Braised duck with Beijing green onion - 京葱扒大鴨

Key Points:

• I like to use free range duck as it has less fat under the skin.  It is difficult to skim the fat out from the sauce after cooking as it’ll blend it together.

• Use a variety of green onion called Beijing green onion京葱 (see picture-the long white onion).  It has a stronger taste and it adds to the aroma of the dish.

• I like to serve with Mantou 饅頭 (Chinese steamed bun) so I can pick up the sauce from the plate.  You might not need to wash your dishes after dinner!

Ingredients:

Free range duck                     x1 4 lbs

Beijing green onion                x 2

Green onion                           1 bunch

Shallots                                  x 2

Garlic cloves                          x2

Ginger                                    1 big piece cut into slices

Anise                                      x2

Corn oil or peanut oil              4 cups

The sauce:

Dark soy sauce                      x 6 table spoons

Light soy sauce                      x 4 table spoons

Oyster sauce                          x 4 table spoons

Rock sugar                             x 1 piece

Water                                      x 6 cups

Cooking method:

Wash and pad dry the duck thoroughly.  Use a small brush to brush two table spoons of dark color soy sauce on the duck skin.  Heat up the oil in a pot or wok to medium high and place the duck in the wok.  Be careful during this step as the bubble from the boiling oil might burn your skin.  Always good to let the duck drip dry a few minutes before putting it to the hot oil.  Turn the duck over when you see the skin color has turned red.  You can take the duck out from the oil once you see the color is medium dark red all over.  Empty the oil from the wok but leave a couple of spoons in it.  Put all the onions, ginger, and garlic in the wok and quickly stir fry it for a few minutes and use two table spoons of yellow cooking wine to deglaze the pan. (it adds aroma to the sauce) Empty the wok and place the onions on a plate.

Pour in water and the rest of the sauce in the wok.  Put the duck back in the wok after the sauce starts boiling.  Cover it with a lid and let it braise for two hours. (turn the duck over every half an hour)  Put on half of the cooked onions in the sauce after one and a half hour during braising so the intense aroma can infuse into the sauce.   Take the duck out – very carefully as it might fall apart – and put it on a serving plate.  You have two options; cut up the duck into bite size before serving or serve it whole. I like to serve the whole duck because it is so tender that you can pick it apart with a fork.  Reduce the sauce to half and place the rest of the cooked onions in the sauce.  Pour the sauce over the duck before serving.  Garnish it with shredder green onion………..dinner is ready!

京葱扒大鴨

走地鴨                一只約四磅

京葱                    二支

生薑                  一大塊

青葱                  十支

大蒜                  四塊

乾葱                  一塊

油                     二公斤

調味

老抽                    六湯匙

生抽                    四湯匙

蠔油                  四湯匙

冰糖                  一塊

八角                  二片

把鴨洗淨, 用紙或布擦乾, 用刷子把老抽在鴨上色(約二湯匙), 在一隻鐵鍋中放下二杯油, 先燒至八成熱, 小心放鴨入油鍋, 將鴨炸至上深紅色, 反轉鴨再炸至深紅色, 把鴨拿出油鍋放在盆子上後用, 把熱油收入容器, 放入二湯匙油, 用大中火抄香青葱, 薑, 蒜, 乾葱, 京葱及八角, 放入黃酒以加添香味, 把所有葱薑放上盤中後用.

在一隻熱鐵鍋中放下六杯氷, 放下鴨, 放入所有調味, 老抽, 生抽, 蠔油, 冰糖在鍋中, 看到氷沸騰, 收慢火至中下, 放上鍋蓋燜煮約一小時半, 把鴨拿出油鍋放在盆子上, 放入已抄香的青葱, 薑, 蒜, 乾葱, 京葱及八角, 用中大火把醬油燒干一半, 鴨可切片, 或可用全鴨上, 放上葱薑醬油在鴨上, 加上少許葱絲, 現可享用京葱扒大鴨!

Free range duck

wash and pad dry

dark soy sauce

Color the duck with dark soy sauce

Hot oil

Chopped green onions and soy sauce

Duck after hot oil bath showing deep red color

Stir fried green onion in wok

Duck back in soy sauce mixture ready for braising

Duck after two hours of braising, soft and tender

Return half the already sitr fried green onion to the sauce, put the rest of the green onion at the end of the reduction

京葱扒大鴨 - Braised duck with Beijing green onion; dinner is ready!

This recipe doesn’t require any deep frying and it could be done in less than 30 minutes.  The selection of spareribs is the key to success.  I like to use a “meaty” baby back rib so you can have the flavour from the bone but enough meat to take care of your hungry appetite.  Since this dish has a very strong taste, it is best to go with an ice cold “White Zinfandel” to balance it out.  I am not a wine expert so you might want to find a wine of your own choice to go with it.

Total cooking time: 30 minutes

Key point:

• Ask your local butch for a “Meaty” pork baby back rib
• Use cane sugar instead of white sugar
• Use Chinese rice vinegar instead of regular white vinegar

INGREDIENTS
1 Lb︰ meaty baby back rib (cut to desired size)
1 tbsp︰ Shao shing wine (yellow wine)
2 tbsp︰ rice vinegar
3 tbsp︰ cane sugar (1 1/2 pieces)
4 tbsp︰ light soya sauce
5 tbsp︰ water

STEP
1. Parboil ( partial boiling of food as the first step in the cooking process.) the spareribs in boiling water. Pat dry.
2. Put all ingredients in a saucepan and boil for 2 mins in high heat. Lower the heat and simmer for 20 mins till tender.
3. Turn to high heat again till sauce thickens, and serve immediately.

TIPS
You can cook with 5-layers pork (pork belly), but scoop away oil before serving. (Takes one hour cooking time)  This is another very tasty Chinese dish made famous by a poet from years ago. (東坡肉)

材料
排骨︰ 500gm
紹興酒︰ 1湯匙
米醋︰      2湯匙
片糖︰      3湯匙  (1 1/2片)
生抽︰      4湯匙
水︰          5湯匙

做法
1.用滾水將排骨汆水，瀝乾。
2.將所有材料放進鍋，以高火煮 2分鐘，然後以低火焗 20分鐘至全熟。
3.轉至高火直至醬汁厚身，上碟。

貼士
1.你可以五花腩代替，但上桌前要先把肥油撇掉。(東坡肉)
2.這是一道和其名稱一樣有趣的排骨烹調法。
3.但炮製時緊記不要搞亂材料的分量，否則做出來的味道會很不同。

Turkey Pot Pie

Key points:

• make sure you dust the counter top and roller with flour before rolling the dough
• poke several small holes on the pie shell to allow steam to escape
• put the Casserole container on a tray to avoid sauce from overflow – so you don’t have to clean up the oven

Time to prepare:  about 45 minutes; serve 4

Ingredients:

Turkey meat (cut into small cube)        1 cup

Sweet corn                                                       1/2 cup

Carrot (small cube)                                      1/2 cup

Onion                                                                 1/2 cup

Celery                                                                1/2 cup

Chicken gravy                                                 2 cups

Salt and pepper to taste

Method:

Roll out the pastry dough on the counter top to a rectangular shape.   Put two tea spoons of butter in a small pot under medium heat.  Add all the vegetables in the pot and stir frequently until soften, add pinch of kosher salt and pepper to taste.  Finally pour in the gravy and mix well.  Fill the Oval Casserole till 3/4 full to allow expansion and place the rolled out pastry dough on top.  Seal the dough along the edge of the the casserole with your finger.  Puncture several holes on top of the dough so steam can escape.   Brush with egg wash and place in oven under 375F for 30 minutes or untill golden brown.

Egg Wash

A lovely coating for a pie can be achieved with a simple egg wash.

• 1 Tbsp heavy cream, half and half, or milk
• 1 large egg yolk

Beat egg yolk with cream and brush on the surface of the pie with a pastry brush.

All Butter Crust for Sweet and Savory Pies (Pâte Brisée)

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for rolling
• 1 cup (2 sticks or 8 ounces) unsalted butter, very-cold, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 6 to 8 Tbsp ice water

Method

1 Combine flour, salt, and sugar in a food processor; pulse to mix. Add butter and pulse 6 to 8 times, until mixture resembles coarse meal, with pea size pieces of butter. Add ice water 1 Tbsp at a time, pulsing until mixture just begins to clump together. If you pinch some of the crumbly dough and it holds together, it’s ready. If the dough doesn’t hold together, add a little more water and pulse again.

2 Remove dough from machine and place in a mound on a clean surface. Gently shape into 2 discs. Knead the dough just enough to form the discs, do not over-knead. You should be able to see little bits of butter in the dough. These small chunks of butter are what will allow the resulting crust to be flaky. Sprinkle a little flour around the discs. Wrap each disc in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 1 hour, and up to 2 days.

3 Remove one crust disk from the refrigerator. Let sit at room temperature for 5-10 minutes in order to soften just enough to make rolling out a bit easier. Roll out with a rolling pin on a lightly floured surface to a 12-inch circle; about 1/8 of an inch thick. As you roll out the dough, check if the dough is sticking to the surface below. If necessary, add a few sprinkles of flour under the dough to keep the dough from sticking. Carefully place onto a 9-inch pie plate. Gently press the pie dough down so that it lines the bottom and sides of the pie plate. Use a pair of kitchen scissors to trim the dough to within 1/2 inch of the edge of the pie dish.

Who can living without a Turkey dinner in Thanks Giving and Christmas!  The slow roasting method ensures a moist and juicy bird when dinner is ready.  There are a few things to remember:

• Fresh turkey – free range if you can find it. (never use frozen turkey)
• Take the turkey out from the fridge at least two hours prior to roasting
• Make sure the thigh temperature is 160F before you take it out the oven for self cooking

Overcooking is one of the biggest challenges when cooking a large bird like a turkey. Most people only get the chance to cook it once a year, so it’s also not practiced very often either.

When done correctly, oven roasted turkey can be juicy and flavorful. This just requires the right technique and keeping a mindful eye on the thermostat. Click to keep reading about my holiday turkey roasting techniques!

When shopping for a turkey, do not be fooled by the “Butterball” name. You can buy an ordinary turkey and I will teach you how to make your own, fresh, “Butterball” turkey (hint: it involves butter). I prefer buying free range turkeys, and usually get one around 16 lbs. to feed my guests.

Pre-Game Preparation

The night before you roast your turkey, you will be preparing a butter rub. You will need:

• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 2 shallots, minced
• Pinch of Kosher salt, fresh ground pepper, Herbs du Provence, thyme, and sage
• 1 stick of butter (thawed to room temperature)

Using a plastic bag, combine all of the ingredients with your stick of butter and roll it so all of the ingredients are mixed well. Your newly-formed stick of butter (in a log shape) will be approximately 1.5 inches thick. Place it in the freezer, and let it freeze overnight. The next day, you will be using these “butter pucks” to add flavor and moisture to your turkey.

Seasoning Your Bird

On roasting day, take the butter out of the freezer. Use a knife and cut the butter into 1/2″ thick pieces. Place one “puck” into each opening of the turkey, underneath the skin — neck, breast, thighs. When you roast the turkey, this butter will melt and keep the meat nice and moist, while distributing the fresh garlic and shallots. This method removes the need to constantly baste the turkey and to waste precious heat!

Truss the bird accordingly and spray with olive oil all over. Trussing the turkey will keep the meat tied together, and therefore more moist. The Food Network has a great video here:

Tear a sheet of aluminum foil and place it over the top of the turkey before placing it in the oven.

Note that I do not actually “stuff” the turkey with “stuffing.” I will provide the recipe, below, for a pan-roasted stuffing instead. These are my reasons for doing so:

1. It takes much longer for the oven’s heat to penetrate through the turkey if it is stuffed full of bread
2. Fluid from the turkey could leak into the stuffing and leave traces of salmonella
3. Baking it separately will allow you to achieve a consistent and crispy finish to your stuffing, instead of being soggy

Roasting Strategy:

There are many varieties of roasting meat, but for turkey I will use the slow roasting method using a constant read digital thermometer. I have one very similar to this one, found on Amazon:

There is a very long cord with a probe at the end. The probe will remain in your meat while the digital meter sits outside, telling you what’s happening in the oven.

For turkey, we will require the internal temperature to reach 165F — we can easily get this temperature by inserting the constant read probe into the thickest part of the turkey (thigh). We will be setting the oven’s temperature to only 200F, ensuring that the heat slowly heats up the turkey to its desired temperature. The browning/crisping of the skin will be left to the end, when the internal temperature reaches 155F. At 155F, turn the oven to 400F until the internal temperature reaches 160F. At this point, you can turn the oven off and leave the turkey in there to allow the residual heat to continue raising the temperature to our final number, 165F. Most importantly, your turkey must REST for a minimum of two hours.

Follow these steps and I will ensure you that your turkey will be the best-tasting, most most, and most tender one you have ever made!

—

Oven-roasted turkey dressing:

Preheat oven to 375F

(This only takes half an hour, so you can turn the oven back on before you are ready to serve your meal)

• 1 bag (approx 6 cups) of dried bread
• 1 rib of celery
• 1 medium sweet onion (Walla-Walla preferred but not necessity)
• 2 shallots
• 2 cloves
• 2 carrots
• 1.5 cups of unsalted chicken stock
• 1 stalk of green onion

1. Dice the celery, sweet onion, shallots, cloves, carrots, and green onion
2. In a pan on medium heat, brown these ingredients in approximately 5 tablespoons of olive oil and add a pinch of salt and fresh ground pepper.
3. In a separate bowl, use your hands to break apart your bag of dried bread
4. Combine sauteed ingredients and 1.5 cups chicken stock to bowl of bread and mix well
5. Grease a baking pan (approx 2″ deep) and pour bread mixture in.
6. Bake at 375F for half an hour

Hickory Smoked Centre cut Pork Loin

Key Points:

• Use a slow roasting method, 275F to retain meat’s moisture.
• There is no need to marinade the meat for a long period of time.
• Soak the Hickory wood for 1/2 hour before smoking.

Cooking time:

About two hours

Ingredients:

Centre cut pork loin                   two lbs

Rock salt                                         2 table-spoons

Fresh rosemary – chopped      2 tea-spoons

Grounded black pepper            1 tea-spoon

Roasting method:

Mix all dry ingredients well in a mixing bowl and spread it on a big plate.  Roll the pork loin over the marinade well.  Insert a cooking temperature thermometer to the centre of the pork loin and pre-heat the oven to 275F.  Put the pork loin in the oven until internal temperature reached 125F.   Turn up your BBQ set to high and put the smoking tray directly over the burner.  Transfer the roast over to the BBQ grill (the side without the flame) and cover the lid of the BBQ.  The smoke should circulate slowly.  This procedure should last for about 30 minutes.  Take the roast out and let it cool off.   You have the option to eat it right away as dinner with apple sauce.   Or you can portion the roast and vacuum pack the meat for future use.

Smoking Ingredients:

Hickory wood chips – a hand full (pre-soak for 1/2 hour)

Maple Syrup                – 1 table-spoon

Preparation of Pork Loin before roasting

Pork loin before smoking

Pork loin after smoking

Roast leg of lamb

Key Points:

• Use boneless leg of lamb, it is a lot easier to carve the meat when serving. (I have a separate leg of lamb with bone recipe)
• Use coarse sea salt (Fleur De Sel) and fresh rosemary.
• You can use pan drip as sauce if you don’t have time to make a demi-glaze sauce.

Cooking time: about three to four hours (depending on size of the roast)

Serve 6-8

Ingredients:

Boneless leg of lamb                                         about 4-5 lbs

Fresh rosemary (chopped)                           2 table-spoons

Sea salt                                                                   5 table-spoons

Freshly grounded pepper                              2 table-spoons

Balsamic vinegar glaze                                    1/4 cup (see recipe below)

Cooking method:

Mix all the dry ingredients in a small bowl, mix well.  Spread it on a cookie tray and roll the leg of lamb over it several times.  Mix sure the salt mixture stick well on the surface of the meat.  Insert a temperature probe (the one you can have an outside reading) to the centre of roast.  Have the oven temperature set to 250F and let it roast for several hours (usually about three hours) Monitor the temperature and let it reach 130F (internal roast temperature) and start brushing the balsamic glaze onto the roast.  Turn the oven temperature up to 375F and brush the glaze on the meat every 5-10 minutes.  When the internal temperature reaches 135F, take it out and let it rest for an hour before carving.  Dress with demi-glaze when serving.

Roast Leg of Lamb.......dinner is ready!

Cooking thermometer and timer probe

Port / Red Wine Demi-Glaze (brown sauce):

• 2 cups Veal (Espagnole) stock (or chicken stock)
• 2 cups Port wine
• 2 cups of red wine
• 1 tea spoon of lemon juice
• 1 thyme sprig

Pour liquid to a pot and reduce to ½ cup.  Turn off heat; remove thyme and whisk in unsalted butter.

Balsamic Vinegar Glaze:

Ingredients

• 1 litre balsamic vinegar
• 200 ml maple syrup

Instructions

1. Pour balsamic vinegar and maple syrup into a pot and reduce under high heat to 1/2 the amount
2. The mixture will start to form large bubbles — this is a sign that it is ready
3. Let this solution cool off, and store in a bottle
4. Set aside for about two weeks before use

Smoked BBQ Baby Back Ribs, with Hickory Wood and Maple Syrup

Key Points:

• Choose pork baby back ribs instead of pork side ribs.
• Use fresh ribs instead of frozen ones.
• Use slow cooking instead of using pressured cooker for the tenderizing.

Serve 4

Time to cook: four hours

Cooking Procedures:

Sprinkle BBQ rub all over pork ribs, and let it sits for half an hour.  Turn up barbeque set to high for 15 minutes and turn it down to medium heat (the far side burner, I am using indirect heat to tenderize the ribs) .  Place pork ribs on grill with a rib holder and let it sits on the other side of the grill surface (no heat under it).  Close the lid.  Let it slow cook for three hours.  Put the pre-soaked Hickory wood and Maple syrup in a small container.  Position it on the far side burner and turn up the heat to high for half an hour.  Smoke should begin to circulate inside the covered BBQ.   Open the lid and take away the smoke tray.   Place the ribs (flat side) on top of the burner and turn up the heat to high.   Use a brush to brush barbeque sauce on ribs and cover it again for 5-10 minutes.  Flip the ribs to the other side and repeat the same procedure.  Watch out for grease fire, have a water spray bottle handy in case of flare up.  When ribs are ready, serve with some more barbeque sauce on the side.  Dinner is READY!!

Pork ribs on the grill

Smoke tray

Half way through smoking with smoke tray next to pork rib

Pork ribs with BBQ sauce and "Dinner is Ready"

BBQ Rub:

Kosher salt                                                1/4 cup

Brown sugar                                              1/8 cup

Garlic powder                                            2 Table spoon

Celery powder                                           2 Table spoon

Herbes de provence                                1 tea spoon

Thyme                                                           1/2 tea spoon

Paprika                                                          1/2 tea spoon

Freshly ground Black pepper               1/2 tea spoon

Cumin powder                                             1/2 tea spoon

Mix the above items in a small dry bowl and store it in an air tight jar for future use.

Barbeque Sauce:

Apple Cider                                                ¼ cup

Ketchup                                                       1 cup

Dark brown sugar                                    ½ cup

Maple syrup                                                ¼ cup

Red wine vinegar                                       ¼ cup

Fresh lemon juice                                       1 tablespoon

Worcestershire sauce                               2 teaspoons

HP sauce                                                        ¼ cup

Garlic, minced                                             3 cloves

Shallot, minced                                           1 clove

Fresh ginger, minced                                 ½ teaspoon

Dijon mustard                                               1 tablespoon

Hot peper flake                                             1 teaspoon (if you like the heat)

Salt and pepper to taste.

In a medium size cooking pot, use small amount of olive oil to sauté the garlic, shallot and ginger for two minutes.  Pour the rest of the ingredients to the pot, mix well and let it cook under medium heat for 15 minutes.  Let is cool off and store in freezer for future use.

Smoking Ingredients:

Hickory wood chips – a hand full (pre-soak for 1/2 hour)

Maple Syrup                – 1 table-spoon

Key points:

• Make sure the brine water is boiling before put the duck in it.
• Turn the duck often (every 15 minutes) to give it a more even color.
• Make sure you soak the hickory wood at least 1/2 hour.
• You can soak the hickory wood with wine to give it another layer if flavour.

Ingredients:

光鴨一只     1 duck          約4磅   about four lbs

滷水料:  Brine water

陳皮     Dry orange peel        1片  1 piece

八角     Star anise                    5粒   5 pieces

沙薑      kaempferol                 5粒 5 pieces

花椒      Qin pepper                10粒  10 pieces

蒜頭      Garlic                             5粒  5 pieces

生薑       Fresh Ginger              4大片  4 pieces

玉桂       Cinnamon                    1塊      1 piece

生葱      Green Onion               2枝       2 stalks

老抽       Dark soy sauce          1 ¼ 杯    1 1/4 cup

冰糖       Rock sugar                  1 磅          1 lb

鹽            Salt                                3/4杯      3/4 cup

Instructions:

燒 熱約5公斤清水至沸騰, 把以上滷水料放入滷水袋中, 再放入煲中, 加入老抽, 冰糖, 鹽, 用文火煲大約一小時至滷水有香味, 放入光鴨, 可把爐火轉為大火至滷水再沸騰, 再次轉為文火, 用大叉把鴨在滷水中反轉多次以便上色, 放上煲蓋, 每十五分鐘反轉鴨一次, 大約一小時半左右, 把鴨拿出滷水放上碟中, 等待凍後切件食用, 食時可加入少許滷水汁.

食用時最好用白醋再加入少許生抽, 蒜碎伴食.

本人喜歡在煮鴨時加入豆腐, 珍肝,及雞蛋入滷水中若半小時, 以便入味, 取起後等待冷卻切片食用.  又可左滷水中加進鴨翼煮一小時, 即可成為潮州滷水鴨翼.

用完滷水後可把鴨油撇去以待日後再用, 再用之時可加入少許冰糖,及鹽.  這滷水可重複使用多次.  傳說中有十五年滷水, 信不信由你!

Heat up about 5 liter of water till boiling; add soy sauce, rock sugar and salt .   Use a cheese cloth to make a bag, put all the above dry spices in the bag and put it in the water.  Turn down the heat to low for at least an hour so the flavour blends in together.  Turn up the heat to high.  Put in the duck and turn it over several times so the color can goes on evenly.  Make sure the brine water is boiling again and turn the heat back to low and turn it over every 15 minutes.  Cook the duck for about 1 1/2 hours.  Take the duck out and let it cool off.

Smoking procedures:

Hickory wood chips       山核桃木屑         1 cup (soak in water for 1/2 hr before smoking)

Maple syrup                       楓樹糖漿             1 table-spoon

Brown sugar slab              紅糖板                 x1

Liu An tea                           六安茶                 2 table-spoon

Put the already soaked hickory wood in the tray (I like to line it with foil paper for easy cleaning afterward), add maple syrup.  Place the tray on one side of the BBQ grill with a burner under it.   Put the duck on the other side of the BBQ set with a foil paper under it to catch the fat drips.  Turn on the burner on to high. (the burner with the hickory chip on top)   Close the BBQ lid and let the smoky flavour circulate inside the enclosed BBQ set for about 1/2 hr.  You will see the color of the duck turns at least two shades darker.  The smoky flavour and the taste of the brine can drive anyone crazy…………..!  Dinner is ready!

Smoking Ingredients

Smoking tray

Duck before smoking

Duck after smoking

Smoke duck dinner is ready

Yang Zhou Fried Rice 楊州炒飯

Key points:

• Fresh rice are too moist for frying. Cook the rice a day in advance and keep in fridge.
• I use a 50/50 mix of Jasmine and Long grain rice for texture and flavour.
• Feel free to buy day old BBQ pork as it is a lot cheaper and you really don’t need to use freshly made BBQ pork.

Time for preparation:  about 30 minutes

Ingredients for 4 Servings

• 6 bowl cooked cold rice (spread it out in a large bowl)
• 1/2 lb Chinese barbecued pork (cut into small cube)
• 1/2 lb fresh small size tiger prawns (butterfly and remove intestine from back)
• 3 eggs
• 3 stalks green onions (chopped)
• 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
• 3 tablespoons fish sauce  (light color to make the fried rice more appealing)

Cooking Steps:

Heat up the wok and season with vegetable oil, put in prawns and quickly fry it for few seconds, set aside.  (for extra flavour you can put in small amount of cooking wine)   Pour about 4 tablespoons of vegetable oil in wok till you see smoke coming out.  Put rice in wok and quickly turn it over a few times and spread it out t so it doesn’t stick together.   Put salt and fish sauce in rice and turn down the heat to medium.  Stir the rice thoroughly and put it back to the big container bowl for later use.  Pour one tablespoon of vegetable oil in wok under medium heat.  Roll the wok in circular motion so the egg can spread out like a fan.  Put the rice back in the wok before egg turns solid.  Turn the heat back to high and put the already cooked prawns and BBQ pork to the rice.  Quickly turn the rice over several time till everything is totally mix together.  Put the chopped green onion in the fried rice, mix well.  Dinner is ready!

Yang Zhou Fried Rice 楊州炒飯

Honey Barlic Chicken Wings

Keys to this recipe:

• Use the middle part of chicken wings
• Make sure oil is really hot when deep fry
• Don’t burn the garlic

Selection of Wings:

I like the middle part of Chicken wings because it is really tender after cooking and the skin gives a very silky feeling.  Although the drum stick is more meaty, the cartilage is very chewy and hard to swallow.  It might even break your teeth!  Try to ask your local poultry store for bigger size wings.

After you take them home, there is no need to wash them!  If the bacteria still mange to survive deep fry after a 450F heat, they deserve to live!

Put chicken wings in a big bowl and sprinkle it with garlic power and Kosher salt.  Let if sit there for half an hour.

Total Prep Time: 30 minutes

Serve 4

Ingredients:

• Chick wings middle part – 2 lbs
• Honey – 1/4 cup
• Garlic – 2 teaspoons (roughly chopped)
• Flour – 1/2 cup
• White pepper – a small dash
• Garlic powder – 2 teaspoons
• Vegetable oil – 4 cups for deep fry

Instruction:

Put all wings in a large mixing bowl , put garlic powder, white pepper to the wings and mix well.  Let it sit for half an hour before tossing flour in the chicken.   Toss well make sure the wings are well coated.  Heat up in a bowl or wok under high heat and quickly deep dried the wings to golden brown.  Take it out and let the oil drip out and fry it the second time.  Empty the hot oil to a container, leave a little oil in the pan under medium / low heat  and put the chopped garlic in there.  Don’t let it burn!  You just want to have an aroma of the garlic cling to the wings.  Pour 1/4 cup of honey and a pinch of kosher salt in the pan.  Turn up the heat back to medium and wait till the honey bubble moves the center.  Put the fried wings back to the wok and mix it well ……dinner is ready!

Chicken Wings resting

Finally procedure - Chicken Wings back in the Honey / Garlic sauce

Dinner is ready!