sign in sign up
<<
Home , Biangbiang noodles, Hoisin sauce, Hot dry noodles, Jianbing, Mala (seasoning), Shaoxing wine

Cook With UnTour

G O B E H I N D T H E S C E N E S A N D I N T O T H E U N T O U R K I T C H E N S Thank ! We really appreciate your support. To say thank you, we have not digitally restricted this product so you can use your cookbook across all your devices.

Please help us achieve our goal of making great food accessible all around the world by not torrenting or sharing this cookbook. We are donating 25% of all proceeds of Cook with UnTour to Off Their Plate, a grassroots organization that supplies free meals to these healthcare workers AND employs restaurant staff who would otherwise be out of a job.

If you want to share this cookbook with your friends and family, please send them to: untourfoodtours.com/cookbook You’ll be helping us make it through this crisis so we can go on to lead tours for years to come, as well as getting resources to those who need it most right now: frontline healthcare workers and local restaurants.

Happy eats,

The UnTour Food Tours Team Table of Contents CHINESE PANTRY 4 - HOMEMADE (辣椒油) - HOMEMADE FERMENTED CHILI SAUCE (辣椒酱)

HOW TO SEASON A 7

COLD DISHES & SALADS 8 - SPICY SMASHED CUCUMBER (拍⻩⽠) - PEANUT & TOON SALAD (⾹椿拌⻩⽣⽶)

NOODLES 10 - BIANG BIANG ( ⾯) - DRY-FRIED BEEF NOODLES(⼲炒⽜河) - SCALLION OIL NOODLES (葱油拌⾯) - TAIWANESE BEEF NOODLES (台湾⽜⾁⾯） - WEI XIANG ZHAI'S SESAME NOODLES (味⾹斋⿇酱⾯) - (武汉热⼲⾯)

DUMPLINGS 19 - BOILED DUMPLING WRAPPERS（饺⼦⽪) - HOW TO WRAP & BOIL DUMPLINGS - & CABBAGE BOILED DUMPLINGS (猪⾁⽩菜馅⽔饺) - VEGETARIAN BOILED DUMPLINGS (素⽔饺) - LIAU FAMILY DUMPLING (廖记⽔饺蘸料酱) - SHRIMP DUMPLINGS (虾饺) - SHANGHAI SOUP DUMPLINGS (⼩笼包)

MAIN DISHES 26 - (煎饼) - STEAMED HAIRY CRAB (⼤闸蟹） - MONGOLIAN STYLE HOTPOT (涮⽺⾁) - SESAME HOTPOT DIPPING SAUCE (⽕锅蘸酱) - DRY-FRIED GREEN BEANS (⼲煸四季⾖) - STIR-FRIED EGG & TOMATO SOUP (番茄鸡蛋汤)

DESSERT 32 - ALMOND (杏仁⾖腐) - OLD BEIJING YOGURT (⽼北京奶酪）

Chinese Pantry First things first – if you want to make great Chinese food, you’ll need a proper pantry. Don’t worry if you don’t have all of these! The recipes in this book don’t call for every item we’ve listed below, and we’ve only included things here that occur in multiple recipes so will be most useful. For other hard-to-find ingredients that don’t come up that often, we’ve added links to Amazon, Market, Fly By Jing, and other specialty shops right in the recipe.

Dry Goods - Dumpling Flour (饺⼦粉) – ask for dumpling flour at your local Asian market. If you cannot find dumpling flour, you can use all-purpose flour. To make it as fine as the dumpling flour, you can mill it one or two times, but it’s not necessary. You can also use dumpling flour to make noodles, as we do in the Biang Biang Noodle Recipe on page 12. If your Asian market has pre- made dumping wrappers and you’re planning to make a lot of dumplings, don’t be a hero. You should just buy those.

Vinegars - Zhenjiang Black Vinegar (镇江⾹醋) - From Jiangsu province near Shanghai, this rice based vinegar is used more in dipping sauces and cooking in the South. You can substitute balsamic vinegar here, but it won’t be the same. - Mature Aged Vinegar (⼭西⽼陈醋)- From Shaanxi province – Xi’an is the capital city – this vinegar uses , , barley, or bran (but NOT rice). You’ll see this more in Northern cooking and dipping sauces.

Soy Sauces - Light (⽣抽): This is the first run-off from the fermented – expect it to be light in both color and texture (thin & runny). Light soy sauce is for flavor, and that flavor is very salty. - Dark Soy Sauce (⽼抽): This is what’s left over after the light soy sauce is extracted – expect it to be dark in both color and texture (thicker, more molasses-like). Dark soy sauce is for color (and less salty), and used to bring out deep colors as opposed to the light soy sauce.

Chili Oils -Chili Crisp (辣椒脆): This addictive (and not that spicy) sauce combines , shallots, and chili flakes to make a drizzle that goes good on everything from dumplings to vanilla ice cream to everything in between. Trust us. For the best version, order from Fly By Jing. - Chinese Chili Oil（辣椒油) – we recommend making this yourself rather than buying it. It’s easy to do, and if you make a small, fresh batch every time you need it, you’ll never go back to having cold, out-of-the-fridge chili oil again! See below.

Other Sauces - Chinese Sesame Paste (⿇酱): Sure, you can use tahini here, but Chinese sesame seeds are toasted before being ground into paste, so you’ll lose a lot of that yummy nutty flavor if you do. - (⻩酒): Like any cooking wine, you want to use a high quality product that you can cook with or drink straight. - (芝⿇油): A little goes a long way. You’ll be using this bottle for years. - Rapeseed Oil (菜籽油): This is also known as canola oil. With a high smoke point, this is great for fast cooking in .

Homemade Chili Oil (辣椒油) (Recipe by Garth Wilson, Beijing Guide)

Tip: Really freshly-made, still-warm chili oil is so much better than taking a jar out of the refrigerator. This will change your life.

Ingredients - 1 tbsp red chili flakes - 2-3 tbsp neutral oil with a high smoke point (rapeseed, peanut, or rice bran)

Method 1.Put the chili flakes in a heatproof dish 2.Heat the oil until ~300°F/150°C. 3.Pour over the chili flakes into the dish and let cool.

Variations: Feel free to add some aromatics to your oil while heating it, like cassia bark or , star anise, Sichuan peppercorn, bay leaf, cardamom, etc. Just strain the oil as you pour it into the chili flakes. You can also add some Sichuan peppercorn to the chili flakes if you'd like some numbing spice. Homemade Fermented Chili Sauce (辣椒酱) (Recipe by Carla Bellamans, former Shanghai Guide)

Ingredients - 1.7 oz / 50g dried Erjingtiao chilis - 1 tsp / 5g - 3-4 tbsp / 45-60 grams * (any brand will do – even the cheap RMB 5 type you can get in convenience stores in )

Method 1. Wash the chilis and discard the tops. Dry in the sun (or air dry in the house) until completely dry. 2. Blend in a blender with salt and baijiu. 3. Put the mixture in a clean, dark pot with a good lid. 4. At first, the sauce will only be salty but after some time, fermentation will start and a rich acidic flavor will develop. The longer you keep the sauce, the more complex and deeper the flavor will grow. Too much salt inhibits the fermentation process, and not enough salt and your sauce will grow moldy at which stage you have to discard the lot. So make sure you use a 10% ratio salt to chili.

*Baijiu literally translates as ‘white alcohol’ made from like rice, sorghum, wheat, or corn, but encompasses a wide range of Chinese spirits that can be as dissimilar from one another as and rum, generally between 40–60% (ABV). It is the most widely-consumed spirit in the world, yet virtually unknown outside of China. How to Season a Wok

If you’ve bought a new wok, it will be shiny and silver. That’s not what we want! We want woks to have “wok hei” or the breath of the wok that infuses everything that’s cooked in it with flavor.

1. Remove the factory oil that was added to prevent rust. Fill a sink with hot, soapy water and scrub the inside and outside of the wok with a scouring pad. Rinse completely, then dry with a towel. Place the wok on the stovetop over low heat to completely dry it. 2. Select a oil – we recommend rapeseed, but peanut works too. 3. Preheat the wok on high heat. Make sure there’s plenty of room around the wok – it will get very hot – and open windows and doors and turn on your exhaust as things are about to get smoky. Splash a drop of water on the wok. Once it evaporates immediately, the wok is ready: ~1 minute. 4. Take the wok off the stove and add in about 2 tbsp / 30 g of oil. 5. Reduce heat to medium and put the wok back on the stove. 6. Add aromatics like chopped , ginger, and garlic to the pan. This helps to keep the wok from smoking. 7. Spread the mixture and cover the entire surface of your wok from rim to bottom. Continue doing this for about 20 minutes over medium heat. Watch for color changes – it should go from shiny and silver to light yellow or brown. 8. If you notice ingredients are becoming too dry or are starting to burn, add in more oil, a little at a time. 9. Dump mixture out, and let the wok cool down. 10. Wash the wok with hot water (no dish soap). 11. Place wok back on stovetop over low heat to completely dry and evaporate all water. 12. Your wok is ready to be used! But if you want that real wok hei, you should do this 1-2 more times. 13. Once you’ve seasoned your wok, do not use soap to clean it! Soak the wok in hot water for five minutes to loosen any stuck-on food particles, then wash it with hot water and a soft sponge (inside) and a scrubber sponge (outside). Dry over low heat when done.

Cold Dishes & Salads

Spicy Smashed Cucumber Salad (拍⻩⽠) (Featured on the Shanghai Night Eats tour)

Ingredients - 2 cucumbers (the long, thin-skinned variety is better – if you can find long, skinny ones with spiky skins, get those) - 1 small bunch cilantro / coriander, cut into bite-sized pieces - 3 of garlic, minced - 1 tbsp / 15g light soy sauce - 1 tsp / 5g Zhenjiang vinegar - 1 tsp / 5g sesame oil - 1 tbsp / 15g chili oil (Sichuan chili crisp or homemade chili oil both work great here)

Method 1. Partially peel the cucumbers, leaving alternative strips of dark green skin and white-green flesh (like a zebra). 2. Lay the cucumber on its side and slice it in half. Place the side of a big knife (if you have a cleaver, use that) against the skin side of the halved cucumber and smash down with your hand. The skin will break and the seeds will pop out. Remove any remaining seeds with a quick scrape of the edge of your knife on the flesh side and chop the cucumber into bite sized pieces. 3. Transfer the cucumber to a colander and sprinkle with salt. Let sit for 10 minutes to drain excess liquid. 4. Add cilantro to the cucumber. 5. Mix together the garlic, soy sauce, vinegar, and sesame oil in your serving dish. Pour in the cucumber and mix well. 6. To finish, drizzle the chili oil on top and add a few leaves of cilantro.

Peanut & Toon Salad (⾹椿拌花⽣⽶) (Recipe by Garth Wilson, Beijing Guide)

Ingredients

- 3 bunches of Toon (xiāngchūn ⾹椿) – Toon, a red & green leafy vegetable, might be difficult to find in your area. If so, just substitute spinach. - 4.25 oz / 120g roasted peanuts - 2 cloves garlic - 2 small red chilies - 3 tbsp / 40g Shaanxi Mature Aged Vinegar - 1 tbsp / 15g white sugar

- ½ tsp / 3g fine sea salt

Method: 1. Bring one medium pot of water to the boil and assemble your ingredients. 2. Remove the woody ends of the toon and wash thoroughly. 3. Once the water is boiling, blanch the toon for 20 seconds or until the leaves have turned green. Remove it from the pot and cool it in cold water (we add ice to speed up the cooling but it’s not necessary). 4. Once cooled, squeeze the toon dry, chop it into 0.5 inch / 1 cm lengths, then chop the garlic and chilies. 5. Combine the vinegar, salt, sugar, chilies, and garlic to a bowl and stir until the salt and sugar are completely dissolved. 6. Place the peanuts, toon, and dressing in a bowl and mix thoroughly before turning onto a plate to serve.

Noodles Dry-Fried Beef (⼲炒⽜河) (Featured on the Shanghai Night Eats tour)

Ingredients (Marinade) - 2.5 tsp / 12.5g light soy sauce - ¼ tsp / 1.25g dark soy sauce - 1 tsp / 5g corn flour - ¾ tsp / 3.75g sugar - 2 tsp / 10g water - Sesame oil, to taste

Ingredients (Noodles) - 17 oz / 500g flat rice noodles (“hefen”, “Shahe fen”or 河粉) - 5 oz / 150g marinated beef - 4 tbsp / 60g rapeseed oil (separated) - 1/2 red , thinly sliced - 4 oz / 120g bean sprouts, trimmed - shredded ginger, to taste - 1 stalk green onion, chopped - 2 tbsp / 30g light soy sauce - 1 tbsp / 15g dark soy sauce - Salt, to taste - 1 tsp / 5g sugar

Method 1. Cook noodles according to package instructions. Drain and set aside. 2. Rinse beef and dry with paper towels. Thinly slice across the . Mix with marinade for 15 minutes. Set aside. 3. Heat 2 tbsp oil in a frying pan over medium-high heat. Place beef on a single layer and fry both sides, until they are ~70% cooked. Set aside. 4. Add 2 more tbsp of oil in the pan. Add onion and stir fry until translucent. Be sure not to burn the onion. Add ginger and bean sprouts. 5. When the bean sprouts are softened, push the onion and bean sprouts to the sides of the pan, if it’s big enough, or dish them up if the pan is too small. 6. Increase heat to high. Toss in flat noodles and stir fry until hot. Add and taste. Add more light soy sauce if needed, bit by bit at a time. If you find the color of flat noodles is not dark enough, add a splash more dark soy sauce. 7. Toss the beef, onion, and bean sprouts back in the pan and combine all ingredients. 8. Add green onion and mix. Serve immediately. Biang Biang Noodles ( ⾯) (Featured on our Old Beijing Dinner tour and recreated by Beijing guide Garth Wilson)

Note: You might be wondering, “Do I really need to make these noodles from scratch?”. The answer is YES! If not, try the other noodles in this section, but homemade biang biang noodles are definitely required.

Ingredients (for noodles) - 2 cups dumpling flour plus extra flour for your chopping board - 1 cup / 250 ml lukewarm water - 1 tsp / 5 g salt, plus extra for seasoning

Ingredients (for noodle topping) - 4 tbsp / 60 g light soy sauce - 2 tbsp / 30 g Shaanxi Mature Aged vinegar - 6-8 tbsp / 90-120 g peanut oil (rapeseed oil works too) - 1-2 tbsp / 15-30 g chili flakes - 6-8 cloves of garlic, minced - 2 chopped green onions, finely chopped

Method 1. Place two cups of flour into your mixing bowl and mix in one teaspoon of salt. Add one cup of lukewarm water, a small splash at a time, mixing thoroughly between each addition. 2. Once your dough has formed, remove it from the bowl, place it on a well- floured board, and knead it for 10 minutes. 3. Return your dough to the mixing bowl, cover it, and leave it to rest for half an hour. 4. After your dough has rested for half an hour, add a small splash of rapeseed oil to a plate. Set aside. 5. Form your dough into a long rectangle on the cutting board. Cut into four equal pieces lengthwise – three cuts equals four pieces. 6. Roll each piece into a sausage shape. 7. Roll your dough “sausages” in the oil on the plate until each is completely coated in oil. 8. Cover and allow to rest for one hour. Once the hour is almost up, fill your largest pot with water and bring it to the boil. 9. After an hour, flour your board and roll out each “sausage” dough into a long, flat rectangle. Use your rolling pin (or empty wine bottle if you don’t have one) to make two indentations along the length of each rectangle, dividing each into thirds. 10. Holding one end of the rectangle firmly in each hand, wave the dough up and down to stretch it. This is where the "biang-ing" comes in: with each wave of your hands, slap the center of the dough against the board. The biang-ing gives the dough extra stretch and helps it stretch evenly. 11. Once your four pieces of dough have been stretched, tear each piece along the grooves to separate each noodle. Add them to the pot, boil them for 1-2 minutes, drain them, and place equal portions into two bowls. Top each bowl of noodles with the green onions, garlic, and chili flakes. 12. Place cooking oil into a small saucepan or skillet and heat until smoking. Pour half of the oil over each bowl, scalding the green onions, garlic, and chili flakes. Add two tablespoons of soy sauce and one tablespoon of vinegar to each bowl, season with salt and mix thoroughly. 13. Finally, eat your delicious and filling noodles before falling down in carb heaven.

Scallion Noodles (葱油拌⾯) (Recipe by Chelsea Chan, Shanghai Guide. Featured on the Shanghai Street Eats Breakfast tour.)

Ingredients - 1 lb / 450 g thin – you can substitute angel hair - 8 oz / 225 green onions - 3 tbsp / 50 g light soy sauce - 3 tbsp / 50 g dark soy sauce - 4 tsp / 60 g white sugar - 1/3 cup / 80 g rapeseed oil

Method 1. Cook noodles according to package instructions. Drain and set aside. 2. Combine together the soy sauces and sugar and set aside. 3. Cut green onions (both white & green parts) into 3-in/ 7.5-cm pieces. Julienne the pieces, but keep the white and green pieces separate. 4. Heat the oil in a wok or shallow pan. To make sure the heat is high enough to fry the green onions, put one wooden chopstick in the oil. Small bubbles should form around the chopstick. 5. Add in the white parts of the julienned green onions to the oil. Once they’ve wilted slightly (1-2 minutes), add the green parts. Cook until they are completely caramelized. Remove with a spider (handled sieve) and set aside. 6. Bring the oil to a simmer and carefully add the soy sauce and sugar mixture to the oil. Mix constantly for 1 minute while it simmers. 7. Add 1 tbsp / 15 g of the sauce to one portion of noodles and mix. Taste and add more of the green onion oil, if necessary. 8. Garnish with caramelized green onions and serve. Wei Xiang Zhai’s Sesame Noodles (⿇酱⾯) (Featured on the Oodles of Noodles Tour, which is only available on a private tour basis)

Ingredients - 7 oz / 200 g thin Chinese noodles (can sub angel hair) - 3 tbsp / 50 ml water - 1 tbsp / 15 g peanut butter - 3 tbsp / 50 g sesame paste - 1 tbsp / 15 g Zhenjiang vinegar - 1 tsp / 5 g light soy sauce - 1 tsp / 5 g sesame oil - chili oil to taste - heaping spoonful chopped green onions

Method 1. Cook noodles according to package instructions. 2. Drain in a colander and drizzle the sesame oil on the noodles so they don’t stick together. 3. Boil water. Pour into a heatproof dish with peanut butter and sesame paste and stir until smooth. 4. Mix in the Zhenjiang vinegar and light soy sauce. 5. Spoon onto noodles. 6. Drizzle on chili oil to taste. 7. Garnish with green onions and serve/mix immediately.

Taiwanese Beef Noodles (Recipe by Kelvin Ip, UnTour Food Tours General Manager)

Ingredients - 2 lbs / 1 kg beef brisket - ¼ cup / 60 ml rapeseed oil - 1 small bunch of green onions, diced into 1-inch pieces - 1 head garlic, cut in half - 1 (2-inch / 5 cm) piece ginger, sliced ¼-inch / .65-cm thick - 1 tbsp / 15 g spicy soy bean paste () - 1 tbsp / 15 g paste - 1 cup / 250 ml Shaoxing Wine - ½ cup / 125 ml dark soy sauce - ½ cup / 125 ml light soy sauce - 2 tomatoes, roughly chopped - 1 carrot, peeled and roughly chopped - 1 large piece rock sugar (can sub 1 tbsp granulated sugar) - 1 yellow onion, halved - 1.5 gal / 6 liters water - Spice Bag o 2 whole star anise o 1 cinnamon stick o 1 small sliver ginseng o 1 small sliver licorice root o 1 tbsp / 15 g goji berries o 1 tsp / 5 g seeds o 1 tsp / 5 g Sichuan peppercorns - Thick Chinese noodles ( would work too in a pinch) - 1 tsp / 5 g light soy sauce - 1 tsp / 5 g sesame oil - ½ tsp / 2.5 g - couple grinds fresh white pepper - 1 bunch green onions, chopped - 1 bunch cilantro, chopped

Method 1. Braise the beef: Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cut your brisket into 3 separate slabs. Add the brisket slabs to the pot of boiling water and cook for 2 to 3 minutes. This cooks out a lot of the overwhelming beef flavor from the outer coat of the beef. Take out the beef and put it in a strainer to dry. You can discard the water.

2. Heat canola oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the ginger, garlic, and scallions and cook until fragrant, 3-4 minutes. Add the soybean pastes and cook 2 minutes more, then stir in the and soy sauce. After 3 more minutes, add the tomatoes, carrot, rock sugar, and onion along with 6 liters of water. Return the briskets to the pan along with the contents of the spice bag, and bring to a simmer over medium. 3. Cook until the briskets are tender, about 2 ½ hours. If the shanks are tender by the time you turn off the heat, they will be too tender. Let it rest in the braise so the can reabsorb some of the braise and be moist and delicious. 4. After it cools down, take out the meat and run your through a strainer so that all you have left are the briskets and a beef broth. 5. Slice the brisket to about ½-inch / 1.25-cm pieces, then place in a shallow container and keep them covered to keep it warm. 6. Cook the noodles: Bring a large pot of unsalted water to a boil. Add the noodles and cook until noodles soften. Rinse under cold water, then dip back quickly into the boiling water before straining and throwing it in your serving bowl. 7. To serve: Add 1 portion of soup base to the bottom of the bowl, then top with the cooked noodles. Add some of the braising liquid and a few slices of beef. Garnish with the cilantro, scallions. Wuhan Hot-Dry Noodles (武汉热⼲⾯) (Recipe by Kelvin Ip, UnTour Food Tours General Manager)

Ingredients (Noodles) - 7 oz / 200 g wheat noodles, light yellow ones (either dried or fresh) - 3 tbsp / 45 g sesame oil, separated - 2 garlic cloves, smashed - 6 tbsp / 90 g warm water, separated - 4 tbsp / 60 g sesame paste, separated - 1 tbsp / 15 g light soy sauce - 1 tbsp / 15 g dark soy sauce - 1/8 tsp / 0.75 g Chinese five spice powder - 1/2 tsp / 2.5 g salt

Ingredients (Garnish – to taste unless otherwise noted) - Pickled radish, diced - 2 green onions, finely chopped - Sugar - Rice vinegar - Chili oil

Method 1. Cook noodles according to package instructions. Drain and set aside. 2. Add in 2 tbsp / 30 g of sesame oil and mix thoroughly so the noodles don’t stick together. Set aside once the oil has been mixed through and let the noodles cool off. 3. Put smashed garlic cloves in warm water to soak. 4. In a separate bowl, pour 2 tbsp sesame paste and 1 tbsp of sesame oil and stir until fully incorporated. 5. Add light soy sauce and dark soy sauce, continue stirring until well incorporated. 6. Add 4 tablespoons of warm water and stir until well combined. 7. Add in Chinese five spice powder and 1/3 tsp salt and mix into the sauce. Set aside. 8. Fill a large pot with water and bring it to boil. Put the noodles in and recook for around 20 seconds. Drain the noodles and transfer into a serving bowl. 9. Top noodles with 2 tbsp of the sesame sauce mixture, rice vinegar, 1 tsp. of warm garlic water, sugar and chili oil. Mix well and serve.

Dumplings Boiled Dumpling Wrappers (饺⼦⽪)

Note: These can also be used for potstickers.

Ingredients - 3 cups / 390 g dumpling flour - 1 cup / 250 ml cold water - 1 tsp / 5 g salt

Method 1. Stir the salt into the flour. 2. Create a well and slowly pour in cold water, mixing with your hands and adding water as necessary until the dough no longer sticks to your hand. 3. Knead the dough into a ball. Cover and let rest for 30 minutes. 4. When the dough is ready, divide it into 50-60 small pieces, then roll each piece into a ball. 5. Flatten the ball and using a rolling pin, roll out the edges while constantly turning the dumpling. Here’s a video: untourfoodtours.com/rolling-dumplings

How to Wrap & Boil Dumplings 1. Here’s a video with 16 ways to “bao” dumplings: https://untourfoodtours.com/wrapping-dumplings 2. Add about 1 tbsp / 15 g or less of the mixture to the middle of each dumpling wrapper. Pull the bottom half of the wrapper up to meet the top half and pinch in the middle, then crimp one side about one centimeter and attach it to the other side. Repeat two times on each side of the initial middle pinch, then pinch closed any remaining openings. 3. For an easier method, you can take a bowl of water and dip your finger into the bowl, drawing a line of water across the top edge of the dumpling wrapper before pulling up the bottom half and squeezing them together. Flour a bowl or plate to place to dumplings on and make sure they don’t touch. 4. When you’ve “bao” or made all the dumplings, set a pot of water to boil. Once it’s boiling, add in some of your dumplings and let cook for 5 minutes or until cooked through. Repeat until all the dumplings are cooked. 5. Serve hot. You can either serve them with light soy sauce, Shaanxi aged vinegar and chopped garlic (the Northeastern tradition) or with rice wine vinegar and crushed red peppers (the dipping sauce preferred by the South). Or you can use the Liau Family Dipping Sauce Recipe on page 22!

Pork & Cabbage Boiled Dumplings (⽩菜⾁馅⽔饺) (As featured on our Hands-On Dumpling Delights tour)

Ingredients (Dumpling Stuffing) - 1 cup / 135 g ground pork (30% fat/70% lean) - 1.5 cups / 150 g minced cabbage - 1⁄2 green onion - 1 minced garlic - 1 tsp / 5 g minced ginger root - 1 tbsp / 15 g light soy sauce - 1 tsp / 5 g salt - 1 tsp / 5 g white pepper - 2 tbsp / 30 g sesame oil - 1 tsp / 5 g sugar - 1 tbsp / 15 g Shaoxing wine

Method 1. Sprinkle the cabbage with salt and let it sit for 10 minutes. (This draws out the water from the cabbage.) 2. While the cabbage is sitting, add the green onion, ginger, garlic, soy sauce, rice wine, sesame oil, white pepper, salt and sugar to the minced pork and mix thoroughly. 3. Wrap the cabbage in a dish towel and squeeze out the excess water. Place the cabbage in a bowl, add the pork mixture to the cabbage and mix thoroughly. 4. See page 20 for how to wrap and boil dumplings.

Vegetarian Boiled Dumplings (素⽔饺） (Recipe by Monica Liau, Former Shanghai Guide)

Ingredients - 2 cups / 150 g fresh shiitake mushrooms, chopped - 1 ½ / 150 g cups napa cabbage, finely chopped/shredded - 1 ½ cups / 75g carrot, finely shredded - 1 large onion, chopped - 3 tbsp / 45 g rapeseed oil, plus scant 1⁄4 cup / 60 ml - 1⁄2 tsp / 2.5 g white pepper - 2 tsp / 10 g sesame oil - 3 tbsp / 45 g Shaoxing wine - 2 tbsp / 30 g soy sauce - 1 tsp / 5 g sugar - Dash Worcestershire sauce - salt, to taste - 2 tbsp / 30 g minced ginger - 2 cloves garlic - 3 green onions, chopped - 1 cup /60 g Chinese chives (⾲菜), finely chopped Method 1. In a wok or frying pan, heat about 3 tbsp of oil on medium high until shimmering and add ginger and garlic, cooking until fragrant. 2. Add onion and cook until translucent and sweet. 3. Lower heat to medium and add mushrooms. 4. Cook until the mushrooms lose a lot of their water and begin to caramelize (be patient - 6-10 minutes at least). 5. Turn heat back up and add carrots and cabbage until liquid has cooked off and the vegetables are tender (but still have a little bit of bite) - 3-5 minutes. 6. Remember, you want to cook off as much of the water as possible. 7. Transfer the vegetable mixture to a large mixing bowl and allow to cool slightly. 8. Add green onion and Chinese chive while mixture is still slightly warm, plus the scant 1/4 cup oil, white pepper, sesame oil, Shaoxing wine, soy sauce, sugar and Worcestershire sauce and stir clockwise. 9. Allow mixture to cool completely in order for flavors to meld.

Liau Family Boiled Dumpling Dipping Sauce (Family Recipe by Monica Liau, Former Shanghai Guide)

Ingredients - ¾ cup / 85 ml Zhenjiang vinegar - 1 tbsp + 2 tsp / 25 g sugar - 2 green onions (chopped) - 1 heaping tbsp / 15-20 g ginger, finely grated - 2 tbsp + 1 tsp / 35 g soy sauce - 1 tbsp + 2 tsp / 25 g sesame oil - Chili oil (to taste, or skip)

Method Whisk together & taste, taste, taste. Add as you see fit. The Liau family is very accommodating.

Cantonese Shrimp Dumplings (虾饺) (As featured on our Hands-On Dumpling Delights tour – as part of our cooking class)

Ingredients (Dumpling Wrappers) - 2 tbsp / 30g dumpling flour - 2 tsp / 10g sweet starch - 1 tsp / 5g lard - 7-8 tbsp / 40ml boiling water

Ingredients (Dumpling Stuffing) - 2 tsp / 10g pork fat - 4 tbsp / 60g peeled, deveined shrimp - 2 tbsp / 30g diced bamboo (or water chestnut) - 1 tsp / 5g salt to taste - ½ tsp / 2.5g sugar to taste - ½ tsp / 2.5g white pepper to taste - 1 tsp / 5g cornstarch

Method 1. Finely chop the pork fat. Boil the pork fat in water for 3 minutes until cooked through, then drain and leave to cool. 2. Mix shrimp, bamboo, and cooled pork fat together. 3. Season shrimp mixture with a pinch of salt, sugar, white pepper and corn starch and stir to incorporate and create the dumpling filling. 4. Combine wheat flour, potato starch, lard, and boiling water together. Mix well until incorporated to create the dumpling skin. 5. Roll the dumpling skin into a long, skinny tube (about 6 inches long). Make five cuts to create six dumpling skins. 6. Roll each individual piece into a ball, then flatten into a disc. Roll the disc out to ~6cm size. Here’s a video: untourfoodtours.com/rolling-dumplings. If you put all four fingers together and place the wrapper on it, it should hang just off the edge of your fingers. 7. To wrap the dumplings, hold one wrapper flat on the palm of your left hand. Place a heaped teaspoon of the dumpling mixture into the center of the wrapper. Using both thumbs, and both index fingers, stretch and pleat the edges of the dumpling wrapper from one side to the other. Here’s a video: untourfoodtours.com/har-gow. 8. To cook the dumplings, line a steamer basketwith a store-bought liner or sliced carrots. This will stop the dumplings from sticking to the steamer bottom and tearing when you lift them out. Place the dumplings into the steamer without touching one another. Steam for 10 minutes. 9. Serve immediately with a side of Zhenjiang rice vinegar.

Shanghai Soup Dumplings or (⼩笼包) (As featured on all of our Shanghai Tours)

Ingredients (Dumpling Wrappers) - 1 ¼ cup / 160g dumpling flour - 6 tbsp / 90ml cold water

Ingredients (Dumpling Stuffing) - 1 cup / 200 grams minced pork - 1 tbsp / 15 g water - 1 tbsp / 15 g Shaoxing rice wine - 2 tsp / 10 ginger, finely diced - 1 tsp / 5 g scallion, finely diced - 1 tsp / 5 g salt - 2 tsp / 10 g sugar - 2 tsp / 10 g light soy sauce - shake of white pepper - 2 tsp / 10 g sesame oil - 1 cup / 200 g aspic, finely diced – see recipe on page 23

Method 1. Combine the flour and water into a dough. Knead for 10 minutes until elastic. 2. Divide dough into two equal pieces. Roll each piece into a 12 inch long cylinder. 3. Separate each cylinder into 12 equal pieces. 4. Roll each individual piece into a ball, then flatten into a disc. 5. Roll out each ball to 2.5 inches / 6 cm size. Cover and set aside. Here’s a video: untourfoodtours.com/rolling-dumplings. 6. Combine all the filling ingredients except the aspic. 7. Stir the mixture 50 times in one direction to eliminate any lumps Now add the aspic, and mix until combined. Refrigerate until ready. 8. To wrap the dumplings, watch this video: untourfoodtours.com/xlb 9. To wrap dumplings: hold a wrapper flat on the palm of your left hand. Place a heaped teaspoon of the filling mixture into the center of the wrapper. Using both thumbs, and both index fingers, stretch and pleat the edges of the wrapper working counterclockwise. Both thumbs remain inside the dumpling at all times, with both index fingers on the outside. Continue working all the way round the edge of the wrapper, gently turning the bun in the palm of your left hand as you go. Press the pleated edges lightly together to seal. 10. To cook the dumplings, line a steamer basket with a store-bought liner, or a piece of tea-towel cut to shape (or set the dumplings on a slice of carrot). This will stop the dumplings from sticking to the steamer bottom and tearing when you lift them out. 11. Place the dumplings into the steamer without touching one another. Steam for 10 minutes. Serve immediately with a side of Zhenjiang vinegar, shredded ginger, and chili oil (if you want). Pork Aspic for Soup Dumplings (⽪冻)

Note: If you’re making xiaolongbao, you can cut corners by using any clarified, flavorful stock (chicken, pork, beef, veggie) and turn it into aspic using gelatin. If you are looking for a vegetarian alternative to gelatin, agar is your best bet. Making the chef’s version at home is… fragrant, to say the least.

Ingredients (Cheatsheet Version) - 3 cups / 700ml stock of your choice, warmed - 3 envelopes (¾ oz / 21 g) unflavored gelatin - ¼ cup / 60 ml cold water

Method (Cheatsheet Version) 1. Sprinkle the granules of gelatin over the surface of the cold water. Do not dump them in a pile, as the granules in the middle won’t dissolve. 2. Let stand for 5 to 10 minutes. 3. Add warm stock, stirring until dissolved. To verify the granules are melted, lift the stirring utensil and make certain that there are no undissolved granules clinging to it. 4. Put in fridge until desired consistency is reached.

Ingredients (Chef’s Version) - 2.2 lb / 1 kg pork skin without fat - 1 gallon / 4 L water, plus more for first boil - 1 tsp / 5 g green onion - 1 tsp / 5 g ginger - 1 tsp / 5 g Shaoxing Wine

Method (Chef’s Version) 1. Remove all fat from the pork skin. Clean the pork skin carefully. 2. Boil the pork skin for 5 minutes. 3. Remove the pork skin from the water and place in gallon of water with green onion, ginger, and rice wine. Bring to a boil and reduce temperature to low so it simmers. 4. When the pork skin becomes soft, take it out, chop it up, and return it to the wok. Bring it back to a boil and reduce temperature to low so it simmers. 5. Keep an eye on the liquid. When it becomes sticky, strain out the skin, green onion, and ginger. 6. Let the liquid cool. Once it’s cool, put it in the fridge to further solidify. Use it within 2 days or put it in the freezer (max 1 month). To unfreeze, heat it until it melts, set aside to cool and it will gelatinize again.

Wok Dishes & Main Courses Jianbing (煎饼) (As featured on our Shanghai Street Eats Breakfast tour and Beijing Hutong Breakfast tour)

Ingredients - 3 tbsp / 45 g flour - 2 tbsp / 30 g mung bean flour - 1 tbsp / 15 g all purpose flour - 6 tbsp / 90 g soy milk - 1.5 tsp / 8 g - 3 eggs - 3 tbsp / 45 g chili sauce - 3 tbsp / 45 g soybean paste - 1 tbsp / 15 g zhacai (pickled mustard tubers), chopped - Handful of chopped green onions (green part only) - Handful of chopped cilantro / coriander - Fried sheets (tortilla chips or Doritos work great in a pinch – you’d be surprised)

Method 1. Whisk together the flours, soy milk, and vegetable oil until well combined and the consistency of whipping cream - if it’s not thin enough, add a splash of soy milk. Spray a non-stick skillet with cooking spray and set over medium low heat. 2. Pour 1/3 of batter onto the skillet, and swirl until the entire skillet is evenly coated with a thin layer of the batter. Cook for two minutes until set. Crack an egg over the crepe and gently break up the yolk, spreading the egg over the entire crepe. Cook for two minutes until set. 3. Sprinkle egg with pickled mustard tubers, green onions and cilantro to taste. Let cook for an additional minute (until egg is set). Carefully fold the crepe in half. Schmear 1 tbsp of soybean paste and chili to preference onto the folded crepe. 4. Place a fried wonton sheet in the center of the folded jianbing, fold the two sides of the jianbing inwards, then fold the jianbing in half again. Slice in half & serve immediately.

Steamed Hairy Crab (⼤闸蟹) (Recipe by Jamie Barys, Chief Eating Officer of UnTour Food Tours. As featured in our seasonal Hairy Crab Feast)

Note: This recipe should only be attempted during spawning season, or there won’t be any roe. Spawning season is the 9th and 10th Lunar months of the year, which change every year, but usually run around September – November.

Ingredients - 2 Hairy Crabs - 1 knob of ginger - 2 tbsp / 30g finely minced ginger - 250ml Zhenjiang Vinegar - 5 tsp / 25g of sugar - Salt, to taste

Method 1. Soak the crabs in cold water for 30 minutes, then wash the crabs thoroughly. DO NOT remove the twine from the crabs. Crabs should be alive when cooked, so make sure they are tied up tight so you don’t get any escapees. 2. Bring a pot of water to boil. Slice the knob of ginger and add it to the water. 3. Once the water is boiling, put the crabs in the steamer basket (belly up – or the roe will leak out). Steam for 8-12 minutes, depending on the size of the crabs. The crab shell should be orange-red when done. 4. While the crabs are steaming, make the dipping sauce. Boil ginger, Zhenjiang vinegar, sugar and a dash of salt together. Let cool and use as a dipping sauce.

*Here’s how to eat hairy crab: untourfoodtours.com/hairycrab

Mongolian Style Hotpot (涮⽺⾁) (As featured on our Old Beijing Dinner tour)

Ingredients (Hotpot Broth) - Sliced white part of a leek (Chinese leek, if you can find it) - Goji berries - Nori sheets (edible seaweed) - Sliced ginger - Dried shrimp (optional)

Ingredients (Hotpot Accoutrement) These are just a few suggestions. If it’s edible and you can dip it, you can hotpot it! - Hand-sliced lamb or beef shank (make sure it’s marbled and fatty!) - Spinach - Lotus root - Tofu in any form - Shiitake mushrooms - Cabbage - Fish/shrimp balls - Glass noodles

Method 1. Add all hotpot broth ingredients in a pot and bring to a boil. Place the pot in a place that is easy for multiple people to have chopsticks in at any given time. 2. Dip hotpot accoutrement in boiling water until cooked and then dip in dipping sauce (see below for recipes). 3. Eat!

Sesame Hotpot Dipping Sauce (⽕锅酱)

Ingredients - 320g sesame paste - 80g smooth peanut butter - 3 pieces of fermented tofu - 1 tbsp Chinese Chive Sauce - 1-2 tbsp / 15-30g light soy sauce - ½ tsp / 2.5 g sugar (or to taste) - ¼-½ tsp / 1.25-2.5 g oyster or - Green onion, chopped - Cilantro / coriander, chopped

Method 1. Mix all ingredients together, adjust to achieve the desired flavor and mix in cold water to achieve desired consistency.

Dry-Fried Green Beans (⼲煸四季⾖) (Recipe by Jamie Barys, Chief Eating Officer of UnTour Food Tours)

Ingredients - 1 cup / 250 ml rapeseed oil (peanut oil can be substituted) - 1 lb / 450 g green beans, ends and string trimmed. - 3 oz / 85 g pork belly, minced (you can substitute ground pork) - 0.35 oz / 10 g Dried Erjingtiao Chilis, deseeded - 3 tbsp / 45 g Yibin yacai (Preserved vegetables) - 2 tbsp / 30 g finely chopped ginger - 2 tbsp / 30 g finely chopped garlic - 1 tbsp / 15 g Shaoxing wine - 1 tbsp / 15 g Chinese light soy sauce - 1/2 tsp sugar - Salt to taste - 2 tbsp / 30 g finely chopped green onions

Method: 1. Heat oil in wok over a high flame until the oil reaches ~365°F /185°C. To make sure the heat is high enough to fry, put one wooden chopstick in the oil. Small bubbles should form around the chopstick. 2. Deep-fry green beans for two minutes – keeping the flame as high as possible. Remove the green beans and set on paper towels to drain. 3. Bring the oil up to ~400°F/200°C and fry the beans again for 15 seconds – just until they start to look withered. You don’t want them to brown. Remove the green beans and set on paper towels to drain. 4. Remove all but 1 tbsp / 15 g of oil from the wok and turn down the heat to medium. Add pork belly and fry until the lard has rendered and the meat is crispy. Remove pork and set aside, leaving the rendered lard in the wok. 5. Add dried chilis, yacai, ginger, and garlic and stir-fry for 1-2 minutes. Sprinkle with Shaoxing wine, soy sauce, sugar, and salt. 6. Add the green beans and pork back in and add the green onions. Stir to incorporate and then remove from heat.

Stir-Fried Egg & Tomato (番茄炒鸡蛋汤) (Recipe provided by Paul Ashton, Shanghai Guide)

Ingredients - ½ cup / 125 ml rapeseed oil - 3 medium-sized tomatoes, cut into thumb-sized chunks - Roughly a thumb of ginger, chopped - 2 sprigs of green onion, chopped - 2-3 cups / 475-700 ml water - Noodles (ideally thinner than spaghetti, though spaghetti will do in a pinch. You can use udon noodles, as well) - 1-2 tbsp / 15-30 g light soy sauce - 1 tsp / 5 g dark soy sauce - 1-2 tbsp / 15-30 g vinegar - Sugar & salt, to taste - 2 eggs - Cilantro / coriander for garnish

Method 1. Add oil to a frying pan or wok and bring to a medium-high heat. Make sure you have enough to fully coat the bottom of the wok. 2. Add the ginger and scallion and lower the heat to medium. They should not be browning, the heat needs to stay low. Allow to cook for a couple of seconds until you can smell the flavors, then add the tomatoes. 3. Cook the tomatoes down until they become soft and the oil turns orangish- red. Then, add water (two or three cups, but totally depends on how soup-y you’d like the noodles to be!). 4. Bring the soup to a simmer and add vinegar & soy sauces. Taste as you add the flavors to get it to the preferred balance – feel free to add salt and sugar as well to adjust to your palate. 5. Crack the eggs in to the soup. You can cook with the yolk intact, or you can break up the egg in to the soup. (An alternative is to scramble the eggs and remove them from the pan first before cooking the tomato - depends on what texture you want). 6. Add noodles last as the soup begins to simmer. Once the noodles are softened, add cilantro.

Desserts Almond “Tofu” (杏仁⾖腐) (As featured on our Beijing Hutong Breakfast tour)

Ingredients (Almond Milk) - ½ cup / 50 g almonds - 1 cup / 250 ml water

Method (Almond Milk) 1. You can use regular almond milk from the store, but for best results soak 1⁄2 cup of almonds overnight in a bowl of water that covers the almonds by about an inch. Drain the almonds from their soaking water and rinse them thoroughly under cool running water. At this point, the almonds should feel a little squishy if you pinch them. 2. Place the almonds in the blender and cover with 1 cup of water. Blend at the highest speed for two minutes. Pulse the blender a few times to break up the almonds, then blend continuously for two more minutes. 3. Strain the almonds. Line the strainer with either the opened nut bag or cheesecloth, and place over a measuring cup. Pour the almond mixture into the strainer.

Ingredients (Almond Tofu) - 1 cup / 250 ml almond milk - 2 cups / 475 ml warm water, separated - 1 cup / 250 ml of unsweetened soymilk (or milk) - 3-4g of agar strips - 1 cup / 250 ml water - 1 tbsp / 15 g crystal sugar (more as needed)

Method (Almond Tofu) 1. In a small bowl, cover the agar strips with water for 10 minutes. Discard the soaking water and transfer the agar strips to a pot. Add sugar and 1 cup of water. Heat over medium heat until the sugar and agar agar are dissolved. 2. Add soymilk (or milk) and almond milk and bring the mixture to a boil. Continue stirring until all the ingredients are well combined. 3. Filter the mixture through a fine mesh strainer into a large container. Remove any bubbles. Let cool for several hours in a fridge. 4. Once the tofu has set, cut it into cubes and serve it with osmanthus syrup, coconut milk, jam or fresh fruit.

Old Beijing Yogurt (⽼北京奶酪) (As featured on our Old Beijing Dinner tour and Beijing Hutong Breakfast tour)

Ingredients - 4 cups / 1000 ml whole milk - 1 cup / 250 ml starter culture (unsweetened greek yogurt will work great) - Honey to taste

Method 1. Clean your tools – you don’t want rogue bacteria floating around to compete with the good variety in the yogurt culture. Take the time to sterilize/boil everything. 2. Heat the milk with low heat to just before the boiling point. This helps make a richer end product and kills any bad bacteria in the milk. 3. Cool the milk to 43-45°C or 110-115°F 4. Set your oven to its lowest temperature usually 75°C or 170°F 5. Mix some of the cooled milk and starter together until fully incorporated. Pour back into the pot of milk and stir to combine. 6. Strain and pour the yogurt mixture into storage containers with a lid. 7. Place the filled containers into the oven for 20 minutes; turn off the oven and leave the light on. Keep the yogurt in for 5-10 hours for fermentation. The longer the fermentation process, the more sour the taste. 8. Remove the yogurt from the oven, and store in the refrigerator for 2 hours. Add honey to your taste. 9. Save some of your homemade yogurt to use as the starter culture of your next batch! No more buying yogurt at the stores.

Thanks so much for purchasing Cook with UnTour! If you have any comments or suggestions, please email [email protected].

To thank you for being a support of UnTour Food Tours, please use coupon CookWithUnTour to receive 15% off any of our tours.

Instagram & Facebook: @untourfoodtours

Copyright © 2020 UnTour Food Tours TM & JBKL LLC

All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

First Printing, April 2020

ISBN 978-0-9908080-0-8

Visit our website: UnTourFoodTours.com/cookbook