Recipe: Lobster Yee Mein (Lobster Noodles with Ginger and Scallions)

Ingredients:

1 lobster (about 2.5 - 3 lbs)
4 oz. Yee Mein or E-Fu Noodles
1 1/2 cup water + 1 tablespoon corn starch (use more corn starch if you like thicker sauce)
2 stalks scallions (cut into 2-inch length)
10-12 slices peeled ginger
3 tablespoons cooking oil
Extra cooking oil for frying

Sauce:

2 tablespoons oyster sauce
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1/8 teaspoon white pepper powder
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine
Salt to taste

Method:

Clean the lobster and chop into pieces. (I always ask the store to chop it up for me). Lightly crack the lobster claws in advance. Blot the lobster dry with paper towels.

Heat up a pot of boiling water and boil the Yee Mein according to the packing instructions. Make sure not to over boil the Yee Mein. Drain and set aside on a big plate/bowl.

In a big wok or deep skillet, heat up 3 tablespoons of cooking oil. Stir-fry the ginger until aromatic and drop in the lobster. Stir continuously until they start turning red, then add in the sauce, follow by the water. Continue to stir and coat the sauce nicely, then cover the wok/skillet with its lid and wait for a couple minutes or until the lobster pieces are cooked through. (Do not over cook the lobter as it will turn rubbery in texture!)

Remove the lid and add the chopped scallions into the lobster. Add salt to taste if needed. Transfer the lobster out and pour onto the bed of yee mein. Serve immediately.

Recipe: Shrimp with Snow Peas

Ingredients:

1/2 pound shrimp
3 oz snow peas
Some canned straw/button mushrooms (optional)
2 teaspoons cooking oil
5 slices peeled ginger

Sauce:

1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon sesame oil
4 tablespoons water
1/2 teaspoon corn starch
1 tablespoon Chinese cooking wine (shaoxing or rice wine)
2 dashes white pepper powder

Method:

Prepare the shrimp using the 7-step techniques above. Mix the sauce ingredients and set aside

Heat up a wok to high heat and add the cooking oil. Add the sliced ginger into the wok and stir-fry until aromatic and then follow by the shrimp. Toss the wok a few times or quickly stir-fry the shrimp a few times before adding the snow peas.

Add the sauce into the wok and quick stir to coat the sauce well with the shrimps and snow peas.

As soon as the shrimps are cooked, dish out and serve immediately.

Recipe: Orange Chicken/Orange Peel Chicken

Ingredients:

1/2 pound chicken breast (cut into bite-size cubes)
5 dried red chilies (cut into 1.5 inch length, seeded and soaked in warm water)
1 teaspoon minced orange zest
2 cloves garlic (minced)
1 inch ginger (minced)
1 stalk scallion (use the white part only, cut into thin threads for garnishing)
2 teaspoons oil
Oil for deep frying

Orange Sauce:

1/4 cup freshly-squeezed orange juice
3 tablespoons canned chicken broth
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 teaspoons Chinese rice wine or dry sherry
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon rice vinegar
5 teaspoons sugar
1/8 teaspoon white pepper powder
1 teaspoon corn starch
Salt to taste

Frying Batter:

1/2 cup water
2 oz. all-purpose flour
1 oz. corn starch
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 egg
1 teaspoon cooking oil
1 small pinch of salt

Method:

Mix the orange sauce ingredients and set aside.

Mix the frying batter and dip the chicken meat into the batter. Heat up a pot/wok of cooking oil. When the cooking oil is hot enough for frying, drop the chicken pieces into the oil and deep fry them until they turn golden brown or crispy. Transfer them out onto a plate lined with paper towels to soak up the excess oil.

In a wok, add 2 teaspoons of cooking oil and quickly stir-fry the minced garlic and ginger until aromatic. Add in the dried red chilies and toss around until you smell the spicy aroma. Follow by the minced orange zest and then chicken. Quickly stir the chicken around before adding the orange sauce mixture. Continue to stir-fry until the sauce thicken. Dish out, garnish with the scallion threads and serve immediately with steamed white rice.

Recipe: Sing Chow Mai Fun (Singapore Fried Rice Noodles/星洲炒米粉)
adapted from Fine Cooking Magazine, Nov 2005, pages 64-65

Ingredients:

2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon minced ginger
8 dried or fresh shiitake mushrooms
12 ounces of fine dry rice vermicelli (Wai Wai brand recommended)
2 stalks celery, sliced thin
1 medium yellow onion, sliced thin
4 jalapeno peppers, seeded and sliced thin
1 cup bean sprouts, rinsed and drained
8 green onions, root end trimmed, cut into 2-inch pieces
1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 pound char siu (Chinese barbecued pork), cut into matchsticks
4 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 tablespoons oyster sauce

For sauce:

3 tablespoons Madras (hot) curry powder
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon minced ginger
1 cup chicken broth
4 tablespoons soy sauce
4 teaspoons granlulated sugar
2 teaspoons hot chili paste
2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Method:

1) If using dried shiitake mushrooms, soak them in hot water for half an hour. Drain, then cut off the stems. Slice the mushrooms thinly.
2) Put the rice vermicelli in a large bowl and soak in enough hot water to cover, until the noodles are soft (about 8 to 10 minutes). Drain noodles and set aside.
3) Start by heating up 2 tablespoons of oil in a small pan over medium heat. Add the curry powder, the ginger, and the minced garlic, and saute until fragrant. Add the chicken broth, soy sauce, sugar, and chili paste. Stir to combine and then cover and cook for 5 minutes. Remove pan from heat and set aside.
4) Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large wok over high heat. Add in the remaining garlic and ginger, and stir-fry until the garlic starts to become golden. Add in the celery, onion, pepper, sprouts, green onions, and mushrooms. Stir-fry for 3 minutes, until the vegetables start to soften. Set the vegetables aside in a bowl.
5) Heat the last 2 tablespoons of oil in the wok over high heat. Add in the shrimp and stir-fry until they start to turn pink on both sides. Add the char siu and toss to combine.
6) Add in the noodles and the vegetables. Pour on the sauce and also add the oyster sauce. Mix the ingredients thoroughly to coat all the noodles and incorporate all the vegetables.
7) Serve hot.

Recipe: Ginger and Scallion Crab (姜葱蟹)

Ingredients:

1 crab (about 1 1/2 - 2 pounds)
2 inches ginger (peeled and sliced into 10-12 pieces)
3 stalks scallion (cut into 2-inch length)
3 tablespoons corn starch (for frying)
1 tablespoon cooking oil
Oil for deep frying

Sauce:

1 tablespoon oyster sauce
2 dashes white pepper powder
1/8 teaspoon sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon sugar
6 tablespoons water
3/4 teaspoon corn starch
1/8 teaspoon fish sauce

Method:

Mix the sauce and set aside.

Clean the crab and cut into pieces. Pat dry with paper towels and put into a big bowl. Add the corn flour to the bowl and lightly coat the crab pieces with it. Heat up a wok and add cooking oil. When the oil is heated, drop the crab pieces and deep fry. As soon as they turn red, dish out, strain the excess oil and set aside.

Heat up a wok and add 1 tablespoon of cooking oil. Add the ginger and stir-fry until aromatic. Put the crab pieces into the wok and quickly stir a few times before adding the sauce. Add the chopped scallions, toss the crab in the wok a few times until well coated with the sauce, dish out and serve immediately.

Mongolian Beef
Adapted from The Essence of Shangri-La

Ingredients:

8 oz beef tenderloin (thinly sliced)
2 tablespoons cooking oil
2 stalks leeks (sliced diagonally)
1 inch ginger (finely chopped)
3 cloves garlic (thinly sliced)
1 stalk shredded scallion (white part only for garnishing)

Marinate:

1 teaspoon corn starch
1 teaspoon soy sauce
t tablespoon water
1 teaspoon Chinese cooking wine (rice wine or Shaoxing wine)

Sauce:

2 teaspoons oyster sauce
2 tablespoons sweet soy sauce (ABC Kecap Manis)
1/2 teaspoon dark soy sauce
3 dashes white pepper powder
1/8 teaspoon sesame oil
1/4 teaspoon Maggi seasoning
Salt & sugar to taste

Method:

Marinate the beef slices with the seasonings for 30 minutes.

Heat up a wok with 1 tablespoon of oil and stir-fry the marinated beef until they are half-done. Dish out and set aside.

Heat up another 1 tablespoon of oil and saute the garlic and ginger until aromatic. Add the beef back into the wok and then the sauce. Continue to stir-fry until the beef slices are almost done, then add the leeks into the wok. Do a few quick stirs, add salt and sugar to taste, dish out and garnish with the shredded scallions. Serve hot.

Recipe: Wonton Soup
Serving: 15 wontons or 3 servings of wonton soup

Ingredients:

8 oz. peeled and deveined medium size shrimp
1/8 teaspoon sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon chicken bouillon powder
1/8 teaspoon fish sauce
1 small pinch of salt
3 dashes white pepper powder
1 oz yellow chives (chopped finely)
1/2 teaspoon corn starch
15 wonton wrappers
3 cups stock
Salt to taste
White pepper powder to taste
Sesame oil to taste

Stock Ingredients:

1 1/2 pound leg quarters (chicken thighs and legs)
1 1/2 pound lean pork
1 1/2 pound ham
10 cups water

Method:

Prepare the stock first by boiling all the ingredients in a deep stockpot. Bring it to boil and skim off the scum that surfaces until the stock is clear. Simmer on low heat for a couple of hours. Pour the stock through a sieve and set aside. Save the extra in a container and keep it in the fridge for future use.

Put the shrimp in a small bowl and rinse them under cold running water for about 5-10 minutes. (This step makes the shrimp crunchy.) Drain the water and pat the shrimp dry with paper towels and then cut each shrimp into 3-4 pieces.

Add half of the chopped yellow chives into the shrimp and marinate with the seasonings for 1 hour. Blend the shrimp well with the seasoning.

Place a wonton wrapper on your palm and put about 1 teaspoon (about 3-4 pieces) of the shrimp filling in the center of the wonton wrapper. Gather the corners of the wrapper with the other hand and give it a twist in the middle to "close" the wonton. Repeat until the filling is used up. To see the video of wrapping wonton, please click here.

Add 3 cups of stock into a medium saucepan and bring it to boil. Add the remaining chopped yellow chives into the stock, add salt, white pepper powder, and sesame oil to taste and set aside.

Heat up another big saucepan with water. As soon as it boils, drop the wontons into the water. Stirring gently so the wontons don't stick together. Continue to boil until the wontons are cooked and float to the surface.

Transfer the wontons out with a hand strainer and divide them into 3 equal servings. Pour a ladleful of stock over each serving and serve immediately.

Recipe: Baby Bok Choy with Garlic and Shrimp

Ingredients:

4 oz. bok choy mui/baby bok choi (cleaned and rinsed)
1/8 teaspoon salt or to taste
1 tablespoon oil
1/4 cup peeled baby shrimps
3 cloves garlic (finely chopped)

Method:

Heat up a wok with the cooking oil and saute the chopped garlic until light brown or aromatic. Add the baby shrimps and stir-fry until the shrimps are half-cooked. Add in a pinch of salt to the shrimp, and then follow by the baby bok choy. Quickly stir-fry the vegetables, dish out and serve hot.

Cook's Notes:

1. Do not overcook your vegetables. They should retain the vitality and crunchiness.
2. For Chinese greens with oyster sauce recipe, please click here.

Recipe: Chow Mein/Chinese Noodles Recipe

Ingredients:

8 oz. steamed chow mein (Chinese noodles)
2 oz. pork (cut into thin slices)
5 shrimp (shelled and deveined)
3 garlic cloves (finely chopped)
1/2 cup shredded cabbage
1/4 cup shredded carrot
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon Chinese dark soy sauce
2 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons cooking oil
2 stalks scallions (cut into 2-inch length)
Salt to taste

Method:

Soak the steamed chow mein in cold water for about 5 minutes. Rinse a few times until the water turns clear and the chow mein is soft. Drain the excess water and set aside. (Don't over soak the chow mein or the noodles will get limpy and soggy.)

In a small mixing bowl, mix all the seasoning ingredients. Set aside.

Heat up the wok with the cooking oil. Add in the chopped garlic and stir-fry until light brown or aromatic. Add the pork and shrimp and stir fry until they are half done. Add the shredded cabbage and carrot into the wok and do a few quick stirs. Add the noodles , the seasoning mixture and the water. Continue to stir until the noodles are well blended with the seasonings and completely cooked through. Add the chopped scallions, do a few final stirs, dish out and and serve hot.

Recipe: Honey Walnut Shrimp/Walnut Prawn (核桃虾)

Ingredients:

1 lb. 31/40 count shrimp/prawn
1/2 cup Walnut halves (make sure you get the walnut halves)
3 tablespoons mayonnaise
1/2 tablespoon honey
1/2 tablespoon condensed milk
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 egg white
1/2 cup corn starch (for coating the prawn)
Oil for frying

For the Walnuts:

1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup water

Method:

1. Peel and deveined the shrimp/prawn. Pat dry with paper towels, add the egg white, mix well with the shrimp and set aside.
2. Rinse the walnut halves with water, drain and set aside.
3. Heat up the water until it boils and add in the sugar.
4. Keep stirring until it turns thick and golden color and then add the walnut.
5. Boil for 2 minutes, then drain and place walnuts on a cookie sheet/parchment paper to dry. (Regular paper will not work as the walnut will stick to it).
6. Heat the oil in a wok over high heat.
7. Coat the shrimp with a thick layer of corn flour and then and then fry in the hot oil until golden brown. Remove the shrimps from the wok and drain on paper towels.
8. In a bowl, stir together the mayonnaise, honey, condensed milk and lemon juice.
9. Add shrimp and toss with the mayonnaise sauce.
10. Transfer to a serving plate and garnish the candied walnuts on top of the shrimp and serve immediately.

Cook's Note:

To get more bang for your buck, you can buy frozen shrimp in a pre-packed box. The frozen shrimp usually comes in a frozen block. During sales, a box of 31/40 count shrimp can be as low as US$15/box.

Recipe: Cashew Chicken (腰果鸡丁)

Ingredients:

1 boneless & skinless chicken breast, about 10 oz. (cut into small cubes)
1/2 cup cashew nuts
1 small green bell pepper, about 4 oz. (cut into small square pieces)
5 slices ginger
1/4 onion (cut into small square pieces)

Marinate:

1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon corn starch
1/2 teaspoon rice wine

Sauce:

1/2 tablespoon oyster sauce
3/4 teaspoon soy sauce
3 tablespoons water
3 dashes white pepper powder
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon rice wine
1/8 teaspoon sesame oil
Salt to taste

Method:

1. Marinate the chicken meat with the baking soda for 15-20 minutes and then rinse the chicken thoroughly. (Please make sure that the chicken is properly rinsed clean of the baking soda.)
2. Pat the chicken meat dry with paper towels and then marinate with the rest of the ingredients for 15 minutes.
3. Mix the sauce together and set aside.
4. Heat up a wok with 1 tablespoon of cooking oil and stir-fry the chicken meat until the color turns white or half-cooked. Dish out and set aside.
5. Add another 1 tablespoon of cooking oil into the wok and add in the ginger slices, bell peppers and onions.
6. Stir-fry until you smell the peppery aroma from the green peppers and add the chicken meat back in.
7. Add in the cashew nuts and do a few quick stirs.
8. Add in the sauce and stir continuously until the chicken meat is cooked and well coated with the sauce. Add salt to taste, dish out and serve the Cashew Chicken hot with steamed white rice.

Recipe: Fried Rice Vermicelli/Rice Sticks/Rice Noodles with Chicken (炒米粉)

Ingredients:

1/2 pack rice sticks (8 oz)
2-3 cloves garlic (chopped)
1 big handful of fresh bean sprouts
3 stalks scallions (cut into 2-inch length)
1 boneless & skinless chicken breast (cut into small pieces)
1/2 teaspoon corn starch (to marinate the chicken)
4 tablespoons oil

Seasonings:

4 tablespoons soy sauce (Kimlan Light Soy Sauce)
1 tablespoon ABC sweet soy sauce
4 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon sugar
3 dashes of white pepper powder

Method:

Soak the rice sticks in warm water for 30 minutes or until they turn soft. Set aside in a colander to drain the excess water. Rinse the bean sprouts with water and set aside to drain excess water. Lightly coat the chicken meat with the corn starch (to tenderize the chicken).

Mix all the seasonings and water together and set aside. Heat up a wok and add in the cooking oil. Add in the chopped garlic and stir-fry until aromatic or turn light brown. Add in the chicken meat and stir fry until the chicken is half done.

Add in the rice sticks and then follow by the seasonings. Stir the rice sticks continuously to blend well with the seasonings. Continue to stir fry for 2-3 minutes or until noodles turn soft or no longer wet, then add in the bean sprouts and chopped scallions. Stir-fry for another minute or until the bean sprouts are cooked.

Dish out and serve hot.