Sacha Beef (沙茶牛肉)

This is a traditional Cantonese dish using a special sauce, the Sacha Sauce (沙茶醬).  The sauce that works perfectly with beef makes this dish quite a treat.

1. Slice ~1 lb of flank beef into ~1/8"-thick slices (not too thin).  Marinate with 1 Tbsp of Sacha Sauce (沙茶醬, mix the sauce evenly before use, see product image to the right), 1 Tbsp of Soy sauce,  1 Tbsp of rice cooking wine, and 1 Tbsp of corn starch, for at least 30 minutes.  
2. (High Heat) Heat 2 - 3 Tbsp of veggie oil in a flat bottom cooking pan.  Add beef slices in the pan.  Stir-fry till almost-cooked (take out when pink and turning white in veggie oil).  Take out and set aside.
3. Rinse and cut 2 onions into half-moon-shaped slices.  Rinse and cut 12 - 15 stalks of water spinach (aka swamp morning glory, 空心菜）into 1" segments.  Separate out stems from leaves.  
4. (High Heat) Heat 3-4 Tbsp of veggie oil in cooking pan.  Stir-fry onion for 3-4 minutes, season with 1/2 tsp of salt, 2-3 Tbsp of soy sauce, 1 Tbsp of Sacha Sauce (沙茶醬).  Now add the stem parts of the water spinach, stir-fry for 1-2 minutes.  Add the leaves parts of the water spinach, stir-fry for a minute.
5. (High Heat) Add the half-cooked beef slices into the pa, and stir-fry for a minute.  Turn off heat.  Note- It is important NOT to over-cook the beef.
6. Ladle the Sacha Beef generously on top of a plate of rice or a bowl of noodle, and serve as a meal (沙茶牛肉燴飯，沙茶牛肉麵), or serve as a regular dish.  See below for the finished product.
   

Szechwan Boiled Fillet of Fish (四川水煮魚, 水煮肉片, 水煮牛）

This is another traditional Szechwan dish.  The basic cooking method for spices is similar to the Szechwan Diced Chicken, even though the result looks quite different.

1. Cut 2 - 3 pieces of fillet of fish into 3/4"-square size chunks, and marinate for at least 30 minutes, with 1/2 tsp of salt and 2 Tbsp of rice cooking wine.  See Step 6 below for preparing pork or beef in place of fish fillet.
2. Rinse 8 - 12 oz of soybean sprouts (黃豆芽）thoroughly, blanch for 3 - 4 minutes, then spread evenly at the bottom of a medium-to-large serving bowl.
3. [Medium Heat] Add 2 - 3  Tbsp of vegetable oil into a flat bottom cooking pan, turn on medium heat, add  1/4 tsp of salt, 1/2 tsp of sugar, 2-3 stalks of green onion (cut into 1" segments),  6-8 slices of ginger,  6 cloves of garlic (pressed flat, coarsely sliced),  1 Tbsp of Hot Chili Pepper Oil (see this post), and optionally, 1 Tbsp of chili powder (to make it more spicy hot).  Note- The basic seasonings of Chinese Cooking are all in use here: salt, sugar, green onion, garlic, and ginger (鹽、糖、蔥、薑、蒜).  The common use of Sichuan Pepper (花椒) for this dish is folded into the Chili Pepper Oil, so we don't have to deal with the hassle of chewing on those peppercorns, since they are hard to separate out in this step.
4. [High Heat]  Turn up the heat, add 1 can of 14-oz chicken broth and 1 can of water into the cooking pan.  Bring to boil, add the marinated fish fillet into the pan, stir gently, let simmer for 2 - 3 minutes.  Pour all content from the cooking pan into the serving bowl, on top of the soybean sprouts.
5. [Medium Heat] Add 2 - 3 Tbsp of vegetable oil into a fresh flat bottom cooking pan, turn on medium heat.  Add 1/2 - 1 cup of dried chili pepper (hand-torn open into halves) into the pan,  stir till fragrant (2 - 3 minutes).  Add 2-3 stalks of green onion (cut into 1" segments) and 1-2 tsp of Sichuan Pepper powder (花椒粉), mix evenly with the chili peppers.  Now pour the pan-fried dried chili peppers and green onions into the serving bowl, gently stir and mix with the fish fillet, and serve.  Here is a picture of the finished product.  Note- If the dried chili pepper is spicy hot, this dish would turn out to be too spicy for most (reduce or eliminate the Hot Chili Pepper Oil and chili powder in Step 3).  Otherwise, the degree of spicy-hotness will depend on the Chili Pepper Oil and Chili Powder when the dried chili pepper is used primarily to decorate the dish.  
   
6. We can substitute Napa Cabbage for soybean sprouts (rinse and cut into bite size).  We can also substitute pork or beef for fish fillet.  Lean pork or flank beef needs to be sliced and marinated with soy sauce, rice cooking wine, and corn starch first, and then stir-fried at high heat till almost-cooked (not fully cooked, take out when pink, turning white in veggie oil).  The almost cooked meat can go into the boiling broth in Step 4 above.
   
   

Szechwan Diced Chicken (四川辣子雞）

This is a traditional Szechwan dish that can be very spicy, or merely spicy looking.  But the chicken itself is always tasty.

1. Cut 2 boneless, skinless chicken legs into 3/4"-square size chunks.  Marinate the diced chicken for at least 30 minutes, with 1/2 tsp of salt and 2 Tbsp of rice cooking wine. Strain out the fluid and pat dry with paper towel.
2. [High Heat] Add 1/2 cup (i.e., 8 Tbsp) of veggie oil into a flat bottom cooking pan.  Heat the oil till it's hot (for 1-2 minutes, or more reliably, till a wet chopstick that is dipped into the oil produces fast rising bubbles).  Note- If you see smoke coming from the oil, it's too hot.  Take the cooking pan off the heat first before doing anything else, then turn down the heat. The chopstick used for testing oil temperature is wet but not dripping wet (by dipping it into water and swinging vigorously downward to get rid of the dripping water).      
3. Place the diced chicken into the hot oil gently, and fry till golden but not brown (6-8 mins; stir frequently- this is more a stir-fry than deep-fry).  Turn heat to low, fish out the diced chicken using a spatula with holes (to drain out the oil).   Note- High oil temperature is meant to make the meat surface crispy but the inside tender.
4. [Medium Heat] Use the oil left in the cooking pan, add  1/4 tsp of salt, 1/2 tsp of sugar, 2-3 stalks of green onion (cut into 1" segments),  6-8 slices of ginger,  6 cloves of garlic (pressed flat, coarsely sliced),  1 Tbsp of Hot Chili Pepper Oil (see this post), and optionally, 1 Tbsp of chili powder (to make it more spicy hot), and 1/2 - 1 cup of dried chili pepper (hand-torn open into halves).  Stir the mix frequently till fragrant.  Note- If the dried chili pepper is spicy hot, this dish would turn out to be too spicy for most (reduce or eliminate the Hot Chili Pepper Oil and chili powder).   Otherwise, the degree of spicy-hotness will depend on the Chili Pepper Oil and Chili Powder when the dried chili pepper is used primarily to decorate the dish. Also note the basic seasonings of Chinese Cooking- salt, sugar, green onion, garlic, and ginger (鹽、糖、蔥、薑、蒜).  The common use of Sichuan Pepper (花椒) for this dish is folded into the Chili Pepper Oil, so we don't have to deal with the hassle of chewing on those peppercorns, since they are hard to separate out in this step.　　
5. [High Heat]  Turn up the heat, add the diced chicken，2-3 stalks of green onion (cut into 1" segments) and 1-2 tsp of Sichuan Pepper powder (花椒粉), stir and mix all the ingredients evenly for 1 -2 minutes, and serve.   Here is a picture of the finished product.
   

Kale Salad (羽衣甘藍沙拉)

This is our all time favorite salad!  It is very easy to make, and quite a treat for all!  We followed this recipe pretty closely with some adjustments in seasonings (to make it not as sour), and in portions (for two people).

1. Chop 2 - 3 branches of kale (portion for 2) into ~1/2"-square size, and place in a small mixing bowl.
2. Chop 2 Roma Tomatoes into similar size, and add into the mixing bowl.
3. Add 2 Tbsp of sunflower seeds and 2 Tbsp of dried cranberries into the mixing bowl.
4. Add 2-3 Tbsp of olive oil, 1 Tbsp of lemon juice or vinegar (2 Tbsp or more if you like it sour), 1/4 tsp of salt, 1/4 tsp of black pepper, 1/2 tsp of sugar (use 1 tsp if you like it a bit sweet) into the mixing bowl.
5. Mix all the ingredients evenly.  Season to taste by adding salt (1/4 tsp a time), and/or vinegar (1/2 tsp a time), and/or sugar (1/2 tsp a time). Chill in the fridge for 2-3 hours, then serve.  Here is the outcome from our kitchen.