The Shun Lee Cookbook - Michael Tong [25]
4. To make the sauce, heat the 1 tablespoon oil in a small skillet over medium-low heat. Add the garlic and stir-fry until fragrant, about 10 seconds. Add the scallions and black pepper, and stir-fry until the scallions are wilted, about 20 seconds. Add the sesame oil, and transfer the mixture to a bowl. Add the vinegar, sugar, soy sauce, rice wine, hot bean paste, and hot chili oil, and mix well.
5. Place the eggplant on a serving platter and pour the sauce over it. Serve at room temperature.
RAW BEEF IS NOT A TRADITIONAL CHINESE DISH. This hybrid appetizer is similar to Italian carpaccio, with thin slices of raw filet mignon dressed with an intriguing tangy and spicy sauce. I serve this with Scallion Pancakes—the tender meat and perky sauce go well with the crisp, golden cakes. This simple dish takes only 10 minutes to prepare. Makes 2 to 4 servings
Tangy Spicy Beef Carpaccio
8 ounces filet mignon, trimmed
1 tablespoon vegetable oil, optional
¼ teaspoon salt
1 cucumber, peeled, cut in half lengthwise, seeded, and then sliced diagonally into ⅛-inch-thick pieces
Sauce
1 ½ teaspoons vegetable oil
4 scallions, white part only, trimmed and minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
Pinch of freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon distilled white vinegar
2 teaspoons hot bean paste
2 teaspoons rice wine or dry sherry
1 teaspoon hot chili oil
1 teaspoon soy sauce
¼ teaspoon sugar
4 cilantro sprigs, minced
1. Cut the filet mignon in half horizontally. (If you wish, the filet mignon can also be seared, then sliced. Heat the 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in a skillet over high heat until smoking. Add the filet and cook on each side for 1 minute. It will be very rare, although the outside will be browned. Transfer to a cutting board.) Cut each half across the grain into pieces 1 ½ inches long, 1 inch wide, and ⅛ inch thick.
2. Sprinkle the salt over the cucumber slices, and set aside for 5 minutes. Then squeeze the excess moisture from the cucumber. Place the cucumber slices, over-lapping, on a platter. Arrange the sliced beef on top of the cucumber, overlapping the slices of beef.
3. To make the sauce, heat a wok over high heat. Add the oil, then the scallions, garlic, and black pepper, and stir-fry for 20 seconds. Transfer the scallion mixture to a medium bowl. Add the vinegar, hot bean paste, rice wine, hot chili oil, soy sauce, and sugar, and mix well to dissolve the sugar. Pour the sauce over the beef. Garnish with the cilantro, and serve immediately.
IN THE SHANGHAI DIALECT, yo-pao means “going through oil.” The shrimp, sliced almost in half, puff dramatically in their shells when quickly passed through the hot oil. A brief stir-fry in a gingery, sweet sauce finishes the dish.
Makes 4 servings
Yo-Pao Shrimp
12 jumbo shrimp in their shells
Vegetable oil, for passing through
⅓ cup ketchup
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon rice wine or dry sherry
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
4 scallions, white part only, trimmed and sliced diagonally into 1-inch pieces
Eight ⅛-inch-thick slices peeled fresh ginger, cut into thin 1 ½-inch-long strips
1. Using kitchen scissors, snip along the back of each shrimp shell. Devein the shrimp and remove any feelers, keeping the shell attached. Using a paring knife, cut deeper into the deveining incision, slicing almost, but not completely, through the shrimp. (This is called butterflying the shrimp.)
2. Heat a large wok over high heat. Add enough oil to come about 2 inches up the sides of the wok, and heat it to 375°F. Add the shrimp and fry until the they open up and turn white, about 30 to 40 seconds. Using a wide wire-mesh strainer, transfer the shrimp to a colander to drain. Discard all but 2 tablespoons of the oil.
3. In a small bowl, mix the ketchup, rice wine, sugar, and salt.