Chinese cuisine includes styles originating

from the diverse regions of China, plus styles

of Chinese people in other parts of the

world. The history of Chinese cuisine in

China stretches back for thousands of years

and has changed from period to period and

in each region according to the climate,

imperial fashions, and local preferences.

Over time, techniques and ingredients from

the cuisines of other cultures were integrated

into the cuisine of the Chinese people due to

imperial expansion and from the trade with

nearby regions in pre-modern times as well

as from Europe and the New World in the

modern period.

Styles and tastes also varied by class, region,

and ethnic background. This led to an

unparalleled range of ingredients,

techniques, dishes and eating styles in what

could be called Chinese food, leading the

Chinese to pride themselves on eating a wide

variety of foods while remaining true to the

spirit and traditions of Chinese food culture.

Welcome

I N S I D E

T H I S I S S U E :

What Librarians Eat! O C T O B E R 2 0 1 3 I S S U E 1 0

Some History

about Chinese

Food

2

Chinese Dump-

lings - Potstickers

- Pan-fried Pork

Dumplings

3

Crispy Peking

duck in pancakes

4

Firecracker

Shrimp Recipe

5

Fried Rice 6

Sweet and Sour

Pork Recipe

7

Cashew Chicken 8

Chow Mein

(Chinese

Noodles)

9

Ask Us

Something!

11

This month’s issue is inspired by Luke’s trip to china so expect a lot of Chinese food

recipes.

P A G E 2

Some History about Chinese Food

while rice was cultivated by the Yue people further south. By 2000 BC, wheat had arrived from western

Asia. However, these grains were typically served as warm noodle soups instead of baked into bread as in

Europe. Nobles hunted various wild game and consumed mutton, pork, and beef as these animals were

domesticated. Grain was stored against famine and flood and meat was preserved with salt, vinegar,

curing, and fermenting. The flavor of the meat was enhanced by cooking it in the fat of a different animal.

By the time of Confucius in the late Zhou, gastronomy was becoming a high art. He was recorded

discussing one such picky eater: "For him, the rice could never be white enough. When it was not cooked

right, he would not eat. When it was out of season, he would not eat. When the meat was not cut properly,

he would not eat. When the food was not prepared with the right sauce, he would not eat.

Following the establishment of Shi Huangdi's Chinese empire, Han culture was expanded south into the

lands of the rice-cultivating Yue. By the time of the Han Dynasty, the different climes and cuisines of

China's peoples were linked by major canals and begun developing greater complexity. The philosophy

behind it was rooted in the I Ching and Chinese traditional medicine: food was judged for color, aroma,

taste, and texture and a good meal was expected to balance the Four Natures ('hot', warm, cool, and 'cold')

and the Five Tastes (pungent, sweet, sour, bitter, and salty). The predominance of chopsticks and spoons

as eating utensils also necessitated that most food be prepared in bite-sized pieces or (as with fish) be so

tender that it could be easily picked apart. This need for variety and small portions subsequently developed

into the varieties of dim sum.

By the Later Han (2nd century), writers frequently complained of lazy aristocrats who did nothing but sit

around all day eating smoked meats and roasts.

The great migration of Chinese people south during the invasions preceding and during the Song dynasty

increased the relative importance of southern Chinese staples such as rice and congee. The Yuan and Qing

dynasties introduced Mongolian and Manchurian cuisine, warm northern dishes which popularized hot pot

cooking. They also introduced greater Muslim communities into China, who practiced a porkless cuisine

now preserved by Uyghur street vendors and restaurants throughout the country.

As part of the last leg of the Columbian Exchange, Spanish and Portuguese traders began introducing

American foods to China through the port cities of Canton and Macao. Mexican chili peppers became

essential ingredients in Sichuan cuisine and calorically-dense potatoes and corn became staple foods

across the northern plains.

Under the Qing, Chinese gastronomy focused upon a primary object of extracting the maximum flavor of

each ingredient. The People's Republic of China, amid numerous false starts, has largely industrialized

food production. A side-effect of this process was the introduction of American poultry-rearing

techniques, which has greatly increased the relative consumption of eggs and chicken in various Chinese

cuisines

Much like in France, Chinese

society greatly valued gastronomy

and developed an extensive study

of the subject based on its

traditional medical beliefs. The

first act of many emperors was to

appoint a head chef to his court,

and competition between cooks

could be fierce.

Chinese culture initially centred

around the North China Plain.

The first domesticated crops seem

to have been the foxtail and

broomcorn varieties of millet,

P A G E 3

Ingredients (Yields about 48 potstickers.)

Dumpling Dough*

2 cups all purpose flour

1 cup boiling water

Filling:

8 ounces celery cabbage (Napa cabbage)

3 tsp salt, divided

1 pound lean ground pork

1/4 cup finely chopped green onions, with tops

1 TB white wine

1 tsp cornstarch

1 tsp sesame oil

Dash white pepper

Dipping Sauce:

1/4 cup soy sauce

1 tsp sesame oil

2 - 4 tablespoons vegetable oil

Chinese Dumplings - Potstickers -

Pan-fried Pork Dumplings

Potstickers are one of the most popular types of Chinese dumplings. This recipe includes a dipping sauce and instruc-

tions on making the dough.

Cut the cabbage across into thin strips. Mix with 2 teaspoons salt and set aside for 5 minutes. Squeeze out the excess

moisture.

In a large bowl, mix the celery cabbage, pork, green onions, wine, cornstarch, the remaining 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon

sesame oil, and the white pepper.

In a bowl, mix the flour and 1 cup boiling water until a soft dough forms. Knead the dough on a lightly flour surface

about 5 minutes, or until smooth.

Divide the dough in half. Shape each half into a roll, 12 inches long, and cut each roll into 1/2-inch slices.

Roll 1 slice of dough into a 3-inch circle and place 1 tablespoon pork mixture in the center of the circle. Lift up the

edges of the circle and pinch 5 pleats up to create a pouch to encase the mixture. Pinch the top together. Repeat with the

remaining slices of dough and filling.

Heat a wok or nonstick skillet until very hot. Add 1 tablespoon vegetable oil, tilting the wok to coat the sides. If using a

nonstick skillet, add 1/2 tablespoon vegetable oil. Place 12 dumplings in a single layer in the wok and fry 2 minutes, or

until the bottoms are golden brown.

Add 1/2 cup water. Cover and cook 6 to 7 minutes, or until the water is absorbed. Repeat with the remaining

dumplings.

To make a dipping sauce, in a small bowl, mix the soy sauce with 1 teaspoon sesame oil. Serve with the dumplings.

P A G E 4

This will make the skin go wonderfully crispy. Generally, after a couple of hours it will be perfect –

the leg meat will pull off the bone and the skin will be wonderfully crisp. You don't always need to,

but I sometimes turn the heat up to 200ºC/400ºF/gas 6 for a short while until it's really crispy.

While this beautiful bird is cooking, you can make your plum sauce. Chuck 10 or 12 destoned plums

into a pan with 5 tablespoons of sugar, a couple of pinches of five-spice, a couple of tablespoons of

soy sauce, half a teaspoon of chilli powder and a splash of water.

Bring to the boil, then simmer until you get a nice shiny pulp. You can remove the plum skins if you

want to, but I usually leave them in. Sometimes I add a little grated orange zest, as this goes well with

duck. Put the sauce to one side to cool before serving it, and taste to check the seasoning.

As for the spring onions and cucumber, that's straightforward. Use half a cucumber and a bunch of

spring onions and finely slice them. I strongly advise buying a couple of packs of pre-made pancakes

which you can place in a steamer or microwave and slowly steam until nice and hot. The bamboo

steamers are only a few quid from Chinese supermarkets, so it's worth getting hold of some and

they're great to serve at the table.

Once the duck has cooled a little bit, use two forks to shred all the meat off the carcass. You can putt

all the meat with its crispy skin on to a serving plate. Take a pancake, place some duck, a bit of

spring onion, a little cucumber and a dollop of plum sauce on to it, then roll it up – lovely.

Crispy Peking duck in

pancakes by Jamie Oliver

Ingredients

1.2 kg duck

salt

five-spice

fresh ginger

10-12 destoned plums

5 tablespoons sugar

2 pinches five-spice

2 tablespoons soy sauce

½ teaspoon chilli powder

grated orange zest

½ cucumber

1 bunch spring onions

2 packs pre-made pancakes

―Peking duck is something that has always been very close to the Oliver family. There are hundreds

of ways of cooking duck in Asian cultures – steamed, roasted, pumped up with bicycle pumps to

remove the meat from the skin – but we're at home and so we can't do with all this mucking about. My

way is simple and it works... ― - J. Oliver

Preheat the oven to 170ºC/325ºF/gas 3.

Rub a nice 1.2kg duck with loads of salt, inside and out.

Dust the bird all over with five-spice and, if you've got

any, grate some fresh ginger and rub it round the cavity,

leaving the ginger inside to flavour. Place the duck in a

roasting tray and put it in the oven. All you need to do is

check on it every so often and spoon away the excess fat

that has rendered out of the duck.

P A G E 5

Marinate:

3 inches of ginger (peeled, pounded with mortar and pestle, and squeezed for the juice)

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon sugar

1/4 teaspoon lime juice

1/4 spoon of sesame oil

1/4 teaspoon of sesame seeds

1/4 teaspoon of corn starch

3 dashes of white pepper powder

1 egg white (lightly whisked for sealing purposes)

Pat dry the shrimps with paper towel and marinate with the above ingredients and the ginger juice.

Add in the finely chopped scallion and red chilli. Marinate for 20 minutes.

Wrap each shrimp with a spring roll skin.

Heat up a frying pan with oil and deep fry the shrimp until light brown. Serve hot.

Firecracker Shrimp Recipe

Flirting with the world with their perky

tails while wrapped tightly with golden

outfits, these fried shrimps are

seductress to the taste buds and make

everyone wanting and crazing for more

after the first bite, aka love at first bite.

Ingredients:

20 shrimps (shelled and

deveined but leave the tail

on)

20 spring roll skins

1 stalk of scallion (finely

chopped)

1/2 red chili (finely

chopped)

P A G E 6

Fried Rice

Ingredients:

12 oz. overnight rice

4 oz. chicken breast (cut into cubes)

4 oz. shrimp (cleaned and deveined)

2 oz. long beans (tips removed and chopped into

very short pieces)

2 oz. carrots (cut into tiny cubes)

2 eggs (beaten)

2-inch ginger (peeled and cut into thin long strips)

1 tablespoon fish sauce

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1/4 teaspoon oyster sauce

2 tablespoon cooking oil

3 dashes white pepper powder

Salt to taste (optional)

Heat up a wok with two tablespoons of oil.

Add ginger strips and fry until aromatic, follow by

chicken, shrimp, long beans and carrots.

Stir fry until they are half cooked.

Add in the overnight rice and stir well with the

ingredients.

Add soy sauce, fish sauce, oyster sauce, white pepper

powder and continue to stir the fried rice for a couple of

minutes.

Make a “well” in the middle of the fried rice and pour

the beaten eggs in the well. Wait for 30 seconds and

then cover the “egg well” with the fried rice.

Leave it for 30 seconds and continue to stir-fry so the

eggs form small pieces and mix well with the fried rice.

Add in the fried salted fish and do some quick stirs,

dish out and serve hot.

Fried rice is hugely popular and home-cooks are constantly looking for fried rice recipes. Fried rice is always the

most popular item in Chinese restaurants. Fried rice is a versatile dish and one can add any ingredient to it, plus it’s

a great way to use up overnight rice and make it into an appetizing, cheap, and flavorful meal.

P A G E 7

Sweet and Sour Pork, the ubiquitous and arguably the

most well-known Chinese recipe in the world, is a

classic Cantonese dish. Sweet and sour pork is very

pleasing to the palate because of the flavoursome

sweet and sour sauce–the sweetness from sugar plus

the tangy ketchup and sharp rice vinegar–with the

crispy fried pork pieces.

Sweet and Sour Pork Recipe Ingredients

1/2 lb. pork tenderloin (cut into bite size

pieces)

1/2 green bell pepper (about 2 oz. and cut

into pieces)

1/2 red bell pepper (about 2 oz. and cut into

pieces)

2 stalks scallions (only the white part, cut

into 2 inch length)

1 piece fresh/canned pineapple ring (cut into

small pieces)

1 clove garlic (finely chopped)

Oil for frying

Marinate:

1 teaspoon soy sauce

1/2 teaspoon corn flour

1/2 teaspoon rice wine

Frying Batter:

1/2 cup water

2 oz. all-purpose flour

1 oz. corn starch

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 egg

1 teaspoon cooking oil

1 small pinch of salt

Sweet and Sour Sauce:

1 1/2 tablespoons tomato ketchup

1 teaspoon plum sauce

1/8 teaspoon Chinese rice vinegar

(transparent in color)

1/2 teaspoon Lea & Perrins Worcestershire

Sauce

1 teaspoon oyster sauce

1 teaspoon corn starch

1 teaspoon sugar

2 tablespoons water

Cut the pork tenderloin into pieces and marinate with

the ingredients for 15-20 minutes.

Mix the sweet and sour sauce ingredients well and set

aside.

Strain the dry ingredients of the frying batter and then

add in the egg, water, and cooking oil to form a thick

batter.

When the pork is well-marinated, transfer the pork

pieces into the batter and make sure they are well coated.

In a deep skillet, add in the cooking oil enough for

deep-frying. Once the oil is hot, deep fry the pork pieces

until they turn golden brown. Dish out and drain on

paper towels.

Heat up a wok and add in some cooking oil. Add in the

chopped garlic and stir fry until light brown, then follow

by the bell peppers and pineapple pieces.

Stir fry until you smell the peppery aroma from the

peppers and then add in the sweet and sour sauce. As

soon as the sauce thickens, transfer the pork into the wok

and stir well with the sauce.

Add in the chopped scallions, do a few quick stirs, dish

out and serve hot with steamed white rice.

P A G E 8

Ingredients

1 boneless & skinless chicken breast, about 10 oz. (cut

into small cubes)

1/2 cup unsalted cashew nuts

1 small green bell pepper, about 4 oz. (cut into small

square pieces)

5 slices ginger

1/4 onion (cut into small square pieces)

Marinade:

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon corn starch

1/2 teaspoon rice wine

Sauce:

1/2 tablespoon oyster sauce

3/4 teaspoon soy sauce

3 tablespoons water

3 dashes white pepper powder

1/2 teaspoon sugar

1/2 teaspoon rice wine

1/8 teaspoon sesame oil

Salt to taste

Heat up a wok with 1 tablespoon of cooking oil and stir-fry the chicken meat until the color turns white or half-cooked.

Dish out and set aside.

Add another 1 tablespoon of cooking oil into the wok and add in the ginger slices, bell peppers and onions.

Stir-fry until you smell the peppery aroma from the green peppers and add the chicken meat back in.

Add in the sauce and stir continuously until the chicken meat is cooked and well coated with the sauce. Add salt to taste,

if you like.

Add in the cashew nuts and do a few quick stirs. Dish out and serve the Cashew Chicken hot with steamed white rice.

Cashew Chicken The key to a great Chinese stir-fried chicken dish is simple: smooth and tender chicken meat lightly coated with a

sauce, stir-fried over HIGH heat using a wok. To make the chicken tender, I am going to share with you a secret–one

that is used by many restaurants and Chinese chefs—BAKING SODA.

Baking soda serves two purposes:

1. to rid the chicken of any potential smell

2. to tenderize the meat.

Marinate the chicken meat with the baking

soda for 15-20 minutes and then rinse the

chicken thoroughly. (Please make sure that the

chicken is properly rinsed clean of the baking

soda.)

Pat the chicken meat dry with paper towels and

then marinate with the rice wine and corn

starch, for 15 minutes.

Mix the sauce together and set aside.

Chow Mein (Chinese Noodles)

Soak the steamed chow mein in cold water for about 5 minutes. Rinse a few times until the water turns clear and the

chow mein is soft. Drain the excess water and set aside. (Don’t over soak the chow mein or the noodles will get

limpy and soggy.)

In a small mixing bowl, mix all the seasoning ingredients. Set aside.

Heat up the wok with the cooking oil. Add in the chopped garlic and stir-fry until light brown or aromatic.

Add the pork and shrimp and stir fry until they are half done.

Add the shredded cabbage and carrot into the wok and do a few quick stirs.

Add the noodles , the seasoning mixture and the water. Continue to stir until the noodles are well blended with the

seasonings and completely cooked through.

Add the chopped scallions, do a few final stirs, dish out and serve hot.

Ingredients

8 oz. steamed chow mein (Chinese noodles)

2 oz. pork (cut into thin slices)

5 shrimp (shelled and deveined)

3 garlic cloves (finely chopped)

1/2 cup shredded cabbage

1/4 cup shredded carrot

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 tablespoon oyster sauce

1/2 teaspoon sugar

1/2 teaspoon Chinese dark soy sauce

2 tablespoons water

2 tablespoons cooking oil

2 stalks scallions (cut into 2-inch length)

Salt to taste

Chinese invented the noodles and changed the way we eat, that’s not an overstatement.

Chinese noodles are versatile and there are so many ways to prepare them–stir-fry, pan-fry, boil, blanch, soup, gravy,

or dry. I could never get bored of noodles. It’s one of the easiest foods to prepare at home, and the end results are

always satisfying.

P A G E 1 0

All proceeding will be donated to Puttinu Cares. Staff members who will be participating

can either bring the baked goods on Friday 8th November or Saturday 9th November and

leave them at the library. Also those who would like to be present on Sunday just let Ryan

know so that the event can be planned accordingly.

Staff members are

e n c o u r a g e d t o

participate in the

event by either

baking something

themselves or buy pre

-baked goods and

donate them to the

library staff who will

be in charge of the

event so that it can be

sold to the public on

the 10th November.

Almond Tea

Ingredients

5 tablespoons sweetened almond powder

1 teaspoon honey

10 ginkgo nuts (canned)

1 cup water

1 puff pastry sheet (thawed and cut into two 4.5 in. x 4.5 in.

squares)

Preheat oven to 400°Fahrenheit.

Bring one cup of water to boil and add in the almond powder, ginkgo nuts, and

honey. Stir well and set aside.

Transfer equal portions of the boiled almond tea into two regular soufflé

dishes. Top the soufflé dishes with the puff pastry squares. Stretch the puff pas-

try square to cover the dish opening tight.

Bake for 12-15 minutes or until the puff pastry turns golden brown. Serve hot.

It’s great sipping the almond tea while munching away the crispy and flaky puff pastry, with a magazine or

newspaper in hand.

Snow Skin Mooncake Ingredients

Mooncake Skin

130g Cooked Glutinous Rice Flour (Gao Fen) Sifted

160g powdered sugar

130 ml boiled carrot, dragonfruit juice or screwpine leaves

juice

2 Tbsp fresh milk

1 Tbsp shortening (I use Crisco)

Filling

1 kg Mooncake paste (Red Bean, Lotus, Green tea)

80g melon seeds (lightly toasted)

Squeeze the juice and heat till boiling point. Cool the juice in fridge for about

4-6 hours.

Sieve together the icing sugar and cooked glutinous flour.

Add in the shortening. Combine until the mixture resembles bread crumbs.

Add in the juice and milk. Mix to a soft and smooth dough. Let it rest for 10

minutes.

Divide the dough in 60g and roll into a ball. Wrap each ball with cling wrap

until ready to use.

To make Mooncakes

Lightly dust hands with cooked gluti-

nous rice flour. Flatten the dough. Place

the filling into the center of the dough.

Wrapped it up tightly and seal the

edges.

Put in a floured mooncake mould. Tap

and remove it.

Chill for at least 6 hours before serv-

ing..

“Ask Us Something!”

How about Chinese Dessert and Sweet Recipes ?

Filling:

Add melon seeds to mooncake paste.

Roll it tightly into a ball of 120g each.