Sweet Sour Salad and Cold Hot Chicken

Chinese cooking is rarely thought of as hot-weather food, but Pansy and Chu Yen Luke of the Oriental Food Market & Cooking School Inc. in Chicago have come up with the perfect menu for light summer dining.

Their Hunan Chicken calls for steaming, skinning and boning a chicken--much easier to do than it sounds--and then cutting it into bite-size chunks and serving it with its cooking juices. It’s a new look for chicken--not quite a salad, not quite a hot dish, but absolutely delicious served at room temperature (it’s low in fat too).

Subgum Fried Rice has a most unusual ingredient: cucumber threads preserved in syrup. Their sweetness transforms this dish, typically served hot, into something that can be served at room temperature. Vegetable Salad With Fruit Dressing is tangy and extremely refreshing when served slightly chilled.

All of the special Chinese ingredients can be purchased in Asian grocery stores. The Lukes recommend Tsing Tao, a Chinese beer, to go along with this menu. For dessert, summer fruits or sorbets end the meal on an appropriately light note.

Steaming chicken yields the juiciest, most tender meat. A deep steamer is required. Since this dish is served at room temperature, it’s very practical for buffets.

HUNAN CHICKEN

1/4 cup julienned ginger root

3 green onions, cut julienne

3 tablespoons hot bean sauce

3 tablespoons hoisin sauce

2 tablespoons light soy sauce

2 tablespoons rice wine

1 (3 1/2- to 4-pound) whole chicken, washed, patted dry, trimmed of any visible fat

2 to 3 teaspoons chile paste with garlic

1 tablespoon cornstarch mixed with 2 tablespoons water

Sweet red pepper strips, finely julienned

Carrot strips, finely julienned

Combine ginger, green onions, hot bean sauce, hoisin sauce, light soy sauce and rice wine in small dish. Let stand 15 minutes.

Remove ginger and green onions from sauce with slotted spoon and place in cavity of bird. Rub remaining sauce evenly over surface of bird. Shape heavy-duty foil into container large enough to hold bird. Place foil and bird in steamer.

Steam chicken over medium heat until juices run clear when knife pierces flesh between thigh and breast, about 45 minutes. Carefully lift foil container with bird out of steamer and place on work surface. Let chicken cool to room temperature (cooled chicken may be covered and refrigerated overnight at this point). Remove skin and bones and cut chicken meat into bite-size pieces. Arrange chicken on serving platter.

Skim fat from sauce. Strain sauce (reheat, if refrigerated). Bring to boil 1 1/2 cups (use remaining sauce for soup base) and add 2 teaspoons chile paste with garlic. Stir in cornstarch mixture. Sauce should be thin but not watery. Adjust seasonings to taste. Add remaining chile paste if necessary. Spoon sauce over chicken. Can be refrigerated several hours. Let stand briefly at room temperature to remove chill (or alternately, barely warm at lowest setting in microwave oven).

Drain red pepper and carrot juliennes and use to garnish chicken. Serve at room temperature. Makes 4 servings.

Each serving contains about:

338 calories; 2,422 mg sodium; 167 mg cholesterol; 8 grams fat; 9 grams carbohydrates; 54 grams protein; 0.54 grams fiber.

Fried rice is the kind of recipe you can easily alter to your own taste. The most important ingredient is the rice itself, which must be very cold, preferably chilled overnight.

SUBGUM FRIED RICE

3 tablespoons dark soy sauce

3/4 to 1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon sugar

1/2 teaspoon white pepper

3 tablespoons peanut oil

1 medium onion, cut into 1/4-inch dice

3 large eggs, beaten

4 cups cooked cold rice

1/3 cup diced sweet red pepper

1/3 cup diced green pepper

1/2 ounce dried black mushrooms, soaked in hot water, stems trimmed, caps thinly sliced

1 cup bean sprouts

1 cup fresh peas, or 1 cup frozen petite peas

1/3 cup preserved cucumber threads in syrup

3 green onions, thinly sliced

Combine soy sauce, salt, sugar and white pepper in small dish. Set aside.

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in wok until smoky hot. Add chopped onion. Stir-fry 30 seconds. Remove from wok and set aside.

Add remaining oil to wok. When hot, add eggs and stir until firm. Add cold rice and stir-fry until very hot, about 2 minutes. Add soy sauce mixture to rice and mix well. Add red and green peppers, mushrooms, bean sprouts, peas, preserved cucumber threads, green onions and reserved fried onion. Mix well and cook 1 more minute.

Remove from heat. Let rest several hours at room temperature. To serve, mix well and adjust seasonings to taste. Makes 4 servings.

Each serving contains about:

487 calories; 1,248 mg sodium; 159 mg cholesterol; 15 grams fat; 70 grams carbohydrates; 18 grams protein; 4.82 grams fiber.

Note: To make 4 cups cooked rice, place 8 ounces long-grain rice in pot. Rinse several times with cold water until water is barely cloudy with starch. Drain rinsing water. Add 1 3/4 cups water. Let stand 15 minutes. Simmer rice, covered, until almost all water is absorbed, about 5 to 7 minutes. Set heat on lowest setting and cook 15 minutes more. Remove from heat. Fluff rice with fork. Let cool, then refrigerate as long as 2 days or at least overnight.

This colorful salad is a sweet and tangy Chinese version of coleslaw, a low-fat version at that. It would also work well with all grilled meats and cold cuts.

VEGETABLE SALAD WITH FRUIT DRESSING

1 orange, sliced

1 lemon, sliced

1 lime, sliced

1/2 to 2/3 cup sugar

1 cup rice vinegar

2 teaspoons salt

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 tablespoon sesame oil

3 tablespoons rice wine

1 (1-pound) head Napa cabbage, cut into 1-inch dice

1 medium Spanish onion, cut into 1/2-inch dice

1 medium carrot, cut in thin julienne, 2 inches long

8 ounces daikon, quartered lengthwise, thinly sliced

1 (8-ounce) can sliced water chestnuts, drained

2 large sweet red peppers, cut into 1/8-inch juliennes

5 radishes, thinly sliced

3 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds

Reserve half of each sliced orange, lemon and lime for garnish. Combine remaining orange, lemon and lime slices with 1/2 cup sugar, rice vinegar, salt, soy sauce, sesame oil and rice wine. Let stand 30 minutes.

Pour dressing through strainer. Use wooden spoon to press all liquid from citrus slices. Discard slices.

Combine cabbage, onion, carrot, daikon, water chestnuts, peppers and red radishes in large bowl. Mix well. Pour strained citrus dressing over vegetables. Toss well. Adjust seasonings to taste. Add remaining sugar if needed. Marinate 2 to 3 hours, refrigerated.

Serve chilled or at room temperature. To serve, drain salad well, adjust seasonings to taste, garnish with toasted sesame seeds and reserved fruit slices. Makes 4 servings.

Each serving contains about:

305 calories; 1,473 mg sodium; 0 cholesterol; 7 grams fat; 54 grams carbohydrates; 5 grams protein; 2.57 grams fiber.