Chinese Style Roast Pork (Char Sil)

In San Francisco's Chinatown, char sil is often displayed hanging in a market window or layered in pans in Chinese delicatessens or restaurants. This versatile pork works well in stir-fries, lo meins, or dumplings. Wrap leftovers tightly in foil or heavy-duty plastic wrap, and place in a plastic bag. Freeze for up to three months. Serve with snow peas.
This recipe goes with Rainbow Fried Rice.

Yield
8 servings (serving size: 3 ounces)

Ingredients
1/2 cup hoisin sauce
1/2 cup ketchup
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup dry sherry
1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
2 tablespoons honey
2 teaspoons minced green onions
1 teaspoon dark sesame oil
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 pounds boneless Boston butt pork roast, trimmed and cut into (2-inch) cubes

Preparation
Combine first 9 ingredients in a large zip-top plastic bag. Add pork; seal and marinate in refrigerator 24 hours, turning bag occasionally. Remove pork from bag, reserving marinade.

Preheat oven to 350°.

Place pork on the rack of a broiler pan lined with foil. Bake at 350° for 30 minutes. Turn pork over, and baste with reserved marinade. Discard remaining marinade. Bake an additional 20 minutes or until a thermometer registers 160° (slightly pink).

Preheat broiler. Broil pork 5 minutes or until browned.

Nutritional Information
Calories:193 (41% from fat)
Fat:8.9g (sat 3g,mono 4g,poly 1.1g)
Protein:21.2g
Carbohydrate:5.8g
Fiber:0.2g
Cholesterol:73mg
Iron:1.5mg
Sodium:249mg
Calcium:28mg

Chinese cooking@home
by cooking lover

Chinese Style Stove Top Pot Roast with Noodles

Ginger, soy sauce, star anise, and Chinese five-spice powder infuse this dish with Asian flavor. If you can't find fresh Chinese egg noodles, substitute rice noodles or even linguine.

Yield
8 servings

Ingredients
4 teaspoons peanut oil, divided
1 (2 1/2-pound) sirloin tip roast, trimmed
1 teaspoon Chinese five-spice powder
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
5 cups fat-free, less-sodium beef broth
1/2 cup dry sherry
1/4 cup thinly sliced peeled fresh ginger
3 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
4 garlic cloves, crushed
3 star anise
2 cups sliced shiitake mushroom caps
2 cups (2-inch) julienne-cut carrot (about 2 large)
4 baby bok choy, halved lengthwise (about 1 3/4 pounds)
12 ounces fresh uncooked Chinese egg noodles
1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions

Preparation
Heat 2 teaspoons oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Sprinkle roast evenly with five-spice powder and salt. Add meat to pan; cook 5 minutes, turning to brown on all sides. Add broth and next 6 ingredients (through star anise) to pan; bring to a simmer. Cover, reduced heat, and simmer 3 1/2 hours or until meat is tender. Remove meat from pan. Cover and keep warm.

Strain cooking liquid through a sieve over a bowl; discard solids. Heat the remaining 2 teaspoons oil in pan over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms and carrot to pan; sauté 5 minutes. Add bok choy and 4 cups reserved cooking liquid to pan. Cover and cook 5 minutes or until bok choy is tender.

Cook noodles according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain. Divide noodles evenly among 8 bowls. Shred the meat with 2 forks; arrange 3 ounces meat over each serving. Top each serving with 2 tablespoons vegetable mixture and 1/2 cup broth. Place 1 bok choy half on each serving; sprinkle each serving with 1 1/2 teaspoons green onions.

Nutritional Information
Calories:414 (31% from fat)
Fat:14.2g (sat 4.6g,mono 6.5g,poly 1.4g)
Protein:40.1g
Carbohydrate:29.8g
Fiber:3.1g
Cholesterol:82mg
Iron:4.2mg
Sodium:846mg
Calcium:207mg

Chinese cooking@home
by cooking lover

Chinese Hot and Sour Soup

It's a bit milder than the restaurant standard, but that's what we like about it. The flavors are balanced and fresh, and the acidity functions as an accent, not a one-note blast. Prep and Cook Time: 1 hour, 30 minutes. Notes: The heat from the black pepper in this soup intensifies as it sits. If you plan to make the soup ahead of time or want a milder flavor, use 2 tsp. during cooking; then taste the soup before serving and add more pepper if you like.

Yield
Makes about 4 1/2 qts. (serving size: 1 cup)

Ingredients
2 pounds pork top loin, cut crosswise into 1/8-in.-thick strips
1/4 cup plus 2 tbsp. soy sauce
2 tablespoons grated peeled fresh ginger
3/4 cup rice vinegar
1/4 cup cornstarch
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup peanut oil
1 can (8 oz.) sliced bamboo shoots, drained and rinsed
12 cups chicken broth
3/4 pound shiitake mushrooms, thinly sliced
12 ounces firm tofu, drained and cubed
4 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
About 1 tbsp. freshly ground black pepper (see Notes)
Chopped fresh cilantro and sliced green onions (pale green and white parts)

Preparation
1. In a bowl, toss pork with 1/4 cup soy sauce and ginger. Marinate 20 minutes. In another bowl, stir together remaining 2 tbsp. soy sauce, rice vinegar, cornstarch, sugar, and salt; set aside.

2. Heat peanut oil in a large pot (at least 5 qts.) over medium-high heat, then add pork and marinade. Cook, stirring constantly, until pork loses its pink color, about 4 minutes. Stir in bamboo shoots and cook 1 minute.

3. Increase heat to high, add broth, and bring to a boil. Add mushrooms, reduce heat to a simmer, and cook about 20 minutes. Add tofu and simmer 5 minutes. Add soy-vinegar mixture and simmer 5 minutes more; the liquid will thicken.

4. In a small bowl, beat eggs with sesame oil. Slowly pour eggs into soup in a thin stream while stirring soup very slowly in one direction. Add pepper, stir briefly, then simmer 5 minutes. Serve with cilantro and green onions.

Note: Nutritional analysis is per cup.

Nutritional Information
Calories:244 (66% from fat)
Protein:15g
Fat:18g (sat 5.7)
Carbohydrate:18g
Fiber:0.7g
Sodium:890mg
Cholesterol:80mg

Chinese cooking@home
by cooking lover

Introduction

There is absolutely no way to describe the best of Chinese food on this page. The variety, styles, and methods of cooking are immense. Therefore, I'll briefly highlight some key items.The difference in regional styles of cooking in China are vast for the most part. The recipes listed here are mainly comprised of Westernized versions of popular recipes.

However, you can learn how to cook Chinese food at home by yourself from many popular Chinese recipes. Let's do it and enjoy the great foods now!

Chinese cooking@ home
by cooking lover