Hot−Fried Crispy Shredded Beef

Ingredients:
4 eggs
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 oz. corn starch
1 lb. topside of beef, cut into matchstick strips
2 cups vegetable oil
3 medium carrots, scraped and cut into matchstick strips
2 spring onions, cut into 1 inch sections
2 dry red chilies, shredded
3 garlic cloves, crushed
6 teaspoons sugar
2 tablespoons soy sauce
4 tablespoons wine vinegar

Cooking:
1. Mix together the eggs, salt and cornflour and toss the beef in this until well coated. Heat the oil in a wok to 350 degree F, or until a cube of bread browns in 30 seconds, and stir−fry the beef
for 1 1/2 minutes or until crispy. Remove and drain on paper towels.
2. Reheat the oil and deep−fry the carrots for 1 1/2 minutes. Remove and drain on paper towels.
3. Pour off most of the oil, leaving about 1 1/2 tablespoons in the bottom of the wok. Reheat, then add the spring onions, chilies and garlic. Stir−fry together for about 30 seconds over the heat then add the sugar, soy sauce and vinegar. Return the meat and carrots to the sauce. Toss over the heat and serve.

*pic from gettyimages

Egg Rolls

INGREDIENTS:
1 lb. chinese cabbage (Napa)
2 stalks celery
1/2 lb. cooked shrimp
1/2 lb. cooked chicken livers
10 water chestnuts
1/3 cup bamboo shoots
1 beaten egg
10 egg roll skins
3 cups oil

SEASONING:
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. sugar
Liberal dash pepper
1/2 tsp. light soy sauce
1/4 tsp. sesame oil

PREPARATION:
Boil cabbage and celery until very tender. Drain and squeeze out excess water. Shred very fine and set aside to drain further. Parboil shrimp and fry or bake chicken liver. Mince both. Shred water chestnuts and bamboo shoots. Mix all ingredients but egg together. Beat egg. Wrap filling in egg roll skins and seal with egg.

COOKING:
Heat oil in wok or deep fat fryer to 375 degrees and drop in egg rolls. When skin turns light golden brown, remove from oil and drain. (At this point restaurants refrigerate them and finish the cooking process asneeded.) When cool, drop again into hot oil and fry until golden brown. Makes 10. The two−stage deep frying method is actually a professional Chinese chefs' secret. It assures that the inside will be moist and not overcooked (as anything overcooked becomes dry) and the outside will be crisp.

Shrimp Toast

Ingredients:
12 fresh uncooked large shrimp
1 egg
2 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
3 slices sandwich bread
1 hard−cooked egg yolk
1 slice cooked ham (about 1 ounce)

Seasoning:
1/4 teaspoon salt
Pinch pepper
1 green onion
2 cups vegetable oil

Preparation:
1. Remove shells from shrimp, leaving tails intact. Remove back veins from shrimp. Cut down back of shrimp with sharp knife. Gently press shrimp with fingers to flatten.
2. Beat 1 egg, cornstarch, salt and pepper in a small bowl until blended. Add shrimp to egg mixture and toss until shrimp are completely coated.
3. Remove crusts from bread. Cut each slice into quarter. Place one shrimp, cut side down, on each bread piece. Gently press shrimp to adhere to bread. Brush or rub small amount of egg mixture over each shrimp.
4. Cut egg yolk and ham into 1/2 inch pieces. Finely chop onion. Place one piece each of egg yolk and ham and a scant 1/4 teaspoon chopped onion on each shrimp.

Cooking:
Heat oil in wok over medium−high heat until it reaches 375F. Fry 3 or 4 shrimp−bread pieces at a time in the hot oil until golden, 1 to 2 minutes on each side. Drain on absorbent paper.