Chili Sauce

Wendy, our ayi, makes our lives in Shanghai quite comfortable. She does our laundry and washes our dishes. She babysits every Saturday evening. She cooks lunch for us every day. She keeps our home nice and clean, and stays with the girls whenever I need her help. Life with a housekeeper is good - especially life with a housekeeper as good as Wendy.

However, she's made no promise that she will come to our new home. Already she travels nearly 1 hour every morning on the bus to reach our house. She will not make her commute any longer.

With the prospect of potentially losing Wendy, I've asked her to teach me how to cook some of our favorite dishes. My favorite lunch is ma na do fu (spicy tofu), and Dave's favorite dinner is gong bao ji ding (kung pao chicken). Both dishes are made differently every time you eat them, and quite differently in China than in America. Both dishes are Sichuan dishes, and originally made spicy by Sichuan peppercornws - which have a numbing effect and were illegal in the US until 2005. As I learned, when Wendy makes them the two dishes are quite similar - and the key ingredient is Chinese chili sauce, available in an Asian grocery aisle. Still, they're super tasty and we plan to keep them as staples in our home for as long as we can. For your enjoyment,

ma na do fu - spicy tofu
Bring to a boil in the wok:
water

Marinate together:
1/2 lb. minced pork
1-2 t. Chinese cooking wine

Boil for 2-4 minutes:
1 brick of soft tofu, cut into cubes

Turn off heat under wok.
Remove tofu with a slotted spoon.
Rinse the wok - heat to dry.

Add to hot wok:
2-3 T. oil

Cook until fragrant:
3 cloves chopped garlic
2 t. fresh grated ginger
4 chopped green onions - bottoms only

Add:
marinated pork

Cook until just brown
Add:
1 bowl of water

Add seasonings to taste:
4 t. chili sauce
2 t. lite soy sauce (for color)
2-4 t. dark soy sauce (for flavor)
pinch of chicken bouillion granules
3 t. vinegar
2 t. sugar

Add:
cooked tofu

Remove a bit of broth. Add:
bit of starch

Stir until thick and return to the mix.

Serve hot with
sticky rice.
Garnish with :
green onions - tops

gong bao ji ding - kung pao chicken
Mix to marinate:
3 chicken breasts, cubed
1 t. Chinese cooking wine
1 heaping t. starch

Add to hot work:
1 T. oil

Add to hot oil:
1 C. plain peanuts

Stir frequently, until nuts begin to darken and become fragrant.
Place on paper towel to cool and soak oil.

Add to hot work:
2 T. oil

Cook until no longer pink:
marinated chicken

Remove chicken from the wok.

Cook until fragrant:
chopped ginger
3-4 chopped green onions - bottoms
4 cloves chopped garlic

Add:
1-2 C. water

Bring to a boil.
Add seasonings to taste:
3 T. chili sauce
1 t. dark soy sauce (for color)
1 t. lite soy sauce (for flavor)
1 t. sugar
1 t. chicken bouillion granules

Add:
cooked chicken.

Serve hot with sticky rice.
Garnish with green onions - tops.