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CHAPTER 1

TO WOK OR NOT TO WOK?

Meat Dishes from My Chinese American Kitchen

When it comes to Chinese cooking, one of the first things you're taught is to buy a wok. Well, the eagerness to learn how to cook Chinese dishes ends right there for many people because a wok is intimidating to use! In a traditional Chinese kitchen, a wok is an all-in-one cooking vessel. We use it to stir-fry, boil noodles, smoke chickens, char vegetables, deep-fry eggrolls — a wok is all you need.

When I came to the United States, the first apartment my family lived in only had an electric stove. It was very hard to use a traditional wok on the flat surface because of its round bottom. I soon discovered and began using cast-iron pans, the oven and the grill! I realized there are so many other kinds of pots, pans and tools to use. To cook Chinese food, you don't really need to use a wok.

A lot of wok cooking is about high-heat, fast cooking. The hot surface can instantly sear anything. The caramelization it creates at that moment even has a name: it's called "wok chi," wok's aroma, wok's energy. To create wok chi, you cook the meat or veggie to the perfect caramelized stage, with a little bit of char. The slight smokiness instantly adds a touch of savory flavor to anything. In my kitchen, I often create this "magical touch" by using a cast-iron pan over high heat, hard sear or grill over an open flame; the nice grill marks are just like wok chi!

So ... to wok? Or not to wok? It's totally up to you! Use whatever is comfortable for you. In fact, none of the meat dishes in this chapter need to cook in a wok. We will be grilling, braising and sautéing. I will give you tips on heat control and timing. Very soon, you will be able to show off to your friends how you can cook Chinese food with anything. No wok? No problem!

GRILLED SKIRT STEAK WITH BROCCOLINI

Broccoli beef is one of the best known Chinese American dishes. This simple dish is very hard to execute perfectly because it requires extensive wok skill. I use a grill to make my version of broccoli beef, and I created the nice, charred "wok chi" flavor by giving the steaks nice grill marks. Broccolini is a closer cousin to Chinese broccoli, gai lan, than regular broccoli. It also grills a lot better. You might not want to go back to regular broccoli after you taste it!

SERVES 4

2 lb (900 g) skirt steak Steak Marinade
1 bunch green onions
2 oz (56 g) ginger
2 oz (56 g) garlic
3 tbsp (45 ml) oyster sauce
2 tbsp (30 ml) soy sauce
2 tbsp (30 ml) canola oil
2 red onions
1 lb (450 g) broccolini
2 tbsp (30 ml) sesame oil Kosher salt, to taste
1½ tbsp (11 g) ground black pepper, plus more to taste Crunchy sea salt, to finish

Pat the skirt steak dry with paper towels. In a blender, combine the green onions, ginger, garlic, oyster sauce, soy sauce and cooking oil. Blend until smooth. Pour this mixture into a shallow bowl and rub it all over the steak. Allow to marinate for 1 hour.

Meanwhile, clean and peel the red onions. Slicing against the grain, cut them into 1-inch (2.5-cm) rings. Clean the broccolini and put them into a large bowl with the onions. Dress them with sesame oil, season with salt and pepper to taste and set aside.

Preheat the grill on high heat. After the steak is marinated, wipe off the marinade. Season the steak with all 1½ tablespoons (11 g) of black pepper on both sides, and salt to taste. It is very important to grill the steak over high heat so there is a nice char and a quick sear, just like cooking in a wok. Skirt steak is very thin, so it cooks really fast; each side will only take 90 seconds to 2 minutes for medium rare, which I think is the best temperature to enjoy this cut of steak.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the grill, char the red onions, about 2 minutes on each side. When both sides are charred, but the onions are still raw, place these into a salad bowl and cover with plastic wrap. The carry-over heat will create steam to finish cooking them. Lightly grill the broccolini for 1 quick minute, so they are still green and crunchy. Allow the skirt steak to rest for a couple minutes before slicing. Set the steak on top of the red onion rings and the grilled broccolini. Finish with sea salt on the steak.

PRO TIP: Serve this dish with the Black Pepper Sauce here. Black pepper steak!!

PRO TIP: To cook a thin piece of protein, give it a harder sear on one side. Cook until it's almost done on that side only. Then give it "a light kiss" by quickly cooking the other side for no more than 30 seconds. This way you will have a wellseared, caramelized crispy side with a lightly cooked tender side. This cooking technique works well on all meats and seafood.

SOY-GLAZED OXTAIL

In Chinese culture, we believe in eating everything from nose to tail — nothing goes to waste. I happen to love to cook and eat oxtail. I find it more flavorful than any other cut of beef, and it's the best cut for braising dishes. The rich and sweet soy glaze, balanced with a touch of heat from the dry and fresh chili peppers, all slowly cook into the oxtail, and pieces of meat fall off the bone and melt into the sauce. I always cook extra rice when I have this dish for dinner. Oh, the sauce makes the plain rice so good! You can always substitute chuck roast or short rib for oxtail in this recipe.

SERVES 4

2 lb (900 g) oxtail
2 oz (56 g) fresh ginger
2 oz (56 g) garlic
2 oz (56 g) green onions
1 cup (240 ml) aged soy sauce
2 cups (480 ml) Shaoxing wine
½ cup (120 ml) water
½ cup (120 ml) mirin wine
1 tsp black pepper
2 oz (56 g) rock sugar (can substitute raw sugar)
4 dried arbol chilies
2 star anise
1 stick cinnamon
2 tbsp (30 ml) oyster sauce
½ cup (120 ml) maltose (can substitute with agave syrup or corn syrup)
2 fresh Fresno chili peppers
3 leaves Napa cabbage
3 sprigs cilantro, for garnish

Clean the oxtail and trim off the extra fat, leaving a thin layer of fat surrounding the meat. Smash the ginger and garlic on the cutting board with the back of a chef's knife and roughly chop. Smashing the garlic and ginger will release their oils. Cut the green onions into 4 sections.

Combine the oxtail, ginger, garlic, green onions, aged soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, water, mirin, black pepper, rock sugar, arbol chilies, star anise and cinnamon in a braising pot. Cook over medium heat. When it starts to simmer, skim the protein bubbles. Reduce the heat to low, cover the pot with a lid and simmer for 3 hours until the oxtail is tender. Allow the oxtail to cool down to 140°F (60°C) in the braising liquid, about 1 hour. When it comes to finishing up braising meat, always let the protein cool in the braising liquid at the end. This extra step will ensure the meat will stay moist.

Strain the oxtail, discarding the aromatics, and save all the braising liquid. Reduce this liquid to one-third — be patient, this should take about 10 minutes — and skim the fat floating on top. Add the oyster sauce and maltose to the reduction, and cook until the sauce coats the back of a spoon, about 3 minutes, and is glossy from the maltose. Slice the Fresno chilies, keeping the seeds for spice if desired. Slice the Napa cabbage into 1-inch (2.5-cm)-wide pieces.

Add the oxtail to the reduction and bring back to heat. Add the Fresno chilies and Napa cabbage, and cook for 2 minutes, making sure the Napa cabbage is still crunchy. Plate up and serve, garnishing with the cilantro sprigs.

FIVE-SPICE SEARED DUCK BREAST

The most famous Beijing dish is whole roasted Peking duck. When people find out I grew up in Beijing, they always ask if I know how to make it. Well, I do! But that's a three-day prepping and cooking process, plus it requires specialty tools and a duck oven. For this seared duck breast, it will only take 15 minutes to create a really impressive result. We only need to make sure we give all the love and patience needed to slowly render the duck fat from the skin, which creates an almost puffed chicharrón-like crispy skin. The kumquat mustard can be made ahead of time, and it stores well. My mom has a kumquat tree in her garden in California. After we harvest them each spring, we make kumquat mustard and preserve the kumquats to last for months. If you don't have kumquats, oranges will work fine to give that sweet citrusy flavor. This vividly colorful dish appears often on our Sunday dinner table in the spring.

SERVES 4

Duck
2 (8-oz [224-g] each) duck breasts with skin
½ tsp Chinese five-spice powder
1 tsp kosher salt, or more to taste Pepper, to taste

Kumquat Mustard
½ lb (225 g) kumquats or oranges
1 tbsp (15 ml) canola oil
1 tbsp (7 g) minced onion
1 tbsp (7 g) minced ginger
1½ cups (360 ml) Pinot Grigio
1½ cups (338 g) sugar
1 tbsp (6 g) whole mustard seeds
1 tbsp (6 g) dried mustard powder
2 tbsp (30 ml) white wine vinegar
½ tsp kosher salt
½ tbsp (7 g) unsalted butter

Sugar Snap Peas Salt, as needed
¼ lb (113 g) sugar snap peas

To prepare the duck breasts, lightly score the skin with diamond cuts. Rub with the five-spice, and then season with the salt and pepper. Set aside.

For the kumquat mustard, slice the kumquats into ¼-inch (6-mm)-thick rings. In a saucepan, add the oil, then the onion and ginger. Sweat them over medium heat until you can smell the aroma in the air and the onions are turning translucent, about 2 minutes. Add the wine, sugar, mustard seeds, dried mustard and vinegar, then stir and mix well. When everything melts together, add the sliced kumquat and simmer for 15 minutes. Season with the kosher salt, and add the butter at the end to finish.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 325°F (170°C, or gas mark 3). In a dry, ovenproof sauté pan heated over medium heat, put the duck breast skin-side down. The duck skin has plenty of fat; we don't need to add cooking oil here.

Once you hear a little sizzling sound from the duck skin, lower the heat to medium-low. Render the fat over medium-low heat for 5 minutes. When the skin is light gold, baste the meat with the duck fat in the pan, then place the pan in the oven for 7 minutes. Make sure the duck breasts are skin-side down when you place them in the oven. When done, allow the meat to rest for 2 minutes. The duck will be medium at this point. If you would like your duck to be more cooked, you can leave it in the oven for 2 minutes longer.

While the duck is in the oven, bring a saucepot of water to a boil. When the water is at a rapid boil, add salt; it should taste like sea water. Blanch the sugar snap peas in the boiling salt water for 30 seconds, and they are ready!

To plate, slice the duck breasts and spoon a generous amount of kumquat mustard on the plate. Place the sliced duck, skin-side up, on top of the mustard, and add the sugar snap peas around the plate.

PANFRIED PORK CUTLET WITH BLACK VINEGAR

This modern Chinese dish was created around the beginning of the 1900s in German concessions near Tian Jing seaport. Obviously, the inspiration was schnitzel. We even created a Chinese version of Worcestershire sauce and call it Chinese black vinegar. I like to use dry instant potatoes as a crust instead of bread crumbs; it forms a lighter and fluffier coating texture.

SERVES 4

4 (6-oz [168-g] each) boneless pork chops
2 eggs Salt and pepper, to taste
¼ cup (60 ml) water
1 tsp Chinese five-spice powder
1 cup (126 g) cornstarch
1 cup (100 g) instant mashed potatoes mix
½ cup (120 ml) canola oil, divided
2 tbsp (28 g) unsalted butter, divided
½ cup (120 ml) Chinese black vinegar

First, wet the cutting board with a clean, damp towel, and lay down 1 large piece of plastic wrap over it. The damp surface will keep the plastic secured to the cutting board. Place 1 pork chop on the plastic, and cover with another piece of plastic wrap. Using a meat mallet, evenly beat the pork chop a couple times to gently break down the muscles. Repeat this process for all the pork chops.

Next, prepare the egg wash, coating starch and instant potato crust to fry the pork chops. In a mixing bowl, beat the eggs well and add 1 pinch of salt, the water and Chinese five-spice. Pour the egg wash into a shallow container. Pour the cornstarch onto a similar size plate, and pour the instant potato mix onto a third plate. Line them up in order: starch, egg wash, potato crust. Season the pork chops with salt and pepper.

To bread the cutlets, first dip one in the starch, making sure to cover all surfaces of the pork chop. Shake of the excess. Next, dip it into the egg wash, allowing the excess to drip off. Last, dip the pork chop into the instant potato mix, making sure to completely coat. Repeat with the remaining pork chops.

Preheat a cast-iron pan over medium heat for 3 minutes. Add ¼ cup (60 ml) of oil. When the oil is hot, panfry 2 pork chops at a time. Fry each side of the pork chop for 2 minutes. When they are golden brown, add 1 tablespoon (14 g) of butter into the pan and baste the pork chops with the brown butter. Remove to a plate, then repeat to cook the other 2 pork chops, using the remaining ¼ cup (60 ml) of oil and finishing with 1 tablespoon (14 g) of butter.

After the pork chops are done, rest them for 1 minute, and slice them. Serve with Chinese black vinegar as a dipping sauce.

RED-BRAISED PORK BELLY

This is a classic Chinese dish that is made in every region of China, and everyone's grandma has her own version. My mom is from the northeast part of China; it takes over three days on a train to get there from Beijing. We only visited grandma once every two years, during Chinese New Year vacation. Every time we visited, grandma would kill a pig for the celebration. Grandma always saved the best part of the pig — the belly — for me, the little city girl. After years of eating this dish, I came up with my own version. Pork belly is slow simmered in caramelized soy sauce and warm spices. The layers of fat are rendered into the braising liquid and create this rich gelatinous sauce. Mom said, "It tastes like home." I hope my lao lao grandma would be proud.

SERVES 4

2 lb (900 g) skin-on pork belly
3 oz (84 g) ginger
2 oz (56 g) garlic
3 green onions
4 tbsp (60 ml) canola oil
½ cup (112 g) sugar
1 cup (240 ml) Shaoxing wine
1 cup (240 ml) soy sauce
2 tbsp (30 ml) fish sauce
3 star anise
1 stick cinnamon
1 cup (240 ml) water
2 tbsp (30 ml) maltose (can substitute with agave nectar or corn syrup)

Dice the pork belly into 2-inch (5-cm) squares. Smash the ginger and garlic on the cutting board with the back of a chef's knife and roughly chop. Smashing the garlic and ginger will release their oils. Cut the green onions into 4 sections.

Take out a 12-inch (30-cm) Dutch oven or a heavy-duty braising pot. If you have a clay pot, that's even better! Preheat the pot over high heat and when the pot is hot, pour the canola oil in the pot. Add the ginger, garlic and green onions, and when the aroma comes out, about 30 seconds, add the diced pork belly. Mix well and when the oil comes back to heat, add the sugar into the pot. This process is called "red coloring" in Chinese cooking. At this point with the sugar in the pot, you need to stir rapidly as the sugar will start to bubble and caramelize when it meets the hot oil. Allow the sugar to turn into a dark amber caramel; this takes about 2 minutes. Immediately deglaze the pot with the Shaoxing wine, and drop the heat to medium. Using a spatula, scrape off all the tasty little bits on the bottom of the pot. Add the soy sauce, fish sauce, star anise and cinnamon into the pot, and stir well. Slowly add the water into the pot to barely cover the pork; it may be a little more or less than 1 cup (240 ml). Bring this to a simmer, cover with a lid and drop the heat to low.

Slowly simmer the pork belly over low heat for 2 hours. Remove the lid and let the sauce reduce to a glaze consistency, nicely coating the pork belly. This will take about 10 minutes. Finish with the maltose to add shine and a little more sweetness.

SWEET-AND-SOUR BABY BACK RIBS

Sweet-and-sour baby back ribs have always been my go-to dish for dinner parties. It's easy to share and eat, and this dish will taste great hot or cold. This is no red sweet-and-sour sauce like you see in every Chinese American restaurant. My version is made with Chinkiang black vinegar. The flavor is more earthy and less sweet, and the color of the sauce is more of a dark amber-maroon.

SERVES 4

1 side baby back pork ribs (about 3 lb [1.4 kg])
2 oz (56 g) ginger
2 green onions
4 qt (3.8 L) water
½ cup (120 ml) Chinkiang vinegar
2 tbsp (30 ml) distilled white vinegar
¼ cup (60 ml) soy sauce
¼ tsp ground black pepper
½ cup (100 g) sugar
3 tbsp (45 ml) maltose
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tbsp (9 g) toasted white sesame seeds

Pat dry the baby back ribs with paper towels. On a cutting board with a chef's knife, divide the ribs into 3 even pieces by slicing the ribs along the bones. Slice the ginger into ?-inch (3-mm)-thick slices, and cut the green onions into 2-inch (5-cm) pieces. Combine the baby back ribs, ginger, green onions and water in a 12-inch (30-cm) pot. Place the pot over medium heat; the liquid should be barely covering the ribs. When the water comes to a boil, turn down the heat to low and simmer the ribs for 20 minutes. While the ribs are simmering, use a small skimmer to remove the impurities from the surface of the liquid. By keeping the cooking liquid free of floating proteins, we will produce a nice and shiny final sauce.

After 20 minutes of simmering the ribs, remove the pot from the heat and let the ribs rest in the liquid for 10 minutes. It is always good to allow braised meat to cool down in the cooking liquid so the meat doesn't dry out. Remove the ribs out of the liquid and set aside.

Strain the cooking liquid into a 12-inch (30-cm) sauté pan. Cook over high heat to reduce the liquid to one-third of its original volume. It will take about 10 minutes to reduce. Add the Chinkiang vinegar, distilled white vinegar, soy sauce, black pepper and sugar. Continue cooking to make a glaze. As the glaze reduces, portion the ribs into single ribs. Add the maltose to the glaze and once completely melted, add the portioned ribs into the pan as well. Simmer over low heat for 10 minutes. The glaze in the pan will continue to reduce and become a shiny layer coating the ribs. Remove from the heat and finish with the sesame oil. Sprinkle sesame seeds all over, and they're ready to eat!

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Excerpted from "Chinese Heritage Cooking from my American Kitchen"
by .
Copyright © 2018 Shirley Chung.
Excerpted by permission of Page Street Publishing Co..
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