Feeding the Dragon: A Culinary Travelogue Through China With Recipes by Mary Kate Tate and Nate Tate (Andrews McMeel, $24.99)
Next Monday, January 23rd, is the beginning of the Chinese New Year, the Year of the Dragon. To celebrate this event, I spent several days testing this fascinating new cookbook which proves that Chinese cuisine is much more interesting and complex than mere fast food takeout.
In addition to more than 100 recipes from throughout China, Nate Tate, a Texan who studied abroad at Beijing’s prestigious Tsinghua University, and his sister, Mary, who studied Mandarin and Chinese history at the University of Texas and later attended Nanjing Normal University in China, share their experiences traveling throughout the country. Their exciting new book is part recipe collection and part travelogue. As the Tates traveled almost 10,000 miles throughout China, they sampled local foods and gathered recipes. It was a journey that will help change our Western thinking about Chinese cuisine.
The recipes in this collection are grouped by the Tate’s original itinerary. There is also an index by category. While in Beijing, for example, they sampled Chocolate Sesame Balls, unusual since chocolate is a Western food and has only been produced in China since the 1980s. Traditionally, sesame balls are stuffed with sweet red bean or sweet lotus paste and served during the beginning of the New Year since the dish represents good luck. In Shanghai, it was fried noodles, tea eggs, and Buddha’s Delight, a tasty vegetarian stir-fry. In addition to Beijing and Shanghai, the itinerary included stops in Fujian, Honk Kong, Macau, Yunnan, Tibet, Sichuan, and Xinjiang. The book also features tips, techniques, sample menus, and online ingredient resources.
I tested two recipes, from Fuijan, a Corn and Pine Nut Stir-Fry. Pine nuts have been used by Chinese cooks for hundreds of years and this simple country dish is especially high in vitamin E and protein. My second choice was Tibetian Curry Potatoes that featured a delightful blend of flavors from peppercorns, fresh ginger, and the kick of a red chile.
I recommend this cookbook highly. The recipes are doable, even for a cook like me who is unfamiliar with this type of cuisine. The photography and stories combined with the recipes make this the next best thing to actually visiting China.
CORN AND PINE NUT STIR-FRY
Serves 4
Ingredients:
½ tsp sugar
½ tsp salt
2 Tbs water
4 tsp vegetable oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 Tbs clear rice vinegar
1 tsp toasted sesame oil
2 cups corn kernels (fresh or frozen)
2/3 c peeled and chopped carrots
2/3 c peas (fresh or frozen)
½ c pine nuts
++++
In a small bowl, combine the sugar, salt and water and stir until dissolved. Set aside.
Heat 2 teaspoons of the vegetable oil in the wok over medium-low heat. Add the onion and rice vinegar and sauté them for 10 to 15 minutes or until caramelized. Remove the onion from the wok.
Heat the remaining 2 teaspoons of vegetable oil and the sesame oil in the wok over medium heat. Toss in the corn, carrots, peas, and stir-fry for about 6 minutes, or until the corn and carrots are tender. Mix in the sugar mixture, pine nuts, and onion and stir-fry for one minute longer. Serve hot.