Recipes by their Ingredients

black vinegar

  • Dan Dan Noodles

    Dan Dan Noodles

    Dan Dan Noodles (Serves 4-6)

    Sauce
    4 tblsp Chinese sweet soy sauce
    4 tblsp Chinese light soy sauce
    1 to 2 tblsp sambal oelek chili sauce
    2 tsp Chinese black vinegar
    ½ tsp Sichuan peppercorn powder
    1 tblsp Chinese sesame paste

    Noodles
    2 tblsp vegetable oil
    2 tblsp fresh ginger, sliced thin
    2 tblsp garlic, minced
    1 lb ground pork
    4 tblsp Tianjin preserved vegetable, rinsed
    8 oz Chinese wheat/egg noodles
    3 tblsp sherry
    1 cup baby spinach
    3 scallions, green parts only, thinly sliced, garnish
    handful of roasted peanuts (not dry roasted), garnish


    NOTES: Original recipe by Jet Tila. You can substitute tahini or even peanut butter for the Chinese sesame paste. Also, the link to the "preserved vegetables" is for a reference for what the product looks like, I purchased mine at my local Asian market for $2.49 and not the outrageous price of $28.99! The wheat/egg noodles can be substituted for almost anything, I used soba noodles once, which are made out of buckwheat and fresh egg nooodles another time. I also omitted the sprinkle of Sichuan peppercorn powder, as mine had the flavor from the sauce addition. If you like it spicy, feel free to add more chili sauce and another sprinkle of ground Sichon peppercorn.

    For the sauce: Combine all sauce ingredients in a small bowl and reserve.

    Boil 3 quarts of water in a 6-quart pot. Cook the noodles for about 10 minutes or until al dente, rinse and drain well in a colander. Place the noodles in a large serving bowl.

    Heat the vegetable oil in a wok or a frying pan over high heat. When you see wisps of white smoke, add the garlic and ginger. Add the pork, breaking it up and tossing for 2 to 3 minutes until brown and almost cooked through. Add the preserved vegetable to the wok and stir-fry for 30 seconds. Deglaze the pan with sherry and add the baby spinach, cooking until wilted. Then add the reserved sauce stir-fry and folding constantly for 1 more minute or until pork is fully cooked.

    Pour the meat sauce over the noodles toss well and top with scallions, chopped peanuts and if your using the extra Sichuan peppercorn powder.

  • Kung Pau Shrimp

    King Pau
    Kung Pao
    (Serves 4)

    Protein
    1 lb your choice: shrimp, beef, pork, chicken or firm tofu, cut into equal 1 inch pieces (keep shrimp whole if using, but de-shell and de-vein)
    3-4 tblsp peanut oil, for shallow frying your protein OR 2 cups vegetable oil for deep frying your protein

    Protein Marinade
    1 tblsp mirin (rice wine)
    1 tsp salt
    1 tsp onion powder, optional

    Protein Slurry
    1 lg egg white
    2 tblsp corn starch

    Kung Pao Sauce
    1 tblsp Dou Ban Jiang (Broad Bean Paste)
    1 tbsp of light soy sauce
    1 tsp of dark soy sauce
    1.5 tbsp of black vinegar
    a handful of red dried chilies
    1 tsp of Sichuan (Szechuan) peppercorns, ground
    1 tbsp of garlic
    1 tsp of ginger
    2 tbsp of brown sugar
    1/2 cup of water
    2 tsp of cornstarch

    Vegetables
    4 or 5 green onions, sliced
    1/2 onion, sliced in half then thin
    1/2 green bell pepper, sliced thin
    1/2 Serrano chili, optional
    Optional, Another half cup of vegetables, your choice, like green beans, carrots, etc, sliced thin

    At the end extras
    1/4 cup shelled peanuts, toasted
    5-10 dried chilis, toasted
    1 cup Jasmin rice, cooked

    NOTES: I add the Serrano chili for extra heat, you do not have to. You can make this with cut up chicken breast and have kung pao chicken. The Szechuan Peppercorns give a numbing floral quality which is key to the Sichuan province in China where the dish comes from. At the 3:46 second mark of this video will show you the "velveting" technique. Technically you would finish the "velveting" process by dunking the protein briefly in hot oil or water, which we are not doing here. To cook the rice, rinse the rice in a bowl of water, drain and repeat 3 times (or until the water runs clear). Add rice to sauce pan, add water 1/3 inch over the top of the rice. Add a pinch of salt. Bring the rice to a boil and reduce the heat immediately to simmer and cover the pot and set your timer for 8 minutes. After 8 minutes, unless there's excess water, turn off the heat, using a fork fluff the rice and then keep covered for an additional few minutes. If there's additional water after 8 minutes you can turn up the heat briefly until the water evaporates.
     

    Mix the shrimp, salt, onion powder and mirin. Add the cornstarch and the egg white in the side of the bowl with the shrimp and mix the white and starch together so there are no lumps, then using the velveting technique, hand mix the shrimp until the egg whites and starch have evenly coated the shrimp and seem to take on a smoother "velvety" texture, let the shrimp rest for 30 minutes before frying.

    Make your sauce by mixing all of the sauce ingredients together. Set Aside, in the fridge if your letting your protein sit for over an hour.

    Shallow or deep fry your protein, a handful at a time, do not crowd the pan. Once you are finished with all of your protein.

    Add the shrimp (or whatever protein you are using) back to your shallow fry pan, if you deep fried, using a new pan, heat it up and add your fried protein, mix in any vegetables you like, mix in the peanuts and chilis, toss until all incorporated. toss for a few minutes to warm it all through, then add your sauce, 1/2 at a time until you are happy with the taste. Serve over Jasmin rice and sprinkle with remaining green onions.