The Everything Chinese Cookbook (37 page)

1 teaspoon sugar

½ teaspoon sesame oil

2 tablespoons Chinese rice wine or dry sherry, divided

2 bunches spinach leaves

3 tablespoons oil for stir-frying

1 cup chicken broth or stock

¼ teaspoon salt

White pepper to taste

1. Place the pork in a medium-sized bowl. Mix in the soy sauce, sugar, sesame oil, and 1 tablespoon rice wine. Marinate the pork for 20 minutes.
   
2. Wash the spinach leaves. Blanch the spinach in boiling water briefly, just until the leaves begin to wilt. Drain thoroughly.
   
3. Form the marinated pork into 4 large meatballs, each roughly the size of a tennis ball. (Alternately, you can make the meatballs the size of golf balls, which will give you more meatballs.)
   
4. Add oil to a preheated wok or skillet. Pan-fry the meatballs on medium heat for 4–5 minutes on each side, until they brown. (The meatballs will not be cooked through.) Remove and drain on paper towels.
   
5. While the meatballs are frying, preheat the oven to 375°F.
   
6. Bring the chicken broth or stock to a boil. Stir in the salt, white pepper, and 1 tablespoon rice wine. Remove from the heat.
   
7. Line the bottom of a casserole dish with the spinach leaves. Add the meatballs and pour the chicken stock mixture over. Bake at 375°F for 30 minutes, or until the meatballs are cooked through.
   

Intriguing Recipe Names

Like most cooking styles, Chinese cuisine has its share of intriguing recipe names. According to legend, Mapo Dofu, or “Pockmarked Tofu” (page 196), is named in honor of the elderly woman rumored to have invented the dish. In Ants Climbing a Tree, the tiny flecks of marinated pork are meant to resemble ants, while the fried noodles are the bark of the tree. This dish is also known as Ants Creeping up a Tree and Ants Climbing a Log.

1½ pound spareribs

2 tablespoons honey

4 tablespoons hoisin sauce

4 tablespoons dark soy sauce

2 tablespoons Chinese rice wine or dry sherry

1. Separate the pork into pieces about 2 by 6 inches. Combine the honey, hoisin sauce, dark soy sauce, and rice wine. Add to the pork ribs and marinate in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours, preferably overnight.
   
2. Preheat oven to 375°F.
   
3. Drain the pork, reserving the marinade. Fill a shallow pan with boiling water and place at the bottom of the oven. Place the pork on a roasting rack, cover with half the reserved marinade and roast the pork for 15 minutes. Brush the pork with the remaining marinade and roast for another 15 minutes, or until the pork turns golden brown and is cooked. Cool.
   

1 pound pork ribs

4 tablespoons soy sauce

2 tablespoons Chinese rice wine or dry sherry

2 teaspoons sugar

2 teaspoons curry paste

1 teaspoon turmeric

1 large clove garlic, chopped

2–4 cups oil for deep-frying

1. Cut the ribs into bite-sized pieces. Add the soy sauce, rice wine, sugar, curry paste, turmeric, and chopped garlic. Marinate the ribs for 30 minutes.
   
2. Heat the oil in the wok to 350°F. When oil is hot, deep-fry the spareribs until they turn a deep brown and rise to the surface.
   

1–1½ pounds spareribs

1 tablespoon fermented black beans

1 garlic clove, minced

2 green onions

3 tablespoons hoisin sauce

3 tablespoons soy sauce

1½ teaspoons sugar

½ cup water

2 tablespoons oil for stir-frying

1. Wash the spareribs, pat dry, and separate. Mash the black beans with the back edge of a knife or cleaver. Mix with the garlic and a bit of water. Cut the green onions into 1-inch pieces.
   
2. Combine the hoisin sauce, soy sauce, sugar, and water.
   
3. Add oil to a preheated wok or skillet. Stir-fry the pork for 2–3 minutes. Add the fermented bean and garlic mixture and stir-fry until aromatic.
   
4. Add the sauce and bring to a boil. Turn down the heat, cover, and simmer for 20–25 minutes, until the spareribs are cooked. Stir in the green onions or serve as a garnish.
   

Fermented Black Beans

These are not the dried black beans that enliven many Mexican dishes. Instead, fermented black beans (also called salted black beans) are made with black soybeans that have been fermented in salt, garlic, and a number of spices. Fermented black beans are sold in cans and plastic bags in Asian markets. In a pinch, black bean sauce can be used as a substitute, but the dish won't have the same flavor.

1½ pounds spareribs

4 teaspoons sugar, divided

2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon rice vinegar, divided

2 tablespoons ketchup

2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

4 tablespoons soy sauce

2 tablespoons oil for stir-frying

1. Wash spareribs and pat dry. Separate into serving-sized pieces. Marinate the ribs in 1 teaspoon sugar and 1 teaspoon rice vinegar for 30 minutes.
   
2. Mix together 3 teaspoons sugar, 2 tablespoons rice vinegar, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, and soy sauce, and set aside.
   
3. Add oil to a preheated wok or skillet. When oil is hot, add the ribs and stir-fry for about 5 minutes, until they brown.
   
4. Add the sauce, turn down the heat, cover, and simmer the ribs for 45 minutes to 1 hour.