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. 
   

Taiwan-style Bowl Rice Cake (台灣小吃 碗粿)

This is a traditional Taiwan-style Snack Food that is often served in the night markets.  We suggest a cooking method that makes it easy to prepare and quick to serve.

1. Prepare Cooked Rice Flour (熟再來米粉): Get a bag of Rice Flour (16oz; see the bag
   
   with redletters for a product image, NOT the bag with green letters, Glutinous Rice Flour), pour half the bag into a porcelain bowl, shake the bowl slightly to flatten the surface of the powder, poke 4-5 holes in the rice powder, and cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap. Now place the bowl into a steamer and steam for 30 minutes (add ~15 minutes to allow full steam to build up in the steamer).  Note: The plastic wrap is used to prevent any water from getting into the rice powder.  
2. Prepare the filling for the rice cake: Taiwan-style Minced Pork Sauce (台式香菇肉燥, see previous post). 
3. Prepare the toppings for the rice case: sliced pork (1/4 lb of lean pork, slice, marinate, stir-fry, and set aside), minced dry mushroom (keep 1/4 cup from Step 2, or stir-fry and set aside), minced preserved turnip (菜脯), and 1 tsp of Thick Soy Sauce per bowl of Rice Cake (醬油膏).  Note- It seems people also use the salted duck egg yolk (鹹蛋黃) or stewed egg halves (鹵蛋) as toppings. 
4. For 1 bowl of rice cake: Place 1/3 cup of Cooked Rice Powder into a small rice bowl, add 2/3 cup of hot water (180 deg-F or above), stir evenly till the rice powder is fully dissolved in the water (go easy on the rice powder, but be slightly generous on the water, to make sure the mix is still watery, not thick).  Add 1.5- 2  Tbsp of Minced Pork Sauce into the bowl, stir evenly.  Place the bowl in a Microwave Oven and heat for 60 seconds, for the rice powder mix to turn into soft rice cake texture (for harder texture, go easy on the water).  Note- Proportionally increase heating time for 2 bowls of rice cake.  For more bowls of rice cake, will try using a steamer for 10-12 minutes when I get a chance (For 6 bowls of rice cake, mix 2 cups of cooked rice powder with 4 cups of hot water, then pour 2/3 cups, NOT 1 cup, of the mix into each bowl before steaming.)
5. Add the toppings from Step 3 (2-3 tsp of each topping).  Heat in the Microwave Oven for 30 seconds, and serve.  Here is a picture of the finished product.  Alternatively, before adding the toppings, the bowl of rice cake can keep in fridge for a week, or in freezer for several weeks, if sealed in plastic wrap. When ready to serve, defrost (if frozen), add the toppings, heat in microwave oven for 30 seconds, and serve.  Note- Will try using a steamer for 5-6 minutes for more than 2 bowls of rice cake, when I get a chance.
   

Sour Napa Cabbage with Bamboo Shoots and Pork (酸筍炒肉絲)

This is one of the dishes I learned to make early on.  It has since become my personal favorite dish.  But for some reason I never got around to writing it up.  It is indexed as a Northern China Dish, mainly because of the ingredient, Sour Napa Cabbage, a product tracing its origin to Northern China reflecting the need to preserve vegetable over a long winter.

1. Cut ~1/4 lb of  lean pork into chopstick size by 1  -1.5" long (not too thin).  Marinate with 1 Tbsp of rice cooking wine, 1 Tbsp of soy sauce, and 2 tsp of corn starch, for 30 minutes.  Note- matchstick size would be too thin a cut for this dish.  
2. Get a bag of Sour Napa Cabbage (see product package to the right).  Cut it in half along its length (separating it into two halves, each about 2-3" wide x 8-10" long), then slice it across its width (as if you are slicing an onion into half moon shape).  Note- Taste a small piece of the cabbage to see if it is too salty.  If it is, soak it in water for 1-2 hours and taste again.  The brand shown in the product package is pretty safe.
3. Slice 3-4 halves of frozen bamboo shoots into about the same size as the pork.  Set it aside.  Chop 4-6 dry chili pepper into small chunks (optional).
4. (High Heat) Heat 2-4 Tbsp of veggie oil into a flat bottom cooking pan.  Add pork in, stir-fry till the pork is half-cooked (most, but not all, pork slices turn white, 1-2 minutes).  Take out and set aside.
5. (High Heat) Heat 4-6 Tbsp of veggie oil in the same flat bottom cooking pan.  Add 1/4 tsp of salt, and the chopped dry chili pepper chunks (optional).  Let the dry pepper sizzle in the heat for a minute.  Add bamboo shoots, and Napa Cabbage.  Add 2 Tbsp of soy sauce, and stir-fry for 4-5 minutes.  
6. Add the half-cooked pork, mix all the ingredients evenly, season with 2-3 Tbsp of Oyster Sauce (蠔油).  Let cook for 2-3 minutes and serve.  Here is a picture of the finished product.
   

Date Paste and Walnut Candy (棗泥核桃糕, aka 南棗核桃糕)

Here is a very traditional Chinese snack we've grown to love over the years.  Some of the ingredients might take some time to find.  But it is well worth the efforts!

1. Cut out about half from the 1 Kg bag of Date paste (棗泥, ~500g).  Note: Date paste can be found in any Armenian market.  See product package to the right here.  
   
2. Mince 1/2 cup of Dried Longan (桂圓肉, ~80g).  Let the minced Dried Longan soak in 3-4 Tbsp of Rum for 30 - 60 minutes.  Note: Dried Longan (桂圓肉) can be found in most Chinese markets.  
3. Prepare the Walnuts (核桃): Add 4 cups of raw walnuts (or a mix of walnuts and pecans) into a non-stick frying pan, turn on low-to-medium heat, stir constantly until golden, but not brown (for 12-15 minutes).  Or, roast 4 cups of walnuts in the oven at 300-deg-F till golden but not brown (16-20 minutes, stir and mix at halfway point).  Cut the full walnuts into halves and set aside.  
4. Prepare Cooked Glutinous Rice Flour (熟糯米粉, aka 鳳片粉, aka 加工糕粉): Get a bag of
   
   Glutinous Rice Flour (16oz; see the bag with green letters for product image, NOT the bag with red letters, i.e., Rice Flour), pour half a bag into a porcelain bowl, shake the bowl slightly to flatten the surface of the powder, poke 4-5 holes in the rice powder, and cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap.  Now place the bowl into a steamer and steam for 30 minutes (add ~15 minutes to allow full steam to build up in the steamer).  Note: The plastic wrap is used to prevent any water from getting into the rice powder.
5. Spoon out ~350g of malt sugar from the container into a non-stick frying pan. Malt Sugar (or Maltose) is available from most Chinese markets (see product package below for a 500-grams container).  Add 2 Tbsp of vegetable oil into the pan, and turn on low heat.  Note: It's essential to use low heat throughout this process, to prevent the sugar from burning.  Also, malt sugar is hard and sticky under room temperature, hence difficult to scoop out.  Place the container in a pot of hot water for 15-20 minutes (bring the water to hissing, but not boiling yet; place a small ceramic plate in the pot to shield the plastic container from the bottom of the pot).  We refrain from using Microwave to heat up the malt sugar (not sure if the plastic container is microwave-safe).  
   
6. Add 1/4 cup of corn syrup (~60g) into the the non-stick pan. Stir the mix slowly under low heat till boiling (i.e., when golden colored foam forms on the surface and swells up).  Note- Proceed to the next two steps immediately, once the mixture is gently boiling.  Dwelling on this step will result in overly-sticky-and-soft candies at the end.
7. Add the mix of dried Longan and Rum, prepared in Step 2, into the pan.  Note: We have reduced malt sugar from 500g to 350g, and corn syrup from 1/2 cup to 1/4 cup.
8. Now add the big chunk of 500g date paste (see Step 1) into the pan, chop up the chunk with a wooden spatula (as it softens under low heat), stir slowly, chop up more until the paste melts completely into the sugar.  Stir the mix under low heat until it boils (i.e., swelling up slowly in big bubbles as if it's a mud pile being pushed up by some force underneath). 
9. Add 1 & 1/3 cups of Cooked Glutinous Rice Powder (prepared in Step 4) into the mix.  Stir until the powder is fully absorbed and evenly mixed.  
10. Add 4 cups of halved walnuts (or the mix of walnuts and pecans) prepared in Step 3, and mix evenly.  Turn off heat.  
    
11. Place a large piece of parchment paper (i.e., paper coated with silicone) to cover a kneading board or a cutting board.  Pour the still-hot mix onto the parchment paper.  Add another piece of parchment paper on top of the hot mix  Use a rolling pin or another cutting board to flatten the surface down to ~1/2 thickness.  Cut off irregular parts and patch up to create a rectangle with well-formed edges.  Use one hand as guard to shape each of the four edges of the mix, while pressing down from the top along the edge.  Let the rectangle sit and cool (see picture to the right for the rectangle we made).  Note- Wax paper is NOT suitable here, since the wax coating on the paper might be melted under the residual heat. Also the wax paper is not really non-stick, whereas parchment paper is non-stick, and oven safe.
12. Cut the well-formed rectangle into your favorite size and serve.  To store the pieces, use parchment paper in between layers, as the pieces are sticky.  Might be worth the efforts to wrap the pieces in clear cellophane caramel wrappers (available from online sources, such as this site).  Here is a picture of some of the finished pieces wrapped in candy wrappers.