A really light noodle dish that is full of flavor- nutty sesame and peanut butter, and hot Sichuan chili cooled down by the cucumber and cold noodles.  You can make your own noodles or substitute with store bought egg noodles or even spaghetti.  And if you really want to do this in under 30 minutes, use store bought rotiserrie chicken.

Chef’s tip: Mung bean starch is easily available in Korean grocery stores.

Noodles:

4 cups + 2 Tablespoons water
¾ cup mung bean starch

Meat and marinade:
2 chicken breast, bone-in, skin-on
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 Tablespoon ginger juice
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 Tablespoon canola oil

Sauce:
3 Tablespoons tahini + 3 Tablespoons water (more if tahini is thick)
1 Tablespoon light soy sauce
1 Tablespoon Chinkiang or black Chinese vinegar
1 Tablespoon sugar
½ teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon ground roasted Sichuan peppercorn or Sichuan peppercorn oil
1 teaspoon ginger, grated fine
1 clove garlic, grated fine
1 Tablespoon Asian chili oil
1 Tablespoon sesame oil

1 stalk green onions, green parts only, julienned into 1 inch strips
2 Tablespoons sesame seeds, toasted
1 teaspoon Asian chili oil
½ teaspoon sesame oil

Preparing the noodle
1.   Mix starch with 1 ½ cups of water till starch is fully dissolved.  Mix in remaining water.
2. Bring to boil, stirring constantly till the mixture thickens.  It’s easiest to stir from the center out. Stir until the mixture is clear and translucent.  About 4 minutes total.  Immediately pour mixture into a wet, glass or ceramic dish, about 9X12 inch, making a thin 3/8 inch layer.
3. Leave to cool for 45 minutes in the fridge or 2 hours at room temperature.
4.  When set, cut noodles into thin ¼ inch strips

Preparing the chicken
5.     Preheat oven 350F.  Mix chicken marinade ingredients together.  Place chicken breast on a baking sheet, rub skin with marinade.  Roast for 35-40 minutes until chicken is just cooked (190F).
6.  Remove the meat from the bones, discard skin and shred the chicken.

Preparing the sauce
7.   Whisk together the sauce ingredients in a bowl.

Preparing the garnish:
8.   Cut the green onions into 1 ½ inch section, then sliced lengthwise into thin shreds.  Put into cold water and drain well and pat dry before use.

9.   Pan-fry the sesame seeds (without any oil) under medium heat till golden brown.

Assembly:

10.  In a bowl, place a heapful of noodles.  Pour sauce over the noodles and toss to coat. Place on top of noodles some shredded chicken, green onions and sesame seed.  Finish with a little chili oil and sesame oil.

Serves: 6

Tags: Chinese, noodles, Sichuanese, street foods.

Whenever in Shanghai, I must have xiao long bao,  Or whenever it is on any menu!  Din Tai Fung, a Shanghainese, or maybe Taiwanese chain, is able to make a fast food production out of making these delicate soup dumplings.  It is fascinating watching their staff fold these dumplings so swiftly.  One would think they pay their staff based on how fast they can churn out these dumplings.

Chef’s tip: The trick to getting the soup in the middle is by gelling up some aspic with the filling, so when you steam it, the aspic melts to become a soup.

Soup:
1 lb chicken wings tip
3 cups water
2 oz Hunan smoked pork, whole
1 stalk green onions, cut into 3 inch lengths
3 slices ginger
1 Tablespoon Chinese rice wine

Dough:
½ cup high protein/ bread flour
¼ cup all purpose flour
¼ cup + 1 Tablespoon (or more) boiling water
1 teaspoon canola oil

Filling:
1 Tablespoon green onions, white part, very finely minced
1 Tablespoon ginger juice, from 1 Tablespoon fresh ginger, grated
1 Tablespoon soy sauce
1 Tablespoon Chinese rice wine
½ Tablespoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon sugar
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
8 oz ground pork

Napa cabbage leaves or parchment paper

Sauce:
¼ cup red wine vinegar + 2 Tablespoon water
5 slices ginger, julienned

Preparing the soup

1.     Place all ingredients in a pot. Bring to boil and gently simmer till stock has reduced into half. Cool.
2.    Remove solids and pass the soup through a sieve into a wet pan.  Chill.
3.     When soup has gelled, scrape it up and break it up with a fork.  Set aside in the refrigerator.
Preparing the dough.
4.     Combine the 2 flour together. Form a well in the center. Gradually add the boiling water, stirring until a ball forms.  Cool a little, while still warm, stir in the oil.  Transfer to a lightly floured board and knead for a few minutes until soft and smooth.  Wrap in plastic and let rest for 1 hour.
5.     Divide the dough into 2 balls. Roll each piece of dough into a 1 inch cylinder.  Cut each cylinder into 12 pieces. Roll each piece into a ball. You should have about 24 pieces. Cover as you work.
Preparing the filling
6.     Mix all the ingredients together.  Add in the crushed stock.  Gently mix together.
Making the dumpling
7.     Take a dough portion, work into a round ball, flatten it into a 2 1/2 inch round with a rolling pin.  Make a well in the center and place 1 tablespoon of filling, pat it into a mound, leaving a ¾ inch edge around.  Carefully pull up the dough edge with your right thumb and index finger to make the first pleat, while your left thumb centers the filling.  Next, gather the edge of the wrapper with your left index fingers and start to make the subsequent pleats, while your right thumb and index fingers seal the pleats that are formed.  Aim to make 18 pleats per dumpling. Pinch the top together and give it a twist to seal.  Peel off any extra dough at the top.  Placed onto a steamer that is lined with cabbage leaves.
8.     Steam over simmering water for 8 minutes or until the dumplings are translucent.
Preparing the dipping sauce:
9.     While dumplings are steaming, julienne ginger, and mix with red wine vinegar and water.  Serve with dumplings.

Serves: 4

Tags: Chinese, dim sum, Shanghainese.

Sticky, chewy Chinese rice cakes are definitely a textural affair.  These Chinese gnocchi make a great base for many flavors – leeks with lamb, salted egg yolks with crab roe or simply in a clear soup.  This simple Shanghai-style stir-fry recipe, which I recreated from eating the nian gao that my friend Geraldine’s mom makes, is a truly satisfying comfort food.

Chef’s tip: Well, Mrs.Liu recommended the Korean-made rice cakes over the Chinese made ones since it doesn’t require parboiling or soaking.

Marinade:
4 pieces chicken thighs, boneless, skinless, trimmed of fat, thinly sliced
1 Tablespoon soy sauce
1 Tablespoon oyster sauce
1/2  Tablespoon shao xing wine
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1 Tablespoon oil

Sauce:
4 Tablespoons soy sauce
1 Tablespoon shao xing wine
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 Tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 cup chicken broth (and more if needed)

3 Tablespoon canola oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
5 slices ginger, thinly julienned
1/2 small yellow onion, thinly sliced
1 small red bell pepper, thinly sliced
4 cups napa cabbage, stems and leaves separated, sliced into 1/2 inch strips
16 oz rice ovaletts (fresh, refrigerated ones, preferably Korean made), toss to separate
1 Tablespoon sesame oil
1 stalk green onions, green parts only, thinly sliced

1. Marinade chicken strips with soy sauce, oyster sauce, shao xing wine, sugar, cornstarch and oil for 20 minutes.
2. Mix sauce ingredients in a small bowl and set aside.
3. Heat a wok or a non stick pan over high heat.  Add half the oil, when hot, add garlic and ginger.  Saute for 30 seconds until fragrant.  Add marinated meat and onions and brown meat, about 2 minutes.  Push to the side of the wok.
4. Add napa cabbage stems and red bell pepper and saute until limp, about 2 minutes.    Push to the side of the wok.
5.  Add remaining oil, then add the rice cakes.  Drizzle in part of the sauce mixture, being careful to not soak the rice cakes.  Toss all wok ingredients together.  Add in cabbage leaves.  When the sauce has cooked off, add remaining sauce in parts, each time being careful not to soak the rice cakes.  Continuously stir fry until the rice cakes are tender, about 6 minutes.
6.  Drizzle in the sesame oil, and toss with green onions.  Serve immediately.

Serves: 4

Tags: Chinese, noodles, Shanghainese.