The Egg Fried Rice with Sweet and Sour Sauce is of course the thorn in this otherwise wholly Hunanese home style banquet. It was more of a craving I had for Chinese takeaway food at home, which I occasionally get. Fried rice is served in most places, but many stick to good old mi fan- plain, boiled rice. Sweet and Sour sauce is rarely served on its own, and many people in China disregard it as being too sweet. Either way, both dishes are easy to cook, cheap, and while not as fuss-free as just going down your local Chinese, they're a lot simpler than you'd think, and a lot healthier too, as you know exactly what you're putting into them. Golden Coins is a different and innovative way to use eggs, and always catches the eye. You don't necessarily have to cook it as part of a Chinese supper either, I would have it as part of a summer salad spread and maybe tone down the seasonings slightly. The braised pak choi is a favourite of mine and I cook it at almost every meal. It's always a crowd pleaser and a such a simple way to add vegetables to your meal.
I was impressed with my cooking time- just over an hour for five dishes! This would usually take me almost double. Rachel arrived just before the I'd finished cooking with a bottle of pink bacardi breezer for me, a total blast from the past.
I was quite happy with the dinner given the spontaneity and limited time, and I think everybody was pretty satisfied too. Afterwards we engaged in the regular bizarre conversation topics we seem to stumble upon, the messiness of mango much to Ali's distress, how to make a stew without cooking implements, my dislike for overpriced smoothie brands, a plan to make a giant creme egg and the joys of Waitrose.
Recipes
Golden Coins
(adapted from Fuchsia Dunlop's Revolutionary Chinese Cookbook)
5 Eggs, hard boiled and cooled completely
4 tsbp Plain flour
1 1/2 tsp Clear rice vinegar
1/2 tsp Potato flour (bought in Chinese supermarkets- I often just use plain flour anyway)
2 tbsp Chicken/vegetable stock or water
1/2 tsp Sesame oil
1 tbsp Finely chopped fresh ginger
1 tbsp Fresh red chilli or sweet red pepper
3 Spring onions, green parts only, finely sliced
Groundnut oil
salt
1. Peel the eggs and slice into thick slices, coat in the plain flour and shake of the excess. Heat 100 ml oil until it reaches 180 degrees c (about medium to high setting). Meanwhile combine the vinegar, potato flour, stock and sesame oil in a bowl for later.
2. Fry the slices of egg in the oil two or three batches. Deep fry for a few minutes, the eggs will start to go slightly golden and the oil will froth up. Then remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.
3. Clean out the wok and heat over a high flame, adding two tablespoons of oil. Fry the ginger and chilli/pepper very briefly until fragrant taking care not to burn, I usually turn the heat down a little for this.
4. Return the eggs to the wok and gently coat them in the ginger and chilli. Add salt to taste, then throw in the prepared sauce and spring onions. Stir briefly and serve immediately.
Smoky Braised Mushrooms
300g Shiitake mushrooms
1 tbsp Garlic cloves, sliced
1 tbsp Fresh ginger sliced
4 tbsp Chicken or vegetalbe stock
3 tbsp Groundnut oil for cooking
2 Spring onions, green parts only, finely sliced
Dried chilli flakes (I used chopped dried chillies because I didn't have these)
Salt and pepper
1. Pat the mushrooms with a damp kitchen towel to clean (I learnt once that washing them under the sink saturates them too much with water so I do this) and stem. You can slice the mushrooms if you wish, but I like the shiitake ones whole as they taste meatier.
2. Heat the oil in the wok over a medium to high flame and add the garlic and ginger, fry briefly until fragrant taking care not to urn them. Scatter in the chilli flakes to taste.
3. Tip the mushrooms into the wok, stir fry for a few minutes until tender. Add the stock and stir until the liquid evaporated a little. Season with pepper, top with spring onions and serve.
Tip: This is great with chopped smoky bacon too, add at the beginning to the second step before the garlic and ginger. I would also recommend using mixed mushrooms but I didn't have any of these, you can use a mixture of mushrooms such as button, oyster and enoki.
Sweet and Sour Sauce
3 tbsp White sugar
2 tbsp Chinkiang or black Chinese vingear
2 tsp Light soy sauce
1tbsp Potato flour (or plain will do)
2 tsp Chopped garlic
2tsp Chopped fresh giner
150 ml Chicken stock (vegetable stock will be okay for vegetarians)
1/2 tsp Salt
Groundnut oil
1. Mix the white sugar, vinegar, soy sauce, salt and flour together in a small bowl. You might want to play around with this to get the desired taste and a good balance of sweet and sour flavours.
2. Heat the wok on a medium to high heat and add 1/2 tablespoons of oil. Add the ginger and garlic and fry briefly until fragrant.
3. Add the chicken stock and being to the boil and add the prepared mixture. Stir briskly as the liquid thickens and reduce down for a minute or two to a slightly thick sauce. The sauce will also thicken slightly as it cools. Add a few chopped spring onion greens as a garnish and serve.
Egg Fried Rice
You can make this dish as simple as you want it. If you don't have all the ingredients it doesn't matter, essentially all you need is boiled rice, oil and eggs, but you can add as much or as little as you want to make it more flavoursome.
Boiled rice (I usually use about two handfuls/serving spoons per person)
2 tbsp Groundnut oil
2 tsp Finely chopped garlic
2 tsp Finely chopped ginger
1tbsp Soy sauce
2 Spring onions, finely chopped
2tsp Sesame oil
3 Beaten eggs
4tbsp Chicken or vegetable stock (or you can just use and oxo/knorr cube or some chicken oil)
A handful of frozen peas/sweetcorn or fresh carrots cut into small cubes
A handful of pak choi or spinach
1. Heat the wok on a high heat and add the groundnut oil, add the garlic and ginger and stir fry for a few seconds (if using I would add the carrot now too to soften for a few moments). Add the beaten eggs and stir around in the wok, it will cook quickly and seperate as you stir.
2. Throw in the boiled rice and turn down the heat. Mix together for a few moments and then add the stock, stir until it evaporates.
3. Add the frozen vegetables, pak choi, spring onions and soy sauce. Stir fry all together for a couple of minutes until it's all heated through and mixed in. Take off the heat, splash on the sesame oil, then serve.
Braised Pak Choi
300-500g Pak choi (you can also use spinach)
2 tsp Finely chopped garlic
2 tsp Finely chopped chilli
1 tbsp Chinkiang or Chinese black vinegar
3 tbsp Chicken or vegetable stock
2 tbsp Groundnut oil
1. Wash the pak choi and the heads are quite big, slice them lengthways into halves or quarters.
2. Heat a wok or a frying pan to a high heat, add the groundnut oil and then the chilli and garlic. Stir fry for about 30 seconds until fragrant.
3. Add the pak choi and fry until soft for a minute or two, it will start to wilt. Then throw in the black vinegar and stock, and fry for a few seconds until the liquid evaporates slightly, and serve.
Recipes
Golden Coins
(adapted from Fuchsia Dunlop's Revolutionary Chinese Cookbook)
5 Eggs, hard boiled and cooled completely
4 tsbp Plain flour
1 1/2 tsp Clear rice vinegar
1/2 tsp Potato flour (bought in Chinese supermarkets- I often just use plain flour anyway)
2 tbsp Chicken/vegetable stock or water
1/2 tsp Sesame oil
1 tbsp Finely chopped fresh ginger
1 tbsp Fresh red chilli or sweet red pepper
3 Spring onions, green parts only, finely sliced
Groundnut oil
salt
1. Peel the eggs and slice into thick slices, coat in the plain flour and shake of the excess. Heat 100 ml oil until it reaches 180 degrees c (about medium to high setting). Meanwhile combine the vinegar, potato flour, stock and sesame oil in a bowl for later.
2. Fry the slices of egg in the oil two or three batches. Deep fry for a few minutes, the eggs will start to go slightly golden and the oil will froth up. Then remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.
3. Clean out the wok and heat over a high flame, adding two tablespoons of oil. Fry the ginger and chilli/pepper very briefly until fragrant taking care not to burn, I usually turn the heat down a little for this.
4. Return the eggs to the wok and gently coat them in the ginger and chilli. Add salt to taste, then throw in the prepared sauce and spring onions. Stir briefly and serve immediately.
Smoky Braised Mushrooms
300g Shiitake mushrooms
1 tbsp Garlic cloves, sliced
1 tbsp Fresh ginger sliced
4 tbsp Chicken or vegetalbe stock
3 tbsp Groundnut oil for cooking
2 Spring onions, green parts only, finely sliced
Dried chilli flakes (I used chopped dried chillies because I didn't have these)
Salt and pepper
1. Pat the mushrooms with a damp kitchen towel to clean (I learnt once that washing them under the sink saturates them too much with water so I do this) and stem. You can slice the mushrooms if you wish, but I like the shiitake ones whole as they taste meatier.
2. Heat the oil in the wok over a medium to high flame and add the garlic and ginger, fry briefly until fragrant taking care not to urn them. Scatter in the chilli flakes to taste.
3. Tip the mushrooms into the wok, stir fry for a few minutes until tender. Add the stock and stir until the liquid evaporated a little. Season with pepper, top with spring onions and serve.
Tip: This is great with chopped smoky bacon too, add at the beginning to the second step before the garlic and ginger. I would also recommend using mixed mushrooms but I didn't have any of these, you can use a mixture of mushrooms such as button, oyster and enoki.
Sweet and Sour Sauce
3 tbsp White sugar
2 tbsp Chinkiang or black Chinese vingear
2 tsp Light soy sauce
1tbsp Potato flour (or plain will do)
2 tsp Chopped garlic
2tsp Chopped fresh giner
150 ml Chicken stock (vegetable stock will be okay for vegetarians)
1/2 tsp Salt
Groundnut oil
1. Mix the white sugar, vinegar, soy sauce, salt and flour together in a small bowl. You might want to play around with this to get the desired taste and a good balance of sweet and sour flavours.
2. Heat the wok on a medium to high heat and add 1/2 tablespoons of oil. Add the ginger and garlic and fry briefly until fragrant.
3. Add the chicken stock and being to the boil and add the prepared mixture. Stir briskly as the liquid thickens and reduce down for a minute or two to a slightly thick sauce. The sauce will also thicken slightly as it cools. Add a few chopped spring onion greens as a garnish and serve.
Egg Fried Rice
You can make this dish as simple as you want it. If you don't have all the ingredients it doesn't matter, essentially all you need is boiled rice, oil and eggs, but you can add as much or as little as you want to make it more flavoursome.
Boiled rice (I usually use about two handfuls/serving spoons per person)
2 tbsp Groundnut oil
2 tsp Finely chopped garlic
2 tsp Finely chopped ginger
1tbsp Soy sauce
2 Spring onions, finely chopped
2tsp Sesame oil
3 Beaten eggs
4tbsp Chicken or vegetable stock (or you can just use and oxo/knorr cube or some chicken oil)
A handful of frozen peas/sweetcorn or fresh carrots cut into small cubes
A handful of pak choi or spinach
1. Heat the wok on a high heat and add the groundnut oil, add the garlic and ginger and stir fry for a few seconds (if using I would add the carrot now too to soften for a few moments). Add the beaten eggs and stir around in the wok, it will cook quickly and seperate as you stir.
2. Throw in the boiled rice and turn down the heat. Mix together for a few moments and then add the stock, stir until it evaporates.
3. Add the frozen vegetables, pak choi, spring onions and soy sauce. Stir fry all together for a couple of minutes until it's all heated through and mixed in. Take off the heat, splash on the sesame oil, then serve.
Braised Pak Choi
300-500g Pak choi (you can also use spinach)
2 tsp Finely chopped garlic
2 tsp Finely chopped chilli
1 tbsp Chinkiang or Chinese black vinegar
3 tbsp Chicken or vegetable stock
2 tbsp Groundnut oil
1. Wash the pak choi and the heads are quite big, slice them lengthways into halves or quarters.
2. Heat a wok or a frying pan to a high heat, add the groundnut oil and then the chilli and garlic. Stir fry for about 30 seconds until fragrant.
3. Add the pak choi and fry until soft for a minute or two, it will start to wilt. Then throw in the black vinegar and stock, and fry for a few seconds until the liquid evaporates slightly, and serve.
No comments:
Post a Comment