At Home with Chinese Cuisine (36 page)
Read At Home with Chinese Cuisine Online
Authors: T P Hong
Bean Sprouts with Five Grains
豆和穀
Following on from more than two thousand years old dietary recommendations of five grains and pulses as the daily staple put forward in
The
Yellow
Emperor’s
Inner
Canon
, the government and nutritionists in China have moved one step further in recent years to encourage the general public to incorporate at least 8 different varieties of whole grains and pulses into the regular diet. By 2012, 10 or 12-a-day has been a dietary suggestion that applies to not only fruits and vegetables but also grains and pulses. They wish to address the concern over the consumption of the refined white rice as the sole carbohydrate intake
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that might inextricably link to the increase of chronic diseases among the population. Householders seem pretty much “on message” of the health benefits of consuming whole grains that might reduce the risk of diabetes, strokes and cardiovascular diseases.
Walking around the aisles that stock pulses and grains in supermarkets, packed or loose grains often take up prominent position in the middle of the aisles. It is more so in Beijing than in Shanghai probably because of its proximity to the grain producing regions. Health food chains selling organic whole pulses and grains are growing in popularity at an impressive rate in Beijing. With the health benefits in mind, and the preference of sticking with refined white rice as the main staple, Shanghainese prefer the solution of roasted and powdered grains, nuts, and seeds to mix into porridge or smoothies for breakfast.
Among the pulses, the mung bean is very popular in China. This green-coloured bean is a very versatile ingredient. It can be prepared into savoury and sweet dishes. It can be cooked whole, ground into powder, made into paste and, of course, for sprouting. It is a good source of protein, vitamins A, Bs, C, E, K, dietary fibre, and minerals such as copper and magnesium. And it is low in calories.
In China, the mung bean is associated with the summer season. It has a cold food property that counters the heat of the summer. The new season harvest usually arrives in shops in time to meet the demand. Along with optional ingredients such as barley, oats, and sweet potatoes, sweet mung bean soup cooked with crystal (rock) sugar is the ultimate refreshing summer favourite for the Chinese. The most seasonal ingredient to add to this soup is the new season lotus seed.
This is a recipe I came up with while in Beijing to take advantage of the new season pulses and grains available from the summer onward. Mung bean sprouts are easily available in shops. But for this recipe, I use homegrown baby sprouts with very short radicals for the intensive nutty taste to go with the grains.
Purchase new season mung beans for sprouting if you are in China. Tell the vendor the beans are for sprouting. Mung beans for cooking have a shiny green husk and can be used for sprouting at home. But there is a variety specifically for sprouting. It looks exactly the same as mung beans for cooking except for its dull green colour.
In the West, find a reliable supplier who sells beans specifically for sprouting. The quality of the bean is essential. If they are old and dry, they might still germinate, but the sprout will look lean and mean.
There are so many sprouting methods. I provide you with mine: Wash the beans and place them in a bowl. Immerse them in plenty of cold water for at least 8 hours. They should be plump by then. Rinse the beans and drain well. Leave them in a tall glass jar, and cover it with a damp cloth (such as muslin or thin tea towel) secured with a rubber band. Keep the cloth damp at all time if possible.
Leave the glass jar lying down inside the airing cupboard or in a shady warm corner in the summer. The top of the AGA is good, but we need a stand underneath so the jar is not in direct contact with the hot plate. Rinse the beans with cold water 3 to 4 times a day (until the water runs clear) and drain well. Do not use your hands to rinse them. Let the water do the job. It will take two or three days for them to germinate. They are ready for this recipe when the radicals are about 0.5 cm.
For preparing the grains, I strongly recommend a rice cooker. It will then be very easy to incorporate grain dishes such as this one or stir-fried rice in the diet.
mung beans (new season ones if possible) olive oil (extra virgin first cold pressing) tea tree mushrooms (optional) lemon juice (freshly squeezed) salt and pepper 1-2 t sesame seeds oil (optional) 2-3 sprigs of coriander (optional) Grains for steaming: barley buckwheat whole oats whole wheat brown rice black rice red rice sorghum | Follow the sprouting method described above or instructions from the seed package for sprouting. The sprouts are ready for this recipe when their radicals are about 0.5 cm. The green husk (hull) of the sprout is edible. Place the sprouts in a big bowl of water. Move them about gently to rinse. Drain them well in a colander. To cook the grains, follow the rice cooker manufacturer’s instructions. The grains do not have to be in equal quantity. And you can play with the combination. Put the grains in the bowl that comes with the rice cooker and rinse them a couple of times under the tap. I usually add the same measuring cups of water as the grains, plus half a cup more, to the bowl. Leave them to soak for 1-2 hours. For grains unlikely to be from the new season crop, soak them a bit longer. Do not open the lid of the rice cooker when the rice cooker switches itself off. Allow the steam to work its way through the grains for 30 minutes or so, similar to resting the meat after being roasted. Add just enough olive oil to separate the grains. Stir, season to taste, and set aside. |
Put the wok over a medium-high heat. Heat the wok until when splashing drops of water into the wok, they rapidly skitter around the surface before boiling off. Add the grapeseed oil and wait until it is hot. Put the sprouts into the wok and stir-fry for 10 seconds or so to al dente. Season and stir for 10 more seconds. Add them to the grains. Chop the tea tree mushrooms into 1 cm segments (if used), and stir-fry in the hot oil the same way as with the sprouts. Add them to the grains. When the mixture cools down, drizzle the lemon juice and sesame seed oil (if used). Season and garnish with fresh coriander. Serve cold. Chew them slowly to enjoy. |
Silk Thread Pulling Apple (Apple with Caramel)
拔絲蘋果
This is a dessert dish that originated from ShanDong Province, and it is closely associated with festivity and dinner parties. The Chinese name for this dish is Ba Shi Apple; Ba means pull, and Shi is silk. The origin of this cooking technique can be traced back to candy making in the Yuan Dynasty (thirteenth century). Literary write-ups in the Qing Dynasty have descriptions of how to prepare this dish. A caramel needs to be prepared in the same way as preparing spun sugar. With the caramel-coated apple chunks, as in this recipe, one has the fun of pulling long fine threads along while lifting up each piece. That is why this dish is closely associated with festivity and dinner parties. A bowl of cold drinking water is served for dipping in the hot syrup-coated piece before putting it in the mouth. Hot syrup can burn the tongue easily.
Meats, fruits, and vegetables can all be used for BaShi dishes. Apple, banana, orange segments, and dates are popular fruits to be prepared this way. The choice of vegetables includes Chinese yam, potato, sweet potato, aubergines, and pumpkins. Examples of meat include chicken, lean pork, beef, and meatballs. Ingredients with smooth surfaces, such as apples, need to be deep-fried with batter first. The batter increases the friction for the syrup to coat the surface, and it also insulates against the moisture of the ingredient from affecting the silky, thread-pulling effect.
3 apples 1 t white sesame seeds, toasted plain flour for dusting cooking oil for deep-frying For the caramel: 150 g granulated sugar 15 ml water a tiny pinch of salt For the batter: 100 g flour 30 g cornflour 1 1/2 t baking powder 1/2 t granulated sugar 200–220 ml water 15 ml cooking oila | Peel and core the apples. Cut each apple into 12–16 chunks. Put them in a plastic bag with sufficient plain flour to coat the apple. Bring them out of the bag and put them in a sieve to shake off excess flour. Prepare the batter by mixing the ingredients in a bowl. Add the water slowly into the mixture with a whisk. Stop adding the water when you obtain a single-cream consistency. Add 15 ml of the cooking oil and mix well. Place the deep frying pan on medium heat and heat the oil to 150° C. Put the apples in and turn them from time to time until slightly golden. Drain and leave them on the kitchen towels to remove excess oil. Brush the serving dish with a very thin layer of oil. Toast the sesame seeds in a clean pan over a low heat until they start to change colour and smell aromatic. Set aside to cool down completely. Place the wok or a small saucepan with handle over a low heat. Put in the ingredients for the caramel and stir continuously in a circular motion in the same direction while touching the base of the pan. Observe how the mixture bubbles away and the sugar becomes like wet sand. The sugar soon melts and turns syrupy with a light golden colour. Use a pair of chopsticks and put the apple, 4 or 5 pieces at a time, into the caramel to coat. Keep an eye on the colour of the caramel. Move the saucepan temporarily away from the heat source if the colour of the caramel continues to deepen. Leave them on the oiled serving dish and sprinkle sesame seeds on top. Serve the dish immediately with chopsticks and a bowl of cold drinking water for each person. Pick one piece up and pull it away from the dish. Roll the silky threads with the chopsticks and dip the whole thing in the water before putting it in the mouth. |
The traditional way of preparing the walnut is to remove the skin of the kernel by soaking the walnut in hot water for about 10 minutes to soften the skin and peel it off with the help of a toothpick. The cooked walnuts will then have a lighter shade of amber. I keep the skin because it contains phytonutrients that have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory benefits. The cooked walnuts have a darker colour as a result.
150 g shelled raw walnuts 6 t granulated sugar 3 T water 2 t white sesame seeds salt cooking oil for deep frying | Roast the white sesame seeds in a clean pan. Stir continuously until aromatic and turning slightly golden in colour. Leave them aside to cool down completely. Blanch the walnuts in gentle boiling water over a medium heat until the water returns to a boil. Drain and set aside to cool down. Pat dry well. Have a wooden spatula ready for stirring. Place the wok or a pan over a low heat. Add water, salt and sugar and stir continuously in a circular motion in the same direction. Observe how the mixture bubbles away and the sugar becomes like wet sand. The sugar soon melts and turns syrupy with a light golden colour. Add the walnuts into the syrup and stir to coat the walnuts well. Place a deep frying pan over a medium-low heat (or set the deep-fryer at the temperature of 120°). Pour the cooking oil into the pan and add the walnuts immediately when the oil is still cold. Stir to separate the walnuts and stir continuously until they sizzle away in the oil and turn light amber in colour. Drain and place them on a non-stick surface. Sprinkle sesame seeds on them while they are still hot. Leave aside to cool down completely before serving. |