Chinese Cuisine and Recipes

Note: This article has been excerpted from a larger work in the public domain and shared here due to its historical value. It may contain outdated ideas and language that do not reflect TOTA’s opinions and beliefs.

From Recipes of All Nations by Countess Morphy, 1936.

Introduction

It is almost an impossibility to write on Chinese cookery in the terms of European cookery. Chinese cookery, with its intricacies, its subtleties and niceties, is a sealed book to us, and our methods seem clumsy and primitive as compared with their elaborate kitchen work. Just as years of patient toil are spent on the making of a small square of some beautiful piece of embroidery, so hours of equally patient labour are devoted to the making of a subtle dish, where flavours are as carefully and artistically blended as the silken threads of needlework. It seems, indeed, almost sacrilegious to vulgarize Chinese cookery by adapting it to European taste. Chinese cookery is, in fact, ‘‘untranslatable.’’ It is remote from both our understanding and from our palates.

A well known Chinese restaurateur was asked to talk on the gastronomic art of his country and his reply was; “I will not talk of it, because no one can understand Chinese cookery and all that could be said would merely dishonouring it.”

Chinese cookery gives one the impression that it is carried out in a chemical laboratory rather than in a vulgar kitchen, a laboratory in which accuracy in exact weights and measures is compulsory and where, in the preparations of dishes, concentration and attention are essential.

Mr. S. K. Cheng, of the Shanghai Emporium and Restaurant, Greek Street, London, to whom I am indebted for much of my information on Chinese cookery, explained that where in a European restaurant only two chefs would be required to prepare food for a certain number of people, seven chefs were employed in his restaurant to cook for the corresponding number. We have only to visit a Chinese shop like the Shanghai Emporium to realize the antithesis of East and West. The neat rows of jars and bottles, the sacks and bags, the boxes, all containing things unheard of in this country, are as strange and weird to us as the exhibits to be seen at the Museum of the Royal College of Surgeons are to the layman.

Mr. Cheng kindly let me roam about in the shop and explained that mut-jin were preserved dry lotus seeds, jeok san means bamboo-shoots, ling ou are water-lily roots, ying wah are birds’ nests used for soups — and very expensive they are — and yu chi or shark fins, is another costly item on the menu. What do we know of such delicacies as dried prawn eggs, or dried ink fish, extra fine dry cuttle fish, or ji choy, a special kind of edible seaweed? Mr. Cheng showed me various kinds of Chinese noodles, some as fine as human hair, which put the very finest of vermicelli to shame….

Although the principles or fundamentals of Chinese cookery are the same throughout China, the details and execution vary in each province. The best cooking is that of Canton, where specially fed dogs are a much esteemed article of diet. The recipes given in this book are all Cantonese. Peking comes next, and that of Fukien and Sze-chuan follow in order of merit. Generally speaking, the provinces of the south-west show a marked liking for sweet dishes with little salt; in the south-east highly spiced and hot dishes are liked; and salty things are popular in the north.

In giving the following recipes I have made no attempt at adapting them to European taste, as they are unadaptable and would no longer be authentically Chinese. Could we understand some of the beautiful and poetical names which the Chinese give to their dishes we might perhaps be tempted to partake of them. Here is the menu of “a very ordinary Chinese dinner,” which I quote from Mr. Chen’s Honourable and Peculiar Ways.

Golden Moons on a Silver Sea (pigeons’ eggs in soup).

Ten Thousand Arrows piercing through the Clouds (sharks’ fins and eggs).

Jade growing out of Coral (cabbage-shoot on crab toe).

Famous Scholars’ Abandon (flakes of pork sausage and ducken).

Dragon’s Well Tea.

Happiness — Prosperity — Longevity Wine.

Loong Har Jar Min

(Lobster fried with noodles and vegetables)

Ingredients: 6 ozs. of lobster, 3 bundles of fresh noodles, 8 ozs. of bean sprouts, 3 ozs. of bamboo shoots, 1 oz. of mushrooms, 6 ozs. of onions, cornflour, water, salt, pepper, Chinese sauce.

Method: Put the mushrooms in hot water and soak for 15 minutes. Remove the stalks and cut the mushrooms into fine slices. Also cut the bamboo shoots, the onions and lobster into thin slices. Put the noodles in a large saucepan of boiling oil and cook for a few seconds only. Remove at once, dry, and put on a hot dish. They should be quite crisp.

Put the lobster in a hot oiled pan and cook for 1 minute. Cook the bamboo shoots, the bean sprouts, the mushrooms and onions in the same manner for 1 minute, and season with a little salt and pepper. Then add to the vegetables a little cornflour water and a few drops of Chinese sauce, and cook for 1 minute. Place the whole over the noodles and serve with Chinese sauce. This dish is sufficient for 6 people, as are all the other recipes which follow.

Chan Far Yook Yun

(Fried meat balls)

Ingredients: 1 lb. of pork (about 70 per cent lean and 30 per cent fat), 4 ozs. of water chestnuts, 2 ozs. of crab meat, 2 ozs. of mushrooms, 1/2 lb. of cornflour, 2 eggs, pepper, salt, sugar and Chinese sauce.

Method: Chop the pork, the mushrooms and water chestnuts very finely and mix with the crab, seasoning with a little pepper, salt and sugar. Roll into balls about 1 1/2 inches in diameter. Put the cornflour in a basin and roll the meat baIls in it, so that they are well coated. Beat 2 eggs and mix with a little water. Coat the meat balls with this and cook for 15 minutes in a large saucepan of boiling oil. Serve with Chinese sauce.

San Si Yu Chi

(Shark fins)

Ingredients: 6 ozs. of best dried shark fins, 4 ozs. of chicken meat, 2 ozs. of ham, 2 ozs. of bamboo shoots, 2 ozs. of fat, garlic, stock, sesame oil, salt, Chinese sauce.

Method: Soak the shark fins in water for 20 hours. Put them in a large saucepan with an abundant amount of water and 1 clove of garlic, bring to the boil and simmer for 4 hours. When done, drain and remove the meat from the fins. Put the fins in a basin, cover with the fat and steam for 2 hours. Remove the fat and dry the shark fins thoroughly. Cut the chicken, ham and bamboo shoots into very thin slices. Put the fins in a saucepan, cover with stock and boil for 5 minutes. Add the chicken, ham and bamboo shoots and boil for another 5 minutes. Add a drop of sesame oil, a little salt and a few drops of Chinese sauce. Serve with Chinese sauce.

Ying War Gai Larp Tong

(Bird nest soup with chicken)

Ingredients: 2 ozs. of bird nest, 10 ozs. of chicken, 1 oz. of Chinese ham, 2 ozs. of white mushrooms, 2 ozs. of bamboo shoots, stock, salt, pepper, sesame oil, Chinese sauce.

Method: Soak the bird nest in hot water for 3 hours. Put it in a saucepan of boiling water and boil for 5 minutes, drain and put on a deep dish. Over it put 6 ozs. of chopped chicken. Stand the dish in a saucepan of hot water and steam for 6 hours. Remove the chicken, which is of no further use. Cut 4 ozs. of uncooked chicken, the bamboo shoots, the white mushrooms and ham into very small dice. Put the bird nest in a saucepan and cover with stock, boil for a few minutes, add the bamboo shoots, chicken, ham and mushrooms, and season with a little salt and pepper and a few drops of sesame oil. Serve with Chinese sauce.

In China, stock is made with chicken, pork and chicken and pork bones, which are simmered for 6 hours.

Chan Dun Dong Goo

(Stewed mushrooms)

Ingredients: 6 ozs. of mushrooms, stock, 2 cloves of garlic, 1 small piece of ginger, salt, Chinese sauce.

Method: Soak the mushrooms in hot water for 15 minutes, drain and remove the stalks. Crush the garlic with the blade of a knife and put it in a hot oiled pan, cook for 2 or 3 seconds and remove from the pan. Put the mushrooms in the same pan and cook for 10 minutes. Now put the mushrooms in a saucepan with a quarter more than sufficient stock to cover, and the piece of ginger, crushed with a knife. Bring to the boil and simmer for 6 hours. Before serving, remove the ginger and season with a little salt. Serve with Chinese sauce.

Nan Yoy Kow Yook

(Broiled pork steamed with Chinese cheese)

Ingredients: 1 1/2 lbs. of pork paunch, 3 chopped cloves of garlic, lettuce, 1/4 oz. of Chinese spice, 1/2 oz. of Chinese red cheese, sugar, salt, Chinese sauce.

Method: Bone the pork and put in a large saucepan of boiling water. Boil until it rises to the top, remove from the water and dry with a cloth. Rub the meat thoroughly with Chinese sauce, and put in a saucepan of boiling oil. When the pork has browned, take it out of the oil and soak in cold water for 30 minutes. Cut the pork into 2 inch lengths, 1/2 inch wide. Hit the finely chopped garlic and the Chinese cheese in a hot oiled pan, with a little sugar, salt and the Chinese spice, fry for 2 or 3 seconds, add the pork and fry for 15 minutes. Line a basin with lettuce leaves, place the pork over them with the garlic, cheese and spice, and steam for 3 1/2 hours until very tender.

Don Jun Arp

(Steamed duck)

Ingredients: 1 young duck, weighing about 4 lbs., 1 oz. of mushrooms cut in small dice, 3 ozs. of Bahk Gor (white nuts), 1 oz. of barley, a few drops of wine, 1 oz. of bamboo shoots, cut in small dice, 1 oz. Bahk Harp (Chinese herbs), 1 oz. of lotus nuts, a few drops of ginger root juice.

Method: Soak the lotus nuts and the white nuts in cold water for 2 hours, and the barley and Chinese herbs in cold water for 1 hour. Boil the lotus nuts and the white nuts for 2 1/2 hours, then add the barley, the Chinese herbs, the bamboo shoots and die mushrooms, and boil for another 1/2 an hour. Clean the duck and bone it, being careful not to tear the skin. Stuff the duck with the mixed ingredients, moistened with the ginger root juice, 3 tablespoons of stock and the Chinese wine. Sew up the neck of the duck and steam for 2 1/2 hours in a double saucepan.

Gar Lu Gai Chop Suey

(Special chicken chop suey)

Ingredients: 12 ozs. of bean sprouts, 4 ozs. of thinly sliced bamboo shoots, 2 ozs. of mushrooms, 6 ozs. of thinly sliced onions, 3 thinly sliced tomatoes, 8 ozs. of thinly sliced chicken, salt, cornflour water, 1 egg, sesame oil, Chinese sauce.

Method: Soak the mushrooms in hot water for 15 minutes, remove the stalks and cut into thin slices. Sprinkle a little salt in a hot oiled pan, put in the chicken meat and cook for 1 minute. Add the bamboo shoots, the bean sprouts, the onions and mushrooms and cook for another minute. Add the tomatoes, cook for 1 more minute, sprinkle with a little cornflour water and a few drops of sesame oil and cook for a further minute. Put on a hot dish and place over it an egg, previously well beaten and cooked in a hot oiled pan for 1 minute. Serve with Chinese sauce.

Ju Yook Chop Suey

(Pork chop suey)

Ingredients: 11 ozs. of bean sprouts, 2 ozs. of mushrooms, 4 ozs. of bamboo shoots, 6 ozs. of onions, 1/2 oz. of lichen, 8 ozs. of pork, salt, cornflour water, sesame oil, stock, sugar, Chinese sauce.

Method: Soak the mushrooms in hot water for 15 minutes, remove the stalks and cut the mushrooms in half. Soak the lichen in hot water for 15 minutes. Cut the bamboo shoots, the meat and the onions in pieces. Sprinkle a little salt in a hot oiled pan, put in the bamboo shoots, the onions and the mushrooms and cook for 1 minute. Next add the bean sprouts, and again cook for 1 minute. Lastly add the meat, sprinkle with a little cornflour water, a few drops of Chinese sauce and cook for a further minute. Add 1 cupful of stock, a little sugar and a few drops of sesame oil. Cook for 1 more minute and serve with Chinese sauce.

Gai See Chow Min

(Chicken)

Ingredients: 3 bundles of fresh noodles, 8 ozs. of onions, thinly sliced, 1 oz. of mushrooms, 8 ozs. of thinly sliced bamboo shoots, 6 ozs. of thinly sliced chicken meat, lard, sesame oil, salt, pepper, Chinese sauce.

Method: Roll the noodles in a little lard and steam on a sieve for 25 minutes. Soak the mushrooms in hot water for 15 minutes. Remove the stalks and cut the mushrooms into thin slices. Put the chicken, the onion and mushrooms into a hot oiled pan and cook for 1/2 a minute, turning the ingredients all the time. Add the bamboo shoots and cook for another minute. The cooked noodles should then be added, cooked for 2 more minutes, mixing well with the other ingredients and seasoning with a little salt, pepper and a few drops of sesame oil. Serve hot with Chinese sauce.

Chow San Min

(Special chicken dish)

Ingredients: 3 bundles of fresh noodles, 1 oz. of mushrooms, 3 ozs. of thinly sliced bamboo shoots, 6 ozs. of thinly sliced chicken, cornflour water, sesame oil, spring onions.

Method: Put the noodles into a saucepan of boiling water for exactly 1/2 a minute, remove from the saucepan and place under running cold water until quite cool. Soak the mush-rooms in hot water for 15 minutes, remove the stalks and cut the mushrooms into thin slices. Put the noodles in a hot oiled pan for 1 minute, turning them frequently. Place them on a dish. Cook the chicken in a hot oiled pan for 1/2 a minute, add the mushrooms and bamboo shoots and cook for another minute, then add the cornflour water and the sesame oil and cook 1 minute more. Place the whole over the noodles and garnish with finely sliced spring onions.

Jing Gai

(Steamed chicken)

Ingredients: 1 chicken cut in small pieces, 1 oz. of thinly sliced mushrooms, 1 thinly sliced Chinese spring onion, 1/2 oz. of thinly sliced salt cabbage, Chinese wine, 4 pieces of red dates, sliced, a few slices of ginger root, peaflour, peanut oil, parsley, mustard, Chinese sauce.

Method: Mix all the ingredients, adding a little peaflour and peanut oil and the wine, put on a dish and steam for 10 minutes. Garnish with parsley and serve with mustard and Chinese sauce.

Why Gee Gob

(Steamed pigeons with Chinese herbs)

Ingredients: 2 pigeons, a few pieces of pork, stock, wine, 1/2 oz. of Gee Jee (Chinese herb), a few pieces of Yun Yook (Chinese herb), ½ oz. of Why Sun (Chinese herb), salt, Chinese sauce.

Method: Wash the pigeons and put them in a bowl. Add the different herbs and the pork, season with a little salt, cover with stock and steam for 2 hours in a double saucepan. When ready, add a few drops of wine to the stock and serve hot with Chinese sauce.

In China this dish is often recommended to invalids by the doctor, as it is not only pleasing, but the herbs used in it are valuable as a medicine and are said to build up the strength of convalescents.

Tin Suin Pai Kwe

(Pork with sour sweet sauce)

Ingredients: 1 1/4 lbs. pork cutlets, 1/2 lb. of mixed pickles, 1/2 a lb. of flour, 2 eggs, 2 cloves of garlic, 2 teacups of vinegar, 1/2 a cup sugar, Chinese sauce, cornflour water, salt and pepper.

Method: To prepare the sour sweet sauce: Sprinkle a little salt in an oiled frying-pan, and cook the cloves of garlic, crushed with a knife, for 1 second. Remove from the pan, and put in the vinegar, the sugar, a drop of Chinese sauce, a little cornflour water and a little pepper. Cut the cutlets into 1 1/2 inch lengths and 3/4 of an inch wide, salt and pepper them and coat with flour, then put in the eggs, well beaten up with a little water, and cook in a large saucepan of boiling oil for 15 minutes. Drain thoroughly. Heat the sour sweet sauce and, when boiling, add the pork and mixed pickles, stir for 1/2 a minute and serve.

Foo Yong Hy

(Crab omelet)

Ingredients: 1 tin of crab, 2 eggs.

Method: Beat the eggs thoroughly. Put the crab in a hot oiled pan, with a little pepper and salt and fry for 1/2 a minute. Then add the beaten eggs, stir continuously and fry for 1 more minute.

Chow Yong Yook Si

(Fried slices of mutton with vegetables)

Ingredients: 4 ozs. of thinly sliced onions, 1 oz. of mushrooms, 4 ozs. of bamboo shoots, thinly sliced, 1 oz. of cucumber, thinly sliced, 1/2 lb. of sliced mutton, 1 lb. of Chinese white cabbage, cornflour water, sesame oil, stock, sugar, salt, pepper, Chinese sauce.

Method: Soak the mushrooms in warm water for 15 minutes, remove the stalks and slice the mushrooms thinly. Put a little oil and salt in a pan and heat it. When hot, add the bamboo shoots, the cucumber, onion, Chinese white cabbage and mushrooms, and fry for 1 minute. Add the meat, a little pepper, a few drops of sesame oil and a little cornflour water. Cook for another minute. Add a little sugar, a few drops of Chinese sauce, 2 cups of stock and cook for 1 more minute and serve hot.

Hong Man Ho Si

(Stewed oysters with mushrooms)

Ingredients: 4 ozs. of dried oysters, 4 ozs. of roast pork, 4 ozs. of bamboo shoots, 2 ozs. of dried mushrooms, 1 tablespoon of peaflour water, stock, 1 clove of garlic, salt, pepper, Chinese sauce.

Method: Soak the oysters in warm water for 2 hours and clean them thoroughly. Soak the mushrooms in warm water for 15 minutes and remove the stalks. Cut the pork and bamboo shoots in pieces 1 inch long and 1/2 an inch wide. Crush 1 clove of garlic with a knife and put it in a hot oiled pan for 2 or 3 seconds. Remove, and put the mushrooms in the pan and cook for 5 minutes. Then add the oysters, roast pork, bamboo shoots and fry all together for 1/2 a minute. Remove from the pan and put all in a saucepan with sufficient stock to cover. Bring to the boil and simmer for 4 hours. Add peaflour water, a few drops of Chinese sauce, and salt and pepper to taste.

Chow Ho Si Song

(Fried minced oysters)

Ingredients: 2 ozs. of dried oysters, 4 ozs. of bamboo shoots, 4 ozs. of water chestnuts, 2 ozs. of mushrooms, 8 ozs. of lettuce, cornflour water, salt and pepper, Chinese sauce.

Method: Soak the oysters in warm water for 8 hours, and soak the mushrooms for 15 minutes in warm water and remove the stalks. Chop the oysters, bamboo shoots, water chestnuts and mushrooms into very small dice. Put all in a hot oiled frying pan and cook for 5 minutes, adding salt and pepper to taste. Fry for another 5 minutes, and add a little cornflour water. Chop the lettuce, put it in a basin and add the oyster mixture. Serve with Chinese sauce.

Hong Shil Yu

(Stewed fish)

Ingredients: 1 1/2 lbs. of sole, 1 oz. of onions, 1/2 oz. of dried salt cabbage, 1/2 oz. of pork, 1/2 oz. of mushrooms, 1 oz. of lily petals, stock, cornflour water, salt, sugar, Chinese sauce.

Method: Skin the fish and cook in a large saucepan in boiling oil for 15 minutes. Remove from the oil and drain. Cut the onions, cabbage, pork, mushrooms and lily petals into slices 1 1/2 inches long, put all in a hot oiled pan and cook for 5 minutes. Then add the fish, cover with stock and cook for 5 minutes. Add a little cornflour water, a few drops of Chinese sauce, and sugar and salt to taste.

Cho Low Yu

(Fish with sour sweet sauce)

Ingredients: 1 1/2 lbs. of sole, 1/2 oz. of finely sliced cucumber, 1/2 oz. of Chinese pickled onions, 1/2 oz. of onions, 1/2 oz. of fresh ginger, 2 doz. fine slices of lemon peel, 2 cloves of garlic, 2 teacups of vinegar, 1/2 cup of sugar, sesame oil, cornflour water, parsley, salt, pepper, Chinese sauce.

Method: To prepare the sour sweet sauce, put the crushed garlic in a hot oiled pan with a little salt, and cook for 2 or 3 seconds. Remove and put in the pan the vinegar, sugar, a few drops of Chinese sauce, a little cornflour water and pepper.

Skin the fish and cook as in the preceding recipe. Drain and put on a dish. Slice the ginger and onions in inch lengths. Warm the sour sweet sauce and, when boiling, add the cucumber, onions, ginger and lemon peel and cook for j minutes. Add a few drops of sesame oil and pour the sauce over the fish. Garnish with parsley and served hot.

Nan Yoy

(Chinese red “cheese” or bean curd)

This “cheese,” quite unlike any European cheese, is made from soya beans. It has a distinctive flavour, is somewhat salty and slightly pungent. In China it is eaten with rice and is sometimes used in cooking.

Lak Ju Foo Yoy

(White “cheese” with chilli)

This has much the same flavour as the red cheese, but is hot, being flavoured with chilli peppers.

Morphy, Countess. Recipes of All Nations. H. Joseph, 1936.

Countess Morphy

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