On the downside, I wish the ingredient index had been a little more inclusive of ‘general‘ items. For e.g., I still wonder which noodles I should be using, as I am that much of a novice here! Also, maybe the ingredients listed per recipe could have been in weight as well as cup/tsp measures as most Indian kitchens lack a weighing scale. Having recently acquired one I can endlessly extol the virtues of owning one, but realistically I can see many puzzled faces trying to figure out 5gms of this and 10 of that! That said, having no patience to use the scale that very rainy day, I used my great Indian ‘andaaz‘, or eyeballed most listed ingredients and the end result was absolute joy!
There is plenty of choice within the 200 odd pages and it took me ages to decide which one I wanted to try first. Eventually zeroed in on the Garlic-Pepper Chicken because it rained all morning and it was too flooded to go to the market. I had all the ingredients at home, well sort of, so it was time to wok!! I ‘wokked‘ off on shaky grounds, very under-confident, but as time progressed it was a lot of fun! The book might seem daunting for beginners, yet we’ve all got to make a beginning someday, somewhere. I did, and am already looking forward to the next stir-fry.
As the author Anjan Chatterjee writes … all Chinese food follows the principles of yin and yang i.e of balance. Very few Chinese dishes consist of only a single ingredient, as it offers no contrast, and so lacks harmony. So, with a few exceptions, all Chinese dishes consist of a main ingredient {chicken, fish, tofu, Chinese greens, asparagus, aubergine}, with one or several supplementary ingredients like capsicum, mushrooms, carrots etc. in order to give the dish the desired harmonious balance of colour, aroma, flavour and texture.
This is my inherent food philosophy for everything I make. What is a foodie existence without a harmonious balance of colour, aroma, flavour and texture? Nothing!! The Garlic-Pepper Chicken was a celebration of colour and taste. Of course I was iffy about marinating chicken strips in egg, but I psyched myself completely to get over my eggphobia as chicken and egg come from each other! That done and the peppers chopped, the rest was a virtual breeze. I lined up all my ingredients in tiny bowls and enjoyed an afternoon of rainy day stir frying! I served the chicken over some Cashew and Chili Fried Rice. Both fabulous!! {I now have this long list of ingredients for Mr PAB to lug back from his next trip to HKG!!}
I could go on forever, but I need to stop. I enjoyed the book so much, that the good lady at Random House was happy to have me include a BOOK GIVEAWAY for my readers in India.I have1 copy2 copies to giveaway, and the only rule is that you must live in India or have an Indian mailing address.If you love good authentic Chinese food, and would like to experiment with Mainland China’s signature dishes, then leave a comment on this post to be considered for the giveaway by the 28th of August, ’10. Do make sure you include a contact. Thank you.
200gms chicken leg, boneless, scores and cut into 1″ bite size piecesFor the chicken Marinade:1 egg, lightly beaten2 tsp light soy sauce1/2 tsp corn flour2 tsp groundnut oil~1 green bell pepper {capsicum}, diced into 1 ” pieces1/2 tsp chopped fresh red chili {I used roasted red chili flakes}2 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced {I used 4}6 black peppercorns, crushed10gm red capsicum, diced into 1″ pieces {I used 1/4 each red,yellow & orange}For the seasoning:1 tsp dark soy sauce1 tsp light soy sauce1/2 tsp sugar1 tsp white vinegar1 tsp Shaoxiang wine, or white or rice wine {I used red wine vinegar}1 tsp cornstarch mixed in 1 tbsp water, for thickening1/2 tsp sesame oil1/2 tsp chili oilGroundnut oil for sautéingMethod:Mix the chicken with all of the marinade ingredients and set aside for 20 minutesMeanwhile, assemble th rest of the ingredients.Heat 30ml oil in a wok till moderately hot.Stir fry the chicken until golden-brown for 2-3 minutes. {Mine took a lot longer}. Remove with a perforated spoon, and drain on paper towels.Add another 30ml of groundnut oil to the wok. Heat and swirl the wok to coat the surface right around.Add the garlic and sauté till it turns brown, and then the chillies. Cook for 30 seconds.Return chicken back to the pan, and add the crushed black pepper and chopped bell pepper. Sauté well and add the seasoning ingredients, finishing with sesame oil and chili oil. Toss well for 10 seconds. Serve hot!♥ Thank you for stopping by ♥
