the edges begin to set, and then gently pull them in and lift them up to expose most of the liquid to the hot pan. Toss gently, scooping and turning to let the eggs cook into soft, moist lumps. Transfer the eggs to the bowl and set aside. (Underdone is better than dry, as it will go back into the pan at the end of cooking.)

  Let the pan heat up again, and then add the remaining 2 tablespoons vegetable oil. Swirl to coat the pan. Add the garlic and ginger and toss well until fragrant. Add the pork and spread it out into a single layer. Cook 30 seconds undisturbed, and then toss well.

&
nbsp; Add the carrots and mushrooms and toss well. Cook, tossing often, until the pork has changed color, and the carrots and mushrooms are shiny and softening, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the napa cabbage and cook, tossing often, until it brightens in color and begins to soften, about 1 minute more.

  Add the chicken stock mixture and cook, tossing often, until the pork is cooked through and the vegetables are tender but not limp, 1 to 2 minutes more. Give the cornstarch mixture a good final stir, add it to the pan, and toss well just until the sauce begins to thicken.

  Add the sesame oil and green onion, along with the scrambled eggs, and toss gently, just to mix everything well. Transfer to a serving platter and serve hot or warm.

  SWEET-AND-SOUR PORK

  This recipe captures the sparkling flavors of classic sweet-and-sour dishes, without the heaviness and effort of frying battered chunks of pork. You’ll want lots of rice, noodles, couscous, or grains with which to savor the sauce. You can make this with chicken, shrimp, or tofu, adjusting the cooking time according to which protein you choose. The ingredient list looks long, but once you cook the simple sweet-and-sour sauce and stir together the seasonings for the pork, you’ll be just a toss or two away from an extraordinarily delicious and beautiful dish.

  2 tablespoons dry sherry or Shaoxing rice wine

  1 tablespoon soy sauce

  1 teaspoon salt

  FOR THE SWEET-AND-SOUR SAUCE

  2 tablespoons water

  2 teaspoons cornstarch

  ¼ cup chicken stock or vegetable stock

  2 tablespoons white vinegar

  2 tablespoons sugar

  2 tablespoons ketchup

  1 tablespoon pineapple juice from canned pineapple chunks, or orange juice

  FOR THE PORK

  2 tablespoons vegetable oil

  1 tablespoon chopped fresh ginger

  2 teaspoons chopped garlic

  ¾ cup coarsely chopped red and green bell peppers

  ½ cup coarsely chopped onion

  ½ cup canned or fresh pineapple chunks

  8 ounces thinly sliced pork

  3 tablespoons chopped green onion

  SERVES 4

  In a small bowl, combine the sherry, soy sauce, and salt and stir well.