The Everything Chinese Cookbook (19 page)

2 cakes firm tofu

1 green onion

4 fresh water chestnuts

1 tablespoon oil

1 teaspoon shredded ginger

5½ cups chicken stock or broth

¼ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon Chinese rice wine or dry sherry

1. Drain the tofu, and cut into 1-inch cubes. Slice the green onion on the diagonal into thirds. Cut the top off the water chestnuts, peel the skin, and chop.
   
2. In a large saucepan heat the oil on medium-low heat. Add the ginger and cook briefly until aromatic.
   
3. Add the chicken stock or broth and bring to a boil. Add the salt, rice wine, tofu, and water chestnuts. Bring back up to a boil and simmer for about 10 minutes. Stir in the sliced green onion.
   

½ cup plain yogurt

¼ teaspoon cinnamon

2½ teaspoons honey

1 half section of cantaloupe or other melon

Process the yogurt, cinnamon, and honey until smooth. Spoon into the middle of the cantaloupe.

4 ounces bird's nest

Basic Chicken Velvet (page 160), use the amounts specified in the recipe

6 cups stock or broth

1½ teaspoons Chinese rice wine or dry sherry

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon sugar

teaspoon white pepper, or to taste

2 green onions, minced

¼ cup ham, chopped

1. To prepare the bird's nest, soak overnight in water. Drain thoroughly. Spread out the bird's nest and use tweezers to carefully remove any foreign materials or dirt. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and simmer the bird's nest for 5 minutes. Drain thoroughly and check again for any foreign material.
   
2. Prepare the Basic Chicken Velvet.
   
3. Bring stock or broth to a boil. Add the bird's nest and simmer for 30 minutes. Add the rice wine, salt, and sugar.
   
4. Fold in the Basic Chicken Velvet and bring the soup back up to a boil. Add the white pepper. Stir in the green onions and ham or add after serving as a garnish.
   

Exotic Bird's Nest

Not keen to try a soup filled with twigs and branches? Actually, bird's nest isn't made from traditional nesting materials. Instead, the swiftlet — a type of swallow — makes a nest using its own saliva, which hardens upon exposure to air. The swiftlet inhabits remote caves in China and Southeast Asia. Retrieving the nests can be hazardous; the men who perform this task often come from families that have been earning their living in this manner for generations.

4 cups water

1 piece dried tangerine peel, 2–3 inches wide

½ cup Sweet Red Bean Paste (page 269)

cup sugar

1. In a medium saucepan, add the 4 cups water and the dried tangerine peel. Bring to a boil and simmer for about 30 minutes.
   
2. Add the Sweet Red Bean Paste. Continue simmering for another 30 minutes. Add the sugar, stirring to dissolve. Chill before serving.
   

Chinese Wedding Soup

Traditionally, sweet red bean paste soup is made with raw adzuki beans and contains lotus seeds, a symbol of fertility in Chinese culture.

½ cup unblanched almonds

3 tablespoons long grain rice

2 tablespoons Chinese dates

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

2½ cups milk

2 tablespoons sugar

1. Process the almonds in a blender or food processor into a fine powder. Combine 3 tablespoons of the processed almonds with the white rice and process again. Add water, a few drops at a time, to form a paste.
   
2. Process the Chinese dates into small pieces and set aside.
   
3. Add oil to a preheated wok or heavy skillet. When oil is hot, add the milk and heat until it is almost, but not quite, boiling. Add the almond and rice paste and cook for 10 minutes at a near boil, stirring frequently.
   
4. Bring the milk to a boil. Add the sugar, stirring. Add the Chinese date pieces. Serve chilled.
   

4 potatoes

2 eggs

3 tablespoons mayonnaise

1½ tablespoons soy sauce

1½ teaspoons chopped cilantro leaves

¾ teaspoon Hot Mustard Sauce (page 18)

¾ teaspoon sugar

¼ teaspoon plus a few drops of sesame oil