To prepare the green beans, trim away the ends and pull off any strings. Chop the beans crosswise into 3-inch lengths.
Heat a wok or a large, deep skillet over high heat. Add the oil and swirl to coat the pan. Add the garlic and salt and toss until fragrant, about 15 seconds.
Scatter in the green beans and toss well until they are shiny and starting to brighten to a vivid green. Add the water, pouring it in around the sides of the pan, and toss well. Cook, tossing now and then, until the green beans are tender but still firm and the pan is almost dry.
Transfer to a serving plate and serve hot, warm, or at room temperature.
BOK CHOY STIR-FRIED with garlic
This simple home-style stir-fry has put bok choy on my weekly grocery list. Its bright white stalks and lush green leaves cook up into a remarkably delicious, pleasantly textured dish that tastes great with rice or noodles. Think of it as a delicious vegetable dish, a worthy companion to steak and baked potato, grilled salmon, or pasta tossed either with pesto, or with garlic and oil.
1¼ pounds bok choy
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 slices fresh ginger
2 teaspoons chopped garlic
1 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon sugar
2 tablespoons water
SERVES 4
Trim away and discard the bottom inch or so at the base of the bok choy, along with any tired outer leaves and stalks. Quarter the bok choy lengthwise, and then line up the spears. Cut crosswise into 2-inch lengths, and transfer the pieces to a large bowl. Tumble to loosen up all the leaves and pieces; you should have around 6 cups.
Heat a wok or a large, deep skillet over high heat. Add the oil and swirl to coat the pan.
Add the ginger, garlic, and salt and toss well. Scatter in the bok choy and toss well, until it is shiny and beginning to wilt, less than 1 minute.
Add the sugar and water and continue cooking, tossing now and then, until the leaves are vivid green and the stalks are tender but not limp, 1 to 2 minutes. Add a little more water if needed to prevent burning while cooking.
Transfer to a serving plate and serve hot or warm.
NAPA CABBAGE STIR-FRIED with ginger and green onion
Also known as Chinese cabbage or celery cabbage, this long, plump member of the cabbage family cooks to a pleasing sweetness. Beloved in soups and braised dishes, it makes a delicious, quick stir-fry to accompany a rice-centered meal. If you like dried shrimp, soak a handful in warm water, chop them coarsely, and toss them in with the ginger for a salty accent to this quickly prepared vegetable dish.
1¼ pounds napa cabbage
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 slices fresh ginger
1 teaspoon chopped garlic
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon water
2 tablespoons chopped green onion
1 teaspoon Asian sesame oil
SERVES 4
If you have a small head of napa cabbage, trim away 2 inches from the base and any tired outer leaves. Halve it lengthwise and then cut crosswise into 2-inch lengths. Measure about 6 cups. (If you have a large, plump head, halve it lengthwise, and then trim away the base and outer leaves from one half only, reserving the rest for another use. Halve the trimmed half lengthwise, and then cut crosswise into 2-inch lengths to get 6 cups.)
Heat a wok or a large, deep skillet over high heat. Add the vegetable oil and swirl to coat the pan.
Add the ginger, garlic, and salt and toss well. Scatter in the napa cabbage and toss well, until it is shiny and beginning to wilt, less than 1 minute.
Add the sugar and water and continue cooking, tossing now and then, until the leaves have brightened in color and are tender but not limp, 1 to 2 minutes. Add a little more water if needed to prevent burning while cooking.
Add the green onion and sesame oil and toss well. Transfer to a serving plate and serve hot or warm.
ASPARAGUS with ginger and sesame oil
Though I never heard of asparagus until I was fully grown and far from my North Carolina home, I adored it at once. Prep is as simple as snapping off the woody base of each stalk, and cooking time is short. Simply delicious hot from the pan or grill, it is also wonderful cold or at room temperature for quick suppers or a picnic lunch. Adjust cooking time to the size you find, remembering that slender stalks will cook more quickly than thick, sturdy ones will.
1 pound asparagus (about 1 standard bunch)
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
5 thin, quarter-sized slices fresh ginger
½ teaspoon salt
¼ cup water
1 teaspoon Asian sesame oil
SERVES 4
To prepare the asparagus, break off and discard the woody, pale-colored base of each stalk, about 2 inches. (Hold base in one hand and bend the stalk hard; the stalk will snap apart at the natural breaking point.)
Cut the usable part of the stalks on the diagonal into 2-inch sections, setting the tips aside in a small pile and the rest in a large pile.
Heat a large, deep skillet over medium-high heat for about 30 seconds. Add the vegetable oil and turn the pan to coat it evenly. Add the ginger and salt and cook, scooping and pressing the ginger and mixing the oil and salt, until the ginger is fragrant, about 15 seconds.
Reserving the tips, scatter in the asparagus and toss well. Cook, tossing now and then, until shiny and bright green, about 30 seconds. Add the tips and toss to mix everything well.
Add the water to the pan, pouring it in around the sides, and toss to mix well. Cook, scooping and turning now and then, until the asparagus is tender but still firm, and most of the water has cooked away, about 3 minutes. (Check by piercing with a fork to see if they are tender enough.)
Add the sesame oil and then toss to season well. Turn out onto a serving plate. Serve hot or warm.
CORN with tomatoes and edamame beans
This beautiful tumble of vegetables lights up a rice-centered meal, especially if it accompanies a pink pile of Grilled Ginger Shrimp (page 104), or boiled shrimp with cocktail sauce. In summertime we star it in a vegetable-centric supper, with slices of sweet, ripe tomatoes and cucumbers from the garden or farmers’ market, a cool green salad, and jalapeño cornbread on the side. You could use fresh corn cut right off the cob, or frozen or canned corn with delicious results.
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 teaspoons chopped garlic
2 slices fresh ginger
1 teaspoon salt
3 cups fresh, frozen, or canned corn kernels
1 cup frozen shelled edamame beans, baby lima beans, or tiny peas
3 tablespoons water
½ cup halved cherry tomatoes (see Note)
½ teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon Asian sesame oil
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
SERVES 4
NOTE Substitue chopped Roma tomatoes, chopping two of them coarsely and leaving behind most of their juice and seeds on your cutting board.
Heat a wok or a large, deep skillet over high heat. Add the vegetable oil and swirl to coat the pan.
Add the garlic, ginger, and salt, and toss well. Add the corn and toss to mix it with the oil. Add the edamame beans and toss to mix everything together well.
Add the water and cook, tossing often, until the corn and edamame beans are hot and tender. (If using fresh corn, add a little extra water and time here until it is cooked.)
Add the cherry tomatoes and sugar, and toss gently to mix them in evenly and heat them just a little. Add the sesame oil and cilantro, toss well, and transfer to a serving plate. Serve hot or warm.
COOL AND TANGY CUCUMBERS
These simple pickles can be prepared in advance or assembled an hour or two before you want to enjoy them. Small rods of cucumber marinated in a tangy sesame dressing work nicely as a relish with stir-fries, fried rice, or Pot Sticker Dumplings (page 23). This small batch can be doubled or tripled if you’re preparing
for a picnic or want to keep a supply on hand.
1 pound cucumbers, preferably English (hothouse) or Kirby pickling varieties
¾ teaspoon salt, divided
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar, apple cider vinegar, or white vinegar
1 tablespoon Asian sesame oil
2 teaspoons sugar
½ teaspoon finely chopped garlic
MAKES ABOUT 2 CUPS
NOTE If you love tangy flavors, make the dressing with Chinese vinegar, either dark Chenkiang vinegar or red vinegar, both of which are made from rice. You could also use balsamic vinegar, which has a deep richness along the lines of Chenkiang. Add a little Hot Chili Oil (page 175) or chili-garlic sauce if you want a little heat in the mix
Peel the cucumbers, leaving a little green on and peeling only the thinnest outer skin away if you have beautiful, fresh thin-skinned cucumbers. Trim away the ends and halve the cucumbers lengthwise. Using a spoon, scoop out and discard the seeds in the center of each cucumber half, hollowing each half out into little boats.
Cut each cucumber half crosswise into 2-inch lengths, and then cut each section lengthwise into sturdy little rods, about ¼ inch wide. Place them in a medium bowl and sprinkle with ½ teaspoon of the salt. Tumble them together to distribute the salt, and set them aside for 30 minutes to 1 hour.
Meanwhile, combine the remaining ¼ teaspoon salt in a medium bowl with the vinegar, sesame oil, sugar, and garlic. Stir to dissolve the sugar and salt and mix everything together well.
When the cucumbers are ready, rinse them well, and then pat them dry with kitchen towels or paper towels. Add them to the bowl of vinegar-sesame dressing and stir to season them evenly. Let stand 30 minutes and serve at room temperature. Cover and refrigerate, dressing and all, for up to 3 days.
BROCCOLI with garlic and ginger
Expect two requests: a copy of the recipe and a promise to bring it to the next gathering as well. It seems much too tasty to be so incredibly simple to cook, but it is just that. Once you’ve got the recipe in your hands and head (and that won’t take long, since it’s easy and you’ll want to make it again), you can put this on the table to round out any Asian-style rice-centered meal. I serve it with grilled salmon, meatloaf, and pasta carbonara, since it’s as easy to put together as a simple salad and it complements almost any main course.
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tablespoon chopped fresh ginger
1 teaspoon chopped garlic
1 teaspoon salt
12 ounces broccoli florets
3 tablespoons water or chicken stock
1 teaspoon Asian sesame oil
SERVES 4
Heat a work or a large, deep skillet over high heat. Add the vegetable oil and swirl to coat the pan.
Add the ginger, garlic, and salt, and toss well. Add the broccoli and toss until combined. Cook, tossing often, until the broccoli florets are vivid green and just starting to wilt, about 1 minute.
Add the water, pouring it in around the sides of the pan. Cook 2 to 3 minutes more, tossing now and then, until the broccoli is brilliant green and tender but still pleasingly crisp.
Add the sesame oil, toss well, and then transfer to a serving plate. Serve hot or warm.
rice
RICE PORRIDGE
EVERYDAY RICE
HAM-AND-EGG FRIED RICE
FRIED RICE WITH SHRIMP AND PEAS
YANGCHOW FRIED RICE
EIGHT-TREASURE FRIED RICE
Rice is sustenance in China, as it is in much of Asia, and every detail of traditional Chinese cuisine reflects this essential truth. Hallmarks of Chinese cooking include the intensity of seasonings, deep appreciation of variety in textures, shapes, and colors, the importance of including soup and a wide array of dishes plain and complex in one meal, and the positioning of meat more as a seasoning or accent rather than in the starring role. All these principles presume that people will be eating bowls and bowls and bowls of plain, unseasoned rice and that lots of bites from a variety of communal dishes will make for a nourishing, pleasurable, and satisfying meal.
We love rice in that plain, simple, cooked-in-water state, and we eat rice cooked in the rice cooker several nights a week. You may do the same, or you may love rice cooked with butter and salt, or a little olive oil. You may prefer brown rice or basmati rice, or rice pilaf with chicken stock, herbs, and spices. Rice in whatever form suits you will go wonderfully with the rice-centered dishes in this book. You can also substitute bread, couscous, barley, quinoa, pasta, noodles, or potatoes, as long as you include something of substance as a companion in terms of rounding out a meal and providing a platform of sorts for the stir-fries, soups, and stews included here.
This is a chapter of rice dishes, including a basic rice recipe, which is a formula for turning raw, dry grains of rice into soft, wonderful bites of cooked rice. Cooking rice is simple, but it’s also confounding and can cause frustration in wonderful cooks who can’t figure out why two simple things, rice and water, can’t turn into a third thing, good cooked rice, every single time.
If rice success eludes you, a rice cooker can bridge the gap, as can a coach, someone who knows how and will let you watch and will watch you over time, until you get the hang of it. You can also buy cooked plain rice from many Chinese restaurants for the asking, in quantity, and at a great price. Cooked rice keeps well and reheats beautifully in a microwave or steamer, so consider buying a supply to take home the next time you eat out. Then package it up for future rice meals if that helps you keep rice handy.
The remaining dishes include four versions of fried rice, which in Asia would always be a main course or one-dish meal, rather than an alternative to steamed rice as it is offered here. You can make fried rice as a take-along dish for potlucks and use it as a centerpiece dish for a gathering, with an array of dishes to accompany it, perhaps from the grill or from guests who bring something to share.
Rice porridge, also known as jook, congee, or moi, is beloved as a breakfast as well as a late-night pleasure throughout Asia. It is simple to make, and can serve as the main rice for any meal, as it often does in Taiwanese homes. Plan to serve it with salty tidbits such as ham, pickles, omelet strips, or roast chicken.
RICE PORRIDGE
Known as jook in Cantonese, shee fahn in Mandarin, and as congee in many English-language descriptions, this simple porridge is a mainstay of the Chinese table. Jook is beloved as a nourishing, easily prepared meal, ideal for small children, elderly people, and anyone who is ill. But don’t wait till you’re convalescing—Chinese people enjoy it as a simple breakfast, a late-night snack, and a substantial anchor to a dim sum feast. This basic version requires only a little rice and a lot of water, simmered together until the rice dissolves into a luscious soup. Jook comes with a selection of salty, hearty, or pungent accompaniments such as roast chicken, grilled seafood, smoked fish, salty egg or omelet strips, peanuts, chopped fresh ginger, and thinly sliced green onion. You can also serve it in place of rice or noodles to anchor an Asian-style meal.
½ cup long-grain or medium-grain rice
4½ cups water
SERVES 4 TO 6
NOTE Medium-grain or short-grain rice is ideal for making rice porridge, but long-grain rice works nicely, and since that is our house rice, that’s what I use in most cases. Some traditional versions call for less rice, more water, and a longer, slower cooking time. My version makes a thick, substantial soup, which you can thin to your liking by adding hot water gradually, just before serving time.
Rinse the rice in cool water and drain well. Add the 4½ cups of water and bring to a rolling boil. Stir well and then cook at a gentle but lively boil for 10 minutes, stirring often.
Adjust the heat to maintain a lively, active simmer, and cook, stirring now and then, until the rice has cooked down into a soft, thick porridge, about 45 minutes.
Serve hot or warm, in small bowls with soup spoons (Chinese-style porcelain soup spoons are ideal). Or set aside to cool and refrigerate, c
overed, for up to 1 day. To reheat, add about 1 cup water (it will have thickened a lot) and warm very gently over medium heat, stirring often, until steaming hot.
EVERYDAY RICE
This recipe makes a pot of plain, unseasoned rice, the perfect centerpiece to a meal of Chinese dishes. You may have a rice cooker, as I do, and enjoy the ease it provides on busy days. But I suggest you learn to cook rice, so that you will be ready to do so when you find yourself wanting to cook a Chinese meal in a friend’s kitchen, or on a camping trip.
1½ cups long-grain rice
2 cups water
SERVES 4
In a medium saucepan, rinse the rice in several changes of cool water, then drain it well.
Add the 2 cups of water to the pan and place it on the stove over medium heat. Let the rice come to a gentle boil and continue cooking until the rice begins to look dry, about 5 minutes.
Stir well and then cover the pan with a tight-fitting lid. Reduce the heat to low and cook 15 minutes more. Remove the covered pan from the stove and let it stand for 10 minutes undisturbed. Uncover and stir gently to fluff up the rice. Serve hot or warm.
HAM-AND-EGG FRIED RICE
My husband, Will, makes ham-and-egg fried rice better than anybody I know. He doesn’t measure or write things as he cooks, so this took a little detective work, but I finally got it down to share with you. Egg fried rice is a traditional Chinese dish, and the addition of ham is a hearty and pretty touch. This makes one fine supper on a busy Sunday evening.
4 cups cooked rice, cold or at room temperature
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
¼ cup chopped onion
4 ounces ham, chopped (about 1 cup)
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon sugar
3 well-beaten eggs
3 tablespoons chopped green onion
SERVES 4
Crumble the rice so that it breaks up into individual grains for easy stir-frying.
Heat a wok or a large, deep skillet over medium-high heat. Add the oil and swirl to coat the pan. Add the onion and cook, tossing often, for 15 seconds. Add the ham, salt, and sugar, and toss well.
Quick & Easy Chinese Page 9