CHINESE SAUCES PERK UP MANY DISHES

My neighbor is an expert on Chinese sauces. He spent most of his career traveling internationally and confirmed what a friend in a similar occupation told me. Upon arriving in a strange place, people with jobs requiring frequent travel always seek a Chinese restaurant. The reason is simple. Chinese restaurant menus and recipe renditions are the same the world over. So it’s possible to enjoy a familiar meal without fearing consequences.

Many of these people, like my neighbor, become knowledgeable about Chinese cuisine and often let it influence their food when home. He has become adept with Chinese sauces and expanded their uses. His preparations, as with most Chinese recipes, don’t really change but their functions vary widely. For example, he and his wife are busy empty nesters who think nothing of boiling a pound of shaped pasta, with some green beans or peas, adding chopped celery and onion at the end, then tossing it with oil and chilling it covered.

They simply remove a couple of portions, decide on the sauce they want that day, and toss the pasta with appropriate seasonings and other ingredients and dinner is served. The ingredients, and garnishes, like the sauce, vary with their mood and what’s seasonally on hand, seafood, meats, leftover or fresh veggies like zucchini and tomatoes, jarred roasted peppers, mushrooms, olives, dried or fresh fruits, herbs and spices, nuts and seeds, the possibilities are endless. In winter they heat it, in summer they eat it cold, but either way it’s delicious. Best of all, each of, for them, the 3-4 meals is different, tastes fresh and is ready in no time.

They also use Chinese sauces as marinades, salad dressings, spreads, condiments, gravies and, of course, bases for stir-fries, soups and casseroles, as well as accompaniments for vegetables and dipping sauces for appetizers, meats and fruits.

I’ve chosen a few of his favorites to include below with suggested uses, however, he advised me that he often refers to cookbooks for inspiration. He’s particularly fond of Betty Crocker’s Low Fat Chinese Cooking, because it illustrates how to make the dishes healthier. He also recommends it for newcomers because the directions are easy to follow. I’m deliberately listing sauces requiring no cooking because of the season, though, unlike French sauces, Chinese ones generally don’t require much effort. This is a basic form of fusion cuisine but also a wonderful exercise in creating your own recipes and owning your kitchen.

RECIPES- NOTE: The specific flavor associated with Chinese cuisine comes from the combination of garlic and ginger, and the proportions of the 2 determine the ‘heat’ of a dish. The amounts can be optionally changed or 1 even omitted to personalize a recipe or alter it to fit another cuisine.

Cilantro Sauce: Yield 1 cup
1/3 cup lemon juice
2 Tbs. oil
¼ cup EACH packed cilantro leaves and parsley sprigs
1 ½ tsp. paprika
1 tsp. cumin
1/8 tsp.-optionally more-cayenne
Salt and pepper
Blend all the ingredients until smooth. Can be used over pasta, hot or cold, as a sauce for vegetables or as a salad dressing.

Lemon (Citrus) Sauce: Yield 1/3 cup
3 Tbs. soy sauce
2 Tbs. seasoned rice vinegar
2 tsp. finely chopped garlic
½ tsp. zested lemon or other citrus peel-including grapefruit or tangerine
Shake all the ingredients in a jar. Can be used as a marinade for poultry or seafood. With the addition of 3 Tbs. oil this becomes a pasta sauce or salad dressing.

Orange*-Ginger Sauce: Yield ½ cup
¼ cup seasoned rice vinegar
2 Tbs. oil
2Tbs.orange juice
1 tsp. grated peel
1 Tbs. honey
2 cloves garlic-chopped
1 Tbs. honey
½ tsp. grated ginger root
1 tsp. dried bell pepper flakes (optional)
Shake all ingredients in a jar to mix well. Use this sauce as any sweet-sour sauce. Excellent as a marinade or finishing sauce for all meats and most vegetables, can also serve as a salad dressing.
* Other citrus fruits, lemons, limes, grapefruits, tangerines can replace oranges but the amounts of vinegar and honey may need adjusting.

Hot Mustard Sauce: ¼ cup
3 Tbs. powdered English or Chinese mustard
2Tbs. Water*
1 Tbs. seasoned rice vinegar
Mix all ingredients,. Allow to meld, covered for 5 min. Can be stored chilled, for a week, but will lose intensity. Use as a sandwich spread or for cold meats. Excellent with eggs.
*Will keep for weeks if vodka is substituted for the water.
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Lime Mustard Sauce: Yield 1/3 cup
¼ cup prepared Chinese hot mustard
½ tsp. grated lime peel
1Tbs. lime juice
Mix ingredients. Use as a sandwich spread for meats or as a spread for appetizers and fruits

Hot-Sweet Apricot Mustard: Yield ¾ cup
½ cup apricot spreadable fruit
2 Tbs. Chinese hot mustard
1 tsp. grated ginger root
1 Tbs. lemon or lime juice
Mix ingredients. Good sauce to pass with cold meats, especially ham, or decorate a fruit platter.

Horseradish Sauce: Yield ½ cup
2 Tbs. prepared horseradish
¼ cup soy sauce
2 tsp. grated ginger root
1 tsp. sugar
1 ½ tsp. rice vinegar
Mix all ingredients. Excellent spread with cold meats, especially beef.

Spicy Peanut Butter Sauce: Yield 3/4cup
3 tsp. prepared Chinese mustard
2 Tbs. creamy peanut butter
2 Tbs. soy sauce
3 Tbs. water
¼ cup lime juice
2 tbs. sugar
½ tsp. red pepper flakes
Combine the first 4 ingredients and mix well with a fork. Add the juice and sugar gradually keeping the mixture smooth. Add the pepper flakes, to taste.

Summer Serving Tip: 4-6 Servings
Substitute 2 tbs. oil for 2 of water toss with 1 lb. drained penne, cooked with 3 sliced hot dogs, 1 cup cut green beans, 1 medium onion in large dice and 2 ribs sliced celery added for the last 2 min. Add salt, pepper and garlic powder to taste and a mixture of chopped fresh herbs. (Omit if serving warm) Allow to come to room temp and serve cool.

Black Bean Sauce: Yield 1 cup- This classic sauce requires some cooking, but I include it because it’s a wonderful finishing sauce for grilled or cold meats.
2 Tbs. brown bean paste
1 Tbs. grated ginger root
2 cloves chopped garlic
¾ cup chicken broth
2 tsp. cornstarch
1tsp.sugar
Dash pepper
2 Tbs. dry sherry
2Tbs.soy sauce
½ tsp. oil(sesame recommended)
Mash first 3 ingredients together to mix well. Mix remaining ingredients together separately. Heat an oil sprayed saucepan over medium heat until oil bubbles. Add bean paste and stir 30 sec. Add broth mix and stir until thickened and smooth, about 2 min. Serve hot or at room temp.