Wednesday, January 29, 2014

Cooking Club 10: simple soups, and other things to do with eggs

This, the second to last of last year's cooking club meetings, provides some simple soups and a couple of variations upon a common dish.



Participants:
Class 1:
Angela (Zhang Yan)
Yvonne (Guo Yajun)
Jennifer (Xu Xiaoyan)
Ginny (Wei Jinni)
Class 2:
Marry (Luo Yuting)
Anne (An Tingli)
Dawn (Zheng Ling)
Class 3:
Angela (Zhang Xue)
Edith (Yu Liang)

Variations on Fanqie Ji Dan (番茄鸡蛋, tomatoes fried with egg)

Huang Gua Chao Ji Dan (黄瓜抄鸡蛋, cucumbers fried with egg)
The process for this and the next recipe is exactly like the tomato dish. Slice the cucumber into long ovals or small cubes. Heat a few tablespoons of oil in the wok until it's really hot. Add the beaten eggs (about 2 eggs for each cucumber). Let it fry for a few seconds, pulling apart gradually and then flipping to make sure all of the egg is cooked. Remove a little of the oil and then add the cucumber and fry for a couple of minutes. Add salt, a little sugar, chopped spring onion, and some dried red chili flakes. 



Qing Jiao Chao Ji Dan (青椒炒鸡蛋, green peppers or chilies fried with egg)
Qing jiao can refer to any type of green-colored pepper, so choose according to your taste and what's in season. It's a mild dish if you choose bell peppers or the large oblong peppers that are usually availalble. If you want a delicious but intense experience, use the small thin green chilies. In any case, cut the peppers into thin strips of about two inches. The rest of the process is exactly the same as above. 



Some Simple Soups

Zi Cai Tang (紫菜汤, Seaweed Soup)
Bring a pot of water to a boil, add a diced tomato and cook for a couple of minutes. Add a beaten egg as for egg drop soup. When the egg is cooked, add a handful of dried seaweed and cook briefly. Add salt to taste and garnish with chopped spring onions. 




Dun Pai Gu (炖排骨, Spare Rib Stew)
Add a little oil to a wok and when it is hot (about medium high; hot enough to brown not burn), add a pound of pork spare ribs chopped into one-inch pieces (bone in). Fry until just starting to brown. Add water to cover the ribs. Bring to a boil and cook thoroughly until tender (at least 1 hour, but the longer the better). Add 2 cubed potatoes and continue boiling until they cooked but not soft. Cube about half a pound of firm tofu and add to the soup. Salt to taste. When the tofu is hot, the soup is ready to serve. 



Yun Dou Rou Mo Tang (芸豆肥肉汤, Kidney Bean and Pork Soup)
Cut a quarter pound of fatty pork (a belly cut) into thin one-inch squares. Heat a little oil in the wok and when hot fry the pork until translucent. Remove the pork and set aside. Discard the oil and melted fat. Add a pound of cooked kidney beans and their liquid (you can ask the merchant to give you the liquid as well at no extra cost) to a large pot, along with several crushed cloves of garlic. Add water so the pot is about half full (always enough liquid to cover the ingredients). Bring to a boil and cook for several minutes. Add some roughly chopped mushrooms (ideally large oyster mushrooms), halved tofu cubes (the tan pre-fried cubes used for hotpot), a head of rough chopped green leaf lettuce, a halved and sliced tomato. Return the pork to the soup and cook until the vegetables are cooked but not too soft. Salt to taste. 



A Cold Dish

Liang Ban Huang Gua (凉拌黄瓜, raw cold cucumbers dressed with sauce)
Peel and cut 1-2 cucumbers into finger length/width pieces. Mix a sauce of black rice vinegar, salt, sugar, and dried red chili flakes (chopped green onions or cilantro if you like). The sauce can be mixed and applied all at once before serving, or it can be provided as a dipping sauce. If you want to get really fancy, place a small bowl of vinegar at the middle of the dish, along with small piles of sugar, chili flakes, green onion, cilantro, and salt for dipping. Arrange the cucumbers for a beautiful presentation.




Repeated Dishes (you can find these in previous posts)
Chao Tudou Pian (抄土豆片, fried potato slices)



Fanqie Chao Ji Dan (番茄抄鸡蛋, tomatoes fried with egg)



Qing Jiao Rou Si (青椒肉丝, pork strips fried with green pepper)



Mao Dou Chao Rou Mo (毛豆抄肉末, small green lima beans fried with ground pork)




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