Hunan Smoked Duck

http://chinesefood.about.com/od/poultryrecpz/r/teasmokedduck.htm

Smoked meats, including ham, pork and duck, are common in Hunan cooking. When preparing this dish, note that the duck is seasoned with peppercorns and refrigerated overnight before cooking.

Serves 4 to 6.

Ingredients:

• 1 - 5 pound duck
• 2 tablespoons salt
• 1 tablespoon Szechuan peppercorns
• Aluminum foil
• 1/2 cup black tea leaves
• 1/2 cup rice (uncooked)
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon light soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• Peppercorn Salt (see directions for link to recipe)
• 4 cups oil for deep-frying

Preparation:

Clean and wash duck. Dry thoroughly with a paper towel. Rub inside and outside with salt. Sprinkle with peppercorns. Wrap duck in aluminum foil and place a heavy weight on top. Refrigerate overnight.

Remove foil and place duck on steamer tray.

Cover and steam over boiling water 1 1/2 hours.

Line large wok and wok lid with aluminum foil. Place tea leaves, rice, and brown sugar on foil.

Put a rack above the mixture or place 4 chopsticks crosswise approximately 1 inch above it.

Place duck on rack, breast side up. Cover wok and seal tightly to prevent smoke from escaping.

Turn on high heat. Roast tea mixture until it smokes. Smoke duck 10 minutes on high heat. Reduce heat to moderate. Smoke another 10 minutes. Turn off heat. Leave duck in wok 20 minutes more.

Remove duck. Cool thoroughly. Rub with soy sauce. Sprinkle evenly with cornstarch.

Heat oil in wok and deep-fry duck 10 minutes (5 minutes each side). Remove. Drain on paper towel.

Chop into bite-sized pieces. Serve hot with peppercorn salt and buns. May be prepared in advance or frozen after step 10. Thaw and refry before serving.

Almond Boneless Chicken (Wor Su Gai)

http://chinesefood.about.com/od/poultryrecad/r/almondchicken.htm

Almond Boneless Chicken - batter coated chicken that is deep-fried and sprinkled with almonds - is a specialty in Detroit, Michigan. This particular recipe for Almond Boneless Chicken was posted on our forum by Nerisk. The total preparation and cooking time will depend on what type of cooking utensil you use to deep-fry the chicken.
For the batter, use a regular or large egg that has been lightly beaten with a fork. Combine the batter ingredients in a bowl and stir vigorously with a wooden spoon until smooth.

Ingredients:

• 2 whole chicken breasts, skinned, boned, and cut in half
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon dry sherry
• Sauce:
• 4 tablespoons cornstarch
• 3 tablespoons water
• 3 cups chicken broth, homemade or storebought (low-sodium is best)
• 1 1/2 cups chopped mushrooms (optional)
• 3 tablespoons chicken fat or butter
• 2 teaspoons soy sauce
• 3 tablespoons chicken bouillon granules
• Batter:
• 3 tablespoons cornstarch
• 3 tablespoons flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 tablespoon water
• Remaining Ingredients:
• 1 cup shredded lettuce
• 1/3 cup toasted, slivered almonds
• 1 green onion, finely chopped (green and white parts)
• Oil for deep-frying, as needed

Preparation:

Sprinkle chicken with salt and sherry and marinate for 15 minutes.
While chicken is marinating, prepare the sauce. Mix together the cornstarch and water in a small saucepan until smooth. Gradually mix in the chicken broth, mushrooms (if using), chicken fat or butter, soy sauce, and bouillon granules.

Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring constantly. Let boil for 1 minute, and keep warm.
To prepare batter: Beat together the cornstarch, flour, baking powder, egg, and water until smooth. Coat each piece of chicken with the batter.
Heat wok or a large skillet and add oil to a depth of 1/2-inch. Heat to 375 degrees. Cook coated chicken pieces in oil until they are golden, turning them once. This should take about 5 - 7 minutes. Drain the chicken on a tempura rack if you have one, or on paper towels.
Cut the chicken diagonally into strips. Reassemble the strips into chicken breast shapes and place on a bed of shredded lettuce. Sprinkle with almonds and green onion. Spoon the sauce over the chicken and serve.

Chicken and Spinach Soup

http://chinesefood.about.com/od/chinesesouprecipes/r/chickenspinach.htm

A very nutritious chicken soup made with fresh spinach leaves.

Serves 3 to 4.

Ingredients:

• 1 6-ounce skinless, boneless, chicken breast
• 1 tablespoon Chinese rice wine or dry sherry
• 3/4 teaspoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil, or as needed
• 1/2 pound fresh spinach leaves
• 4 cups chicken stock, or 4 cups storebought chicken broth mixed with 1 cup water
• 1 slice ginger
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• Salt and/or pepper, to taste

Preparation:

Wash the chicken breast, pat dry, and cut into thin strips approximately 2 inches long and 1/8-inch thick. In a medium bowl, add the rice wine, 1/2 teaspoon sugar and a few drops of sesame oil to chicken pieces.

Marinate the chicken for 20 minutes.
While the chicken is marinating, prepare the spinach leaves. Wash the spinach leaves and cut off the stems. Blanch the leaves in a large pot of boiling water for 1 - 2 minutes, or until the leaves turn a bright green. Plunge the blanched leaves briefly in cold water first to stop the cooking process, and then drain thoroughly.
Bring the chicken stock or chicken broth and water to a boil. Stir in the soy sauce and remaining 1/4 teaspoon sugar.
Add the chicken strips. Bring back to a boil and cook until the chicken turns white and is cooked through. Add the ginger and spinach leaves and bring back to a boil. Stir in the soy sauce. Taste and adjust the seasoning if desired. Serve hot.

Lobster Cantonese

http://chinesefood.about.com/od/seafoodrecipes/r/lobstercanton.htm

Serves 4 to 6.

Ingredients:

• 2 lobster tails (about 1 pound each)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon salted black beans, pounded and soaked in 1 tablespoon water
• 1 tablespoon ginger, chopped fine
• 1 scallion, chopped fine
• 1/4 pound ground pork
• 2 tablespoons sherry
• 1 tablespoon light soy sauce
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch, dissolved in 2 tablespoons water
• 2 scallions, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 egg, beaten
• 2 to 4 cups oil for deep-frying and stir-frying

Preparation:

Cut each lobster tail in half. Wash thoroughly. Drain. Cut tails into pieces 1 1/2 inches in length, leaving shells on.

Sprinkle 1/2 teaspoon of salt and the flour on lobster.

Mix garlic with black bean mixture in a bowl. Stir well.

Heat oil for deep-frying to smoking hot.

Put in lobster pieces. Deep-fry until shells are red. Drain. Remove.

Reheat 1 tablespoon of oil in wok. Stir-fry black bean mixture 30 seconds. Remove.

Reheat 2 tablespoons of oil in wok. Stir-fry ginger and scallion until there is an aroma, about 30 seconds. Add pork. Stir-fry on high heat until color changes. Add 1 tablespoon of sherry, soy sauce, black bean mixture, and stock. Bring to boil.

Add lobster to meat mixture. Add 1 tablespoon sherry. Cover. Cook 3 minutes.

Remove lid. Bring to boil. Thicken gravy with dissolved cornstarch. Season with 1/2 teaspoon salt. Add scallions. Slowly pour in beaten egg. Stir-fry about 10 seconds. Remove.

Clam Sycee

http://chinesefood.about.com/od/chinesenewyear/r/clamsycee.htm

Clam sycee originated in Shanghai, on the coast of eastern China. A popular New Year's dish, it symbolizes good fortune and prosperity, as the stuffed clams resemble the gold or silver bouillion originally used as money in China. Traditionally, the clams would be steamed before stir-frying or deep-frying, but I've cooked them in wine instead and combined the wine with the sauce for a bit of extra flavor.

Serves 4 to 6.

Ingredients:

• 2 dozen clams, such as littleneck or cherrystone
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 2 tablespoons Chinese rice wine or dry sherry, divided
• 1 slice ginger
• 1 green onion, cut on the diagonal into thirds
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch dissolved in 2 tablespoons water
• 3/4 cup chicken broth or stock
• 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce, divided
• 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
• 3/4 pound ground pork
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• Salt, to taste

Preparation:

Use a stiff brush to scrub the outside of the clams under cold running water. Drain.

Heat a wok or large frying pan over medium high heat. Add the olive oil, wine, 1 tablespoon Chinese rice wine or sherry, ginger, and green onion and the clams.

Cover and cook just until the clams open (about 10 minutes). Use a slotted spoon to remove the clams from the pan. Do not clean out the pan.

While the clams are steaming, mix the cornstarch and water into a paste. Combine the chicken broth, oyster sauce, 1 tablespoon soy sauce and sugar.

Shuck the clams, setting aside the shells for later. Mince the clam meat and combine with the ground pork. Stir in 1 tablespoon sherry, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, 1 tablespoon cornstarch, and salt to taste.

Stuff this mixture into the clam half shells. Rub the cornstarch/water mixture paste over top. Reserve any extra cornstarch paste to add to the sauce later.

At this point you can either deep-fry or stir-fry the clams. If deep-frying, be careful to deep-fry only a few clams at a time, meat side up, sliding them carefully into the wok so that the oil doesn't splatter. Deep-fry until golden in color and drain on paper towels or a tempura rack if you have one. If stir-frying, place the clams in the wok with the meat side down. Stir-fry in 2 tablespoons heated oil until golden.

Add the sauce ingredients into the pan with the wine. Add the clams back to the wok and simmer, covered, for about 20 minutes. Add any remaining cornstarch/water paste, stirring quickly to thicken. Serve hot.

Hunan Lamb

http://chinesefood.about.com/od/foodfestivals/r/hunanlamb.htm

Prep time: 40 minutes
Cook timeL 10 minutes
Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 1 pound lamb, boneless
• Marinade:
• 1 tablespoon Chinese rice wine or dry sherry
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• Other:
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil for stir-frying, or as needed
• 2 large leeks
• 3 to 4 red hot chili peppers, as desired
• 2 slices ginger (enough to make 2 teaspoons minced)
• 2 teaspoons rice vinegar
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch dissolved in 4 tablespoons water
• Salt, to taste

Preparation:

Cut the lamb into paper thin slices. Mix the lamb with the marinade ingredients. Marinate the lamb in the refrigerator, covered, for 30 minutes.

While the lamb is marinating, prepare the vegetables. Wash the leeks and cut on the diagonal into 1 1/2-inch pieces. Cut the chili peppers in half, remove the seeds, and chop. Mince the ginger.

Also while the lamb is marinating, prepare the sauce. Mix together the rice vinegar, sugar and water and set aside. Dissolve the cornstarch in the water and set aside.

Heat a wok over medium-high to high heat. Add 1 tablespoon oil. Add the leeks and stir-fry until they turn a light brown (about 2 minutes). Season the leeks with a bit of soy sauce or salt during stir-frying if desired. Remove the leeks from the wok.

Heat 2 tablespoons oil in the wok. Add the minced ginger and chopped chilies. Stir-fry briefly until the ginger is aromatic and the chilies just begin to blister (about 1 minute). Add the sliced lamb. Lay flat for 1 minute, then stir-fry until it loses its pink color and is nearly cooked through (3 to 4 minutes).

Give the sauce and the cornstarch and water slurry a quick re-stir. Push the lamb up to the sides of the wok. Add the sauce in the middle of the wok. Turn up the heat and add the cornstarch slurry, stirring quickly to thicken.

Add the leeks back into the wok. Mix everything together. Taste and add salt or other seasonings if desired. Serve hot.

Kung Pao Chi (Chicken with chilies and nuts)

http://www.recipesource.com/ethnic/asia/chinese/kung-pao-chi1.html

Yield 4 servings.

Ingredients:

1 lb Chicken Breast, Boned Cut Into 1″ Cubes
4 tb Soy Sauce
1 1/2 tb Cold Water
Cornstarch
1/4 ts Garlic Salt
4 Dried Red Chiles Or More To Taste
1 tb White Wine Or Sherry
1 tb Sugar
1/2 ts Salt
1 ts Sesame Oil
Oil For Deep Frying
1 ts Chopped Peeled Ginger root
1/2 c Peanuts

Directions:

Combine chicken, 2 tablespoons soy sauce, cold water,
1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch and garlic salt in bowl.
Stir evenly in one direction and let marinate 30
minutes. Remove tips and seeds from chiles, then cut
in 1-inch pieces. Combine remaining 2 tablespoons soy
sauce, wine, sugar, 1 teaspoon cornstarch, salt and
sesame oil in small bowl. Heat 2 to 3 inches oil in
wok to 400øF. Add chicken and fry 30 seconds. Remove
chicken and drain off all but 2 tablespoons oil. Heat
oil and fry chiles until black. Add ginger root and
chicken, stirring and tossing together. Add soy-wine
mixture and cook, stirring, just until thickened.
Remove from heat and sprinkle with nuts.

Hongshao Wanyu (Red cooked carp)

http://www.recipesource.com/ethnic/asia/chinese/red-cook-carp1.html

Yield 4 servings.

Ingredients:

1/2 oz Dried Tangerine Peel or citrus peel
3 lb Firm, white-fleshed Fish such as Rock Fish, Cod,
Halibut, Haddock, Scrod,Red Snapper,
or Sole (cleaned & left whole)
2 ts Salt
4 tb Cornstarch
2 c  Peanut oil
2 tb Finely chopped garlic
3 tb Minced peeled fresh ginger
4 tb Finely chopped scallions
3 tb Rice wine or dry sherry
1 tb Whole bean sauce (yellow bean sauce)
2 tb Dark soy sauce
1 tb Sugar
6 tb Chicken stock or water

Directions:

Soak the Tangerine or citrus peel for 20 minutes in warm water
or until it is soft. Rinse under running water, squeeze out any
excess liquid, finely chop and set aside. Make 3 or 4 slashes on
each side of the fish to help it cook faster and allow the flavors
to permeate. Rub the fish on both sides with the salt. Sprinkle
the cornstarch evenly on each side of the fish. Heat a wok or
deep saute pan until it is hot. Add the oil. When hot, deep-fry
the fish on each side for 5 to 8 minutes until brown and crispy.
Remove fish and drain on paper towels. Pour off oil, leaving 2
tablespoons. Reheat the wok. Add chopped tangerine peel,
garlic, ginger and scallions and stir-fry for 30 seconds. Put in
the rest of the ingredients. Return the fish to the wok, spooning
the ingredients over the top of the fish. Cover wok. Cook over
low heat for 8 minutes. Serve at once. Serves 4, as part of a
Chinese meal or 2, as a single dish.

Abalone Meuniere Mandarin

http://www.recipesource.com/ethnic/asia/chinese/abalone-meuniere1.html

Yield: 1 serving

Ingredients:

5 (7 1/2-ounce) cans Mexican abalone
8 oz Shrimp
4 oz Fat pork
4 oz Water chestnuts, minced
pn Chives
Ginger water, to taste (see note)
Salt and MSG
1 oz Maize (corn) flour
4 oz Chive and ginger oil (see note)
2 oz Flour
3 Eggs, beaten
5/8 oz Shaoxing wine
6 oz Chicken stock

The following four recipes are from a Chron article
called “Foreign Intrigue” by Alice Cuneo that featured
recipes from various consulates in the City.  This
first one is from the Consulate of the People's
Republic of China.  It's a sophisticated (but
uncomplicated) banquet dish featuring abalone, shrimp
and porkfat.
 
Abalone stuffed with minced shrimp, from Shen Xuliang
of the Chinese consulate.
   
Trim the abalone, removing rough parts, and cut into
flat rounds. Chop shrimp and fat pork to a paste
consistency; stir in the water chestnuts, chives and
ginger water.  Season with salt and MSG.
   
Create the abalone “sandwiches” by spreading an
abalone round with shrimp paste, then topping with
another round.  Dredge “sandwiches” in maize flour and
set aside.
   
Heat chive and ginger oil in a wok over medium heat,
swirling the oil to coat all sides of the wok.
   
Dip the abalone “sandwiches” in the flour, then in
eggs.  Fry in the hot oil until abalone is tender and
golden.  Add Shaoxing wine, chicken stock, salt and
MSG.  Bring to a simmer, adjust the seasonings and
simmer for 3 to 4 minutes.  Serve immediately.
   
NOTE:  Chive and ginger oil is oil in which chives and
ginger have been cooked.  To make at home, heat 4
ounces oil in a wok set over medium heat. Toss in 1 or
2 tablespoons fresh snipped chives and 3 slices fresh
ginger. Stir-fry until fragrant, then proceed with
recipe.  (Remove ginger slices before serving.)
   
Ginger water is available in Chinese markets.

Crispy Baked Fish Chinese-Style

http://www.chinesefood-recipes.com/

Ingredients:

• 1 salmon or halibut steak (9-10 oz. with bone)
• 1 tsp. grated ginger root
• 1 tbsp. dry sherry
• 1 tbsp. low-sodium soy sauce
• 2 tbsp. water
• 1 1/2 tsp. apple juice concentrate
• 4 green onions with green tops, diced
• 4 or 5 snow peas

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Mix ginger root, sherry, soy sauce, water, and apple juice concentrate in a small bowl for sauce; set aside.
3. Spray a baking dish with no-stick cooking spray. Place fish in dish. Combine sauce, green onions, and snow peas; pour over fish. Cover and bake 20-25 minutes until fish turns from translucent to opaque.
4. Remove sauce from pan; set aside. Broil fish 3 to 4 minutes until crispy. Pour sauce over fish. Serve with rice.

Fish in Chinese cooking

Fish is a greater delicacy than meat and poultry in Chinese food. The cooking of fish is also a more delicate matter. A Chinese restaurant is often known by the chef's skill in fish and a new Chinese cook is also often tested by his fish.

The charm of Chinese seafood is the way in which vegetables are combined with it to make more of the fish itself. Each is independent of the other, yet each depends on the other for the excellence of the dish. While westerners rarely, if ever, cook fish and vegetables together, the Chinese, for the most part, do just that. There are almost as many ways of cooking fish as there are ways of cooking. Fish is even eaten raw, for which salmon and cod are good.

Fish from the sea is much used along the coastal provinces of China but fresh-water fish plays a much greater part in Chinese cooking than in the west. The Chinese ways of cooking probably make it so. Restaurants and even households often buy live fish and keep them swimming in tanks until needed for use. For celebrations and parties the Chinese serve fish whole. A headless, tailless fish is considered incomplete and unaesthetic. There is a practical reason for leaving the fish intact: fewer juice escape during the cooking process.

Of sea fish, bluefish, whitefish, flounder, cod, salmon, bass, and fresh sardine can make good Chinese dishes. Shad and mullet are partly sea and partly river fish. Shad is a great delicacy in China. Of fresh-water fish, carp and buffalo carp are the most important in Chinese fish dishes.

Give me a fish, I eat for a day. Teach me to fish, I eat for a lifetime. - Robert Louis Stevenson

Common methods fish are prepared in Chinese

There are two ways of cooking fish plain in China, steaming and simmering which are both a good choice from a nutritional point of view because unlike frying, they do not increase the fat content. To steam, the fish is placed in a plate with seasoning and very small amount of water, and the dish is placed on a rack in a wok with boiling water. Alternatively, instead of plate, you can use the bamboo steamer but that's not a good idea really because the sweet juices seep out of the fish will drip right down into the boiling water. The aluminum steamers is your best bet if you are concerned that boiling water in the wok will remove your hard-earned seasoning. Only a good-sized fish is worth cooking in this way. An alternative method apparently just as good is to clear-simmer it. You put the fish together with the small amount of liquid seasoning directly into the pot and bring to boiling over high heat and reduce heat to simmer as soon as boiling starts. Never let boiling continue hard or it will ruin the fish. Shad, bass, pike, and mullet and plaice are suitable for clear-simmering.

The Chinese word for fish is pronounced "yu". The same pronunciation is given to the word "remain". From this coincidence the Chinese developed a tradition of serving fish at celebrations and happy occasions: The fish ("yu") served at the meal "guaranteed" that the happiness felt by the participants would remain "yu") for a long time.

Remember that fish, like most other foods, continues to cook even after you remove it from the heat source. So, try to stop the cooking before the dish is done.

Szechuan Beef Stir-Fry

http://www.chinesefood-recipes.com/

Servings: 4

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. beef flank steak
• 2 tbsp. soy sauce, low sodium
• 4 tsp. Oriental dark roasted sesame oil, divided
• 1 1/2 tsp. sugar
• 1 tsp. cornstarch
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 tbsp. fresh ginger root, minced
• 1/4 tsp. red pepper pods, crushed
• 1 sm. red bell pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 8 oz. frozen baby corn, defrosted
• 1/4 pound pea pods, julienned
  

Directions:

1. Cut beef steak lengthwise into 2 strips; slice across the grain into 1/8 inch thick strips.
2. Combine soy sauce, 2 tsp. oil, sugar and cornstarch; stir into strips.
3. Heat remaining 2 tsp. oil in wok or large skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic, ginger and pepper pods; cook 30 seconds.
4. Add bell pepper and corn; stir-fry 30 seconds.
5. Remove vegetables. Stir-fry beef strips (half at a time) 2 to 3 minutes.
6. Return vegetables and beef to wok and heat through. Serve with hot cooked rice.

Szechuan cucumber relish

http://www.chinesehomecooking.com/

Servings: 2 - 3

Ingredients:

1 ¼ lbs. cucumbers
15 slices garlic
1 teaspoon Szechuan peppercorn
1 teaspoon hot bean paste
2 Tablespoons hot chili oil
1 Tablespoon salt
2 teaspoon sugar
1 Tablespoon brown vinegar
2 Tablespoons sesame oil

Directions:

1. Cut off and discard both tips of the cucumber. Cut the cucumber in half by making one cut from end to end. Repeat this step for each half to yield 4 long quarter strips. Discard the seeds. Then cut each strip into 2" long pieces in any shape you'd like. Put the cucumbers in a bowl, mix with salt, and let it marinate for 2 to 3 hours.
2. Wash the cucumbers with cold water, and put in a strainer to drain off some moisture. Then put them back in a bowl.
3. Add the garlic slices, Szechuan peppercorns, hot bean paste, hot chili oil, sugar, vinegar, and sesame oil. Mix well, let it marinate for about 3 hours, and it's ready to serve.

Egg foo young

http://www.chinesehomecooking.com/

Servings: 2 - 3

Ingredients:

6 eggs
½ cup crab meat or shrimps
2 oz. ham or barbecued pork
3 dry black mushrooms
1/3 cup green onions
1 cup bean sprouts
1 Tablespoon soy sauce
2 teaspoons salt
½ cup soup stock or water
8 Tablespoons cooking oil

Sauce: (optional)

1 cup soup stock or water
1 teaspoon salt
½ Tablespoon cornstarch
½ Tablespoon soup stock or water

Directions:

1. Early preparation: soak the dry black mushrooms in hot water for 30 minutes to an hour to soften them. While you're waiting, dice the ham (or barbecued pork) and green onions. Julienne the black mushrooms once they are softened.
2. Beat the eggs until foamy, add 1 teaspoon of salt, soup stock (or cold water), and mix again to make the egg mix for use later.
3. Heat 6 Tablespoons of cooking oil in the wok, then stir fry the crab meat, shrimp, ham, pork, mushroom, bean sprouts, and green onion altogether. Add the soy sauce and salt, and stir fry for about 30 seconds over high heat.
4. Pour 2 Tablespoons of cooking oil down the side of the wok (try to encompass the circumference of the pan) and add the egg mix. Fry (not stir fry) until one side is golden, then flip it over and repeat until the other side is also golden. Move it to a plate and it is ready to serve.

Note:

To make the optional sauce, pour the soup stock, and salt into a pan. Bring it to a boil. Make the cornstarch paste by adding ½ Tablespoon of cornstarch with ½ Tablespoon of soup stock and mix well. Then thicken the sauce by adding the cornstarch paste and mix well again.

Oyster with black bean sauce

http://www.chinesehomecooking.com/

Servings: 2 - 3

Ingredients:

½ lb. raw oysters
3 Tablespoons cooking oil
3 Tablespoons soy sauce

Seasoning:
½ Tablespoon green onion (chopped)
½ Tablespoon ginger (minced)
½ Tablespoon garlic (minced)
2 Tablespoons black bean

Cornstarch paste:
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1 Tablespoon water

Directions:

1. Chop the green onions to about ¼" length. Mince the ginger and garlic, and mix the cornstarch paste. If the oysters are big, cut them up into 1" pieces. Have everything all ready within reach from you, because this dish will take only a minute.
2. Heat 3 Tablespoons of cooking oil in a wok on high. Add the seasoning, and sitr fry for about 10 seconds.
3. Add the oysters, and 3 Tablespoons of soy sauce. Stir fry for about 15 seconds.
4. Add the cornstarch paste, and stir fry for another 15 seconds.
5. Transfer everything into a serving plate, and you're done.

Chicken low mein

http://www.chinesehomecooking.com/

Servings: 4

Ingredients:

1 Tablespoon cooking oil
½ lb. boneless chicken breast
¼ cup carrots
½ cup celery
¼ cup mushrooms
6 oz. thin egg noodles

Noodle sauce:
1 cup Chicken broth (or water)
2 Tablespoons oyster sauce
1 Tablespoon Cornstarch

Marinade:
1 Tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon rice wine
1 teaspoon garlic
1 teaspoon cornstarch

Directions:

1. Slice the chicken into 2" x 1" strips. Mince the garlic. Julienne the carrots, and slice the mushrooms and celery.
2. Marinate the chicken by adding the marinade and mixing thoroughly in a bowl. Cover, and refrigerate for 20-30 minutes.
3. While marinating the chicken. Boil the noodles for 15-20 minutes, or until they are tender. Drain the noodles and set them aside.
4. Pour the cooking oil in the wok, and heat the wok on high. Then stir fry the chicken and carrots for 1 minute. Add the celery and mushrooms, and continue to stir fry for 1 more minute.
5. Whisk together the chicken broth, oyster sauce, and corn starch (noodle sauce). Pour into the wok while gently stirring the content to prevent lumps. Toss in the cooked noodles. Stir and cook until the sauce is thickened (about 1-2 minutes). Transfer to a serving plate and serve.