5 Spice Mushroom Rice

This dish is a delicate blend of flavours and textures that may not appeal to all, but its a "must" for those who like to experiment beyond the conventional Chinese fried rice. Mushrooms and Chinese 5 spice powder together make this rice a very traditional fare.


Ingredients

2 cups Chinese rice
1/3 cup mushrooms, sliced
1/2 cup dried black mushrooms (shitake), soaked in hot water for 15 minutes and sliced, discard the stalk
1 tsp Chinese 5 spice powder
a pinch sugar
2 tbsps Oil
Salt to taste

Method

Heat the oil, add the mushrooms and saute till they are tender.

Add the dried black muhrooms and saute for 2 to 3 more minutes.

Add the Chinese 5 spice powder and saute for 1/2 minutes.

Add the rice, sugar and salt and mix well.

Serve hot.

Chinese 5 Spice Powder

An authentic home-made version of the original blend of spices. Just lke our very own garam masala,every Chinesehousehold has its own delicate balnce of ingredients to make this fragnant powder.

Preparation time : 10 Minutes
Cooking time: 15 Minutes
Makes 1/4 Cup

Ingredients:

4 tsps Peppercorns
16 whole Star anise
12 Cloves
10 Stiks Cinnamon
2 tbsps Fennel seeds

Method

In a dry pan, roast the peppercorns over lo heat until the aroma is released. Keep aside.

Roast togeter the other ingredients for about 3 minutes on low heat till the aroma is released.

Grind together all he ingredients in a blender. Sieve the miture.

A coarse powder of the spices will be left behind. Grind it again to make a fine powder and sieve again. Discard the coarse powder left behind or grind it aain.

Store the sieved powder in a air-tight jar and use as required.

Chinese Rice

To the Chinese, rice is a symbol of life. When you are a dinner guest, it is considered bad manners not to consume every grain of rice in your bowl.
The Chinese generally use long grained rice for various rice preparations. You need to be very careful with the way the rice is cooked because that is what determines the end product..



The Chinese also use another variety of rice called sticky rice which has a very high starch content. This rice is not boiled in water, like the ordinary rice but has to be steamed to get the perfect texture.
This symbol represents the Chinese/Japanese character for a rice grain. Clockwise from the top English, French, Hindi, Spanish/Portuguese, Tagalog and Greek.

The Chinese have developed the simple technique of rice making into an art. Each grain of the cooked rice is seperate and it is this method of cooking the rice that yields the perfect fried rice.

Preparation time; 5 minutes
Cooking time; 15 minutes
Makes 4 Cups

To prepare rice, you'll need.

1 cup Basmati rice or any other white rice
2 Tbsp oil
1 tsp Salt

Directions:

First wash the rice thoroughly and soak in 3 cups of water for 30 minutes. Drain and keep aside.

Boil 6 to 8 cups of water, add salt and a tbsp of oil.

Add the rice to the boiling water. Cook till the rice is 85% cooked.

Pour into a colander and let the water drain out. Pour some cold water on the rice to arrest further cooking.

Let all the water from the rice drain out ensuring that the rice does not contain any moisture.

Add the remaining 1 tbsp of oil and toss the rice in it.

Spread the cooked rice on a flat surface till it is cool.

Use as required

Schezuan Fried Rice

"Schezuan" denotes spice... and this dish is delectable blend of spicy flavours that are sure to tease your palate.

Adapted from "Easy Chinese Cooking" by Tarla Dalal

Preparation time 15 minutes
Cooking time 10 minutes
Serves 4

Ingredients:

4 cups Chinese rice
2 tsps celery, chopped
1 tbsp Garlic, chopped
2 cup Vegetables (nearly 1 carrot, 1/2 capcicum, 3/4th cup chopped cabbage), finely sliced and chopped
4 tbsps Schezuan sauce
1 cup bean sprouts
1 tbsp oil(vegetable or sunflowder)
Salt to taste

Method

Heat the oil, add the garlic and saute till it turns golden in colour.

Add the celery and vegetables and saute for 2 to 3 minutes.

Add the Schezuan sauce and cook for another minute.

Add the rice, bean sprouts and salt and mix well.

Toss for few seconds till all the ingredients are mixed well.

Serve hot with tomato ketchup.

Schezuan Sauce for Cooking

This sauce is a delicate blend of fiery spices and condiments without which the chinese cooking would be incomplete.

Preparation time 10 minutes
Cooking time 5 minutes
Makes 1 CUP

Ingredients :

For the paste:
20 Dry red chillies (Kashmiri or Begdi which are rich in colour and not very spicy) OR Just 8 regular dry red chilli (the one which is very spicy and hot)
1/4 cup Garlic, chopped

Other ingredients

1 tbsp garlic, finely chopped
1 tsp green chillies, finely chopped
1/2 tbsp ginger, grated
2 tbsp onions, finely chopped
1 tsp celery finely chopped
1 cup clear vegetable stock
1 tbsp Cornflour starch mixed with 2 tbsps water
1 tbsp white vinegar
2 tsps sugar
a pinch of Ajinomoto powder (optional)
3 tbsps oil
Salt to taste

Method
For the paste, boil the dry red chillies and garlic and simmer for 8 to 10 minutes. Take off the heat and cool.

Drain out the water. Grind into a smooth paste in a blender using a little water. Keep it aside.

Heat the oil in a wok or a frying pan and saute the garlic, green chillies, ginger, onions and celery for 1 minute.

Add the paste and saute again for 1 minute.

Add the vegetable stock and mix well. Add the cornflour mixture, vinegar, sugar, Aginomoto and salt. Bring to a boil and keep aside.

Use as required.

Clear Vegetable stock

Chinese stock differs from French stock in the lack of spices. While a recipe for French stock might call for a pinch of thyme or a few garlic cloves, the chinese believe spicing masks the flavour of the stock. Seasonings are added later, depending on what the individual recipe calls for. This stock is used for soups and sauces to add more flavour to them.

Preparation time 5 minutes
Cooking time 20 minutes
makes 4 1/2 CUPS

Ingredients:
1/2 cup Cabbage, roughly chopped
1/2 cup Carrots, roughly chopped
1/4 cup Celery, chopped
2 tbsps Spring onions, chopped
3 to 4 Cauliflower florets

Method

Boil all the vegetables in 6 cups of water and simmer over a medium flame for 15 to 20 minutes, till it reduces to about 4 1/2 cups.

Allow the vegetables to settle at the bottom of the vessel and pour out the stock. Discard the vegetables.

Use as required.

Chinese Fried Rice

No Chinese meal is complete without a fried rice or steamed rice. To keep the rice grains seperate, spread the cooked rice grains on a tray and allow it to cool. Rub a little oil on the cooked rice and keep aside till you require it.

For the fried rice you'll need..
4 cups Chinese rice
1/2 cup beans, cut diagonally into hin strips
1/2 cup carrots, cut into long thin strips
1/2 cup Capsicum, cut into long thin strips
1 tsp ginger garlic paste
1/4 cup peas
1/2 cup Cabbage, shredded
1 tsp soya sauce
1 tsp Vinegar
1 tbsp Tomato ketchup
a pinch of Aginomoto powder
1/4 tsp pepper powder
1 tbsp oil
salt to taste
a tsp of sugar
1 cup spring onions

Method:

First parboil all the vegetables for about 5 minutes in a hot boiling water. Drain the water and keep the vegetables aside.

Heat the oil in a pan, add the ginger garlic paste and saute for a minute. Then add the vegetables, Aginomato and saute for another minute.

Add the prepared rice, soya sauce, Vinegar, Ketchup, Spring onions ,sugar and salt. Mix well and saute for 2 minutes..

Garnish with some spring onions and serve hot.

Sesame Paneer with Hot and Sweet Dip

Traditionally, this dish is made with tofu i.e. soya bean curd. But i'm using paneer instead. Paneer is coated with sesame seed batter which imparts a nutty flavour and a very chinese element to this crispy starter.

For the sesame paneer you'll need..
200gms Paneer(cottage cheese), cut into cubes or rectangle strips.
1/4 cup Cornflour
2 Tbsp All purpose flour (maida)
1/2 tsp Soya sauce
1/2 cup Sesame (til) seeds
Salt to taste
Oil for deep frying

Method
In a bowl, combine the cornflour, plain flour, soya sauce and salt with 1/4 cup of water to make a smooth batter.

Dip paneer pieces in the batter and coat the sesame seeds and deep fry in hot oil, till they turn golden brown.

Drain on a kitchen tissue and serve hot.

Serve with Hot and Sweet dip.