Cooking Club 11: Four-Season "Tasty Crunchy" Soup, Lettuce Stems, Sweet Eggs...

Ah, the last cooking club meeting of the year. It was an appropriate end to the semester--food and friends. There were some unique new dishes this time around, and a broad spectrum of flavors. Even the famous sour soup fish from Kaili, Guizhou, was on the menu!

Participants:
Class 2:
Chloe (Wang Li)
Daisy (Mu Huanhuan)
Solina (Ren Deying)
Celine (Wang Jia)
Sunny (Song Hongyan)
Class 3:
Lynn (Wang Ling)
Delia (Chen Jiayan)
Lena (Liu Shuang)
Amy
Delia (Wu Dandan)
Class 4:
Kian (Yang Xiaoan)
Shine (Yang Xin)
Angela (Huang Hong)
Janiff (Long Jian)
Serena (Chen Ting)
PE Department: Wen Delin



Highlight: Two Soups on Opposite Ends of the Flavor Spectrum

Si Ji Xian Su (四季鲜酥, Four-Season "Tasty Crunchy" Soup)
This soup is hearty and very easy to make. It's a Cantonese soup, so it is not spicy, but has a pleasant, rich, salty-meaty flavor. Buy a large pork leg bone from the butcher. Put it in a large pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil and cook for about 30 minutes. Slice two carrots into thick rounds. Chop two ears of sweet corn into pieces manageable with chopsticks. Put the vegetables along with two handfuls of raw peanuts into the boiling soup and cook until done (about ten minutes). Add salt to taste.

Suan Tang Yu (酸汤鱼, Soup Soup Fish)

Choose your fish. Any medium-sized lake fish would do, I suppose, but carp (li yu / 鲤鱼) or catfish (nian yu / 鲇鱼) are best. You can get the fish fresh at a local market; have the monger kill and clean the fish and chop it into large pieces. Back in the kitchen, marinate the fish in white vinegar and salt. Fill a wok about 1/3 full with water, add a couple of sliced tomatoes, sliced ginger root, sour red chilies (suan la jiao), and chopped garlic leaves (suan miao). Bring to a boil and cook for several minutes to infuse the flavors into the soup. Check the flavor of the broth and adjust the seasoning, adding white vinegar and salt as necessary. Add the fish to the pot and cook until white, opaque, flaky and tender (about ten minutes). This is a delicious dish, very famous in souther Guizhou around the area of Kaili. The fish is cooked with the bones, so enjoy the dish carefully.

Cold Dishes

Liang Ban Ou (凉拌藕, Cold Lotus Root with Sauce)
I've posted this recipe before, but this one is slightly different. Boil the whole lotus root until it can be punctured with a chopstick with a bit of pressure. Cool it in some water, then cut into thin slices. Fry a handful of peanuts over medium heat with some oil until fragrant and golden. Add the following to the wok, increase the heat, and cook for about two minutes: two cloves sliced garlic, a bit of minced ginger, three dried whole red chilies, a handful of peanuts, and some shelled sunflower seeds. Let it cool, then toss with the lotus root and serve.

Liang Ban Wo Sun (凉拌莴笋, Cold Lettuce Stem with Sauce)
Buy a large lettuce stem (sometimes called celery lettuce in English) at the market. Chop off the ends and peel away the tough outer skin with a paring knife. Slice the stem into long thin strips (or rectangular cubes) and arrange them on the serving dish. The color is quite beautiful so it makes for a striking presentation. In separate dipping dishes, or on top of the sliced stem, add a heap of dried red chili flakes, spring onions, and some salt.

Single-Ingredient Comfort Foods

Shui Zhu Nan Gua (水煮南瓜, Boiled Pumpkin Soup)
This is incredibly easy, but also incredibly satisfying on a cold day. Peel and chop part of a pumpkin into one-inch cubes. Your typical jack-o'-lantern pumpkin is not the best choice. The oblong pumpkins found at most Chinese markets are ideal. Put in a pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil and cook for about seven minutes or until the pumpkin is tender but not soft. Season with salt and sugar to taste.

Dan Geng  (蛋羹, Egg Custard)
Also very easy, and very satisfying. This dish adds a bit of soft and sweet to the table, both fairly unusual in Guizhou. Beat six eggs in a glass bowl, and a tiny pinch of salt, and two tablespoons of sugar. Mix until the sugar is dissolved. If you have a double boiler, great. If not, you can improvise. Fill a large pot with water and bring it to a boil. Place the bowl with the eggs in the boiling water and cook until firm. Because of avian flu concerns in China, be sure the eggs are fully cooked, covering the bowl for a couple of minutes to cook the top thoroughly.

New Takes on Home Cooking Favorites

Yu Mi Chao Rou Mo (玉米抄肉末, Corn Fried with Ground Pork, with green chilies and tomato)
We'v'e seen this recipe before, but this variation is the best I've tried. Fry about two cups of shelled sweet corn in a wok until tender; remove. Add a large diced tomato to the wok with a little oil, and then add a couple chopped green peppers or three to four chilies; fry together. When starting to get tender, add a pound of ground pork and stir-fry until cooked through. Return the corn and fry for a couple of minutes, seasoning to taste with salt and sugar. Garnish with chopped garlic leaves (suan miao) or spring onions.

Qing Jiao Chao Rou (青椒抄肉, Pork Slices Fried with Green Pepper)

This is a repeat, but also the best version from the club so far. It's not your usual qing jiao chao rou si because the pork is cut in thin wide pieces and the fat is also used, in contrast to the thin lean shreds in the "si" version. Heat a bit of oil in the wok, add about a pound of meat and fry until cooked through but not browning. Add about four green chilies sliced in the horse-ear shape, a diced tomato, and some sliced ginger. Cook until the vegetables are crisp but tender. Add salt to taste and a spoon of soy sauce.