Chinese Food : A New Way to Orient Yourself : Cooking class: Pei Mei Fu, Taiwan’s leading cooking authority, demonstrated authentic Chinese dishes at the Midtown Hilton recently. Several of her recipes are easily adapted to American kitchens and ingredients.

Think of Chinese chicken salad, California-style--shreds of chicken, sticky-sweet sauce and crisp rice stick noodles tossed together and embellished with sesame seeds and sprigs of cilantro.

Now consider Chinese chicken salad, Beijing-style--paper-thin slices of chicken, tangy with mustard and a sauce that contains only a few grains of sugar. Instead of rice sticks, there is a bed of carrots, tender green leaves of Chinese cabbage, button mushrooms and crunchy black fungus tossed with the same bold seasonings.

This is one of the dishes Pei Mei Fu, Taiwan’s leading cooking authority, made two Sundays ago during a weekend marathon of cooking classes at the Midtown Hilton. Fu is a TV cooking star in Taipei and Tokyo; she’s cooked on television for nearly 30 years. She’s also the author of 15 books and for years directed her own cooking school.

At the final session of Fu’s local cooking sessions, the only one in English, she demonstrated dishes that she thought would fit into American kitchens. They employ, for the most part, ingredients available in well-stocked supermarkets. The few items that would require a trip to an Oriental shop are pale, slim Chinese leeks; black fungus (wood ears), and sweetened bean paste.

But despite their simple ingredients, these dishes are authentically Chinese. Fu’s Beijing-style chicken salad, for instance, is served hot, not cold like most American salads--the Chinese consider hot food good for the stomach. And to the Chinese, a salad is simply a dish without oil. That’s why this Beijing dish involves no stir-frying or deep-frying; the chicken and vegetables are boiled.

Another Beijing dish, meatballs with sweet-and-sour sauce, has a thin golden brown sauce with soy sauce, instead of the thick, catsup-reddened sauce that Americans expect. The procedure, not the ingredients, makes this recipe typically Chinese.

Fu rechopped the ground pork with a cleaver, adding cold water as she worked, to produce a spongy paste. Grasping some of the paste in a fist, she squeezed small portions through an opening between her thumb and forefinger, scooped them off with a spoon and dropped them into a wok full of hot oil. Fu fried the meatballs twice, first to cook them, then to produce a crisp finish.

Combining meat with fruit is a Cantonese idea that started in Hong Kong and is now the rage in Taipei restaurants. Fu demonstrated this with beef strips and kiwi in a sauce similar to American sweet and sour. The kiwi filled in for the preferred fruit, mango, which is out of season.

Shrimp are more expensive in Taipei than in Los Angeles; this makes Two Flavors Minced Shrimp banquet fare. For this Shanghai dish, Fu colored half the shrimp with catsup and placed them alongside the remainder on a bed of rice sticks, ham and vegetables. The procedure is to stir up the ingredients, spoon a little into a lettuce leaf, wrap and munch. It’s a way to get more servings from the shrimp, Fu said, and to produce what looks like two dishes with very little effort.

For dessert, Fu prepared Shanghai-style pancakes filled with sweetened red bean paste and date paste. These she fried until golden brown and crispy, then cut into squares and strips for serving. Here are the recipes, together with alternatives for some of the Chinese ingredients.

CHICKEN SALAD

NORTHERN-STYLE

1 whole chicken breast, skinned

1 tablespoon Cornstarch Paste

1 tablespoon egg white

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon ground mustard

1 1/2 tablespoons warm water

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1 1/2 teaspoons vinegar

1 1/2 teaspoons sesame oil

1/4 teaspoon sugar

2 tablespoons chopped green onions

1 teaspoon minced ginger root

1 cup green part of Chinese cabbage, spinach, mustard greens or broccoli, cut in 1-inch lengths

1 cup soaked wood ears, torn into small pieces

1/2 cup sliced canned button mushrooms

10 to 15 slices cooked carrot

1 tablespoon wine

Cut chicken diagonally into very thin slices 1 1/2 to 2 inches long and about 1 inch wide. (Rub cleaver with cold water to make slicing easier.) Place chicken in bowl. Add Cornstarch Paste, egg white and salt. Mix well and marinate 10 minutes. Mix mustard with warm water and set in warm place 3 to 4 minutes. Combine soy sauce, vinegar, sesame oil, sugar, green onions and ginger. Set aside.

Bring water to boil in wok. Add cabbage, then wood ears, mushrooms and carrot. Bring to boil again. Drain vegetables and place in bowl. Combine with half mustard and half soy sauce mixture. Place on platter.

Bring more water to boil in wok. Add wine. Add chicken and boil over high heat, separating slices with chopsticks, about 10 seconds, or until done. Drain chicken. Mix with remaining mustard and soy sauce mixture. Place on top of vegetables on platter. Serve at once. Makes 4 servings.

Note: As substitute for wood ears, use sliced soaked shiitake mushrooms or any crisp vegetable.

Cornstarch Paste

2 tablespoons cornstarch

2 tablespoons water

Combine cornstarch and water in custard cup and mix well. Stir again before using.

MEATBALLS WITH

SWEET AND

SOUR SAUCE

1 teaspoon crushed ginger root

Cold water

1 pound ground pork

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 1/2 teaspoons minced green onion

1 1/2 teaspoons wine

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 egg

Oil for deep frying

3 tablespoons shredded green onions

Seasoning Sauce

Soak ginger root with 2 teaspoons cold water. Using cleaver, chop ground pork with 2 tablespoons cold water 1 minute. Place in bowl. Add cornstarch, soy sauce, 1 1/2 teaspoons minced green onion, wine, salt and egg. Squeeze in juice from ginger. Stir in 1 direction until very sticky.

Heat oil in wok. Wet 1 hand and place 2 to 3 tablespoons pork mixture in palm. Close fingers and squeeze walnut-size ball of pork mixture from top of fist. Remove meatball with wet spoon and drop into hot oil. Separate balls as they rise. Fry over low heat 2 to 2 1/2 minutes or until meatballs rise to surface. Remove to plate.

Reheat oil until smoking hot. Add meatballs and fry 20 to 30 seconds longer. Drain off all but 1 tablespoon oil. Add 3 tablespoons shredded green onions and stir-fry. Add Seasoning Sauce and cook until boiling and thickened. Add meatballs and mix well. Pour into deep plate or spoon onto bed of stir-fried cabbage. Makes 4 servings.

Seasoning Sauce

2/3 cup water

1/4 cup mild vinegar

1/4 cup sugar

1 tablespoon soy sauce

2 teaspoons cornstarch

1 teaspoon sesame oil

1/2 teaspoon salt

Combine water, vinegar, sugar, soy sauce, cornstarch, sesame oil and salt in bowl and mix well.

STIR-FRIED BEEF

WITH FRUIT

3/4 pound beef top round or fillet

1 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce

1 tablespoon Cornstarch Paste

1 1/2 teaspoons sesame oil

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

2 firm, underripe kiwi

1 tablespoon water

1 1/2 teaspoons Shaoxing wine, dry Sherry or sake

1 teaspoon sugar

1 teaspoon cornstarch

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 cups oil

1 tablespoon catsup

1/2 medium onion, cut lengthwise into strips

1 sweet red pepper, cut into strips

Cut beef across grain into thin strips 1 1/2 inches long. Add 1 tablespoon soy sauce, Cornstarch Paste, 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil and pepper. Mix well and marinate 15 minutes.

Peel kiwi, cut into thirds lengthwise and then into strips, eliminating loose seeds. Combine water, wine, remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons soy sauce and 1 teaspoon sesame oil, sugar, 1 teaspoon cornstarch and salt in bowl and set aside.

Heat oil in wok. Add beef and fry 10 seconds. Remove beef to platter and drain off all but 3 tablespoons oil. Reheat oil. Stir in catsup, then add onion and stir-fry. Add sweet red pepper and stir-fry until tender-crisp. Add beef and water mixture. Turn off heat, add kiwi and mix gently until kiwi is hot. Turn out onto serving plate. Makes 4 servings.

Note: Mango, pineapple, peach or mandarin orange segments may be used instead of kiwi.

TWO FLAVORS MINCED

SHRIMP

2 pounds shrimp, shelled and deveined

Salt

2 teaspoons Cornstarch Paste

1 tablespoon chicken stock

1 1/2 teaspoons light soy sauce

1/2 teaspoon sesame oil

Dash white pepper

Oil

3 ounces rice stick noodles

1 tablespoon chopped green onion

1 teaspoon minced ginger root

1/2 cup chopped canned button mushrooms

1/2 cup chopped ham

1/2 cup green peas

1 cup chopped Chinese leek

1 tablespoon catsup

Cilantro sprigs

Lettuce leaves

Sprinkle shrimp with salt to taste and mix well. Rinse, drain and pat dry with towel. Smash flat with side of cleaver. Chop into small pieces. Place shrimp in bowl, add Cornstarch Paste and 1/2 teaspoon salt and marinate 10 minutes. Combine stock, soy sauce, sesame oil and white pepper in bowl and set aside.

Heat oil for deep-frying in wok until smoking hot. Add rice noodles and fry 2 seconds, until puffed. Drain and place on serving plate. Let cool slightly, place paper towel on top and press to crush. Drain off all but 2 cups oil from wok. Reheat oil, add shrimp and fry until opaque. Strain and place in dish.

Drain off all but 3 tablespoons oil from wok. Reheat oil. Stir-in green onion and ginger. Add mushrooms, ham, peas and leek and stir-fry. Add half stock mixture, mix evenly and turn out on top of rice noodles.

Return shrimp to wok. Add remaining stock mixture and stir to combine. Remove half of shrimp from wok and spoon over half of rice noodles, covering mixture underneath. Mix catsup and 1 tablespoon oil with shrimp remaining in wok until evenly colored. Place on other half of rice noodles. Arrange row of cilantro sprigs along line where 2 mixtures meet. Accompany with lettuce leaves in which to wrap mixture. Makes 8 servings.

SWEET BEAN PASTE

PANCAKES

2 eggs

1 cup cold water

1 cup flour

Oil

1 cup canned sweet red bean or date paste

Beat eggs in bowl. Add water and mix, then add flour and mix well. Strain to remove any lumps. Batter should be thin.

Heat wok over low heat and rub lightly with oil. Add about 1/3 batter. Tilt pan quickly to make thin pancake 8 to 10 inches in diameter. Do not turn. Lift from wok and place on work surface, uncooked side up.

Form 1/3 sweet red bean paste into 6x2-inch rectangle in center of pancake. Fold bottom edge of pancake over bean paste. Fold sides to center. Brush top edge of pancake lightly with some of remaining batter, fold over and press to seal. Make 2 more pancakes in same fashion.

Heat about 1/2 cup oil in large skillet. Place folded pancakes side by side in skillet and cook until golden brown on each side. Remove from skillet, place on platter and cut into squares or strips. Makes 8 to 10 servings.

Note: Instead of bean or date paste, pancakes can be filled with peanut butter sweetened with honey, jam or ground meat mixture for savory snack.