1-2 Cups White rice
1-2 Pints Chicken Broth
1-2 Tomatoes
1/4 Cup Oil
1/2 Tsp Salt
Dash of powdered cumin Preparation:
Wash the rice thoroughly for at least 15 minutes. Warm a skillet over low heat. Drain the rice completely. Add the oil to the skillet and increase the heat to medium high. Add the washed rice to the pan. Stir occasionally to ensure that all of the rice grains are coated with oil. If needed, add a little more oil. Reduce the heat to medium low and continue to fry the rice. The rice should eventually take on a golden brown color.
Once the rice is fried, increase the heat to high. Once the pan is really hot, pour in ~1 cup of the broth and quickly cover the pan tightly. Wait for about one or two minutes and uncover the pan and stir the rice. Repeat the process with another cup of broth. At this point reduce the heat to medium and if the pan is dry add some more broth. Peel, seed and chop the tomatoes. Strain the seeds and reserve the juice. Continue to stir the rice occasionally and add more broth if the pan goes dry. Sprinkle some salt over the rice and keep the pan covered tightly.
Once the rice has begun to soften add the chopped tomatoes, their juice and the rest of the broth. Reduce the heat to low, stir occasionally. Cover the pan and continue to cook until the rice is tender.
Note: This recipe is essentially like an Italian risotto without any dairy product. For extra color feel free to add some chopped roasted green chiles. For a more intense red color you may add some tomato juice and reduce the amount of broth.
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Fenris, this recipe is from the About.comChinese cooking forum (scan down the page to “Honey Glazed Walnut Prawns”). It is a good starting point for your investigation into this dish. The cracker meal may be more appropriate than my silking technique in this case. (I would be tempted to start with a dusting of cornstarch to promote adhesion of the cracker crumbs.) A heavier crust will stand up to the final tossing with the Mayonnaise mixture. Be sure to use Best Foods / Hellman’s mayonnaise or homemade mayo for this recipe. I would make the mayo sauce exactly as shown in this recipe. Mix the vinegar and mayo, taste it and then gradually add the sugar and evaporated milk to balance the flavor and texture.
Chinese/Cantonese Honey-glazed Walnut Prawns By Thori Ingredients:
4 oz walnuts
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup honey
1/2 pound prawns, shelled and deveined
2 egg whites
1/4 cup cracker meal
1/2 T white vinegar
2 T mayonnaise
1 T sweetened condensed milk
1 T sugar Preparation:
Place walnuts in cold water in a saucepan. Heat to boiling and boil for 10 minutes. Remove walnuts from boiling water. Put walnuts and 1/2 cup sugar into 2 pints of newly boiled water for another 10 minutes. Remove walnuts from the boiling water, then coat evenly with honey. Next, deep fry the walnuts at 325 F for 5-8 minutes, until golden.
Dry the shelled and deveined prawns with a paper towel. Coat the prawns with the egg whites, then roll in cracker meal. Deep fry the prawns for 2 minutes. Mix the vinegar, mayonnaise, sweetened condensed milk and 1 tablespoon sugar in a hot wok or frying pan and fry the prawns in the mixture for about 1 mintue. Serve with waluts over rice.
The only things I’d change on that is that I use a tenderizer (that mallet with the sharp points on it) to beat my steak to a pulp. I think it makes it more tender than serrating, and I get to work out my latest peeve Other than that, I’d dredge it a fourth time just to make sure the crust is good and fluffy–kind of like KFC extra-crispy chicken.
White gravy: put a tablespoon or two of the steak grease and some of the scrapings from the bottom of the pan in a skillet and turn on low–leave it on low. Do NOT turn up the heat. In a separate container, mix a couple of tablespoons of flour with a little room-temperature (this is important) milk. Stir well. Keep adding milk little by little until you have a semi-thick roux. Put the roux in the warm grease, and start stirring with a wire whisk. Do not stop stirring. With your other hand, start sprinkling in flour and room temperature milk until you have the appropriate amount of gravy. If it gets too white (rather than a brownish-grey), add a little more cool grease. When you finally have enough gravy for the steaks and the mashed potatoes–you do know that it’s a crime to have chicken fried steak without mashed potatoes?–you may turn the stove up one notch to warm the gravy a bit more, if needed.
Serve with the legally-required mashed potatoes, green beans cooked with bacon grease, soft rolls, and a big glass of cold buttermilk or unsweetened iced tea.
Zenster, thanks for the try, but this is closer to the yukky Mayo ‘n’ orange version that I don’t want (This is the currently trendy version). The version I’m looking for has a very dark “brown” sauce (like you’d get with Beef with Broccoli). The version I want has no mayo anywhere in or near it. (Mayo+Chinese Food. Not a happy combination)
However…If I take the “honey glazed walnuts” part from this post, combine it with the silking technique from your other post (in the version I want, your silking technique perfectly describes what the shrimp were like) and simply look around for a good dark “brown” sauce (I could even swipe one from a Beef and Broccoli recipe), I’ll be in the ballpark, I think.
Take eggs out of fridge 20-30 minutes prior. Place eggs in medium to hot water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to 8 or 9 on your dial* and let it run for 7 (soft boiled) to 10 (hard boiled) minutes. Drain boiling water and add cold. Let sit for a couple of minutes and…voilà!
Thanks for dropping in stofsky, I usually use the old mallet for my Wiener schnitzel recipe. The serrating thing is a childhood habit.
As for you Fenris, I can only agree with you. Mayo does not equal Chinese cooking. Over at About.com, I started a thread about Master sauces, I’ll se if I can’t import some of the results for you. They should form a good foundation for the brown sauce you are speaking of.
Whack them little cutlets! Use a tenderizing mallet (thanks for reminding me stofsky) or fold them in waxed paper and “smear” them with the broad side of a cleaver or a smooth pounding tool (most tenderizing mallets will have smooth face too).
I cannot believe I left this out! Fortunately, if you use good boneless loin chops or tender veal your results will still be good. The entire meaning of the term Wiener Schnitzel refers to “Viennese Pieces” (or parts). This is because the preparation allows you to pound together smaller cuts of meat into a large “cutlet” and bread it up so that no one notices that you just served them the tastiest meat scraps that they have ever had.
Actually, I was going to suggest that. I know exactly what kind of dish you are talking about, it’s the way that my favorite local Chinese place prepares all their “meat with walnuts” dishes.
Try the sauce recipe from my earlier post, and just cut the amount by a third or so. You may want to sweeten the sauce by substituting sweet rice wine for the rice wine vinegar, or adding a some sugar dissolved in a bit of water to it.
Taking bits that work (or fit your idea) from different recipes and combining them into something new is one of the reasons I enjoy cooking. Experimentation is part of the journey, and you can usually improve some facet of whatever dish you are working on.
No one appreciates good humour anymore. Actually it’s kind of sweet and sour humour, given the fact that those four or five lines pretty much sum up my culinary expertise.
Here’s something good for that blustery weather that’s just starting. Go easy on the bourbon; it’s just meant to flavor the drink, not really spike it. Doesn’t mean you can’t have a shot on the side.
For one drink:
2 teaspoons good quality cocoa power (I like Droste’s)
4 teaspoons sugar
2 tablespoons of cream
2 teaspoons of REALLY good bourbon (like Knob Creek)
Using one of those little whisks, whisk all of the above ingredients together in a big mug until all the lumps are gone. You should have a smooth, batterlike paste. Then fill the mug with piping hot milk and whisk. Yum!
5 cloves garlic
2 T salt
5 lb boneless veal roast
l/4c olive oil
2 onions, thinly sliced
3 carrots, thinly sliced
3 bay leaves
1 small sprig dried thyme
1small sprig dried marjoram
1 t freshly ground peper
2 c dry white wine
2 chiles pasillas [seeded and demembraned]
1T oil
1 T chopped onion
2 gloves garlic, chopped
4 tomates, chopped
With your molcajete [mortar and pistle], grind garlic with salt. Rub onto veal and let stand at room temp for 2 hours
Preheat oven to 375.
Pour olive oil into cazuela [traditional Mexican earthenware cassarole] and stir in carrots and sliced onion. Place veal in cazuela and cover the bay leaves, thyme and marjoram. Sprinkle with pepper and pour 1 c of wine around roast. Cover with foil and roast for 30 minutes.
Uncover and turn roast over and stir up veggies. Add remaining wine, Recover and roast for an additional 30 min.
Meanwhile, drink a cold bottle of cerveza while roasting chiles on a comal [iron skillet]. Then soak chiles covered in hot water for 20 min. Finish cerveza. Drain chiles and set aside.
Heat oil in sauce pan, add chopped onion and garlic sauting until transparent. Add tomatoes and boil for 10 minutes to reduce liquid. Simmer, covered for 20 minutes. Uncover and cook another 10 min. Transfer to blender, add chiles, puree and strain.
Remove veal from oven cover with 2 cups of tomato puree and roast, uncovered for about 30 minutes. Baste occasionally. Veal is done when pierced easily with fork. Remove from oven and transfer to platter. Strain remaining liquid into a sauce pan. Add remaining puree which wasn’t cooked with roast to heat. adjust seasonings to taste.
Slice veal and add sauce.
Now for the best part: left-over meat. Put under broiler to heat and give a broiler taste to it. Slap on warm corn tortilla, add lettuce, salsa and enjoy.
Beef Taco Meat Carne de Res
Preparation time: 1 1/2 Hours
Serves: 6 People Ingredients:
2-3 Lb Beef chuck roast
3-5 Cloves Garlic
3-4 Tbs Oil or fat
1 Qt Water or stock
1-2 Tbs Salt Preparation:
Preheat a medium size cook pot over low heat. Add oil to the pan. Place the piece of meat in the pan or dress it into large pieces that will fit. Increase the heat to medium. Brown the meat thoroughly on all sides. Peel and crush the garlic into the hot fat. Do not brown the garlic. After three minutes or less pour in the water or stock. Add the salt and continue to cook uncovered until the meat falls apart and is tender. There should be very little stock left when finished. Note: This meat should be served in deep fried yellow corn taco shells. Freshly made ones are best. White corn tortillas for soft tacos will also work but are not as good. Use Herdez brand Salsa Casera and top each taco with some finely grated Parmesan cheese (trust me it works). Recommended toppings are as follows:
Chopped tomato
Chopped white onion and cilantro mix
Shredded lettuce
Shredded Monterey Jack cheese (not Cheddar)
Grated Parmesan cheese
Salsa Casera
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Zette’s 7 layer cookies
*NOTE- you can substitute for these ingredients. I often use peanutbutter chips in place of butterscotch, or maybe semi-sweet mini m&ms for the choc chips.
1 stick of margerine
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1 cup crushed nuts (any kind)
6 oz (half a bag) semi-sweet choc chips
6 oz butterscotch chips
1 1/2 cups shredded coconut
1 can semi-sweet condensed milk
in a 13x9 pan, melt margerine. Mix crumbs and margerine and spread over the bottom of the pan.
Layer all the rest of the ingredients in order- bake at 350 for 15 to 20 minutes until LIGHTLY browned. Let cool COMPLETELY before cutting. Makes 24 bars.
*Lobster or crayfish tails may be used instead. Preparation:
Chill all serving plates and ingredients before use. Shred lettuce very thinly by cutting fine slices off of the lettuce head. Arrange the shredded lettuce in a bed on each plate or bowl. Mound equal portions of the shrimp in the center of each serving. Squeeze the juice of one lemon into a bowl and remove any seeds. Spoon the lemon juice over the shrimp. Arrange the Langoustine and prawns evenly around each mound of shrimp. Top each cocktail with spoonfuls of the seafood sauce. Top the cocktail with the crab lump meat. Garnish with lemon wedges. Note: Crosse and Blackwell’s seafood sauce is markedly superior to most others on the market. Heinz’s is acceptable but does not have the right balance of horseradish in it. The Beaver brand from Oregon is quite good but sometimes hard to find. The secret of this recipe is to douse the shrimp with lemon juice when assembling the salad. That way the flavor is there throughout the entire salad.
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Awright Zenster, we’ve had a cordial relationship on the board until now, but these is fightin’ words. Crosse and Blackwell’s sauce is good, but your dissing of the (argueably superior) Bookbinder’s (I think that’s the name) Cocktail Sauce is too much to bear. Bookbinder’s has a pleasantly coarse texture and the perfect amount of horseradish. The one time I’ve had Crosse and Blackwell’s it had a smooth ketchup-y texture which I didn’t care for, although the horseradish/tomato ratio was dead-on accurate.
I demand satisfaction!
Fenris (Who’s gonna try your recipe as soon as he gets home)
Thanks Fenris for the mention of Bookbinder’s seafood sauce. I am on the west coast and do not recall seeing it at any of the stores I patronize. If they have an 800 number on the label please email it to me or post it here. I happily anticipate trying any other sauce that might be superior to Crosse and Blackwell.
That said, I need to correct a major oversight on my part concerning my suggestions about Chinese cooking recipes that have appeared in this thread.
Very few (if any) dark Chinese sauces cannot benefit from the following ingredient set:
Soy Sauce
Ginger
Scallions
Shaoxing Rice Wine or Sherry
Garlic
Using the above five ingredients in conjunction with five spice powder and Hoisin, oyster or black bean sauce will give you the most authentic of flavors. The main reason that I have brought this up is because I believe that all of us have neglected to mention the use of wine in our Chinese cooking. (Please correct me if I’m wrong, as I have not gone back and scanned all of the Chinese recipes.)
What I can share with you is the great leap forward that my Chinese cooking took when I first started using Sherry. The next step is to get a good bottle of Shaoxing (pronounced shau-zing) rice wine and really get things up to snuff. The Chinese wine is not expensive and I anticipate some real fun ahead.
Once again, thanks to all of you for your loyal support of this thread. I believe that good food is one of the mainstays of life.
Well, I did say, in a follow-up, that sweet rice wine can be used to sweeten a sauce:
However, you are correct. The main reason I did not mention rice wine is that, all of a sudden, it became a pain in the ass to find the Japanese sweet rice wine that I used to use all the time. I love the stuff.
I would also say that another ingredient that is used well in a dark Chinese sauce would be sweet soy sauce. The best kind is very dark and thick, with a scent and flavor reminiscent of molasses. It is also a bit rare, so I did not list it in my earlier recipe.
BTW, Zenster, I tried your Wiener Schnitzel recipe this weekend. It was awesome. Using fresh breadcrumbs makes an incredible difference over dried breadcrumbs. The breading was soft and almost fluffy while still being crisp; it was great.
I am slightly confused though. Last summer, my girlfriend was in Vienna, and ordered Wiener Schnitzel. What she got was basically an oddly spiced hotdog. Of course, one of her friends ordered “Pot Roast” and got sausages with sauerkraut. I always thought Wiener Schnitzel was a type of sausage. German restaurants here serve it that way as well.
Thank you Demise for catching me on this. That said, look in an Oriental food store for Mirin. This would work in place of Shaoxing fairly well. I realize that in Texas, this may be asking a bit much.**
Really glad to hear it! Thanks for trying this method. It is the best one that I know.**
Only because you said I could Zenster. I made this and gave it as gifts last Christmas.
3 cups powered Sugar
1 box instant chocolate pudding mix (makes it much creamier)
8 ozs. non-fat dry milk
1 16oz. Instant Chocolate Milk
1 6oz Creamora ( or if you want flavored hot chocolate use your favorite flavored powdered creamer. )
Mix well and store in air tight container until you’re ready to make the individual gift packages.
With each gift add a tag that says: 3 tablespoons per cup of hot water.
I got some baskets at the resale shop and some coffee mugs from the dollar store and put it all together to make some really neat looking gift baskets, that didn’t leave me totally broke.
Other than that, I’d dredge it a fourth time just to make sure the crust is good and fluffy–kind of like KFC extra-crispy chicken.