| 1 | *(or if unavailable, substitute 5 or 6 drops tabasco sauce) been returning to my culinary "roots" so to speak. |
| 2 | I pulled out a couple of great little cookbooks that i got years ago when i was first getting into oriental cooking. |
| 3 | These are those little recipe card like books with spiral bindings that you see here and there in asian markets and the like. |
| 4 | I"d forgotten how good these recipes are since collecting larger and flashier cookbooks, but these are some of the recipes that convinced me that i really did want to become proficient at chinese cooking. |
| 5 | They are simple, authentic and *very* tasty! this first one calls for beef, but the other night i substituted pork for the beef and the result was excellent. |
| 6 | The finished dish is rich, as hot as you like it and slightly sweet. |
| 7 | The only "exotic" ingredient is the "soy beans with chili condiment" and it"s not too exotic these days. |
| 8 | (sorry, jeff++no dried duck webs here!) any market with a good oriental section should have it. |
| 9 | The stuff i use is put out in 8 oz. bottles by lan chi and is called "chilli paste with soy bean". |
| 10 | It"s quite hot and has a wonderful, slightly "smoky" flavor. |
| 11 | (i"m copying these recipes out verbatim to capture the flavor of the book). |
| 12 | This blend of flavors will remind you of hot dishes from other parts of the world. |
| 13 | This chili flavor combine [sic] is entirely different from the chili used in mexican dishes, for instance Mix gravy ingredients in a small bowl. |
| 14 | Set aside. |
| 15 | Heat wok on high heat. |
| 16 | Add 1 tablespoon oil. |
| 17 | Slosh around. |
| 18 | Add vegetables and stir-fry until half done about 2 minutes. |
| 19 | Remove to platter. |
| 20 | Clean wok. |
| 21 | Reheat over high heat. |
| 22 | Add 1 tablespoon oil. |
| 23 | Slosh around. |
| 24 | Add beef, garlic and ginger. |
| 25 | Toss-fry for about 3 minutes and when meat is pinkish add gravy ingredients. |
| 26 | Stir-fry another minute or so until thickened. |
| 27 | Add precooked vegetables. |
| 28 | Toss-fry another minute to blend and heat through |
