The Hunan Soccharat Sandwich (湘西锅巴)
The Hunan Soccharat Sandwich (湘西锅巴)
Crunchy Rice with Spicy Fillings.
This sandwich contains seven toppings: the five toppings we’ll need to make below, plus chili oil fermented tofu and either fish wort or cilantro.
Topping #1: Chili Fried Tofu
Aromatics:
Garlic, 2 cloves. Minced.
Ginger, ~1/2 inch. Minced.
Hunan "Chopped Chilis" (剁椒), 1 tbsp
Dougan or super firm tofu (豆干), 150g. Diced.
Liaojiu a.k.a. Shaoxing wine (料酒/绍酒), 1 tbsp.
Soy sauce (生抽), 1 tbsp
Seasoning:
Salt, 1/4 tsp;
MSG (味精), 1/8 tsp
White pepper (白胡椒粉), 1/8 tsp
Mince two cloves of garlic and ~½ inch of ginger. Dice 150g of dougan/super firm tofu.
Swirl ~2 tablespoons oil into a wok, and fry the minced aromatics over a low flame until fragrant, ~30 seconds. Add one tablespoon of "chopped chilis", fry for another minute. Up the flame to high, add in the dougan/tofu. Quick 30 second fry, then swirl one tablespoon Shaoxing wine over the spatula and around the sides of the wok. Another ~30 second fry, then do the same thing with one tablespoon of soy sauce. Add in the seasoning - ¼ tsp salt, ⅛ tsp MSG, ⅛ tsp white pepper - and mix.
Topping #2: Chili Fried Chili
Aromatics:
Garlic, 1 clove. Minced.
Ginger, ~1cm. Minced.
Chili pepper – medium spicy, 150g. Diced.
Liaojiu a.k.a. Shaoxing wine (料酒/绍酒), ½ tbsp
Soy sauce (生抽), ½ tbsp
Seasoning:
Salt, 1/4 tsp;
MSG (味精), 1/8 tsp
White pepper (白胡椒粉), 1/8 tsp
Mince one cloves of garlic and ~1cm of ginger. Dice 150g of chili pepper.
Swirl ~2 tablespoons oil into a wok, and fry the minced aromatics over a low flame until fragrant, ~30 seconds. Add in the chilis. Quick 30 second fry, then up the flame to high. Swirl half tablespoon wine over the spatula and around the sides of the wok. Another ~30 second fry, then do the same thing with a half tablespoon of soy sauce. Add in the seasoning - ¼ tsp salt, ⅛ tsp MSG, ⅛ tsp white pepper - and mix.
Topping #3: Stir Fried Kelp
Dried kelp (海带), 15g
Aromatics:
Garlic, 2 cloves. Minced.
Ginger, ~1 cm. Minced.
Hot, fresh chili (朝天椒), 1. Sliced.
Soy sauce (生抽), 1 tsp
Seasoning:
Salt, ⅛ tsp;
MSG (味精), ⅛ tsp
White pepper (白胡椒粉), ⅛ tsp
Toasted sesame oil (麻油), ½ tsp
Soak 15g of kelp in cool water for 30 minutes, then thoroughly wash off any sand. To cut, roll it up and slice into ~1/2 cm slivers.
Mince two cloves of garlic and ~1cm of ginger. Slice one spicy chili.
Swirl ~½ tablespoon of oil into a wok and fry the aromatics over a low flame until fragrant, ~30 seconds. Up the flame to high, add in kelp. One minute fry, swirl in one teaspoon of soy sauce. Add in the seasoning - ⅛ tsp each salt, MSG, and white pepper - mix, shut off the heat. Drizzle in ½ tsp sesame oil, mix.
Topping #4: Sesame Fried Chili Flakes
Oil, 2 tbsp
Sesame seeds (芝麻), 1 tbsp
Spicy chili flakes (辣椒碎), 3 tbsp
Seasoning:
Salt, ¼ tsp
Sugar, ¼ tsp
MSG (味精), ⅛ tsp
White pepper (白胡椒粉), ⅛ tsp
Soy sauce (生抽), ½ tsp
Swirl ~2 tablespoons oil into a wok. Over a medium low flame, heat the oil until bubbles are just starting to form around a pair of chopsticks, then add in a tablespoon of sesame seeds and three tablespoons of chili flakes. Fry for 5-6 minutes, or until the chili flakes have obviously deepened in color. Add in the seasoning - ¼ tsp salt, ¼ tsp sugar, ⅛ tsp MSG, ⅛ tsp white pepper - mix, swirl in ½ tsp of soy sauce, mix, heat off.
Topping #5: Spicy Potato Slivers
Potato, ~450g. Peeled and cut into thin slivers.
Aromatics:
Garlic, 2 cloves. Minced.
Dried chilis, 3. Sliced.
Liaojiu a.k.a. Shaoxing wine (料酒/绍酒), ½ tbsp
Soy sauce (生抽), 1 tbsp
Seasoning:
Salt, ½ tsp;
MSG (味精), ⅛ tsp
White pepper (白胡椒粉), ⅛ tsp
Peel 450g of potato and slice it into thin slivers. Thoroughly wash to get off the surface starch, and transfer to a strainer. Blanch the potato for 60 seconds, then strain and shock with cool running water to stop the cooking process.
Mince the garlic, slice the dried chilis into ~1cm sections.
Swirl ~2 tablespoons oil into a wok and fry the aromatics over a low flame until fragrant, ~30 seconds. Up the flame to high, add in the potato. Quick 30 second fry, then swirl in a half tablespoon wine over the spatula and around the sides of the wok. Another ~30 second fry, then do the same thing with one tablespoon of soy sauce. Add in the seasoning - ½ tsp salt, ⅛ tsp MSG, and ⅛ tsp white pepper - and mix well.
Making the Sandwich
Long grain sticky rice (长糯米), 65g
Oil to coat the pan, ~½ tbsp. Preferably Caiziyou.
Water, 6 tbsp
Salt, ⅛ tsp
Wash, then soak 65g of sticky rice with cool water for 7-8 hours (or overnight). Strain the rice.
Oil the pan with about ½ tbsp of oil, then add the strained rice in. Add six tablespoons of water and ⅛ tsp of salt, and cover. Cook over a medium low flame for 15 minutes, changing the pan position around every few minutes or so.
Uncover. The rice should be cooked. Over a medium flame, crisp up the bottom of the rice for ~10 minutes, moving the pan around to help everything crisp evenly.
Then, add the toppings.
Toppings:
Furu, fermented beancurd (腐乳) - preferably a chili furu (香辣腐乳) – 1 cube. Spread over.
Sesame fried chili flakes, 1 tsp
Chili fried tofu, 2 tbsp
Chili fried chili, 1 tbsp
Stir fried kelp, 1 tbsp
Fish wort (鱼腥草) or chopped cilantro, a sprinkle
Spicy Potato slivers, ~2 tbsp. More or less.
And fold it over.
Family Sized Version
This amount will fit into a 14 inch cast iron skillet.
Long grain sticky rice (长糯米), 210g
Oil to coat the pan. Preferably Caiziyou.
Water, 1.25 cups
Salt, ½ tsp
Wash, then soak 210g of sticky rice with cool water for 7-8 hours (or overnight). Strain the rice.
Oil the pan and spread over the rice. Add 1.25 cups of water, together with a half teaspoon salt. Cover, cook over a medium low flame for 30 minutes, changing the pan position around every few minutes or so.
Uncover. The rice should be cooked. Over a medium flame, crisp up the bottom of the rice for ~20 minutes, moving the pan around to help everything crisp evenly.
Cut the rice into eight pieces like a pizza. Add the toppings to one of the pieces.
Toppings:
Furu, fermented beancurd (腐乳) - preferably a chili furu (香辣腐乳) – 1 cube. Spread over.
Sesame fried chili flakes, 1 tsp
Chili fried tofu, 2 tbsp
Chili fried chili, 1 tbsp
Stir fried kelp, 1 tbsp
Fish wort (鱼腥草) or chopped cilantro, a sprinkle
Spicy Potato slivers, ~2 tbsp. More or less.
Add another piece on top and eat like a sandwich.