Chinese Cook Book

Name: Chinese Cook Book
Author: Vernon Galster

Whole book · 25 sections

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Chinese Cook Book In Plain English

Transcriber’s Note:

New original cover art included with this eBook is granted to the public domain.

VERNON GALSTER

Recipes for

CHOP SUEY
EGGS FO YOUNG
WAR MEIN
YET CA MEIN
CHOW MEIN
BIRDS NEST SOUP
ETC.

PRICE, $1.00

The contents of this book are fully protected by the copyright laws of the United States, as enacted in the past few years. Anyone reprinting these recipes, or causing them to be reprinted, or using them after being reprinted, unless by special permission of the publisher, will be prosecuted to the fullest extent.

VERNON GALSTER, Publisher

MORRIS, ILLINOIS

Is This Book for You?

To the person who is a thousand miles from a Chinese Restaurant. To he or she who would appreciate the opportunity and consider it a matter of pride to be able by a little practice in the art of an unknown science, to treat their friends, and themselves, to some of these remarkably delicious, fascinating, toothsome dishes.

To the man, out in the woods, in camp, on shipboard, at the club, who feels that the connecting link to unalloyed happiness would be a good big dish of Chop Suey. To the persons who are fond of Chinese dishes, but unable to eat them with the same relish in a Chinese Restaurant as they could at home.

To the woman who hears hubby talk about the dandy feed he had at the Chinese Restaurant, and who would welcome the chance to be able to treat him with the surprise of his life.

To these people I open the door to the secrets of Chinese cookery, giving them the methods herein used by the greatest Chinese Chefs in the world. By supplying you with the imported Chinese flavoring sauces and vegetables I make it possible for you to cook these foods in the ONLY GENUINE WAY.

To these people I respectfully dedicate this little book, with the hope that now and then my efforts may be appreciated by the fellow in the woods, or the lady who loves to cook (and eat Chop Suey.)

VERNON GALSTER, Morris, Ills.

IMPORTED CHINESE SUPPLIES

The Chinese flavoring sauces and vegetables called for in these recipes can be purchased from the publisher of this book. An illustrated catalogue containing prices and descriptions of the various imported ingredients will be sent FREE for the asking.

INDEX

	Page
American Chop Suey (Plain)	3
American Chop Suey (Extra Fine)	3
American Chop Suey (Fine Cut)	3
Birds Nest Soup	7
Chinese Chop Suey (Plain)	2
Chinese Chop Suey (Extra Fine)	3
Chinese Chop Suey (Fine Cut)	3
Chinese Chop Suey (White M’hr’m)	3
Chinese Chop Suey (With Lamb)	3
Chinese Chop Suey (With Veal)	3
Chinese Chop Suey (With Beef)	3
Chicken Chop Suey (Plain)	4
Chicken Chop Suey (Fine Cut)	4
Chicken Chop Suey (Mushroom)	4
Chinese Cured Pork	4
Chow Mein (Plain)	7
Chow Mein (With Chicken)	7
Chow Mein (With Mushrooms)	7
Dinner of China	8
Eggs Fo Young (Plain)	5
Eggs Fo Young (With Shrimp)	5
Eggs Fo Young (With Lobster)	5
Eggs Fo Young (With Chicken)	5
Rice (Cooked Chinese Style)	2
War Mein (Plain)	6
War Mein (With Chicken)	6
War Mein (White Mushroom)	6
Yet Ca Mein (Plain)	5

CHINESE CHOP SUEY

For Two Portions

(Prepare all of these ingredients before starting to cook the Suey)

POUND LEAN PORK (Sliced size and thickness of half dollar.)
CUP SPANISH ONIONS (Sliced thin.)
CUP CELERY (Sliced thin crosswise. Remove leaves.)
CUP CHINESE MUSHROOMS (Soak in water until soft. Remove stems, slice.)
CHINESE WATER CHESTNUTS (Pare and slice thin.)
TABLESPOONFUL CHINESE SALTY SAUCE.
TABLESPOONFUL CHINESE SWEET SAUCE.
DROPS SESAMUN OIL.
TEASPOONFUL CORNSTARCH (Dissolved in a little water.)

Cook in an iron kettle on a very high flame.

Fry the pork until half done, using about a tablespoonful of lard, meat fryings or peanut oil. Add the onions and fry a few minutes longer; then add the celery, mushrooms, Chinese water chestnuts and salty sauce together.

Cover with tight fitting lid and allow to cook in its own juices for about 8 to 10 minutes. Stir occasionally, adding water or soup stock (hot) if necessary to prevent burning.

Then turn flame low and stir in thoroughly the Chinese sweet sauce, sesamun oil and corn starch, and it is ready to serve. Serve on oblong chop suey dish, and with it serve rice (cooked Chinese style) and Chinese tea.

RICE (Cooked Chinese Style)

Wash a half pound of good quality head rice (Jap style rice will not cook properly in this manner) and cover with water. The depth of the water above the rice should be exactly the same depth as the rice.

Boil fast, stir frequently until all of the water is absorbed by the rice, then cover with tight fitting lid and set on low flame (with asbestos pad between) for 30 minutes, and leave without stirring.

NOTE—Careful attention should be directed to the size of the flame which is used during the 30 minutes. Understand that you are to have as much heat as the rice will stand, without stirring, at the same time without burning it.

CHINESE CHOP SUEY

Extra Fine

Made the same as Chinese Chop Suey, but omit the cupful of Spanish onions and use a half cupful of the bamboo shoot instead. Cut the bamboo shoot very thin and small.

CHINESE CHOP SUEY

Fine Cut

Make the same as Extra Fine Chop Suey but cut all of the ingredients smaller and thinner.

CHINESE CHOP SUEY

With White Mushrooms

Make the same as Extra Fine Chop Suey, but use a half canful of the French Mushrooms (small size are best) instead of the Chinese Mushrooms.

LAMB, VEAL AND TENDERLOIN OF BEEF CHOP SUEY

Follow out the directions given for making Extra Fine Chop Suey, but use the meat you desire instead of pork.

AMERICAN CHOP SUEY

Plain

Made with the same ingredients as Chinese Chop Suey, but use very little of each of the Chinese sauces and very little of cornstarch. Use a cupful of chicken or beef stock in the cooking of this, adding it when the vegetables are added. On account of the gravy in this Chop Suey, it is served in soup bowls. There is a special sized bowl used for serving this.

AMERICAN CHOP SUEY

Extra Fine

Make the same as plain American Chop Suey, but omit the onions and use bamboo shoots (cut thin) instead.

AMERICAN CHOP SUEY

Fine Cut

Make the same as Extra Fine American Chop Suey but cut all ingredients smaller and thinner.

CHICKEN CHOP SUEY

For Two Portions

POUND COOKED CHICKEN (Sliced thin, cut small.)
CUP CELERY (Sliced thin crosswise. Remove leaves.)
CUP CHINESE MUSHROOMS (Soak in water until soft. Remove stems.)
CHINESE WATER CHESTNUTS (Pare and slice thin.)
CUPFUL BAMBOO SHOOT (Cut thin and small.)
TABLESPOONFUL CHINESE SALTY SAUCE.
TABLESPOONFUL CHINESE SWEET SAUCE.
DROPS SESAMUN OIL.
TEASPOONFUL CORNSTARCH (Dissolved in a little water.)

Cook in round bottomed iron kettle, or any deep porcelain kettle will do, and use a high flame.

Place the celery, mushrooms, water chestnuts, bamboo shoot and a cupful of chicken or beef stock in kettle, cover tightly, and allow to cook for about 8 minutes. Stir occasionally.

Then add the chicken to this and allow to cook 4 minutes longer. Now turn flame low and stir in the Chinese salty and sweet sauces, sesamun oil and cornstarch. Serve with bowl of rice (cooked Chinese style, see page two), Chinese tea and a few Li Chee nuts.

CHICKEN CHOP SUEY

Fine Cut or White Mushroom

Fine Cut is made as above, but cut all ingredients smaller and very thin. White Mushroom Chop Suey is made same as above, but omit the Chinese mushrooms and use a half canful of the French mushrooms instead.

CHINESE CURED PORK

Cut strips of pork ½ inch thick (shoulder or butts) and trim off all fat. Place in pan and cover with ½ cupful of Chinese salty sauce diluted with 2 cupfuls of water. Let simmer slowly until the fluid has nearly cooked away, or until done. Turn the meat frequently.

Pork prepared by this method is used as a garnish for Yet Ca Mein, and is the important ingredient for Eggs Fo Young.

EGGS FO YOUNG

For Two Portions

¼ POUND CHINESE CURED PORK (Cut into fine shreds.) (See page 4 for recipe for curing pork.)
½ CUP BAMBOO SHOOT (Cut into fine, long shreds.)
4 CHINESE WATER CHESNUTS (Pared and cut into fine shreds.)
½ CUP CELERY (Cut into fine, long shreds.)
1 STEM OF GREEN ONION TOP (Cut small.)
6 EGGS.
1 TEASPOONFUL CHINESE SALTY SAUCE.

Mix all of the above into a batter (don’t stir too much) and fry into six oval omelets or cakes on a low flame. When done, make a gravy by putting into the lard in which the cakes were fried in, a cupful of water, a half teaspoonful of Chinese sweet sauce and a teaspoonful of cornstarch.

To serve, place 3 cakes for each portion on a flat chop suey dish and cover with the gravy. Serve with bowl of rice (cooked Chinese style) and Chinese tea.

EGGS FO YOUNG

With Shrimp, Lobster or Chicken

Substitute the same quantity of cooked shrimp, lobster or chicken meat for the Chinese cured pork and proceed the same as plain Eggs Fo Young.

YET CA MEIN (Noodle Soup)

For Two Bowls

¾ POUND NOODLES (Fresh noodles are best. Dry noodles can be used.)
SLICES OF CHINESE CURED PORK (Size and thickness of a dollar.)
SLICES BOILED CHICKEN.
HARD BOILED EGG. (Cut in two.)
TEASPOONFULS CHINESE SALTY SAUCE.
CUPS CHICKEN OR BEEF STOCK (Hot.)

Boil the noodles in not less than a gallon of water, to which you have added a pinch of salt, until done. Then drain in colander, and put half in each bowl, in which you have already poured a cupful in each of the hot chicken or beef stock and added the teaspoonful each of the salty sauce.

Garnish by placing the half hard boiled egg in center, and the two pieces of each of the cured pork and chicken near edge. Serve with Chinese tea.

WAR MEIN (Extra Fine Noodle Soup)

For Two Portions

POUND NOODLES (Fresh made noodles are best.)
CUPS CHICKEN OR BEEF STOCK (Hot.)
TEASPOONFULS CHINESE SALTY SAUCE.

¼ POUND LEAN PORK (Cut in fine shreds.)
¼ CUP CELERY (Cut in fine shreds.)
¼ CUP CHINESE MUSHROOMS (Cut in fine shreds.)
3 CHINESE WATER CHESTNUTS (Pare and cut small and thin.)
¼ CUP BAMBOO SHOOT (Cut in fine shreds.)
½ CUP CHICKEN OR BEEF STOCK.
1 TEASPOONFUL CHINESE SALTY SAUCE.
1 GREEN ONION STEM (Cut small.)
1 DROP SESAMUN OIL.
½ TEASPOONFUL CORNSTARCH (Dissolve in a little water.)

Boil the noodles in not less than a gallon of water to which has been added a pinch of salt, until done. Requires about 20 minutes. Then drain in collander and put half the noodles in each bowl, in which you have already poured a cupful each of the hot chicken or beef stock and the teaspoonful each of the salty sauce.

Make the Chop Suey while the noodles are boiling as follows: Fry the pork until half done, using a teaspoonful of lard or meat fryings. Then add the celery, mushrooms, water chestnuts, bamboo shoot, salty sauce, ½ cupful stock and stew on a high flame (use tight fitting lid) for about ten minutes. Then stir in the sesamun oil and cornstarch. Cover the noodles with a layer of this Chop Suey and garnish it with the shredded green onion stem.

WAR MEIN

With Chicken

Make same as above but use chicken meat (cooked) instead of the pork.

WAR MEIN

With White Mushrooms

Make the same as War Mein but use about a half canful of the French mushrooms instead of the Chinese.

CHOW MEIN

(Fried Noodles Covered with Chop Suey)

For Two Portions

1 POUND NOODLES (Must be freshly made. Shake apart.)
1 EGG (Scrambled and cut in fine shreds.)
½ POUND LEAN PORK (Cut in fine shreds.)
½ CUP CELERY (Cut in fine shreds.)
½ CUP CHINESE MUSHROOMS (Cut in fine shreds.)
5 CHINESE WATER CHESTNUTS (Pare and cut small and thin.)
½ CUP BAMBOO SHOOT (Cut in fine shreds.)
½ CUP CHICKEN OR BEEF STOCK.
1 TEASPOONFUL CHINESE SALTY SAUCE.
1 DROP SESAMUN OIL.
1 TEASPOONFUL CORNSTARCH. (Dissolve in a little water.)

After shaking the noodles well apart, drop them in hot lard at least 3 inches in depth, the same you would in French frying potatoes. Fry about 4 minutes and turn the noodles over. When done to an orange color, drain and place on a large platter and cover with the Chop Suey, made as follows:

Fry the pork until half done, using a tablespoonful of lard or meat fryings. Then add the celery, mushrooms, water chestnuts, bamboo shoot, salty sauce, ½ cup stock and stew on a high flame (use tight fitting lid) for about 10 minutes. Then stir in the cornstarch and sesamun oil. Cover the fried noodles evenly with this Chop Suey and garnish by covering the entire food with the shreds of fried egg.

Serve with Chinese tea and Li Chee nuts.

CHOW MEIN YEB GUM

With Chicken and White Mushrooms

Made the same as Chow Mein (plain) but substitute French mushrooms for the Chinese, and chicken meat for the pork.

BIRDS NEST SOUP

For Two Bowls

OUNCES BIRDS NEST (Soak in water over night.)
CUPFULS HEAVY CHICKEN STOCK.
CUPFUL WHITE MEAT OF COOKED CHICKEN (Cut in fine shreds.)
TEASPOONSFUL CHINESE SALTY SAUCE.

Drain the birds nest in collander and remove the feathers that might be found and wash in two or three changes of water. Boil 30 minutes in the chicken stock (after having strained it and removed all fat.)

Add the Chinese salty sauce and chicken meat and serve in soup bowls; and with it serve rice and Chinese tea.

Instructions for Serving a Dinner in Complete Chinese Style Called “Dinner of China” — FREE ADVICE

(For Four Plates)

GAI GUNG MAIN

(Chicken Soup with Noodles)

FO YOUNG DON

(Eggs in Fo Young Style)

TONG YUN CHOP SUEY

(Chinese Chop Suey)

LI CHEE

(Li Chee Nuts)

CANTON OR OOLONG CHAR YET WOO

(Pot of Canton or Oolong Tea)

CHICKEN SOUP WITH NOODLES. Follow out the recipe for making Yet Ca Mein, but omit the garnish entirely. See page 5 for recipe for Yet Ca Mein.

EGGS IN FO YOUNG STYLE. See page 5 for recipe for Eggs Fo Young. Fry 8 cakes from the amount of batter and serve two for each portion. Serve on the oblong flat Chop Suey dishes.

CHINESE CHOP SUEY. See page 2 for instructions for cooking. Serve this course with a bowl of rice cooked Chinese style. Use the oblong Chop Suey dishes for serving.

LI CHEE NUTS. This desert is served on any small fancy dish.

CANTON OR OOLONG TEA. In steeping Chinese tea, allow it to steep considerably longer than ordinary tea, in fact, bringing it to a boil will not impair the flavor. A pot of this tea should be served with the first course. The small Chinese tea cups are used and individual Chinese tea pots (red earthenware) are the correct thing.

Should you require any further information pertaining to the cooking of these foods; or should the results you secure not be absolutely satisfactory to you, you are requested to write the author of this book, who invites your correspondence on any matter of this kind, and will gladly help you to remedy your difficulty by giving you FREE ADVICE.

TRANSCRIBER’S NOTES

Typos fixed; non-standard spelling and dialect retained.