Shangdong Cuisine
Shandong cuisine can be traced back to the Spring and Autumn period. It was quickly developed in the South and North Dynasties, and was recognized as an important style of cooking in the Qing Dynasty. Shangdong cuisine is famous for its wide selection of material and use of different cooking methods. The raw materials are mainly domestic animals and birds, sea food and vegetables. The masterful cooking techniques include BAO (quick fry), LIU (quick fry with cornflour), PA (stew braise), roast, boiling, using sugar to make fruit, crystallizing with honey. Condiments such as sauce paste, fistulous onion and garlic are freely used, clear soup and milk soup are masterly used to add freshness to the dishes.
Chinese Cabbage Soup with Dried Shrimps
Materials
10 1/2 oz (300 g) hearts of Chinese cabbage (bok choy) 2 Chinese black mushrooms, soaked
3 tbsp (50 g) dried shrimps, soaked 1/2 tsp salt, or to taste
2 tsp Chinese ham, sliced 1 tsp melted chicken fat
Preparations
Cut cabbage hearts into 1/2 inch by 1 1/4 inch (1 cm by 3 cm) strips. Blanch briefly in boiling water and drain. Halve the mushrooms and discard the stems.
Pour the stock into a pot and add the ham, mushrooms, shrimps, cabbage, and salt. Bring to a boil and skim off any foam. Simmer until the cabbage hearts are very tender. Pour into a tureen, sprinkle with the chicken fat, and serve.
Soy Bean Soup with Pork Cubes
Materials
3 1/2 oz (100 g) lean boneless pork, cubed 2 tsp soy sauce
3 1/2 oz (100 g) soy beans, cooked 1/4 tsp salt, or to taste
3 1/2 oz (100 ml) vegetable oil 4 cups (1 liter) clear stock
2 tsp scallions, shredded 1/2 tsp MSG
2 tsp fresh ginger, shredded
Preparations
Heat the oil in wok until the oil surface ripples. Add the scallions and ginger and stir-fry until fragrant. Add the pork cubes. Stir-fry until the pork turns white. Stir in the soy sauce and salt. Add the soy beans and stock. Bring to a boil, skim off any foam, and the MSG. Remove and serve.
White Fungus Soup
Materials
1/3 oz (10 g) white fungus (tremella) 1/4 tsp salt, or to taste
3 cups (750 ml) Clear stock 1 tbsp rice wine
1 tsp soy sauce 1/4 tsp MSG
Preparations
Wash the white fungus in warm water, drain and place in a bowl with 2 cups (500 ml) of boiling water. Cover the bowl and let the white fungus soak for 15 minutes, or until soft. Drain and remove the stems and any hard or discolored parts. Wash in warm water three times, then soak again in boiling water for 3
minutes. Remove and place in a tureen.
Pour the stock in a saucepan and add the soy sauce and salt. Heat over high heat to boiling and skim off any foam. Stir in the rice wine and MSG. Ladle 1 cup (250 ml) of the stock over the fungi and let soak for 10 minutes. Drain. Then reheat the remaining 2 cups (500 ml) of stock, add to the tureen, and serve.
Note: In this dish, the white fungus are tender and nutritious and the soup delicately flavored.
Sweet Marinated Lotus Roots
Materials
14 oz (400 g) fresh lotus roots 7 tbsp (100 g) granulated sugar
1/4 tsp green preserved plum, shredded (substitute candied green cherry) 1/4 tsp red preserved plum, shredded (substitute candied red cherry)
Preparations
Wash and peel the lotus roots. Remove the joints and cut into 1/4 inch (1/2 cm) slices.
Blanch in boiling water for 1 minute, rinse under cold water and drain well. Place on a serving dish and sprinkle with the sugar and the preserved plums or cherries.
Note:This easily-prepared dish of crunchy lotus roots is a popular summer refreshment.
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Three Fruits in Syrup
Materials
9 oz (250 g) haws (hawthorn fruits, or use fresh crab apples) 9 oz (250 g) fresh chestnuts (or use canned peeled whole chestnuts)
9 oz (250 g) canned ginkgo nuts 2 1/2 tbsp sesame oil
2 tbsp (25 g) sugar 2 tbsp honey
1 tsp osmanthus flower syrup (optional)
Preparations
Wash the haws and simmer in water until partially cooked. Drain, then core, peel, and wash the haws. If using fresh chestnuts, wash them and cut a cross through their pointed ends and a third of the way down the nuts. Plunge into boiling water for 1
minutes, remove, drain, and shell. Then let them soak in warm water for about 30 minutes and remove the inner peels.
Put the chestnuts in a heat-proof bowl. Cover with water and steam for 20 minutes, or until soft.
Pour 1 1/4 tbsp of the sesame oil into a wok and heat. Add the sugar and cook, stirring constantly, until the syrup turns light brown. Slowly add 9 oz (250 ml) water, the honey, haws, chestnuts, and ginkgo nuts. Bring to a boil, then turn the heat to low and simmer until the syrup thickens. Stir in the osmanthus flower syrup and the remaining 1 1/4 tbsp sesame oil, and serve.
Chinese Yams in Spun Syrup
Materials
1 lb (500 g) Chinese yams (or sweet potatoes) 3 cups (750 ml) vegetable oil for deep-frying; uses about 2 1/2 oz (75 ml)
5/8 cup (150 g) sugar
Preparations
Wash, peel and roll-cut the yams into pieces. Soak in boiling hot water and remove immediately.
Heat the oil in a wok over medium heat to about 250oF(120oC), or until small bubbles appear around a piece of green leaf tossed into the oil. Add the yams and deep-fry until cooked or brown.
Pour all but 2 tbsp of the oil out of the wok. Turn the heat to low and add the sugar, stirring constantly until it dissolves. Cook until the syrup caramelises and turns light brown. Immediately add the yams and remove wok from the heat. Quickly toss the yam pieces so they are well-coated with the syrup, which will spin a thread. Place on a plate and serve immediately. Dip each piece in cold water to cool it enough to eat.
Bean Curd in Sauce
Materials
1 lb (500 g) fresh bean curd (tofu) 2 oz (60 ml) vegetable oil
1 tsp dried shrimps, soaked and chopped 2 tsp sweet fermented flour sauce (substitute sweet bean paste or hoisin sauce)
1 tsp scallions, chopped 1 tsp fresh ginger, chopped
1 tsp garlic, chopped 3 1/2 oz (100 g) minced lean pork
5 tsp soy sauce 2 tsp rice wine
2 tsp fresh coriander (or cilantro), chopped 3 1/2 fl oz (100 ml) high stock
1 tbsp cornstarch (cornflour) dissolved in tbsp water 3 tbsp (50 ml) peppercorn oil
1/2 tsp MSG
Preparations
Place the bean curd in a heat-proof bowl and steam for 10 minutes. Remove, drain, and cut into 1/2 inch 91 cm) cubes. Set aside.
Heat oil in a wok over high heat to just warm about 160oF(70oC). Add the shrimps, sweet fermented flour sauce, scallions, ginger, garlic, and pork. Stir-fry for 2 minutes. Add the soy sauce, rice wine, and stock. Stir and bring to a boil. Add the cornstarch-water mixture and cook, stirring, until the sauce thickens. Pour over the bean curd. Add coriander and MSG, sprinkle with the peppercorn oil, and serve.
Steamed Chicken
Materials
1 whole chicken, about 2 1/2 lb. (1 kg) 1/4 tsp. (1 g) fennel seed
4 tsp. salt, or to taste 1/4 tsp. (1g) Dahurian angelica root, chopped, if available
5 oz (150g) scallions, chopped 1/2 tsp. whole Sichuan peppercorn
5 tsp. (25g) fresh ginger, shredded 1/2 tsp. whole Sichuan peppercorn
1/4 tsp. (2 g) cloves 3 1/2 tbsp wine
Preparations
Wash the chicken. Mix together the salt, half the scallions, and half the ginger, and rub over the chicken inside and out. Mix together the remaining scallions and ginger, the cloves, fennel seed, angelica, ground peppercorns, and rice wine, and place in the chicken cavity.
Place the chicken on a heat-proof dish in a steamer and steam for 1 1/2 hours. Remove from the heat and let cool. Discard the seasonings in the body cavity.
Chop the chicken into 1 inch by 2 inch (5cm by 3 cm ) chunks and serve.
Auspicious Dried Scallop
Materials:
100g dried scallops soaked in water
50g chicken fillets
1g garlic
4 egg whites
100g soup stock
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Preparations:
Scald the scallops in soup stock, tear into pieces.
De-vein and mince the chicken fillets, add egg white, soup, dissolved cornstarch solution, salt and cooking wine, mix to make chicken sauce.
Melt lard in a wok to 4-fold hot, stir in the chicken sauce slowly, stir-fry over a low heat; transfer a half of the chicken sauce to a plate.
Stir scallops into the other half then transfer to the plate, sprinkle with garlic.
Soya Bean Sprouts
Materials:
350g tender soybean sprouts
5g red pepper shreds
1g scallion and ginger shreds
11g black fingus shreds
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Preparations:
Wash the soybean sprouts, nip off the roots, boil in hot water till done, remove, drain and transfer to a plate.
Heat sesame oil till 5-fold hot, fry prickly ash grains till golden brown, remove, drop in pepper shreds, scallion and ginger shreds, drop in the black fungus shreds, soy sauce, cooking wine, vinegar, white sugar, and salt, bring to the boil, sprinkle over the soya bean sprouts.
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Duck slices in soy sauce
Materials:
one spring duck (1000g)
500g taros
200g sweet fermented flour sauce
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Preparations:
Clean the duck, chop off the beak but keep the tongue, discard the feet, boil till 70% done with scallion, ginger and wild pepper; chop off the head, neck, legs, remove the carcass, cut the duck in two along the back then chop into rectangular pieces.
Steam the taros till done, peel and roll-cut.
Put the duck pieces on a rack in a saucepan, drop in the taros, duck head, neck and legs, add duck soup, seasonings and sweet fermented flour sauce fried with white sugar.
Fry scallion ginger and wild pepper in 6-fold hot oil till the flavor comes out, pour the oil into the saucepan with the duck, stew over a low heat for an hour, remove the duck to a dish.
Thicken the soup and pour it over the duck.
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Stir-fried Double Rolls
Materials:
150g pig tripe/150g pig's kidney
100g green pepper/4tbsp cooking oil
1tbsp cooking wine
2tsp vinegar/2g green onion (chopped)
1 garlic clove (sliced)
1tbsp cornstarch blended with water
2tsp pepper oil/1/2tsp salt
2tsp MSG (optional)
Preparations:
Score the tripe in crisscross fashion, cut into bite-size pieces, scroce the pig's kidney in crisscross fashion. Blanch the tripe and the pig's kidney. Dice the green pepper.
Make sauce with cooking wine, vinegar, salt, MSG, cornstarch-water mixture, green onion and garlic in a bowl.
Heat the oil in the wok, drop in the double rolls', green pepper and sauce, sprinkle the pepper oil. Serve.
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Stir-Fried Chicken Shreds with Jellyfish
Materials
9 oz (250g) edible dried jellyfish 3 cups (750ml) vegetable oil for deep-frying
1/4 tsp. ginger, chopped 1/4 tsp. scallions, shredded
7 oz (200 g) chicken breast piece 1 tsp. rice wine
1 tbsp lightly beaten egg white 1/4 tsp. salt, or taste
2 tbsp cornstarch (cornflour), dissolved in 2 tbsp water 2 tsp. sesame oil
1/2 tsp. MSG(optional)
Preparations
Soak the jellyfish in cold water for 3 hours. Wash and cut into 2 by 1 inch (5cm by 3 cm ) pieces . Plunge into boiling water, remove immediately, and drain. Set aside.
Skin the chicken and remove any tendons. Cut horizontally into slices about 1 inch (3cm ) wide, then stack the slices and cut along the grain into shreds. Mix with the egg white and cornstarch and set aside.
Set the wok over high heat. Pour in the oil and heat to 150oF (70oC) warm, and add the chicken immediately. Stir gently until the chicken shreds separate, then remove rapidly. Drain well and set aside.
Pour the oil out of the wok, leaving only enough to cover the bottom. Heat the wok until the oil surface ripples. Add the scallions and stir. Add the jellyfish and chicken, then the rice wine, salt. MSG (optional) and ginger. Stir-fry about 30 seconds. Sprinkle with sesame oil, and serve.
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