Chinese Dinner Party # 1/20

By Nanyang Cuisine email: nanyangcuisine@live.com



Chinese Dinner Party

Welcome your friends to a Chinese Dinner Party, one that incorporates symbolic elements and themes such as happiness and prosperity in the cuisine and decor.
Before you prepare the multi-course meal, make sure to properly Feng Shui the house for the big event and design the backyard and place settings for the chic affair. And then learn how to make perfect rice, every time — a technique that will serve you long after the party's over.

Chinese Party Tips

The host of a Chinese banquet offers the first toast. If you don't drink alcohol, it is acceptable to toast with a soft drink, glass of juice or mineral water.

1. Two popular Chinese toasts are ganbei, "Bottoms up!"'



2. Avoid white flowers for celebratory dinners because they represent death in Chinese culture.
   

If you want to treat your loved ones to some good Chinese cooking, then the Chinese White Cut Chicken recipe is the right choice. Traditionally known as Bai Qi Ji -白切雞

Check out the very easy recipe below:

Ingredients - “白切雞- Chinese White Cut Chicken” (Makes 4-6 servings.)

• 4-5 pound broiler-fryer chicken


• 5 1/2 teaspoons salt, divided


• 1 ounce fresh ginger (thumb-sized piece for poaching)


• 4 cloves garlic


• 4 quarts ice water


• 1 tablespoon sesame oil


• 3 tablespoons green scallions, finely chopped


• 3 tablespoons ginger, finely shredded


• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
  

Cooking Methods:
1. Remove excess fat from the chicken.
2. Rub chicken with 2 teaspoons of salt, then rinse under cold water and place onto a rack to drain.
3. Now in a different stock pot, bring to a boil 3 quarts water, ginger, garlic and 2 teaspoons salt over high heat. Slowly add the chicken, breast-side up. Add more boiling water if necessary to cover the chicken completely.
4. Return water to a boil and boil, uncovered, for 5 minutes, removing any scum on the surface.
5. Cover pot, turn off heat and let the chicken sit for 20 minutes.
6. Uncover the pot then let it boil again for about 3-4 minutes.
7. Remove the pot thereafter, place the chicken in a colander in the sink and then insert the meat thermometer into the thickest part of the chicken thigh.
8. Slowly pour ice water over the chicken in the colander, transfer it to a cutting board and then rub with sesame oil. This will definitely heighten the taste of the chicken.
9. Place scallions, ginger and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt in a small heatproof bowl.
10. In a small skillet or saucepan, heat vegetable oil over high heat until very hot, but not smoking. Carefully, pour the oil over scallion mixture. The oil will make a crackling sound and may splatter when it hits the scallion mixture.

To Serve:
Mix all of the ginger-soy dipping sauce ingredients and spoon into individual small dishes. Serve the sliced chicken slightly chilled or serve the chicken warm with scallion-ginger sauce.