The Everything Chinese Cookbook (38 page)

1½ pounds spareribs

2 garlic cloves, smashed and peeled

3 tablespoons soy sauce

1 teaspoon sesame oil

1 tablespoon Chinese rice wine or dry sherry

2 teaspoons brown sugar

1 teaspoon Hot Chili Oil (page 23)

½ teaspoon Szechwan Salt and Pepper Mix (page 20)

½ teaspoon five-spice powder, or to taste

2 tablespoons water

1. Mix together all the ingredients except for the spareribs. Marinate the spareribs for 30 minutes. Reserve the marinade.
   
2. Preheat oven to 350°F. Brush half of the reserved marinade on the spareribs and roast for 15 minutes. Brush on the rest of marinade and roast the spareribs for another 15 minutes or until they are cooked.
   

2 pounds spareribs

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup water

3 tablespoons soy sauce

1 tablespoon dry mustard

3 garlic cloves, minced

3 eggs

1 cup flour

4–6 cups oil for deep-frying

1. Cut the ribs into bite-sized pieces.
   
2. Combine the brown sugar, water, soy sauce, mustard, and garlic cloves. Add to the ribs and marinate for 1 hour.
   
3. Lightly beat the eggs and add to the flour to make a batter, adding water or more flour as needed. Use a wooden spoon to test the batter — it should drop slowly and be able to coat the back of the spoon.
   
4. Add the oil to a wok and heat to 350°F. While waiting for the oil to heat, coat the ribs in the batter. When oil is hot, carefully add the spareribs into the wok. Deep-fry in batches for about 5 minutes. Remove and drain on paper towels.
   
5. Raise the oil temperature to 400°F. Deep-fry the ribs briefly a second time, until they turn brown. Remove and drain.
   

Recycled Deep-frying Oil

Start deep-frying regularly, and you'll quickly find your stock of vegetable oil running low. Fortunately, deep-frying oil can be reused up to 5 times. To save the oil, simply cool and store in a sealed container. Discard the oil when it starts to smell bad, changes color, or smokes at lower temperatures.

½ pound pork tenderloin

3 teaspoons Chinese rice wine or dry sherry, divided

½ teaspoon sugar

1½ teaspoons cornstarch

8 ounces canned or fresh peeled young bamboo shoots

½ cup chicken stock or broth

1 teaspoon rice vinegar

3 tablespoons oil for stir-frying

1. Cut the pork into thin slices. Add 2 teaspoons of the rice wine, the sugar, and the cornstarch. Marinate the pork for 30 minutes.
   
2. Blanch the bamboo shoots in boiling water for at least 5 minutes. Drain thoroughly and chop.
   
3. Combine the chicken stock, 1 teaspoon rice wine, and the rice vinegar, and set aside.
   
4. Add 2 tablespoons oil to a preheated wok or skillet. When oil is hot, add the pork and stir-fry until it changes color and is nearly cooked. Remove and drain on paper towels.
   
5. Add 1 tablespoon oil to the wok. Add the bamboo shoots and stir-fry. Add the sauce in the middle of the wok and bring to a boil. Add the pork. Turn down the heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Serve hot.
   

Why Waste a Wok?

Don't hide your wok in the cupboard when you're not cooking Chinese food. A wok's unusual shape makes it useful for everything from mixing batter to tossing a salad. And nothing beats a wok for turning out scrambled eggs and omelets that don't stick to the bottom of the pan.

1 pound pork loin, center cut, bone in

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1 teaspoon baking soda

cup canned pineapple chunks

½ cup reserved pineapple juice

½ red bell pepper

½ green bell pepper

¼ pound baby carrots

cup rice vinegar

½ cup brown sugar

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

¼ cup ketchup

¼ cup water

3 tablespoons oil for stir-frying

2 teaspoons cornstarch mixed with 4 teaspoons water

1. Cut away the bone from the pork and remove any fat. Cut the pork into cubes. Add the soy sauce, cornstarch, and baking soda to the pork. Marinate the pork in the refrigerator for 1½ hours.
   
2. Open a can of pineapple chunks and remove
   cup pineapple and ½ cup juice. Blanch the peppers and carrots by plunging briefly into boiling water. Remove the seeds from the green and red peppers, and cut into cubes. Cut the carrots in half.
   
3. Bring the rice vinegar, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, ketchup, reserved pineapple juice, and water to a boil. Turn down the heat to low and keep warm.
   
4. Add 2 tablespoons oil to a preheated wok or skillet. When oil is hot, add the pork. Stir-fry until it changes color and is nearly cooked through. Remove from the wok and drain on paper towels.
   
5. Add 1 tablespoon oil. When oil is hot, add the carrots. Stir-fry for a minute and add the red and green peppers.
   
6. Bring the sauce back up to a boil. Add the cornstarch-and-water mixture, stirring vigorously to thicken. Mix the pineapple in with the sauce. Push the vegetables up to the sides of the wok and add the sauce in the middle. Add the pork back into the wok. Mix through and serve hot.