Chicken Marco Polo

This recipe is one from my mother-in-law. It is not ethnic, however it is very good.

1 lb feticini noodles (optional: Use spinach fettichini)
1 lb (or 1 pkg) boneless chicken breast or thighs, cut into bite size pieces
1/2 lb whole mushrooms
1 lb broccoli florets
2 cups grated cheddar cheese
Optional: Dry roasted cashews and raisins

Cook your noodles. While waiting for your water to boil and the noodles to cook, make the cheese sauce:

Cheese Sauce

4 - 6 Tblsp oil
3 Tblsp flour
1 - 2 Tblsp Lowry Season Salt
1 1/2 tsp dry mustard
1/4 tsp cayenne
1 quart half-n-half
2 cups grated cheddar cheese

Heat the oil in a sauce pan until hot and add the flour. Stir together and cook until flour is golden. Take the pan off the heat and add the seasoning and cream. Whisk together. Add the cheese and return pan to heat. Cook and stir until cheese melts and sauce is thickened.

Put sauce aside and saute the chicken and mushrooms together until cooked. (Optional: You may blanche the broccoli by immersing it in boiling water for 30 seconds. This step is not required).

Once your noodles have cooked, assemble the dish in a casserole pan. Layer the noodles on the bottom, followed by the chicken and mushrooms and then broccoli. Add the raisins and cashews to taste if you want. Sprinkle the top with the remaining 2 cups of grated cheese. Bake at 350 degrees until cheese is melted and it is bubbling.

I like cheese, so I add much more than required in the recipe. Feel free to make it as cheesy as you want.

Yellow-Cooked Salt Cod in Chili Sauce

Before we went to the Hunan provice to get Eva, my friend Mei told us we had to try the yellow fish... that Hunan was famous for it's yellow fish. We never did find any, but... when Granny gave David his Hunan cookbook for Christmas, there was this recipe in it. I don't know if it's the same as what Mei was talking about, but we had to try it. We loved it!!! We did not make it as hot as I am sure they do in Hunan (we didn't add as much chili as the recipe below calls for). Also, instead of cod, we used Talapia. The cookbook also says you can use carp. I think any white fleshed fish will work well in the recipe. It comes from Revolutionary Chinese Cookbook: Recipes from Hunan Provice, by Fuchsia Dunlop.

A couple of hours before you want to cook, rub 2 1/2 tsp of salt into 2 cod fillets with their skin (about 1 lb total), and then place them in a ceramic or glass bowl and leave in the refrigerator. Rinse well and pat dry before cooking. (We used whole talapia fish instead of fillets and put 3 slashes in each side before rubbing in the salt. It worked fine. Also, we weren't able to cook the fish the same day, but the next day, and that also was great. So, you can do this step a day ahead if you desire)

Heat the 1/2 cup peanut oil (or other high temp oil) in a wok or non-stick skillet over a high flame. Add the fish and fry on both sides until golden, moving the fillets as little as possible so a nice crust develops; set aside. (This step can be done a little in advance.)

Other ingredients needed:
1 Tablespoon finely chopped fresh ginger
1 Tablespoon finely chopped garlic
1/2 Tablespoon dried chili flakes
2 teaspoons Shaoxing rice wine*
1 cup chicken broth (or water)
1/4 teaspoon dark soy sauce*
1 long, fresh chili, deseeded and thinly sliced
A handful of chopped purple Perilla (otional) (We left this out... couldn't find it)
4 scallions, green parts only, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon Chinkiang vinegar* (optional) (We did add this)
1 teaspoon seseme oil

* These items need to be purchased at a specialty market.

Heat the wok (or skillet) over a high flame until smoke rises, then add 3 Tablespoons peanut oil and swirl around. Add the ginger and garlic and stir-fry until fragrant. Add the chili flakes and sizzle for a few seconds until fragrant, taking care not to burn them. Splash the Shaoxing wine around the edges of the wok and then add the broth or water.

Bring the liquid to a boil, add the soy sauce, and immerse the fish fillets. (If you are using unsalted fish, add a little salt to taste.) Reduce the heat to medium and simmer for a few minutes, spooning the liquid over the fillets from time to time, to allow the fish to absorb the flavors and the sauce to reduce; remove the fish to a serving dish.

Add the fresh chili and purple perilla to the remaining sauce in the wok, stir for a few moments, and then add the scallions and vinegar, if using. Give the sauce a few more stirs, then remove from the heat, stir in the seseme oil, and drizzle the liquid over the fish.

Note: If you want to salt the fish for five days, cake the fish generously with coarse salt, place it in a ceramic or glass bowl, cover with a heavy weight, and leave in the refrigerator for five days, turning the fillets every day or two, and draining off the liquid that emerges. Before eating, you will need to rinse and soak it overnight in plenty of water, changing the water as many times as possible to get rid of the excess saltiness.

Sesame Chicken

This recipe is one of Granny's favorites, and the first one we made that when we ate it, we thought... yes we can do this. It has abundant sauce which goes well over the rice. Our favorite rice is Jasmine.

Use 1 pkg boneless chicken thighs or breasts. Rinse and dry the chicken, then cut into bite sized pieces. Marinade chicken pieces for minimum of 30 minutes in the following marinade:
2 Tblsp light soy*
1 Tblsp rice wine (Shaoxing)*
2 Tblsp flour
2 Tblsp cornstarch
2 Tbsp water
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
A few drops of seseme oil
* Light soy sauce is the regular soy sauce you can purchase at the supermarket and most people consider is all of soy sauce. Dark soy sauce is specified as such, and usually must be purchased from a specialty market, as is Shaoxing rice wine.

Once chicken has marinaded, deep fry and put into a bowl. Cover and coat with sauce and sprinkle with toasted seseme seeds. Serve with rice.

Sauce:
1 cup chicken broth
3/4 cup white sugar
2 Tblsp dark soy sauce
1/4 cup cornstarch mixed in 1/2 cup cold water
1/8 cup white rice vinegar
2 Tblsp seseme oil
1 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp chili paste

Cook above ingredients together in sauce pan until thickened.