Black pepper beef & cabbage stir-fry

Active: 20 minutes; Total: 20 minutes; Yield: 2 to 4 servings

Peppercorns, black; coarsely crushed	1 tablespoon
Garlic; grated	3 cloves
Sugar, light brown	1 teaspoon
Cornstarch	1 teaspoon
Salt, kosher	1 teaspoon +
Beef tenderloin; thinly sliced crosswise	¾ pounds
Oil, sunflower or other neutral	3 tablespoons
Soy sauce	2 tablespoons
Green cabbage; thinly sliced	½ small head
Vinegar, sherry	1 tablespoon
Sesame seeds; toasted, crushed	1 tablespoon
Scallions; thinly sliced	2
Rice, cooked

1. Add peppercorns, garlic, sugar, cornstarch, and salt to a medium bowl; stir to combine. 
2. Add the beef, and toss to coat. 
3. Heat the oil in a large wok over medium-high. 
4. Add the beef and cook, stirring frequently, until some of the edges are lightly browned, 3 to 4 minutes. 
5. Add soy sauce and toss beef to coat, about 1 minute. 
6. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the beef to a bowl. 
7. Add the cabbage to the wok, spread in an even layer, and let cook, undisturbed, for 1 minute or so that some pieces caramelize in the pan. 
8. Toss and cook the cabbage, stirring occasionally, until tender-crisp, 4 to 6 minutes. 
9. Stir in the vinegar, and season with salt. 
10. Return the beef and any juices back to the wok, and stir until well combined with the cabbage and warmed through, about 1 minute. 
11. Top with sesame seeds and scallions; serve with rice. 

Recipe mildly adapted from The New York Times Cooking by Sue Li.

Shaoxing drunken chicken (醉雞)

Active: 30 minutes; Total: 50 minutes + 24 hours refrigeration time; Yield: 6 to 8 servings

Chicken legs, bone-in, skin-on	3 whole
Water
Ginger, freshly sliced	2 to 3 large pieces
Scallions, fresh	2 whole
Salt, kosher	1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon
Chicken broth	1 ½ cups
Shaoxing Huadiao rice wine, unsalted	1 ½ cups
Sugar	1 teaspoon
Goji berries	1 tablespoon

1. Place the chicken legs in the smallest pot in which you can single-layer them in, and cover with water. 
2. Add the ginger slices, scallions, and 1-tablespoon salt. 
3. Bring to a simmer, then reduce heat to the lowest setting and poach, covered, for 5 minutes. 
4. Turn off the heat, and rest for 15 minutes. 
5. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, prepare an ice bath to shock the chicken. 
6. Prick the chicken for doneness; no blood should run out. If undercooked, simmer 10 minutes more; if done, using tongs, transfer to the chicken to the ice bath, and rest for 2 minutes. 
7. Using a cleaver, hack the chicken into bite-sized pieces, and arrange them in a lidded container. 
8. Strain the broth through a fine mesh strainer, and return to the pot. 
9. Bring to a simmer, and reduce to 1 ½-cups liquid. 
10. Reduce heat to the lowest setting, and add the wine to the broth, return to a bare simmer, then turn off the heat. 
11. Taste the brine, and add salt and sugar, 1 teaspoon each, more or less to taste. 
12. Add the berries. 
13. Pour over the chicken, cover the container, and refrigerate at least 24 hours. 
14. Serve cold or at room temperature. 

Recipe by Zoe Yang and Iris Zhao, from The Mala Market.

Hakka-style salt-baked chicken

Active: 40 minutes; Total: 4 hours 15 minutes; Yield: 4 servings

Chicken, whole	4 pounds
Ginger, fresh, unpeeled, cut into 5 slices	1-inch piece
Scallions, cut into 1 ½-inch long pieces	2 medium
Rice wine or dry sherry	1 ½ tablespoons
Cilantro	5 sprigs + 2 sprigs
Star anise, whole, coarsely crushed	1
Rose dew liqueur or extra-dry vermouth	1 tablespoon
Salt, kosher	4 ½ pounds + ¼ teaspoon
Chinese chile sauce	1 tablespoon
Water, hot	1 tablespoon
Vinegar, rice	1 teaspoon + 2 tablespoons
Sugar, granulated	½ teaspoon + 1 teaspoon
Garlic, finely chopped	4 teaspoons
Ginger, peeled, finely chopped	1 tablespoon
Oil, corn or peanut	2 tablespoons

1. Remove and discard giblets; trim excess fat; pat chicken dry with paper towels. 
2. Smash the ginger and scallions on a cutting board with the broad side of a knife blade. 
3. Rub the chicken cavity with rice wine; stuff with the smashed ginger and scallion, 5 cilantro sprigs, and crushed star anise. 
4. Pull the chicken legs together, and truss tightly with butcher’s twine; tuck the wings back behind the neck. 
5. Brush liqueur evenly over the chicken skin. 
6. Place the chicken, breast side up, on a wire rack; let stand at room temperature in an airy place until the skin is dry to the touch, about 2 hours. 
7. Wrap the chicken in a single layer of loose-weave cheesecloth; bunch together extra cheesecloth above the breast, tying into a knot or with a piece of string; trim off excess cheesecloth. (The chicken should be tightly wrapped in a bundle.) 
8. Preheat oven to 275°F. 
9. Place 4 ½-pounds salt in a large, heavy, ovenproof stockpot that is just wider than the chicken and will hold the chicken snugly. 
10. Heat over medium-high, stirring often, until the salt is very hot to the touch, about 8 to 10 minutes. 
11. Remove and reserve 7-cups salt from the stockpot, leaving about 1 inch of salt on the bottom of the stockpot. 
12. Place the cheesecloth-wrapped chicken in the stockpot, breast side up, and cover completely with the reserved hot salt. 
13. Cover the stockpot; bake in preheated oven until a thermometer inserted in thickest portion of the chicken registers 160°F, about 1 hour and 30 minutes. 
14. Remove from oven; let the chicken stand in stockpot for 20 minutes. 
15. Hakka chile sauce: Whisk together chile sauce, water, 1-teaspoon vinegar, and ½-teaspoon sugar in a small bowl until the sugar dissolves; let stand 15 minutes before serving. 
16. Hakka garlic sauce: Whisk together 2-tablespoons vinegar, garlic, and 1-teaspoon sugar until the sugar dissolves; let stand 15 minutes before serving. 
17. Hakka ginger sauce: Place 1-tablespoon ginger in a small, heavy serving saucer; heat the oil over medium-high heat until nearly smoking, then pour over ginger; stir to combine; sprinkle with salt, stir again; serve warm or at room temperature. 
18. Gently remove the chicken from the stockpot, holding the knotted cheesecloth on top and pushing the salt aside. (Try not to tip the chicken, so the juices do not spill.) 
19. Carefully transfer the chicken to a platter, and remove the cheesecloth; discard the salt in the stockpot. Remove the trussing strings from the chicken; remove and discard solids inside the cavity of the chicken. 
20. Serve the chicken warm or at room temperature; chop Chinese-style into bite-size pieces; garnish with remaining cilantro sprigs, and serve with the sauces. 

Recipe from Food & Wine Chicken.

Shoyu ramen

Active: 1 hour 15 minutes; Total: 6 hours 30 minutes; Serves: 4

Broth, chicken, low-sodium	8 cups
Mushrooms, shiitake, dried	16
Kombu	30 grams
Bonito flakes	20 grams
Mirin	1 ¼ cups
Soy sauce	1 ¼ cups
Sake	½ cup
Sugar, granulated	¼ cup
Ginger, sliced	2-inch piece
Scallions, halved	3
Garlic, peeled	3 cloves smashed + 8 cloves sliced
Sugar, brown	2 packed tablespoons
Water	1 ½ cups + 6 cups + 6 cups + 6 cups
Pork belly, skin-on	1 pound
Eggs, cold	4 large
Oil, canola	½ cup
Cayenne	1 tablespoon
Sesame seeds	2 teaspoons
Wheat noodles, fresh	4 ounces

Chicken dashi 

1. In a medium pot over medium heat, bring the broth to a bare simmer; remove from heat and let cool for 2 minutes. 
2. Add the mushrooms and kombu, and let steep for 5 minutes. 
3. Add bonito flakes, and let steep 5 minutes more. 
4. Strain the dashi; reserve solids. 

Tare & chashu 

1. In a large pot over medium heat, bring the mirin, soy sauce, sake, sugars, ginger, scallions, smashed garlic, and 1 ½-cups water to a low simmer, then reduce heat to low. 
2. Meanwhile, in a medium pot over medium heat, bring the pork and 6-cups water to a bare simmer; immediately drain, and gently rinse the pork. 
3. Transfer the pork to the pot with the tare, and bring to a simmer. 
4. Cover and cook over low heat until tender, about 1 hour 20 minutes. 
5. Let cool 20 minutes, then strain and reserve the tare liquid. 
6. Refrigerate the pork and tare separately. 

Nitamago 

1. In a medium pot over medium heat, bring 6-cups water to a boil. 
2. Prink the bottom of the eggs with a pin. 
3. Gently lower the eggs into the pot with a spoon, and simmer for 6 minutes; drain. 
4. Transfer the eggs to an ice bath, and let cool 5 minutes. 
5. Thoroughly and gently crack the eggshells, then return to the ice bath to cool for 10 minutes more. 
6. Carefully peel the eggs, and transfer to a medium bowl. 
7. Pour tare over; weigh down the eggs with the reserved spent kombu to fully immerse in liquid. 
8. Let marinate in the refrigerator at least 4 hours, and up to 12. 

Garlic la-yu 

1. In a small pot over very low heat, simmer the garlic in canola oil, stirring occasionally, until translucent, about 15 minutes. 
2. Remove from heat, stir in the cayenne, then the seeds; let cool. 

Serving 

1. Slice the chashu into 2-inch-wide slices; torch lightly, if desired. 
2. In a pot of boiling water, cook the noodles, stirring occasionally, until al dente, about 1 to 2 minutes; drain. 
3. In a small pot over medium heat, bring the dashi and mushrooms to a simmer; cook 1 minute. 
4. Transfer the dashi to a serving bowl, then add tare and noodles. 
5. Top with mushrooms, chashu, nitamago, scallion, and a drizzle of la-yu. 

Recipe from Delish magazine by June Xie.

Oven-steamed fish with scallions & ginger

Active: 10 minutes; Total: 30 minutes; Serves: 4

Scallions, trimmed, chopped; thinly sliced	6 + 2
Ginger, peeled, 2 inches chopped,  1 inch matchstick sliced	3-inch piece
Garlic, thinly sliced	3 cloves
Cod fillets, skinless	4
Soy sauce	3 tablespoons
Mirin rice wine	2 tablespoons
Toasted sesame oil	1 ½ teaspoons
Sugar	1 ½ teaspoons
Salt	¼ teaspoon
Pepper, white, freshly ground	¼ teaspoon
Oil, vegetable	2 tablespoons
Cilantro leaves	1/3 cup

1. Preheat your oven to 450°F; set a rack in the middle position. 
2. Spread the 6 scallions and two-thirds of the ginger evenly in a 13x9-inch baking pan, then top with the garlic. 
3. Fold an 18x12-inch piece of foil lengthwise to create an 18x6-inch sling; spray lightly with cooking spray. 
4. Place the sling in the pan lengthwise, with extra foil hanging over the ends of the pan. 
5. Arrange the cod on the sling; if the fillets vary in thickness, place thinner fillets in the middle and thicker at the ends. 
6. Whisk the soy sauce, mirin, sesame oil, sugar, salt, and pepper in a small bowl until combined; pour around the cod. 
7. Cover the pan tightly with foil, and bake until the fish registers 125°F to 130°F, about 12 to 14 minutes. 
8. Grasping the sling at both ends, carefully transfer the sling with the cod to a deep serving platter. 
9. Position a spatula at one end of the fillets to hold in place, and carefully slide the sling from under the cod. 
10. Strain the cooking liquids through a fine-mesh strainer set over a bowl, pressing on the solids to extract all the liquids; discard any solids. 
11. Pour the strained liquid over the cod; sprinkle with the thinly sliced scallions. 
12. Heat the oil in a small skillet over high heat until shimmering. 
13. Reduce the heat to low, add the ginger matchsticks, and cook, stirring, until the ginger begins to brown and crisp, about 20 to 30 seconds. 
14. Drizzle the oil and ginger over the cod. 
15. Top with cilantro, and serve. 

Recipe from Yve Fontilea, adapted from the America’s Test Kitchen.

Baked sweet potatoes with maple dressing

Active: 15 minutes; Total: 55 minutes; Serves: 4

Sweet potatoes, preferably yellow	4 medium
Butter, unsalted; room temperature	2 tablespoons
Salt, fine sea
Crème fraîche	½ cup
Maple syrup	1 tablespoon
Lime juice, freshly squeezed	1 tablespoon
Fish sauce	2 teaspoons
Black pepper, freshly ground	½ teaspoon
Scallions, thinly sliced, both green and white parts	2 tablespoons
Pinenuts, roasted	2 tablespoons
Red chile flakes	1 teaspoon
Lime zest	½ teaspoon

1. Preheat your oven to 425°F. 
2. Rinse and scrub the potatoes under running tap water. 
3. Slice them lengthwise, and place them in a roasting pan, cut side facing up. 
4. Brush or smear with butter, and season with salt. 
5. Cover the pan with a sheet of aluminum foil and press around the edges to seal snugly. 
6. Bake for 20 minutes, remove the foil, flip the potatoes, and cook, uncovered, for 20 minutes more, until the potatoes are cooked thoroughly and are tender. 
7. Remove from heat and rest for 5 minutes. 
8. In a small bowl, combine the sour cream, maple syrup, lime juice, fish sauce, and pepper; season to taste with salt.
9. In another small bowl, combine the scallions, pine nuts, chile flakes, and lime zest.
10. To serve, top the warm roasted potatoes with a few tablespoons of the dressing, and sprinkle with the scallion-nut mixture. 

Recipe adapted from Food52.

Shrimp toast with scallion-chili sauce

Total: 35 minutes; Makes 4 dozen toasts

Shrimp, large, shelled & deveined	8 ounces
Egg	1 large
Salt, kosher	1 teaspoon
Butter, unsalted, cold, cut into cubes	2 tablespoons
Sesame seeds, toasted	2 teaspoons + 1 ½ teaspoons
Bread, white, crusts removed	6 slices
Oil, canola	For frying
Scallion, finely chopped	½ + Garnish
Soy sauce	1 tablespoon
Vinegar, rice	1 tablespoon
Sambal oelek sauce	1 ½ teaspoons

1. Combine the shrimp, egg, and salt in a food processor; process until smooth, about 15 seconds, stopping to scrape down the sides as needed. 
2. Add butter and 2-teaspoons sesame seeds, and pulse until smooth with flecks of butter remaining, about 7 pulses. 
3. Spread ¼-cup shrimp mousse on each bread slice. 
4. Pour oil to a depth of 1/8 inch in a large nonstick skillet; heat over medium until shimmering. 
5. Working in batches, add bread slices, mousse-side down, and cook until lightly browned, about 2 minutes. 
6. Flip the toasts; cook until browned and mousse is firm to touch, about 1 minute. 
7. Transfer to a paper towel lined plate to drain. 
8. Stir together 1 ½-teaspoons scallions, soy sauce, vinegar, samba oelek, and remaining 1 ½-teaspoons sesame seeds in a small bowl. 
9. Cut each toast into eight triangles; transfer to a platter or board. 
10. Garnish with slice scallions; serve soy sauce mixture with toasts. 

Recipe from Food & Wine Holiday Recipes.