Mrs. Ma's Chinese Cookbook. Nancy Chin
The jack-of-all-trades in Chinese cooking is the coolie-hat pan, which is round at the bottom and is used for both frying and cooking. It is not suitable for use on an electric stove, but other pans may be substituted. If you do not have a Chinese pan, a deep frying pan will do quite well.
A steamer with a rack is another essential. The ones shown in the photograph are made of wood and bamboo. When food is to be reheated, it is much better to place it in a steamer than to heat it directly over a flame. When removing a dish from the steamer, first pour cold water inside so that you will not burn your hands.
You will also need a ladle for some of the recipes. The other required utensils will be found in any well-equipped kitchen.
You had better wait for the meat than the meat wait for you.
Chinese proverb
CHICKEN DUCK AND OTHER POULTRY
Empress Chicken
Velvet Chicken and Sweet Corn
Steamed Chicken in Yünnan Pot
Chicken Fu Yung
Steamed Chicken with Pineapple
Spring Chicken with Red and Green Peppers
Rice-stuffed Chicken
Chicken in Wine
Smoked Chicken
Stewed Chestnut Chicken
Fried Chicken
Fried Chicken with Brown Sauce
Fried Chicken with Green Peppers
Fried Chicken Fillet with Peanuts
Fried Chicken with Walnuts
Fried Chicken, Peking Style
Fried Chicken, Paper-wrapped
Jellied Chicken
Cold Chicken with Brown Sauce
Cold Chicken Liver and Giblets
Sliced Cold Chicken
Crisp Roasted Duck
Minced Pigeon
Fried Pigeon
Roast Stuffed Turkey
INGREDIENTS, COMMON AND EXOTIC
Since the ingredients called for in this book are those commonly used in the Orient, they differ occasionally from those known in the West. Almost all of them, however, can be obtained without difficulty, and the more exotic-sounding items are available at Chinese and Japanese food stores and restaurants. (See pages 15 & 16.)
Empress Chicken
Ingredients:
6 wings and 6 legs of spring chicken (about 2 1/2 lbs.)
1 small bamboo shoot, cut into small slices
1 stalk Leek
4 slices ginger
6 tbsps. oil
2 tbsps. wine
8 tbsps. soy sauce
2 cups broth or water
1 tbsp. sugar
3 tbsps. green peas
Dash monosodium glutamate
Method: 1. Wash chicken in warm water. 2. Cut bamboo shoot into small slices and leek into 1/2-inch pieces. 3. Heat oil in pan and fry leek and ginger for a few minutes. Then add chicken and bamboo and continue to fry. 4. When chicken changes color, add wine and soy sauce. 5. Add sufficient broth or water to cover chicken and cook for 20 minutes. 6. Add sugar and turn fire to low flame. Simmer for 1 hour. 7. Add green peas toward end of simmering period. Then add monosodium glutamate and serve hot.
Note: This dish may be cooked beforehand and reheated before serving. To use leftover portion, simply steam it.
Velvet Chicken and Sweet Corn
Ingredients:
1/4 lb. minced chicken fillet
1 tbsp. wine
1 tsp. salt
2 egg whites, lightly beaten
2 cups chicken broth, with 1/2 tsp. salt added
1 can cream-style sweet corn
1 tbsp. cornstarch, mixed with
3 tbsps. water
1/2 tsp. monosodium glutamate
1 tbsp. chopped ham
Method: 1. Mince chicken fillet and mix well with wine, salt, and beaten egg whites. 2. Bring chicken broth to boil, add sweet corn and chicken mixture, and bring to boil again. 3. Add cornstarch and water mixture, stirring constantly for 3 minutes. 4. Add monosodium glutamate, pour soup into deep serving bowl, garnish with chopped ham, and serve hot.
Steamed Chicken in Yünnan Pot
Ingredients:
1 spring chicken, disjointed
2 tbsps. wine
1 stalk leek, cut into small pieces
3 slices ginger
2 tsps. salt
1/2 cup water
Method: This dish requires the use of a Yünnan pot, as shown in the illustration. The pot, which has a central chimney, is placed over a pan of boiling water and covered with a lid, so that the steam rises through the chimney to cook the contents and to produce a soup that is the utmost in deliciousness and nutritional value.
1. Disjoint cleaned chicken and place pieces in Yünnan pot around central chimney. 2. Add all other ingredients, cover with lid, and place pot on top of pan containing sufficient water for at least one hour of boiling. 3. Allow chicken to steam for one hour or until tender. Remove Yünnan pot and serve chicken with soup produced by steaming.
Chicken Fu Yung
Ingredients:
1/4 lb. chicken breast, ground or chopped
3 tbsps. water
1 tsp. wine
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tbsp. cornstarch
6 egg whites
10 tbsps. oil
2 tbsps. oil (preferably from chicken fat)
Sauce:
8 small slices bamboo shoot
8 snow peas
1 cup chicken broth
1 tsp. salt
1 tbsp. cornstarch
1/4 tsp. monosodium glutamate
3 tbsps. water
Method: 1. Add 3 tbsps. water to ground chicken breast a few drops at a time and mix well. If ground chicken is not used, chop breast meat very fine, adding a few drops of water at a time while chopping. 2. Add wine, salt, and cornstarch. Mix thoroughly. 3. Beat egg whites until stiff and gradually fold into chicken mixture. (Save yolks for use in a dish that calls for egg yolks only.) 4. Heat 10 tbsps. oil in pan and add chicken mixture. Remove from fire immediately and stir briskly. Replace on fire and cook until firm but not browned. 5. Heat 2 tbsps. oil from chicken