Outdoor Wok Cookbook, The

by: Brenda Kulibert

Rhinelander WI: Explorers Guide Publishing 2000, $9.94, Paperback
ISBN: 187943220-X

Reviewed by: Jacqueline M. Newman
Summer Volume: 2001 Issue: 8(2) page(s): 25

Chinese recipes for the camper predominate. They were adapted by the author of Campground Cookery, and can be made indoors if you prefer keeping your distance from bushes and bugs. Not only are they adapted for the outdoors, they are also adjusted for western tastes. For example, Shrimp Toast is buttered before pan-frying, an alternate to the more classical deep-frying. Jewel of the Orient Crab Cakes are fried, too, and they include mayonnaise and breadcrumbs.

The Braised Fish with Lemon Sauce is more typically Chinese as is the Kung Pao Shrimp. These recipes have so many ingredients that trucking them along might be a problem for the camper but not for those who camp at home and cook outdoors. Some might bristle at thirteen ingredients required for this shrimp dish, but seek them out and you will be rewarded.

The Hunan Cotton Chicken, a fascinating name with no indication of origin, is on the other hand, simple. It uses chicken breasts and can be made anywhere. The Oriental Beef with Noodles tastes Chinese but the unusual proportions are American with its pound and a half of flank steak, a bunch of scallions, and just two cups of cooked noodles. Any large pot will do for this and all the recipes. Try them and enjoy Chinese and Chinese-style food indoors or out.

Braised Fish with Lemon Sauce
Ingredients:
1 whole fish, about 2 pounds, cleaned with scales removed
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
1 Tablespoon all purpose flour
4 Tablespoons peanut oil
1 Tablespoon minced fresh ginger
1 Tablespoon minced fresh garlic
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 cup chicken stock
2 Tablespoons thin soy sauce
1 teaspoon sesame oil
Preparation
1. Rinse fish in cold water and pat dry, then rub the salt on the inside and outside of it and then dredge it in the flour.
2. Heat peanut oil until it is very hot; then gently slide the fish into a skillet or wok and fry three minutes on each side, Remove the fish to a warmed platter and keep it warm.
3. Reheat the remaining oil in that same pan and add ginger root and garlic and toss for about fifteen seconds then add the fish, lemon juice, stock, soy sauce, and the sesame oil and simmer it covered for twelve minutes turning the fish once.
4. Carefully remove to a platter and serve.

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