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Chinatown will be a feast for the senses this weekend as residents, merchants and Philadelphians of all ages get set to greet the Year of the Dragon. So don something red, prepare to dine, shop and make merry. At home, it’s easy to cook tasty colorful dishes for the Chinese New Year.
The simplest ways to stock an Asian pantry is browsing around the Chinatown markets or shopping at the local supermarket. The Asian aisles are stocked with all sorts of savory and sweet ingredients from hot sauces to rice noodles.
I always have soy sauce, toasted sesame seed oil and Sriacha sauce in the refrigerator. I did some culinary sleuthing to find out why I prefer Sriacha to Tabasco or other hot sauces when I prepare Asian dishes. I like the consistency and although it contains sugar, it is not sweet. According to “The New Food Lover’s Companion,” a fine culinary dictionary compiled by Sharon Tyler Herbst and Ron Herbst, Sriacha is “named after the seaside town of Si Racha, located along the Gulf of Thailand. The bright red sauce, a mixture of sun-ripened chiles, garlic, sugar and vinegar, has the consistency of ketchup.” Sriacha has become so popular in America, supermarkets now carry it. It is very hot, so I dilute it with water or stock before adding it to a recipe.
Garlic, ginger, scallions, baby bok choy, lemongrass, snow peas, sugar snap peas, napa cabbage — also called Chinese cabbage — and mushrooms easily find their way into Asian dishes. Canned water chestnuts and bamboo shoots are readily available, but one day I substituted fresh jicama for canned water chestnuts and found the flavor and texture quite nice.
I recommend Canola or peanut oil when stir-frying Asian fare. You want a flavorless oil with a high smoking point.
I have an old Teflon-covered wok-shaped frying pan which I use for stir-frying. You can use a wok or a large skillet and achieve tasty results. The skillet need not be a non-stick one.
Browse the frozen food sections and you will discover shrimp, chicken or vegetable shu mei. These dumplings are first cousins to wontons. I add them to Asian Chicken Soup.
Lettuce Wraps are served during Chinese New Year. You can use any protein of choice such as chicken, beef or shrimp. If using boneless chicken breasts or beef, store them in the freezer for about 20 minutes. You will achieve truly thin strips for the stir-fry.
Asian Chicken Soup with Shu Mei
Ingredients:
Carcass of a 4-pound roasting chicken, or about 4 large chicken breast bones
1 32-ounce package of chicken stock
About 5 cups of water
2 bunches of scallions, with some greens, sliced
4 baby bok choy, sliced
1 pound of cremini mushrooms, sliced
1 medium jicama, peeled and sliced
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 1-inch piece of ginger, grated, optional
Handful of fresh coriander leaves, chopped, optional
2 12-ounce bags of frozen shu mei
Directions:
Place the carcass or bones in a 4-quart pot. Add the stock and water. Bring to a boil, lower to medium-low, place the lid askew and simmer gently for about 45 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients, except for the coriander and shu mei, and simmer until the vegetables are cooked but retain a bit of bite, for about 10 minutes. Taste and correct for seasoning.
When ready to serve, bring the soup to a boil, add the coriander, if using, and the shu mei. Cook according to the package directions.
Serves six.
Note from Phyllis: Coriander is a staple of Asian and Mexican cuisines. Many people cannot eat it because it tastes like soap to them. Julia Child despised it. There is something in the saliva of those who detest it that gives the coriander a terrible flavor, according to a report from last year.
Lettuce Wraps
Ingredients:
Canola coil to coat the bottom of a skillet
2 heads of Boston lettuce, separated into leaves
1 pound of protein of choice, such as chicken, beef or shrimp, sliced
5 fat cloves of garlic, sliced
1/2 cup of soy sauce
4 tablespoons of toasted sesame oil
1 pound of mixed vegetables of choice, such as red peppers, scallions, mushrooms, sliced
Sriacha sauce, to taste
Directions:
Place all of the ingredients except the lettuce leaves in a glass or stainless steel bowl. Stir well and marinate for about 20 minutes. Place the lettuce leaves on a serving platter.
Heat the oil over high. Add the contents of the marinade bowl, including the marinade and stir-fry until the protein of choice is cooked, for about five minutes.
Allow each guest to stuff the lettuce wraps.
Serves four. SPR
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