Barbara Tropps Chinese Chicken Salad Recipes

CHINESE CHICKEN SALAD

Steps:

• Whisk sugar, vinegar, mustard and ginger together. Whisk in oils, and season to taste with salt, pepper and more sugar and vinegar if needed. Dressing should have a nice balance of sweet and tart.
• In a large bowl toss lettuce with a few tablespoons of dressing until lightly dressed. Arrange around sides of a large serving bowl or platter.
• Toss chicken, celery, peppers and cilantro in a bowl with dressing until well coated. Arrange in center of serving bowl, and sprinkle with pine nuts and cilantro.

BARBARA TROPP'S CHINESE CHICKEN SALAD

Steps:

• Whisk sugar, vinegar, mustard and ginger together. Whisk in oils, and season to taste with salt, pepper and more sugar and vinegar if needed. (Dressing should have a nice balance of sweet and tart.).
• In a large bowl toss lettuce with a few tablespoons of dressing until lightly dressed. Arrange around sides of a large serving bowl or platter.
• Toss chicken, celery, peppers and cilantro in a bowl with dressing until well coated. Arrange in center of serving bowl, and sprinkle with pine nuts and cilantro.

CHINESE CHICKEN SALAD

Steps:

• For the dressing: Put the peanut oil, soy sauce, ginger, brown sugar, rice vinegar, sesame oil, chili paste, garlic and lime juice in a small mason jar and secure the lid. Shake vigorously until well combined. Set aside.
• For the salad: Put the chicken, cabbage, romaine, kale, carrots, edamame, almonds, peanuts and bell peppers in a large bowl. Pour about two-thirds of the dressing over the salad and toss.
• Transfer to a platter or individual plates. Drizzle over the remaining dressing and garnish with the cilantro, mint and toasted sesame seeds.

BARBARA'S CHINESE NOODLE SALAD

Steps:

• Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and cool.
• In a small bowl, combine liquids thoroughly with the sugar.
• Whisk thoroughly until the sugar is dissolved.
• Add sauce to cooked noodles and mix with hands until they are evenly coated.
• I refrigerate the salad for a few hours and mix periodically to allow the sauce to absorb into the noodles.
• Before serving, add sesame seeds, carrots and green onions. Toss and serve.

BARBARA TROPP'S PECAN-GINGER TORTE

Steps:

• Lightly grease two 8-to-9-inch springform pans or two 9-to-10-inch tart pans with removable bottoms. Line the bottoms with greased paper. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
• Toast the four ounces of pecans for 15 minutes in the oven, rotating the tray once midway. Let cool.
• Mince the pecans with a sharp knife or with an on-off food processor motion, until fine but dry.
• Beat the egg yolks until light. Add the sugar gradually, until the yolks turn very creamy and form ribbons on the beater.
• Add the lemon juice, ginger juice and pepper. Beat to mix.
• Add the minced pecans and matzoh meal. Beat until blended.
• In a large bowl, beat the egg whites until they are blended. Add salt and continue whipping until the egg white forms firm peaks but are not dry.
• Lightly fold the egg whites into the nut mixture, until well blended.
• Divide the mixture between the two prepared pans.
• Sprinkle the crystallized ginger, glaceed apricots or kumquats evenly over the top. Space eight pecan halves around the edges of each tart, putting a ninth in the center.
• Bake in the middle or the bottom third of the oven for 40 to 45 minutes, until a cake tester in the center of the cake comes out dry.
• Let cool completely in pan. The cake tastes best baked a day in advance. Wrap air-tight overnight. Serve with a selection of seasonal berries. Or, if having a vegetarian seder, serve with Chantilly cream or Barbara Tropp's fresh ginger ice cream, the recipe for which is in ''The Modern Art of Chinese Cooking.''