P. F. Chang's China Bistro Chili-Orange Chilled Noodles

For noodles
2 ounces chili-orange sauce (see recipe below.)
10 ounces thin egg noodles
4 tablespoons bean sprouts
3 tablespoons carrots, finely shredded
2 tablespoons scallion rings
2 tablespoons cilantro, chopped
3 tablespoons roasted peanuts, chopped

For sauce
2 cups chili oil*
2 cups black soy sauce*
2 cups cider vinegar
1 1/3 cups granulated sugar
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons kosher salt
Zest from 6 fresh oranges, finely grated
with no white pith

For chili-orange sauce: Place all ingredients in a blender for 30 seconds.

For chili-orange chilled noodles: Cook noodles until al dente. Shock in generous amounts of ice water, turning by hand to speed chilling. Drain very well. Coat lightly with sesame seed oil. Blanch bean sprouts for 10 seconds in boiling water (no salt). Chill in ice bath and drain before using.

Make chili-orange sauce.

Shake thoroughly. In a clean bowl, add noodles and 2 ounces sauce. Toss. Add bean sprouts and carrots. Toss. Add additional ounce of sauce if needed. Don't over apply sauce. The mix should not be soupy.

Using a chilled large noodle bowl, mound in the center of the bowl. Lightly garnish with chopped peanuts, scallion rings and chopped cilantro.

P. F. Chang's Orange Peel Chicken

Sauce:
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 tablespoons minced garlic
4 green onions, sliced
1 cup tomato sauce
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons chili garlic sauce
1 tablespoon soy sauce

1/2 cup vegetable oil
4 chicken breast fillets
1 egg, beaten
1 cup milk
1 cup flour
peel from 1/4 orange, julienned (into 1/8-inch thick strips)

Prepare sauce by heating 1 tablespoon of oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add minced garlic and sliced green onions. Add tomato sauce and water quickly before the garlic burns. Add sugar, chili garlic sauce and soy sauce and bring to a boil. Simmer 5 to 6 minutes or until sauce thickens, then turn off the heat.

Prepare the chicken by heating 1/2 cup oil in a wok over medium heat. Slice chicken breast fillets into bite-size pieces. Combine beaten egg with milk in a medium bowl. Pour the flour into another medium bowl.

Coat chicken pieces by dropping them into the flour a few at a time, then into the egg/milk mixture and back into the flour. Arrange coated chicken on a plate until all chicken is coated.

When oil in the wok is hot, add about half of the chicken to the oil and cook for a couple minutes or until brown on one side, then flip the chicken over. When chicken is golden brown, remove the pieces to a rack or paper towels to drain. Repeat with the remaining chicken. When all of the chicken is cooked rinse the oil out of the wok with water and place it back on the stove to heat up.

When wok is hot again add julienned orange peel and chicken. Heat for 20 to 30 seconds or so, stirring gently. Add sauce to the pan and cook for about 2 minutes. Stir dish a couple times but do it gently so you don't knock the coating off the chicken. Cook until the sauce thickens then serve up the dish with white or brown rice on the side.

Pork Fried Rice

2 eggs
1/4 tsp. salt
4 tbsp. oil
4 c. cold cooked rice
1 c. diced roast pork*
2 scallions, sliced
1/4 tsp. sugar
2 tbsp. soy sauce

Beat the eggs lightly with the salt.

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a wok or frying pan and scramble the eggs until they are cooked through but still moist and fluffy. Remove to a dish, scrape the pan and heat remaining 3 tablespoons oil.

Add rice and stir fry 2 to 3 minutes to coat with oil. Add pork and scallions and stir fry until well mixed and heated through.

Dissolve sugar in soy sauce and sprinkle over rice. Add scrambled eggs, and toss to break up and distribute throughout the rice.

NOTE: Ham, chicken, turkey, shrimp or roast beef can be used in place of pork.

Shrimp in Chinese Lobster Sauce

1 pound jumbo shrimp
1 tablespoon fermented black beans
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 quarter sized slice fresh, ginger, peeled, minced
1 tablespoon Shao Hsing rice wine, or dry sherry
2 tablespoons peanut or corn oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 ounces ground pork butt
1 small onion, cut into 1 inch cubes
1 bell pepper, cut into 1 inch cubes
1/2 teaspoon sugar
big pinch white pepper
1/2 tablespoon light soy sauce
3/4 cup chicken stock
2 teaspoons cornstarch, blended with 1 tablespoon water
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 green onion, chopped
1 teaspoon Asian sesame oil

Shell and devein the shrimp. Butterfly shrimp by slicing them down the length of the back, stopping just above the tail. Rinse with cold water and blot dry.

Cover the black beans with lukewarm water; let soak for 5 minutes. Drain.

Combine with the minced garlic and ginger; gently crush into a paste. Mix in the wine; set aside.

Place a wok over medium high heat. When hot, drizzle in half of the oil. Add the shrimp and stir fry until they begin to curl and turn bright orange, about 1 minute. Remove to a dish and keep warm. Reheat wok over medium heat; add remaining tablespoon of oil and the salt.

Add the black bean paste and saute a few seconds until it becomes aromatic. Increase heat to medium high. Add the pork and stir fry until the morsels are no longer pink, about 3 minutes.

Add onions, peppers, sugar, white pepper and soy sauce; toss together until the vegetables begin to soften, about 1 minute. Add the stock and keep tossing until it comes to a boil.

Stir the cornstarch mixture to recombine, then drizzle into the center of the work, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens, about 20 seconds.

Turn off the heat and slowly stir in the beaten egg to combine the mixture into a creamy sauce. return the shrimp to sauce, add the green onions and swirl in the sesame oil.

Serves 2 as a complete meal, or up to 6 with other entrees.

Spicy Hot and Sour Soup

1 ounce dried mushrooms
2 ounces shiitake mushrooms, chopped
8 dried tiger lily buds
4 cups chicken stock
1/3 cup shredded bamboo shoots
1/3 cup shredded lean pork meat
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon white sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
3 tablespoons water
1/2 pound bean curd, diced
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon sesame oil
2 tablespoons thinly sliced green onion

Soak the dried and fresh mushrooms and tiger lily buds in warm water for 20 minutes. After trimming off any tough stems, slice the mushrooms. With the fingers, shred the tiger lily stems.

Place the mushrooms, tiger lily buds, stock, bamboo shoots and shredded pork into a saucepan. Bring to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes.

Stir in soy sauce, sugar, salt, white pepper and vinegar.

Combine cornstarch with 3 tablespoons water. Add a little of the hot soup to the cornstarch and then return all to the pan. Heat to boiling, stirring. Add the bean curd and cook 1 to 2 minutes.

Just before serving, turn off the heat. Stir the egg in gradually.

Mix in sesame oil. Sprinkle each serving with green onion.

Makes 6 servings

Sticky Rice with Coconut Milk

To prepare sticky rice with coconut milk, cook sticky rice as above indicated. Add 4 to 5 tablespoons heavy coconut milk, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon sugar after pouring off water, and continue cooking over low heat for 30 minutes.

NOTES: Since glutinous rice is not easy to cook for the first time it can be steamed to make certain that you will have perfect sticky rice, not too wet, not too dry. Soak overnight 2 cups of glutinous rice, then steam over medium heat, it will be done within 30 to 45 minutes. To prepare sticky rice with coconut milk, pour 4 tablespoons coconut milk over steamed sticky rice and continue steaming 5 more minutes.

Sweet and Sour Noodles

10 ounce package of Chinese egg noodles
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 scallions or green onions, finely chopped
1 inch piece of fresh ginger root, peeled and grated
1 clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon hot paprika
1 teaspoon ground cilantro or parsley
3 boneless chicken breasts, sliced
4 ounces snow peas, tops and tails trimmed
4 ounces baby corn
8 ounces fresh bean sprouts
3 tablespoons soy sauce
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon granulated sugar

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to boil over a medium-high heat setting. Add the Chinese egg noodles and cook as directed on the package. Drain the noodles, cover, and keep them warm.

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a wok or a heavy skillet over a medium heat setting. Add the scallions and sauté for about a minute, until fragrant.

Add the ginger, garlic, paprika, ground cilantro or parsley, and chicken to the oil and stir fry for about 4 minutes, until the thickest portion of chicken is cooked through.

Add the snow peas, baby corn, and bean sprouts to the top layer of the wok or skillet and briefly steam to warm through. Then toss all the ingredients together and begin to blend the mixture. Finally, stir in the cooked noodles.

In a small bowl, combine the soy sauce, lemon juice, cornstarch, and sugar. Add the mixture to the wok and simmer briefly, tossing the ingredients until the sauce thickens a bit. Serve warm, topped with a sprinkling of sliced scallions, if desired.

Tempura

BATTER:
1 egg yolk
1 cup ice water
1 cup rice flour

DIPPING SAUCE:
1/2 cup mirin or sake
1/2 cup Tamari soy sauce
1 teaspoon sugar
1/4 cup grated daikon radish
1 teaspoon grated ginger root

TEMPURA:
oil for frying
1 tablespoon sesame oil for flavoring frying oil
1 cup flour for dusting
1/2 pound large shrimp, cleaned, tails on
1/2 pound scallops
1 cup broccoli florets
1 sweet potato, peeled, sliced 1/4" thick
2 carrots, peeled, sliced diagonally
4 ounces Chinese green beans, trimmed
5 stalks asparagus, ends trimmed
4 ounces mushrooms
2 Japanese eggplants, halved cut into 1/4" slices

In a mixing bowl, lightly beat egg yolk and pour in ice water, slightly mix. Add the flour all at once, stroke a few times with a fork just until ingredients are loosely combined. The batter should be somewhat lumpy. Yield: 4 servings. For sauce: In a small saucepan over low-medium heat, combine mirin, soy sauce and sugar. Cook for 3 to 5 minutes until sugar dissolves. Transfer to a bowl, add grated radish and ginger just before serving. Yield: 1 cup

Heat about 2 inches of vegetable oil to 375ºF in a wok or deep-fryer. Flavor with sesame oil. Dry the vegetables well. Dust shrimp and vegetables in flour to soak up remaining moisture, shake off excess. Dip the shrimp and vegetables into the batter one by one. Drop 6 pieces at a time in hot oil. Do not overcrowd the pan. Fry until golden brown, turning once, about 3 minutes. To keep the oil clean, skim the small bits of batter that float in the oil between batches. Remove the fried pieces from the oil and drain on a paper towel for a few seconds. Serve with dipping sauce.

Yield: 8 servings.

Wonton Soup

6 ounces ground pork, not too lean
2 ounces peeled shrimp, finely chopped
1 teaspoon light brown sugar
1 tablespoon Chinese rice wine or dry sherry
1 tablespoon light soy sauce
1 teaspoon finely chopped scallions
1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh ginger
24 ready made wonton skins
3 cups basic stock
finely chopped scallions, for garnish

In a large bowl, mix the pork and shrimp with the sugar, wine or sherry, soy sauce, scallions, and ginger. Blend well and leave to stand for 25 to 30 minutes.

Place about 1 teaspoon of the filling at the center of each wonton skin. Wet and join the edges of each wonton, pressing down with your fingers to seal, then fold each wonton over.

To cook, bring the stock to a rolling boil in wok or saucepan, add the wontons and cook 4 to 5 minutes. Season with the soy sauce and garnish with scallions.

Serves 4.