Chinese New Year Recipes

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Wok With Me

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Triple Pepper Steak

Makes 4 servings

Marinade
3 tablespoons Chinese rice wine or dry sherry
1-1/2 tablespoons oyster-flavored sauce
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1-inch pieces
Sauce
1/4 cup chicken broth
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1 tablespoon regular soy sauce
1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons sesame oil
2 tablespoons cooking oil
6 small dried red chilies
1 tablespoon minced garlic
2 teaspoons minced ginger
2 green onions, cut into 1 inch lengths
1/2 teaspoon crushed dried red chilies
1-1/2 teaspoons cornstarch dissolved in 1 tablespoon water
1/4 cup roasted peanuts, coarsely chopped
Getting Ready
Combine marinade ingredients in a bowl. Place chicken in marinade
and turn to coat. Let stand for 10 minutes.
Combine sauce ingredients in a bowl.
Cooking
Place a wok over high heat until hot. Add oil, swirling to coat
sides. Add chilies and stir-fry for 10 seconds. Add chicken and
stir-fry for 2 minutes. Add garlic, ginger, green onions, and
crushed chilies; stir-fry for 1 minute.
Add sauce and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add cornstarch solution
and cook, stirring, until sauce boils and thickens.
Place chicken on a serving plate and sprinkle with peanuts.

Crispy Fish with Sauce

4 large Chinese dried black mushrooms
1 tbsp. peeled, minced FRESH ginger
2 tsp. minced garlic
1/3 C thinly sliced carrots
1/3 C thinly sliced bamboo shoots
1/3 C snow peas, cut in half lengthwise
1 tbsp. rice wine
2 cups chicken broth
1/3 C oyster sauce
3/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. sugar
1/3 C soy sauce
2 tsp. rice vinegar
3 tbsp. cornstarch mixed with 3 tbsp. water
2 tbsp. peanut oil
1 tsp. sesame oil
shake of white pepper

Soak the dried mushrooms in water to cover, and set aside. Minceginger and garlic and
put into a small dish. Cut carrots, bamboo shoots, and snow peas and combine in a small
bowl. Combine rice wine, chicken broth, oyster sauce, sat, sugar, soy sauce, and vinegar
in a small bow. Combine cornstarch with water in a small dish.

Remove dried mushrooms from bowl and squeeze aout excess liquid. They should be
fully hydrated, if not, let them soak longer. Trim and discard stems. Cut into 1/2" wide
strips and place in dish with carrots.

Heat wok over high heat for 2 to 3 minutes. Add vegetable oil and heat 30 seconds.
Move the wok around so the oil coats the sides. Add ginger mixture and stir 15 seconds.
Add vegetables and stir quickly. Add chicken broth mixture and simmer briefly then add
cornstarch. Bring to a boil. Add sesame oil, a little white pepper (black can be substituted)
and pour over hot fried fish.

Fish: Buy firm fillets and cut into serving sizes. Soak in salt
water for 30 minutes. Drain and rinse. Pat dry. Dip in beaten
egg and coat well with cornstarch. Fry in hot oil to cover until golden brown. Remove
with a slotted spoon. Drain briefly and
transfer to serving platter. Ladle sauce over fish.

Jin Dui (Chinese Sesame Cookies)
Ingredients
6 oz sweet potatoes
10 oz red bean paste
1 1/2 cups glutinous rice flour
1/3 cup plain flour
2/3 cup white sesame seeds
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 cup hot water
Peel the sweet potatoes and boil them till tender, then mash them. Sift
the glutinous rice flour and flour together then blend together with the
sugar and mashed sweet potato. Knead the mixture well and sprinkle in
the hot water.
Knead the dough into small balls and then roll each ball into a flat
round shape. Spoon on some red bean paste onto each as stuffing and
knead back into balls. Coat the balls with cold water, then coat
thoroughly with sesame seeds.
Deep fry on a low heat until the balls are golden and swollen. Drain and
serve.

General Tso's Chicken

1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken, cut in large chunks
1/3 C cornstarch
1 small zucchini, cut into chunks
2 tsp. minced garlic
1 tbsp. chopped green onion
1/4 C chicken broth
1 tsp. oyster sauce
1/4 tsp. hot pepper paste
1 tbsp. soy sauce
1 tbsp. rice wine
3 tbsp. rice vinegar
1 1/2 tbsp. cornstarch mixed with 1 1/2 tbsp. water
1 tsp. sesame oil

Cut the chicken and coat it with cornstarch. Set aside
(discard any extra cornstarch). Slice the zucchini on a shallow diagonal about 1" wide.
Roll the zuchhini halfway and slice the same way to form chunks that are shaped like
trapezoids. Set aside.

Combine garlic and green onion in a small dish. Combine
broth, oyster sauce, soy sauce, hot pepper sauce, wine, and
vinegar in a small bowl. In another dish or small glass, mix
cornstarch with water. Place a metal strainer in a large
receptacle (not plastic) in the kitchen sink.

Heat wok over high heat for two to three minutes. Add
vegetable oil; heat until VERY hot. Add chicken; stir to break it up. Fry until golden
brown - the color of fried chicken. Transfer chicken to strainer.

Place empty wok back on high heat for 30 seconds. Add garlic mixture and fry for
several seconds. Add zucchini and toss a minute over high heat. Add sauce mixture and
bring to a boil. Add cornstarch and boil until thickened. Add chicken and sesame oil

Crispy Orange Beef

1 lb. flank steak, partially forzen
1/4 to 1/2 C cornstarch, approximately
2 to 3 cups PEANUT oil
6 to 8 pieces of dry orange peel, about 1/2" square
1 dozen dry hot pepper pods, about two inches long, or to taste
1/4 small onion, cut in 1/2" squares
1/4 C water chestnut slices
1 tsp. minced garlic
1 tbsp. minced green onion
1 tbsp. rice wine
1/4 C sugar
3 tbsp. soy sauce
1/2 C chicken broth
1 tbsp. oyster sauce
1 tsp. sesame oil

The flank steak should be frozen, but still pliable for
easier slicing. Cut it into 3 lengthwise pieces, then cut across the horizontal to make
small pieces, about 1/2" by 2" (sizes will vary, but those are ballpark figures). Coat the
meat completely with cornstarch and set aside.

Cut up dry orange peel into small pieces and combine in a
small dish with hot pepper. Cut onion and combine in another
small dish with water chestnuts. Mince garlic and green onion.
Combine rice wine, sugar, soy sauce, chicken broth, and oyster sauce in a small bowl. Set
a metal strainer over a large receptacle (not plastic) in kitchen sink.

Heat wok for two minutes over highest heat. Add oil and heat until it is very hot.
Add beef and stir to break it up. Fry for 2 to 3 minutes, until beef gets a yellowish cast to
it and the outside is crispy. Transfer to strainer in sink and pour oil and beef into it.

Place empty wok back on high heat and add garlic and green onion. Add hot pepper
and orange peel. Stir briefly. Add onion and water chestnuts and stir 30 seconds. Add
sauce and stir well to coat. Let Mixture boil until it thickens slightly. Add hot beef and
then sesame oil. Stir once or twice and place on a warm plate. Serve immediately.
Serves 4 to 8 as part of a larger meal.
Serve with steamed rice.

Green Onion Cakes
Makes 12
These unleavened fried breads are thin and flat, crisp outside,
moist and chewy inside, and bursting with onion flavor. They are
best served in the traditional way, as street vendors in Beijing
serve them. Simply slice them into wedges and eat them with your
hands. They can be enjoyed plain, or with a spicy chili-garlic
dipping sauce.
3-1/3 cups flour
1-1/4 cups boiling water
Dipping Sauce
1/2 cup chicken broth
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 teaspoons chopped green onion
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon chili sauce
1/4 cup solid vegetable shortening or cooking oil
2 teaspoons sesame oil
1 cup chopped green onions
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
Cooking oil
Getting Ready
Place flour in a bowl. Add boiling water, stirring with chopsticks
or a fork until dough is evenly moistened. On a lightly floured
board, knead dough until smooth and satiny, about 5 minutes. Cover
and let rest for 30 minutes.
Combine dipping sauce ingredients in a bowl.
On a lightly floured board, roll dough into a cylinder; cut into 12
equal portions.
Make Each Cake
Roll a portion of dough into an 8-inch circle about 1/8 inch thick;
keep remaining dough covered to prevent drying. Brush with a thin
film of shortening. Sprinkle with a small portion of sesame oil,
green onions, salt, and pepper. Roll dough into a cylinder and coil
dough into a round patty; tuck end of dough underneath. Roll again
to make an 8-inch circle about 1/8 inch thick.
Cooking
Place a wide frying pan over medium heat until hot. Add 2
tablespoons cooking oil, swirling to coat sides. Add 1 cake and
cook, turning once, until golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes on each side.
Remove and drain on paper towels. Repeat with remaining cakes,
adding more cooking oil as needed.
Cut cakes into wedges. Serve hot with dipping sauce.

Ginger Date Wontons

Makes 24 wontons

Filling
1/3 cup chopped walnuts
6 Medjool dates, pitted and coarsely chopped
3 tablespoons chopped cystallized ginger
1 tablespoon grated lemon peel
2 teaspoons butter, softened
24 wonton wrappers
Cooking oil for deep-fying
Getting Ready
Combine filling ingredients in a bowl; mix well.
Make Each Wonton
Place 1 teaspoon filling in center of a wonton wrapper; keep
remaining wrappers covered to prevent drying. Brush edges of wrapper
with water and fold wrapper in half to form a triangle. Pinch edges
to seal Pull two opposite corners together, moisten one corner with
water, and overlap with the other corner; press to seal. To prevent
drying, cover filled wontons with a dry towel.
Cooking
In a wok or 2-quart saucepan, heat oil for deep-frying to 360
degrees F. Deep-fry wontons, a few at a time, turning occasionally,
until golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon;
drain on paper towels. Serve hot or cold

Yau Gwok (Deep Fried Puffs)
Ingredients
5 oz plain flour
1 tablespoon grated coconut
1 1/2 tablespoons roasted pounded peanuts
1 tablespoon fried white sesame seeds
1 tablespoon sugar
4 tablespoons vegetable oil
4 tablespoons water
Sift the flour and separate it into two portions. Add the water into one
portion and knead till it is a dough. Add the oil to the remaining
portion of flour and knead till it is a soft dough. Mix the two doughs
together and knead the dough mixture till it is soft. Roll into a thin
sheet. Make into round shapes using a pastry cutter.
Mix together the coconut, peanuts, sesame seeds and sugar with a little
oil and water, place portions on the individual round sheets of dough
mixture, fold over to make a crescent shape and seal the sides.
Deep fry on a medium heat till golden brown. Drain and serve.

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