Beijing Sweet-and-Sour Spareribs

Made this Beijing Sweet and Sour Spareribs for one of our weeknight dinner dish, a lovely dish, eaten with plain white rice. This recipe is taken from the cookbook, Martin Yan's, "China".

The spareribs are first marinated with some cornstarch, egg, salt and Chinese rice wine which I have used a tablespoon more than the recipe calls for. (I have this habit of using more Chinese rice wine in most recipes). Keep refrigerated for an hour or so, then fry in hot oil on both sides until browned. Remove, drain and kept aside. The ingredients for the sauce are mixed in a bowl and kept aside. 

Saute the garlic and chilli until fragrant, add the sauce, bring to a boil, the spareribs are added in, stir for a minute, and cornstarch solution is stirred in to thicken the sauce. Serve hot.

This is a lovely dish, though I've got to adjust the seasoning amount according to my taste. I have used a lesser amount of Chinese black vinegar than the recipe calls for, as I find that 3/4 cup is a little too much for my taste, hence there isn't much sauce. I have used only 1/2 cup of the black vinegar and the dish is sour enough! The next time when I cooked this, I would definitely adjust the seasoning ingredients amount for more sauce.This dish is sweet, sour,  and salty, just as the name implies, very nice eaten with plain white rice.

Beijing Sweet-and-Sour Spareribs
(adapted from : "Martin Yan's China")
makes 4 servings
Marinade :
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup cornstarch
1 tbsp Chinese rice wine or dry sherry (I use 2 tbsp)
1 tsp salt
2 pounds spareribs, cut into 1 to 1-1/2-inch pieces

Vegetable oil for deep-frying

Sauce :
1/2 cup sugar
3/4 cup Chinese black vinegar or balsamic vinegar (I use 1/2 cup)
2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp Chinese rice wine (my addition)

4 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1 fresh jalapeno chile, thinly sliced
1 tsp cornstarch dissolved in 2 tsp water

To make the marinade, combine the eggs, cornstarch, rice wine and salt in a large bowl and mix well. Add the spareribs and stir to coat evenly. Let stand for 1 hour, or cover and marinate in the refrigerator overnight.

In a wok, stir-fry pan, or 2-quart saucepan, pour oil to a depth of 2 inches and heat to 350 degrees F on a deep-fry thermometer. Working in batches, deep-fry the spareribs, stirring gently to prevent the pieces from sticking together, until golden brown and crisp, about 10 minutes per batch. Remove with a wire strainer or slotted spoon to paper towels to drain. Carefully pour the oil into a heatproof bowl, reserving the oil.

To make the sauce, combine the sugar, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, and salt in a small bowl and mix well.

Place a wok or stir-fry pan over high heat until hot. Add 1 tbsp of the served oil, swirling to coat the sides. Add the garlic and chile and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 20 seconds. Add the sauce and bring to a boil. Add the spareribs and cook until heated through, about 1 minute. Add the cornstarch mixture and boil until the sauce thickens. Discard any remaining oil, or strain and save for another use.

Transfer to a serving plate and serve.

I'm linking this post  to :

Aspiring Bakers #38 : Boozy-licious (December 2013) hosted by Jasline of Foodie Baker

Cook-Your-Books #7 hosted by Kitchen Flavours

Braised Chicken with Taro and Mushroom

To submit your post to Bake-Along #45, Seeded Crackers, click here.

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Little Thumbs Up : Baking and Cooking event, selected ingredient for the month of May is "MUSHROOMS"

Little Thumbs Up, is an event organized by Zoe from Bake For Happy Kids and Doreen from my little favourite D.I.Y. , where an ingredient is selected each month and everyone is welcome to join in by using the selected ingredient either in your bakes or in your cooking pot. I am the host for this month, and my selected ingredient is "MUSHROOMS". Please do join us, cook or bake any recipes using Mushrooms as one of its ingredient, post it in your blog within this month, (only new and current posts), and link to Little Thumbs Up, in the thumbnail linky which is provided at the bottom of this post. To find out more details on Little Thumbs Up, please click here.

While this month's theme is MAY : MUSHROOMS, the selected ingredient for June is Curry Powder or Paste and will be hosted by Everybody Eats Well In Flanders. Cook  or bake any of your favourite curry dish, and link that up in June which shall start on 4th June.

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Hi friends, only two more days for the submission of Mushrooms at Little Thumbs Up. 

Mushroom For Today : Dried Shiitake Mushroom

Made this for dinner, eaten with plain white rice. This is a simple dish and quick dish to prepare, I have used chicken breast meat, though I think with boned-in pieces of chicken would be even better. 

I love eating taro, any way it is cooked, and with the addition of mushroom even better.

I'm linking this post to Little Thumbs Up event, hosted by Joyce, kitchen flavours, organized by Zoe from Bake For Happy Kids and Doreen for my little favourite D.I.Y.

To join us, simply bake or cook any recipes using the ingredient for this month MUSHROOM.  Submit your post by linking to the thumbnail linky provided at the bottom of this post. 

• Your submission must be a current and new post.
• Mention Little Thumbs Up in your post, and submit your post to the thumbnail linky to the host of this month, Joyce from kitchen flavours, and link to Bake For Happy Kids, and my little favourite D.I.Y. 
• Feel free to display Little Thumbs Up badge in your post.
• Last date of linking will be on 31st May 2013.

Braised Chicken with Taro and Mushroom
(adapted from "Quick and Easy", Martin Yan)
6 dried black mushrooms
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thigh meat, cut into 1-inch cubes
2 tablespoons cornstarch

Sauce :
1 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup Chinese rice wine or dry sherry
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
1 tablespoon black soy sauce (my addition)

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
5 cloves garlic, sliced
1 tablespoon minced ginger
2 Chinese sausages (2 ounces each), cut on the diagonal into 1/2-inch thick slices
1 pound taro, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
2 green onions, cut into 1-1/2-inch pieces

In a bowl, soak the mushrooms in warm water to cover until softened, about 15 minutes; drain. Discard the stems and cut the caps in half.
In a bowl, combine the chicken and cornstarch and turn to coat the chicken evenly. Let stand 10 minutes.
To make the sauce, combine all the ingredients in a small bowl and mix well.
Place a 3-quart saucepan over high heat until hot. Add the oil, swirling to coat the bottom. Add the garlic and ginger and cook, stirring until fragrant, about 15 seconds. Add the chicken and sausages and stir-fry until the chicken is lightly browned, 2 to 3 minutes.
Add the mushrooms, taro, green onions, and sauce, reduce the heat to medium-low, cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the taro is tender, about 15 minutes. ( I have added in the white part of green onions along with other ingredients, and reserving the green parts until taro is tender, and added that last, just before serving).
Transfer to a serving bowl and serve.

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