Gong Bao Ji Ding (Kung Pao Chicken)
Ingredients 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts 1 tablespoon soy sauce 2 tablespoons dark soy sauce 2 tablespoons liao jiu (Chinese rice wine; dry sherry) 1 tablespoon cornstarch 1 teaspoon sugar 1/4 teaspoon sesame oil 4 tablespoons oil for stir-frying 1 clove garlic, minced 1 handful (1/2 cup) of dried red hot chilis 1 cup unsalted peanuts 1/4 cup ginger root sliced 1/2 cup spring onion diced into big pieces Preparation Cut the chicken in small cubes. Add the regular soy sauce, 1 tablespoon of liao jiu (cooking alcohol), and the cornstarch to the chicken, adding the cornstarch last. Marinate the chicken for 30 minutes. Mix together the dark soy sauce, 1 tablespoon of liao jiu (cooking alcohol), sugar, and sesame oil. Add 2 tablespoons oil to a preheated wok, skillet or frying pan (I use this). When oil is hot, add the chicken cubes and stir-fry until they are golden brown. Remove the chicken from the wok and drain. Fry peanuts if raw. Add fresh oil to the pan. Add raw peanuts and fry until they are brown and tasty. Can add a pinch of salt for taste. For me, roasted peanuts is the key to good Gong Bao Ji Ding. Get this step right and you’ll enjoy it. Move peanuts to the side, add a bit of oil if needed, and add the garlic clove, ginger root and spring onion. Stir-fry until aromatic(When it smells good)! Mix in the peanuts, add the red chilis, chopped and include the seeds (hot) . Move the spicy peanut mix to the side and add the sauce to the wok and bring to a boil. Turn down the heat and add the chicken. Mix everything and simmer for a few minutes until the chicken is cooked through. Tofu WrapsIngredients dou fu pi (tofu wrap) cucumbers carrots green onions leeks cilantro celery sauce ingredients soy sauce garlic ginger sugar pepper flakes sesame oil orange zest or juice (optional) Preparation First you’ll need to go to the market to purchase the materials. You can get the doufu pi in the fresh tofu area of any market. It comes in big sheets. Buy the thicker pieces. The other stuff, I hope you know how to purchase. Preparation: -Cut the dou fu pi in about 4 inch squares. -Place them in a moist towel or paper towel so they don’t get too dry. -Slice the leeks, celery, cucumber, and carrots in 4 inch pieces and julienne them thinly. -Cut the green onion in 4 inch pieces. -Finely chop 2 cloves of garlic and smash a bit of ginger for the sauce. Sauce: In a saucepan, heat up soy sauce, garlic and ginger, and be careful not to burn it. Add sugar, pepper flakes and sesame oil (orange zest orange juice optional). Let it cook for a while. Stir it often; it is finished when you think it is. I am too lazy to measure the ingredients, sorry. To eat it, you take one piece of dou fu pi and put the veggies and some sauce in it. Roll it up like a taco and eat it. If you go to a Dong Bei restaurant you can order a meat version of this; it’s called jing jiang rou si. |
You Doufu Kao Rou (油豆腐烤肉)
Ingredients You doufu- one package Pork (preferably fatty pork) Rice wine Lao jiu Sugar White vinegar Soy sauce Water Star anise- 1 star Garlic- 1 clove Oil *Editor's note- Chef Keola does not measure ingredients and neither should you! Preparation Cut the pork into small squares. I like to make them the same size as the you doufu Smash the garlic clove. Don’t worry about chopping it up. Using a wok, turn on high heat, put a few tablespoons of oil (don’t use olive oil. It will smoke). Put the pork in, keep turning and flipping it. When it is browned a bit, put the garlic in and stir around a bit more careful not to burn it. Next, pour soy sauce in- cook a bit, then put in the rice wine, vinegar, and some sugar. Put the you doufu in and cook down. I like to have lots of sauce so I add water here too. It actually works best if you cook it for a while, then move it to a pressure cooker and add the star anise. Makes the meat really tender and delicious. Usually I cook it and taste to see if it needs more soy sauce, vinegar, rice wine, or sugar. Cook it for about 10 minutes in a pressure cooker or about 20 minutes in wok with a lid if you’ve got one. Serve and enjoy. I usually like broccoli with garlic and sesame with this dish and some egg and tomato soup. Some plain tasting things help because the you doufu kao rou is very salty and flavorful. Sushi! Spicy Tuna RollIngredients nori seaweed (these are the sheets of seaweed) Soy sauce cooked sushi rice sashimi grade tuna sesame oil chili sauce mayonaise cucumber Preparation -Stir the mayo, sesame oil, and chili sauce in a small bowl. -Slice up the tuna and dip it in the sauce. -Cut up the cucumber, length-wise, in 4 inch strips. -Cut the sheets of nori in half. -Take a half sheet of nori and place it shiny side down on a bamboo rolling mat. -Wet your hands and scoop out some rice. -Spread the rice across the seaweed. -Place your tuna and cucumber in a line across the center of the rice. -To roll, hold the line of ingredients in place with fingertips, and use thumbs to push up and turn the end of the bamboo mat so that the edge of the nori is lifted up and meets the far edge of the sheet. -Correct the shape by gently but firmly pressing the bamboo mat around the roll for about 30 seconds to shape it. Make 3 more rolls. Use a wet knife to cut each roll into 1-inch rounds. Done! Eat it up! |