Need a no fail chinese dish?!
Need a no fail chinese dish?
This is embarassing...my dad owns a chinese restaurant and the family I am visiting has asked me to cook something chinese one night, I would be thrilled to, but I honestly have NO idea how to cook anything Chinese, my skills in general are terrible int he kitchen.
Could anyone offer any recipes for dummies, can be traditional or americanized..I am in Belgium also..so any really hard to find specialty ingredients cant be involved ( the super market has a decent asian section though)
Thank you in advance !
Answers:
I do not think fried rice is easy or should be considered as no fail.., I have been answering questions about Chinese fried rices here may be more than 10 times! Something which is no fail would be soup or braised dish, you put all the ingredients into the pot, boil for an hour or two, bring it to the family.. or you can cut all the ingredients and cook them in their kitchen without messing up their place.
Below are some easy Chinese recipes and I wish you good luck!
<<<<<< Braised Spare Ribs with Soy Sauce >>>>>>> Serves 4
800g spare ribs
3 gloves of garlic, crushed
1 thick slices of ginger, crushed
2 tablespoon cooking oil
2 tablespoon cooking wine or sherry
4 tablespoon of light soy sauce
1 tablespoon of dark soy sauce
2 tablespoon of rock sugar (they look like icebergs) or sugar
1 cup of water
a few drops of sesame oil
coriander as garnish
1) Heat a pot of water, put spare ribs in boiling water for 2 minutes, wash under running tap water for 2 minutes to clear the blood and fat. Drain well and set aside.
2) Mix soy sauce, rock sugar and water in a big bowl, set aside.
3) Heat cooking oil in pot over medium heat, stir fry garlic and ginger for 30 seconds or till fragrant, add spare ribs and stir fry for 1 minute, sprinkle cooking wine, stir fry quickly for 1 minute.
4) Pour soy sauce mixture into the pot, bring to boil, reduce heat to low, cover the pot and simmer for 40 minutes or until liquid has almost completely evaporated, stir occasionally to prevent burning.
5) Test the taste and adjust the sweetness by adding a bit more sugar or you may add a bit more soy sauce or a little bit of salt if you found it is too sweet. Sprinkle sesame oil. Spoon spare ribs on a serving plate, garnish coriander on top.
<<<<<< Mushroom, Dried Scallops & Chicken Rice >>>> Serves 4
Authentic Cantonese Dish
300g Jasmine rice, slightly wash away the starch
2 slices (2mm thick) of ginger, cut into thin strips
5 dried shitake mushroom, soak in water till soft, stemed
6 dried scallops, soak in water over night, till soft (pale in colour)
500 g chicken thighs, skinless, boneless
1 cup chicken stock
1/2 cup of water
1 teaspoon of cooking wine
1 stalk of green onions, finely chopped
salt to taste
Marinade for chicken
2 tablespoon light soy sauce
1 teaspoon sugar
1/4 salt
1 tablespoon of cooking wine
1 teaspoon of cornstarch
a few drops of sesame oil
1) Cut chicken thigh into bite size (3 cm cubes), marinate for about 20 minutes, set aside
2) Heat stock pot over medium heat, boil mushrooms and scallops with chicken stock and water for about 15 minutes, drain and cool. Cut mushroom into small cubes and break scallops into thin strips, keep the chicken stock for cooking rice
3) Put rice, chickens stock and cooking wine in a electrical rice cooker, add water, the ratio of water and rice should be 1:1, press the button and wait for about 15 minutes.
4) Meanwhile, mix the mushroom and scallops with the chicken meat and ginger, add salt and pour the mixture into the cooker, toss quickly to combine, that's when the rice is still mushy.
5) When the switch pop up, wait for another 10 to 15 minutes.
6) Sprinkle green onions on rice as garnish and serve with boiled vegetables - broccoli or cauliflower (dip with oyster sauce)
You may find dried mushrooms and scallops in Chinese grocery stores. (or you can get them from your restaurant)
<<<<<<< Chinese Spring Rolls >>>>>>>
150 g cabbage, cut into thin slices
1/2 carrot, cut into thin strips
4 dried shitake mushrooms, soaked in water till soft, sliced
150 g bean sprouts
2 stalks of celery, cut into 2 inches thin strips
1 clove of garlic, crushed
1 slice of ginger, crushed
1.5 tablespoon peanut oil or cooking oil
1 tablespoon cooking wine, sherry
2 tablespoon of mushroom water (the soaking water)
salt to taste
a few drops of sesame oil
1 pack of frozen spring roll wrappers
1 egg, beat slightly
3 cups of cooking oil for frying (depends on the size of your fryer / wok)
1) Heat oil in a wok over medium heat, stir fry the garlic and ginger for 30 seconds, turn heat to high, remove garlic and ginger.
2) Add cabbage, bean sprouts, carrots, mushroom into the wok, stir fry for 1 minute, sprinkle cooking wine & the mushroom water, stir fry for 1 minute or till vegetables are wilted yet still crunchy, add celery into the wok, toss well.
3) Add a few drop of sesame oil and salt to taste. Remove from heat, drain well and set aside
4) Place spring roll sheet with one point toward you, moisten upper edges with egg.
5) Spoon filling in center of wrapper and fold bottom up to cover the filling, fold over left and right corners so they meet in the center.
6) Roll up, seal the final corner with egg. Repeat with remaining spring roll wrappers.
7) Heat the oil in wok (or fryer) to 160 degree C, test the heat with bamboo chopstick, when you see bubbles around the chopstick, it means the oil is hot enough, carefully put 2 or 3 rolls in the oil, deep fry for 3 minutes or till golden brown on all sides.
8) Remove and drain on paper towels. Cut rolls into 2. Serve with balsamic vinegar.
You can prepare some spring rolls at home (practise first), then deep fry them in their kitchen. (Kind of like cheating? because your mom can help you! :P)
I posted an answer about how to prepare Chinese Chicken fried rice in below link, you would know it is kind of complicated when you are cooking it in a western kitchen.
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;...
Below is another Q&A about Yang Chow Fried Rice
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;...
If those 3 are still too difficult for you, then, let me know whether you have cooked something before or do you have any basis cooking skills, so that I can find some other easier recipes for you.
I would say fried rice. Simple, very chinese and usually do not offend anyone.
You can find lots of fried rice recipe online. I would say make a chicken fried rice with some vegetables. All you need is boiled rice, chicken, vegetables (peas, carrots, green beans, brocolli, etc), seasonings (salt, soy sauce) and some peanut oil.
http://chinesefood.about.com/library/wee...
is a place to start.
YOU CANT GO WRONG WITH SRIMP FRIED RICE ALL YOU DO IS COOK THE RICE LIKE YOU NORMALLY WOULD AND AFTER IT DONE YOU FRY IN IN A PAN WITH JUST A LITTLE OIL ADD SOME EGGS AND PUT THE SHRIMP IN (MAKE SHURE YOU CLEAN THEM FIRST) UNLESS ITS PRE COOKED. THEN YOU ADD THE SOY SAUCE AND ENJOY SEASION TO YOUR OWN TASTE IF IT TASTE GOOD TO YOU THEN YOU GOT YOUYSELF A MEAL. GOOD LUCK.