What to cook today? This question is often asked by every hostess. Familiar dishes are boring, for expensive delicacies often there is not enough money. Today we are learning to cook at home restaurant delights. In your performance, they will be no worse than that of the chef, and very inexpensive. A very interesting is the versatile dish, which we often call meat "string". This is a native of Chinese, but somewhat Russified cuisine. In addition, you can adjust the number of spices so that the taste is even more familiar.
Dish history
It is rooted far in the past. The general principles of cooking meat "string" remained unchanged today. Small, oblong pieces are soaked in a salty or acidic environment, most often soy sauce acts as it. After that, they are breaded in starch, dry or diluted, or in flour with an egg.
The final chord is the addition of vegetables and stewing. This allows you to use it without a side dish, as an independent dish. But you can add it with mashed potatoes. In the original, for the preparation of meat "rope" take pork. But the reviews of the hostesses suggest that you can also take chicken or veal, the taste will not get worse from this.
By the way, the dish has its own name, under which it appears in Chinese restaurants. This is Gu Lao Jou, and is a meat in sweet and sour sauce with vegetables. But tourists from Russia named his meat "string" and began to cook at home.
On taste and color
There are so many variations today that you don’t immediately understand what a classic recipe should be. Therefore, we will focus on the original recipe of chefs from Chinese restaurants. Additional ingredients may include:
- wood mushrooms;
- pineapples
- oranges
- barrel cucumbers;
- tomato paste;
- lemons.
A similar picture can be observed with spices. Even in the capital, it is difficult to find the same set of mysterious spices used by Chinese cooks. Therefore, every housewife focuses on their taste preferences.
Classic version
Chinese “string” meat is pork in batter with sweet and sour sauce. This recipe allows you to cook if not exactly the same dish as in a restaurant, then very similar to it. At the same time, the simplicity of the recipe is fascinating. even a schoolboy can handle it. You will need:
- flesh without bones and fat - 350 g;
- onion - 1 head;
- carrots - 1 pc.;
- sweet pepper - 2 pcs. (you can take different colors);
- vinegar, sugar, water and ginger for sauce.
Ginger should not be taken in powder; the root is best. You will need approximately 1 inch. Make refined oil as well.
Sauce and batter
They need to be prepared in different cups. Chinese-style meat is cooked very quickly, so everything should be ready before heating the pan.
- For batter, take 5-6 tablespoons of corn or potato starch and 2 protein from eggs.
- For the sauce you need 3 tablespoons of rice vinegar (can be replaced with apple), 3 tablespoons without a hill of sugar, half a teaspoon of starch, 3 tablespoons of water. Everything needs to be mixed well.
There is nothing complicated, and even a person unfamiliar with the secrets of Chinese cuisine can easily make such preparations.
Meat preparation
In a classic Chinese-style meat recipe, the flesh is first pickled for 30-40 minutes. But there are many other recommendations that will make even stiff beef tasty. For example, meat can be pre-boiled, then cut and fry in batter. This allows you to completely not worry about his readiness. As soon as the batter is browned, you can get it. Beginning housewives often use this option.
If you have young veal, chicken or tender pork, just marinate the meat. So it will be more juicy and retain all the beneficial and nutritional properties. But we were a little distracted. The pulp needs to be cut into thin strips along the fibers. So it will quickly prepare and surprise guests with an interesting presentation.
Meat roasting
The batter of protein and starch is ready in the cup. It resembles liquid sour cream in consistency. The meat needs a little salt and put in a bowl with batter. Let it stand for about 15 minutes, at which time you need to do vegetables. Onions need to be coarsely chopped, chop the carrots into strips. Chop the ginger finely.
Now pour oil in a large pan or in a cauldron. Wait for a slight haze and fry the meat in parts. This is necessary so that it does not have time to give the juice and the crisp sets. The “string” meat recipe is not too complicated, but this item is the most important. We take out the prepared slices with a slotted spoon and put them in a colander so that the excess oil drains. Next we send a new portion.
Roasting Vegetables
Drain the oil from the pan, leaving a small amount at the bottom. On it we will fry vegetables. Wait until a light haze appears. Now toss ginger and almost immediately carrots, start stirring intensively. As soon as it fades, add onions. Bring it to half-ready. The onion should remain crispy. The main goal of heat treatment is to remove bitterness.
Now pour in the sauce and immediately toss the meat. Mix quickly and can be laid out on portioned plates. If they already have boiled rice, then nicely lay them on top. Sweet-and-sour meat in a sweet and sour sauce is a tasty dish that cooks quickly and turns out to be beautiful and even festive.
Alternative option
Through trial and error, new cooking options for this dish are born that seem to the townsfolk more like the one prepared by the chef in a restaurant. Meat “string” in sweet and sour sauce can be different, the main thing is that the household liked it. The following recipe will appeal to lovers of a combination of fruit sauces and meat. To prepare, take:
- meat - 1 kg;
- bell pepper - 3 little things of different colors;
- onion - 2 heads;
- canned pineapples - 1 can;
- flour and two eggs for batter;
- for sauce - dilute half a teaspoon of vinegar in 0.5 cups of water, add a spoonful of tomato paste. Now we breed a teaspoon of starch in a glass of cold water, while let stand separately. Bring the mass with tomato to a boil, add 1-2 tablespoons of sugar and soy vinegar and a starch solution.
- seasonings - ginger root, coriander, garlic.
The cooking is not too different. To do this, roll the meat in batter and fry in oil. Fry onions, garlic, ginger and coriander in a cauldron. After that, throw chopped bell pepper and chopped pineapple. Last of all, put the fried meat. Now pour the sauce and simmer for 15-20 minutes.
Unlike the first recipe, more sauce is obtained here. That is, it is a great option for dressing rice or mashed potatoes. If you are faced with the task of feeding a large company, then this is just what you need.
Instead of a conclusion
Meat “string” can be an excellent option not only for a casual dinner, but also for a festive table. Garnish the plate with sprigs of dill or lay the finished dish on lettuce leaves. Such presentation will make it even more interesting and bright. The set of seasonings can be changed at your discretion. But experienced chefs recommend abandoning the use of ready-made mixtures. It is much better if you keep ginger and coriander, nutmeg and black pepper, suneli hops and zira separately. Then you can adjust the pungency and taste of the finished dish as you wish. Chinese-style meat recipes will be one of your family’s favorites.