Cooking Club Returns

China, it's 2013, 6 weeks of travel behind me, a new semester underway. 

It's wouldn't be right with out another edition of Cooking Club.

If you recall, the last meeting of the club in 2012 ended with a fire and the demise of my stove. Thanks, Zunyi Normal College. I have a new stove and the smoke has cleared. 

Cooking Club 8 was chaos, but a good time. I opted to let ABSOLUTELY EVERYONE who wanted to participate sign up. This means gatherings of at least 15 students each week. I've readjusted my schedule so we can begin an hour earlier. I hope this means we eat lunch before 3, but we'll see...

In this week's edition, we have a couple attempts at dry frying. It's a delicious technique. While you get the impression you're eating less oil and thus eating a bit healthier, the truth is that the "dry" dishes have been deep fried until crispy, with the oil then removed before serving. 

I'd also try to find some Liang3 Ban4 Dou4fu Gan1 if you can. Delicious, and a little like Kraft Singles, though more subtle. I've been fascinated with the cheese equivalents in Chinese cuisine. They do not use or eat cheese, but several items seem to take on the same role as in Western cooking. 

Finally, try the potato cubes; a student named Champion taught me to make them.

Cooking Club 8, 23 March 2013

Deng Lanlan (Tinna)

Ye Baoyi (Bowie)

Ling Wanchen (Andrea)

Len Jinsu (Susu)

Wan Conglian (Stara)

Chen Xingxing (Joanna)

Qin Yanjuan (Doris)

Zhu Wenjing (Sharon)

Chen Panpan (Champion)

Bai Shuyun (Cherry)

Peng Daoju (Connie)

Zhou Jing (Jean)

Liang Tianxu (Janet)

Gu Chunhua (Fiona)

Gan1 Bian1 Yu2 – Dry-Fried Fish

Ingredients: 1 whole fish, ginger finely sliced, cilantro chopped, garlic greens (suan miao) cut in long pieces, green onions minced, garlic minced, tomato finely chopped, dried red chili flakes (hu jiao), pickled chili (suan lajiao), salt.

Clean the fish and score deeply cutting toward the head and then sprinkle with salt and let sit for a few minutes. Heat a lot of oil (enough to cover half of the fish) to a high temperature, add the fish and then reduce the heat. Cook on each side about 5 minutes. Cook until the fish is done and beginning to get crispy. Remove the fish to a serving platter. Remove most of the oil from the wok and heat the remainder to medium hight. Add 1 cup pickled chili along with the garlic, ginger, and dried chili flakes. Cook for a couple of minutes, then add some powdered Sichuan pepper and MSG. Next add the tomato, garlic leaves, and cilantro. Pour the mixture over the fish and serve.

Gan1 Bian1 Tu3dou4 Si1—Dry-Fried Potato Slivers

Ingredients: 2 large potatoes thinly sliced and then cut into threads and then soaked in water, salt, green onion minces, dried red chilies, rice vinegar, tomato thinly sliced, MSG, powdered Sichuan pepper.

Add the potatoes to hot oil (enough to cover the potatoes) and cook until becoming crispy but not burned. Remove from oil and remove most of the oil from the wok. Heat a little oil and add chili flakes and green onion, then add the tomato, vinegar, MSG and Sichuan pepper. Return the potatoes and cook for a couple of minutes over high heat.

Hong2 Shao1 Qie2zi—Red Fried Eggplant (see previous cooking club for recipe)

Jiao3zi—Pork-stuffed Dumplings

These dumplings were purchased raw but already made(constructed?).

Add the dumplings to boiling water. When the water returns to a boil, add some cold water and return to a boil again. Repeat. After three boils, the dumplings are ready to serve.

Fan1qie2 Ji1 Dan4—Tomatoes Fried with Eggs (see previous cooking club for recipe)

Tu3dou4 Kuai4’er

Ingredients: 2 large potatoes cut into half-inch cubes then soaked and drained, green chili chopped into large pieces, spicy fresh red chili chopped into medium pieces.

Add the red chili to hot oil, then the green chili and potatoes. Fry for a few minutes, then cover to steam until potatoes are beginning to soften. Fry again and add 2 tablespoons of soy sauce; cook until evaporated.

Chou3 Dou4 Jiao3—Fried String Beans

Ingredients: 1 pound of green beans washed, garlic minced, dried red chilies chopped, MSG.

Add beans to the hot oil (enough to cover most of the beans). Fry until outer skin begins to wrinkle. Remove beans and most of the oil. Heat again and add the garlic, chilies, MSG. Return beans and fry until dry but not browning.

Liang3 Ban4 Dou4fu Gan1—Dried Egg Tofu

Ingredients: Dried egg tofu purchased at the market sliced into wide thin strips, dried red chili flakes, green onion minced, cilantro finely chopped, soy sauce, salt, MSG.

Arrange the tofu in a circle on a small serving plate. Combine the other ingredients and pile in the center of the tofu. Serve cold. (Quite delicious, and again a type of cheese equivalent in Chinese cuisine)

Shi2 Jin3 Guo3 Pan2—Mixed Fruit Salad

Ingredients: cherry tomatoes halved, lemon halved and sliced, banana sliced, apple chunked, dark and white chocolate flaked, plain yogurt.

Mix the apple and banana in the center of a serving plate. Arrange the lemons and tomatoes around the edge of the plate. Over the top, spoon the yogurt and sprinkle the chocolate flakes.

Rou4 Ding1 Wan1 Dou4—Green Peas Fried with Cubed Pork

Ingredients: pork cut into very small cubes, green peas shelled and washed, red bell pepper cut into small squares, green onion minced, soy sauce, salt, MSG, powdered Sichuan pepper, 1 tomato cut into thing wedges.

Parboil the peas, remove from water. Add meat to hot oil and fry until done but not brown, add peas and cook for several minutes until the peas are done (cover to steam if necessary). Add tomatoes and the rest of the ingredients.

Bing1 Zhe2 ‘er3 Gen1 Se4 La1—Cold Guizhou Root Salad

Ingredients: Zhe ‘er gen root threads removed and washed cut into one inch pieces, picked vegetables (suan cai) chopped, spring onion minces, cilantro finely chopped, vinegar, salt.

Mix all ingredients in a large bowl. Add salt to taste. Serve.