Authentic Recipes from China

112 Pages·2004·42.51 MB·English

by  Kenneth Law

authentic recipes from
•
tna
80 Simple and Delicious Recipes
from the Middle Kingdom
by Kenneth Law, Lee Cheng Meng and
Max Zhang
lntrocfuct1on by Don J. Cohn
Photographs by Luca lnvernizzi Tettoni
PERIPLUS EDITIONS
ingaporc • Hong Kong • Indonesia
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Hardcover ISBN 978-0-7946-0208-6
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Photo cred1ts All food photography by Luca 1nvern1ZZ1
Tettom Add1t1onal photo on page 16 of ch1ld eahng
noodles by Leong Ka Ta1
Pnnted 1n S1ngapore
he 10 09 08
6 5 4 3 2
pb 10 09 08 07 06
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Contents
Food in China 5 Vegetanan Fned R1ce 50 Shnmp w1th Vegetables and
All the Tea in China 11 Shr-fned R1ce Verm1celli 52 Ham 94
The Emperor's Banquet 12 Longevity Noodles 53 Wok-seared Sesame Scallops 96
Cooking and Eating Chinese 15 Stir-fried Noodles w1th Shrimp and Steamed Mussels, Clams or Oysters
Authentic Chinese Ingredients 18 Pork 55 with Garlic 97
Ch1lled Summer Noodles 56 G1nger-poached Trout or
Basic Recipes Hot and Sp1cy S1chuan Noodles 59 Seabass 98
Hunan Ch1il Relish 23 Sweet Black Bean and Sesame Squ1d
Pickled Da1kon and Carrot 23 Vegetables and Tofu 101
P1ckled Green Chili 24 Fragrant Sichuan Eggplant 60 Salt and Pepper Squ1d 101
Marinated Broccoli Stems 24 Stir-fried Vegetables 60
Marinated Cucumber 24 St1r-fried Ch1nese Broccoli w1th Beef Desserts
Pickled Garlic 24 62 Iced Almond Jelly with Lychees 102
Sp1cy Cabbage P1ckles 24 Ho1s1n-glazed Green Beans 63 Banana Fritters 103
G1nger Garlic Sauce 24 Crunchy and Tangy Fresh Lotus Root Cand1ed Apples 104
Ch11i Garlic Sauce 25 Salad 64 Mango Pudding 10 7
G1nger and Soy Dip 25 Hot and Sour Ch1nese Cabbage 65 Sweet Rice Dumplings 107
Ginger Black Vmegar D1p 25 Tofu-stuffed Vegetables 66 Sweet Red Bean Soup with Lotus
Sesame Sauce 25 Ou1ck Asparagus 66 Seeds 108
Hot Soy D1pp1ng Sauce 25 Ma Po Tofu 69 Sweet Red Bean Pancakes 10 8
Homemade Ch1cken Stock 25
Homemade Vegetable Stock 25 Poultry Measurements and conversions
Black Bean Ch1cken 70 110
Appetizers Hunan Ch1cken Salad 71
Pork Dumplings 1n Hot Sauce 27 Fried Chicken in a Tangy Hot Sauce Index of recipes 111
Steamed Vegetable Dumpl1ngs w1th 72
Black V1negar Sauce 28 Bra1sed Chicken Wings in Plum
Lettuce Cups with Mushrooms and Orange Sauce 73
Tofu 29 Kung Bao Ch1cken with Dned Chilies
Class1c Egg Rolls 31 75
Fresh Spring Rolls 32 Sweet and Sour Shandong Ch1cken
76
Crispy Shrimp Toast 34
Shnmp and Crab Tofu Skin Tea-smoked Duck 79
Rolls 36 Steamed Buns 79
Yunnan Ham Pastries 36 Beggar's Ch1cken 81
Barbecued Pork 39
Drunken Ch1cken 39 Meat
Crispy Fried Tofu 39 Tw1ce-cooked Pork with
Peppers 82
Soups Beef with Black Pepper 83
Hot and Sour Soup 41 Mongolian Lamb Hotpot 85
Sweet Corn and Crab Chowder 42 Sweet and Sour Pork 86
Tofu and Spmach Soup 42 Beef with Sesame Seeds 89
Egg Drop Soup 42
Fragrant Beef Noodle Soup 44 Seafood
Delicate White Fish Soup 47 Red-braised F1sh 90
Chicken and Ginseng Soup 47 G1nger-seasoned F1sh w1th
Winter Melon Soup 49 Carrots. Bamboo Shoots
and Celery 91
Rice and Noodles St1r-fried Shnmp or Lobster
Class1c Fned Rice 50 with Ch1il Sauce 93

Food in China
An anoent, 1nnovat1ve cu1s1ne that is beloved the world over.
Ch1na has fascmated the West ever s1nce Marco Polo s A Rtch Culinary Tradttlon
account of h1s travels 1n that un1mag1nably exotic land was Early Chtnese culinary techntques tncluded bothng steamtng
published 1n the 13th century Long before th1s however. roasltng stewtng ptckhng and drytng Sttr-frymg the best
Junks laden w1th the nch treasures of Ch1na had been known method today probably developed later In sum tl
head1ng for other countnes on annual trad1ng voyages can be satd that the baste Chmese dtel and means of
S1lk, gunpowder, pnntlng and the compass are among preparation were tn place about 6.000 years ago, although
the great Ch1nese 1nvent1ons that have altered the course many tmported tngredtents some transported over the
of h1story But of all Ch1na's contnbut1ons to modern Stlk Road- entered the Chtnese larder and new cooktng
CIVIliZation, the most popular 1s Ch1nese food. enJoyed 1n methods were adopted
restaurants and homes 1n every corner of the globe, from A balanced m1xture of gratn and cooked dtshes has
Iceland to Texas to Auckland Few people m the world, w1th been the tdeal of a meal tn Ch1na stnce ttme tmmemonal
the poss1ble exception of the French, are as pass1onately The balance lies between bland, botled or steamed gratn
devoted to food as the Ch1nese Meals are soc1ally on the one hand, and more flavorful and nch cooked dtshes
1mportant events and spec1al menus are presented for on the other Further balances were sought between the ytn
wedd1ngs and birthdays 1mportant festivals also have the1r (cooling) and yang (healing) quahttes of the foods served
trad1llonal d1shes and snacks The notton of food as both preventattve and curaltve
What IS the reason for the endunng worldwide populanty of medtctne 1s deeply Imbedded m the Chtnese psyche The
Ch1nese food? It beg1ns With a cornucop1a of umque Ingredi- spectftc proportton of gratn and cooked dtshes on a menu
ents vegetables and nounsh1ng tofu plus subtle or emphatic depends as much on the economtc status of the dtners as
sauces and seasomngs that are partnered wtth JUSt about on the status of the occaston Traditionally gra1n would
every creature that SWims the seas. flies the a1r or roams the proVIde the bulk of the calones. wtth cooked dtshes serv1ng
land Th1s astontsh1ng vanety of tngred1ents IS transformed as supplementary ornamentalton and nutntlon The
by the Ch1nese 1nto memorable works of culinary art Every grander the occaston the more the cooked dtshes and the
d1sh must meet three maJor cntena-appearance, fragrance less the gratn Even today, thts tradttlon tS matntamed at
and flavor; other cons1derat1ons are texture. the health-gMng banquets, where a small symbolic bowl of pla1n steamed
propert1es of the food and 1ts ausptc1ous connotat1ons nee ts served alter an extenstve selection of other dtshes
The array of season1ngs and sauces used by Chmese R1ce IS percetved as somethtng essential and almost
cooks 1s not vast. nor are a large range of culinary magtcal Thts ts particularly true tn South Chtna, wh1le
techntques employed However, the endless Interplay of wheat showers tiS blesstngs over the North, although thts
one bas1c 1ngred1ent w1th another-meat w1th tofu, vegetables dtvtsion tS not hard and last One reason the Grand Canal
wtth shvers of pork, lychees w1th shnmp-and the was butll tn the 6th century was to transport nee from the
transformation of these bas1cs when comb1ned w1th different ferttle Yangtze delta regton to the tmpenal grananes tn the
season1ngs. allows for almost endless vanety relattvely dry North And stnce the Mtng Dynasty
Throughout 1ts h1story. Ch1na has known a perpetual cycle (1368-1644) an annual crop of short-gratn nee has been
of flood and fam1ne Food has always been a matter of grown 1n the suburbs of BeiJtng, ongtnally lor the palace
desperate concern for 1ts huge population (about 25 percent and today lor the m1lltary leadershtp
of the world's total population. hv1ng on JUSt 7 percent of the Numerous vanettes of nee are produced tn Chtna today.
world s land) The paradox of Chtnese food 1s that lhts cu1s1ne supplemented by more expenstve That nee whtch ts avail-
born of hardshtp and frequent poverty ts not one of dull able at urban markets throughout the country Southerners
subststence, but 1s arguably the most creative tn the world seem to prefer long-gramed nee whtch ts less sttcky than
You can travel throughout Ch1na and the Ch1nese other vanettes and has strong ·wood overtones when
commun1t1es of As1a and never have the same dtsh served steam1ng hot R1ce ts served steamed lned (after bothng)
1n exactly the same way tw1ce Chtna s vast terntory or made mto noodles by gnnd1ng raw nee mto nee flour It
d1verse populat1on and w1de range of regtonal cutstnes ts also cooked wtth a lot of water to produce congee or
provtde such tnftntte vanety that eattng tn thts anctent and zhou (nee gruel), a popular breakfast food and late-ntght
tnventtve country IS always an enJoyable adventure snack eaten wtth a number of savory stde dtshes
In early limes. wheat was bo1led hke nee, but by the
&eamea diPlJI!no c pap.. 1111 (')()St rt{1 JI'S t Crana and COOlQ.<;:;eurs Han Dynasty (220 B c AD 200), the gratn was ground tnlo
ca' rE.'CXl\T.Z(; tnev 1:1W.'U.ll t}of • Stull 'X) clnd cl(..;C(roar'y~ sauces flour and made tnto noodles. pancakes and vanous forms
Food 1n Ch1na 5
of dumplings some of the rectpes haVIng posstbly been garlic. ftsh. 011. pork or other bastc mgredtents used tn
tmported from Central Asta It ts unlikely that Marco Polo prepanng the stgnature dtshes. as well as the proport1ons
brought spaghellt. lingUtne and ptzza to Italy from Chtna of the vanous tngredtents T1mtng and temperature are also
Although thetr prototypes extsted tn Chtna centunes before cntlcal factors All regtons use vanous forms of gtnger.
he was born. there IS wntten evtdence of the extstence of garlic. spnng ontons. soy sauce, vtnegar. sugar. sesame Otl
pasta tn Italy before Marco Polo left home for the East. and bean paste. but generally comb1ne them tn htghly
A noted connotsseur of French food complatned some dtstlncttve ways.
forty years ago that all Chtnese food tasted "half-cooked ..
Today food that ts half-raw or half-cooked (the termtnology Delicate Flavors of Cantonese Cooking
tS subjective and Interchangeable) seems to be more Guangdong Provtnce has benefttled from 1ts famtly t1es wtlh
acceptable even fashtonable 1nsp1red by constderatlons freewheeling Hong Kong The prov1nce s ferttle soils permtt
of health But who needs the pursUit of longevtty as an tntenstve agncultural production and tiS lengthy shoreline
excuse to enJOY Chtnese food? supports a vigorous ftshtng tndustry In a longstandtng nvalry
wtlh Shanghai, Guangzhou (the proVlnctal capttal. once better
Diverse Regional Cuisines known to Westerners as Canton) cedes first place tn lash-
It was not so long ago that many Westerners thought of ton. but ts the unchallenged leader when 11 comes to food
"Ch1nese food" as a stngle. homogenous cutstne. However. The earliest Chmese cutsine to be tntroduced tn the
a country as large and as geographically and climatically West. Cantonese cutstne ts often dtsparagmgly tdenttfted
vaned as Chtna naturally has a wtde range of regtonal wtth egg rolls. chop suey, chow metn sweet and sour pork
cutstnes There ts an tmmense amount of debate confuston and fortune cooktes Wtth the exception of chop suey and
and error about JUSt how many regtonat cutstnes there are. fortune cooktes. whtch were tnvented tn the Umted States
but most knowledgeable gourmets agree that at least four the dtshes menttoned above are orthodox Cantonese
ma1or Chtnese reg1onal styles extst Cantonese. centered creattons. and sweet and sour pork ts JUSt as popular
on southern Guangdong Provmce and Hong Kong. among Ch1nese as loretgners But Cantonese cooktng has
Stchuan. based on the cooktng of thts western provmce's much more to offer than lhts, and tndeed IS constdered to
two largest ctttes. Chengdu and Chongqtng, Huaiyang, the be the most reftned of Chtnese cooktng styles Cantonese
cooktng of eastern Chtna-Jtangsu. Zhejtang and food IS charactenzed by tiS extraordtnary range and freshness
Shanghat-an area of lakes. nvers and seashore. and of tngredtents. a hght touch wtth sauces and the readtness
BetJtng or "Northern" food wtth tiS maJOr tnsptratton from of tis cooks to tncorporate ·exottc" tmported flavonngs. such
the coastal provtnce of Shandong Some would add a ftfth as lemon. curry. Worcestershtre sauce and mayonnatse
cutstne from the southeastern coastal provtnce of FuJtan Cantonese chefs excel tn prepanng roast and barbecued
What dtstlngUtshes these regtonal styles 1s not only meats (duck goose chtcken and pork) whtch are never
thetr rectpes but also the parttcular types of soy sauce. prepared at home (only restaurant kttchens have ovens)
and are bought from spectal roast meat shops
Cantonese chefs are also famous lor d1m sum. a cooktng
style tn 1ts own nght. 01m sum refers to snacks taken wtth tea
for etlher breakfast or lunch 01m sum. whtch can be sweet.
salty, steamed. fned. baked. boiled or stewed. each seNed
tn thetr own Individual bamboo steamer or on a plate
In Cantonese eat1ng d1m sum IS referred to as yum cha.
"dnnktng tea In tradttlonal yum cha establishments.
restaurant staff walk about the room pushtng a cart or
carrytng a tray strung around thetr neck and offer thetr
goods The mtldly competitive shouttng only adds to the
atmosphere of hustle and bustle In Hong Kong and
Guangzhou. d1m sum restaurants are tmportant tnstltullons
where the locals go to dtscuss business. read newspapers,
ratse thetr chtldren and soctalize At noon and on weekends.
getttng seats can be dtfftcult as many of them are occupted
by "regulars
6
Food tn Chtna 7

Fiery Sichuan Cooking close attentron to the heat of the wok. whrch is. after all,
Sichuan. the home of spicy food. rs a landlocked province merely a thin and sensitrve membrane of cast rron
wrth remarkably fertile soil and a population of more than separatrng the rngredrents from the flames of the stove.
100 mrllion. But desprte the prov1nce's 1ncend1ary reputa- Chrnese chefs, and Huaryang chefs rn partrcular, have an
tron. many of the most famous drshes are not sprcy at all uncanny ability to control the flames of therr stoves. Some
For example, the famous duck drsh, Camphor and Tea- of the best-known Huaryang drshes are steamed or stewed
smoked Duck. is made by smokrng a steamed duck over a and thus requrre less heat and a longer cookrng trme than
m1xture of tea and camphor leaves most fried drshes: examples rnclude chicken wrth chestnuts.
Butrtrs the mouth-burners (all of them relyrng on chrh pork steamed rn lotus leaves, duck wrth an eight-rngredrent
peppers for their heat) that have made Srchuan's name stuHrng, and "lion head" meatballs.
known all over the world, drshes like Ma Po Tofu (see page
69), stewed tofu and mrnced meat in a hot sauce; Hui Guo Beijing and the North
Rou (see page 82}, twice-cooked (boiled and stir-fned) The cuisrne of Beijing has perhaps been subJected to more
pork wrth cabbage rn a piquant bean sauce: Yu Xiang outsrde rnfluences than any other major cuisrne rn China
Orezr (see page 60), eggplantrn "fish flavor" sauce. and Frrst came the once-nomadrc Mongols, who made BerJrng
fish in hot bean sauce. therr capitalrn the Yuan Dynasty (1279-1368). They brought
Chilies were a relatrvely late addrtron to the Srchuan wrth them a preference for mutton. the chrelrngredrent rn
palate. havrng been rmported by Spantsh traders in the late Mongolian Lamb Hotpot (see page 85). one of BerJrng's
Mrng or early Orng Dynasty (ca. 1600) from Mexrco via the most popular dishes rn the autumn and wrnter.
Philippines. The chrli's JOurney on the Pacifrc Spree Route rs And then there were the Manchus. who, as the rulers of
a remrnder of how plants. as well as rdeas. can cross the Otng Dynasty ( 1644-1911), introduced numerous ways
oceans and ennch the lives of the recipients. Sichuan's of cooking pork. As the caprtal of China for the last eight
own taste-tingling spree. Srchuan pepper (the dned berry centunes. BerJrng became the home of government otflcrals
of an ash tree) still adds rts distinctive flavor to many of the who brought therr chefs wrth them when they came from the
provrnce's dishes. wealthy southern provinces of Jiangsu and ZheJrang. But
The taste for piquant food rs sometimes explained by the most important rnfluence comes from nearby Shandong
Sichuan's climate The fertile agncultural basin is covered Province; tn the 19th century. the restaurant tndustry in
with clouds much of the year and there is enough rarn to Beitrng was monopolized by entrepreneurs from Shandong.
permrt two crops of nee rn many places. Strong spices
provrde a prck-me-up tn cold and humid weather and are a
useful preservatrve lor meat and fish. Ore I Ct na :s most 'arnous ast es PeKJr g Duck s •·ad t onatly
er,oyed •t •ree wdys u e cu<.p skJr tucked mo a pancake smeared
When the Grand Canal was burlt rn the SUI Dynasty
Witt s;Ju e ttle rneat st1r tr ed w1th vegetables af'ld t11e carcass
(A.D. 581-618). it gave nse to several great commercral rrad nto soup ChiCKen. ducK c~nd po•k are roasted •n
citres at its southern termrnus. includrng Huaran and woou lued uvens 1n spec~<J,ty st oos and restaurants
Yangzhou. after whrch thrs regional cursrne (Huaryang) rs
named. The regron's location on the lower reaches of the
Yangtze River in Chrna's "land of fish and nee" (synony-
mous wrth the Western "mrlk and honey") gave rt a drstrnct
advantage in terms of agncultural products. and rt was
renowned lor aquatic delicacres such as fish. shnmp, eel
and crab, which were shrpped up the canal to the rmpenal
courtrn Beijtng The cookrng of Jrangsu. ZheJrang and
Shanghar generally falls into the category of Huaryang
cursine. whrch was developed by the great lamrlies of the
rmpenally appointed salt merchants livrng rn Yangzhou
Huaryang curstne rs not well known outsrde of Chrna,
perhaps because it retects all extremes and stnves for the
"Mrddle Way." Freshness (;(/an) rs a key conceptrn the food
of this regron, but xian means more than JUSt fresh For
example, lor a dish of steamed lrsh to be xian, the lrsh
must have been swrmming rn the tank one hour ago, rt
must exude rts own natural flavor. and must be tender yet
slightly chewy.
'Xlan also rmplies that the natural flavor of the ongrnal
ingredrents should take precedence over the sauce. and
Huaryang chefs achreve thrs by careful cuttrng and payrng
Food rn Chrna 9