Peking Style Sauce Recipes

PEKING-STYLE NOODLES

Steps:

• If you are using fresh noodles, blanch them first for 3-5 minutes in boiling water. If you are using dried noodles, cook them in boiling water according to packet instructions.
• Plunge them in cold water, drain thoroughly, toss them in the sesame oil and set aside until you are ready to use them. Covered with cling film, they can be kept for up to 2 hours in the refrigerator.
• Heat a wok or large frying pan until hot. Add the groundnut oil and, when it is very hot, add the garlic, ginger and spring onions. Stir fry for 15 seconds, then add the pork. Stir well to break up and stir fry for 2 minutes or more until the pork loses its pink colour.
• Add the rest of the ingredients except the spring onion garnish, stirring all the time. Bring to the boil, turn the heat down low and simmer for 5 minutes.
• Plunge the noodles into boiling water for 30 seconds or until they are just heated through, then drain well in a colander or sieve. Quickly tip the noodles into a large bowl and pour the hot sauce over the top. Mix everything together loosely then sprinkle on the spring onions and serve.

PORK WITH PEKING SAUCE

Steps:

• Gather the ingredients.
• Shred the pork by cutting it into thin slices, then stacking them up one on top of the other, and cutting across into shreds.
• In a medium-sized bowl, combine the pork shreds with the rice wine or sherry, dark soy sauce, salt, and cornstarch, adding the cornstarch last. Marinate the pork for 20 minutes.
• While the pork is marinating, shred the cabbage or lettuce. Arrange the shredded cabbage on a plate.
• Heat the wok over medium-high to high heat. Add 2 tablespoons of oil. When the oil is hot , add the pork shreds and stir-fry until they change color and are nearly cooked. Remove from the wok.
• Add 1 tablespoon oil. When the oil is hot, add the ginger and the sweet bean sauce (or hoisin or sweet bean paste/water mixture). Cook until aromatic.
• Add the pork back into the pan and mix with the sauce. Season with salt, soy sauce and/or freshly ground white pepper if desired.
• Arrange the pork shreds on the shredded vegetables and add garnishes, if desired. The flavor of green onions is especially good with this dish.

PEKING-STYLE CHICKEN

Steps:

• Pare the zest from the orange in thick strips then mix with the soy sauce, sherry and fivespice powder in a large food bag. Bash the garlic cloves and ginger with the back of a knife to bruise them, then add to the bag and give everything a good mix. Put the chicken in the bag, rub the marinade all over the flesh then leave to marinate in the fridge for at least 3 hrs, overnight ideally.
• Heat oven to 190C/fan 170C/gas 5. Remove the chicken from the marinade (keep it for later). Halve the orange and put both halves inside the cavity along with the bashed ginger and garlic from the marinade. With the chicken sitting on a rack in the sink, pour a kettleful of boiling water over it. Pat completely dry with kitchen paper. Set the chicken on its wire rack over a roasting tray and roast for 50 mins per kg or until the juices run clear when the thigh is pierced with a skewer.
• Strain the marinade into a pan along with the honey. Bring up to the boil then simmer for a couple of mins. Just before serving, turn the oven up as high as it will go. Brush some of the marinade all over the chicken. Return to the oven and cook until the chicken is crisp and browned. This will only take a couple of mins. Leave to rest, uncovered, for 5 mins. Serve with the remaining warmed marinade, some plain rice and bok choi or spinach stirfried with a little garlic and oyster sauce.

PEKING DUCK

Steps:

• Place all the honey syrup ingredients in a large pan with 1.2 litres water and bring to the boil. Turn the heat to low and simmer for about 20 mins.
• Meanwhile, rinse the duck well, blot it completely dry with kitchen paper, then put it on a rack in a roasting tin. Using a ladle, pour the syrup over the duck several times until the skin is completely coated on all sides. Leave the duck to dry out, uncovered, in the fridge overnight. When the duck has dried, the skin should feel like parchment paper.
• Heat oven to 240C/220C fan/gas 9. Sit the duck breast-side up on the rack in the roasting tin. Add 150ml water to the tin to prevent the fat from spattering, then roast in the oven for 15 mins. Reduce the heat to 180C/160C fan/gas 4 and continue to roast for 1 hr 10 mins.
• Remove the duck from the oven and let it sit for at least 10 mins before you carve it. Using a cleaver or a sharp knife, cut the skin and meat into pieces and arrange them on a warm serving platter. Or, if you prefer, shred the meat using two forks.
• Serve at once with the pancakes, spring onions and a bowl of hoisin sauce.