KONG BAO JI DING

KONG BAO JI DING

This recipe first appeared in an ad for Tyson's chicken breasts and Planter's cocktail peanuts.  I made it a couple of times a month for years while the kids were growing up, so it had to be included in the new cookbook.  When I made it last night, Steve and I remembered how much we enjoyed it, too.  It's simple, takes very little time, and you really can't go wrong.

INGREDIENTS:            

1 lb. skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into 1” cubes

2 egg whites

2 Tablespoons soy sauce

2 Tablespoons cornstarch

½ teaspoons crushed red peppers

1 cup scallions, cut into 1” pieces

1 cup salted peanuts

2 cups canola oil

Sauce:

2 Tablespoons soy sauce

4 Tablespoons sherry

2 teaspoons sugar

2 teaspoons cornstarch

Beat the egg whites with a whisk until they are frothy, then stir in 2 T soy sauce, 2 T cornstarch, and chicken cubes.  Mix well and refrigerate for 1 hour.

Mix sauce ingredients together and set aside.

In a wok, heat the canola oil to 375°F.  Stir chicken mixture and spoon individual pieces into the hot oil, cooking in batches so they don’t stick together too much.  

When they are brown, remove them to paper towels to drain while you do the next batches.     

Pour off all but 2 Tablespoons of oil from the wok.  Add red pepper and cooked chicken; stir fry 1 minute.  Add sauce to chicken mixture and stir until the sauce thickens, which is usually 15-30 seconds. 

Turn off the heat and stir in the scallions and peanuts.  Serve over rice.

Serves 4.

Blog entry 10/16/14.

THAI WONTON

Thai wonton are another family favorite that we've made with our Christmas dinner for decades.  Tom started making them when he was very young, and is the designated chef.  They're very simple once you get the hang of the folding, and everyone fights to get their (mostly) fair share.  The recipe comes from a cookbook called Modern Thai Cuisine by Tommy Tang, although I have tripled the recipe, a practical consideration, since there are usually 60 wonton wrappers in a package, and also because for our family, which numbers about 14-16 on holidays, 60 are barely enough.  If there are any leftover, they go in the refrigerator, and are actually pretty tasty cold.

Ingredients:

9 oz uncooked shrimp, shelled, deveined, and chopped

6 oz uncooked chicken breast meat, chopped

3 Tablespoons chopped cilantro

3 Tablespoons chopped scallions

4 ½ teaspoons Thai fish sauce

1 Tablespoon granulated garlic

1 Tablespoon white pepper

1 egg

60 wonton wrappers

3 cups vegetable oil (for deep frying)

Place all filling ingredients in a food processor and pulse until they are well blended.

Place a small mound of filling mixture in the center of 1 wonton wrapper.

Dip a finger in cold water and wet wonton skin along two adjacent sides.  Fold the wonton wrapper in half diagonally to form a triangle. 

Dip finger in water again and wet wonton skin halfway between filling and 1 folded corner.  Lift this corner and opposite corner over filling, overlap at moistened spot, and squeeze gently to seal.  Repeat with remaining filling and wrappers.

Heat oil in a large saucepan or deep fryer to 350°F.  Deep-fry wonton in batches until browned on all sides, about 2 minutes. 

Remove and drain on paper towels. 

Serve hot with dipping sauce.

Sweet/Sour Dipping Sauce:

½ cup water

¼ cup sugar

¼ cup rice vinegar

2 Tablespoons plum sauce

¼ teaspoon paprika

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon fresh chili paste

2 Tablespoons ground unsalted peanuts

Combine all ingredients except peanuts in a small saucepan and bring to boil over high heat.  Reduce heat to low and simmer 4 minutes.  Remove from heat and let cool.  Stir in peanuts.  Turn into small individual bowls.

Makes 60 wonton.

SESAME CHICKEN

SESAME CHICKEN

2 Tablespoons AP flour

2 Tablespoons cornstarch

¼ teaspoon baking soda

¼ teaspoon baking powder

2 Tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce

1 Tablespoon dry sherry or Chinese rice wine

2 Tablespoons water

1 teaspoon canola oil

1 dash sesame oil

1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast meat, cubed

1 cup chicken broth

1 cup white sugar

2 Tablespoons cider vinegar

2 Tablespoons soy sauce

2 Tablespoons sesame oil

1 teaspoon chile paste

1 clove garlic, minced

¼ cup cornstarch

½ cup water

Vegetable oil for frying

2 Tablespoons toasted sesame seeds

Sift flour, 2 T cornstarch, baking soda, and baking powder into a bowl.  Pour in low-sodium soy sauce, sherry, 2 T water, vegetable oil, and a dash of sesame oil; stir until smooth.  Stir in chicken until coated with the batter, then cover, and refrigerate for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, bring chicken broth, sugar, vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil, chili paste, and garlic to a boil in a saucepan over high heat.  Dissolve ¼ cup cornstarch into ½ cup of water, and stir into boiling sauce.  Simmer until the sauce thickens and turns clear, about 2 minutes.  Reduce heat to low and keep sauce warm.

Heat oil in a deep fryer or large saucepan to a temperature of 375°F.  Drop in the battered chicken pieces, a few at a time, and fry until they turn golden brown and float to the top of the oil, 3 to 4 minutes.  

Drain on a paper towel-lined plate.  

To serve, place fried chicken pieces onto a serving platter, and pour the hot sauce over the top.  

Sprinkle with the toasted sesame seeds.

Serves 6 

CHAR SIU PORK AND LO MEIN

This is a beloved family favorite that I've been making for thirty years.  The pages of the cookbook (Better Homes and Gardens, Cooking Chinese) are stained yellow from oil splattering on it literally hundreds of times.  This is a very simple dish, and all of the children, and now the grandchildren, love it.  I've doubled the recipe, because you can never have too much, and if it should happen to be leftover, it's even better the next day.

CHINATOWN DELI CHAR SIU (BBQ PORK)

Marinade:

1/3 cup sugar

¼ cup soy sauce

¼ cup hoisin sauce

¼ cup honey

2 Tablespoons Chinese rice wine or dry sherry

1 Tablespoon sesame paste or mashed white fermented bean curd

    (even though they say not to, I often use tahini)

2 teaspoons minced garlic

1 teaspoon minced ginger

1 teaspoon sesame oil

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

1 teaspoon Chinese five spice

2 to 2 ½ pounds boneless pork shoulder or butt, trimmed of excess fat and cut into pieces, roughly 1 inch thick, 3 inches wide, and 8 inches long.

Marinate the pork:  Stir the marinade ingredients together in a bowl.  Place the pork in a large resealable plastic bag, pour the marinade into the bag, and seal the bag.  Refrigerate for at least 4 hours, or overnight, turning the bag occasionally.

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Remove the pork from the marinade, reserve the marinade.  Place the pork on a rack set in a foil-lined baking pan.  Bake, uncovered, brushing occasionally with the reserved marinade, for 30 minutes.  Turn the pieces of pork over and bake, brushing occasionally with the reserved marinade, until cooked through and tender, about 45 minutes more.

Let the pork rest for 10 minutes before cutting into thin slices.  Serve hot or cold.

PORK LO MEIN

16 oz. fresh Chinese egg noodles or fine egg noodles

1 lb. Chinatown Deli Char Siu (BBQ pork)

1 lb. sliced mushrooms

6 scallions, chopped

2 cloves garlic, chopped

6 Tablespoons oyster sauce

2 Tablespoons soy sauce

1 teaspoon sugar

4 Tablespoons canola oil

Cook noodles in a large amount of boiling salted water until tender; drain.  Rinse with cold water.  Drain noodles well and set aside.

Thinly slice pork into bite sized strips.  Set aside.

Don't be alarmed by the fat...it will cook away later.  

Combine the oyster sauce, soy sauce, and sugar; set aside.

Preheat a wok over high heat; 2 Tablespoons cooking oil.  Stir-fry the scallions and garlic in hot oil for 1 minute.  Remove scallions.  Stir fry mushrooms until they begin to brown, then remove from the work.

Add more oil, if necessary.  Add half of the pork to the wok; stir-fry 2 to 3 minutes.  Remove pork.  Stir-fry the remaining pork for 2 to 3 minutes.  Return all pork to wok.

Add the cooked noodles, mushrooms, scallions, and oyster sauce mixture to the pork in the wok.  

Using two spatulas or mixing spoons, lightly toss the mixture for 3 to 4 minutes or until noodles are heated through.

Serves 8 to 10.

CHICKEN KIEV OLE

This is a childhood favorite dish that Matt requested.  I hadn't made it in years, having moved on to actually making my own sauces.  The recipe was in an ad for Smucker's tomato preserves, which they stopped making years ago.  I searched the internet until I found something that I thought was similar, and ended up with this:

"La vieja Fabrica" imported from Spain.  It tastes even better than the Smucker's.  And, of course, Newman's Own has been around all along.  So this is a very simple recipe,  that produces a tangy but not really spicy dish.

4 oz unsalted butter, softened

½ cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese

1 pkg taco seasoning

3 large chicken breasts (preferably organic)

1 12 oz jar tomato preserves

12 oz mild salsa (such as Newman’s Own)

4 oz pitted black olives

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Blend butter, taco seasoning and ½ cup shredded cheddar cheese, then divide into 6 pieces, shaping them into a small log.  Put them in the freezer while you cut and pound the chicken.

You want the chicken breasts to be thin enough to cook easily, so slice chicken breasts in half so they open like a book, then complete the cut.  Tenderize between two pieces of waxed paper or plastic wrap, pounding them to about ¼-inch thick. You will have 6 pieces.

Wrap chicken around frozen butter mixture, and secure with a toothpick.  Place them in a baking dish.

Place the tomato preserves in a small saucepan and heat until the gelatin melts.  Stir in the salsa and pour over chicken breasts.  Scatter olives around them.

Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes.

Remove foil and sprinkle 1 cup shredded cheddar over the chicken.  Bake 5 minutes longer or until cheese has melted.

Excellent over rice.

Serves 6.