Every Grain of Rice: Simple Chinese Home Cooking (45 page)

Raw chicken carcasses

Pork ribs

Piece of ginger, unpeeled

Spring onion whites

Clean the raw meats: the traditional method is to blanch them for a couple of minutes in boiling water but, if you want to save time, just wash them well under the cold and then the hot tap. (Blanching, or rinsing, rids the meats of impurities and gives a cleaner, clearer stock.)

Put the carcasses and ribs in a pan, cover with cold water and bring to a boil. Skim off and discard the froth that rises to the surface of the liquid (you may have to do this a few times). When the surface is fairly clear of froth, add a piece of ginger, crushed slightly, and a couple of spring onion whites (a ½ oz/25g piece of ginger will do for a five- to six-quart pan).

Reduce the heat, half-cover the pan and simmer very gently for two to three hours. If you are not using the stock immediately, let it cool completely, then strain, decant into plastic bags or containers and keep in the refrigerator for a few days, or freeze for later use.

VARIATION

Chicken stock

For a really fine chicken soup or stock, Chinese cooks use an old hen, which may be stringy but will have a magnificent flavor with long, slow cooking. (If you have any friends with free-range birds and can secure a fowl that is at least a year old, make the most of it, as they are hard to buy.) In any case, for the richest flavor use a free-range bird, or parts of it. I tend to buy organic, free-range chicken carcasses from my local market and supplement them with a handful of chicken wings for a richer stock, but I do occasionally use a whole chicken if I’m feeling extravagant. Blanch the bird or its parts in boiling water, or rinse them under the hot tap, and add ginger and spring onions to the pot as in the main recipe.

VEGETARIAN STOCKS
SU XIAN TANG
素鮮湯

Buddhist vegetarian restaurants in China make their own meatless stocks, and rural people may use broths made from pickled vegetables or fermented beans, or the milky liquid left over from cooking rice, for their soups and sauces. Vegetarian stock cubes can be used, but do take care with their saltiness: the recipes in this book are written with unsalted Chinese stocks in mind, so you will need to reduce salt and other salty seasonings if you use them. If you wish to make your own vegetarian stocks, the following are some Chinese possibilities.

Quick vegetarian stock

This is a recipe from the wonderful vegetarian restaurant at the Jade Buddha Temple in Shanghai, where they use it for their noodle and wonton soups. Simply season hot water with light soy sauce and a little sesame oil (for one quart/liter of water, about 2½ tsp light soy sauce and ½ tsp sesame oil will do). Simple, but very savory.

Black bean stock

Bring one quart (liter) of water to a boil with 2 oz (50g) fermented black beans, rinsed and drained, then simmer for about 20 minutes. Strain out and discard the black beans if you wish.

Sprouted soy bean stock

These make a classic vegetarian soup base. The beansprouts, which are longer and thicker than the more common mung beansprouts, are easily available in China but hard to come by in the West, so you may have to sprout your own. To make a “milky” broth, bring a panful of water to a boil, add plenty of soy beansprouts, cover and boil for 10–20 minutes, until the liquid is richly savory. To make a clear broth, boil the water, add the sprouts, return to a boil, then simmer gently, uncovered, for about 30 minutes. Strain the broth, or add the beansprouts to your soups if you wish.

Other variations

Other classic ingredients in vegetarian stocks are fresh bamboo shoots, simmered for a while like the soy beansprouts above, and shiitake mushrooms. For a rich vegetarian stock, use a mixture of soy beansprouts, peeled bamboo shoots and reconstituted dried shiitake mushrooms.

CHILLI OIL
HONG YOU
紅油

One of the essential ingredients in Sichuanese cold dishes, this is also used in dips for dumplings and other snacks. You can buy chilli oil in most Chinese supermarkets, but it’s generally much spicier than the Sichuanese version and often has added ingredients such as dried shrimp. For Sichuanese recipes, it’s much better to make your own, milder chilli oil, which can be used generously for its color and mouthfeel without any overwhelming heat. It’s easy to make, keeps indefinitely, and jars of it can also make rather fine gifts.

Sichuanese ground chillies are hard to find in the West, but the mild, aromatic ground chillies used in Korean kimchi have the same deep terracotta color and make a wonderful substitute. They are increasingly available in Asian stores. If you want to give your chilli oil a bit more of a kick, simply add a dash of hotter ground chillies of your choice to the mix. I almost always buy my chillies ground, because it’s more convenient: see the note, right, if you wish to grind your own.

A sugar or oil thermometer is extremely useful, though not essential, for this recipe.

2 cups plus 2 tbsp (500ml) cooking oil

4 oz (100g) Sichuanese or Korean ground chillies

1 tsp sesame seeds

Small piece of ginger, unpeeled, crushed

Heat the oil over a high flame to about 400°F (200°C), then leave for 10 minutes to cool to around 275°F (140°C).

Place the ground chillies, sesame seeds and ginger in a heatproof bowl. Have a little cool oil or a cupful of water on hand. When the oil has cooled to the right temperature, pour a little on to the chillies; it should fizz gently but energetically and release a rich, roasty aroma. Pour over the rest of the oil and stir. If you think the oil is too hot and the chillies are likely to burn, simply add a little cool oil to release the excess heat. Do, though, make sure that the oil is hot enough: without the fizzing, it won’t generate the rich, roasty fragrance you need. If you pour all the oil on to the chillies, then discover it’s not quite hot enough, you can return the whole lot to a saucepan and heat gently until it smells fabulous and the color is a deep ruby red, but do take care not to burn the chillies. (The chillies will seethe and fizz like a witch’s cauldron as you heat them, releasing the most marvellous aromas, but can easily start to burn and blacken.)

When the oil has cooled completely, decant it and the chilli sediment into jars and store in a dark, cool place. Leave it to settle for at least a day before using.

To grind your own chillies

This method comes from the Sichuanese chef Yu Bo. Snip the chillies into halves or sections and discard their seeds as far as possible. Stir them in a dry wok over a very gentle heat until they are fragrant and crisp. (If you wish, you can sift them to get rid of more seeds at this stage.) Then add a very small amount of oil to the wok and continue to stir the chillies over the heat until they are glossy and slightly darker (their color is referred to in the trade as “cockroach color”!). Turn the chillies into a mortar and pestle and pound them into fine flakes; avoid grinding them to a powder.

GROUND ROASTED SICHUAN PEPPER
HUA JIAO MIAN
花椒面

This seasoning is one of the essentials of Sichuanese cooking and is used particularly in dips and cold dishes. Always make it freshly if you can, since it loses its fragrance quickly. A tiny amount goes a long way, so I roast and grind it a tablespoonful or so at a time and try to avoid keeping it for longer than a week.

Stir whole Sichuan pepper in a dry wok over a very gentle heat until it is wonderfully fragrant, taking great care not to burn it. This normally takes three to four minutes. Transfer immediately to a mortar, then grind it to a fine powder with the pestle. For best results, sift the powder through a tea strainer and discard the white husky residue, which has no flavor.

SWEET AROMATIC SOY SAUCE
FU ZHI JIANG YOU
復制醬油

This sweetened, spiced soy sauce is the secret ingredient in the glorious, garlicky dressing used for
Sichuanese Wontons
, as well as salady ingredients such as cucumber and cooked fava beans. It’s easy to make and keeps indefinitely.

½ cup (100ml) light or tamari soy sauce

⅓ cinnamon stick or a piece of cassia bark

½ tsp fennel seeds

½ star anise

½ tsp Sichuan pepper

⅓ oz (10g) piece of ginger, crushed slightly

3 tbsp brown sugar

Put the soy sauce into a saucepan with ¾ cup (200ml) water and bring to a boil. Add the spices and ginger, reduce the heat and simmer for 30 minutes.

Add the sugar and stir to dissolve. You should end up with about ½ cup (100ml) of liquid.

LARD
ZHU YOU
豬油

Lard has a poor reputation in the West but, freshly made and used in modest quantities, it’s a delicious addition to all kinds of otherwise vegetarian dishes, to which it lends its rich umami flavors. In the Chinese countryside, many households still make their own lard, especially in winter as the Chinese New Year approaches. A small amount of lard will add a subtle luxuriousness to stir-fried mushrooms and other vegetables. It’s also often added to the stocks in which noodles or dumplings are served, for a bit of silkiness and extra richness.

Cut pork back fat or belly fat into 1–1¾ in (3–4cm) chunks and put them into a saucepan with a generous covering of water. Bring to a boil, then simmer over a medium heat to allow the water to evaporate. As the water disappears, the liquid will start to spit and crackle. When the noise has subsided, remove from the stove and strain the molten lard into a sterilized container. It will keep for months in the refrigerator. Lard can also be frozen: if you freeze it, I suggest dividing it up into small, useful quantities that are quick and easy to defrost, or letting it set into fairly thin layers from which you can snap off the amount you need.

The same method can be used to render chicken fat, which is often added to banquet dishes just before serving, adding a wonderful umami flavor. A spoonful of chicken fat added to a wokful of mushrooms at the last stage of cooking, or melted over some freshly cooked greens, is a glorious thing.

ROASTED AND FRIED PEANUTS
YOU SU HUA REN
油酥花仁

Roasted or fried peanuts may be used in cold-dressed dishes and also in a few hot dishes, such as
Gong Bao Chicken with Peanuts
. Fried peanuts make a delicious nibble in their own right, perhaps sprinkled with salt and ground roasted Sichuan pepper.

Both fried and roasted peanuts should be stored in an airtight jar if you don’t intend to eat them immediately. They are most delicious when freshly fried or roasted.

Roasted peanuts

To roast peanuts, heat an oven to 120°C/250°F/gas mark ½. Place the raw nuts on an oven tray and roast for 15–20 minutes, until fragrant and very slightly golden. Do keep an eye on them, as they are easily burned. If you are not sure if they are ready, remove one peanut, allow to cool slightly, then taste: when done, it will have lost its raw crunchy flavor and have a dry, aromatic crispness. When the nuts are cooked, remove them from the oven and tip on to a plate to cool down. Rub the cooled nuts between your fingertips to loosen the skins. Then stand in the garden or on a balcony and shake the nuts as you blow over them: the skins will blow away.

Fried peanuts

To fry peanuts, heat enough oil to cover the raw nuts in a wok over a gentle flame to 250°F (120°C), adding the peanuts as it starts to warm up. Fry them for about 20 minutes, stirring often and taking care not to burn them. When they are crisp and fragrant, remove them with a slotted spoon or strainer, drain well and spread out to cool completely.