Chinese sesame chicken recipe

How to Prepare / Make / Cook - ? Chinese sesame chicken recipe

Chinese sesame chicken recipe :

Sliced Chicken With
Broccoli

Fresh vegetables always give the best results. After one cooking class I taught, a student remarked how much crisper the broccoli was in my dish than in hers when she prepared the same recipe at home. It turned out she had used frozen broccoli. If you are rushed, you can get all kinds of cut-up raw vegetables at a supermarket salad bar.

They may cost more than starting from scratch, but it’s better than going to the frezer.

1 pound broccoli
1 pound skinless boneless chicken breasts, sliced (page 43)
2 teaspoons dry sherry
3 teaspoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons canola, corn, or peanut oil
¼ cup water
1 slice unpeeled gingerroot, 1 X 1/8 inch
1 garlic clove, crushed and peeled
1 (8-ounce) can sliced bamboo shoots, drained (about 1 cup)

1. Trim the broccoli stalks and peel them with a small paring knife. Slice the flower head off the stalks and cut it into bite-size florets. Roll-cut the peeled stalks into 1 ½ -inch pieces as described on page 46. You should have about 4 cups. Set aside.

2. Place the chicken in a bowl, add the sherry, 1 teaspoon of the cornstarch, and ½ teaspoon of the salt, and stir. Set aside. Mix the remaining 2 teaspoons cornstarch and ½ teaspoon salt with ½ cup of cold water. Set aside.

3. Pour 1 tablespoon of the oil into a wok or stir-fry pan and place over high heat. When the oil is hot but not smoking add the broccoli and stir for about 30 seconds. Stir in the ¼ cup water, reduce heat to medium, and cover the pan. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, for about 2 to 3 minutes, or until broccoli turns a darker green and is tender-crisp. Pour onto a shallow platter and set aside.

4. Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil in the same pan over high heat until hot but not smoking and add the gingerroot and garlic, stirring until they are fragrant and release their flavor, about 30 seconds. With a spoon, stir up the chicken again and turn it all into the pan. Stir briskly for about 3 minutes, or until the chicken turns white. Add the bamboo shoots and return the broccoli to the pan, stirring constantly. Pour in the cornstarch mixture and continue stirring until the gravy is slightly thickened. Remove and discard the gingerroot and garlic, if desired. Serve hot.

Lobster Cantonese Style

The Chinese like to cook lobster – as well as crab and shrimp – in the shell because it holds the moisture in and because it makes a beautiful presentation. For the fullest enjoyment of this dish, dispense with table manners and use your fingers. Suck the sauce from the lobster pieces, then remove the meat from the shell.

My mother always insisted on getting an active live lobster; it had to be flapping vigorously when she picked it up. Some people are a bit squeamish when it comes to chopping up a live lobster. The first cut, which splits the lobster in two, kills it instantly, but if this bothers you, plunge the lobster in boiling water first. I do not recommend buying ready cooked lobster because the meat is usually dry and overcooked. Be sure to cook the lobster as soon as it is chopped.

1 live lobster ( 1 ½ to 2 pounds)
¼ pound ground pork (about ½ cup)
2 slices unpeeled gingerroot, 1 X 1/8 inch each)
2 garlic cloves, crushed and peeled
1 ½ tablespoons fermented black beans, coarsely chopped
2 teaspoons dry sherry
½ teaspoon salt
1 ½ tablespoons dark soy sauce
¼ teaspoon sugar
3 tablespoons canola, corn, or peanut oil
1 ½ tablespoons cornstarch, dissolved in ¼ cup water
1 egg, beaten

1. Rinse the lobster in cold water and dry with paper towels or plunge it into a pot of boiling water for a few seconds. Cut and chop the lobster through the shell into 14 pieces as shown. Make the first cut down the middle, splitting the lobster in two. Collect the tomalley, place it in a bowl, and break it into small pieces. Discard the legs, intestine, sacks in the tip of the head, and spongy gills.

2. Combine the pork, gingerroot, garlic, black beans, and sherry in a small dish. Set aside. Mix together salt, soy sauce, sugar, and ¾ cup water in another dish. Set aside.

3. Heat the oil in a wok or stir-fry pan over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot but not smoking, add the pork mixture and the tomalley; they should sizzle. Stir for 2 to 3 minutes, or until the pork is no longer pink.

4. Add the lobster pieces and give a couple of big turns with a spatula. Add the soy sauce mixture. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, or until the lobster shell turns bright coral and the meat turns white and pink.

5. Uncover the pan and transfer the lobster pieces with a slotted spoon to a serving plate. Increase the heat to medium-high. When the liquid begins to boil, stir in the cornstarch slurry. When the liquid thickens, add the egg, stirring a few times to create ribbons. Return the lobster to the pan and give a couple of big turns with a spatula to mix well. Serve ho