The Everything Chinese Cookbook (66 page)

½ pound Chinese broccoli (gai lan)

1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon oyster sauce

2 teaspoons soy sauce

½ teaspoon sugar

¼ cup water

2 tablespoons oil for stir-frying

2 slices ginger

1 teaspoon tapioca starch

4 teaspoons water

1. Blanch the gai lan by plunging briefly into boiling water, until the stalks turn a bright green. Drain thoroughly. Separate the stalks and leaves. Cut the leaves across, and cut the stalks thinly on the diagonal.
   
2. Combine the oyster sauce, soy sauce, sugar, and water. Set aside.
   
3. Add oil to a preheated wok or skillet. When oil is hot, add the ginger slices. Stir-fry briefly until aromatic. Add the gai lan stalks. Stir-fry for a minute, then add the leaves. Stir-fry until the leaves turn a bright green. Add the oyster sauce mixture. Turn down the heat and cook, covered, for 4–5 minutes.
   
4. Mix the tapioca starch and water and add to the middle of the wok, stirring to thicken. Mix with the gai lan and serve hot.
   

Revamping Recipes

Want to adjust a recipe to suit your family's tastes? The easiest method is simply to double a recipe (it helps to have a second wok or frying pan ready to handle the extra volume). Often, the proportion of meat to vegetables in a Chinese recipe can be a little low for Western tastes. To add more meat, simply increase the amount of marinade, and stir-fry or deep-fry the meat in batches. Be prepared to increase the amount of sauce as well. Again, a second wok or frying pan may be needed when the meat is brought together with the vegetables and sauce in the final stages of cooking.

4 pieces (1 cup) peeled young bamboo shoots

1 green onion

1½ tablespoons oil for stir-frying

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 teaspoon Chinese rice wine or dry sherry

1 teaspoon rice vinegar

1. Blanch the bamboo shoots in boiling water for at least 5 minutes. Drain thoroughly and chop into 1-inch pieces. Cut the green onion on the diagonal into 1-inch slices.
   
2. Add oil to a preheated wok or skillet. When oil is hot, add the bamboo shoots. Stir-fry for about 2 minutes, then add the soy sauce, rice wine, and rice vinegar. Stir in the green onion. Simmer for 5 more minutes. Chill.
   

Vegetable Nomenclature

Don't let the use of common Cantonese names prevent you from sampling the colorful profusion of vegetables found in Asian markets. Anything with “choi” or “choy” in the name is a type of cabbage, while “gwa” or “gua” refers to a melon. If you're still confused, just ask; the clerks will be happy to help!

1 ridged gourd

1 red bell pepper

2 tablespoons oil for stir-frying

1 slice ginger

½ cup chicken broth

2 tablespoons Chinese rice wine or dry sherry

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 teaspoon sugar

1. Peel the gourd, leaving a few strips of green if desired to add a bit of color. Cut diagonally into thin slices. Cut the pepper in half, remove the seeds, and cut into thin strips.
   
2. Add oil to a preheated wok or skillet. When the oil is hot, add the ginger slice and stir-fry until aromatic. Add the ridged gourd, and stir-fry for about a minute. Add the red pepper and stir-fry until it is bright red.
   
3. Add the chicken broth and bring back to a boil. Add the rice wine, soy sauce, and sugar. Serve hot.
   

Southern Stir-fry

Because it resembles okra in taste and texture, ridged gourd is sometimes called Chinese okra. Ridged gourd makes an interesting substitute for okra in dishes of the American south, while okra can replace ridged gourd (also known as silk squash) in stir-fries.

1 red bell pepper

1 cup ground pork

1 tablespoon brown bean sauce

2 tablespoons soy sauce, divided

½ teaspoon sugar

1 teaspoon Chinese rice wine or dry sherry

1 green onion, minced

1 clove garlic, chopped

1. Preheat the oven to 300°F.
   
2. Wash the red pepper; cut off the top and set it aside. Remove the seeds.
   
3. In a medium-sized bowl, use your hands to mix the ground pork with the brown bean sauce, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, sugar, and rice wine. Add the green onion and chopped garlic.
   
4. Stuff the red pepper with the ground pork mixture. Add 1 tablespoon soy sauce on top and replace the lid. Place in a heatproof dish in the oven, and bake until the pork is cooked through, about 45–55 minutes.
   

Picking Peppers

While Szechwan cooks favor fiery chili peppers, bell peppers also make a frequent appearance in Chinese dishes. Like their hotter cousin, sweet bell peppers are a New World fruit, discovered by Christopher Columbus during his trips to the Americas. The intrepid explorer took them back to his homeland, where they eventually spread throughout Europe and Asia. The round shape of bell peppers makes them perfect for stuffing. Be sure to remove all seeds and membranes before filling.