Beef with Black Bean Sauce
Chinese Dumplings
Garlic Chicken
Fried Rice

Beef with Spicy Black Bean Sauce

Ingredients:
3/4 pound beef
1 celery stalk
1 green onion
1/2 carrot
1 tablespoon fermented black beans
1 tablespoon chili paste
2 garlic cloves
2 ginger slices
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil

Marinade:
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon wine
1 teaspoon cornstarch
dash of pepper

Sauce:
1/4 cup water
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon cornstarch

Directions:
Cut beef across the grain into thin, bite-sized pieces. Mix marinade ingredients. Marinate beef for twenty minutes.
While marinating beef, prepare vegetables and sauce. Mix sauce ingredients and set aside. Slice celery and carrots into thin slices. Peel and mince garlic cloves and ginger. Wash black beans and let sit for a few minutes to soften. Mince.
Heat wok and add 1 teaspoon of oil. When oil is ready, stir-fry celery, carrot, and green onion until tender and crisp. Remove vegetables from the wok and set aside.
Reheat the wok and add 2 tablespoons of oil. Stir-fry the ginger, garlic, and black beans until fragrant. Add the chili paste and the marinated beef. Stir-fry until there is no redness in the beef. Give the sauce mixture a quick stir and add to the beef. When the sauce is boiling add the cooked vegetables. Mix well. Remove from wok, sprinkle with sesame oil and serve.

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Chinese Dumplings

Particularly good dumplings for a starter dish or for a light lunch.
Ingredients
275G PACKET GOW GEE WRAPPERS
1 TEASPOON SESAME OIL
1 CHINESE MUSHROOM, SOAKED IN BOILING WATER, DRAINED, FINELY DICED
1/3 CUP FINELY DICED CARROT
1 SPRING ONION, FINELY CHOPPED
2 TABLESPOONS FINELY DICED WATER CHESTNUTS
150G COOKED SOY BEANS, DRAINED AND RINSED
2 TEASPOONS GRATED FRESH GINGER
1 TABLESPOON LIGHT SOY SAUCE

Dipping Sauce

1 TABLESPOON VEGETARIAN OYSTER SAUCE
½ TEASPOON GRATED FRESH GINGER
1 TEASPOON LIGHT SOY SAUCE
2 TEASPOONS BOILING WATER
1 TEASPOON SESAME OIL

Separate the gow gee wrappers and cover with a damp tea towel. Heat the oil in a saucepan. Add the mushroom, carrot, spring onion, water chestnuts, beans and ginger, and cook over medium heat for 5 minutes. Stir in the soy sauce.
Put a teaspoon of filling in the centre of each wrapper. Wet the edges, fold over and seal, making a half circle. Mix together the dipping sauce ingredients.

Add the dumplings to a saucepan of boiling water in batches and cook for 2 minutes, or until they float. Drain and serve with the dipping sauce.

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CHINESE GARLIC CHICKEN

4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (about 1 lb.)
1 egg white
1 Tablespoon cornstarch
1 Tablespoon dry white wine or sherry
4 green onions
1 teaspoon minced gingerroot
3 teaspoons minced fresh garlic (about 6 medium cloves)
2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
Hot cooked rice

SAUCE

1 teaspoon crushed chili paste (sambal oelek) or more to taste
2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon cornstarch
2 teaspoons rice vinegar
1 Tablespoon water
2 Tablespoons dry white wine or sherry
2 Tablespoons soy sauce

Place chicken breasts in freezer for 1 to 2 hours or until very firm
but not frozen solid. Slice crosswise into thin shreds. In small bowl,
lightly beat egg white, then mix in 1 TBS cornstarch and 1 TBS wine,
stirring until cornstarch is dissolved. Add chicken and mix well to coat
all pieces. Let stand at room temperature 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, slice green onions on the diagonal into very thin slices.
Mince gingerroot and garlic. Combine Sauce ingredients, mixing well. Heat
wok or frying pan, add oil, and stir-fry chicken until no longer pink.
Remove chicken with a slotted spoon. Add onions, ginger and garlic to wok
and stirfry about 30 seconds, until ginger and garlic are fragrant but not
brown. Return chicken to wok, restir sauce ingredients and add to wok.
Cook, stirring constantly, until mixture is well combined, hot and bubbly
and thickens slightly. Turn off heat and splash with about 1 tsp of dark
sesame oil. Serve over rice. Makes 4 servings.

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Fried Rice

Serves 3 to 5

Ingredients:
4 cups cold cooked rice
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
4 tablespoons canola, corn, or peanut oil
1/2 cup thinly sliced scallions or diced onion
1 teaspoon thick soy sauce*
1 cup fresh peas, parboiled, or thawed frozen peas
1 cup diced carrots, parboiled or thawed frozen carrots
1/2 cup diced cooked ham, chicken, turkey or pork
1 cup fresh bean sprouts

Directions:
Place the rice in a large bowl and use your fingers to break up any lumps. Set aside. Beat the eggs in a separate bowl with the salt and pepper. Set aside.
Pour the oil into a wok or stir-fry pan and place the pan over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot but not smoking, add the scallions; they should sizzle. Stir for about 15 seconds. Stir the beaten eggs into the pan with a spatula and scramble until the eggs are dry and separate.
Add the rice to the eggs and mix thoroughly. Pour the soy sauce evenly over the mixture. Add the peas, carrots, ham, and bean sprouts. Stir constantly until all the ingredients are well mixed and heated through. Serve the fried rice immediately.

*Available in Asian markets. You can substitute dark soy sauce, but you will need to add more than 1 teaspoon to get the same dark color.