Chow Shung Ding Recipes

STIR-FRIED RICE CAKES (NIAN GAO)

Steps:

• Marinate the julienned pork with the water, light soy sauce, sesame oil, white pepper, vegetable oil, and cornstarch. Allow to sit for 20-30 minutes, while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.
• Rinse the rice cakes and drain. If using fresh or frozen rice cakes, you do not have to soak or thaw them. Only soak (according to package instructions) if using dried rice cakes.
• Thoroughly wash the baby bok choy (or napa cabbage). Drain, shaking off excess water. If using baby bok choy, separate into individual leaves. If using napa cabbage, cut the large leaves into smaller bite-sized pieces. Also prepare the garlic and scallions.
• If using mushrooms, slice them thinly. If using dried shiitake mushrooms, save the soaking liquid.
• Place your wok over high heat until it begins to smoke lightly. Add the vegetable oil to coat the wok, and add the pork and garlic. Cook until the pork turns opaque. If using mushrooms, add them now and stir-fry for 1 minute.
• Stir in the scallions, bok choy/cabbage, and Shaoxing wine. Stir-fry for 30 seconds, and move everything to the center of the wok to create an even "bed" of vegetables and meat. Distribute the rice cakes on top (this prevents them from sticking to the wok).
• Add water (or mushroom soaking water for extra flavor). Depending on how hot your stove gets, you can add 1/2 cup to 3/4 cup. Cover, and cook for 2 minutes to steam the rice cakes and cook the vegetables.
• Remove the cover, and add the sesame oil, dark soy sauce, light soy sauce, oyster sauce, white pepper, and sugar. Stir-fry everything together for 1 minute over medium heat. Taste, and season with additional salt if necessary. Continue stir-frying until the rice cakes are coated in sauce, cooked through but still chewy. Plate and serve!

CHOW SHUNG DING

Steps:

• place 1/2 t salt and 1 cup warm water in a small bowl and soak the shrimp for 5 minuutes.
• rinse with cold water and dry.
• in a medium bowl, toss the shrimp, 1 t cornstarch and white pepper, set aside.
• toss the chicken with the ginger, the remaining 1/2 t salt and remaining cornstarch and set aside.
• cut the green and red peppers into 3/4 inch pieces.
• heat wok over high heat; add oil, garlic, chicken and shrimp; stir fry for 1 minute or till shrimp turns pink.
• stir in hoisin sauce, chili paste, green and red peppers and water chestnuts, stir fry for 2-3 minutes.
• place on platter and garnish with green onions.

SOUTHERN CHOW CHOW

Steps:

• Clean and sterilize 2 quart-size canning jars with lids.
• Add the vinegar, sugar, salt, cloves, mustard seeds, peppercorns, mustard, turmeric, red pepper flakes and bay leaf to a large saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until the sugar dissolves and the flavors start to marry, about 5 minutes.
• Add the green tomatoes, green and red bell peppers, onion and cabbage and bring to a boil, lower the heat and let simmer, stirring occasionally, for 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from heat. Divide the mixture between the two jars and let cool to room temperature. Serve immediately or seal and refrigerate for up to 6 weeks.

CHICKEN WING DINGS

Steps:

• Combine the first 5 ingredients. Crumble chicken over mixture and mix well. Shape into 1-in. balls; roll in potato chips. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Cook meatballs in batches until no longer pink; drain. For dip, combine cream cheese, blue cheese, milk and garlic. Drizzle meatballs with wing sauce; serve with dip.

SOUP GUNG BO GAI DING

Steps:

• 1.In a large bowl, mix the chicken with the rice wine or sherry, 1 tablespoon of soy sauce, 1 tablespoon of cornstarch and salt and set aside to marinate for at least 30 minutes. Then drain the chicken from its marinade.
• 2.In a small bowl, mix the water, 2 tablespoons of soy sauce, rice wine or sherry, vinegar, sugar and salt. Adjust seasoning to taste and stir in the other tablespoon of cornstarch.
• 3.Heat the oil in a wok or large pot over medium-high flame. Add the chile peppers and stir fry until almost blackened, about 30 seconds. Add the garlic and ginger and stir fry for another 30 seconds. Add the chicken and stir fry until just cooked through, 3-4 minutes.
• 4.Reduce heat to medium-low. Swish the sauce to mix in the settled cornstarch and stir the sauce into the chicken. Simmer until the sauce thickens, adding water if necessary it gets too thick.
• 5.Remove from heat, stir in the peanuts and sesame oil and serve with steamed rice.
• •Vegetarian Kung Pao: Substitute cubes of tofu for the chicken and eliminate the cornstarch from the marinade. Deep-fry the tofu first if you like.
• •Substitute 2 teaspoons chile flakes or 2 teaspoons hot bean paste for the whole chili peppers.
• •Stir in 1/4 cup chopped garlic chives after you stir-fry the chicken but before you add the sauce. Stir fry another 1-2 minutes, then add the sauce.
• •Vegetables can be substituted for some of the chicken. Try cubed onions, bell peppers or celery.
• •Red wine vinegar or balsamic vinegar are acceptables substitutes if you can't find brown Chinese vinegar.

HONG SHU GAI KEW

Steps:

• Thaw the boneless chicken about halfway, then cut into bite-sized chunks (It's easier to cut, when the meat is halfway frozen); place in bowl and let chicken thaw completely.
• Combine the marinade ingredients of the honey, lime juice, ginger root, soy sauce, sherry and garlic, then pour over the chicken and mix thoroughly. Cover and let marinate in the refrigerator for at least an hour.
• For the chicken batter, mix all ingredients (flour, cornstarch, baking powder, eggs, water and oil) together. Let stand for 10-15 minutes Then dip your chicken pieces in the batter.
• Fry the battered chicken pieces in pre-heated peanut oil (about 1/2 inch of peanut oil), in a wok set on med-high temp, at about 375 degrees. Do not fry too many pieces all at once, or the chicken will stick together. About six-to-eight pieces at a time, works best.
• Place fried chicken bites in a non-corrosive plastic container with a few layers of paper towels underneath them to absorb the oil. Do NOT cover the fried chicken pieces! If you do, this will make your chicken turn soft, and take away the crispiness.
• Mix all sauce ingredients from above, except the sesame oil, in a bowl. Beat it with a fork until all of the cornstarch has dissolved thoroughly into the mix. Then set aside on the kitchen counter for now.
• Now rinse and dry your wok, and place all vegetables in the wok, one at a time, in the following specific order:.
• First, add the 1 T of sesame oil to the wok and set heat on medium. Now add the pea pods and stir-fry for about three minutes while gently stirring in about half of the sauce. Then add the drained water chestnuts, carrots and sliced bok choy stems and cook two-to-three more minutes. Then add the straw mushrooms while adding in the remaining sauce mixture, and cook another three minutes. (total cook time, 9-10 minutes).
• Reduce your wok heat to low and add fried chicken pieces to top of wok ingredients. Continue to cook in wok another 5 mins, and then you are done. Do NOT cover the wok, in order to keep the chicken and vegetables from becoming too soft or over-cooked.
• You are now done! (Pat yourself on the back.) Serve the dish with steamed rice if desired. Hong Shu Gai Kew is best served with hot tea or a glass of white wine, (In my humble opinion, at least.) Provide a bottle of soy sauce on the table, for those who like the dish or their rice with a kick of extra soy flavor.