It doesn’t seem like there’s much consensus among Chinese restaurants in the United States as to what a “Kung Pao” dish is. There seems to be some general agreement that it’s a stir-fry, with one kind of meat, some whole dried red peppers, probably some peanuts.
My own vision of what a “Kung Pao” dish, is […]
Perhaps you can see, after all of these steps, why I regard this recipe as dauntingly complex. One of the nice things about Chinese cooking, though, is that “complex” means “a lot of steps.” That demands persistence, but not magic. I am no expert on French cooking, but have read many words by those who […]
Now to resume with the pressed duck halves:
Whisk until foamy:
3 egg whites
and pour them into a wide, flat bowl or plate, so that you can easily dip the duck halves and coat them with egg white.
Now, you need an unusual ingredient:
1/3 cup water chestnut powder
This can be found in Asian markets; the one I’ve seen […]
Okay, so the duck has been split, simmered, de-boned and pressed, and the next step is to powder it up, steam it, fry it, and eat it. But there’s one more thing to do first — make the sauce.
You’re going to have to bear with me on this one. The sauce has pineapple in it, […]
This step is the one I most had in mind when I said that this was the most complicated recipe in Barbara Tropp’s book. You’ve got a duck, cut in half, simmered in aromatic water, cooled, and now you have to take out all of the bones without turning it into a pile of shreds.
It […]
When dealing with duck, there’s always a question: what to do with all of that fat? Ducks have tons of fat, built up to protect them from cold water, and it’s layered inside.
I’ve seen a lot of solutions: poke it all over with a fork and brown the skin in a pot, letting the fat […]
I once met the late Barbara Tropp, author of the book that guided my journeyman effort in Chinese cooking: The Modern Art of Chinese Cooking. I am on my third copy of the book, having worn out the first two just by virtue of frequent use, and frequent proximity to my chopping, mixing, and cooking. […]
As I’ve mentioned before, pea vines are my favorite cooked green vegetable. My second-favorite cooked green vegetable is this winter wonder:
I discovered this vegetable at a since-defunct Cantonese restaurant in the East Bay. The only name it seems to have is the letter “A,” followed by the Chinese character for vegetable, pronounced “Cai” (Mandarin) […]