Zao Asian Food Recipes

LU ROU FAN (TAIWANESE BRAISED PORK RICE BOWL)

Steps:

• Bring a medium pot of water to a boil (just enough so that the pork will be fully submerged), and blanch the chopped pork belly for 1 minute. Drain, rinse clean of any scum, and set aside.
• Heat the oil in a wok over low heat, and add the sugar. Cook the sugar until it starts to melt and then add the onions. Turn up the heat to medium high and stir-fry the onions for a minute. Add the mushrooms and stir-fry for another couple minutes.
• Add the blanched pork, shaoxing wine, light soy sauce, dark soy sauce and water. Stir and bring the mixture to a boil. Once boiling, add the spices (which should be tied in cheese cloth), along with the peeled hardboiled eggs and turn the heat to the lowest setting. Simmer for 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking.
• At this point the meat should be fall-apart tender. To finish the dish, remove the spice packet and turn up the heat to medium high to thicken the sauce, stirring occasionally. This process should take about 5-minutes. The sauce should be thick enough to coat a spoon, but there should still be plenty of it left. Serve over steamed white rice.

ASIAN TACOS

Steps:

• 1.In a mixing bowl, combine chopped steak and teriyaki marinade. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes. 2.In a separate mixing bowl, whisk together the ginger, sesame seeds, orange juice, soy sauce and honey. Add the grated cucumber and shredded carrots to the bowl and toss gently. Season the slaw with salt and pepper to taste. Cover and refrigerate until ready to assemble tacos. 3.Heat a skillet on medium high heat until hot. Add chopped steak, along with the marinade and saute until cooked through, about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. 4.To assemble the tacos, place ¼ cup of the cucumber and carrot slaw in each tortilla. Top with 2 oz. of the hot Teriyaki steak and sprinkle with sliced green onions. Repeat and enjoy.

ASIAN WRAPS

Steps:

• Place chicken in a 3-qt. slow cooker. In a small bowl, whisk soy sauce, ketchup, honey, ginger and oil; stir in onion. Pour over chicken. Cook, covered, on low 3-4 hours or until chicken is tender. Remove chicken; shred with 2 forks and refrigerate until assembly., Meanwhile, in a small bowl, mix cornstarch and water until smooth; gradually stir into honey mixture. Cook, covered, on high until sauce is thickened, 20-30 minutes. Toss chicken with 3/4 cup sauce; reserve remaining sauce for serving., Fill a large shallow dish partway with water. Dip a rice paper wrapper into water just until pliable, about 45 seconds (do not soften completely); allow excess water to drip off., Place wrapper on a flat surface. Layer 1/4 cup coleslaw, 1/3 cup chicken mixture and 1 tablespoon noodles across bottom third of wrapper. Fold in both sides of wrapper; fold bottom over filling, then roll up tightly. Place on a serving plate, seam side down. Repeat with remaining ingredients. Serve with reserved sauce.

GENERAL TSAO'S CHICKEN II

Steps:

• Heat 4 cups vegetable oil in a deep-fryer or large saucepan to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• Beat the egg in a mixing bowl. Add the chicken cubes; sprinkle with salt, 1 teaspoon sugar, and white pepper; mix well. Mix in 1 cup of cornstarch a little bit at a time until the chicken cubes are well coated.
• In batches, carefully drop the chicken cubes into the hot oil one by one, cooking until they turns golden brown and begin to float, about 3 minutes. Remove the chicken and allow to cool as you fry the next batch. Once all of the chicken has been fried, refry the chicken, starting with the batch that was cooked first. Cook until the chicken turns deep golden brown, about 2 minutes more. Drain on a paper towel-lined plate.
• Heat 2 tablespoons vegetable oil in a wok or large skillet over high heat. Stir in the green onion, garlic, whole chiles, and orange zest. Cook and stir a minute or two until the garlic has turned golden and the chiles brighten. Add 1/2 cup sugar, the ginger, chicken broth, vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil, and peanut oil; bring to a boil and cook for 3 minutes.
• Dissolve 2 teaspoons of cornstarch into the water, and stir into the boiling sauce. Return to a boil and cook until the sauce thickens and is no longer cloudy from the cornstarch, about 1 minute. Stir the chicken into the boiling sauce. Reduce heat to low and cook for a few minutes until the chicken absorbs some of the sauce.