Eat More Chinese Food

Martin Yan has always been one of my favorite cooks to watch. He always seems so enthusiastic about the food. Although I watched Julia and Lidia and all those PBS cooks, it was Martin that could inspire me to get into the kitchen. I would watch him prepare a dish and could literally imagine it’s taste and texture. I recognized many of the ingredients he used, such as ginger, garlic and chilies (as opposed to tarragon, dill or rosemary). For me, his food felt familiar even though I didn’t grow up eating Chinese food.

Browsing through the cooking section of our local library, I came upon his book Martin Yan’s Chinatown Cooking. This book is a gem. He presents recipes from Chinatowns all over the world. Some of the dishes are commonly found in Chinese restaurants in larger American cities, but there are also dishes from Hawaii, Singapore, Macau, Malaysia, Canada, Australia and England. It’s interesting to see the local influences in each dish and how much variation there can be in Chinese cooking.

The first recipe I wanted to try was oven-baked salmon in spicy chili-bean sauce. Only problem was my local supermarket didn’t have any good looking salmon. I decided to use chicken instead and do it as a stir-fry with various veggies (I know, I have a bad habit of changing recipes. But isn’t improvisation and versatility a good thing in cooking?). The veggies I chose were just the ones I had on hand and needed to use, but really you could use just about anything else: carrots, broccoli, green onions, celery, green beans, Chinese long beans, Chinese broccoli. And even though this dish may seem spicy, it’s not (you could always add more chili bean paste or sambal oelek if you like more heat). My son, who is 4, could eat and enjoyed it.

Chicken and Veggies in Spicy Chili-Bean Sauce

• 3 tbs soy sauce
• 2 tbs hoisin sauce
• 2 tbs Chinese rice wine (or dry sherry) + 2 tsp kept separate
• 1 tbs honey (or brown sugar)
• handful of cilantro, finely chopped
• 1 tbs Chinese chili bean paste*
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• ½ large onion, sliced into thin wedges
• 1 cup snow peas or sugar snap peas
• 1 small zucchini, sliced into 2 inch long sticks
• ½ red bell pepper, sliced into sticks
• 1 bunch baby bok choy, leaves cut in half lengthwise
• 120z white meat chicken, sliced thin
• 1 ½ tsp cornstarch

Combine the chicken, 2 tsp rice wine and cornstarch in a bowl and mix well to coat the chicken. Let it sit for about 10 minutes.

In a bowl, combine the soy sauce, hoisin, 2 tbs rice wine, honey, chopped cilantro, and chili bean sauce.

Heat a wok over high heat. Add oil (1-2 tbs) and swirl to coat the sides. Add the garlic and fry for about 10-15 seconds. Add the chicken and stir-fry until almost done. Remove and set aside.

In the same wok, add the onion and red bell pepper (add more oil if you think it’s necessary). Stir-fry for a minute or two. Next add the snow peas then zucchini and continue cooking for another minute or two. Finally add the baby bok choy and return the chicken (and juices) to the pan. After about a minute, add the sauce. Your wok should be hot enough to reduce the sauce on contact. Continue to cook until completely heated through and the chicken is done. Serve with steamed rice.

*Just about every Asian country has their own version of a chili bean paste/sauce. I recommend using the Chinese version for this dish. If you can't find it, try using 1/2 tbs black bean paste (with or without garlic is fine) + 1/2 tbs chili garlic sauce, both of which can usually be found in most large supermarkets.

Surf and Turf

I don’t know why people are afraid of anchovies. I don’t think they’re fishy at all. They’re salty and briny, which gives them a fantastic taste. Oh, I'm salivating just thinking about pizza with anchovies.

Many years back, I saw Lidia Bastianich use an anchovy-based paste to rub all over a grilled steak. I tried it and it was AWESOME. Recently, I ran across a recipe from Emeril that uses lamb (click here to see original recipe). I used it as a starting point and ended up with something so tasty, I can't even describe it. You’ll just have to try it.

Lamb Roast Rubbed with Anchovy Garlic Paste

• ½ head garlic, minced
• 5-6 anchovy filets + 2 tsp oil from can
• 1 tbs chopped oregano
• 1 tbs lemon juice or balsamic vinegar
• 1 tbs Dijon mustard
• 2 tsp honey
• 1 ½ to 2 lbs lamb roast
• Salt and pepper to taste

Mix the ingredients (except the meat) to get a paste. Rub the paste all over the lamb and allow it to sit in the fridge for at least 2 hour (longer is better). One hour before cooking the roast, take it out and let it sit at room temperature to take the chill off. Season it well with salt and pepper. Roast the lamb in a preheated 375º oven (I used a cast iron skillet, which I also preheated). The roasting time will vary depending on whether you have a butterflied piece of meat or whether it’s tied up. I had a butterflied roast and it took about 13 minutes (with convection on) for medium doneness.

If you want to make a pan sauce, transfer your roast to a large plate and put your roasting pan on a burner over medium-high heat. Add about ½ to 2/3 cup balsamic vinegar. Scrape up the stuck bits and let it reduce to about 3 tbs. Add about ½ to 2/3 cup chicken stock (and any juice from the resting roast) to the pan and let it simmer for a minute or two. Add a pat of butter if you like (whisk to make sure it’s well incorporated) and check the seasonings. Strain through a fine sieve before serving. If you prefer, you could serve tzatziki instead of sauce. Generally I make a sauce if I’m serving rice pilaf with the roast and tzatziki if I’m serving flatbread/pita.

My Way

Sometimes I look at a recipe and decide there’s something about it I would like to change. Maybe I’m not fond of a particular ingredient or maybe the method can be simplified. For example, I found a recipe for Matar Paneer (curried peas and Indian cheese) in the May 2007 issue of Saveur. I got excited glancing over the list of ingredients, but the result looked a little soupy. I also don’t like to fry the paneer because it can become rubbery. So I made a few changes, and I think the results were still very good, even if it looked nothing like the original.

Curried Peas and Cheese

• 1 tbs minced garlic
• 1 tbs minced ginger
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 3 cardamom pods, slightly crushed
• 3 cloves
• 1 3” cinnamon stick
• ½ of a large onion, finely chopped
• 1 tsp paprika
• 4-5 medium tomatoes, seeded and chopped
• ¾ lbs paneer, crumbled or cubed (recipe follows)
• 2 cups frozen peas
• ½ tbs garam masala
• Salt to taste
• Handful of cilantro leaves for garnish

In a Dutch oven over medium-high heat, add 2 tbs oil and fry the cardamom, cloves and cinnamon until fragrant (about 30 sec). Add the onion and sauté until soft and starting to brown. Add the cumin, paprika, garlic and ginger, and sauté for about 1-2 minutes (but don’t let it burn). Stir in the tomatoes and cook until they are soft and broken down (can take 10 minutes or more). Add the peas and cook for about 2 minutes, until the peas are heated through. Add the paneer, garam masala and salt. Cook until heated through, about 2 minutes. If the mixture is too dry, add water until you get the desired consistency. Serve garnished with cilantro leaves and basmati rice or roti.

The highlight of this dish is the paneer, which tastes similar to cottage cheese, without the liquid. And like cottage cheese, you don’t have to feel guilty eating it because it’s low in fat. It’s not complicated to make either. You’ll just need cheesecloth, a stockpot, and a large freestanding colander.

Paneer (from Saveur)

• 1 gallon whole fat milk
• 2 ½ tbs kosher salt
• ½ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (no pulp)

In a stockpot, bring the milk and salt to a boil. You’ll need to stir it occasionally so it doesn’t burn to the bottom of the pot. When it boils, add the lemon juice and turn off the heat. Curds will start to form. Stir the mixture gently to help the curds form, but don’t overdo it or the curds will break up. After a couple of minutes, strain the mixture into a freestanding colander lined with 4 layers of cheesecloth. Let it sit for 15 minutes or so to drain (put a hand towel on top to prevent stuff from falling in). Gather the end of the cheesecloth and twist them to form a ball of cheese. This should squeeze some of the liquid out of the cheese. Loosen the cheesecloth and wrap it around the cheese tightly to make a disc or oval shape. Place it back in the colander and place a flat heavy object on it like a plate (I used a pot that could fit into my colander). Start piling heavy pots on top of that, until the weight reaches 10 pounds or so. Let it sit like this for about 1 ½ hour to press the liquid out. You should end up with a nice, compact cheese, weighing about 1 ½ lbs. It can be stored in the fridge for up to three days. My Indian coworker says it can be frozen as well.

It Never Fails...

There's always rain during the Rose Festival Grand Floral Parade. I was hoping it would only rain in the morning so I could grill for dinner, but it has been sprinkling all day. Not a heavy rain, more of a drizzle, but enough to hinder any grilling plans (unless you have a gas grill, which I don't). However, beef skewers were on the menu tonight, and I was not to be deterred! I just cooked them under the broiler.

Marinated Beef Skewers

• 1 lbs flank steak, cut into 1 or 2 inch square chunks or 1/2 inch slices
• 1/3 cup soy sauce
• 1 tbs honey or brown sugar
• 1 tbs lemon or lime juice
• 2 tbs orange juice
• 1 tbs minced ginger
• 2-3 scallions, thinly sliced
• 3 tbs finely chopped cilantro
• bamboo skewers

I chose flank steak (also called London broil) because it's relatively mild in taste (compared to ribeye), so it does well with a little marinating. It can also be a bit tough if overcooked. One way to prevent this is to "marinate" in 7-up (approx 2/3 of a 12 oz can) for 3 or 4 hours before marinating in the soy mixture. This is a trick I learned from this recipe, and have used it a couple of times. It's absolutely not required, especially if you use a more marbled cut of meat like chuck steak.

Combine the soy sauce and all the marinade ingredients. Use half the mixture for marinating the meat, and the other half for a dipping sauce. Marinate for 1-4 hours in the fridge. Thread on pre-soaked skewers and let stand for at least 30 minutes to take the chill off before grilling. Serve with rice or lettuce and/or cabbage leaves to make wraps (great appetizer idea).

The dipping sauce can be used just the way it is, but we like it spicy so I add about 1/4 tsp of sambal oelek. Adjust the flavor by adding more of any ingredient.

Picky Schmicky

It’s funny, some of the stuff kids will eat. They are notorious for being picky, and mine is no exception. For example, he will not eat cheese on a hamburger, but will devour a whole block of sharp cheddar during snack time if I let him. He’ll eat asparagus and green beans, but won’t touch peas. When his teacher asked him what his favorite foods are, he said broccoli, macaroni and cheese, chicken on a stick (chicken sate), sticky rice and (Thai) fishcakes. It made my Thai heart melt (and mouth water!).

Have you ever tried Thai fishcakes? They’re usually served as fancy appetizers here in the States, but in Thailand, they are a common street food. The vendor normally has a big wok filled with hot oil, so they can be fried fresh to order. They’re served in a plastic bag along with a little bag of dipping sauce and a long toothpick to eat them.

There’s nothing hard about making fishcakes at home, if you have a food processor. Frying them up is quick too. They probably only take about 3 minutes a batch (so I recommend having all the patties made before you start frying). This recipe makes quite a few cakes, perfect for serving at large gatherings. They can also be frozen after they are fried.

Thai Fishcakes

• 2 lbs white fish cut into cubes (bones removed), such as tilapia, sole or cod
• 3 tbs cornstarch
• 2 tbs fish sauce
• 2 eggs
• ½ bunch cilantro
• 2 tbs Thai curry paste (red is traditional, but green or yellow is fine)
• 3-4 kaffir lime leaves, finely sliced
• 4 green onions, finely sliced
• ¼ cup Chinese green beans, finely sliced (regular green beans are fine too)
• oil for deep frying
• dipping sauce (recipe follows)

Throw the curry paste, lime leaves, and cilantro into a food processor and pulse until uniform. Add the fish, fish sauce and eggs and process until it forms a uniform, smooth mixture. There should not be any chunks of fish and the mixture will be sticky. Add the cornstarch and pulse until it is well incorporated. Transfer the mixture to a large mixing bowl. Add the green onions and green beans and mix well. Form into small patties. I usually use 1 tbs worth of mixture for each patty, which results in about 50 appetizer-sized cakes.

In a wok over medium-high heat, add enough oil to for deep-frying. When it’s hot (check by dropping a small piece of fish mixture in), add the fish patties. Don’t crowd them. Fry on one side until golden, then flip them. They should puff up and take on a nice brown color. Remove with a spider and drain on paper towels or cooling rack. Serve with dipping sauce.

Dipping sauce

• ½ cup white sugar
• ½ cup water
• ¼ cup rice vinegar
• 1 tbs fish sauce
• 1 tsp sambaloelek
• ¼ cup seeded cucumber , chopped
• 2 tbs onion, chopped

In a small saucepan, bring the sugar, water and rice vinegar to a boil. Reduce the heat a little and simmer for about 5 minutes or until it starts to get a little thick. Turn off the heat, add the fish sauce and sambal oelek. Cool to room temperature then add the cucumber and onion.