Asian night recipes

Betsy's:
Twice Cooked Swiss Chard (Hui Gua Niu Pi Cai)
Ingredients
serves serves 2 to 4, active time 20 minutes, total time 20 minutes

14 ounces (400g) thick-stemmed Swiss chard
3 tablespoons cooking oil, or 1 1/2 tablespoons lard and 1 1/2 tablespoons cooking oil
1 1/2 tablespoons Sichuanese chilli bean paste
2 teaspoons finely chopped garlic
2 teaspoons finely chopped ginger
1 1/2 teaspoons fermented black beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup (100ml) chicken stock or water
3 tablespoons finely chopped celery (Chinese celery if possible)
2 tablespoons finely chopped cilantro
2 tablespoons finely sliced spring onion greens
Procedures

Cut the dark green chard leaves from the stems. Snap each stem into a few pieces, which will allow you to peel away and discard the stringy bits, as you would with celery.

Bring a potful of water to a boil, add the stems and boil for about three minutes, until tender. Add the dark green leaves and boil for another minute or so until they are also cooked. Drain and refresh under cold running water.

Squeeze the chard dry, then cut into bitesized lengths. Pour the oil into a seasoned wok over a medium flame, swirl it around, then add the chilli bean paste and stir-fry until it smells delicious and the oil is richly red. Add the garlic, ginger and black beans and stir-fry for a few moments more until you can smell their fragrances. Then add the stock, bring to a boil, add the chard and stir until it is piping hot once more.

Finally, stir in the celery, cilantro and spring onion, stir a few times, then serve.

Jan's Car Siu Bao (Roasted Pork Buns)

INGREDIENTS

FOR THE DOUGH:
1 tsp. active dry yeast
3½ cups cake flour
1 tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. baking powder
2 tbsp. diced lard or vegetable shortening

FOR THE FILLING:
1 tbsp. canola oil
3 scallions, white parts only, finely chopped
1½ cups diced roast pork
3 tbsp. soy sauce
3 tbsp. oyster sauce
1 tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. cornstarch

INSTRUCTIONS

1. For the dough: Combine yeast in 1¼ cups water heated to 115° in a bowl; let sit until foamy, about 10 minutes. Combine flour, sugar, and baking powder in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle. Add yeast mixture, and mix on low speed; add lard one piece at a time, increase speed to medium, and continue mixing until dough forms into a ball, about 5 minutes. Remove bowl from mixer, cover with plastic wrap, and let sit until doubled in size, about 2 hours. Knead dough until smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes. Shape into 16 equal-size balls.

2. For the filling: Heat oil in a 10" nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add scallions; cook for 1 minute. Add roast pork, soy and oyster sauces, and sugar; cook until scallions have softened and pork is heated through, about 3 minutes. Dissolve cornstarch in 2 tbsp. water in a small cup, add to pork mixture, and cook until sauce thickens, about 1 minute more. Remove from heat, and let cool.

3. Place a dough ball in the palm of one hand and, with the thumb of your other hand, make a well in the center. Fill well with about 1½ tbsp. pork filling; seal by pinching dough closed toward the center. Place a 2"-square piece of parchment paper over pinched area. Turn bun over, and use scissors to make a ½" crisscross incision in the center of the bun. Repeat process, filling remaining buns and placing on parchment paper squares. Keep filled buns covered with a damp towel. Place 8 buns, paper side down, in an 11" bamboo steamer; close tightly with lid. Meanwhile, bring 2 cups water to a boil in a 14" flat-bottomed wok over high heat. Fit bamboo steamer into wok, and steam until puffed, about 12 minutes. Repeat with remaining buns.

 

 

I used the following recipe for the roast pork but had to cook it longer, wrapped in foil in a 250 degree oven for an hour, to get it tender:

 

BBQ Pork Recipe  (Char Siu)

  Ingredients:

   1 lb pork butt  (cut into 4 pieces)

   3 clove garlic  (finely chopped)

   1 1/12 tablespoons cooking oil

 

  Char Siu Sauce:
    1 1/2 tablespoons maltose  (couldn't find this- used extra honey)

    1 1/2 tablespoons honey

    1 1/2 tablespoons hoisin sauce

    1 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce

    1 tablespoon Chinese rose wine  (used cooking red wine)

    3 dashes pepper

     1/2 teaspoon five-spice powder

     1/2 teaspoon sesame oil 

 

    Add all ingredients in the char siu sauce in a sauce pan, heat it up and stir  well until blended and slightly thickened.  (It will

yield 1/2 cup sauce.)  Transfer out and let cool.

   Marinate the pork butt pieces with 2/3 of the char siu sauce and chopped garlic overnight.  Add 1 1/2 tablespoons cooking oil into

the remaining char siu sauce.  Keep refrigerated.

   The next day, heat the oven to 375 degree and roast the char siu for 15 minutes.  Transfer them out of the oven and thread the char siu pieces on metal skewers and grill them over fire.  Brush the remaining char siu sauce while grilling until the char siu are perfectly charred.  (At this point you can slice the Char siu into bite size pieces, drizzle with extra sauce, and serve over steamed rice if not using to stuff the buns.)

Links to others:
Ann's General Tso Chicken
Lori's Fortunate Cookies

Lori's Almond Cookies