• Choose a category
• All
• Classic-Fiction

By Root 162 0

find both of these excellent dishes listed as cold appetizers at most Chinese restaurants, I personally find them too filling as first courses, and prefer to serve them as entrees at buffets. Do as you please, but keep my advice in mind, or you may be too full to enjoy the rest of your meal.

Makes 2 to 4 servings

Hacked Chicken

1 whole chicken breast with skin and bone (about 1 pound)

1 ½ ounces bean threads (mung bean flour noodles)

Sauce

1 teaspoon vegetable oil

1 scallion, white part only, trimmed and minced

2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced

2 heaping tablespoons Chinese sesame paste or peanut butter

2 tablespoons Chicken Stock (page 70) or canned chicken broth

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 tablespoon distilled white vinegar

1 tablespoon rice wine or dry sherry

1 tablespoon sugar

1 teaspoon hot bean paste

1 teaspoon hot chili oil

1 cucumber, peeled, seeded, and cut into thin strips about 1 inch long

2 tablespoons minced cilantro

1. Bring 8 cups of water to a near boil in a medium saucepan over high heat. Add the chicken and cook for 2 minutes. Cover the pot, turn off the heat, and poach the chicken until the meat has turned white and is just cooked through, about 10 minutes. If the meat is still pink in the center, return it to the liquid and cook a minute or two longer. Drain the chicken (save the liquid to use as chicken stock, if you wish). Transfer the chicken to a cutting board and let it cool until easy to handle. Discard the skin and bones. Following the grain, cut or pull the chicken meat into thick shreds about 1 ½ inches long and ½ inch wide.

2. Place the bean threads in a medium bowl and add enough hot tap water to cover. Let stand until the threads are tender, 20 minutes.

3. To make the sauce, heat a large wok over high heat. Add the oil. Stir-fry the scallion and garlic until the scallion is wilted, about 20 seconds. Transfer to a medium bowl, add the sesame paste, and mix well. Add the stock, soy sauce, vinegar, rice wine, sugar, hot bean paste, and chili oil, and mix well.

4. Drain the bean threads, and snip them into thirds with kitchen scissors. (This will be approximate—just make them shorter so they are easier to eat.) Place the bean threads on a platter, top with the chicken, and then pour the sesame sauce over the chicken. Garnish with the cucumber and cilantro, and serve.

THIS CRISP SHANGHAINESE PICKLED SALAD, with its mix of hot, sour, and sweet flavors, makes a perfect side dish to rich foods like Braised Duck with Vegetables or Hangzhou Braised Pork. The Shanghainese do not like very spicy foods, so although this has hot peppers and Sichuan peppercorns, the result is gently spicy, not fiery. The cabbage retains its crispness for up to a week if kept refrigerated, which is especially helpful because this recipe makes a large batch.

Makes 4 to 6 servings

Hot and Sour Cabbage

One 2-pound head Napa cabbage

1 tablespoon kosher salt

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

8 small dried hot red chilies

25 Sichuan peppercorns

Dash of dark sesame oil

1 cup sugar

1 cup distilled white vinegar

1 tablespoon hot chili oil

¼ carrot, peeled and cut into thin 2-inch-long strips

One 2-inch piece peeled fresh ginger, cut into thin 2-inch-long strips

1. Cut the leafy top from the cabbage where it meets the thick stem. Reserve the tops for another use. Cut the stems into strips about 4 inches long and ½ inch wide.

2. Place the cabbage strips in a large pan. Dissolve the salt in 1 cup of water, and pour over the cabbage. Place another pan of the same size, or slightly smaller, on top of the cabbage. Add several weights (such as a frying pan or canned goods) on top of the second pan to weight it down, helping to squeeze out as much water as possible from the cabbage. Set aside for 1 to 2 hours, until the cabbage is crisp and has given off a lot of water. Remove the weights and the top pan, and drain the cabbage. In batches, transfer the cabbage to a clean kitchen towel and squeeze out the excess moisture. The cabbage should be quite