Chronicle Books Blog

Happy Year of the Dragon!

This week’s recipe has been auspiciously selected from Mastering the Art of Chinese Cooking, a tour-de-force cookbook written by renowned and award-winning culinary legend Eileen Yin-Fei Lo.

Lobster is the absolute perfect Chinese New Year food for celebrating the year 4710, since it’s known as the ‘dragon shrimp.’ The dragon is the symbol of the Emperor – and as a result one of power and positive energy. It’s supposed to be a most excellent year as a result – full of riches, wedding celebrations, and lots of babies!

Let us know what you’re doing to celebrate Chinese New Year – are you tackling making dim sum at home for the first time (or just going out for it), lighting some colorful fireworks (safely please), or taking a stab at making Eileen’s luscious congee recipe? Leave a comment and you’ll be eligible to win a copy of the book we’ll be rewarding to a lucky randomly selected commenter (offer eligible in the USA and Canada only).

Gung Hay Fat Choy!

Rich and Noble Congee

Unlike traditional congees, this congee is made with already-cooked rice. Custom dictates that this particular congee be made not only from cooked rice, but from leftover cooked rice. I am not certain about the origin of the dish, but it probably originated either in Fujian, or in the neighboring Chaoshan region of eastern Guangdong, home of the Chiu Chow people, where cooks traditionally make congees from cooked rice. The reason for its name? It was once accepted that having rice left over from a meal was evidence the family was wealthy and had plenty—that the rice was not a rice of the poor but of the rich or noble. Fanciful chefs in Hong Kong made this a congee of status.

4 Chinese sausages (lop cheong)
1 or 2 frozen lobster tails in the shell, (about 1 pound), thawed

Marinade
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
2 1/2 teaspoons sesame oil
2 teaspoons white rice wine mixed with 1 teaspoon ginger juice (see below)
1 teaspoon light soy sauce
1 teaspoon white rice vinegar
1 1/4 teaspoons sugar
Pinch of white pepper

2 1/2 cups cooked rice, preferably leftover
3 cups Chicken Stock (see below)
1 cup of water
Salt

1. Place the sausages in a steamproof dish, place in a steamer, cover, and steam for 10 minutes. The sausages should become a deep red and shrink slightly. Allow the sausages to cool, then cut them into 1/3-inch dice. Reserve.

2. Shell the lobster tails, dry the meat with paper towels, and cut into1/2-inch dice. Place in a bowl and reserve.

3. To make the marinade, in a small bowl, mix together all of the ingredients. Pour the marinade over the lobster, turn to coat, and reserve.

4. Place the cooked rice in a blender, add 1 1/2 cups of the stock, and blend on low speed for 1 minute, or until the rice has a grainy consistency (called “sand” by the Chinese to describe how it should feel). Transfer the rice to large non-stick pot. Add the remaining 1 1/2 cups stock and the water and stir to combine well. Add the sausages and mix well. Turn on the heat to low, cover the pot, and cook for 5 minutes, stirring often to prevent sticking. Uncover the pot, raise the heat to medium, and stir for 5 to 7 minutes, or until the congee boils. Add the lobster and its marinade and mix well. Bring the congee back to a boil. Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt, if needed.

5. Turn off the heat, transfer to a heated tureen, and serve.

Makes 4 servings

Chicken Stock

12 1/2 quarts water
2 whole chickens with giblets (about 8 pounds total), cleaned and each bird quartered
4 pounds chicken wings
8 ounces of fresh ginger, unpeeled, cut into 3 equal pieces and lightly smashed
6 garlic cloves, peeled but left whole
1 bunch scallions, cut crosswise into thirds
4 onions, quartered
4 ounces fresh coriander sprigs, cut into 3-inch lengths (about 1 cup)
1/2 cup fried onions from Onion Oil (see below)
1/2 cup boxthorn seeds, soaked in hot water to cover for 10 minutes and drained
3 tablespoons salt

1. In a large stockpot, bring 4 quarts of the water to a boil. Add the chicken quarters, giblets, and wings, and allow the water to return to a boil. Boil for 2 minutes. This will bring the blood and juices to the top. Remove the pot from the heat and pour off the water. Run cold water into the pot to rinse off the chicken, and then drain into a colander.

2. Place the chicken parts and the giblets back into the pot. Add the remaining 8 1/2 quarts water and all of the remaining ingredients. Cover the pot and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to a simmer, adjust the cover so it is slightly cracked, and simmer for 5 hours. Using a Chinese ladle, skim any residue from the surface as the stock simmers.

3. Turn off the heat, and let the stock cool in the pot. Strain the stock through a fine-mesh strainer into containers to store for later use. Cover the containers and refrigerate for up to 5 days, or freeze for up to 3 months. A thin layer of fat will form on the surface of the refrigerated or frozen stock. Leave it in place until you are ready to use the stock, then skim it off with a large spoon just before using. Most of the taste will have gone from the chicken to the stock, but you still may wish to nibble on the meat. Enjoy.

Makes about 5 1/2 quarts

Onion Oil

1 3/4 cups peanut oil
1 pound onions, very thinly sliced (4 cups)

1. Heat a wok over high heat for 30 seconds. Add the peanut oil and onions and cook. For 7 minutes, stirring and turning the onions often to prevent burning and to ensure even browning. Reduce the heat to medium and cook, stirring often, for 15minutes more, or until the onions turn light brown.

2. Turn off the heat. Strain the oil through a fine-mesh strainer into a heatproof bowl, pressing the onions with a ladle as they drain. Allow the oil to cool to room temperature. Set the fried onions aside to cool. Pour the cooled oil into a sterilized glass jar and close tightly. The oil will keep at room temperature for 1 week or refrigerated for up to 3 months. Transfer the fried onions to a plastic container, cover, and refrigerate. They will keep for up to 3 months.

Makes 1 1/4 cups oil and about 1 1/4 cups fried onions

How to Make Ginger Juice
Peel apiece of ginger. Using a small single-panel handheld grater, grate the ginger into a small bowl, then pass the grated ginger through a garlic press. A piece of ginger about 1 1/4 inches square will yield about 1 teaspoon juice.

Peter Perez
Associate Director, Marketing

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