Ants climbing a tree

INGREDIENCE:

120 g suchých skleněných nudlí - ze sladkých brambor nebo mungo fazolek

200 g vepřového masa

2 jarní cibulky - bílá a zelená část zvlášť

1 lžíce strouhaného/na drobno krájeného zázvoru

1 lžíce strouhaného/na drobno krájeného česneku

1 pořádná lžíce fazolové chilli pasty doubanjiang

1 lžíce oleje

1 lžička tmavé sojové omáčky

2 lžičky standardní sojové omáčky

1 lžička cukru

2  hrnky vody/neslaného kuřecího/zeleninového vývaru

1. Namočte nudle na 10-30 minut (podle tloušťky) do studené vody, dokud nezměknou. Sceďte a nechte stranou.

2. Ve woku nebo wok pánvi rozehřejte olej a vhoďte česnek se zázvorem a bílou částí jarní cibulky. Až se rozvoní a trochu zarestují, přidejte pastu doubanjiang. Nechte dvě minutky orestovat za stálého míchání.

3. Přihoďte maso a míchejte a restujte (stir-fry), dokud maso není hotové. Zalijte vodou/vývarem, přidejte cukr a sojové omáčky a přiveďte k varu.

4. Přidejte skleněné nudle a zelenou část jarní cibulky. Vše proházejte a promíchejte, odstavte ze zdroje tepla a ihned podávejte. Uvidíte, jak ohromné množství vody nudle pojmou, prakticky nasají všechnu tekutinu, kterou jste jim dali. Pokud chcete nudle trochu mokřejší, bez obav přidejte ještě vývar nebo vodu, až dosáhnete touženého výsledku.

COPIED FROM http://nuselskakuchta.blogspot.cz/ for personal use only !!!

Gong Bao Chicken

Ingredients 

For the marinade

• 1 1/2 teaspoons potato flour or 2 1/4 teaspoons cornstarch
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons light soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon Shaoxing rice wine or medium-dry sherry
• 1 tablespoon water 
• 500-600 grams boneless chicken breasts, skin-on or skinless, cut into small chunks

For the sauce

• 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon potato flour or 1 1/8 teaspoons cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon dark soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon light soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon Chinkiang or Chinese black vinegar or rice vinegar
• 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
• 1 tablespoon homemade chicken stock or canned chicken broth, or water

 For the chicken

• 3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• Ginger (enough to equal the amount of garlic), thinly sliced
• 5 spring onions, white parts only, cut into 1/2-inch lengths
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• A  handful of dried red chiles (at least 10) preferably Sichuanese
• 1 teaspoon whole Sichuan pepper
• 1/2 cup roasted unsalted peanuts

Directions

• Make the marinade
• 1. Mix the potato flour or cornstarch and salt in a small bowl. Slowly add the soy sauce, rice wine, and water mixing constantly with a fork. (If using potato flour, the marinade can be more of a paste rather than a liquid marinade, but press on.)
• 2. Add the chicken pieces and stir to coat the chicken evenly. Set aside at room temperature.
• Make the sauce
• 3. Combine the sauce ingredients in a small bowl. Set aside.
• Make the Gong Bao chicken
• 4. Snip the chiles in half or into three pieces if large. Wearing rubber gloves, discard as many chile seeds as possible.
• 5. Add 2 tablespoons of the oil to the wok and heat it over high heat. When the oil is hot but not yet smoking, add the chiles and Sichuan pepper and stir-fry briefly until they’re crisp and the oil is spicy and fragrant. Whatever you do, be mindful not to burn the spices. You can remove the wok from the heat if necessary to prevent overheating.
• 6. Raise the heat to high, plop in the chicken pieces, and fry them, stirring constantly. As soon as the chicken cubes have separated, add the sliced ginger, garlic, and scallions and continue to stir-fry for a few minutes, until everything is fragrant and the meat is cooked through. Check one of the larger pieces of chicken to make sure.
• 7. Stir the sauce and then carefully swirl it into the wok, continuing to stir and toss. As soon as the sauce has become thick and shiny, add the peanuts, stir to combine, and serve immediately.

Smacked cucumber salad

Ingredients

1 cucumber (about 300g)
4 tsp salt
1 tbsp finely chopped garlic
4 tsp caster sugar
2 tsp light soy sauce
4 tsp Chinkiang (brown rice) vinegar
2 tbsp chilli oil (recipe below)
a pinch or two of ground roasted Sichuan pepper (optional)

Lay the cucumber on a chopping board and smack it hard a few times with the flat blade of a Chinese cleaver or with a rolling-pin. Then cut it lengthways into four pieces. Hold your knife at an angle to the chopping board and cut the cucumber on the diagonal into 4-1cm slices. Place in a bowl with the salt, mix well and set aside for about 10 minutes. Combine all the other ingredients in a small bowl. Drain the cucumber, pour over the sauce, stir well and serve immediately.

Variations

A sweet-and-sour sauce for smacked cucumber

Smack, cut and salt the cucumber as in the main recipe, but dress it with the following seasonings: 4 tsp salt, 1 tbsp finely chopped garlic, 2 tsp caster sugar, 2 tsp Chinkiang vinegar, 1 tsp light soy sauce and, if you fancy a bit of heat, 2 tbsp chilli oil.

Smacked cucumber with sesame and preserved mustard greens

For a nutty, savoury flavour, smack, cut and salt the cucumber as in the main recipe, but dress it with the following seasonings: 2 tbsp Sichuan preserved mustard greens (ya cai), 1 tsp finely chopped garlic, 1 tbsp runny sesame paste, 14 tsp clear rice vinegar, 1 tsp sesame oil, and salt to taste.

HOW TO MAKE CHILLI OIL 

 

• 1 cup plus cooking oil
• 50g Sichuanese or Korean ground chillies
• 1 teaspoon sesame seeds
• Small piece of ginger, unpeeled, crushed

 

Directions

1. 
   
   Heat the oil over a high flame to about 400 degrees, then leave for 10 minutes to cool to around 275 degrees.
2. 
   
   Place the ground chillies, sesame seeds, and ginger in a heatproof bowl. Have a little cool oil or a cupful of water on hand. When the oil has cooled to the right temperature, pour a little on to the chillies; it should fizz gently but energetically and release a rich, roasty aroma. Pour over the rest of the oil and stir. If you think the oil is too hot and the chillies are likely to burn, simply add a little cool oil to release the excess heat. Do, though, make sure that the oil is hot enough: without the fizzing, it won't generate the rich, roasty fragrance you need. If you pour all the oil on to the chillies, then discover it's not quite hot enough, you can return the whole lot to a saucepan and heat gently until it smells fabulous and the color is a deep ruby red, but do take care as not to burn the chillies. (The chillies will seethe and fizz like a witch's cauldron as you heat them, releasing the most marvellous aromas, but can easily start to burn and blacken.)
3. 
   
   When the oil has cooled completely, decant it and the chilli sediment into jars and store in a dark, cool place. Leave it to settle for at least a day before using.

Chow mein

CHICKEN CHOW MEIN

Ingredients

• 150g/5oz dried yellow shi wheat flour noodles, or medium egg noodles
• dash toasted sesame oil
• 300g/11oz skinless chicken breast fillets, sliced into strips
• dash dark soy sauce
• 1 tsp five-spice powder
• 1 tsp chilli sauce (optional)
• 1 tbsp cornflour
• 1-2 tbsp groundnut oil
• 1 red pepper, de-seeded and finely sliced
• 150g/5oz bean sprouts
• 1 large spring onion, sliced lengthways
• 2 tbsp light soy sauce
• freshly ground black pepper

Preparation method

1. Cook the noodles in a pan of boiling water for 2-3 minutes until al dente, or according to packet instructions. Drain, then rinse under cold running water and drain again. Drizzle with a dash of sesame oil and toss through to prevent the noodles from sticking to each other.
   
2. Place the chicken strips in a bowl and season with a dash of dark soy sauce, the five-spice powder and chilli sauce, if using. Mix well, then lightly dust the chicken strips with the cornflour.
   
3. Heat a wok until smoking and add the groundnut oil, then add the chicken and stir fry for 3-4 minutes, or until the chicken is golden-brown and cooked through.
   
4. Add the red pepper and stir fry for one minute, then add the bean sprouts and spring onion and stir fry for 30 seconds. Stir in the cooked noodles and season with the light soy sauce, a dash of sesame oil and freshly ground black pepper.
   
5. Pile the noodles onto a serving plate and serve immediately.
   

VEGETARIAN CHOW MEIN (Ken Hom)

• 225g dried or fresh egg noodles
• 1 tbsp sesame oil, plus more to serve
• 1 1/2 tbsp groundnut or vegetable oil
• 2-3 garlic cloves, chopped
• 50g carrots, shredded
• 50g mangetout, trimmed and shredded
• 3tbsp spring onions, finely chopped on the diagonal
• 1 red pepper, shredded
• pinch sugar
• 2tsp light soy sauce
• 2tsp dark soy sauce
• 1tbsp rice wine or dry sherry

Cook the noodles following the packet instructions. Drain and cool under the cold tap. Transfer to a bowl and toss with the sesame oil. Set aside. Heat the wok over a high heat and add the groundnut oil. When smoking, stir-fry the garlic for 10 seconds, then add the carrots, mangetout, spring onions and red pepper.
Cook for 1 minute, then add the noodles, sugar, soy sauces, rice wine, season with white pepper and salt. Drizzle over a little sesame oil and toss to coat. Serve immediately.

CHICKEN CHOW MEIN VIDEO

VEG CHOW MEIN VIDEO

General Tso’s Chicken

Serves 4 as part of a multi-course meal, 2 to 3 as a main entree

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs, sliced into 1-inch cubes
1 1/2 cups cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 peanut or vegetable oil for frying, plus 1 tablespoon for stir-frying
8 dried whole red chilis, or substitute 1/4 teaspoon dried red chili flakes
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon white sesame seeds, for garnish
Scallions, green parts thinly sliced, for garnish

Marinade:

1 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon Chinese rice wine or dry sherry
2 egg whites

Sauce:

1/4 cup chicken stock, or substitute water
1 1/2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1 teaspoon hoisin sauce
1 teaspoon chili paste
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon cornstarch


1. Prepare the marinade: In a large bowl, combine the soy sauce, rice wine, and egg whites. Coat the chicken to the marinade mixture and let sit for 10 minutes.
2. Prepare the sauce: In a small bowl, combine the chicken stock, tomato paste, sugar, soy sauce, rice vinegar, hoisin sauce, chili paste, sesame oil, sugar, and the 1 teaspoon of cornstarch. Stir until the sugar and cornstarch are dissolved. Set the sauce aside.
3. In a large bowl or deep plate, toss the 1 1/2 cups cornstarch with the salt and pepper. Coat the marinated chicken in the cornstarch and shake off any excess before frying.
4. Heat the 3 cups of peanut or vegetable oil in your wok until it registers 350°F on an instant-read oil thermometer. Working in 2 or 3 batches, add the first batch of chicken cubes and fry until golden brown on the outside and cooked through, about 4 to 5 minutes. Remove the chicken with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Repeat with the rest of the chicken.
5. Drain the oil into a heatproof container and save for discarding. Wipe the wok with a paper towel to remove any brown bits, but don’t wash.
6. Reheat the wok or skillet over medium-high heat. Add another 1 tablespoon of oil and swirl to coat the base and sides. Add the dried chilis and garlic to the wok and stir-fry until just fragrant, about 20 seconds. Pour in the sauce mixture and stir until thickened, about 1 to 2 minutes.
7. Return the chicken to the wok and stir well to coat with sauce. Transfer the chicken to a serving dish. Garnish with white sesame seeds and scallions. Serve with white rice and vegetables.