Recipes, More From Top Chinese Chef

Eileen Yin-Fei Lo is widely considered the expert on Chinese cooking in the United States.

The award-winning author has just published her 10th cookbook, "My Grandmother's Chinese Kitchen."

It's packed with recipes, and some amazing life lessons learned at her grandmother's knee in the kitchen.

The book is very personal. There are photos of her family, and stories about growing up during the Chinese revolution. It tells of her being sent to live with relatives in Hong Kong when she was 12. Yin-Fei Lo added the name "Eileen" when she was 13. It means "flying swallow."

Yin-Fei Lo writes in the beginning of the book that her grandmother taught her to love Chinese cooking. She taught her manners, along with patience and traditions.

The book is perfect for those who love Chinese food but might find it intimidating. She has tips and techniques for the most basic skills needed for Chinese cooking: stir-frying, braising, steaming, roasting and more.

One recipe Yin-Fei Lo demonstrated was Beef with Black Beans and Peppers. This is known in her family as "the pepper steak" recipe. Her husband, Fred, is a renowned food writer.

He penned a loving introduction, just for this recipe. He writes about how they met on a hot summer day in Hong Kong, where he was serving in the Army. Fred writes that this recipe is the first one she prepared in their American home, and one she prepares to this day.

RECIPES

Beef with Peppers and Black Beans

Serves 6

Marinade:
1 1/2 tablespoons oyster sauce
1 1/2 teaspoons sesame oil
1 teaspoon ginger juice mixed with 2 teaspoons Shao-Hsing wine, or sherry
1 teaspoon dark soy sauce
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon white pepper
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 1/4 pounds filet mignon, 1 inch thick, cut across the grain into 1-inch-wide by 2-inch-long slices

Sauce:
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
1 1/2 teaspoons sesame oil
1 1/2 teaspoons dark soy sauce
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
1/8 teaspoon white pepper
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/4 cup Chicken Stock

Paste:
4 large cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
5 teaspoons fermented black beans, rinsed, drained
4 tablespoons peanut oil
1 slice ginger, 1/2 inch thick, peeled, lightly smashed
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 medium bell peppers, red, yellow, orange, or green, cut into 1-inch by 2-inch pieces

In a large bowl, mix marinade ingredients. Add beef, allow to rest at least 30 minutes.
Reserve.

In a small bowl, mix sauce ingredients together and reserve.

Heat wok over high heat 30 seconds. Add 1 1/2 tablespoons peanut oil, coat wok with spatula. When a wisp of white smoke appears, add ginger and salt, stir 40 seconds. Add peppers, stir together, cook for 1 minute. Turn off heat, transfer peppers to a bowl, reserve. Wipe off wok and spatula with paper towels.

Heat wok over high heat 30 seconds. Add remaining 2 1/2 tablespoons peanut oil, coat wok with spatula. When a wisp of white smoke appears, add garlic-black bean paste, stir, cook until paste releases its fragrance, about 30 seconds. Add beef and marinade, spread in a thin layer. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes, tipping wok from side to side and turning beef once, to cook evenly. Add reserved peppers, stir-fry for 2 minutes. Make a well in the center of the mixture, stir sauce, pour in. Stir and cook, until sauce thickens, about 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer to a heated dish and serve immediately with cooked rice.

For more recipes, go to Page 2.Boiled Noodles with Sesame Sauce

Serves 4

Sauce:
3 tablespoons sesame seed paste diluted with 3 tablespoons boiling Vegetable Stock
2 1/2 tablespoons Scallion Oil
1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
1 tablespoon light soy sauce
3 tablespoons oyster sauce
1 1/2 teaspoons Chinese white rice vinegar, or distilled white vinegar
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic
2 teaspoons minced ginger
1 tablespoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
Pinch white pepper
3 tablespoons scallions, finely sliced

10 cups cold water
2 teaspoons salt
12 ounces fine (similar to capellini) fresh egg noodles

In a large bowl, place all sauce ingredients, mix thoroughly and reserve.

In a large pot place water and salt, bring to a boil over high heat. Add noodles, cook for 1 1/2 minutes until al dente, stirring and loosening as they cook with chopsticks or fork. Turn off heat, drain noodles well. Then add directly into the bowl of sauce, mix well to coat the noodles thoroughly. Serve warm, in the bowl.

Steamed Eggplant

Serves 4 to 6

3-4 (1 pound total) Chinese eggplants, stems removed
2 tablespoons peanut oil
1/2 onion, cut into 1/8-inch dice
1 tablespoon sesame seed paste
1/4 cup Vegetable Stock
3 hot red chiles, minced
1 tablespoon Shao-Hsing wine, or sherry
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon Chinese white rice vinegar, or distilled white vinegar
1 tablespoon sesame oil
3 tablespoons scallions, green portions, finely sliced

Prepare eggplants: Place whole eggplants in a steamer. Steam for 6 minutes, until a chopstick easily pierces the flesh. Turn off the heat, remove from heat and place in a long dish. With a chopstick, "cut" along length of each eggplant to open in half. Then, with chopstick, draw along the lengths again to create strips. Reserve.

As eggplants steam, prepare the sauce: Heat wok over high heat for 30 seconds. Add peanut oil, coat wok with spatula. When a wisp of white smoke appears, add onions. Stir, lower heat to medium and cook 3 minutes, until soft. Add sesame seed paste, stock and chiles, mix well, until paste liquefies, and liquid boils. Add all other ingredients, except scallions, mix together thoroughly. When sauce boils, turn off the heat. Pour sauce over eggplant strips, sprinkle with scallions and serve immediately.

Dragon and Phoenix Soup

Marinades:
(mix two identical marinade as below, one for chicken, one for lobster)
1 1/2 teaspoon ginger juice
1 tablespoon Chinese white rice wine, or gin
1 teaspoon light soy sauce
3/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon sesame oil
Pinch white pepper
1/2 teaspoon Chinese white rice vinegar, or distilled white vinegar
2 teaspoons cornstarch.

12 ounce chicken cutlets, trimmed of fat and membranes, cut into 1/2-inch dice
2 lobster tails, about 1-pound each, shelled, deveined, washed, dried and cut into 1/2-inch dice
3 cups peanut oil
1 ounce bean threads (half package)
5 cups Chicken Stock
1 tablespoon minced ginger
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup fresh mushrooms, cut into 1/2-inch dice
1/2 cup bamboo shoots, cut into 1/3-inch dice
1/2 cup fresh peas (or frozen, allow to defrost)
3 egg whites, beaten
1/4 cup scallions, finely sliced

Marinade chicken and lobster in their individual marinade. Allow to rest 30 minutes each and reserve.

Heat wok over high heat 40 seconds, add peanut oil, coat wok with spatula. When a wisp of white smoke appears, add bean threads. These cook immediately, so have a strainer ready and pick them our of the wok with a strainer in 5 seconds. Drain and serve.

Pour chicken stock into a pot, add ginger and garlic, cover and bring to a boil over high heat. Add mushrooms and bamboo shoots, cover, return to a boil and allow to cook 2 minutes. Add peas, return to a boil. Add chicken and its marinade, stir to combine, return to a boil. Cook for 2 minutes, until chicken turns white. Add lobster and its marinade, stir. Add beaten eggs, mix gently with a ladle to permit eggs to blend. Add bean threads, stir. Add scallions, mix briefly. Turn off heat, pour into a heat tureen and serve immediately.