4 dried Chinese mushrooms
1/2 pound fresh Chinese noodles
1/4 cup peanut oil
1 tablespoon hoisin sauce
1 tablespoon bean sauce
2 tablespoons rice wine
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 cup reserved mushroom soaking liquid
1 teaspoon chili paste
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/2 red bell pepper -- in 1/2 inch cubes
8 ounces whole bamboo shoots -- cubed
2 cups bean sprouts
1 whole green onion -- thinly sliced

Soak the Chinese mushrooms in 1 1/4 cups of hot water for 30 minutes. While they are soaking, bring 4 quarts of water to a boil and cook the noodles for 3 minutes. Drain and toss with 1 tablespoon of peanut oil; set aside.

Remove the mushrooms; strain and reserve 1/2 cup of the soaking liquid for the sauce. Trim and discard the mushroom stems; coarsely chop the caps and set aside. Combine the ingredients for the sauce in a small bowl and stir well to dissolve the sugar; set aside. Dissolve the cornstarch in 2 tablespoons of cold water; set aside.

Place the wok over medium-high heat. When it begins to smoke, add the remaining 3 tablespoons of peanut oil, then the mushrooms, red pepper, bamboo shoots, and bean sprouts. Stir-fry 2 minutes. Stir the sauce and add it to the wok, and continue to stir-fry until the mixture begins to boil, about 30 seconds. Mix the dissolved cornstarch and add it to the wok.
Continue to stir until the sauce thickens, about 1 minute. Add the noodles and toss until heated through, about 2 minutes.

Transfer to a serving platter and sprinkle with the sliced scallion. Serve immediately.

Fried Rice

Green Fried Rice
2 1/4 cups long-grain rice
9 eggs -- beaten
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1 1/2 pounds Chinese spring greens, roughly sliced
3 cloves garlic -- minced
12 green onions -- finely chopped
1 1/2 cups ham -- shredded

1. Cook rice according to package directions until tender but firm to the the bite.

2. Use eggs to make a chinese omelette, cut into strips.

3. In a wok, heat 1 Tablespoon vegetable oil, add greens and fry 1 minute; remove and keep warm.

4. Add remaining oil to the wok, add garlic and green onions and stir one minute, then stir in the rice.

5. When mixed thoroughly, stir in ham, greens, omelette slices and salt.

Notes: you can prepare this and place it in a crock pot to keep warm on a buffet.

Chinese BBQ Pork

Chinese BBQ Pork, also known as Cha Siu is very easy to prepare and tastes wonderful.

3 pounds pork tenderloin -- whole
3/4 cup chicken stock
3/4 cup soy sauce
3/4 cup brown bean sauce
3/8 cup Chinese cooking wine
3/8 cup garlic -- finely chopped
3/8 teaspoon red food coloring (optional)

1. Mix stock, soy sauce, brown bean sauce, cooking wine, chopped garlic, and food coloring. Pour over pork.
2. Marinate 3 hours at room temperature or overnight in the refrigerator.
3. Preheat oven to 500F.
4. Place pork on rack over drip pan in oven, reduce heat to 350F, and roast for 1 hour.

Spring Roll Filling

Homemade spring rolls are surprisingly simple to make and they TASTE delicious.
3/8 cup peanut oil
2 cups bean sprouts
12 green onions -- thinly shredded
2 cups carrots -- julienned
4 cups mushrooms -- thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic -- finely chopped
2 cakes tofu -- finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon chinese five spice powder
2 tablespoons light soy sauce
2 teaspoons sea salt
2 quarts vegetable oil -- for frying

1. To make the filling, in a wok heat peanut oil and stir fry vegetables, garlic, and tofu about 1 minute.

2. Add five spice powder, soy sauce and salt and continue to cook for 2 minutes.

3. Cool and then use to fill wrappers.

4. In a deep fryer or deep frying pan, bring at least 2 inches of peanut oil to 350 degrees; add spring rolls - max 4 at a time, and cook until golden.

NOTES : To make ahead: deep fry spring rolls until golden brown. Flash freeze and store up to 8 weeks. To reheat; bake from frozen at 350 degrees about 30 minutes.

Shrimp Toast

These are so delicious that you could make triple the recipe and not have enough. Make sure to drain them well and serve them hot!
1 pound shrimp
4 ounces pork fat (yes really)
2 egg whites
1 teaspoon rice wine
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ginger, minced
2 tablespoons cornstarch
10 slices white bread
2 teaspoons sesame seeds
3 quarts oil -- for deep-frying
-----Peppersalt -----
1/4 cup Szechuan Peppercorns
1/4 cup Salt

1. Shell and devein shrimp. Rinse and pat dry with a paper towel. Flatten each shrimp with the broad side of a cleaver to make chopping easier. Use cleaver to finely chop shrimp and pork fat.

2. Combine chopped pork fat and shrimp; chop to a fine paste. Place shrimp paste in a medium bowl.

3. Use a spoon or your hands to mix shirmp paste with egg white, wine, salt, ginger root and cornstarch; set aside.

4. Remove crusts from bread. Cut each slice into 4 squares. Mound 1 rounded teaspoon shrimp paste on each square of bread and press gently. Sprinkle with sesame seeds.

5. Heat 6 cups oil in a wok over high to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Reduce heat to medium. Carefully lower bread squares shrimp-side down into hot oil with a slotted metal spoon.

6. Deep-fry 4 or 5 at a time until edges of bread turn golden, about 1 minute. Turn each bread and cook other
side 30 seconds. Watch carefully! Remove from oil with slotted spoon; drain on paper towels. Repeat with remaining bread squares.

7. Sprinkle with Pepper salt and serve hot.

Peppersalt
1. Heat a medium saucepan over medium-low heat 1 minute. Add peppercorns and stir-fry 5 minutes.

2. Remove saucepan from heat and let cool. Grind peppercorns into a fine powder with a mortar and pestle or pepper grinder.

3. Add salt; mix well. Store in a tightly covered container. Makes about 1/4 cup.

Sweet & Sour Vegetables

This recipe does not turn out Neon Pink like most sweet and sour dishes you get for Chinese take out, but it is very tasty.
For a spicier dish, add regular chile sauce instead of sweet chile sauce.

4 whole red peppers -- julienned
5 3/8 cups snow peas -- cut into 1" pieces
5 1/4 cups zucchini -- sliced
4 1/3 cups waterchestnut -- drained
4 3/4 cups mushroom -- quartered
2 3/4 cups baby corn -- drained
12 spring onion -- sliced
3 cloves garlic
***Sweet & Sour Sauce***
6 tablespoons wine vinegar
6 tablespoons honey
3 tablespoons tomato paste
6 tablespoons soy sauce
6 tablespoons sherry
1 tablespoon sweet chili sauce
6 teaspoons cornflour

Prepare the vegetables; set aside.

Combine the sauce ingredients in a bowl, blending well together.

Heat the oil in a wok until hot. Add the spring onion and garlic and stir-fry for 1 minute.

Add the prepared vegetables, the firmer ones first, and stir fry for 2 minutes. Then add the softer ones and stir fry for another 2 minutes.

Add the sweet and sour mixture to the wok. Bring to the boil quickly, tossing until the vegetables are thoroughly coated and the sauce has thickened. Serve hot.

Hot & Sour Soup

A bestseller on Chinese Menu's try making your own Hot & Sour Soup.
1 1/2 sea cucumber -- *see note
1 1/2 quarts chicken stock
3 ounces prawns -- diced if large
1/4 cup green peas -- thawed
3 dried black mushrooms -- finely chopped
6 pieces cloud ear fungus -- soaked and chopped
1 1/2 cake soft bean curd -- finely diced
1 1/2 medium tomato -- finely diced
1 tablespoon salt
3 tablespoons white pepper
1 tablespoon sesame oil
3/8 cup cornstarch -- blended with water
3 eggs -- lightly beaten
3/8 cup black rice vinegar
3 tablespoons spring onion -- finely sliced

1. Soak the sea cucumber in hot water until soft, then cut in half lengthwise. Clean the interior and dice the flesh finely

2. Heat the stock and add sea cucumber, prawns, peas, mushroom, fungus, bean curd and tomato. Bring to a boil and simmer for one minute.

3. Add salt, pepper and sesame oil. Thicken the soup with cornstarch, then add the egg and stir until set.

4. Add the vinegar, pour into serving bowl and garnish with spring onion.

* You may wish to replace the sea cucumber with finely diced cooked chicken or pork.