We couldn't let Chinese New Years slip by unrecognized! After all, China was a delightful travel destination several years ago, and we cherish each moment that we spent there. The scenery, the people, the cuisine...it was all so special. However, nothing was more special than Xi Yi whom we met in Quillan. We've kept up a friendship with Xi Yi over the intervening years, watching her move from a young student to a successful doctor. So it is that with our Chinese New Year's dinner that we celebrate not only the holiday but also the land and its wonderful people such as Xi Yi.
We're started off our festive dinner with bowls of Hot and Sour Soup with Shiitake Mushrooms, thanks to an incredible recipe published by America's Test Kitchen, and followed this favorite with Twice Cooked Green Beans with Garlic Shrimp and Hedgehogs accompanied by small bowls of rice.
America's Test Kitchen's Hot and Sour Soup with Shiitake Mushrooms
7 ounces extra firm tofu, drained
4 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
3 tablespoons cornstarch, plus an additional 1-1/2 teaspoons
1 boneless, center cut, pork loin chop, 1/2 inch thick, about 6 ounces, trimmed of fat and cut into
1 inch by 1/8 inch matchstick pieces
3 tablespoons cold water, plus 1 additional teaspoon
1 large egg
6 cups low sodium chicken broth
1 cup bamboo shoots (from 5-ounce can), sliced lengthwise into 1/8 inch thick strips
4 ounces fresh shiitake mushrooms, stems removed, caps sliced 1/4 inch thick, about 1 cup
5 tablespoons black Chinese vinegar or 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar plus 1 tablespoon
balsamic vinegar
2 teaspoons chili oil (optional-we find the soup just right without the addition of the oil)
1 teaspoon ground white pepper
3 medium scallions, sliced thin
- Place tofu in pie plate and set heavy plate on top. Weight with 2 heavy cans. Let stand at least 15 minutes (tofu should release about 1/2 cup liquid).
- Whisk 1 tablespoon soy sauce, sesame oil, and 1 teaspoon cornstarch in medium bowl. Toss pork with marinade and set aside for at least 10 minutes, but no more than 30 minutes.
- Combine 3 tablespoons cornstarch with 3 tablespoons water in small bowl and mix thoroughly. Set aside, leaving spoon in bowl.
- Mix remaining 1/2 teaspoon cornstarch with remaining 1 teaspoon water in small bowl. Add egg and beat with fork until combined. Set aside.
- Bring broth to boil in large saucepan set over medium high heat. Reduce heat to medium low. Add bamboo shoots and mushrooms and simmer until mushrooms are just tender, about 5 minutes.
- While broth simmers, dice tofu into 1/2 inch cubes.
- Add tofu and park, including marinade, to soup, stirring to separate any pieces of pork that stick together. Continue to simmer until pork is no longer pink, about 2 minutes.
- Stir cornstarch mixture to recombine. Add to soup and increase heat to medium high. Cook, stirring occasionally, until soup thickens and turns translucent, about 1 minute. Stir in vinegar, chili oil, pepper, and remaining 3 tablespoons soy sauce. Turn off heat.
- Without stirring soup, use soup spoon to slowly drizzle very think streams of egg mixture into pot in circular motion. Let soup sit 1 minute. Return saucepan to medium high heat. Bring soup to a gentle boil. Immediately remove from heat. Gently stir soup once to evenly distribute egg. Ladle into bowls and top with scallions.
Twice Cooked Beans with Garlic Shrimp and Hedgehogs
1 pound large shrimp
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 teaspoons minced ginger root
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 garlic clove, minced
1 1/2 pounds green beans
1 cup sliced hedgehogs
2-4 tablespoons oil
Salt
- Shell and devein shrimp. Rinse under running cold water.
- In bowl, mix shrimp with soy sauce, ginger root, cornstarch, crushed red pepper, and garlic. Set aside.
- Trim ends from green beans. In 12 inch skillet over high heat, in 1/2 inch boiling water, heat green beans until tender crisp. Drain and wipe skillet dry.
- In same skillet over high heat, add 2 tablespoons oil. Add beans and hedgehogs. Sprinkle with salt. Cook, stirring constantly, until beans and mushrooms are slightly browned. Remove and keep warm.
- Over high heat, cook shrimp mixture, adding more oil if necessary. Stir constantly until shrimp turn opaque throughout. Spoon shrimp over green beans and serve with small bowls of rice.
Happy New Year!
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