Cooking with April Woo

April Woo's Favorite Miserable Weather Comfort Foods

- by Leslie Glass

April's Scrambled Egg Fried Rice

(This childhood staple is Chinese "fast" food.)

• 2 cups leftover rice

• 1 minced scallion

• 2 Tbls minced onion

• 2 beaten eggs

• dash of soy sauce

Stir fry the onions and scallions and rice in a little peanut oil for several minutes. The rice should be broken apart with chopsticks or a fork until each grain is separate. When the rice is thoroughly cooked and is a little brown and crispy, two beaten eggs are tossed in and quickly stir-fried at the last minute. Add soy sauce at the very end.

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Ja Fa Woo's Classic Fried Rice

Everybody makes fried rice his or her own way. There are two schools of thought on the rice. Some Chinese swear by the "old" rice method and insist on using day-old rice that's been left to dry and harden overnight in the refrigerator. Others say fresh cooked rice cooled to room temperature is best. In the Woo household, leftover rice is saved for April's Scrambled Egg Fried Rice and Classic Fried Rice is made with "fresh" rice. Second, there are two schools of thought on the soy sauce. Some use it. Others (many Cantonese cooks) wouldn't dream of using soy sauce in fried rice. The Woos use both light soy sauce and oyster sauce. Oyster sauce is found in most supermarkets these days.

• Swirl of peanut, or corn, or any vegetable oil

• 2 or 3 cups cooked rice

• 2 to 4 beaten eggs

• 2 minced scallions

• grating of fresh ginger

• 1/2 cup minced onion

• Two slices ham, diced

• frozen or fresh peas

• 2 Tbls light soy sauce

• 2 Tbls oyster sauce (optional)

(and optionally, diced celery, sliced bamboo shoots, diced water chestnuts, and diced roast pork, diced cooked chicken, canned baby shrimps or fresh cooked shrimps - in other words, whatever is around in your kitchen that you feel like adding). 

First, swirl a wok or flat frying pan with oil. Heat and coat with a thin layer of beaten egg. Let egg set without browning, set on a cutting board, and add the rest of the egg to the pan until all the egg is cooked into thin pancakes. One thicker pancake is okay, too. Dice the egg and save for later. Then stir-fry the onions and scallions, celery, and rice in a little more oil. When the rice is just a little brown and crispy, add the rest of the ingredients, heat thoroughly, adding the soy sauce and oyster sauce at the very end. There will never be leftovers.

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Congee

• 1/4 cup rice
• 2 quarts water or a mixture of water and chicken broth

Wash rice thoroughly or soak it for several hours. Add rice to water and simmer gently for 2 to 3 hours or more until rice is soupy. No need to stir, but check the mixture from time to time. Congee is soupy, but don't let it get too thick. You can add a little salt at the end, but it's not traditional.

Serve with stir-fried vegetables, chicken, chopped scallions, or pickled vegetables -all in separate bowls on the side for diners to add according to their own taste. Or serve with Stir Fried Lettuce with Oyster Sauce.

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Lettuce with Oyster Sauce

• 1 iceberg lettuce chopped into eighths
• a little oil for stir frying
• 3 Tbls oyster sauce
• dash of light soy
  

Stir fry lettuce in just a swirl of oil. When lettuce is wilted but still crunchy, add soy sauce and oyster sauce and a pinch of sugar (optional). Swirl, plate, and serve as a side dish with congee or anything else. A personal favorite

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Pan Fried Noodles

1 lb spaghetti or dried Chinese noodles 
(cooked al dente (forgive the Italian) then rinsed in cold water and tossed with a little sesame or vegetable oil. The noodles can be fresh or cooked the day before.)

2 to 3 Tbls oil

Heat a flat-bottomed frying pan and swirl with oil. Add the noodles and spread them out in the pan. Let brown on the bottom, careful not to let them stick. When noodles are hot and a little crispy on the bottom, use two spatulas to turn the noodle pancake. Brown a little on the other side. The noodles should be soft in the middle and just a little crispy on the outside. 

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Scallops with Black Bean Sauce Topping

• 3/4 to 1 lb of bay scallops washed and patted dry
• Thumb nail of fresh ginger, peeled and small chopped
• 1 bunch of scallions, white part included cut to half inch length
• 1 can of water chestnuts, drained and quartered
• 2 Tbls black bean sauce (with or without garlic)
• 2 Tbls cornstarch
• 2 Tbls gin, vodka, or saki
• a tsp or two of light soy sauce
• Grinding of white or black pepper
• 1 egg white frothed quickly with a fork
• vegetable oil for stir fry
  

Blend cornstarch, gin, soy sauce, and egg white. Add scallops to mixture and allow to "velvet" for 20 minutes to an hour.

When ready to cook, swirl a small amount of oil in a hot wok or flat bottomed non-stick fry pan. Add ginger and swirl them again to release flavor. Add scallops and stir quickly to the half-cooked stage, then add scallions and water chestnuts. When the scallions are wilted, the water chestnuts are hot, and the scallops are just barely cooked through, add the black bean sauce and bind the flavors. At this point, many Chinese cooks add little sugar to cut the salt taste. In "home" cooking, there is not as much cornstarchy "gravy" as is often found in restaurant cooking. With less sauce and quick cooking, the marriage of textures is the point. The look and taste of this scallop dish is the wonderful marriage of smooth scallops, crunchy water chestnuts, and the suggestion of seaweed in the scallions. The briny black bean is what adds the final hint of the sea. Serve with fried noodles or plain rice.

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