Chicken with Ginger & Garlic

Although, I've lost my ability to smell and taste I can still feel the heat of ginger and chilli so when I make a stir fry I load it chock full just so that I can try and get some enjoyment from food... that, in addition to colour and texture.

I make this stir fry so often that I don't measure ingredients anymore - so far so good. I'm either getting it right each time or my family are just being awfully nice as not once have I had a complaint.  After living in a gourmet capital (Hong Kong) my hubby and gorgeous girls have developed high standards so if I stuff up I'll soon know about it.  The base sauce can be used for any type of meat and vegetables and depending on your ingredients, you'll get a different result.

Stir Fry Chicken with Garlic and Ginger

Ingredients:
2 cloves garlic (chopped finely)
1-2 tbsp ginger (chopped finely)
1 bunch of spring onion (cut into 1 inch lengths)
2 carrots (peeled and sliced)
1 packet of chicken breast (doesn't really matter how much)

Sauce:
2 tbsp oyster sauce
2 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tbsp dark soy sauce
1/2 tbsp fish sauce
3 tbsp water
1 tsp cornflour
1 tsp palm sugar
pinch white pepper

First prepare all of your ingredients then mix up the sauce in a small jug or bowl.  Notice that I've separated the thick white part of the spring onion to the finer green ones.  The thick lengths of spring onion have a longer cooking time so need to be placed into the wok closer to the start of your stir fry whereas the finer green lengths are thrown into the wok towards the end and require less cooking time.

Before you start your stir fry blanch the carrot in boiling water for 2-3 minutes.  When blanching vegetables, I was taught to throw in a piece of ginger, a tsp of sugar and a splash of shao xing wine to the water - this step is optional.

After you blanch the carrots, place them in cold water to stop the cooking process and drain your wok.

Heat your wok until it smokes then swirl enough cold oil around the middle so that it runs down to the bottom.  Throw in your garlic and ginger and stir fry until fragrant.  In my case I can tell when it's ready just by the colour.  

If the wok gets too hot and the ginger and garlic start to burn add your next ingredient i.e. the thick white lengths of spring onion, to bring down the heat.

Stir fry the white part of the spring onion for about a minute then add the chicken.

I normally blanch the chicken in hot oil until it changes colour before I add it to the wok in this step but one GG was vying for my attention so I added the chicken raw.  Although, the colour doesn't look great and the gas intensity felt like it was next to zero, the chicken was still lovely and tender in the finished dish.  Continue to stir fry the chicken until cooked then add the finer green spring onions, carrots and the sauce.  When adding the sauce drizzle it around the middle of the wok so that the heat of the wok starts to heat it instantly.  Make sure that the sugar melts, the sauce thickens and that the chicken and vegetables are well coated with the sauce before serving.  Garnish with some coriander.

Wok The Fu*k - How to Hold Your Wok

You thought this was rude didn't you, well sorry to disappoint... if it's crude stuff you're after it's best to leave my blog NOW!

Back to the serious art of cooking... now where was I... thats right, how to hold your wok whilst cooking.

If you have a wok that has two small handles, one on each side, use an old face washer or flannel as my nanna used to call them, to hold your wok whilst cooking.  Wet the face washer, squeeze out all of the water then fold it in half so that you have a rectangle; fold it in half again so that it becomes a square.

Now hold your wok like I'm holding mine in the photo below.

Contrary to what we are taught in Western cooking i.e. not to pick up anything hot with a wet cloth, when I learnt Chinese cooking I was taught the opposite.  The wet cloth actually prevents you from burning yourself and is less likely to catch fire near the intense heat.  If the handle starts to get too hot, simply rinse your cloth in cold water, squeeze out excess water and fold again as above.

Send in your Tips and or Suggestions on Asian Cuisine

Ok, I've got blonde hair and blue eyes and there is no hint of Asian about me but I spent a good 9 months with Cantonese cooks learning about Chinese cuisine and have an intermediate Chinese Cooking certificate to prove it.   I plan to include lots of yummy recipes on my site but if you read my blog and are Asian and have some tips or suggestions passed down from your mum or grandma then send them in as I would love to hear from you.

Hand Minced Pork Dumplings with Homemade Wrappers

It's too late to post the recipe and photo's of the dumplings that I made today but they are totally scrumdelicious!!!!!  When I get time later this week, I will update this post with the recipe and photos.  Making dumplings for the first time can prove a little tricky but with tips and a bit of practice you'll be making your own in no time.  Pop them into the freezer and you have a delicious snack that you can prepare quickly.  My kids love them and they are great for tots.... mmmmmmmmmmmmm.

A few days later and I've finally loaded the photo's....

If you  have a cleaver, go to your local butcher and ask for pork belly and try mincing your own meat, this way you will end up with a spongey, moist filling that is flavoursome and juicy instead of dry.

Chinese cooks use two cleavers to mince their meat but I only feel comfortable using one thanks very much!

Here we are aiming for half fat and half lean pork so that the fat renders down whilst cooking and keeps the filling moist.

Slice the ginger then fan it out and shred it finely.

Then in a fan type motion with your knife or cleaver, dice the ginger finely in a similar way that you would finely chop herbs.

Mix the hot water into the flour first before adding the cold so that the water cooks the flour and it ends up looking like this.  This is an important step as the hot water helps to make the dough elastic and it is easier to fill your dumpling wrappers.

Keep kneading the dough just like bread so that it ends up looking like the dough below.

Here, the gluten has started to relax and the dough is still soft and a little sticky.  Try not to spread too much flour on your working surface or you will lose the stickiness in the dough.  If you have to use a little flour only use cornflour otherwise, plain flour and the like will be absorbed into the dough and make it unmanageable.

Cut the dough into portions and cover them in plastic wrap ready for use.

Roll the portion of dough into a long rope and cut with a plastic scraper, similar to gnocchi.  Notice that there isn't too much flour on the work surface.

 Press the piece of dough down with the palm of your hand, cut surface facing up, so that a circle is formed then roll the wrapper as above.  I have a dim sum rolling pin but you can go to your local hardware store and have a small bit of wood cut to suit.  

When you fill the dumpling it is important to leave a a rim so that you can fold and pleat the wrapper.  Oops, in the above photo I dredged the dumplings with too much cornflour which made it difficult to pleat and seal the wrapper - not good.

To form the dumpling, fill the wrapper, fold it in half then pinch the right hand corner.  Start pleating the front side of the wrapper whilst pinching against the back of the wrapper and there you have it.  Notice that I haven't dredged the bench or dumpling with much cornflour and the result is a lot better.

And, look there's more.... waaaaaaaaaaaa.

Next step is to post the recipe.... back soon.

Seasoning Your Wok

I had just bought my shiny new carbon steel wok from Shanghai Street in Yau Ma Tei and was proudly carrying it through the central wet market on Hong Kong Island when an old Cantonese lady gave me tips on how to season my wok.  Scrub the wok with a soapless scourer to remove the thin film of manufacturing oil that protects it from rusting, rinse it in running water then dry with paper towel.  Heat the wok on high heat until it starts to smoke then add pork fat.  Use the garlic chives to swirl the pork fat around the wok so that the surface of the wok is coated in the pork fat.  As the pork fat renders down and the garlic chives become blackened, turn off the heat and let the wok cool.  Remove the blackened pork fat and garlic chives then repeat this process once or twice with fresh ingredients.

When the carbon steel wok is exposed to high heat the pores in the steel open up.  As you season your wok, the pork fat along with its flavour gets trapped in the pores and the garlic chives acts as an antiseptic.

After you have followed the above instructions, your wok is ready to use.  Each time you cook you will be adding to the depth of flavour and colour of the woks patina.  After I make a stir-fry, I put the wok under cold running water and use a nylon dishwashing brush to clean it - never clean your wok with dishwashing liquid.  By the time you put the nylon brush into the wok, it has already cooled down so as not to melt the brush. Wipe your wok out with paper towel, then immediately put it back onto the wok burner on a high heat to remove any moisture, then turn off the heat.  If you follow this method you won't have to deal with a rusty wok.  To be on the safe side, you can also wipe the inside of the wok with a few drops of oil when the wok cools down.

Note that I have a bamboo brush to clean my wok but find it quicker and easier to use the nylon one as sometimes it is necessary to clean your wok several times in the preparation of a dish.  Also, if you are able to get pork fat from around the kidney area, the fat will simply melt and you won't have to remove it.  In this case, wipe the wok clean with paper towels before you repeat the process.  This type of fat is often used to make the blocks of lard in the supermarket.