The Everything Chinese Cookbook (10 page)

¼ cup canned bamboo shoots, sliced

1 tablespoon oyster sauce

1 tablespoon chicken broth or stock

½ teaspoon sugar

2 tablespoons oil for stir-frying

6 large fresh mushrooms, thinly sliced

1 stalk celery, thinly sliced on the diagonal

¼ cup water chestnuts, thinly sliced

1 cup fresh mung bean sprouts, drained

2 green onions, thinly sliced on the diagonal

½ pound barbecued pork

15 egg roll wrappers

3 tablespoons cornstarch mixed with 2 tablespoons water

4–6 cups oil for frying

1. Thinly slice the bamboo shoots. Combine the oyster sauce, chicken broth, and sugar. Set aside.
   
2. Add 2 tablespoons oil to a preheated wok or skillet. When oil is hot, add the mushrooms and stir-fry for about 1 minute. Add the celery, then the water chestnuts, then bamboo shoots, stir-frying each for about 1 minute in the middle of the wok before adding the next vegetable. (If the wok is too crowded, stir-fry each vegetable separately.) Add more oil as necessary, pushing the vegetables up to the side of the wok until the oil is hot. Add the bean sprouts and the green onions.
   
3. Add the sauce to the middle of the wok and bring to a boil. Add the barbequed pork. Heat everything through. Cool.
   
4. Heat 4–6 cups oil to 375°F. While the oil is heating, prepare the wrappers. To wrap, spread a heaping tablespoon of filling in the middle of the wrapper, evenly spread out but not too close to the edges. Coat the top edge and the sides with the cornstarch/water mixture. Fold the bottom half over the filling. Fold the top half over, making sure the 2 sides overlap. Press down to seal all the edges. Continue with the remainder of the egg rolls. (Prepare more cornstarch and water if necessary.)
   
5. Deep-fry the egg rolls until they turn golden brown (2–3 minutes).Drain on paper towels.
   

3 medium dried mushrooms

1½ cups ground pork

½ cup canned bamboo shoots, shredded

1½ green onions, thinly sliced

1 slice ginger

2 teaspoons black rice vinegar

2 teaspoons soy sauce

1 teaspoon sugar

1 teaspoon sesame oil

1 package wonton wrappers

4–6 cups oil for deep-frying

1. Soak the dried mushrooms in hot water for at least 20 minutes to soften. Drain, remove the stems, and slice finely. Shred the bamboo shoots.
   
2. Combine the ground pork, bamboo shoots, green onions, dried mushrooms, ginger, black rice vinegar, soy sauce, sugar, and sesame oil.
   
3. Add oil to a preheated wok and heat to 375°F. While waiting for the oil to heat, wrap the wontons. Lay the wrapper in a square shape in front of you. Place 1 teaspoon of filling in the middle of the wrapper. Fold the wonton wrapper in half lengthwise, making sure the ends meet. Roll the wonton wrapper over again, being sure to keep the filling centered. Wet the ends. Bring the corners together so that one overlaps the other, and seal. Continue with the remainder of the wontons. Cover the completed wontons with a damp towel to prevent drying.
   
4. Carefully slide a few wontons at a time into the wok. Deep-fry until they turn golden (about 2 minutes). Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.
   

Maintaining Oil Temperature During Deep-frying

To prevent greasy food, it's important to keep the oil temperature from dropping substantially during deep-frying. This can be tricky, since it is normal for the temperature to drop when food is first added to the wok. One solution is to heat the oil to a higher temperature than called for in the recipe. For example, if the instructions state the food should be deep-fried at 350°F, wait until the oil temperature reaches 355–360°F before starting to deep-fry.

½ teaspoon salt

2¼ cups flour

cup water

1 medium egg

1 teaspoon vegetable oil

1. Sift the salt into the flour. Add the remaining ingredients, adding the water slowly and not using more than necessary. Form the batter into a dough and knead until smooth. Cover the dough and let it rest for 30 minutes.
   
2. Cut the dough in half. Form each half into a cylinder. Lightly score the dough into ½ -inch pieces and cut (you should have 12–14 pieces). Repeat with the other half of the dough.
   
3. On a lightly floured surface, roll each piece out into a 3½ -inch square. Store wrapped in plastic in the refrigerator or freeze until ready to use.
   

20 fresh water chestnuts

½ cup soy sauce

10 slices raw bacon

½ cup brown sugar

20 toothpicks

1. Peel the water chestnuts. Rinse and drain well. Place the soy sauce in a plastic bag. Add the water chestnuts and seal. Marinate for 3 hours, turning occasionally to cover completely.
   
2. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Cut each slice of bacon in half. Spread the brown sugar out on a piece of waxed paper.
   
3. Remove the water chestnuts from the bag, reserving the marinade. Roll each water chestnut in the brown sugar. Wrap a slice of bacon around each water chestnut and secure with a toothpick.
   
4. Bake the water chestnuts at 350°F for 45 minutes. After 20 minutes, turn the water chestnuts over and pour the reserved marinade over. Continue baking.
   

½ pound pork tenderloin, shredded

2 tablespoons oyster sauce, divided

½ teaspoon baking soda

6 dried mushrooms

1 carrot

1 tablespoon chicken broth or stock

½ teaspoon sugar

1 cup mung bean sprouts, rinsed and drained

2 green onions, thinly sliced on the diagonal

¼ teaspoon sesame oil

12 spring roll wrappers

2 tablespoons cornstarch mixed with 1 tablespoon water

4–6 cups oil for frying

1. Marinate the pork in 1 tablespoon oyster sauce and baking soda for 30 minutes.
   
2. Soak the dried mushrooms in hot water to soften; drain and thinly slice. Wash and grate the carrot until you have ¼ cup.
   
3. Combine the remaining 1 tablespoon oyster sauce, chicken broth, and sugar. Set aside.
   
4. Add 2 tablespoons oil to a preheated wok or skillet. When oil is hot, add the pork. Stir-fry briefly until it changes color and is nearly cooked through. Remove from the wok.
   
5. Add 1½ tablespoons oil. When oil is hot, add the dried mushrooms. Stir-fry for 1 minute, then add the bean sprouts, grated carrot, and the green onion. Add the sauce in the middle of the wok and bring to a boil. Add the pork and mix through. Drizzle with the sesame oil. Cool.
   
6. Heat 4–6 cups oil to 375°F. While oil is heating, prepare the spring rolls. To wrap, lay the wrapper in a diamond shape. Place a tablespoon of filling in the middle. Coat all the edges with the cornstarch-and-water mixture. Roll up the wrapper and tuck in the edges. Seal the tucked-in edges with cornstarch and water. Continue with the remainder of the Spring Rolls. (Prepare more cornstarch and water as necessary.)
   
7. Deep-fry the spring rolls, 2 at a time, until they turn golden. Drain on paper towels.