Cook Chinese food yourself

Ingredients

• Rice (jasmine or broken rice), about one espresso cup per person
• Water
• A small knob of butter, if you like

Method

1. Wash the rice twice, without rubbing it.
2. Add water – the water level should be twice as high as the rice.
3. Bring to a boil over full heat. Then turn the heat right down and simmer gently for 15 minutes.
4. Switch off the heat and let the rice rest, covered, for 5 more minutes.

Ingredients

• 500 g tomatoes
• 4 eggs
• Ginger, leek
• Salt, sugar
• Vegetable oil

Method

1. Cut the tomatoes into chunks, the leek into slices and the ginger into fine strips.
2. Beat the eggs with two pinches of salt.
3. Heat oil in the wok until very hot, quickly scramble the eggs and set them aside.
4. Heat a little fresh oil and briefly fry the leek and ginger.
5. Add the tomatoes and fry until they are about one-third done. Add salt and stir.
6. Add sugar, return the eggs to the wok, toss once – done.

Ingredients

• Tofu
• Pineapple, bamboo shoots, carrots, shiitake mushrooms
• Chili peppers, leek, ginger
• Salt, sugar, vinegar
• Potato starch, vegetable oil

Method

1. Cut the tofu into thumb-thick slices, rub with salt on both sides and let rest for 5 minutes.
2. Dice the pineapple; slice the bamboo shoots and carrots; cut the mushrooms into strips and the chilies into rings.
3. Fry the tofu in oil until golden and set aside.
4. Briefly fry the leek and ginger in the wok, then add the chili rings.
5. Add carrots and bamboo shoots and stir-fry; season with salt and sugar, then deglaze with water.
6. Add the mushrooms and cook briefly. Thicken with the starch mixed in cold water, then fold in the pineapple.
7. Pour the sweet, sour and spicy sauce over the fried tofu and serve.

Ingredients

• Cooked rice (ideally from the day before)
• Bell pepper, carrots, Chinese cabbage, corn, celery stalks
• Leek, ginger
• Salt, sesame oil, vegetable oil

Method

1. Dice the Chinese cabbage, carrots, celery and bell pepper.
2. Fry the pepper, celery and carrots separately in oil with a little salt, then set aside.
3. Briefly fry the leek, ginger and Chinese cabbage in a little oil; add salt.
4. Add the rice, stir well and break up any lumps.
5. Stir in the carrots, corn and pepper one after the other.
6. Finish with a few drops of sesame oil.

Ingredients

• Potatoes
• Chili, leek, ginger
• Sichuan pepper
• Salt, vinegar, sesame oil, vegetable oil

Method

1. Peel the potatoes, cut into fine strips and place in cold water.
2. Heat oil in the wok and toast the Sichuan pepper until dark; remove the peppercorns.
3. Add chili, leek and ginger to the oil. Drain the potato strips well and add them.
4. Stir-fry until half done, then add salt – the strips should stay crisp.
5. Season with vinegar.
6. Add a teaspoon of sesame oil, toss once and serve immediately.

Ingredients

• Noodles (e.g. wheat noodles)
• Chicken breast fillet
• Seasonal vegetables
• Leek, ginger
• Soy sauce, starch, 1 egg white, vegetable oil

Method

1. Cut the chicken and vegetables into fine strips.
2. Cook the noodles in boiling water, drain and toss with a little soy sauce and oil so they don't stick.
3. Stir-fry the vegetables in batches in hot oil with leek and ginger.
4. Coat the chicken with starch and egg white and fry it with leek and ginger.
5. Add the noodles to the chicken, fold in the fried vegetables and mix everything well.

Ingredients

• Carrots, potatoes, bell pepper
• Meat (e.g. pork) and a little pork belly
• Leek, ginger
• Soy sauce, salt, vegetable oil

Method

1. Cut the potatoes, carrots, pepper and meat into even cubes. Slice the leek, cut the ginger into strips.
2. Heat oil in the wok and briefly fry the leek and ginger.
3. Fry the carrots, then the potatoes, then the pepper, each until one-third done, salting lightly each time. Remove everything.
4. Heat fresh oil and again fry leek and ginger.
5. Add the meat and fry until two-thirds done. Add soy sauce and finish cooking the meat.
6. Return the vegetables to the wok, mix everything well – done.

Ingredients

• Pork, ideally pork belly (with or without rind)
• Potatoes
• Leek, ginger
• Star anise, cinnamon stick
• Dark soy sauce, salt, vegetable oil

Method

1. Cut the meat into cubes including the fat – don't use only the lean meat.
2. Put the cubes into boiling water, bring back to a boil, then rinse with cold water.
3. Warm a little oil in the wok over moderate heat and stir-fry the meat for about 10 minutes.
4. Bring a pot with a little water to a boil. Add the meat, ginger, leek, star anise and cinnamon stick.
5. Once it boils again, add dark soy sauce – at this stage only for color; do not salt yet.
6. Braise over medium heat for about 45 minutes. The longer, the more tender.
7. Only now add salt – salting too early makes the meat tough.
8. Cut the potatoes into cubes the same size as the meat, add them and braise for another 30–45 minutes. Stir now and then so nothing sticks to the bottom.

Ingredients

• Eggplants
• Seasoned minced meat
• Wheat flour, eggs, salt
• Vegetable oil for deep-frying

Method

1. Cut the eggplants into slices so that pairs of slices stay connected like a hinge.
2. Fill the seasoned minced meat between the slice pairs.
3. Mix flour with eggs and salt into a runny batter.
4. Dip the filled eggplants in the batter.
5. Deep-fry in hot oil until golden brown – done.

Ingredients

• Chicken breast fillet
• Bamboo shoots, mushrooms, celery stalks
• Chili, leek, ginger
• Starch, eggs, vegetable oil

Method

1. Cut the chicken into strips and coat with starch and egg white.
2. Heat oil in the wok, fry the chili, leek and ginger, add the chicken and cook through. Then add the vegetables and fry briefly.
3. Add water and bring to a boil. Mix starch with cold water and stir it in to thicken the soup.
4. If you like, drizzle in beaten egg to create fine egg ribbons.

Ingredients

• Minced meat
• Glass noodles
• Seasonal vegetables, coriander
• Ginger, leek
• Soy sauce, breadcrumbs, starch, 1 egg, salt, oil

Method

1. Mix the minced meat with a little oil, soy sauce, salt and finely chopped ginger and leek.
2. Work in breadcrumbs and starch, add an egg and mix well.
3. Bring water to a boil and drop in small meatballs with moistened hands.
4. As soon as the meatballs float to the surface, add the glass noodles.
5. Cook for about 2 minutes until the noodles are done.
6. Take the pot off the heat and add finely cut vegetables.
7. Sprinkle with fresh coriander when serving.

Ingredients

• 1 cucumber
• Surimi
• Vinegar, salt
• A pinch of MSG or sugar, if you like

Method

1. Cut the cucumber into fine strips and the surimi into bite-sized pieces.
2. Put the cucumber in a bowl and dress with vinegar, a pinch of salt and, if you like, a little MSG or sugar.
3. Let it rest for 5 minutes.
4. Mix in the surimi just before serving – done.