CHINESE SPICY & SOUR SOUP

CHINESE SPICY & SOUR SOUP

The CHINESE SPICY & SOUR SOUP is usually meat-based, and often contains ingredients such as mushrooms, day or tiger lily buds, chicken stock, bamboo shoots, tofu and specially egg, in a broth which seems to be very delicious. It is typically made hot and spicy by red pepper or white pepper, and sour by vinegar. Also white sugar,salt, water and green onion make it tasty and beautiful in appearance.

Ingredients:

• 5 dried wood ear mushrooms
• 5 dried shiitake mushrooms
• 1/2 package firm cubed tofu
• 10 dried tiger or day lily buds
• 4 cups chicken stock
• 1/3 cup diced bamboo shoots
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• 1 teaspoon soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1/2 teaspoon white sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon white pepper
• 2 tablespoons green onion
• 2 tablespoons vinegar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3-4 tablespoons water
• 1-1/2 beaten egg

Preparation:

1. Soak the dried mushrooms and tiger lily buds in warm water for 20 minutes. After trimming off any tough stems, slice the mushrooms. With the fingers, shred the tiger lily stems.
2. Place the mushrooms, bamboo shoots, stock,tiger lily buds & shredded pork into a saucepan. Bring to boil, and simmer for 10 minutes.
3. Stir in soy sauce, white sugar, white pepper,salt and vinegar. Combine cornstarch with 3-4 tablespoons water. Heat to boiling and also in the mean time, do not stop  stirring.Then add the bean curd, and cook 1 to 2 minutes.
4. Just before serving, turn off the heat. Stir the egg in gradually. Mix in sesame oil and sprinkle with scallions when serving.

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Chilli beef dumplings (Chinese Dumplings)

CHILLI BEEF DUMPLINGS

Dumplings are cooked balls of dough. They are based on flour, potatoes or bread, and may include meat, fish, vegetables, or sweets. They may be cooked by boiling, steaming, simmering, frying, or baking. They may have a filling, or there may be other ingredients mixed into the dough. Dumplings may be sweet or savoury. They can be eaten by themselves, in soups or stews, with gravy, or in any other way.

Ingredients:

• 1 pound (500 g) peeled shrimp
• 4 pounds (2 kg) ground beef
• 1 tablespoon minced ginger root
• 2 crushed garlic cloves
• 1 minced shallot
• 5-6 chopped green onions
• 3 leaves chopped cabbage 
• 1 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
• 2 tablespoon chilli sauce
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• 1 pinch white sugar
• 10 ounce gyoza
• 1/2 cup water
• salt to taste
• white pepper to taste
• vegetable oil
• butter

Preparation:

1. Place the shrimp in the work bowl of a food processor, and process until the shrimp are finely ground. Set aside in a large bowl. Working in batches, process the ground beef to a fine grind, and set aside with the shrimp. Combine the shrimp and ground beef with ginger, shallot, green onions, napa cabbage, soy sauce, sesame oil, salt and pepper, and white sugar, and mix the ingredients until thoroughly combined.
2. To fill the pot stickers, place a wrapper on a work surface in front of you, and place a scant teaspoon of filling in the center. With a wet finger, dampen the edges of the wrapper. Fold the dough into a half-moon shape, enclosing the filling, and press and seal to remove extra air and tightly seal the edges together. It's nice to fold several small pleats in the top half of the wrapper for a traditional look before you seal in the filling. Refrigerate the filled wrappers on a parchment-lined baking sheet while you finish filling and sealing the pot stickers.
3. Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet with a lid over medium heat. Place pot stickers into the hot oil, flat sides down, without crowding, and let fry until the bottoms are golden brown, 1 to 2 minutes. Turn the dumplings over, and pour the water over them. Cover the pan with a lid and let the dumplings steam until the water has nearly evaporated and the dumplings have begun to fry in oil again, 5 to 7 minutes. Uncover the skillet, and let the pot stickers cook until all the water is evaporated and the wrapper has shrunk down tightly onto the filling, another 2 to 3 minutes.

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Wonton Soup

WONTON SOUP

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1/2 pound boneless and ground pork 
• 2 ounces peeled shrimp, finely chopped
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 1 tablespoon crushed garlic clove
• 1 tablespoon Chinese rice wine
• 2 tablespoon light soy sauce
• 1 teaspoons vinegar
• 1 teaspoon finely chopped green onion
• 2 teaspoon and peeled chopped  ginger
• 25-30 wonton wrappers
• 5 cups chicken stock
• 1 small grated carrot
• 2 sliced mushrooms
• 1/8 cup finely chopped green onion
• 200 g chicken broth

Preparation:

1. In a large bowl, combine pork, shrimp, red pepper, soy sauce, chopped green onion,carrot, mushroom, garlic and ginger. Blend well, and let stand for 25 to 30 minutes.
2. Place about one teaspoon of the filling at the center of each wonton skin. Moisten all 4 edges of wonton wrapper with water, then pull the top corner down to the bottom, folding the wrapper over the filling to make a triangle. Press edges firmly to make a seal. Bring left and right corners together above the filling. Overlap the tips of these corners, moisten with water and press together. Continue until all wrappers are used.
3. For soup, bring the chicken stock to a rolling boil. Drop wonton in, and cook for 5 minutes. Garnish with chopped green onion, and serve.

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SALSA CHICKEN

SALSA CHICKEN

Ingredients:

• 4 boneless chicken breast halves
• 4 teaspoons taco seasoning mix
• 1 cup salsa
• 1 cup Cheddar cheese
• 2 tablespoons sour cream

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit (190 degrees Centigrade)
2. Place chicken breasts in a lightly greased 9x13 inch baking dish. Sprinkle taco seasoning on both sides of chicken breasts, and pour salsa over all.
3. Bake at 375 degrees Fahrenheit (190 degrees Centigrade) for 25 to 35 minutes, or until chicken is tender and juicy and its juices run clear.
4. Sprinkle chicken evenly with cheese, and continue baking for an additional 3 to 5 minutes, or until cheese is melted and bubbly. Top with sour cream if desired, and serve.

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