Jean’s Recipes
These are all dishes that I’ve enjoyed. I’m obviously not a cookbook author and
these are homey dishes that have been passed onto me, so the recipes are written in
the casual way my family and friends taught me. I can’t make any claims to
authenticity because I always experiment and change recipes as I cook. I learned all
of these dishes from real Asian people but some of them live in the west, so a few
surprising ingredients may pop up. I really love everything here and hope you will
too. Don’t panic if you can’t find all of the ingredients or don’t like some of them.
Feel free to remove or replace – Chinese cooking is very flexible.
Vegetarians: I’ve kept the meat option in most dishes but they’ll be delicious as well
if you remove the meat or use a meat substitute.
Starters
Scallion pancakes
These are delicious, flaky, savory pancakes. You can either serve them with the
dipping sauce or with soup.
Pancakes:
2.5 cups flour
1 cup boiling water
.5 cup sesame oil
1 cup scallions, green part only, chopped very fine
.5 tsp salt
Dipping sauce:
2 tbs soy sauce
1 tbs vinegar
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp scallions, green part only, chopped
1 tbs sesame oil
Put the flour and salt in a large bowl. Pour in the boiling water while stirring, until
the dough clumps together. You might need to add a bit more water or flour until it
clumps. Then knead the ball for about five minutes until it’s smooth. Cover the bowl
with plastic wrap and let the dough rest for about 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, make the dipping sauce by combining all of the sauce ingredients. Set
aside.
Divide the pancake dough into four pieces. Make each piece into a ball. You’ll need to
do the same thing to each ball. Lightly flour a flat working surface, then roll the ball
out until it becomes a thin disk. Paint a light layer of sesame oil over the disk.
Now it gets interesting and trust me, if you don’t do the next part, the scallion
pancakes won’t come out light and flakey. Roll the disk into a long cylinder, then curl
the cylinder into a snail shell shape, like a jelly roll. Do all of the rolling tightly. Now
flatten the jelly roll with a rolling pin and roll it out until it’s a disk again. Paint
lightly with sesame oil.
Sprinkle the disk with scallions, then repeat the jelly roll process. Roll up the disk
with the scallions inside until it’s a long cylinder. Scroll the cylinder into a tight jelly
roll shape. Flatten it and roll it out with the rolling pin until it becomes a thin disk
again. That’s your scallion pancake.
Do the same thing to the other three balls of dough. If you pile the uncooked
pancakes on top of each other, make sure to separate with parchment paper so they
don’t stick.
Heat oil in a pan and cook the pancakes until they’re golden brown on both sides.
Drain on paper towels, cut into wedges and serve with the dipping sauce.
Jean’s Creative Soup
This is my Chinese version of the Indonesian soup, soto. Basically, you set a pot of
steaming broth in the middle of the table and arrange condiments all around it.
People add what they want to their bowls, then pour the hot broth over their
ingredients. It’s always so much fun for people to build their own soups and you can
choose to make this soup into whatever you like. Keep in mind that the condiments
need to be cut into small pieces, already cooked or able to be eaten raw. Here are
some ideas.
Broth:
Vegetarian/chicken/beef/fish broth, must be served hot
1 cup coconut milk (optional)
Possible condiments:
Rice, cooked (I like to use broth instead of water when cooking rice)
Noodles or vermicelli, cooked
Eggs, boiled and sliced into quarters
Meat or fish, cooked and cut into small pieces
Tofu, cut into small squares, uncooked or fried
Bean sprouts, uncooked
Cucumbers, cut into very thin strips
Corn, canned
Tomatoes, chopped
Mushrooms, cooked
Baby corn, canned
Bell peppers, uncooked
Coriander, fresh, leaves only
Scallions, green part only, chopped
Prawn crackers
Lime/lemon wedges
Fried onions (goreng bawang – if you can buy this, it’s Indonesian and delicious;
otherwise, just fry your own)
Hot chili paste
Sesame oil
Soy sauce
Vinegar
Rice/white wine
Set a large pot of hot broth in the center of your table. Surround with the
condiments. Let people build the ingredients for their own rich, fragrant soups and
pour the broth over it. Enjoy!
Five Spice Peanuts
Peanuts signify long life, so they’re a common snack food.
2 cups shelled peanuts (salted or unsalted is up to you)
1 tbs brown sugar
2 tbs butter
1 tbs five-spice powder
Melt the butter, then add the other ingredients. Stir the peanuts until they begin to
turn golden brown. Remove from heat and spread them on a dish to cool.
Hoisin Chicken Wings
These wings are a really delicious sweet/spicy snack and easy to make too.
16 chicken wings
2 tbs brown sugar
5 tbs hoisin sauce
2 tbs soy sauce
1 tbs sesame oil
3 tbs water
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp white pepper
1 tbs corn starch
Put all of the ingredients except for the corn starch into a bowl and allow the
chicken wings to marinate for at least 15 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 375F/190C. Arrange the wings on a baking sheet and bake for
about 20 minutes on each side, until they’re cooked through. Keep the marinade so
you can baste the wings when you remember. If you really want them to crisp, turn
on the broiler for a few minutes at the end, but keep an eye on them so they don’t
burn.
For the dipping sauce, heat the remaining marinade with the corn starch until it
comes to a boil. Serve with the wings.
Main Courses
Silky Beef with Cashew Nuts
Oil
1 tbs cornstarch mixed with 2 tbs water
3 cloves of garlic, left whole but crushed with flat part of knife
2 large slices fresh ginger (powdered is okay)
500g/1 lb beef
1 broccoli (and/or whatever veggies you like), cut into uniform pieces for stir fry
1.5 cups unsalted cashew nuts
1 cup scallions, green part only, chopped
2 tbs oyster sauce
2 tbs hoisin sauce (if can’t find, use 1 tbs sugar instead)
1 cup rice/white wine (shaoxing wine) or beef stock from a bouillon cube
1 tbs sesame oil
soy sauce
optional:
dried hot pepper
Szechuan peppercorns, ground (hua jiao)
Cut the beef into thin slices. Add soy sauce to the corn starch mixture until the paste
is light brown. Add the beef to the paste and stir so that all pieces are coated. Set
aside.
Add oil to the pan and heat it up. Add the ginger slices and garlic. If using powdered
ginger, don’t do anything with it yet. This fresh ginger and garlic will be destroyed
and removed, leaving their flavors in the oil.
After the ginger and garlic are brown, remove them and start frying the beef in small
batches in the pan. Don’t overcook, you will return the beef to the pan later. The
cornstarch coating will make the beef very smooth. Remove each batch as they’re
done.
After the beef is done, add the vegetables to the pan and cook quickly. Add a few
tablespoons of water if necessary to help steam the vegetables. When the
vegetables are almost done, add the cooked beef back to the pan.
Add the scallions. Add the oyster sauce and hoisin sauce (or sugar). If you didn’t use
fresh ginger, add a few shakes of powdered ginger now. If you like things spicy, add
the dried hot pepper to taste. Splash the whole thing with white wine or beef broth
and let it come to a boil. Don’t overcook the dish at this point. Keep the scallions
bright green; many of the ingredients we’re adding at this point will lose their flavor
if cooked for too long.
Add the cashew nuts. Adjust seasoning by adding more soy sauce if necessary. Turn
off the heat and drizzle a bit of sesame oil over the dish. Taste and adjust seasonings
as needed.
If you’re adventurous, add the ground Szechuan peppercorns at the very end. The
peppercorns add a distinct, special taste to the dish and some people love it. Some
don’t. Taste a bit separately first if you’re not sure how you feel about them.
Mapo Tofu
This is an awesome recipe if you’re pretty adventurous and like spicy tofu. If not, I’d
suggest passing on this one. Ideally, you would use smooth, white fresh tofu, the
type that’s sold in large tubs of water in Chinese grocery stores.
1 big block of tofu (preferably fresh)
.5 lb/250g ground pork or beef
1 small onion, chopped
3 large slices of fresh ginger
1 cup rice/white wine (Shaoxing wine) or chicken stock
1 tb fermented black bean sauce (douchi)
1-2tbs chili bean paste (doubanjiang), depending on how hot you like it
2 tsp sugar
1 cup scallions, green part only, chopped
1 tbs cornstarch mixed in 2 tbs water
1 tbs Szechuan peppercorns, ground (hua jiao)
1 tsp sesame oil
optional:
1 tsp hot chili oil
soy sauce
Cut your block of tofu into large blocks and sniff to see if it’s fresh. Never cut soft
tofu into very small blocks because it will disintegrate as you work with it. If it is
fresh, set it aside.
If the tofu doesn’t smell fresh, put some water on the stove to boil. Boil the tofu very
quickly in water, for about 30 seconds to a minute. Take the tofu out and set it aside.
Heat the oil in the pan and add the fresh ginger. Add the minced onion and meat.
Remove and discard the ginger when the slices begin to darken. When the meat and
onion start to become golden brown and crispy, add the wine, black bean sauce and
chili bean paste, sugar and stir.
Add the tofu. You want to work quickly from this point on because you don’t want to
overcook the tofu. You just want to warm up the tofu a bit. Add the scallions and the
cornstarch mixture. Let the cornstarch come to a boil and adjust with wine or stock
to get the sauce to the consistency you prefer.
Correct the seasoning with soy sauce if necessary. At the last moment, add the
ground Szechuan peppercorns and stir. Drizzle with sesame oil and if you really like
things spicy, add the hot chili oil.
Lemon Chicken
I really love this dish and kids like it too.
Chicken:
1.5 lb/750g boneless chicken, cut into strips
2 tbs rice/white wine (Shaoxing wine) or chicken stock
1 tbs soy sauce
2 eggs
1 tsp lemon concentrate or the juice of one lemon
2 tbs corn starch
Sauce:
1 cup chicken stock
1 tsp lemon concentrate or the juice of one lemon
3 tsp sugar
1 tsp ketchup
1 tbs sesame oil
pinch of white pepper
1 tbs corn starch
optional:
roasted sesame seeds for garnish
Take the chicken ingredients above and mix them all together. Let the chicken
marinate in this mixture while you do the rest. You might need to adjust the amount
of corn starch – the mixture should coat the chicken and stick to it.
Then combine the sauce ingredients separately. When you’ve assembled all of your
ingredients for the sauce, deep fry the chicken in batches.
Take out the chicken and let drain on paper towels.
Pour the ingredients for the sauce into the pan and bring to a boil. Thicken the sauce
as needed with corn starch. Taste and adjust seasonings.
Arrange the chicken on a dish, then pour the sauce over the chicken.
If you like, you can sprinkle roasted sesame seeds over it.
Sweet & Sour Fish
This recipe can also easily be made with pork or kept vegetarian by removing the
meat/fish.
Fish marinade:
1 lb/500g fish fillets, like cod or sea bass, cut into chunks
1 tsp salt
2 eggs
1 tbs corn starch
Vegetables:
2 large slices of fresh ginger
3 cloves of garlic, left whole but crushed with flat part of knife
1 cup scallions, green part only, chopped
Snow peas
Bell peppers
Mushrooms
Canned pineapple
Canned baby corn
Carrots
Spring beans
Sauce:
.5 cup chicken broth
3 tbs rice vinegar
1 tbs soy sauce
4 tbs sugar
2 tbs tomato paste
2 tbs Worchester sauce
1 tbs rice/white wine (Shaoxing wine)
1 tbs corn starch mixed in 2 tbs water
optional:
dried hot pepper
Pat the fish fillet pieces dry and add them to the marinade ingredients. Let this sit
while you do the rest.
Mix together the sauce ingredients and cut the vegetables into the right sizes for stir
fry. If you like, add the dried hot pepper to the sauce mix.
Deep fry the fish in batches, remove and let drain on paper towels.
Remove most of the oil from the pan and add the ginger and garlic. When the ginger
and garlic start to become really brown, take them out and discard.
Stir fry the vegetables, beginning with the ones that will take longest to cook, like
the carrots. Keep for last the bell peppers and canned pineapple, since these take the
least amount of time.
Add the sauce and bring everything to a boil. Add the scallions. Taste and adjust
seasonings.
Arrange the fish on a dish and cover with the sweet and sour sauce and vegetables.
Chinese Eggs
This is a very simple dish that I make a lot. Sometimes I’ll snip ham into it for the
kids – not very Chinese but they like it!
Oil
6 eggs
1 cup scallions, green part only, chopped
Salt to taste, remembering you’ll drizzle soy sauce later
Soy sauce
Put the eggs, salt and scallions together and mix. Heat the oil in the pan, add the egg
mixture.
Allow the eggs to solidify, checking underneath to see that it’s turning golden brown,
then insert the spatula underneath the egg mixture and lift, so that you break the
omelet into large pieces.
Flip the pieces and gently stir fry. Be careful not to crumble the eggs. Remove and
serve. Drizzle with soy sauce if desired.
Desserts
I’m usually pretty tired after cooking dinner so I mostly go with the philosophy that
Chinese desserts are something you buy rather than something you make at home.
For example, I don’t know anyone who makes the sweetened tofu pudding or fried
dough crullers mentioned in Mambo in Chinatown – we buy them. However, for
those who are brave and/or live far from Chinatown, here are a few desserts.
Egg cakes
For the full egg cakes effect, you need an egg waffle pan like this one:
http://www.williams-sonoma.com/products/nordic-ware-egg-waffle-pan/
However, I don’t own an egg waffle pan and I just make them in the waffle maker.
They’re still delicious and mostly taste like egg cakes. They’ll only look like waffles
instead. I serve my imitation egg cakes cut into little squares.
.75 cup flour
1 cup sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp corn starch
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tbs vegetable oil
2 eggs
2 tbs evaporated milk
1 cup water
Mix the flour, sugar, baking powder and corn starch. Add the vanilla extract,
vegetable oil, evaporated milk, water and eggs. Mix with an electric mixer until
smooth.
Follow the directions for either your waffle maker or egg waffle pan to make the egg
cakes. Don’t overfill because the batter will rise.
Ice cream with fruit
Ice cream
Canned or fresh lichee nuts, pineapple, mango or any other fruit
Put a scoop of ice cream in a cute serving bowl/wineglass/champagne glass. Add
fruit.
To those who find this too simple, I say, never underestimate the power of a cute
serving bowl.