家常小菜館

Ingredients:
750g prawns(with shells on)
2g monosodium glutamate,MSG(optional)
5g salt
50g sugar
10g vinegar
20g rice wine
5g shredded Chinese scallions
5g shredded ginger
150g clear stock
50g peanut oil
Procedure:
1.Rinse the prawns to remove any sand.
2.Snip the legs off with a pair of small scissors.
3.Set a wok or frying pan over a medium-high flame and add the peanut oil.
4.When the oil is hot enough(300"-350"), add the prawns and stir quickly until they turn red.
5.Add the scallions, ginger, rice wine, sugar, vinegar and stock, then stew for five more minutes.
6.Remove the prawns to a serving plate.
7.Stir the sauce in the pot until thick and bubbly, then pour over the prawns and serve.

Sesame Fish Shreds

Ingredients:
250g fish
100g sesame seeds
5g monosodium glutamate, MSG
15g salt
15g rice wine
20g Chinese scallions(cut into sections)
20g ginger(sliced)
10g pepper
500g vegetable oil(50g to be consumed)
2 eggs
200g wheat flour
Procedure:
1.Rinse the fish, slice on the surface diagonally, and shred.
2.Marinate with salt, MSG, scallions, ginger, pepper and rice wine for five minutes.
3.Coat the fish with flour, eggs and sesame seeds.
4.Heat a wok and add oil. When smoke rises from the wok, deep-fry the shreds. Remove and serve.
*Note: If the fish shreds are not cut diagonally on the surface, they should be marinated for 30 minutes. The fish shreds can be substituted with pork, chicken or duck.

Fried Bamboo Shoots

Ingredients:
3/4 lb (350 g) fresh winter bamboo shoots
2 1/2 oz (75 g) xuelihong (preserved mustard green)
1 1/2 cups (350 ml) vegetable oil for deep-frying, about 2 oz (60 ml)
1/2 tsp MSG
Procedure:
1.Remove the husks from the bamboo shoots.
2.Roll-cut into diamond-shaped chunks.
3.Soak xuelihong in water for 5 minutes to reduce its saltiness. Squeeze out the excess water and cut into 1 1/2 inch (3.5 cm) pieces.
4.Heat the oil in a wok to about 400oF(205oC), or until a piece of scallion green or ginger browns quickly when tossed into the oil and a haze rises above the oil surface.
5.Add xuelihong and deep-fry for 30 seconds. Remove and drain.
6.Add the bamboo shoots and turn the heat to low. Deep-fry the bamboo shoots for 30 seconds, then raise the heat to high and deep-fry for 3 minutes, or until brown outside and tender inside. Remove and drain.
7.Return xuelihong to the oil and deep-fry for 5 minutes. Remove and drain.
8.Pour all the oil out of the wok. Add xuelihong and bamboo shoots. Stir-fry to blend, then sprinkle with the MSG. Remove and serve.

Sesame Beef Filet
Ingredients:
17 oz (500g) beef filet
1/2 cup (120 ml) whole sesame seeds
5 tsp. salt(or to taste)
2 cups (500ml) vegetable oil for deep-frying
2 eggs
2 tsp. chili (chili) oil
1/2 cup(120ml) flour
1/2 tsp. MSG(optional)
Procedure:
1.Wash the beef and cut into 1/4 inch (5mm) slices.
2.Mix with the salt and MSG(optional) and set aside.
3.Beat the eggs. Dip the beef slices in the flour and then into the egg.
4.Coat with the sesame seeds, pressing them into the beef with your palm or a rolling pin.
5.Heat the oil in a wok to about 350oF(170oC), or until a small piece of scallion green or ginger sizzles and moves around rapidly when tossed into the oil.
6.Add the beef and deep-fry for 2 minutes. Turn and continue to fry for another minute, or until the coating turns golden. Remove and drain.
7.Serve with a small dish of the chili oil as a dip.

Creamy Curried Chicken
Ingredients:
1 1/2 lb. (750g) chicken(whole or pieces)
1 tbsp fresh ginger(chopped)
2 medium potatoes, about 9 oz (250g)(peeled)
7 tbsp (100g) onions(chopped)
4 cups (1 litre) vegetable oil for deep-frying
2 tbsp curry oil
2 cups (500ml) chicken stock
3 tbsp flour
1 1/2 tsp. salt(or to taste)
2 1/2 fl oz coconut milk
4 1/2 tsp. sugar
3 1/2 fl oz (100 ml) milk
3 dried hot red chili (chilli) peppers(seeded and chopped)
1/4 tsp. MSG (optional)
Procedure:
1.Wash the chicken end chop into 1 1/2 inch (4cm) pieces.
2.Roll-cut the potatoes into pieces the same size.
3.Heat the oil in a wok to 350oF(180oC), or very hot. Add the chicken and deep-fry until cooked. Remove, drain, set aside.
4.Deep-fry the potatoes until cooked through but not browned, remove, drain well, and set aside.
5.Pour the hot oil out of the wok leaving only enough to cover the bottom. Add the rice wine, chicken stock, salt, sugar, MSG(optional), potatoes and chicken and let come to a boil. In the meantime, heat 5 oz (150ml) of oil in another wok, and add the hot chili peppers, ginger, onion, and curry oil. Stir-fry until fragrant, then pour into the other wok. 6.Put the potato and chicken pieces in a large heat-proof bowl, cover with the stock, and place in a steamer to steam until the chicken is very tender.
7.Heat 1 tbsp oil in the wok and stir in the flour to make a paste, taking care not to burn it.
8.Place the potatoes in a serving dish. Arrange the chicken pieces on top. Strain the stock and discard the solids. Add the coconut milk and milk to the stock.
9.Add the flour paste to the stock and simmer, stirring until thickened and the flour loses its raw taste. Pour over chicken and serve.

Sweet-and-Sour Spareribs
Ingredients:
1 1/2 lb. (750g) spareribs
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp. rice wine
1 tbsp rice vinegar
1/4 tsp. salt(or to taste)
2 tbsp sugar
2 tsp. flour
2 cups (500ml) vegetable oil
3 tsp. dry cornstarch (cornflour)
Procedure:
1.Chop the spareribs into pieces, 1/2 inch wide by 3/4 inch long (13mm by 20mm).
2.Mix with the rice wine and salt. Mix the cornstarch with 1 tbsp water to make a gabber, and pour over the ribs. Stir to coat well.
3.Mix together the soy sauce, rice vinegar, sugar , flour and 4 oz (120 ml) of water to make a sauce. Set aside.
4.Heat the oil in a wok over medium heat to about 230oF (110oc), or until small bubbles appear around a piece of scallion green or ginger tossed into the oil.
5.Add the spareribs and deep-fry until crisp, stirring to keep them from sticking together. Remove and drain well.
6.Reheat the oil to 375oF (190oC), or until a piece of scallion green or ginger sizzles noisily and quickly turns brown.
7.Deep-fry the spareribs until brown golden. Remove and drain.
8.Pour the oil out of the wok. Stir the sauce to blend and pour it into the wok, cook, stirring, until thickened.
9.Add the spareribs and stir until they covered with sauce. Remove and serve.