“Chinese food is more than just a take-out order of sesame chicken — there’s an entire world of Chinese food very different from what we know. In the cookbook and travelogue Feeding the Dragon, brother and sister Nate and Mary Kate Tate seek to uncover the different and very unique cuisines of China. Over the past 10 years (at first, Nate thought it would only take one year for the book) the two have traveled throughout the country looking for classic and characteristic foods. On their journey they discovered more than just that — they were also humbled by the warmth they received from the Chinese people, many of whom allowed them to step into their own homes and restaurants to show the siblings how they cook.” ––Kitchen Dailyhttp://aol.it/oNNWlp
“Nate Tate, who lived and studied in Beijing, initially learned how to cook authentic Chinese cuisine from his housekeeper. He and his sister ultimately went on a three-month culinary trek covering almost 10,000 miles. Along the way, they convinced the people who cooked for them to teach them about Chinese food and share their recipes. The book includes lots of photos and essays along with recipes that cover numerous provinces. You’ll learn everything from how to make a lychee martini like a resident of Beijing to how to whip up Sichuan Hot Pot. There are sample menus so you can cook to impress your friends, and a helpful glossary in the back explains ingredients like sha cha sauce and how you use them.” ––Portland Press Heraldhttp://bit.ly/q2lvkY
—From Feeding the Dragon/Andrews McMeel Publishing
Walking along the waterfront down the Rua das Lorchas, past pastel stucco apartment buildings splashed with freshly washed clothes dancing and drying in the sun and the occasional window box bursting with red and pink geraniums, the pungent smell of drying fish assaults my nostrils. All along the sidewalk, salted fish are laid out on woven wooden trays baking in the direct sunlight. Dried fish, especially bacalao (salt cod), is one of the many ingredients introduced by Macau’s Portuguese colonists and is an important component in Macanese cooking. In the fifteenth century, Portuguese fishermen came up with a way to preserve surplus fish by salting and sun-drying them on the decks of their ships.
To me, this dish is the essence of Chinese-Portuguese fusion. Fried rice, a distinctly Chinese dish, is fused with Mediterranean black olives, chorizo, and salt cod. Bacalao is used primarily as a flavoring agent in Macanese fried rice; however, it is difficult to find and prepare. We substitute a dash of Asian fish sauce in its place in this recipe, which gives the rice a similar flavor, but if you can find bacalao (or its Italian equivalent, baccalà) at a fishmonger or specialty food store, substitute 3 ounces (rehydrated and chopped) for the Asian fish sauce.
Serves 4 to 6
Fried Rice
1/4 teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon Asian fish sauce
Juice of 1/2 lime
3 tablespoons olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 small onion, thinly sliced into half-moons
2 large eggs, beaten
3 cups cooked long-grain white rice, chilled
1 small green bell pepper, seeded and thinly sliced
1/2 cup corn kernels (fresh or frozen and thawed)
4 ounces chorizo sausage, thinly sliced
1/2 cup pitted green olives
In a small bowl, combine the sugar, Asian fish sauce, and lime juice and stir until the sugar is dissolved.
Heat the oil in a wok over high heat. Add the garlic and onion and sauté for 3 minutes, or until the onion starts to turn translucent. Pour in the eggs and scramble until they are just set, and then immediately toss in the rice and stir until well mixed. Decrease the heat to medium and add the bell pepper, corn, chorizo sausage, olives, and the sugar mixture, and stir-fry for 3 minutes. Remove the wok from the heat and let rest for 4 minutes before serving.
—From Feeding the Dragon/Andrews McMeel Publishing
The word for “pot stickers” in Chinese is guotie, literally “pot-stick,” a name they have earned from their cooking method. Chinese cooks first steam guotie in giant flat-bottomed iron pans. When all the water is absorbed by the dumplings, they are left in the pan to get crispy and “stick” to the pan. We recommend using a nonstick skillet when making these so that the dumplings don’t actually stick to the pan forever. These Guotie Pot Stickers make amazing appetizers served with the dipping sauce. We like to make more dumplings than we can eat and freeze the extra for later.
Makes about 36 dumplings
Dipping Sauce
1 cup Chinese black rice vinegar
1/2 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
1 tablespoon minced fresh cilantro
1/4 cup light soy sauce
1 tablespoon sugar
When siblings Nate and Mary Kate Tate set out to backpack through China, their goal was to discover some of the tastiest dishes Chinese cooks had to offer, and maybe write a travelblog along the way. What they discovered along their 9,700-mile journey, however, culminated in an authentic recipe collection that will redefine Chinese food for families in the West.
Feeding the Dragon: A Culinary Travelogue Through China with Recipes is the delicious result of the Tates’ trek. Arranged by the authors’ travel itinerary through nine Chinese provinces, Feeding the Dragon’s 100 recipes are presented alongside alternating first-person narratives and beautiful travel photos. From Buddhist vegetarian dishes enjoyed on the snowcapped mountains of Tibet to lamb kebabs served on the scorching Taklimakan Desert of Xinjiang Province, Western cooks will find healthy, easily prepared recipes brimming with authentic ingredients and flavors. Feeding the Dragon also offers:
• Sample menus and recommended flavorful recipe combinations for specific social gatherings
• An ingredient glossary complete with Chinese names, descriptions, and equivalent substitutions
• Online ingredient retailers for those without access to an Asian grocery store
• Descriptions of essential tools and basic cooking techniques
• Online resources about Chinese culture, including a simple language guide
Feeding the Dragon is not an Americanized adulteration of classic Chinese cuisine. It is an unforgettable journey through Chinese history, culture, and food, sure to satisfy anyone craving authentic Chinese food and hungry for knowledge of one of the world’s largest and most inspiring empires.
Mary Kate Tate first became interested in China as a high school student. She later studied Mandarin and Chinese history at the University of Texas at Austin and at Nanjing Normal University in China. She has worked as a teacher in China’s Hebei Province and as a writer in Beijing. She and Nate co-founded a creative agency based in New York City.
Nate Tate was one of the first Texas college students to study at Beijing’s prestigious Tsinghua University. A self-professed Chinese food obsessive, he has talked his way into restaurant kitchens across China to learn straight from the cooks in his quest to master Chinese cooking. Nate has toured 17 of China’s 22 provinces, and while living in Beijing, he worked as a restaurant designer.