TONKATSU - DEEP FRIED PORK FILLETS

Pork:
6 Pork escalopes, around .5mm thick and weighing 130-150g each
120g plain flour
salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 eggs, beaten
200g dried breadcrumbs
oil for deep frying

To Serve:
shredded cabbage
boiled rice
Hot English Mustard or Japanese Mustard
(prepackaged hot English mustard)
Tonkatsu sauce or mixture of 50/50
Worcestershire sauce and tomato sauce

1. Using a mallet or meat tenderiser flatten out the pork fillets evenly.
2. Season the flour with salt and pepper in a bowl.
3. Place the beaten eggs and breadcrumbs on separate plates or bowls.
4. Coat the pork in the flour then eggs and finely the breadcrumbs shaking off any excess crumbs.
5. Set aside until ready to cook.
6. Heat some oil in a deep fryer or wok to 180-190E C.
7. Cook 1 or 2 fillets at a time in the hot oil for around 5 minutes until they are golden brown.
8. Remove them from the heat and drain them on kitchen paper and keep warm while you cook the remaining fillets.
9. Place a bed of cabbage on each plate.
11. Slice the pork fillets into 6-8 slices and place them on the cabbage.
12. Accompany each serving of pork with a bowl of rice, mustard and Tonkatsu sauce or a mixture of Worcestershire sauce.

PORK CHOW MEIN

Makes: 4 Servings

6 ounces medium egg noodles
12 oz pork fillet
2 tbsps sunflower oil
1 tbsp sesame oil
2 garlic cloves, crushed
8 scallions, sliced
1 red bell pepper, seeded and roughly chopped
1 green bell pepper, seeded and roughly chopped
2 tbsps dark soy sauce
3 tbsps Chinese rice wine or dry sherry
6 oz bean sprouts
3 tbsps chopped flat leaf parsley
1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds

1. Soak the noodles according to the package directions. Drain well.
2. Thinly slice the pork fillet.
3. Heat the sunflower oil in a preheated wok or large frying pan and cook the pork over high heat until golden brown and cooked through.
4. Add the sesame oil to wok or frying pan, with the garlic, scallions and bell peppers.
5. Cook over high heat for 3-4 minutes, or until the vegetables are beginning to soften.
6. Reduce the heat slightly and stir in the noodles, with the soy sauce and rice wine or dry sherry.
7. Stir-fry for 2 minutes.
8. Add the bean sprouts and cook for another 1-2 minutes.
9. If the noodles begin to stick, add a splash of water.
10. Stir in the parsley and serve sprinkled with the sesame seeds.

FRIED EGGPLANT

2 young eggplants
salt and pepper
2 eggs
flour to make a light batter
2 tbsps shortening

1. Slice the eggplants very thin, paring them if large, and leave the skin on it young and tender.
2. Season the eggplant well with salt and pepper.
3. Make a light batter with eggs and flour.
4. Soak the slices in the batter.
5. Lift out and fry in the hot shortening.
6. When done on one side, turn.
7. When done, remove the eggplants to paper towels or brown paper; keep warm.
8. Serve hot.

CHINESE BARBECUED PORK

Makes: 8 Servings

3 lb boneless pork shoulder or butt

Marinade:
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup hoisin sauce
3 tbsps Chinese rice wine or dry sherry
2 tbsps ketchup
2 tbsps sugar
1 tbsp grated orange peel
1 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp minced ginger
½ tsp sesame oil
½ tsp Chinese five-spice
1 tbsp sesame seed paste (optional)
4-5 drops red food colour (optional)

1. Trim excess fat from pork.
2. Cut meat into pieces roughly 1 inch thick, 3 inches wide and 8 inches long.
3. Combine marinade ingredients in a large bowl; add pork and stir to coat.
4. Cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours or up to overnight; turn meat occasionally.
5. Preheat oven to 350 E F.
6. Remove meat from marinade; reserve marinade.
7. Place meat on a rack in a foil lined baking pan.
8. Bake, uncovered, for 30 minutes.
9. Turn slices over and bake for 45 minutes longer, brushing occasionally with reserved marinade.
10. Cut into thin slices.
11. Serve hot or cold.

CHINESE BARBECUED SPARERIBS

Makes: 4 Servings

2 lbs pork spareribs, cut into 3-inch lengths
Char sui sauce or hoisin sauce

Marinade:
1/3 cup char sui sauce or hoisin sauce
3 tbsps Chinese rice wine or dry sherry
3 tbsps soy sauce
1 tbsp sesame oil
1 tbsp minced ginger
2 tsps minced garlic
1 tsp Chinese five-spice

1. Cut ribs between every second bone to make serving-size pieces.
2. Combine marinade ingredients in a bowl.
3. Add spareribs and stir to coat.
4. Cover and refrigerate for 6 hours or up to overnight.
5. Preheat oven to 400 F.
6. Place ribs on a rack in a foil-lined baking pan; cover loosely with foil.
7. Bake for 30 minutes. Turn ribs over, baste with char sui sauce, and continue baking, loosely covered, until tender, about 30 minutes.
8. Baste again with char sui sauce.
9. Bake , uncovered, for 6 minutes.
10. Turn spareribs over, baste with char sui, and bake until well glazed, about 6 minutes more.

BEIJING SWEET AND TANGY BEEF

Makes: 6 Servings

1 ½ lbs beef, cut ½ inch thick (try to use pork or chicken if you prefer them better)
egg, lightly beaten
cornstarch
cooking oil for deep frying

Marinade:
3 tbsps Chinese wine or dry sherry
2 ½ tbsps soy sauce
1 tbsp cornstarch

Sauce:
1/4 cup ketchup
3 tbsps Chinese black vinegar or balsamic vinegar
2 tbsps hoisin sauce
2 tbsps Worcestershire sauce
1 tbsps soy sauce
1 tbsp sugar
1 tsp chili garlic sauce

1. Cut beef into 2-inch squares. Combine marinade ingredients in a bowl. Add meat and stir to coat.
2. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours.
3. Combine sauce ingredients in a small pan and set aside.
4. Place egg and cornstarch in separate bowls.
5. Dip beef in egg, drain briefly, then dip in cornstarch; shake off excess.
6. In a wok or 2-quart saucepan, heat oil for deep-frying to 360 F.
7. Deep-fry beef, a few pieces at a time, turning occasionally, until golden brown, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon; drain on paper towels.
8. Cook sauce over medium heat. Stirring, until heated through.
9. Add beef in the sauce. Stir fry and serve

MONGOLIAN BEEF

Makes: 4 Servings

3/4 lb flank steak, think sliced across the grain
2 ½ tbsps cooking oil
2 tbsps minced garlic
10 small dried red chillies
10 green onions, cut into 3 -inch pieces
2 tbsps hoisin sauce
1 tbsp soy sauce

Marinade:
2 tbsps dark soy sauce
2 tbsps Chinese wine or dry sherry
1 tsp cornstarch

1. Combine marinade ingredients in a bowl.
2. Add beef and stir to coat. Let stand for 10 minutes.
3. Place wok over high heat until hot.
4. Add 2 tbsps oil, swirling to coat sides.
5. Add beef and stir-fry until no longer pink, 1 ½ to 2 minutes. Remove meat from pan.
6. Add remaining ½ tbsp oil to wok, swirling to coat sides.
7. Add garlic and chilies; cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 10 seconds.
8. Add green onions and stir-fry for 1 minute.
9. Return meat to wok and add hoisin sauce and soy sauce; cook until heated through.

MANDARIN PANCAKES

Makes: 16 Servings

2 cups flour
3/4 cup boiling water
2 tbsps sesame oil

1. Place flour in bowl. Add boiling water, stirring with chopsticks or a fork until dough is evenly moistened.
2. On a lightly floured board, roll dough into a cylinder; cut into 16 equal pieces. Roll each into a ball, then flatten slightly into a pancake. Brush top of each pancake with a light coating of sesame oil.
3. Place 1 pancake on top of a second pancake, oiled sides together.
4. With a rolling pin, roll to make a circle 6 inches in diameter.
5. Stack and roll remaining pairs of pancakes the same way. Cover with a damp cloth to prevent drying.
6. Place a nonstick frying pan over heat until hot.
7. Add 1 pair of pancakes and cook, turning once, until lightly browned and bubbles appear on the surface, about 2 minutes on each side.
8. Remove from pan and separate into 2 pancakes on a plate while cooking remaining pairs of pancakes.
9. Serve pancakes hot.
10. If making ahead, reheat pancakes in a microwave oven or wrap in a dish towel and steam in a bamboo steamer for 5 minutes.

MU SHU PORK

1/3 cup dried tiger lily buds
4 dried black mushrooms
6 dried cloud ears
2 ½ tbsps cooking oil
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 tsp minced garlic
½ lb boneless pork, julienned
4 cups finely shredded cabbage
1 small carrot, cut into 1-inch slivers
2 green onions, cut into 1-inch slivers
½ cup chicken broth
2 tbsps soy sauce
1 tbsp Chinese rice wine or dry sherry
1 tsp sesame oil
1 ½ tsps cornstarch dissolved in 1 tbsp water
about 16 Mandarin pancakes, heated
Hoisin sauce

1. In separate bowls, soak lily buds, mushrooms and cloud ears in warm water covered until softened, about 20 minutes; drain.
2. Cut hard knobby ends off lily buds; tie each bud into a knot. Discard mushroom stems.
3. Thinly slice mushroom caps and cloud ears.
4. Place a non-stick frying pan over medium heat until hot.
5. Brush with ½ tsp cooking oil.
6. Add half of eggs and cook until lightly browned on bottom and set on top, about 1 minute.
7. Turn over and cook for 5 seconds; remove from pan.
8. Repeat with ½ tsp oil and remaining egg. Cut into 1/4-inch-wide strips.
9. Place a wok over high heat until hot.
10. Add remaining cooking oil, swirling to coat sides.
11. Add garlic and ginger and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 10 seconds.
12. Add pork; stir-fry until lightly browned, about 2 minutes.
13. Add lily buds, mushrooms, cloud ears, cabbage, carrot, green onions and broth.
14. Stir-fry until vegetables are tender-crisp, about 2 minutes.
15. Stir in soy sauce, wine and sesame oil.
16. Add cornstarch solution and cook, stirring, until sauce boils and thickens.
17. Toss in egg strips and mix well.
18. Place meat-vegetable mixture on a serving plate.
19. Place Mandarin pancakes and a small bowl of hoisin sauce along side.
20. To eat, spread a small amount of hoisin sauce and about 3 tbsps of meat-vegetable mixture on pancake.
21. Wrap like a burrito.

LEMON CHICKEN

Makes: 4 Servings

Marinade:
2 tbsps oyster-flavoured sauce
1 tbsp cornstarch
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves

Sauce:
1/3 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup honey
2 tbsps chicken broth
2 tsps soy sauce
1 tsp grated lemon peel or orange peel
cooking oil for deep-frying
cornstarch
1 egg, lightly beaten
2 tsps cornstarch dissolved in 1 tbsp water
3/4 cup Japanese - style bread crumbs (panko)
½ cup diced honeydew melon
½ cup diced cantaloupe

1. Combine marinade ingredients in a bowl.
2. Place chicken between waxed paper: pound to an even thickness.
3. Add chicken to marinade and stir to coat. Let stand for 10 minutes.
4. Combine sauce ingredients in a small saucepan.
5. In a wok or 2-quart saucepan, heat oil for deep-frying to 350F.
6. Dip chicken in cornstarch; shake to remove excess.
7. Dip into egg and, drain briefly, then coat with bread crumbs.
8. Deep-fry chicken, turning once, until golden brown, 3 to 4 minutes on each side. Remove with a slotted spoon; drain on paper towels.
9. Cook sauce over medium heat, stirring, until it simmers.
10. Add cornstarch solution and cook, stirring, until sauce boils and thickens.
11. Add diced melons; cook until heated through.
12. To serve, cut chicken into bite-sized pieces.
13. Pour sauce on top.