Chinese Teenagers' Recipes

[liuzhou]

I was recently asked by a friend to give a talk to a group of around 30 first-year students in a local college - all girls. The students were allowed to present me with a range of topics to choose from. To my joy, No. 1 was food! They wanted to know what is different between western and Chinese food. Big topic!

 

Anyway I did my best to explain, illustrate etc. I even gave each student a home made Scotch egg! Which amused them immensely.

Later, my friend asked each of them to write out (in English) a recipe for their favourite Chinese dish. She has passed these on to me with permission to use them as I wish. I will post a few of the better / more interesting ones over the next few days.

I have not edited their language, so please be tolerant and remember that for many of these students, English is their third or fourth language. Chinese isn't even their first!

I have obscured some personal details.

First up:

Tomato, egg noodles.

Time: 10 minutes

 

Yield: 1 serving

For the noodle:

1 tomato

2 egg

5 spring onions

For the sauce:

 

1 teaspoon sesame oil

1 tablespoon sugar

½ teaspoon salt

Method:

1. The pot boil water. At that same time you can do something else.

2. Diced tomato. Egg into the bowl. add salt and sugar mixed. Onion cut section.

3. Boiled noodles with water and cook for about 5 minutes.

4. Heat wok put oil, add eggs, stir fry until cooked. Another pot, garlic stir fry the tomato.

5. add some water to boil, add salt, soy sauce, add egg

 

6. The tomato and egg sauce over noodle, spring onion sprinkled even better.

 

More soon.

Edited June 30, 2016 by liuzhou (log)

[liuzhou]

Number 2:

Red Cooked Pork 红烧肉

 

Primary Ingredients:

 

Streaky pork about 500 grams. 3 green shallots. 5 blocks of dried hawthorn. 1 block of brown suger.

 

Major Procedures:

 

1. Cut the green shallots into two segment at the junction of the white and green, and then cut the white section into many sections and the green section into small pieces; meanwhile, cut the raw pork into small cubes.

2. Pour some boiled water into a pot, put the pork cubes and all the white sections into it; then it will spends 5 minutes in boiling them slightly.

 

3. After the second process is finished, take them out from the pot and wash the pot utterly; then put them into the clean pot just washed and fry them with a low flame.

 

4. When the surfaces of the the cubes get somewhat yellow and emerge a little oil, add a spoonful of sugar to the pot and stir all in the pot evenly and lastingly to fry them with a  low flame until the sugar is melted.

5. Add some water to the pot so that the meat is very submerged, next put the hawthorn into the pot, it will takes about 30 minutes to boils them with a low flame.

 

6. After half an hour or so, adjust the flame to a medium flame and add appropriate quantities of salt and soy sauce according to the individual actual situation, then stir all in the pot continuously until teh juice becomes concentrated .

7. Sprinkle the green pieces on the meat, stir a bit slightly.

 

 

Edited July 10, 2016 by liuzhou (log)

[Anna N]

Fascinating. It is hard enough to write a coherent recipe in English even if it's your first language.  I have nothing but admiration for these young people.  Thank you for sharing. Hope there are more to come. 

[liuzhou]

1 hour ago, Anna N said:

Fascinating. It is hard enough to write a coherent recipe in English even if it's your first language.  I have nothing but admiration for these young people.  Thank you for sharing. Hope there are more to come. 

You are welcome. I'll post a couple more tomorrow.

 

 

[liuzhou]

OK. One more tonight

Number 3:

 

Braise in soy sauce potato chips  红烧土豆片

 

Main Ingredient: Potato

 

Supplementary material:

Green onion, ginger, garlic, green pepper, red bell peper,

Ingredients: Chinese prickly, five-spice powder, soy sause, salt, Chicken essence

 

Steps

 

1. Will wash potatoes peeled, cut into small pieces, chopped potato chips to soaking in the water bowl, green onion, ginger, garlic slice and green red pepper spare;

 

2. Pour onto oil fire may become hot pot, put Chinese prickly ash - stir fried out fragrance;

 

3. the potato chips in the pan, use the fire quickly about 3 minutes;

 

4. add spring onion, ginger, garlic, fragrant;

 

5. pour soy sause and spices stir 3 minutes

 

6. add green red pepper, salt and chicken essence, stir-fry until green red pepper broken can be born out of the pot.

[Deryn]

Those students are amazing (though I am not surprised since education is very valued in Asian countries/families) in how well they communicate in English. Their writing too is especially clear and well formed - MUCH better than that of so many in North America these days (whose native language is supposed to be English) - especially considering that English text is so different from Chinese characters. Please give them my kudos and thanks, Liuzhou, if you see the class again.

 

I am enjoying reading the recipes very much even if I will never try to make most of them. I love a) that the kids actually seem to know their way around the kitchen enough to be able to write down these recipes - I gather they themselves have actually made these dishes or watched them being made very often at the very least and b) the simplicity of the dishes.

[liuzhou]

  

Number Four

 

Sliced Fish in Hot Chili Oil Sauerkraut （酸菜鱼）

 

Material: Fish (500 grams)

 

fresh ginger

 

garlic

 

dry red pepper

 

chinese prickly ash

 

Sauerkraut

 

starch

 

edible oil

 

condiment

 

 

modus operandi:

 

One, first wash the fish to no blood. fish stomach must be washed, and then mixing with starch.

 

Two, The fish with fish to separate fish soup, respectively, with thirteen soy sauce and oyster sauce fragrant pickled food.

 

Three, The first oil heat, Pepper Fried Sauerkraut with color, put in water with the fish fish Aochu* soup.

 

Four, And then put the fish into the cook from the pot.

 

Five, Under the hot oil, ginger and garlic pepper released pepper, pour in boiling burning directly hold good fish.

 

Aochu (熬出) means “boiling”

 

 

 

 

  

Edited November 5, 2016 by liuzhou (log)

[IowaDee]

Wow, the sauerkraut caught me off guard.  So glad you are sharing these.

[liuzhou]

And number five

Cola Chicken Wings

 

Materials: Cola, onion, ginger, staranise, cooking wine, 12 chicken wings, a pinch of salt.

 

Method:

 

1. chicken wings open water fitter about, remove and put in cold water wash.

 

2. pot put a spoonful of oil. put chicken wings and pan fry until both sides are yellowish. add cooking wine. pour cola, more than chicken wings advisable.

 

3. Fire boil turn a small fire simmer. 30 minutes after adding a little salt. close juice. out of the pot put dish.

 

Edited July 1, 2016 by liuzhou (log)

[Martin Fisher]

Very cool!

I can't imagine how difficult it is to learn a language that has absolutely nothing in common with your own.

Nothing like an English speaker attempting to learn Spanish, French or German.

[liuzhou]

4 minutes ago, IowaDee said:

Wow, the sauerkraut caught me off guard.  So glad you are sharing these.

 

Yes, that surprised me. Don't know where she found the word. Hers is a well-known Sichuan dish and what she calls sauerkraut is more commonly referred to as "pickled mustard greens", although they are similar to sauerkraut, I suppose.

[liuzhou]

Six - Comments in red are mine.

 

豆腐炒肉

(Tofu Fried Pork)

 

Materials:

 

Tofu 350 grams, meat* 100 grams, spring onions, salt, light soy sauce, peanut oil, chillie

 

Procedure

 

1. Tofu cut, minced meat, onion chopped.

2, Will cut into a good bean curd in a bowl, Evenly spread salt, A small light soy sauce. Last for five minutes.

3. Over medium heat, Fried minced meat. put in a little oil

4. Three minutes later, put the tofu into the pot and cook for five minutes.

5. Last, sprinkle with onion.

* As always with Chinese "meat", when unspecified, means "pork".

 

Edited July 1, 2016 by liuzhou (log)

[sartoric]

Fascinating Liuzhou, I might even try the cola chicken wings.

 

Thanks a bunch.

[liuzhou]

Seven

 

Pork Lean Meat Preserved Egg Porridge

 

Time: 30 minutes

 

For the makings

 

Lean meat (around 300-350 grams in total), two preserved egg

Ginger

Spring onions

Soy sauce

Wine

Sesame oil

 

Method:

 

1. Cleanout the rice

2. The water and rice with 5:1 rate.

3. Ferv* the rice in 10~15 minutes

4. Put in the pork and some ginger (a piece in 1mm, cut thread) Ferv 3 minutes.

5. Put in the preserved egg and wine

6. Ferv 5 minutes, put in a little salt and monos odium glutamate (just a little, it's ok)

7. Add some soy sauce and sesame oil.

8. Stir the fire, sheng** into of the bowl can sprinkle some chopped green onion.

* 'Ferv'. I have no idea what this is. From the context, she clearly means 'cook'.

 

** She means "ladle" and has given the transliteration of the Chinese (although she gets that wrong, too. It should be 'cheng'). Chinese is probably her second language.

 

Edited July 1, 2016 by liuzhou
my typo (log)

[liuzhou]

13 minutes ago, sartoric said:

Fascinating Liuzhou, I might even try the cola chicken wings.

 

Thanks a bunch.

 

You are welcome. I've eaten the cola chicken wings. There was quite a fashion for them a few years ago and a lot of young kids learned to cook them. They are much better than they sound, but still not my favourite.

[liuzhou]

Trying to finish these today as I have a busy few days coming up.

 

Eight

 

San Jiang - oil tea

 

Time: 3o minutes

 

For the tea:

Dried tea laves (about 5 grams in total)

300 ml water

 

For the Glutinous rice:

around 0.5 kg dried Glutinous rice.

more than 100 ml oil

 

Others: Two bowls (one big, one small)

 

Method:

 

First, you should dry the Glutinous rice, then you can cook it. Put the oil into wok, then fire the dried Glutinous rice, if it looks yellow, then you can put it into the big bowl.

 

Second, clean the wok, after that, put water into it. When the water become boiling, you can put dried tea leaves into the water, then add salt, but you shouldn't add oil.

 

Last but no least, put some fired dried Glutinous rice into the small bowl, then add water tea into it, so you can have it.

 

Sanjjiang (三江, literally "Three Rivers") is a so-called autonomous county in the north of Liuzhou prefecture, bordering Hunan province. It is home to the Dong ethnic minority. Oil tea is a staple there. It is served daily, but also plays a big part in traditional formal welcoming rites. Guests are presented with it and expected to drink/eat at least two bowls. However, good hosts will refill your bowl every time it is empty. If you have had enough, don't empty the bowl!

 

The first time I had it, I thought it was awful, but over the years I have actually developed a taste for it. It is usually served with peanuts as well as the glutinous rice she mentions.

Note: "Fired" is a common misspelling of "fried" among Chinese learners of English.
 

By the way, I'm told English is this girl's 4th language.

 

 

Edited July 2, 2016 by liuzhou (log)

[liuzhou]

Number Nine, Number Nine

 

Fried Cauliflower (干煸菜花)

 

Time: 20 minutes

Yield: 2 to 3 servings

 

For the cauliflower:

 

Half a cauliflower

3 garlic cloves

An equivalent amount of ginger

A handful of dried chillies (about 7)

3 tablespoons cooking oil

2 teaspoons whole sichuan pepper

 

For the streaky pork:

100 grams of pork

pork thinly sliced

3 garlic cloves

An equivalent amount of ginger

3 teaspoons peanut oil

2 teaspoons whole sichuan pepper

 

For the sauce:

 

2 teaspoon peanut oil

3 teaspoons light soy sauce

2 tablespoon sugar

3 star anise

1 teaspoon wine

 

Method:

1. Cauliflower cut into small flower soaked in dilute brine for 10 minutes.

2. Wash and control dry water,

3. Pork thinly sliced, onion ginger garlic slice.

4. pour 2 tablespoon of peanut oil into the pan.

5. Add pork and stirfry until the color of oil into the sauce then add 3 ml of cooking wine.

6. Pour the cauliflower, the fire stirfry, add 3 teaspoons liht soy sauce, 2 tablespoon sugar, stir fried cauliflower to become soft after you can pan.

 

 

 

[liuzhou]

and finally,

 

Ten

 

Fried egg with tomatoes

 

Time: 15 minutes

 

Yield: 4 to 5 servings

 

Ingredients: 4 eggs, 2 tomatoes, a spoon of salt, edible oil, a spoon of sugar

 

Step:

1. Egg with salt

2. Put the diced tomatoes

3. Put the oil into the pan, heat the oil and put in the egg.

4. Scrambled eggs at the same time, the eggs beaten into pieces, stir well after the standby.

5. Put the oil into the pan, heat the oil and put in the tomato.

6. Stir fried tomato, add sugar and salt.

7. Finally, put the eggs in advance and mix well, then turn off the fire.

 

Nearly half the students gave recipes for this dish. Unsurprising. It is the first (and sometimes, last) thing all Chinese kids learn to cook. Scrambled eggs with tomato. Every restaurant can rustle it up, even if it isn't on their menu. My neighbour's dog can probably cook it. Many a visiting veggie has survived on it when in China.

 

 

[KennethT]

9 hours ago, liuzhou said:

Seven

 

Pork Lean Meat Preserved Egg Porridge

 

Time: 30 minutes

 

For the makings

 

Lean meat (around 300-350 grams in total), two preserved egg

Ginger

Spring onions

Soy sauce

Wine

Sesame oil

 

Method:

 

1. Cleanout the rice

2. The water and rice with 5:1 rate.

3. Ferv* the rice in 10~15 minutes

4. Put in the pork and some gingre (a piece in 1mm, cut thread) Ferv 3 minutes.

5. Put in the preserved egg and wine

6. Ferv 5 minutes, put in a little salt and monos odium glutamate (just a little, it's ok)

7. Add some soy sauce and sesame oil.

8. Stir the fire, sheng** into of the bowl can sprinkle some chopped green onion.

* 'Ferv'. I have no idea what this is. From the context, she clearly means 'cook'.

 

** She means "ladle" and has given the transliteration of the Chinese (although she gets that wrong, too. It should be 'cheng'). Chinese is probably her second language.

 

 

I wonder if 'ferv' is fluff?

 

Also I am amazed at the clarity and uniformity of the handwriting. Makes my chicken scratch look illiterate.

[Martin Fisher]

FWIW,

ferv- (Latin: to boil; hot; to begin to boil, to be hot; deeply earnest; ardent)

Source: Robertson's Words for a Modern Age: A Cross Reference of Latin and Greek, by John G. Robertso

Edited July 1, 2016 by DiggingDogFarm (log)

[liuzhou]

I'd be surprised if "ferv" is "fluff". That would make no sense and "fluff" is not a word most would know, especially as a verb.

Many Chinese people's "English" handwriting is very clear. Chinese characters have to be precise. The omission of one little stroke can totally change the meaning. That exactitude seems to carry over into many people's use of the Roman alphabet.
 

[Shelby]

I am so impressed with these kids!  Like others have said, they spell and have better penmanship than many other people I've seen from the US.

 

Really enjoyed this, Liuzhou.

[liuzhou]

14 hours ago, DiggingDogFarm said:

FWIW,

ferv- (Latin: to boil; hot; to begin to boil, to be hot; deeply earnest; ardent)

Source: Robertson's Words for a Modern Age: A Cross Reference of Latin and Greek, by John G. Robertso

 

 

Sorry DDF, I just noticed your post.

 

Quote

† ˈfervefy, v. Obs. rare.

[ad. L. fervefacĕre, f. fervēre to boil: see -fy.]

trans. To make boiling hot. Hence ˈfervefied ppl. a.

Oxford English Dictionary

 

As noted, the word is obsolete and rare. I can't imagine how she managed to find it or, more accurately, find part of it. I'll try to find out, though I probably can't until September - summer vacation is about to start.

Edited July 2, 2016 by liuzhou (log)

[Anna N]

I am fascinated by the hand writing in #10. To these poor eyes it looked remarkably like Chinese characters in the way that the words are spaced. When I finally focussed properly I saw that was not so.  As you mentioned with respect to the command of cursive, this is likely a carryover trait. Fascinating. Thank you again.

[gfron1]

I love this and really want to try and make some just to see what happens. Thanks for taking the time to post these.