The Shun Lee Cookbook - Michael Tong [39]
2 tablespoons rice wine or dry sherry
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1 scallion, white part only, trimmed and minced
1 tablespoon peeled and minced fresh ginger
½ teaspoon dark sesame oil
4 teaspoons Chinese black or balsamic vinegar
1. Bring 4 cups of the stock to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add the snow peas and the 1 teaspoon vegetable oil, and cook until the snow peas turn bright green but still retain their crispness, about 15 seconds. Drain the snow peas in a colander; then transfer them to a serving platter. (If you are using pea shoots, wash the pea shoots and blanch them in the chicken stock until crisp-tender, about 1 ½ minutes. Drain the pea shoots in a colander, season them with a pinch of salt, and then transfer them to the serving platter.)
2. Heat a large wok over high heat. Add enough oil to come about 1 ½ inches up the sides of the wok, and heat it to 300°F. Add the crabmeat and cook for 30 seconds. Using a fine-mesh wire strainer, taking care that the crab doesn’t fall through the slots, transfer the crab to a colander to drain. Discard all but 2 tablespoons of the oil from the wok.
3. Mix the remaining ½ cup stock with the rice wine, salt, and sugar in a small bowl, and set it aside. Dissolve the cornstarch in 1 tablespoon cold water in another small bowl, and set it aside.
4. Return the wok with the oil to high heat. Add the scallion and ginger, and stir-fry for 15 seconds. Add the crabmeat and the stock mixture, and stir-fry until the crabmeat is hot, about 20 seconds. Stir in the cornstarch mixture and the sesame oil, and cook until the liquid thickens, about 10 seconds. Pour over the snow peas. Drizzle the black vinegar over the crabmeat and serve immediately.
Note: In China, this dish would be made with pea shoots, which can be found during the spring and early summer at Asian groceries and specialty markets.
Wine and Chinese Food
In China, a banquet always includes wine—usually copious amounts of warm Shaoxing rice wine. But at Shun Lee, I prefer to match dishes with the more familiar Western wines. For a large Chinese-style dinner with many individual courses, you may even serve moderate portions of different wines for each dish.
Begin with the traditional wine-and-food matching premise of serving white wines with light-flavored meats, poultry, and seafood, and red wines with red meat. But my wine advisor, Kenny Ng, suggests matching the wine to the strongest flavor in a dish. In many cases, these are spices and herbs. Here are a few of the most useful wines to inspire you to create your own matches of Chinese food and Western wines.
The floral and spicy notes of Gewürztraminer and Riesling are especially friendly matches with spicy chicken and seafood dishes, such as Curry Chicken with Hot and Sweet Peppers and Shrimp with Garlic and Scallions. Chardonnay can be paired with mildly flavored white meat dishes like Lion’s Head with Cabbage and Sliced Chicken with Broccoli. Dishes with hot bean sauce, such as Sichuan Shrimp, call for the complex, honeyed qualities of Viognier.
When serving red meat, Pinot Noir goes well with lamb and duck dishes, as long as they aren’t too spicy. The fruity-spicy notes in Zinfandel can mirror the same flavors in dishes like Sliced Duckling with Pickled Ginger. A full-bodied fruity, oaky Syrah will cut through the fat in rich dishes like Red-Cooked Beef Short ribs. Hunan Steak Kew, which in our version is made with filet mignon, will show how Cabernet Sauvignon retains its status as a time-honored partner of beef.
DUNGENESS CRAB, one of the glories of the Pacific coast, is now available all over the country, especially at Asian markets. Here is one of the best ways to cook it, with the cracked crab deep-fried, then topped with a wonderfully tasty mix of scallions, ginger, red onion, hot red pepper, coarsely ground black pepper, and a garnish of salty duck egg yolks. I give instructions for using either a cooked crab or a live one. Makes 2 to 4 servings
Peppery Dungeness