Recipe: The "real" Kung Pao chicken
Ingredients:
- 2 boneless chicken thighs
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 1/2 cup roasted peanuts
- 1 tablespoon shaoshing wine
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1/2 egg white
- 8 small dried red chilies, seeds removed, cut into small sections
- 1 tablespoon Sichuan peppercorns
- 1 tablespoon chopped garlic
- 1 tablespoon chopped ginger
- 1 tablespoon shaoshing wine
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon rice wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch dissolved in 1/4 cup water
- Cut the chicken into cubes. Combine with marinade ingredients and set aside for ten minutes.
- Heat oil in a wok or large sauté pan. When oil is hot, add chilies and Sichuan peppercorns and stir-fry until aromatics release their fragrance and chilies are almost black. Remove the peppercorns and chilies from the oil with a slotted spoon and discard.
- Add chicken and briefly stir-fry until chicken is white. Remove chicken from the pan using a slotted spoon. Reserve chicken.
- Pour off all but 2 tablespoons of oil from the pan. Add garlic and ginger and stir-fry briefly until they become fragrant.
- Return chicken to the pan. Add sauce ingredients. Stir until mixture thickens and chicken is cooked through.
- Add peanuts. Stir well and spoon into serving bowl.
Five spice steamed ribs with sweet potatoes
Serves 4
Ingredients:
- 1/2 rack of pork ribs (about 1-1/2 pounds), cut across the bones into 1-1/2-inch riblets (sometimes called "Korean style"), cut into 3-rib sections
- 1 packet of rice powder (jenrofen)
- 2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 2-inch chunks
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon shaoshing wine
- 4 slices of fresh ginger
- 2 cloves of garlic, lightly crushed
- Combine the marinade ingredients with the ribs. Set aside for about ten minutes.
- Bring water in steamer pot to a boil. Line a heat-proof bowl with sweet potato chunks. Using about 2/3 of the potatoes, line them all the way to the rim of the bowl.
- Drain any excess sauce from the ribs and sprinkle the ribs with the contents of the packet of rice powder. Distribute the powder evenly over the ribs.
- Place ribs on top of the sweet potatoes in the bowl, and top the ribs with the remaining potatoes. Place bowl into steamer and cover. Check ribs after about one hour for tenderness. Ribs may take up to 20 minutes more to become tender.
- To serve, spoon potatoes onto a serving dish and distribute riblets alongside.
About Lulu Yang:
Lulu Yang is a consultant, author and cooking instructor. She created the cookbook Shanghai Dragon's Journey West in 2009 as a loving tribute to her family and heritage.
Born in Taiwan, Lulu moved to the United States with her family in 1973. Today, she resides in California with her husband and two sons. As President of her own company, Touchstone Management Consultants, Lulu helps major corporations solve problems and achieve greater success.
As the chef/instructor of Lulu's Kitchen, she helps people become comfortable in the kitchen working with recipes made with fresh ingredients through cooking parties and corporate cooking team building events.
Lulu trained at the Culinary Institute of America and has lived and traveled extensively in Europe and Asia.
While traveling to countries such as Thailand, China, France, Italy and Spain, Lulu studied with local chefs and brought their authentic techniques home to share them with her students and clients.
Lulu has been featured at Cuesa's "Shop with the Chef" program at the Ferry Plaza Farmers' Market in San Francisco. She also creates recipes for Berryessa Gap winery in Winters, California.
Please join Lulu Yang on Saturday February 6th for a Cook Book signing and demo at 12-2 p.m. at Hapuku Fish Shop, Market Hall, Oakland.
For more information, visit www.luluskitchen.com
