As the Chinese New Year approaches, we are reminded of the pleasure of cooking Chinese dishes at home.
By FAYE LEVY, YAKIR LEVYUpdated: FEBRUARY 11, 2017 05:04Potstickers(photo credit: YAKIR LEVY)
Chinese cuisine is so delicious, so why enjoy it only at restaurants? As the Chinese New Year approaches (the Year of the Rooster begins on January 28), we are reminded of the pleasure of cooking Chinese dishes at home.To get new ideas, we went to a cooking demonstration at Melissa’s Produce in Los Angeles, where Katie Chin, author of Katie Chin’s Everyday Chinese Cookbook, showed us how to make tasty, practical Chinese dishes, including dumplings called potstickers. We could see that these dumplings filled with meat and chopped vegetables were easy to prepare. After enclosing the filling in the wrappers, Chin sautéed the dumplings to brown them and added water to finish cooking them.(See recipe.) The Chinese culinary repertoire is full of easy-to-make dishes, said Chin, who likes to prepare the simple, homey dishes that she grew up eating. Chin is inspired by her mother, Leeann Chin, who moved to Minneapolis, Minnesota, from China and managed to cook tasty Chinese food, even though basic ingredients such as fresh ginger were not available there at the time. Eventually, Leeann Chin became an award-winning restaurateur.One of Katie Chin’s favorite memories is of her mom teaching her twins how to make potstickers for the Chinese New Year. Potstickers, wrote Chin, symbolize prosperity, because their shape is similar to that of a gold ingot.From her mother, Chin learned to improvise. Does your recipe call for hoisin sauce, but your local market doesn’t carry it? No problem! Make your own – it’s easy. (See recipe.) Then you can use it in a marinade, along with soy sauce, garlic and ginger, to make Chin’s spicy beef skewers. (See recipe.) Do you have only square wonton wrappers, but you need round wrappers to make potstickers? All you need to do is cut rounds out of the square wrappers.Wonton wrappers are so useful that Chin uses them even in desserts. To make her raspberry-chocolate dessert wontons, she fills the wrappers with Nutella mixed with chopped raspberries and, after frying them, sprinkles them with powdered sugar and serves them with raspberry sauce. For another sweet wonton treat, she makes a filling of diced bananas, sugar and candied walnuts and serves the fried wontons with chocolate sauce.An easy way to give meals Chinese flair is to dress salads with a light sauce of rice vinegar, garlic, ginger and Asian sesame oil, which has a lovely flavor and aroma and a brown color because it’s made from sesame seeds that have been toasted. Chin uses such a dressing in her colorful salad of edamame, red peppers, green onions and fresh coriander. (See recipe.) “Rice is the core of virtually every Chinese meal and holds a place of honor at the table,” wrote Chin. Longgrain white rice is the standard, and cooking the rice properly is a two-step process. (See recipe.) The first step is washing the rice, and according to Chin, in many Chinese families this is the job of the youngest child.Rice, wrote Chin, “is so revered that people greet each other on the street by saying, ‘Have you eaten rice yet?’”Faye Levy is the author of Classic Cooking Techniques.Potstickers“Also known as panfried dumplings and Peking ravioli, potstickers get their name from their crispy browned bottoms,” wrote Katie Chin. Their texture is achieved by a combination of panfrying and steaming.Serves 6 to 8 as an appetizer or snack■ 110 gr. (4 oz.) napa cabbage (Chinese cabbage), cut in thin strips■ 1½ tsp. salt, divided■ 225 gr. (8 oz.) ground chicken■ 2 Tbsp. finely chopped green onion, white and green parts■ 2 tsp. dry white wine■ ½ tsp. cornstarch■ ½ tsp. dark sesame oil■ Dash of white pepper■ 20-30 potsticker wrappers (round wrappers – see note)■ 2-4 Tbsp. oil (for frying) Dipping sauce:■ 4 Tbsp. soy sauce■ 1 tsp. dark sesame oil■ ½ tsp. sugarToss cabbage with 1 teaspoon of the salt and set aside for 5 minutes, then roll the cabbage up in a clean dry dish towel. Twist the towel to squeeze out the excess moisture.In a large bowl mix the cabbage, chicken, green onion, wine, cornstarch, sesame oil, the remaining ½ teaspoon salt and the pepper.Lay a potsticker wrapper on a clean work surface. Place 1 tablespoon of the meat mixture in the center. Lift up the edges of the circle and pinch several pleats up to create a pouch encasing the mixture. Pinch the top together.Repeat with remaining wrappers and filling. (See note 2 below.) Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil for frying in a wok or skillet over moderately high heat. Place 12 dumplings in a single layer in the wok or skillet and fry 2 minutes, or until the bottoms are golden brown.Add ½ cup (125 ml.) water. Cover and cook for 6 to 7 minutes, or until the water is absorbed. Repeat with remaining dumplings.Dipping sauce:Combine the soy sauce, sesame oil and sugar in a small bowl. Serve alongside the dumplings.Note 1: If you can’t find round wrappers, you can substitute square wonton wrappers. Just use a cookie cutter to cut them into rounds.Note 2: Instead of forming a pouch, you can simply fold the filled wrapper in half.Spicy beef skewersChin added Korean flavors – sugar and red pepper – to this classic Chinese beef preparation in order to give the tender beef a sweet and spicy finish. She commented that soaking the beef in baking soda and water tenderizes the meat, making for melt-in-your-mouth results.Serves 3 to 5 as an appetizer or snack ■ 1 Tbsp. baking soda■ 2 cups water■ 750 gr. (1½ lb.) beef flank steak (in Israel, cut No. 17 – kislayim or plada) or any cut you like for grilling■ 20 wooden skewers, soaked in water for 30 minutesMarinade:■ 2 Tbsp. oil■ 1 tsp. soy sauce■ 1 tsp. salt■ 1 Tbsp. (about 3 cloves) minced garlic■ 1 Tbsp. peeled and minced fresh ginger■ 1 tsp. sugar■ 1 tsp. ground red pepper (cayenne)■ 2 Tbsp. cornstarch■ 4 Tbsp. hoisin sauce, homemade (see recipe below) or store-boughtIn a large flat pan, dissolve the baking soda in the water. Add the beef and soak for 10 minutes. Remove beef from water and pat dry with paper towels.Cut beef in thin strips across the grain.Whisk together all marinade ingredients in a mixing bowl. Place beef strips in a large resealable food storage bag and pour the marinade over it. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or up to overnight.Thread beef strips onto the soaked skewers.Preheat broiler. Broil meat about 10 cm. (4 in.) from the heat for about 2 minutes. Turn the skewers over and broil for another 2 minutes.Hoisin sauce“My mother always taught me,” wrote Chin, “that of all the Chinese sauces, hoisin sauce is the boss... because of its versatility. It’s used as a barbecue glaze, added to stir-fries, served as a dipping sauce and used in marinades.” For convenience, Chin makes it with peanut butter instead of soybean paste.Makes about ¹⁄3 cup■ 4 Tbsp. soy sauce■ 2 Tbsp. smooth peanut butter■ 1 Tbsp. honey■ 2 tsp. unseasoned rice vinegar■ 1 clove garlic, finely minced■ 2 tsp. dark sesame oil■ 1 tsp. Asian hot sauce, like sriracha chili sauce■ ¹⁄8 tsp. white pepperCombine all ingredients in a medium mixing bowl. Whisk until blended. Transfer sauce to a jar with a tight-fitting lid. Use immediately or store in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.Soy ginger edamame salad “This recipe is proof that sometimes simple can be sublime,” wrote Chin. It has just three main ingredients – edamame (green soy beans), sweet red peppers and jicama (for which we substituted kohlrabi), accompanied by green onion, pine nuts, fresh coriander leaves, and an easy-to-make dressing. You can use lemon juice instead of lime juice.Serves 4 as part of a multicourse meal or for lunch Dressing: ■ 4 Tbsp. soy sauce■ 2 Tbsp. freshly squeezed lime juice■ 1 Tbsp. plus 1 tsp. unseasoned rice vinegar or white vinegar■ 1 tsp. peeled and minced fresh ginger■ 1 Tbsp. plus 1 tsp. olive oil or canola oil■ 1 tsp. dark sesame oil■ Salt and pepper to taste■ 375 gr. (13 oz. or 2½ cups) shelled frozen edamame■ ½ cup chopped sweet red pepper■ ½ cup cubes of peeled kohlrabi■ 4 Tbsp. green onion, green and white parts, finely chopped, plus more for garnish■ 2 Tbsp. toasted pine nuts■ 4 Tbsp. finely chopped fresh coriander leavesDressing: In a small bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, lime juice, vinegar and ginger. Gradually whisk in olive oil and sesame oil until well blended. Add salt and pepper.Cook edamame according to package directions, or until just tender.Rinse with cold water and drain.In a large bowl, combine edamame, sweet red pepper, kohlrabi, green onion, pine nuts and fresh coriander.Pour dressing over mixture and toss.Garnish with additional green onion and serve immediately.Cooking a perfect pot of rice“When you wash your rice,” wrote Chin, “you eliminate the excess starch that gets released into the water and reabsorbed during cooking, resulting in mushy rice. Once you get rid of that excess starch, you will enjoy the lightest, fluffiest rice ever.”Makes about 3 cups cooked rice, to serve 3 or 4 ■ 1 cup long-grain white rice■ 1 cup waterTo wash the rice:Fill a pot with the rice and with cool water. Swirl the water around with your hands and wash the rice by rubbing it gently between your fingers, then drain. Repeat this process until the water runs clear, usually about 5 or 6 times. After the last rinse, carefully drain all the water from the pot.Add 1 cup water to the washed rice.Bring to a boil over high heat. As soon as the water boils, lower heat to a simmer and cover. Cook at a gentle simmer, until the water is completely absorbed and the rice is tender, about 12 minutes.Remove from heat and let sit for 10 minutes with the lid on before serving.You can use the same proportions of rice and water to cook the rice in a rice cooker; follow the instruction manual.
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