Tag: appetizer
Shrimp Toast
Shrimp Toast
Growing up, shrimp toast was one of my favorite appetizers when we’d order takeout Chinese. Shrimp toast is really more Chinese/American fusion, but there’s nothing wrong with that. You’ll never want to order it again once you learn how easy it is to make. The shrimp mix gets pulverized in a food processor, spread on white bread, cut into triangles, then lightly pan fried in under 5 minutes. Drain the grease from the shrimp toast on a rack instead of paper towels to keep them crispy.
Equipment
- food processor
Ingredients
- 8 oz shrimp peeled and deveined; tail removed
- 1/4 cup cilantro chopped
- 2 green onions chopped
- 1 tsp ginger grated
- 1/4 tsp sesame oil
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp sugar
- 2 tsp cornstarch
- 1 egg
- 4 slices white bread
- 2 tbsp sesame seeds
- vegetable oil for frying
Instructions
- Place the shrimp, cilantro, green onions, sesame oil, ginger, salt, sugar, egg, and cornstarch in a food processor.
- Process until smooth.
- Equally distribute the shrimp mixture on 4 slices of bread.
- Sprinkle the sesame seeds on top. Gently press them in.
- Cut the bread into 4.
- Heat up a 1/4 cup of vegetable oil in a sauté pan over medium high heat. Place the bread shrimp side down into the oil.
- Cook for 3 minutes. Flip over and cook for 1 more minute.
- Drain the grease on a wire rack.
Sichuan Mala Chicken
Sichuan Mala Chicken
This is real deal authentic Sichuan food. Mala chicken is Sichuan-style spicy fried chicken. While hot and numbing in the best way, the chicken looks and sounds spicier than it really is. It’s definitely not Thai-spicy. Chunks of chicken are marinated and coated with spicy seasoned cornstarch. The pieces are shallow pan fried, then tossed with sautéed whole Sichuan dried chilies, garlic, ginger, and green onions. The Sichuan peppercorns that are infused in the oil, and also ground in the cornstarch coating, adds a numbing sensation to the dish that makes the chicken highly addictive.
Ingredients
Marinade and Coating
- 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast or thighs cubed
- 1 tbsp shaoxing cooking wine
- 1 tbsp light soy sauce
- 1/4 cup cornstarch
- 1 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1 tsp ground Sichuan peppercorns
- 1 tsp salt
Spice Mix
- 1 cup whole Sichuan dried chilies
- 2 tbsp Sichuan chili flakes
- 1 tbsp sesame seeds
- 1 tsp sugar
To Cook
- vegetable oil for frying
- 2 tsp Sichuan peppercorns
- 5 garlic cloves thinly sliced
- 1 tbsp ginger grated
- 4 green onions chopped
- 1 cup cilantro
Instructions
- Marinate the chicken with the shaoxing cooking wine and soy sauce for 15 minutes.
- Mix together the cornstarch, cayenne, ground Sichuan peppercorns, and salt.
- Toss the marinated chicken with the cornstarch mix, making sure the pieces are evenly coated.
- Heat up 1/2” of cooking oil in a large sauté pan over medium high heat. Add in half of the coated chicken in a single layer, making sure to not overcrowd the pan.
- Fry the chicken in 2 batches, for 4 minutes a side. Drain grease on a rack.
- Save 2 tbsp of the cooking oil. Toast the Sichuan peppercorns in the oil for 1 minute. Remove the peppercorns from the pan.
- Add in the garlic, ginger, and green onion. Sauté for 1 minute.
- Toss in the spice mix. Sauté for 1 minute.
- Add the chicken back. Toss with the whole chilies.
- Turn off the heat. Toss in chopped cilantro.
Tiger Salad
Tiger Salad
While you probably will never see something like tiger salad on a Chinese menu in America, this type of salad is a staple in Northern Chinese cuisine. Served cold, tiger salad adds a balance to hot dishes. The salad has 5 ingredients and a simple rice vinegar based dressing. It has a refreshing taste with hints of sweet, sour, spicy, and umami.
Ingredients
- 1 cup cilantro roughly chopped
- 1 large anaheim chili thinly sliced
- 1 english cucumber julienned
- 2 green onions chopped
- 1-2 red Thai chilies finely chopped
Dressing
- 1 1/2 tbsp rice vinegar
- 2 tsp sugar
- 1 1/2 tsp sesame oil
- 1 tsp soy sauce
- 1/2 tsp salt
Instructions
- Mix all of the dressing ingredients together.
- Toss the dressing with the cilantro, chilies, cucumber, and green onions.
