Great Tasting, Easy To Cook Spicy Chinese Recipes

Let's get into some of my favourite Chinese recipes !

The Chinese Recipes

makes 4 serves

Char-siu (or char-siew) is the Chinese word for BBQ, so Char Siu Sauce is the Chinese take on BBQ sauce. Most supermarkets now stock this and certainly all Asian supermarkets do.

• 800g chicken thigh fillets, trimmed, thinly sliced
• ¼ cup char siu sauce (or you can buy it)
• 2 tablsp kecap manis (thick, sweet soy sauce)
• 2 tablsp sweet chilli sauce
• ¼ small cabbage, shredded
• 1/3 cup fresh coriander, coarsely chopped
• 75g snow pea sprouts
• 1 bunch baby bok choy, stems and leaves shredded
• 1 large carrot, peeled, shredded
• 100g beansprouts
• ½ cup crispy fried onions (shallots) - available in all asian stores
• 1 lime, juiced

Mix the char-siu sauce, kecap manis and half the sweet chilli sauce, in a bowl.

Add chicken and stir to coat and then let it marinate in the fridge for about 1 hour.

Just before you cook it, drain the excess marinade from chicken.

Pre-heat your well-oiled grill plate to medium heat and then grill the chicken for about 5-7 minutes until cooked through. The chicken should obtain a nice deep-gold colour and a little charring is desirable if possible.

Combine cabbage, snow pea sprouts, bok choy, carrot, beansprouts and coriander in a large bowl.

Whisk remaining sweet chilli sauce, oil and 2 tablsp lime juice in a jug until well combined.

Add chicken, shallots and dressing to salad and toss to combine.

Serve as a main or a side dish.

Chilli Prawns on Yellow Noodles

Makes 2 serves

Spicy, tangle and slightly sweet prawns !

• 150g dried yellow noodles or other wheatflour noodles
• 2 tablsp peanut oil, plus extra for drizzling
• 6 large garlic cloves, crushed and chopped
• 1 tablsp freshly grated ginger
• 100g snow peas (i.e. in the pod>
• 3 medium red chillies, deseeded and chopped
• 300g fresh raw tiger prawns, shelled and deveined (tail on or off, optional)
• 100ml boiling water
• 1 tablsp lime juice
• 2 spring onions, whole, chopped lengthways
• 4 tablsp freshly chopped coriander, stalks and leaves

• 100ml boiling water
• 4 tablsp tomato paste
• 1 teasp turmeric powder
• 2 tablsp light soy sauce
• 1 tablsp brown sugar
• 2 teasp corn flour

Char Siu - Chinese Barbecue Sauce

This recipe is as authentic as they come. None of the Western substitutes you see in most recipes (e.g. sherry, red food colouring, honey).

I picked the recipe up when working in the the minerals exploration business in China in 2001.

Both palm sugar and red bean curd are easily obtained from asian grocery stores.

• 1 tblsp oyster sauce
• 1 tablsp red bean curd
• 1 tablsp palm sugar
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• ½ teasp minced fresh ginger
• 2 tablsp hoi sin sauce
• ½ tsp Chinese 5 spice powder
• 2 tablsp rice wine
• 2 Thai or Birds-eye chillies, deseeded and finely chopped

Use to make Chinese Red Pork or any other ideas you come up with.

Chinese Garlic Sauce

A simple Chinese garlic sauce that you can whip up and hour or so before the Saturday afternoon barbie !

Makes about 3/4 cup.

• 1 tablsp cornflour (cornstarch)
• 2 tablsp oyster sauce
• ¼ cup chicken stock
• 2 tablsp dark soy sauce
• 1 tablsp light soy sauce
• 2 tablsp rice vinegar
• 1 tablsp vegetable or peanut oil
• 3 tablsp finely chopped garlic
• 2 tablsp sugar
• ½ teasp Asian chilli paste (e.g. sambal oelek)
• 2 tablsp water

Mix together the chicken stock, chilli paste, oyster sauce, soy sauces, and rice vinegar in a bowl

In another bowl, mix the cornstarch in the water and and stir until the cornstarch is fully mixed in

Heat oil in a saucepan on medium-heat and add the garlic and stir briefly until fragrant

Turn the heat to medium low. Re-stir the chicken stock/oyster sauce mix, add it into the saucepan

Now put in the sugar as well. Bring sauce to a boil, stirring well until the sugar is dissolved

Re-stir the water/cornflour mixture and add into the saucepan, stirring quickly as it will thicken rapidly

Remove from the heat as soon as it begins to boil.

Store in the fridge for up to a week. Re-warm before use.

Crab Cakes with Lemon Garlic Sauce,

Makes 6 serves

• 3/4 cup mayonnaise
• 1/3 cup plus 2 teaspoons lemon juice, divided use
• 6 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1.5 teasp salt
• 3/4 teaspoon freshly black pepper
• 600g fresh crab meat
• 1.5 cups bread crumbs
• 1/3 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 2 teasp chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 3 eggs
• 1.5 teasp Worcestershire sauce
• 3/4 teasp cayenne powder
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 2 teasp olive oil

Sichuan Chilli Sauce

Here is a classic chilli sauce from China's spice bowl - Sichuan province.

Use it in stir-fry dishes, sprinkled over rice, or even in soups.

makes about 1¼ cups

• 2 tablsp vegetable oil
• 2 tablsp tomato paste
• 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 3cm (1-inch) piece fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 6 red cayenne or jalapeno chillies, deseeded and finely chopped
• 1 tablsp sugar
• 2 tablsp Chinese rice wine
• ¼ cup Chinese red rice vinegar (or red wine vinegar)
• 2 teasp salt
• Water as needed

Heat the oil in a wok or frying pan, add the garlic and ginger and stir-fry for 30 seconds

Add the onion and stir-fry for about a minute

Add the vinegar and the chillies and let it simmer for around 10 minutes. If it starts getting too dry, add some of the water

Add the rest of the ingredients, but not the water, and let it simmer for 5 more minutes

Remove from the heat and allow to cool

Blend to a fine puree in your food processor, adding water as necessary to get the consistency that you are after Will keep for up to a month in the fridge.

Ginger Sauce

This simple sauce is a great accompaniment to steamed or sauteed seafood.

• 2 tablsp light soy sauce
• 2 tablsp dark soy sauce
• 2 tablsp water or chicken stock
• 1½ teasp brown sugar, or to taste
• 1 red serrano (or Thai/Birdseye) chilli, de-seeded and finely sliced
• 5cm (2-inch) piece fresh ginger, peeled and very finely chopped
• 6 spring onions (scallions, green onions), finely chopped
• 3 tablsp peanut or vegetable oil

Combine the soy sauce, water, and sugar in a small oven-safe (metal, ceramic, or pyrex) bowl

Stir in the spring onions, ginger, and chilli

Heat the oil in a heavy saucepan over medium heat for about 5 minutes, until it is shimmering on the bottom and very hot but not yet smoking. If it does

Pour the oil onto the spring-onion/ginger mixture, being very careful not to splash the hot oil anywhere

It will sizzle for a little while. Once it stops sizzling, stir, and then let stand for 2 minutes before serving

Quick & Easy Chilli Plum Sauce

A simple recipe for this popular Chinese dipping sauce.

Makes about 1 ¼ cups

• 1 cup plum jam
• ¼ teasp salt
• 2 teasp very finely chopped fresh onion
• ¼ teasp ginger powder
• ¼ teasp ground allspice (pimento)
• ½ teasp sweet chilli sauce
• ¼ teasp finely chopped fresh garlic
• 1 tablsp vinegar (brown malt or cider, if you've got it)
• 1/3 - ½ cup of water (all depends on how thick the jam is)

Mix the ingredients together well. Bring to a boil on low heat.

Cool the sauce and store in a jar in the refrigerator.

Will keep for about a week in the fridge.

Peking Sauce

A classic Chinese dipping sauce recipe with a bite provided by the chilli oil.

Makes about ½ cup

• 3 tablsp light soy sauce
• 3 tablsp dark soy sauce
• 3 tablsp red wine vinegar or red rice vinegar
• 1 teasp chili oil
• ½ teasp sugar, or to taste
• 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
• 1 teasp fresh ginger, finely chopped

Combine all the ingredients.

Store it in the fridge for a couple of hours to give the flavours a chance to combine and work their magic !