How to Prepare / Make / Cook - ?Chinese cabbage recipe
Chinese cabbage recipe :
Mandarin Cucumber Soup
My mother liked to prepare this soup because it reminded her of her childhood
in Beinjing. There was a small town nearby called Feng Tai that once supplied
the palace with both flowers and vegetables. The vendors at the Feng Tai
train station sold tiny cucumbers, six inches long, from small woven trays.
The cucumbers were to expensive to buy enough for a dish to feed a large
family, so people bought just enough to make this special soup.
Both my mother and I use the young, thin cucumbers that are available
during the summer at local produce stands. English seedless cucumbers
that are wrapped in plastic and sold at most supermarkets can also be
used. Since the skin of these cucumbers is tender and not coated with
wax, you don’t have to peel them. If you use regular cucumbers,
peel them, leaving alternate strips of green skin behind.
1 long seedless cucumber or 1 pound very young cucumbers
¼ cup thinly sliced lean pork (about 1 boneless pork chop)
½ teaspoon dry sherry
1 teaspoon cornstarch
4 cups Chinese chicken broth (page 64) and 1 teaspoon salt or
1 (13 ¾ -ounce can) chicken broth and enough water to make 4 cups
1 teaspoon sesame seed oil
Salt to taste
1. Cut the cucumbers in half lengthwise, remove seeds, if any, and slice
on the diagonal ¼ inch thick. You should have 2 cups. Set aside.
2. Place the pork in a bowl, add the sherry and cornstarch, and stir together
well. Set aside.
3. Bring the chicken broth to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add the pork
and stir until the broth returns to a boil.
4. Just before serving, add the cucumber slices, stir 2 or 3 times, and
remove from the heat. Drizzle with sesame seed oil. Salt to taste as desired.
Serve immediately.
Note. The cucumbers cook very quickly and can overcook easily by just
sitting in the hot broth.
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