slb@drutx.UUCP (Sue Brezden) (01/07/86)
I like to cook Chinese food.
Currently, I am on the prowl for the perfect sweet and sour sauce. I have
a recipe from my mother which tastes pretty good, but is rather yellowish
green, which is a little disconcerting. I tried the recipe in "Key to Chinese
Cooking" which was supposed to be perfectly balanced, and never fail. I
found it too sour, and thin (perhaps I did something wrong).
I would be willing to accept pointers to commercial sauces, also. The LaChoy
brand is *terrible*--just tastless syrup. There is one pretty good brand in
our supermarket which is very heavily gingered (lots of chunks of ginger)
but VERY expensive. (Forget the name--Pei Lei or something.)
Anyway, if anyone knows any good recipes or advice, I'm accepting mail--nad
will summarize for the net.
--
Sue Brezden
ihnp4!drutx!slb
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
To search for perfection is all very well,
But to look for heaven is to live here in hell.
--Sting
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~oday@hplabsc.UUCP (Vicki O'Day) (01/13/86)
> Currently, I am on the prowl for the perfect sweet and sour sauce...
Here are a couple of recipes - one for sweet and sour fish and one
for Lemon Rice, that goes very well with the fish. They are from
a friend of my mother. I've tried the rice, and it's very good;
I haven't tried the fish yet, but it got good reviews from my mother.
My mother's friend's husband was laid off from work for a year and
did nothing but fish for salmon and get his commercial fishing license,
so I think that salmon is what she mostly uses in this recipe.
Sweet and Sour Fish
2 lbs. fish, cut in pieces
cornstarch to coat the fish
oil for browning fish
1 large onion, coarsely chopped
3 Tbsp. soy sauce
1 c. brown sugar
2 Tbsp. sherry or Chinese rice wine
4 Tbsp. vinegar
2 Tbsp. cornstarch
1/2 inch slice of fresh ginger, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
pineapple chunks (optional)
green pepper pieces (optional)
1. Mix the sauce: first combine the soy sauce, brown sugar, sherry,
vinegar and cornstarch and cook a little. Then add the ginger
and garlic.
2. Coat the fish pieces with cornstarch and brown in oil. Add the
onion chunks and quick fry. Add pineapple and/or green pepper
if you wish.
3. Pour the sauce over all. Serve with rice.
Lemon Rice
3 Tbsp. butter
1 c. celery, sliced
1 small onion, chopped
1/4 tsp. thyme
2 tsp. grated lemon peel
1/4 c. fresh lemon juice
2 1/2 c. water
1 1/4 c. rice
1 c. mushrooms, sliced
a little more butter
salt, pepper
1. Saute the celery and onion in the butter for about 5 minutes, or
until they are beginning to soften.
2. Add the thyme, lemon peel, lemon juice, water and rice, and stir.
3. Cover pan, and cook 20 minutes over low heat.
4. While the rice is cooking, saute the mushrooms in a bit of butter.
When the rice is done, add the mushrooms to it, and season to
taste with salt and/or pepper.
Vicki O'Day
hplabs!odayseb@mtgzz.UUCP (s.e.badian) (01/16/86)
I made the sweet and sour sauce in Chef Chu's Cookbook and I liked it a lot. Uses lots of lemon juice and orange juice as I remember it. Unfortunately, I don't have access to the cookbook right now since we're moving soon and it's packed away. As soon as I unpack it I'll post his recipe for sweet and sour sauce. Sharon Badian ihnp4!mtgzz!seb
maureen@datacube.UUCP (01/16/86)
Sweet and Sour Sauce
6 oz. of any kind of jelly {grape}
6 oz. of Dijon mustard
Put these ingredients into a med. saucepan, over a med. heat
constantly stiring as mixture heats. When mixture boils remove
from heat and store in the refrigerator. This mixture will
keep very well in the frig.
Optional to add to this is the following:
A dash of tabasco sauce
1/4 c. of vinegar
1/2 c. of pineapple juice
This will give an added zing for those who like a little zing
every now and then. If you feel that either of the mixtures is
a little thin just add a little cornstarch to it.
But always remember a little cornstarch goes a long way!
P.S. If anyone knows of a good Szechuan Cookbook or any recipes
please post them. Thanks for your time!
bye now and hope to hear from someone out there.
:wq