Crispy Rice Dome (锅巴)
Introducing two different styles of crispy rice, plus two applications.
Guobao Squares
Ingredients:
Jasmine rice (香米) 100g
Sticky rice (糯米) 35g
Process:
Cook the rice according to your rice cooker or your normal rice cooking ration, or a rice to water ratio of 1:1.2.
Once rice is done, take it out and lay it in an 8-inch baking tray, use a silicon spatula to press it down to a relatively firm piece. If your spatula is sticking to the rice, lightly oil it.
Cut 5 lines each way to create 25 pieces. When it’s down to room temperature, put it in the fridge uncover to dry up, preferably overnight (up to 2-3 days in the fridge).
Next day, take out the pieces on to a plate for easier maneuvering, the dried up sides facing down.
Heat some oil up to 175C, and slide in the guoba. Let it fry till it can slide around like one big pancake. Then flip and fry the other side till it also hardens up. Then flip again, fry till both sides are lightly golden brown, break up the pieces along the way, then drain and out.
Guobao Fried Ganba
Ingredients:
Beef jerky (牛干巴/牛肉干), 80g
Guoba from above
Spicy dry chili (小米辣/朝天椒) 5-6 pcs
Huajiao Sichuan peppercorn (花椒) 1/2 tsp
Garlic 3 cloves
Ginger 1 inch
Soy sauce (生抽) 1/2 tbsp
Seasoning:
Salt 1/4 tsp
Sugar 1/4 tsp
Sichuan pepper powder (花椒粉) 1/4 tsp
MSG 1/8 tsp
Process:
Heat about 1-inch of oil to 150C. Toss in the beef jerky and give it a quick 30-45 second fry, than strain and out.
To stir fry, leave about 1/2 tbsp oil in wok, add in garlic and ginger, fry on low heat, then in with the chili and Sichuan peppercorn kernels, fry till fragrant.
Toss in the beef jerky, mix, then guoba in and mix. Swirl in the soy sauce, mix. Heat off and sprinkle in the rest of the seasoning, mix and out.
Dome-shaped Guoba
Ingredients:
Jasmine rice (香米/粘米) 150g
Sticky rice (糯米) 50g
Process:
Cook the rice as usual, or use a rice to water ratio of 1:1.2. Once the rice is done, toss it in a lightly oiled wok.
Use a nonstick spatula to press the rice into a rough pancake. Then press the edge to firm it up. Then start from the center to press it down so that the pancake can expand outward. Go back to the edge to firm up and then press from the center outward, repeat the process till you have something that’s about 22-24cm in diameter.
Add in ~3 tbsp oil, heat on medium low, tilt the wok and fry the edge to firm it up. Tilt and swirl the wok till the outside ring is nice and firm.
Then add in about 1/2 cup oil, turn heat to medium high, start frying the whole guoba.
Slightly tilt the wok, aiming for the center and the side, fry for about 1 minute, then swirl and fry till the whole guoba hardens up. Then set aside.
Guizhou-style Kung Pao Topping
Ingredients:
For the Ciba Chili Paste:
Red fragrant chilis (二荆条), 20g
Hot, spicy chilis (小米辣), 5g
Garlic, 1-2 cloves. Crushed.
Ginger, 1cm. Crushed.
Chicken thigh, 375g. Diced into 1cm cubes.
Marinade:
Salt, ½ tsp
Sugar, 1 tsp
Cornstarch (生粉), 1 tsp
White pepper (白胡椒粉), ~1/8 tsp
Soy sauce (生抽), ½ tsp
Dark soy sauce (老抽), ¼ tsp
Liaojiu a.k.a. Shaoxing wine (料酒/绍酒), 1 tsp
Egg white, ~1/2 egg
Oil, ~1/2 tbsp
Oil to fry (preferably caiziyou, 菜籽油), 4-5 tbsp
Ciba chili paste from above, ¼ cup
Aromatics:
Garlic, 3 cloves. Sliced
Ginger, ~1 inch. Sliced
Green garlic (蒜苗), ~3 stalks. White and green separated. White slightly crushed, greens cut into 1 inch pieces.
Spicy dried chilis (小米辣), ~4. Halved.
Tianmianjiang aka Sweet bean paste (甜面酱), ¼ tsp.
Baijiu (白酒) or Shaoxing wine (料酒), 1 tbsp
Sauce:
Dark Chinese Vinegar (陈醋/香醋), 2 tbsp
Sugar, 1.5 tbsp
Soy sauce (生抽), 1 tbsp
Chicken bouillon (鸡粉), ½ tsp
MSG (味精), ¼ tsp
Cornstarch (生粉), ½ tbsp
Water, 2 tbsp
Process:
To prepare the ciba chili paste, first reconstitute the dried chilis with hot, boiled water for one hour.
After that time, snip the chilis into a mortar together with the crushed garlic and the ginger. Pound until pasty. You can also use a food processor if you don’t have a mortar, or if you mortar is small.
Cut the green garlic, slice the ginger and the chilis, prepare the sauce, dice the chicken. Mix the chicken with all the ingredients from the marinade, coating with the oil at the very end.
To fry the chicken, keeping your flame on maximum, toss in the chicken at 185C. Break it apart with chopsticks, and let fry untouched for 10 seconds. Then stir it a bit with your spatula for another 30 seconds, and strain the chicken and drain out the oil.
Evaluate your oil. We’ll need four tablespoons for this stir fry.
Heat on medium-high, in with the ciba chili paste. Fry for 2-3 minutes, or until the oil is stained red. Add the Tianmianjiang, fry for about 30 seconds. Garlic and ginger slices, in. Fry til fragrant, about 30 seconds. Sauce, in. Pour around the sides of the wok and let it quickly reduce. Stir for roughly 30 seconds. It should start to look a bit thick, almost like a thin syrup. Chicken, in. Fry for about 30 seconds, tossing it to coat evenly if you can. Green garlic, in. Fry for about 15 seconds, tossing it to coat evenly if you can.
Remove, and smother over the domed guoba.