Granny's Family Chinese Recipes
ANGEL CHICKEN
Cut frying chicken in pieces including bones. Make a sauce of orange peel, ginger, 1 clove garlic, 1 tbsp sugar, 2 tbsp soy sauce and 2 tbsp whiskey. Fry chicken in oil until cooked, add sauce and cover, simmering about ten minutes. Make cornstarch and water and add, turning until chicken is glazed and brown and gravy is absorbed.
CHICKEN IN RICE
De-bone one frying chicken. Mash and chop one clove garlic. Wash rice as usual, but do cook at least one cup more.
Put rice on to boil. At same time fry chicken in oil until rawness is gone. Add salt and at least 3 tbsp soy sauce. Keep turning until juices are absorbed by chicken. Rice should now be all bubbly. Add chicken to rice stirring once or twice. Put lid on and let rice steam as usual. This is nice with a vegetable dish or boiled spinach. Use chicken bones to make soup.
For soups make the usual amount using chicken bones, but add chungtoy, 4 dried red plums and 4 mushrooms for your basic soup stock. A pork bone in this is nice too. When simmered at least 1 hour, preferably 2, add your vegetable or small melon or whatever soup you are planning to have.
BARBECUED SPARE RIBS
Rub ribs with hoisin or gim deng sauce. Let sit for a couple of hours. BBQ or roast in oven. If you prefer a milder sauce, mix with some ketchup. Cut into long strips or 1 ½ inch pieces.
BARBECUED PORK
One piece of side pork about 1 ½ lbs. Scrub skin side and pour boiling water over. Scrape clean. Cut meat side about every half inch almost to the skin. Rub meat side only with gim deng or hoisin sauce, getting sauce down into the slits. Skewer to keep roast in neat rectangle. Roast at 325° for ¾ hour skin side down. Remove from oven and with a sharp fork, prickle skin all over as for pie crust. Return to oven skin side up. Roast for ¾ hour more. During this time, fat will come up through holes in the skin. Turn on broiler only and put pork right under, skin side up. It will crackle and spit. When all done, remove and cool. Cut through skin on previous cuts. Then cut into half inch pieces. Use cleaver. Nice cold. Serve with favourite plum suace. Can also be used to fry with vegetables like broccoli.
BARBECUED CHICKEN
Cut chicken into pieces, bone and all. Make marinade of 2 tbsp honey, 2 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tsp dry mustard, ½ cup ketchup. Mix all together. Put chicken in marinade for at least 4 hours. Barbecue, basting frequently with marinade. Serve with rice and tossed salad.
POT ROAST CHICKEN
Soak half a cup of gim jim toy (dried lily flowers) and 3 or 4 mushrooms. Clean and cut toy into 1 inch sections and mushrooms into strips. Moisten with 1 tbsp soy sauce.
Rub cavity of chicken with salt. Stuff with the above mixture. Tie neck, truss or sew other end. Use dutch oven or other large heavy pot. Heat 1/8 inch oil in pot. Brown chicken on all sides. When brown, place small rack under chicken and add ¼ cup water. Cover closely and simmer about 1 hour altogether from the start of frying. Remove chicken and let cool a little. Put stuffing in bottom of serving dish. Cut chicken and arrange over stuffing. Make gravy with remaining juice by adding about 2 tsp corn starch mixed with a little cold water. Pour over chicken.
The bones from this make a nice RICE SOUP. Boil with a piece of chungtoy and 2 quarts water and ½ cup of washed rice. Boil slowly for about 3 hours. Add one piece cleaned orange peel and simmer at least another hour. Soup should be quite thick. Add salt. Have tiny ginger and green onions on table to add as garnish, also soy sauce. This soup will be quite thick and will resemble a congee.
STEAMED CHICKEN
½ chicken would probably be enough for your family. The other half could be used at another time or fried with green peppers.
De-bone chicken except for wing. Chop wing in 2 pieces. Pre-soak 5 or 6 mushrooms, 4 or 5 red plums (some people call these dates).
Cut chicken into bite size pieces. Cut mushrooms, red plums into thin strips. Mix above with 1 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tsp corn starch and 1 tbsp whiskey (optional). Stir well. Steam ½ hour or more. All chicken recipes given are for frying chicken.
BEEF AND TURNIP BOILED
½ to ¾ lbs stewing beef boiled with about 2 cups water and one piece of ginger root about an inch long. Boil for about 2 hours at the simmer setting on your stove. About one hour before serving, add one or more white Chinese turnips, peeled and cut in cubes about ¾ inch square by 1 ½ inches long. Add salt or soy sauce or both to taste.
SIX FLAVOURD SOUP (LOK MAY GUNG)
You can buy packets of this in Chinatown for about 75 cents each (circa 1975). This too is boiled as above with stewing beef and water and simmer for 2 to 3 hours. This is nice for a change. Season with salt or soy sauce or both.
STEAMED PORK DISH, 3 VARIATIONS
Get the butcher to put your pork butt roast through the food chopper or grinding machine (BKW note: this was written before ground pork was readily available in grocery stores). Divide into little packets and freeze. Good for green pea soup, egg dish with shrimps, won ton and for steamed pork dishes.
1. pork with chung toy and water chestnuts, add salt, soy sauce and corn starch. Steam.
2. Pork with Chinese sausage and water chestnuts, salt, soy sauce and corn starch. Steam.
3. With this one, use less pork, about ¼ cup. Add one duck egg (salted variety) cutting the yolk into small pieces, one fresh egg and about ¼ cup water. Sprinkle chopped green onion on top and mix the pork, eggs and water until well blended with a fork. All of these steamed dishes with pork should be cooked for at least ½ hour.
And while I’m at it, all of these recipes can be modified for your individual family tastes, using more of this and less of that as you think best.
VERMICELLI DISH
Soak one package 18 cent size (circa 1975). Cut 6 pieces or less of bacon, ½ onion and 3 stalks celery into thin strips. Fry in above order. When cooked, add soy sauce and drained noodles. Mix around then add about ½ cup water and salt to taste. Cook until water is absorbed and noodles are translucent.
Mum (Granny Foo) used to make this with pork, onion, dried lily flowers (gim jim toy) and suey choy (Chinese cabbage), garlic, salt and soy sauce to taste.
- original document written by Helen Wong
- electronic formatting by Brian Wong, 29 January 2008
ANGEL CHICKEN
Cut frying chicken in pieces including bones. Make a sauce of orange peel, ginger, 1 clove garlic, 1 tbsp sugar, 2 tbsp soy sauce and 2 tbsp whiskey. Fry chicken in oil until cooked, add sauce and cover, simmering about ten minutes. Make cornstarch and water and add, turning until chicken is glazed and brown and gravy is absorbed.
CHICKEN IN RICE
De-bone one frying chicken. Mash and chop one clove garlic. Wash rice as usual, but do cook at least one cup more.
Put rice on to boil. At same time fry chicken in oil until rawness is gone. Add salt and at least 3 tbsp soy sauce. Keep turning until juices are absorbed by chicken. Rice should now be all bubbly. Add chicken to rice stirring once or twice. Put lid on and let rice steam as usual. This is nice with a vegetable dish or boiled spinach. Use chicken bones to make soup.
For soups make the usual amount using chicken bones, but add chungtoy, 4 dried red plums and 4 mushrooms for your basic soup stock. A pork bone in this is nice too. When simmered at least 1 hour, preferably 2, add your vegetable or small melon or whatever soup you are planning to have.
BARBECUED SPARE RIBS
Rub ribs with hoisin or gim deng sauce. Let sit for a couple of hours. BBQ or roast in oven. If you prefer a milder sauce, mix with some ketchup. Cut into long strips or 1 ½ inch pieces.
BARBECUED PORK
One piece of side pork about 1 ½ lbs. Scrub skin side and pour boiling water over. Scrape clean. Cut meat side about every half inch almost to the skin. Rub meat side only with gim deng or hoisin sauce, getting sauce down into the slits. Skewer to keep roast in neat rectangle. Roast at 325° for ¾ hour skin side down. Remove from oven and with a sharp fork, prickle skin all over as for pie crust. Return to oven skin side up. Roast for ¾ hour more. During this time, fat will come up through holes in the skin. Turn on broiler only and put pork right under, skin side up. It will crackle and spit. When all done, remove and cool. Cut through skin on previous cuts. Then cut into half inch pieces. Use cleaver. Nice cold. Serve with favourite plum suace. Can also be used to fry with vegetables like broccoli.
BARBECUED CHICKEN
Cut chicken into pieces, bone and all. Make marinade of 2 tbsp honey, 2 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tsp dry mustard, ½ cup ketchup. Mix all together. Put chicken in marinade for at least 4 hours. Barbecue, basting frequently with marinade. Serve with rice and tossed salad.
POT ROAST CHICKEN
Soak half a cup of gim jim toy (dried lily flowers) and 3 or 4 mushrooms. Clean and cut toy into 1 inch sections and mushrooms into strips. Moisten with 1 tbsp soy sauce.
Rub cavity of chicken with salt. Stuff with the above mixture. Tie neck, truss or sew other end. Use dutch oven or other large heavy pot. Heat 1/8 inch oil in pot. Brown chicken on all sides. When brown, place small rack under chicken and add ¼ cup water. Cover closely and simmer about 1 hour altogether from the start of frying. Remove chicken and let cool a little. Put stuffing in bottom of serving dish. Cut chicken and arrange over stuffing. Make gravy with remaining juice by adding about 2 tsp corn starch mixed with a little cold water. Pour over chicken.
The bones from this make a nice RICE SOUP. Boil with a piece of chungtoy and 2 quarts water and ½ cup of washed rice. Boil slowly for about 3 hours. Add one piece cleaned orange peel and simmer at least another hour. Soup should be quite thick. Add salt. Have tiny ginger and green onions on table to add as garnish, also soy sauce. This soup will be quite thick and will resemble a congee.
STEAMED CHICKEN
½ chicken would probably be enough for your family. The other half could be used at another time or fried with green peppers.
De-bone chicken except for wing. Chop wing in 2 pieces. Pre-soak 5 or 6 mushrooms, 4 or 5 red plums (some people call these dates).
Cut chicken into bite size pieces. Cut mushrooms, red plums into thin strips. Mix above with 1 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tsp corn starch and 1 tbsp whiskey (optional). Stir well. Steam ½ hour or more. All chicken recipes given are for frying chicken.
BEEF AND TURNIP BOILED
½ to ¾ lbs stewing beef boiled with about 2 cups water and one piece of ginger root about an inch long. Boil for about 2 hours at the simmer setting on your stove. About one hour before serving, add one or more white Chinese turnips, peeled and cut in cubes about ¾ inch square by 1 ½ inches long. Add salt or soy sauce or both to taste.
SIX FLAVOURD SOUP (LOK MAY GUNG)
You can buy packets of this in Chinatown for about 75 cents each (circa 1975). This too is boiled as above with stewing beef and water and simmer for 2 to 3 hours. This is nice for a change. Season with salt or soy sauce or both.
STEAMED PORK DISH, 3 VARIATIONS
Get the butcher to put your pork butt roast through the food chopper or grinding machine (BKW note: this was written before ground pork was readily available in grocery stores). Divide into little packets and freeze. Good for green pea soup, egg dish with shrimps, won ton and for steamed pork dishes.
1. pork with chung toy and water chestnuts, add salt, soy sauce and corn starch. Steam.
2. Pork with Chinese sausage and water chestnuts, salt, soy sauce and corn starch. Steam.
3. With this one, use less pork, about ¼ cup. Add one duck egg (salted variety) cutting the yolk into small pieces, one fresh egg and about ¼ cup water. Sprinkle chopped green onion on top and mix the pork, eggs and water until well blended with a fork. All of these steamed dishes with pork should be cooked for at least ½ hour.
And while I’m at it, all of these recipes can be modified for your individual family tastes, using more of this and less of that as you think best.
VERMICELLI DISH
Soak one package 18 cent size (circa 1975). Cut 6 pieces or less of bacon, ½ onion and 3 stalks celery into thin strips. Fry in above order. When cooked, add soy sauce and drained noodles. Mix around then add about ½ cup water and salt to taste. Cook until water is absorbed and noodles are translucent.
Mum (Granny Foo) used to make this with pork, onion, dried lily flowers (gim jim toy) and suey choy (Chinese cabbage), garlic, salt and soy sauce to taste.
- original document written by Helen Wong
- electronic formatting by Brian Wong, 29 January 2008