Category Archives: Chinese

Cucumber Fried with Perilla (Shiso)

cucshisop

Have you ever fried cucumber? Even though it’s one of the vegetables I eat most often, such a way to serve it had never crossed my mind before I saw this recipe in the Revolutionary Chinese Cookbook by Fuchsia Dunlop. In constant search of new ways to cook shiso (see below), I prepared this dish out of pure curiosity, considering it a rather risky experiment. Luckily, quickly fried, still crunchy and juicy cucumber tasted surprisingly well. Paired with strong, slightly astringent shiso leaves, fresh chili and vinegar, it created a bold-tasting and original side-dish.

Shiso (紫蘇), or perilla, is an Asian aromatic dark red or green plant with an astringent taste and strong fragrance. I have discovered it thanks to the Japanese cuisine, where it’s frequently used raw, cooked and its red variety is gives a reddish hue to pickles. Similar varieties of this herb are also used in Korean (ggaennip, 깻잎) and Vietnamese (tía tô) cuisines. Thanks to Fuchsia Dunlop’s book I learnt that perilla is also appreciated in China. Shiso is not to everyone’s taste, but I instantly fell in love with its herbaceous aroma and the more I cook with it, the more I appreciate it.

Revolutionary Chinese Cookbook, which presents the Hunan province, has not only revealed a new way to prepare cucumber. It has most of all made be realise I am very fond of the combination of hot, salty and sour flavours, typical of this place (and often distorted abroad by the addition of sugar). The few dishes I cooked from this book (I hope to share them with you soon) were excellent and proved once more that Fuchsia Dunlop approaches food writing with discipline and passion. I equally – and even more – recommend her “Sichuan Cookery” which is one of the best cookery books I have ever seen.

If you like cucumber and have access to shiso, try this simple but surprising (at least for me) recipe. I haven’t modified the original instructions and have only changed amounts of ingredients. If you don’t find shiso, the author advises Thai sweet basil and I totally agree. The taste will be completely different, but it’s also a strong, aromatic herb, which gives excellent results when cooked. For me, the taste of the dish is interesting enough to try making it without any herb.

If you look for shiso cooking ideas, you might like some of these:

Teriyaki Pork Rolls with Shiso and Gochujang

Pork Rolls and Shiso in Tempura

Garlic and Shiso Infused Soy Sauce

Shiso and Bacon Fried Rice

Preparation: about 15 minutes

Ingredients (serves two):

1/2 long cucumber

1 red chili (fresh)

1 garlic clove

1 teaspoon light soy sauce

1 teaspoon rice vinegar

4 tablespoons chopped perilla leaves (the recipe calls for purple perilla leaves, but I’m sure you can use the green variety too)

1 teaspoon sesame oil

1 tablespoon peanut or canola oil

Halve the cucumber lengthwise and then cut diagonally into 0.5 cm/about 1/4 in thick slices.

Chop the chili and the garlic. (Remove the chili seeds if you don’t want your dish to be too hot).

Heat one tablespoon oil in a pan or wok.

Spread the cucumber slices at the bottom and fry them at high heat until they are slightly golden on one side (about 2 minutes). Turn them and fry the other side in the same way.

Add the chili, the garlic and the soy sauce. Stir-fry for a couple of minutes.

Add the vinegar and the chopped perilla.

Stir well the dish for one minute and put the pan aside.

Add the sesame oil and stir well before serving.

Salad with Sesame Paste Dressing

41 Comments

sesamesaladpp

If, every time you open a jar of sesame paste, you have to close your eyes to fully enjoy the inebriating, nutty fragrance and never resist stealing a teaspoonful, then this recipe is for you. I know it looks like a bowl of ordinary lettuce, but it’s much more than that. The leaves are delicately seasoned with the creamiest, richest salad dressing I have ever made. If used in moderation (this is why it is barely visible on the photo), this dressing is so addictive, I found myself preparing it three days in a row. I discovered it accidentally, a couple of days ago, while leafing through Sichuan Cookery by Fuchsia Dunlop, one of the best written cookery books I know. As someone, who prepares either the classical French vinaigrette with mustard (sometimes garlic) or its vaguely Asian version, with soy sauce and sesame seeds, I was thrilled to discover this completely new way to dress the humble lettuce.

This salad has proved for me an ideal choice for the this time of the year, when a bright green, crisp, raw side-dish cheers me up and announces the imminent spring. Its creamy, intense dressing keeps it still in the rich, comforting food category. The addition of sesame oil might at first seem superfluous, but it has wonderfully increased the nutty fragrance, so I wouldn’t advise skipping it. The only big change I have allowed myself here was the addition of vinegar. The original recipe didn’t contain any acid ingredient and I desperately need some tanginess in my salads. In my defence I would like to emphasize I have used black Chinkiang vinegar, regularly appearing in Sichuanese recipes, such as Bang Bang Chicken, also found in the same book and also containing sesame paste.

TIP: If you don’t have dark Chinese sesame paste, try finding wholegrain sesame paste (I buy it in organic shops). Otherwise, any good light sesame paste will do. Black sesame paste might be too strong, but of course it depends on your preferences.

Soy sauce is not mentioned in the original recipe, only salt. I have used low-sodium soy sauce here because the dressing was too thick and I didn’t want to use more oil.

Preparation: 10 minutes

Ingredients (serves two):

crisp salad leaves (tear the bigger ones into several pieces)

1 heaped tablespoon sesame paste

1 flat tablespoon Chinkiang vinegar (I think that malt vinegar would be the closest substitute here but do try finding Chinkiang vinegar which is unique)

pinch of sugar or syrup

1/6 teaspoon salt (or/and light soy sauce)

1/2 teaspoon sesame oil

(toasted sesame seeds)

Place the dressing ingredients in a big bowl.

Mix them with a spoon until the sauce is homogenous.

Adjust the taste and add more oil/soy sauce/vinegar/sugar if the consistency is too thick.

Spread the dressing inside the bowl, place the salad leaves and delicately “wipe” the bowl’s interior with them.

Transfer the seasoned salad to a serving dish or bowl.

You can sprinkle it with toasted sesame seeds.

Baked Dumplings with Black Pudding

42 Comments

wonton_bpuddingp

Black Pudding Potato Cakes recently posted by Mr. Three-Cookies (from Three Cookies blog) inspired me to try something new with my beloved black pudding. Looking through the content of my freezer I found a piece of black pudding (I always keep some in case of an urgent craving) and I also realised I still had wonton skins, leftover from my Baked Wonton Chips. Black pudding dumplings seemed an obvious solution.

I wanted to obtain a crunchy result, but since black pudding is already quite rich, instead of frying, I baked them in the oven (they were slightly tougher than deep-fried dumplings, but crunchy and excellent). I love my black pudding hot, so after removing the casing I mixed it with gochujang (Korean chili paste). In case you have never tested this mixture, black pudding and gochujang go perfectly together (I have been enjoying this combination for years). We had these dumplings with green salad for lunch, but they would make a perfect bowl of snacks for a party too. I was very happy with this improvised dish and strongly recommend these dumplings to all my fellow fans of black pudding. Thank you, Mr. Three-Cookies, for the inspiration!

TIPS: Many people are put off black pudding because their first experience involves a supermarket cheap product. It is not easy to make a good, well seasoned black pudding, so if you have never tasted it, I strongly advise getting it from a really good butcher. It’s also wise to ask a black pudding fan for recommendation because in some countries certain good quality brands can also sell good black pudding.

Black pudding or blood sausage exist all around the world, but they are slightly different in every country or even region. British, Polish or Hungarian are quite solid because they contain rice, buckwheat, barley or oatmeal as fillers. In most regions French boudin noir is quite soft and smooth (onions and breadcrumbs and/or cream are fillers, but the texture remains custardy). Personally I prefer the denser black puddings, so when I have only the French one, I mix it with cooked buckwheat or barley to fill the dumplings. If you prefer the delicate, smooth texture, you don’t need to add anything, of course.

You don’t have to add any hot spices if your black pudding is already hot or if you don’t like hot dishes. You can add any herbs or spices of your choice too.

Accidentally these dumplings tasted great with my recently posted Pineapple and Chili Jelly (any sweet & hot jelly or sauce is in my opinion perfect with black pudding).

Preparation: 20 minutes

Ingredients (serves two):

14 – 16 dumpling skins (I used wonton wrappers/skins)

200 g (7 oz) black pudding or, if you have soft, smooth French type of black pudding and wish to make the filling denser: 100 g black pudding + 6 – 7 slightly heaped tablespoons cooked buckwheat, rice or oatmeal…

2 tablespoons gochujang (Korean chili paste) or 1 tablespoon powdered chili (neither is obligatory, of course)

oil (I have used chili oil)

Remove the black pudding’s casing. Put the filling in a bowl and combine with gochujang or chili and additional filler if you wish.

Preheat the oven to 180°C.

Prepare a small bowl or glass with cold water.

Put several dumpling skins on a chopping board (or any other clean surface).

Brush their edges with water (about 1 cm thick).

Place a well-heaped teaspoon of the black pudding filling in the middle.

Close the dumplings, pinching the edges and forming triangles or half-circles if you have round dumpling skins.

Repeat with the remaining wonton skins.

Place the dumplings on a sheet of baking paper.

Brush them with oil at least on the upper side (you can do it on both sides).

Bake for 10 – 15 minutes until they are golden. (Every oven i different, so watch your oven frequently after the first 5 minutes because they burn easily and quickly!).

Mapo Dofu (Ma pou do fu) for One

64 Comments

mapodofupj

Mapo Dofu is certainly the most famous Sichuan dish, so obviously it was the first one I have bookmarked in my Sichuan Cookery by Fuchsia Dunlop. Before discovering Ms Dunlop’s book I had prepared Mapo Dofu from another source. It was good, but this one really feels genuine and tastes much better than I had imagined. According to Fuchsia Dunlop this is “the real thing” she was taught in the Sichuan provincial cooking school and exactly what she was regularly served in local restaurants. Given my previous experience with her Sichuan recipes, I believe her. After cooking several of her dishes I am convinced that the mixture of right seasonings and spices is what makes the biggest difference between real Sichuan meals and their imitations. I only hope that in spite of my small modifications this dish still merits its famous name.

As Fuchsia Dunlop’s explains, Mapo Dofu (or Ma po dou fu) means “Pock-marked Mother Chen’s Beancurd”. It was named after a restaurant owner’s wife who had smallpox scars and who apparently invented this dish as a lunch for manual workers. As you can guess, it is a hearty, filling comfort dish, but unless you use lots of oil (the way it is served in Sichuan), it is surprisingly healthy and low-calorie. You can also see below that the meat amounts are scarce and tofu is the main protein supply here.

For me this dish is unique. First of all, maybe thanks to the colours and the Sichuan pepper’s numbing effect, it is one of these rare cold days meals which bring the sun and lift the spirits, instead of making one feel heavy. Moreover, I strongly believe this is THE dish that could convert tofu haters. As long as they are not psychologically blocked (oh, yes… I know many of these) and agree to taste it, they might start liking the previously despised ingredient. If they don’t appreciate the tofu chunks soaked with thick, red spicy sauce, covered with bits of ground meat, then I think the hope is lost. As an avowed carnivore, I really cannot think of any other food product that could taste equally good here. I recommend having this dish with good crunchy bread which, once dipped into the sauce brings even more joy for the palate (it’s not an elegant dish and you will probably not serve it at a party anyway). The only modification I have allowed myself is cutting down the oil amount and adapting this recipe to a meal for one.

If you are interested in the Sichuanese cuisine, I strongly recommend the above-mentioned book or/and the following recipes I have found there and greatly enjoyed:

Bang Bang Chicken, or Strange-Flavour Chicken

Gong Bao/Kung Pao Chicken

Steamed Aubergine with Chili Sauce

TIPS: Sichuan pepper is one of the key elements of the Sichuanese cuisine. It is not hot, but it has a numbing effect which is very surprising for the first time. Some people love it (like me), some hate it, so if you use it for the first time, crush one corn in your mouth to taste it before you add it to your dish. In general it should be used sparingly because it can quickly overwhelm the whole dish.

The Sichuanese chili bean paste is very important here (thank you, Shu Han, for convincing me to invest in it; the difference is huge), but it can quite easily be bought in Asian shops. The most popular brand is Lee Kum Kee (this is the one I have used).

Sichuan peppers scattered at the and of the cooking process have to be roasted and ground before. Heat a pan or a wok and place a small amount of Sichuan peppercorns. Roast them for about 5 minutes (or less) without burning them. Grind them in a mortar or a small food processor (a baby food processor is good here). They can be kept in a closed jar for several weeks at least.

Preparation: 15 – 20 minutes

Ingredients (serves one):

100 – 150 g firm tofu cut into 2 cm pieces

salt

40 – 50 g ground meat (the traditional meat used here is beef, but I prefer half beef half pork)

1 spring onion (or 1 Chinese leek, suan miao, the traditional ingredient)

100 ml chicken stock

1 tablespoon Sichuanese chili bean paste

1 teaspoon black fermented beans

1 teaspoon ground dried chilies (not obligatory)

1/2 teaspoon sugar

1 teaspoon soy sauce

1 tablespoon potato flour

2 tablespoons oil (groundnut or other type of oil which supports well very high temperatures) or 40 – 50 ml if you want the dish as oily as it is originally served

1/4 teaspoon (or less) roasted and ground Sichuan pepper (see the TIPS above)

Pour boiling water into a bowl, add a pinch of salt and place there tofu cubes for about 5 minutes. Drain it.

In the meantime slice the spring onion or leek diagonally.

Combine the potato flour with 1 tablespoon cold water and put aside.

Heat the oil on high heat in a wok until it smokes. Stir fry the ground meat until it’s crispy and browned.

Here you can either leave it in the wok or put it aside and add only at the end. I prefer the latter method which leaves the meat slightly crunchy.

Take out the meat from the wok.

Pour another tablespoon of oil and when it’s hot, add the chili bean paste, the fermented black beans, ground dried chilies and stir-fry for about 30 seconds.

Pour the stock and add the drained tofu.

Stir the tofu delicately until it is coated in the sauce.

Add the sugar, the soy sauce, salt to taste and simmer for 5 minutes.

Add the leek or spring onion, the fried meat and half of the potato flour mixture.

Stir the dish gently until it thickens. Add more potato flour mixture if needed.

Serve in a bowl scattered with Sichuan pepper.

Chinese Spare Ribs Braised in Soy Sauce with Star Anise

60 Comments

spareribssoysaucepj

Like many Europeans, I used to be convinced that quick stir-frying was the only Chinese cooking method. I still remember how surprised I was when several years ago I saw a three-hour recipe in a Chinese cookery book. Intrigued by the long cooking time and the unusual mixture of seasonings, I decided to give it a go as quickly as possible. Thus I discovered the slow side of the Chinese cuisine, tasted my first braised spare ribs and was totally seduced. Since then, every time I buy spare ribs, they end up simmered in soy sauce with garlic, star anise and cinnamon.

This is one of these dishes where fatty meat cuts taste incomparably better than lean ones and the more bones they contain, the better. In short, spare ribs are perfect here. No wonder in China fatty and bone-in cuts cost often more than the lean ones. The Chinese probably know better pork than any other nation since traces of pigs bred for meat there go back as far as 10 000 years backwards! The fork-tender meat (thank you, Karen, for this imaginative expression), covered in sticky, aromatic sauce is irresistible to any pork fan and softened, but still crunchy cartilage bits are a pure delight. The garlic cloves not only season the meat and the sauce, but they become so palatable, I keep on increasing their number each time I prepare the ribs.

I know this photo is far from being convincing, but making simmered spare ribs look appetising is apparently far beyond my photographic skills. Moreover, I only prepare it for dinner and artificial light photography is still a mystery to me, so I only hope you will believe me if I say the succulent result is worth waiting for not only three but ten hours.

I have found this recipe in the humble-looking “Le Tour du monde de la cuisine. Chine” (China (World Food)) by Annabel Jackson (I’m afraid no longer sold anywhere online), a book bought for a penny in a unsold titles’ department and which proved to be a source of many Chinese meals I have prepared.

UPDATE: Sylvia, from Peaches and Doughnuts, has just reminded me of the braised spare ribs she has posted ten days ago. Click here to see her wonderful, slightly different but also highly aromatic version.

TIP: Ask the butcher to cut the spare ribs in two (horizontally). They will be easier to handle while cooking and easier to eat. (If you have a cleaver and are used to handle it, you can do it at home too).

I wouldn’t advise replacing spare ribs with lean pork meat. Whenever I used leaner meat, the result couldn’t even compare to the original version, so I have stopped such experiments.

Even though this dish is time-consuming, it is very easy and practically effortless because once the meat starts to simmer, it can be left without stirring for two hours.

I usually serve these ribs with white rice or bread and with strong pickles. I have recently discovered that it tastes great with kimchi (click here to see the Radish Kimchi recipe or here to see the Easy Cabbage Kimchi or here to check the Easy Cucumber Kimchi recipe).

Preparation: min. 3 hours

Ingredients (serves 2):

600 g spare ribs (preferably cut in two, since shorter once are easier to simmer)

3 tablespoons dark thick soy sauce

1 whole head of garlic (or more if you are a big garlic fan)

2 tablespoons oil or pork fat

1/2 stick cinnamon

2 star anise fruits

4 tablespoons light soy sauce

175 ml water

2 tablespoons cane sugar (or 3 sugar cubes)

Marinate the pork ribs in dark soy sauce for at least 20 minutes.

Peel the garlic head, separate the cloves, but don’t peel them.

Fry the garlic cloves until they become golden.

Add the cinnamon, the star anise, stir fry for one minute.

Add the pork and let it brown a little.

Pour the light soy sauce, the water, add the sugar and let the dish simmer first uncovered for 30 minutes, stirring regularly, then covered for 1 1/2 – 2 hours (or more). The meat, gently pushed with a fork, should go off the bones easily. When the meat is already soft, take off the lid, increase the heat, cook until the liquid evaporates and forms a thick sticky sauce.

Serve.

Bang Bang Chicken, Strange-Flavour Chicken, or Cold Chicken with Sauce

50 Comments

bangbangp

It’s hard to make one’s choice when more than half of a cookery book has been marked to be tested…. (If you have been following my latest culinary discoveries, you will not be surprised if I say I talk about “Sichuan Cookery” by Fuchsia Dunlop). I always hesitate between the famous recipes I want to test, the easy and quick no-fuss dishes and of course the intriguing ones. Bang Bang Chicken (Bang bang ji si) falls into the latter category and not only by its amusing name (which makes me hum a certain film soundtrack for two last days…) but, as I later learnt, also by its unusual flavours.

I suppose that to many of you Bang Bang Chicken is as familiar as Gong Bao/Kung Pao Chicken. To me, however, it has only recalled a vaguely Asian dish, but nothing else. For those, who, like me, have never seen this famous dish, it’s composed of boiled cold chicken, torn into pieces and dressed with a very particular sauce. If one takes into consideration the onion or/and the cucumber the chicken is served with, the dish might be called a chicken salad.

The words “bang bang” come from the wooden cudgel (“bang” in Mandarin) used to “beat” the cooked chicken so that its fibers loosen and it becomes easier to be torn into pieces. A very similar dish is called “Strange-Flavour Chicken (Guai wei ji si) due to the unusual combination of the sauce flavours (salty, sweet, sour, nutty, hot, numbing). The difference between these two Sichuan dishes is minimal. According to the chefs cited by Fuchsia Dunlop, Bang Bang Chicken should be more “hot and numbing” than its close cousin. Otherwise, the basic ingredients and the method remain identical.

I took out the chicken breasts and thought I would prepare a quick lunch. Alas, the preparation is not as quick as it seems or looks. First the chicken needs to be boiled and slowly cooled. The Sichuan pepper, sesame seeds or peanuts need to be toasted (although the former two ingredients are very handy in other Sichuanese dishes and can be prepared in bigger amounts). Onions need to be soaked in water and cucumbers salted for at least 20 minutes… The time and effort were certainly worth it because the dish is a pure delight and the strange-flavour sauce makes the first bite an unforgettable experience.

Even though I kept the sauce as genuine as I could, I must confess a slight modification concerning the chicken preparation. First of all, instead of cooking the whole bird, I used two skinless breasts found in the freezer (thus the meat didn’t need any beating). I have also slightly modified the boiling liquid, using a cube of chicken stock with fresh ginger. If you want to see the original recipe, I strongly advise buying Fuchsia Dunlop’s book. It’s a rare jewel.

I have also prepared several other recipes from the Sichuan Cookery; all turned out excellent. Until now I have posted:

Steamed Aubergine with Chili Sauce

Gong Bao (Kung Pao) Chicken

TIPS:

The author says Bang Bang Chicken is served either on a layer of spring onions or on cucumbers. I have dressed mine on spring onions, putting cucumbers on a separate plate. At the table I combined everything in a bowl creating a very refreshing light summer salad.

Apparently dark sesame paste is the best choice for this dish. The author suggests however tahini or any other standard sesame paste as a substitute. I was glad to use light, organic sesame paste that has been sitting in my fridge for ages.

The chicken can be cooked one day before and dressed just before the meal.

If you have some leftover chicken, boiled in stock, steamed or prepared in any other, rather neutrally tasting way, this dish is an original way to use it.

Preparation: 2 hours (or 30 minutes if you have already boiled and cooled the chicken)

Ingredients (serves two as a main dish, with rice or bread and some vegetables; serves 3-4 as a starter):

2 chicken breasts (or half of a small chicken weighing about 400 g/0,9 lb) + 1 litre (about 4 cups) chicken stock + 2,5 cm (1 in) ginger

Sauce:

1 flat tablespoon sugar

1 tablespoon light soy sauce

(salt)

1 tablespoon Chinkiang vinegar (black Chinese vinegar)

3 tablespoons sesame paste (the best one is dark Chinese sesame paste, but tahini or any other sesame paste is a good substitute)

1 tablespoon sesame oil

2 tablespoons chili oil with chili flakes (I used my home-made Taberu Rayu)

1 teaspoon toasted and ground Sichuan pepper (see below)

a couple of teaspoons toasted sesame seeds or unsalted toasted peanuts, roughly crushed (I have chosen the peanuts) (also see below)

6 spring onions (only white parts) or/and 1 long cucumber

First prepare the chicken. Bring the stock to the boil.

Cut the ginger into thick slices and crush them with the handle of your knife.

Add the ginger and the chicken (or chicken breasts) to the boiling stock.

Cook for 15 minutes (breasts) or 30 minutes (half-chicken). Cover with a lid and let it stand for another 15 minutes.

Let the chicken cool down, skin it and then shred the meat into slivers with your fingers. Make sure there are no bones in your shredded slivers.

Toast the sesame seeds or peanuts in a dry frying pan, on medium heat, until they are golden.

Put the sesame seeds aside. Crush the peanuts roughly with the bottom of a bowl or the handle of a big knife.

Toast the Sichuan peppercorns in a dry frying pan, on medium heat, until they start giving off a very strong smell but don’t let them burn. Put them into a coffee grinder or a small food processor (the one for baby food is perfect) and grind them.

Put aside.

If using the cucumber, cut it into thin strips (similar in size and form to chicken slivers), sprinkle it with salt and put aside for about 20 minutes.

Wash off the salt and drain the cucumber.

Cut the spring onion into thin strips lengthwise (similar in form and size to the chicken slivers) and put them into a bowl of cold water for at least 15 minutes. Drain them.

Prepare the sauce combining all the ingredients.

Pile either the onions or the cucumber in the middle of a plate.

Place the chicken slivers on top of the onions or cucumber.

Pour the sauce over the chicken.

Sprinkle with sesame seeds or peanuts.

Serve.

Gong Bao Chicken with Cashew Nuts

53 Comments

kungpaop

Have you ever tasted the famous Gong Bao/Kung Pao Chicken? I also thought I did before I prepared it on my own, following the instructions from the excellent Sichuan Cookery by Fuchsia Dunlop (I have already mentioned this fantastic book when I posted Steamed Aubergine with Chili Sauce). While reading the ingredient list I already felt something was wrong with all the dishes bearing the same name, previously tasted in Chinese restaurants, but as soon as I took the first mouthful, inhaling an extraordinary aroma, I realised it was my very first Gong Bao Chicken (or at least something extremely close to the genuine Sichuanese specialty).

Gong Bao or Kung Pao takes its name from a XIXth century governor of Sichuan, whose official title was “gong bao”. The name was banned and modified in the communist China until the 80s, when it started to be accepted once more. Apart from the chicken cubes, this famous dish contains chili peppers, spring onions, garlic, ginger, Sichuan peppers and most often toasted peanuts, but according to the author cashew nuts are also encountered. It may seem very simple, but the flavours are very unusual and surprising for someone who knows Chinese cuisine from European restaurants. Two things make Gong Bao unique: Sichuanese peppercorns and the very light sour, sweet and hot sauce prepared with black Chinkiang vinegar.

If you have never tasted it, Sichuan pepper is one of the most magical spices in the world. As its name suggests, it is widely used in Sichuan province, but is not similar to any pepper I know. The peppercorns are very dark red-brown and have a characteristic numbing effect on the tongue (I like to call it “paralysing”). Nothing can substitute them here, so unless you know well and dislike Sichuan peppercorns, don’t skip them while preparing this delicacy for the first time.

I haven’t modified the recipe and only slightly changed the amounts of some ingredients. Just like other recipes from Fuchsia Dunlop’s book, this one proved clearly explained and the proportions perfect. Even reading the introduction and the recipes explanations is a real pleasure.

TIPS: As a big cashew nuts fan I was happy to learn that they are also sometimes used by Sichuanese chefs, but the most frequent version includes peanuts.

Unfortunately I had to substitute Sichuanese chili peppers with Hungarian chili. Both are moderately hot, so I hope it was a good choice.

Preparation: about 20 minutes

Ingredients (serves 2):

2 chicken breasts cut into 1,5 cm cubes

5 spring onions (white parts) cut into 1,5 cm pieces (I have used the white and the very light green parts too)

3 garlic cloves, peeled and thinly sliced

3 teaspoons thinly sliced fresh ginger

2 tablespoons oil

minimum 10 dried Sichuanese chilies (I have substituted them with medium hot Hungarian chilies) halved (horizontally)

1 teaspoon Sichuan peppercorns

Marinade:

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons light soy sauce

1 teaspoon Shaoxing wine

1 1/2 teaspoon potato flour

1 tablespoon water

Sauce:

3 teaspoons sugar

3/4 teaspoon potato flour

1 teaspoon dark soy sauce

1 teaspoon light soy sauce

3 teaspoons Chinkiang vinegar (black Chinese vinegar)

1 teaspoon sesame oil

3 tablespoons chicken stock or water

20 -30 toasted peanuts or cashew nuts

Combine the sauce ingredients in a small glass.

Pour the marinade ingredients into a small bowl and combine with the chicken.

Heat the oil in a wok.

Stir fry the chili peppers and whole Sichuan peppercorns until they become crispy, but not burnt (you can reduce the heat or take the wok off the stove for a while).

Add the chicken and when it starts becoming white, add the ginger, the garlic slices and the spring onions.

Stir fry until the chicken pieces are thoroughly cooked.

Pour the sauce, continuously stirring and when it becomes thick, add the peanuts or cashew nuts.

Steamed Aubergine with Chili Sauce

50 Comments

steamedauberp

I have started to cook Sichuanese. I mean the real Sichuanese cuisine, because as soon as I opened Fuchsia Dunlop’s “Sichuan Cookery” I realised that many dishes labelled as Sichuanese are not Sichuanese at all. The contents of this book sounded so fascinating that I must have bookmarked a third of the recipes. The two first ones I chose to test turned out marvellous (no photos yet, but I will repair my mistake soon) and a plate of steamed aubergines sounded too unusual to miss it.

I might have already mentioned that I used to be completely indifferent to the aubergine and rather avoided it because it always seemed difficult to prepare in a way that wouldn’t include tons of oil. Nowadays I realise that I like the aubergine more and more every year, so I look out for every new recipe, preferably not calling for deep or shallow frying. Fuchsia Dunlop says this is a simple home recipe, but for me it was a revelation. It was easy, it took me about 20 minutes and the first impression is unforgettable. The texture of the steamed aubergine is incredibly silky, soft, moist, “buttery” as says the author, and the vinegared chili sauce gives it a huge awakening kick. In the meantime I have noticed some more steamed aubergine recipes at Shizuoka Gourmet, so you will probably see some more of these on my blog.

Before I pass to the recipe I would like to tell you about an extraordinary surprise Zsuzsa (Zsuzsa is in the Kitchen) prepared for me. Yesterday I felt as if it had been my birthday when I saw this gorgeous Poppy Seed and Chocolate Cake on her blog. This cake was prepared by my mum for every single one of my birthdays and is still the best cake I have ever had in my life. I have posted it some time ago (see here my clumsy version) and have completely forgotten that Zsuzsa promised to prepare it one day. Thank you, Zsuzsa, for this virtual present and such a huge surprise! I was deeply touched.

Now back to the recipe! (I have slightly modified it, adapting to a side dish for 2 and also adjusted it so that it can be steamed in a basic rice-cooker which like mine doesn’t have “high heat” or “low heat” options).

TIP: The author advises salting the aubergine in order to remove the bitterness. I have realised many years ago that, at least in the part of Europe I live in, aubergines are no longer bitter and do not require this stage. If your aubergines are of the bitter variety, cut them in half, salt them and leave for 30 minutes. Then wash them and pat them dry before starting to steam them.

Preparation: about 20 minutes

Ingredients (serves two):

1 medium aubergine

2 tablespoons light soy sauce

1 teaspoon Chinese black vinegar (Chinkiang, easily found in Asian shops)

1 teaspoon sugar

1 tablespoon chili oil preferably containing flakes; I used my home made Taberu Rayu, but I think any chili oil with the addition of chili flakes will do

1/2 teaspoon sesame oil

Cut the aubergine in two (removing the leaves and the stem of course).

If using a rice cooker pour 300 ml (about 1 cup and 1/5) water, place the aubergine on the steaming plate.

Steam until the rice-cooker switches off.

(If you have a separate steamer, the author advises to steam the aubergine for 5-10 minutes over a high flame.)

Cut the aubergine into bite-sized pieces and serve either hot or cold with the chili sauce aside (as a dip) or pour the sauce directly over it (this is the way I preferred it).

Stir Fried Asparagus, Chicken and Cashew Nuts

44 Comments

This easy, but excellent dish was inspired by the cashew and asparagus side-dish I have recently seen at Shu Han’s Mummy, I can cook!. She has chosen my beloved vegetable and my favourite nuts, preparing them in one of the most frequent cooking methods I use, so when I saw her post I realised once more how enriching are my regular peeks at my blogging friends’ adventures… Needless to say, I instantly bookmarked the recipe and waited only for my following visit to farmers market.

Since I needed a quick one-bowl lunch, I have transformed Shu Han’s side-dish into a main course, adding chicken breast pieces I often fry with cashew nuts and serving it in a bowl, on top of steamed rice. I have also slightly changed the sauce ingredients, still binding it with corn starch. Crisp asparagus, roast crunchy cashew nuts and delicate chicken pieces seasoned with a light, slightly sweet sauce created a very interesting, complex combination of flavours. I am really glad to have a new, excellent recipe on my list of asparagus dishes. Thank you, Shu Han, for this brilliant idea! (If you want to see Shu Han’s original version, click here.)

If you look for some asparagus cooking ideas, here are some suggestions:

-Tama Konnyaku and Asparagus Skewers

-Asparagus Teriyaki Pork Rolls

-Asparagus Tempura

-Asparagus Maki Sushi

Preparation: 20 minutes

Ingredients (serves one):

1/2 chicken breast

7 thin green asparagus spears

10 cashew nuts

oil

salt, pepper

Sauce:

1 tablespoon soy sauce (or more if using low-sodium sauce)

1 teaspoon water

1 teaspoon sake

1 teaspoon syrup or sugar (I used agave syrup)

1 teaspoon corn starch

Cut up the chicken breast into bite-sized pieces and season it slightly with salt.

Cut up the asparagus spears into bite-sized pieces too.

Combine the sauce ingredients in a glass or small bowl.

Heat a small amount of oil in a pan or wok. Roast the cashew nuts until slightly golden. Put them aside.

Add more oil and stir fry the chicken pieces for about five minutes, add the asparagus spurs and stir fry for about 5-7 minutes (or more, until the chicken is well cooked).

Add the cashew nuts, the sauce and heat, constantly stirring, for about one minute until the sauce thickens.

Sprinkle with ground pepper.
Serve with rice.

Easy Shrimp Dumplings

46 Comments

Ready-to-use, frozen dumpling skins were a huge revelation to me. As soon as I realised how quickly they thawed and how easy they were to handle, I started to treat dumplings as one of those quick staples I make when I am in a hurry and lack ideas. I used to stuff dumplings with ground meat or ground meat and tofu, but one day I decided to have shrimps instead. After a complete failure with ground raw thawed shrimp filling I opted for roughly chopped, cooked shrimps. The result was perfect and reminded me of the Chinese transparent shrimp dumplings I sometimes have in restaurants. These dumplings are light, slightly crunchy and really simple. Ginger, garlic and chives make them less plain or boring (the only thing I regretted about the restaurant ones). In my opinion they do not need to be fried and taste even better when simply cooked in stock or in salted water (the stock, even instant, gives however much better results). I suppose they can also be steamed. I love them sprinkled with chili oil (or Taberu rayu).

TIPS: I have no access to fresh raw shrimp, but if you do, you might experiment with raw shrimps instead of cooked ones. My experience with thawed raw shrimp wasn’t successful.

If I want to accelerate the thawing process, I put the dumpling skins (still in their package) in a bowl of lukewarm (not hot!) water.

Special equipment : brush (to moist the dumplings’ edges)

Preparation: 45 minutes

Ingredients (serves 3 as a main dish or 5 as a starter):

about 25 cooked shrimp, shelled and deveined (26/30 per pound size, mine are usually about 4 cm long without heads)

a package of 24 thawed dumpling skins (I use gyoza skins, but any round Asian thin dumpling skins will be perfect)

2 litres vegetable or chicken stock

1 egg

chives or green onion

1 cm grated fresh ginger

1 big grated garlic clove

salt, pepper

(chili oil)

Heat the stock in a big pan.

In the meantime chop the shrimp with a knife into 4-5 pieces each. (Do not mix them in a food processor).

In a bowl combine a slightly beaten egg, the shrimps, the chopped chives, the ginger, the garlic, the salt and the pepper.

Prepare a small bowl or glass with cold water.

Put several dumpling skins on a chopping board (or any other clean surface).

Brush their edges with water (about 1 cm from the border).

Place a heaped teaspoon of the shrimp filling, discarding the excess egg. Close dumplings, pinching the edges.

Repeat with the remaining dumpling skins.

Cook them in the boiling stock no more than 6 at a time (they shouldn’t be too crowded) for about 5 minutes.

(I usually make the first batch of 5-6 and then, while they cook, I make a second one, and so on.)

Take them out with a slotted spoon, drain them and serve immediately sprinkled with chili oil.

Dumplings can be refrigerated for two days in a container separated with plastic film (otherwise they will stick).

I reheat them in a microwave.

Chicken in Lemon Sauce

54 Comments

Citrus fruits are for me the only cheerful side of Winter seasonal food and lemon has always been my favourite, especially in desserts. When I saw Chicken in Lemon Sauce on Jeno’s Weeknite Meals I thought it was time to start exploring the tangy side of the savoury dishes too. The dish looked very appetising, but since I am not a big fan of sweet and sour combination in meat dishes (the ubiquitous sweet and sour pork is the last thing I would order in a Chinese restaurant), I was afraid it would end up similar. I needn’t have worried because there is no sweetness (only a bit of sugar is added for the general taste balance), while the tangy lemon juice and zest make this easy chicken dish original and complex. Not to mention its refreshing and spirit-lifting properties, most welcome in the coldest period of this Winter. Thank you, Jeno, for introducing me to a completely new and luscious combination of flavours.

I have kept all the original ingredients, but have slightly modified – or rather simplified – the preparation stages. I have skipped the cornstarch meat coating stage and left it only as a sauce thickener. I have also used chicken breasts instead of legs. As you see I have sprinkled it with roasted sesame seeds and it was a very pleasant crunchy addition, but it’s not obligatory (I sprinkle sesame seeds over everything). Click here to see Jeno’s recipe.

Preparation: 20 minutes

Ingredients (serves 2-3):

2 small chicken breasts (or skinned legs)

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 lemon

60 – 80 ml (about 1/4 – 1/3 cup) chicken stock

2 garlic cloves, crushed

1/2 teaspoon sugar

2 teaspoons rice wine (I used sake)

2 teaspoons cornstarch

2 green onion stalks , cut into 2 cm pieces

oil

Cut up the breasts or the legs into bite-sized pieces.

Season them with soy sauce and put aside.

Wash the lemon (the best here would be an organic lemon), grate the zest and press the juice of half of it.

Mix the cornstarch with a bit of water, add the stock, the sugar, the rice wine, the lemon juice and the zest (from 1/2 of the whole lemon). Put aside.

Heat some oil in a pan.

Fry the chicken for a couple of minutes.

Add the garlic and the green onion.

Stir-fry until the chicken is cooked.

Pour the cornstarch and stock mixture and continue frying until the sauce thickens.

Serve with rice.

Pearl Balls

39 Comments

Among the hundreds of appetising dishes I see on blogs and plan to prepare one day, some are so appealing, I simply cannot stop thinking about them. Such was the case of Pearl Balls I saw a couple of weeks ago at Jeno’s blog (Weeknite Meals). Reading the recipe and looking at the lovely photos I instantly knew it was my kind of dish.

Pearl Balls are made of ground, seasoned pork, coated in sticky rice and, as Jeno mentioned, they are part of the dishes traditionally served during the Chinese New Year family gatherings. They are called “pearl” because the sticky (glutinous/sweet) rice they are coated in changes its milky colour to pearly during the steaming process. As Jeno had promised these pork balls proved not only delicious, but also very quick and easy to prepare. However, since the glutinous rice needs to be soaked for several hours, they have to be planned ahead (I soaked it overnight). Chopped water chestnuts give a pleasant slight crunch, but, as Jeno says, they can easily be omitted because frankly they don’t change the taste a lot. Pearl Balls can be served as a main course but also as snacks. They are excellent dipped in soy sauce seasoned with chili paste or oil. I have changed the recipe slightly, adding grated ginger which I love combined with pork. Click here to see Jeno’s original recipe and her beautiful photos. (You can also see the Pearl Balls as guest post on Nami’s Just One Cookbook blog). Happy New Year, Jeno, and thank you for this wonderful recipe!

Happy Chinese New Year to everyone who celebrates it!

TIP: If you don’t want to use fat pork, add some silken tofu to make sure the balls are not dry

Preparation: 30 minutes + several hours (or overnight) rice soaking time

Ingredients (about 30 balls):

about 500 g ground pork (a bit fatty or 400 g lean pork+100 g silken tofu)

2 tablespoons chopped green onion

1 tablespoon fresh ginger, grated

2 tablespoons soy sauce (or more if using low-sodium soy sauce)

5 water chestnuts peeled and chopped very finely (I used canned chestnuts)

1 egg

salt, pepper

200 g sticky/glutinous/sweet rice soaked for several hours or overnight

Combine all the ingredients apart from the rice.

Drain the rice and put it into a wide bowl.

Form meat balls (apricot size) and roll them in the rice.

Steam for about 20 minutes and serve with any sauce of your choice.

(They are also very good microwaved).