For a change of pace, we will look at a couple of oriental recipes this week. The key to stir frying is to cook the ingredients quickly over very high heat. This will not only sear the moisture into meats, but also leave the vegetables crisp and tender. An additional benefit of this method of cooking is that ingredients can be prepared before guests arrive. The meal then can be cooked quickly and served allowing your guests to observe your culinary skills in action. At least this is the theory ...
Allen was introduced to oriental cooking during the late 1970s while he was in California. He decided that he would try out the new cuisine when he was invited to prepare a dish for the gourmet group. Since the host for the evening lived only a mile away, Allen decided that he would be able to stir-fry the meal at home, place the lid on the wok and serve the dish to guests upon his arrival. So, half an hour before dinner was to be served, he sliced the vegetables and marinated beef and prepared the dish. Unfortunately, once the guests gathered, he realized that each person had been assigned one part of a multi-course meal. The stir-fry was to be served at the end of the meal -- about an hour and one-half after it had been cooked. Needless to say, the vegetables were a wilted, discolored mass. The only comment made was by a native Japanese who observed that oriental vegetables were supposed to be a little crisper when cooked. Timing really is everything in cooking.
Ingredients:
Marinade Ingredients:
Combine the marinade ingredients and marinate the ground pork for 30 minutes at room temperature. Mix the chopped cabbage with the pork. Place 3/4 teaspoon of the filling in the center of each wonton wrapper. Moisten the edges of the wrapper with water and fold two opposite corners together over the filling to make a triangle. Fold the remaining two opposite corners together; moisten and seal tightly.
In a large saucepan, bring the chicken broth to a boil over high heat. Drop in the wontons, stirring gently. Place lid on saucepan and reduce the heat to medium. When the broth returns to a boil and the wontons start to float, remove pan from the heat. With a strainer, transfer the wontons from the pan to individual soup bowls, pour broth over wontons and sprinkle lightly with sesame oil. 4 servings.
Pasta:
Marinade:
Sauce:
Remaining Ingredients:
Cook noodles in boiling water until al dente. Drain and rinse in cold water. Place in large mixing bowl and combine with sesame oil and soy sauce. Let stand at room temperature for 1/2 hour. Just before serving, top with chopped peanuts.
Place pork in marinade and let stand 1/2 hour at room temperature. Heat water in large pot. Scatter meat into boiling water and allow to cook 3 minutes, drain in colander. Meat can be cooked ahead to this point and refrigerated. Bring to room temperature before final cooking.
Heat 1 TBS oil in large skillet. Add diced water chestnuts and quickly stir-fry. Pour in sauce and bring to a boil. Add pork and cook three to five minutes, stirring constantly until sauce thickens. Serve with oriental noodles. 4 servings.
Marinade:
Ingredients:
Sauce:
Combine sauce ingredients and set aside. Combine marinade ingredients and pour over chicken. Marinate for 30 minutes at room temperature. When ready to cook, heat approximately 1/4 cup oil in large frying pan over medium-high heat. Saute peanuts just until golden and remove from oil. Add green pepper to oil and stir fry for one minute; remove from oil. Add pepper flakes to oil and stir just until they begin to darken. Add the chicken pieces and stir fry until the chicken becomes firm. Add the sauce mixture and stir until thickened. Combine the chicken mixture with the green pepper and peanuts, heat through and serve over steamed rice. 4 servings.
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