Katie Chin's Everyday Chinese Cookbook. Katie Chin
the focus of my mother’s life. My sister Jeannie told me about my mom being taken away by an ambulance a few months before her passing. As they were lifting her into the ambulance, she called out to my sister, “Don’t forget to eat the spicy ground pork noodles I left in the fridge!”
Out of our amazing culinary journey, I treasure the times we spent alone together in the kitchen the most. In those quiet moments, rolling out dough for dumplings or gently simmering sauces for a whole fish, she’d open up and tell me about her life. She revealed sometimes difficult memories, from her childhood in China to assimilating as an immigrant to the challenges of being a wife and a mother, as well as a minority businesswoman—all things she didn’t want to burden us with as children. I realized she used cooking as an escape from her many struggles, and that’s where she found joy. Cooking was a kind of alchemy for her. This, and so much more about life, I learned in the kitchen from my mother.
I hope you enjoy this collection of Chin family recipes. Some are taken from my mother’s personal vault, like the time-honored classics she learned how to make in China, while others reflect our Chinese-American childhood. I’ve also included recipes that my mother and I developed together for our catering business, as well as some that I’ve developed more recently, inspired by her teachings. I’ve also woven personal recollections and anecdotes throughout this book. I wanted to share the inspiration behind some of the recipes, as well as fun memories from our childhood and later years of cooking and eating with our mother.
My pioneering mother instilled a passion for Chinese cooking in me, and I am so honored to carry on her legacy. She was revered for her ability to demystify Chinese cooking and simplify it for the everyday home cook. Carrying her torch, I hope I can show you how easy Chinese cooking can truly be. If I can do it, you can do it.
Thank you for keeping her memory alive by making the recipes in this book. I hope they bring some wisdom to your kitchen, joy to your taste buds and gratification to your bellies.
Happy cooking!
Understanding Chinese Ingredients
When my mother Leeann immigrated to Minnesota in 1956, she couldn’t find bok choy or oyster sauce, let alone fresh ginger, at the grocery store. She improvised and still managed to make incredibly delicious Chinese dishes for us (I am still baffled by this and her other magician-like powers in the kitchen). Today, much has changed: it’s not uncommon to find black bean sauce, Asian eggplant and cellophane noodles at the regular grocery store, or daikon radish and Chinese long beans at your local farmer’s market. The majority of the ingredients needed for the recipes in this book can be found at your neighborhood market, with some recipes requiring an occasional trip to an Asian store or some on-line shopping. In this section, I’ve compiled the key ingredients used in Chinese cooking. Over time, you’ll discover the ingredients you’ll want to keep on hand to make your favorite Chinese dishes.
Baby Corn These miniature ears of corn are often used in stir-fries. Harvesting the grain early, while the ears are immature, allows for the whole cob to be consumed. Baby corn comes canned and ready to cook. Best known for its cameo in the movie Big, it adds a unique texture to any stir-fry dish.
Bamboo Shoots There are the part of the bamboo plant that is harvested before it matures. Available fresh, canned or bottled, bamboo shoots are found in Asian markets and many grocery stores. Any unused bamboo shoots should be stored in water and kept in the refrigerator. Change water daily to preserve freshness.
Black Beans, Fermented These fermented, salted black soybeans have a distinctive pungent aroma, and add a very rich flavor when combined with garlic, ginger and other flavors. They come packed in plastic bags, or are made into a sauce and sold in a jar. If purchased in plastic bags, they should be rinsed in warm water before using to remove excess salt, and refrigerated after opening.
Black Mushrooms, Dried These are incredibly versatile, adding an amazingly rich flavor to stir-fries, soups and noodle dishes. They must be presoaked in warm water before using. When soaked, they plump up and have a delicious meaty taste and texture. If you can’t find dried black mushrooms, dried shiitake mushrooms can be substituted.
Bok Choy A crisp vegetable shaped rather like a celery plant, bok choy has whitish stalks and deep-green leaves. The smaller the head of bok choy, the more tender it will be. Baby bok choy, the smallest kind, is the most expensive. Bok choy is available in most supermarkets. Shanghai Bok Choy, which can be found in many Asian markets, is dark green in color and slightly bitter, and is highly prized. Bok choy is very nutrient-dense—so you can enjoy this tasty vegetable and load up on folic acid and vita-mins A and C while you’re at it.
Brown Bean Paste It is the ground version of brown beans used in sauces; it is used throughout northern China. A thick, salty and rich cousin of black bean sauce, it can be purchased in a jar and stored indefinitely. A little of this savory paste goes a long way, so use it sparingly. You can find brown bean paste at Asian markets and online resources.
Chilies, Dried Red These dried red peppers are usually very hot. They are an essential ingredient in many Sichuan dishes, and can be used to season oil. Used whole, they impart a lovely chili flavor without the heat. Chiles de árbol can be substituted if you can’t find dried Chinese chilies.
Chili Garlic Sauce It is the perfect combination of zesty chilies and fragrant garlic. It’s very versatile, and can be used for marinating, as a dipping sauce and for whenever you want to add a kick in the pants to a stir-fry dish. I prefer the Lee Kum Kee brand. Sambal Oelek is an acceptable substitute.
Chili Paste Also known as chili bean sauce, is made from crushed fresh red chilies, soybeans, salt and garlic. It varies from being hot to very hot. Sold in jars, it is rich, spicy and earthy; it is used both as a condiment and as a seasoning for sauces and stir-fries.
Chinese Black Vinegar Often labeled as “Chinkiang vinegar,” is made from fermented rice, wheat, barley or sorghum. It is a tart and smoky dark vinegar that is used as a dipping sauce and in cooking.
Chinese Broccoli (Gailan/Kalian) This leafy vegetable, also known as Chinese kale, has thick, flat glossy leaves and thick stems. Sweet and slightly bitter, Chinese Broccoli is a versatile vegetable that’s a great addition to many stir-fry dishes and a delicious side dish drizzled with oyster sauce. Chinese broccoli is a nutrient-dense food, and is an excellent source of folic acid, vitamin A, vitamin C and vitamin K.
Chinese Long Beans Also known as yard-long beans, Chinese long beans really can grow that long! To be used as a vegetable, though, the bean pods are picked before they reach maturity. Chinese long beans can be found coiled or tied into bunches at Asian markets and some grocery