Hunan Beef And Peppers Pop And Sesame Shao Bing Chinese Pita Recipes

SESAME BEEF WITH ASPARAGUS

Steps:

• Slice steak into broad 1/8-inch thick strips, about 1 inch wide and 6 inches long. In a small bowl combine steak strips with baking soda, crushed garlic cloves and 1/4 cup cold water. Mix well and soak 5 hours.
• Rinse steak slices and dry well on paper towels. In a small bowl mix together egg white and salt, stirring vigorously until egg white foams. Stir in sesame seeds, 1 teaspoon sugar, 1 teaspoon peanut oil and cornstarch. Add steak and toss to coat. Marinate 1/2 hour at room temperature. In another small bowl, combine thin soy sauce, Shao Hsing, remaining 4 teaspoons sugar, vinegar, sesame oil and sesame paste; set aside.
• In a wok heat remaining 4 cups peanut oil over high heat to 375 degrees. Drain beef, pat dry then deep-fry 45 seconds, turning pieces several times with a metal spoon. Using a slotted spoon, remove beef and drain on paper towels. When oil returns to 375 degrees, deep-fry 15 seconds more, remove beef, and drain. Repeat deep-frying, 15 seconds, a third time. Remove beef and drain on clean paper towels. When oil returns to 375 degrees, deep-fry asparagus and red bell pepper 30 seconds. Drain on paper towels.
• Drain off all but 1 tablespoon oil from wok and increase heat to high. Add chili peppers, scallions, chopped garlic and chopped ginger; stir-fry 1 minute. Add asparagus and red pepper; stir-fry 10 seconds and add beef. Stir in soy sauce mixture, bring to a boil and serve immediately with rice.

BEEF POPS WITH PINEAPPLE AND PARSLEY SAUCE

Steps:

• For the Parsley Sauce: In the bowl of a food processor, blend together the parsley, garlic, vinegar, chili flakes, sugar, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper until smooth. With the machine running, gradually add the olive oil until incorporated. Place half of the mixture in a medium bowl. Place the remaining mixture in a small serving bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to serve.
• For the Beef Pops: Place the beef in the medium bowl with the parsley sauce. Toss well until the beef is coated with the mixture. Cover and refrigerate for 3 hours.
• Place a grill pan over medium-high heat or preheat a gas or charcoal grill. Thread the skewers starting with a piece of pineapple, then a cube of beef. Repeat with another piece of pineapple and another cube of beef. Continue with the remaining skewers. Grill the skewers for 2 to 3 minutes each side (for medium rare) or until desired doneness. Season with salt and pepper.
• To serve, arrange the Beef Pops on a serving platter. Drizzle with the remaining reserved Parsley Sauce or serve the sauce on the side as a condiment.

MING'S BINGS

Steps:

• Heat the vegetable oil in a medium saute pan over medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot, add the onions, garlic and ginger and cook until the onions are a deep golden brown, 5 to 7 minutes. Remove to a bowl. Add the shiitakes to the same pan and saute until browned, about 5 minutes. Add more oil to the pan, if needed. Add the cooked mushrooms to the bowl along with the edamame, pepitas and salt, to taste. Toss to thoroughly combine and adjust the seasoning. Allow to cool completely.
• For the yuzu emulsion: Add the shallot, yuzu juice, Dijon, palm sugar and salt and pepper to a blender; blend until smooth. Drizzle in the olive oil until thick and smooth. Adjust the seasoning.
• Add 1/3 cup filling to the middle of an egg roll wrapper with the longer side facing you. Wet the edge closest to you with egg wash or water and fold that side up over the filling. Wet the other edge furthest away from you and fold on top of the other edge, creating a seal. Fold the side pieces in towards the middle of the wrapper, resulting in a sealed rectangle. Set aside seam-side down as you repeat with the remaining filling and wrappers.
• Heat 1/4 cup vegetable oil in a 14-inch cast-iron pan over medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot, add the bings to the pan in batches of 4, and cook until evenly golden brown, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Remove to a paper towel-lined plate.
• Serve the bings hot with the yuzu emulsion.

HUNAN BEEF

Steps:

• In a medium bowl, combine the sliced flank steak with the baking soda, water and oyster sauce. Massage these ingredients into the beef until any liquid has been absorbed by the meat. Marinate for 30 minutes.
• Lightly dredge all of the beef slices in cornstarch. Set aside until ready to fry.
• Slice all the fresh peppers crosswise into thin slices on the diagonal. Set aside the dried red peppers. Do not break them open or chop unless you want a very spicy Hunan Beef!
• Stir the sugar into 2 tablespoons of hot water until dissolved. Add the Chinese black vinegar, soy sauce, and ground white pepper. Mix until well combined and set aside.
• Heat your wok over high heat until smoking. Spread ⅓ cup oil around the wok, and sear the beef in three batches on both sides until browned and slightly crispy on the outside. Be sure the wok and oil are hot each time you add a batch of beef.
• Drain the crispy beef by moving it up to the side of the wok. The oil will drain to the bottom and you can then transfer the beef to a sheet pan or plate. No need for paper towels or wire racks!
• After frying the beef, leave about 2 tablespoons of the oil in the wok, and remove any excess. If your wok got burned in the frying process, this is a good time to wash it. While you want the beef flavor from frying, you definitely don't want burned bits in the stir-fry if you got carried away with the heat during frying.
• Set the wok over medium heat. Add the sliced ginger and fry until caramelized, about 30 seconds.
• Next, add the shallots. Continue to fry for another 30 seconds, and add the fresh peppers (except for the red holland or fresno peppers). Turn the heat up to high and stir-fry for 1 minute to get a nice sear on the peppers.
• Clear a section on the bottom of the wok, and add the dried chili peppers. Let them toast in the oil for 20 seconds. (If you want your dish spicier, add the dried chili peppers earlier, along with the shallots.)
• Next, pour the Shaoxing wine around the perimeter of the wok. Add the sliced garlic, fermented black beans, and the red Holland or Fresno peppers. Stir-fry for another 30 to 60 seconds on high heat.
• Next, add the fried beef and pour over the pre-prepared sauce. Maintain the highest heat possible and stir-fry everything together for 20 seconds. Add the scallions. Continue to stir fry until most--if not all--of the sauce has evaporated.

SHAO BING

Steps:

• To make the roux, in a small pan over medium heat, heat the oil for 1 minute, or until the surface starts to shimmer slightly. Add the flour and, using a heatproof spatula or a small whisk, stir quickly to combine. Reduce the heat to low. Stir the mixture constantly for about 3 minutes, or until the color of the roux resembles peanut butter. Remove the pan from the heat. Continue to stir for about 1 minute, letting the residual heat from the pan brown the roux even more. Scrape the roux into a heatproof bowl and set aside.
• To make the shao bing, put the flour in a large bowl. Add the boiling water and, using a spatula or a wooden spoon, stir quickly to distribute. Add the cold water and stir to combine. As the dough forms, you can use your hands to start bringing the dough together. If it feels too dry, you can add 1 to 2 tablespoons warm tap water. Once you've worked all the flour into the mound of dough, take the dough out of the bowl and knead it on a work surface for 2 minutes, or until smooth. The dough should feel damp but not sticky.
• Lightly dust your work surface with flour. Roll out the dough into a rectangle about 18 inches long by 12 inches wide and ¼ inch thick; be sure the longer edge is parallel to the edge of your work surface. Stir the roux a few times. Using a spatula or large spoon, spread about 4 tablespoons of the roux on the dough, leaving a ½-inch border around the edge. Sprinkle the salt over the roux. (It may seem like it's too much salt but it isn't.)
• Starting from the longer edge of the rectangle, roll the dough into a cylinder, then seal the ends by pinching the edges together to create a seam. Cut the cylinder of dough into 8 equal segments.
• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
• Turn each segment of the dough so that the seam is on the bottom and the cut edge (where you see the coil of dough) is facing you. Roll out the dough into a rectangle about 5 inches long by 3½ inches wide and ¼ inch thick. Flip the rectangle so that the seam side is now facing up. Trifold the rectangle as if you were folding a letter. With the folded edge perpendicular to you, roll out the dough again into a rectangle about 5 inches long by 3½ inches wide. Repeat the trifold and set aside, with the flap facing down. Repeat with the remaining pieces of dough.
• Put the sesame seeds on a small plate. Brush a little water on the surface of each piece of dough. Dip the moistened sides into the sesame seeds. With the seed side up, roll each dough into a rectangle about 5 inches long by 3½ inches wide and ¼ inch thick. Place the bread on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining dough. Bake for 15 minutes, then flip the breads and bake for 4 minutes more, or until the breads puff up and have a lightly browned color on the surface.
• Remove the breads from the oven and let them cool slightly before serving.