Tofu and Lettuce Soup

Tofu and Lettuce Soup Recipe 

Soft tofu - 1 block (350g cubed)

Carrot - 1 (peeled and cubed)

Romaine lettuce - 2 leaves (julienne)

Green onions - 2 (diced)

Garlic - 2 cloves (minced)

Vegetable stock - 2 to 3 cups

Canola oil - 2 tbsp

Salt - 1 teaspoon

Light soy sauce - 1 tbsp

Sugar - 1 teaspoon

In a pot, heat the oil to medium-high. Add in the carrots and garlic. Stir fry for 2 to 3 minutes. Add salt, soy sauce, and sugar.

Add in the soup stock, and bring to a boil. When boiling, add in the tofu. Let this cook for 1 minute.

Add in romaine lettuce, and green onions. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes. Then serve.

In Chinese food cooking, soups are often served last, very different from western traditions. But it's up to you when you want to serve the soup. This is the first part of the Chinese meal recipes. Click here for the full guide to real Chinese cooking.

Bourbon Chicken Recipe

Bourbon Chicken Recipe

The Chinese modify the non-Chinese recipe and add more flavor into it.

Ingredients:

4 small skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
1 large clove garlic, minced or put through a garlic press
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 tablespoons chicken broth
2 tablespoons bourbon whiskey
salt and pepper, to taste 

Directions:

Melt the butter with the olive oil in a heavy skillet. Sauté the garlic and onion until onion is transparent. Remove garlic and onion from skillet with a slotted spoon.

Brown the chicken breast halves on both sides. Return garlic and onion to skillet, add the chicken broth and bourbon. Cover and cook over very low heat until chicken is tender and done, about 20 to 25 minutes.

Makes 2 to 4 servings, depending upon appetites

More delicious Chinese recipes can be found in Jim Yang's Quick and Easy Chinese Vegetarian Cooking Cookbook 

Creamy Curried Chicken Recipe

Creamy Curried Chicken Recipe

Creamy Curried Chicken

Ingredients:

1 1/2 lb. (750g) chicken, whole or pieces
1 tbsp fresh ginger, chopped
2 medium potatoes, about 9 oz (250g), peeled
7 tbsp (100g) onions, chopped
4 cups (1 litre) vegetable oil for deep-frying
2 tbsp curry oil
2 cups (500ml) chicken stock
3 tbsp flour
1 1/2 tsp. salt, or to taste
2 1/2 fl oz coconut milk
4 1/2 tsp. sugar
3 1/2 fl oz (100 ml) milk
3 dried hot red chili (chilli) peppers, seeded and chopped
1/4 tsp. MSG (optional)     

Directions:

1.     Wash the chicken end chop into 1 1/2 inch (4cm) pieces. Roll-cut the potatoes into pieces the same size.

2.     Heat the oil in a wok to 350oF(180oC), or very hot. Add the chicken and deep-fry until cooked. Remove, drain, set aside. Deep-fry the potatoes until cooked through but not browned, remove, drain well, and set aside. Pour the hot oil out of the wok leaving only enough to cover the bottom. Add the rice wine, chicken stock, salt, sugar, MSG (optional), potatoes and chicken and let come to a boil.

3.     In the meantime, heat 5 oz (150ml) of oil in another wok, and add the hot chili peppers, ginger, onion, and curry oil. Stir-fry until fragrant, then pour into the other wok.

4.     Put the potato and chicken pieces in a large heat-proof bowl, cover with the stock, and place in a steamer to steam until the chicken is very tender.

5.    Heat 1 tbsp oil in the wok and stir in the flour to make a paste, taking care not to burn it.

6.  Place the potatoes in a serving dish. Arrange the chicken pieces on  top. Strain the stock and discard the solids. Add the coconut milk and milk to the stock. Add the flour paste to the stock and simmer, stirring until thickened and the flour loses its raw taste. Pour over chicken and serve.

Source: Quick and Easy Chinese Vegetarian Cooking, a complete Chinese cookbook guide that shows you how to cook delicious and healthy Chinese vegetarian recipes that will spice up your current diet, and can help to improve your diet and health.

Cashew Chicken Recipe

Cashew Chicken Recipe

The original Chinese version would have been made with peanuts because cashew nuts do not feature in Chinese cookery. Nevertheless, this dish uses the best Chinese principles: stir-frying to seal in the juices of the chicken, and then stir-frying again with spices to flavor it.

Serves 3 to 4

Ingredients:

8 ounces (225 g) boneless chicken breasts, skinned and cut into 1/2 inch cubes

Marinade:
1 egg white
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cornstarch (corn flour)
5 fluid ounces (150 ml) cooking oil (vegetable or peanut)
2 ounces (50 grams) cashew nuts
2 teaspoons dry sherry or rice wine
1 tablespoon light soy sauce
1 tablespoon spring onions, finely chopped as garnish (if desired) 

Directions:

Add the marinade ingredients to the chicken cubes, mixing with chopsticks and adding the cornstarch last. Allow the chicken to marinate in the refrigerator for 15 - 20 minutes. While the chicken is marinating, mix together the dry sherry and lightsoy sauce and set aside.

Heat the wok and add oil. When the oil is ready, add the chicken cubes and stir-fry on medium heat, stirring quickly to ensure that the chicken does not stick to the wok, until it turns white. Remove the chicken from the wok and set aside.

Clean the wok with a paper towel and add one tablespoon of oil. When the oil is ready, add the cashews and stir-fry them for about 1 minute.  Add the chicken, and the sherry/soy sauce mixture. Stir-fry the dish for about another 2 minutes. If you don't like raw spring onions, you can add them to the dish at this time. Otherwise, remove the dish from wok, garnish with spring onions, and serve.  

More delicious Chinese recipes are available in Jim Yang's cookbook "Quick and Easy Chinese Vegetarian Cooking"

Chicken Lo Mein Recipe

Chicken Lo Mein Recipe

3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/2 pound snow peas
1 cup carrots, cut julienne style (thin sticks)
1 1/2 cups cooked spaghetti, break in half before cooking
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon sugar
2 teaspoons water
1/3 cup fat-free and reduced sodium chicken broth
1 tablespoon soy sauce
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 teaspoons fresh gingerroot, finely chopped       

      

Directions:

Cut chicken into small strips. Heat a large saucepan filled with water to boiling. Add snow peas, carrots and pasta. Boil for 5-7 minutes or until pasta is al dente. Remove from heat and drain. Mix cornstarch, sugar and water. Mix remaining ingredients and stir together with the cornstarch mixture.

Spray nonstick skillet or wok with cooking spray and heat over medium heat. Add chicken and stir-fry about 2 minutes or until chicken is white. Stir in broth mixture, add vegetables and pasta and continue to cook another 2 minutes.


More delicious lo mein recipes can be found in Jim Yang's Chinese cookbook "Quick and Easy Chinese Vegetarian Cooking"

Beef With Broccoli

Beef with Broccoli 

(The secret to this popular restaurant dish is to marinate the beef in a bit of oil)

 Serves 3 to 4

1/4 lb (375 g) lean beef, sliced thinly into bite-sized pieces

 Marinade for Beef:

 1 egg

 1/3 tsp (1.5 mL) salt

 1 Tbsp (15 mL) cooking wine

 1 Tbsp (15 mL) cornstarch (corn flour)

 2 Tbsp water

 1 1/2 Tbsp (20 mL) oil

 1 1/2 lb (750 g) broccoli, flowerets removed, slice on the diagonal into thin slices

 1 cup (250 mL) cooking oil

 2 1/2 Tbsp (30 mL) oyster sauce

 2 Tbsp (25 mL) light  soy sauce

 3/4 Tbsp (10 mL) dark  soy sauce

 1 Tbsp (15 mL) sugar

 a few drops of sesame oil

 2 cloves garlic, crushed

 1/2 cup (125 mL) chicken broth

 2 Tbsp cornstarch (if desired)

 Directions:

 Slice beef and mix together marinade ingredients. Add marinade to beef and marinate for thirty minutes. Add 1 1/2 tablespoons of oil to beef, mix in thoroughly, and marinate beef for another thirty minutes. While beef is marinating, prepare the vegetables.

 Heat wok and add 1 cup of oil. When oil is ready, add beef and stir-fry until it is nearly cooked. Remove beef and set aside on a plate. Drain the wok and wipe clean with a paper towel.

 Add 1/2 cup water to wok. Bring the water to a boil and add the broccoli. Cover and cook until broccoli is cooked through. Drain the wok.

 Heat wok and add oil (about 2 tablespoons). Add the garlic and stir-fry for about 1 minute. Add vegetables and beef and mix together. Make a well in the middle of the wok and add the sauce ingredients. Add cornstarch, stirring to thicken. Mix sauce together with other ingredients. Serve hot.

 Variations

 *Add carrots and onion if desired. Boil in the wok with the broccoli (you'll need to add more water).

Chicken Teriyaki

Recipe for Chicken Teriyaki

Ingredients:

1/4 cup lite soy sauce
3 tbsp prepared spicy brown mustard
1 tbsp firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1 tbsp sesame seeds
1 sliced thin medium onion
1 cut in half garlic clove
2 tbsp vegetable oil
4 skinned boned chicken breast halves, each about 4 oz
1 spinach and pepper saute

Directions:

In medium bowl, whisk together soy sauce, mustard, sugar and ginger;
set aside.

In large, nonstick skillet, over high heat, toast sesame seeds until golden brown, about 4 minutes; remove from pan and set aside.

In same skillet, saute onion and garlic in oil until soft, about 5 minutes, if desired, discard garlic clove halves. Add chicken and soy sauce mixture to skillet. Cover and simmer, turning chicken over once, until chicken is cooked through.

Meanwhile, prepare spinach and pepper saute. To serve, place chicken on platter, pour sauce and vegetables over chicken and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Place sauteed mixture on platter. Garnish with scallion fan.

Get ready to cook Chinese food? Click here to see Quick and Easy Chinese Food Recipes.