Wednesday, 16 March 2011

STIR-FRY LETTUCE RECIPE

 
 
As a rule, the Chinese do not eat raw vegetables, and lettuce is no exception. This is a great side dish for Chinese New Year, as lettuce is considered to be a "lucky" food. Serves 4 - 6.

Ingredients:

  • 1 head iceburg lettuce
  • 2 teaspoons soy sauce
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons Chinese rice wine or dry sherry
  • 3/4 teaspoon granulated sugar
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable or peanut oil
  • 2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons minced ginger
  • 1/8 – 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon Asian sesame oil (such as Kadoya)

Preparation:

1. Wash the lettuce, drain and separate the leaves. It’s important to make sure the lettuce is dry). Cut across the leaves into pieces about 1 inch wide.

2. Combine the rice wine or dry sherry, soy sauce, and sugar in a small bowl, stirring. Set aside.
3. Heat a wok on medium-high heat and add oil. When the oil is hot, add the garlic, ginger and red pepper flakes. Stir-fry until aromatic (5 - 10 seconds) and add the lettuce. Stir-fry the lettuce, sprinkling with the salt, for 1 - 2 minutes, until the leaves begin to wilt.

4. Give the sauce a quick re-stir and swirl it into the wok. Stir-fry for 1 - 2 more minutes, until the lettuce turns dark green. Remove from the heat and stir in the sesame oil. Serve immediately.
 
Nutritional Breakdown based on 6 servings:
Each serving contains: Calories 57, 3 g Carbohydrates, 1 g Protein, 5 g Total Fat, (1 g Saturated Fat, 2 g Monounsaturated Fat, 2 g Polyunsaturated Fat), 0 mg Cholesterol, 1 g Fibre, 273 mg Sodium, 153 mg Potassium.

SOURCE:http://chinesefood.about.com/od/vegetablesrecipes/r/fried_lettuce.htm

Tuesday, 15 March 2011

Sushi Rice Recipe

 
 
Here is a recipe for making sushi rice. Japanese rice is short grain rice and gets sticky when it is cooked. Long grain rice isn't proper for sushi because it is drier and doesn't stick together.
Ingredients:
  • 3 cups Japanese rice
  • 3 1/4 cups water
  • 1/3 cup rice vinegar
  • 3 Tbsp sugar
  • 1 tsp salt
Preparation:
After washing and soaking Japanese rice, cook and let it steam. See How to Cook Japanese Rice.
Prepare sushi vinegar (sushi-zu) by mixing rice vinegar, sugar, and salt in a sauce pan. Put the pan on low heat and heat until the sugar dissolves. Cool the vinegar mixture.
Spread the hot steamed rice into a large plate or a large bowl. Please use a non-metallic bowl to prevent any interaction with rice vinegar. It's best to use a wooden bowl called sushi-oke. Sprinkle the vinegar mixture over the rice and fold the rice by shamoji (rice spatula) quickly. Be careful not to smash the rice.
To cool and remove the moisture of the rice well, use a fan as you mix sushi rice. This will give sushi rice a shiny look. It's best to use sushi rice right away.
 
Makes 4-6 servings.