Read Quick & Easy Chinese Online
Authors: Nancie McDermott
Quick & Easy Chinese (12 page)
I remember my first order of
moo goo gai pan
at Jung’s Chinese Restaurant in Greensboro, North Carolina. It was a delectable mound of spring-green snow peas with sliced mushrooms and chicken, all glistening in a velvety sauce. I loved it then and I still do, especially since nowadays it’s made with fresh mushrooms instead of canned ones.
½ pound boneless, skinless chicken breast
3 tablespoons chicken stock or water
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon dry sherry or Shaoxing rice wine
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon sugar
¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
1 tablespoon chopped fresh ginger
1 cup thinly sliced fresh mushrooms
1 cup trimmed fresh snow peas
½ cup sliced water chestnuts
2 teaspoons Asian sesame oil
SERVES
4
Cut the chicken breast crosswise into strips about 2 inches long. In a small bowl, combine the chicken stock, soy sauce, dry sherry, cornstarch, salt, sugar, and pepper, and stir to dissolve everything into a smooth sauce. Set out a medium bowl in which to place the chicken after its first cooking session.
Heat a wok or a large, deep skillet over high heat. Add the vegetable oil and swirl to coat the pan. Add the garlic and ginger and toss well until fragrant. Scatter in the chicken, spreading it out into a single layer. Cook undisturbed until the edges turn white, about 1 minute, and then toss well. Cook until most of the pieces have changed color, and then scoop up the partially cooked chicken, leaving the liquid behind in the pan, and place into the reserved bowl.
Scatter the mushrooms into the pan, spread them out, and cook for 1 minute, tossing once or twice. Return the chicken and any juices in the bowl to the pan, toss well, and cook 1 minute more.
Add the snow peas and water chestnuts and toss well. Cook, tossing often, until the snow peas are bright green and just tender, and the chicken is cooked through.
Add the chicken stock mixture, pouring it in around the sides of the pan. Cook, tossing now and then, until the sauce is bubbling, shiny, and thickened and evenly mixed with all the ingredients, about 1 minute more.
Add the sesame oil, toss once more, and transfer to a serving platter. Serve hot or warm.
This wildly popular dish has a longer ingredients list than many of the recipes in this book, but this is mostly a matter of measuring out the two seasoning mixtures. Once that’s done, there’s a bit of chopping and then you’re ready to cook up a speedy and spectacular dish. To prepare in advance, chop the chicken, stir up the marinade, and mix it with the meat. Cover the bowl and refrigerate it for several hours or as long as overnight. Then mix the sauce, gather the remaining ingredients, and cook. Classic recipes include Szechuan peppercorns, but if you don’t have them, it’s still a delicious dish.
FOR THE CHICKEN MARINADE
¾ pound boneless, skinless chicken breast
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon dry sherry or Shaoxing rice wine
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
FOR THE SAUCE
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon dry sherry or Shaoxing rice wine
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar or Chenkiang vinegar
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1 teaspoon salt
FOR COOKING THE CHICKEN
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
5 to 10 small dried hot red chiles or
2 teaspoons red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon Szechuan peppercorns, toasted and crushed (optional)
1 tablespoon coarsely chopped garlic
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh ginger
¼ cup coarsely chopped green onion
¾ cup roasted, salted peanuts
1 teaspoon Asian sesame oil
SERVES
4
To prepare the chicken: Chop it into bite-sized chunks, about 1 inch in diameter. In a medium bowl, combine the soy sauce, sherry, cornstarch, and vegetable oil. Stir to mix everything well, and then add the chicken, tossing to coat it evenly. Set aside for 30 minutes to 1 hour, or cover and refrigerate for up to 1 day.
To make the sauce: In a small bowl, combine the soy sauce, sherry, vinegar, sugar, cornstarch, and salt. Stir to dissolve the dry ingredients, and mix everything together well.
Prepare the remaining ingredients, and place everything by the stove, along with a serving platter for the finished dish.
To cook the chicken, heat a wok or a large, deep skillet over medium-high heat, and then add the vegetable oil. Swirl to coat the pan, and when it is hot but not smoking, add the chiles. Toss well for about 30 seconds, and then add the Szechuan peppercorns, if using. Cook for about 1 minute, until fragrant and shiny, tossing once or twice.
Scatter in the chicken and let it cook on one side for about 1 minute. Toss well, and then add the garlic, ginger, and green onion. Cook 1 to 2 minutes, tossing now and then, until the chicken has changed color and is cooked through.
Stir the sauce, and add it to the pan. Cook another minute, tossing often, and then add the peanuts and sesame oil. Toss once more, transfer to a serving platter, and serve hot or warm.