Chinese food is a great way to infuse a different culture into your weekday or Shabbos fare. Here are some easy recipes for you to try. Hope you enjoy them!

Fong Wong Gai

2 ½ lbs thin chicken cutlets, flattened

½ lb pastrami

Batter

1 cup flour

¼ cup cornstarch

2 tsp baking powder

¼ tsp sugar

¾ cup water, add more as needed

1 tablespoon onion soup mix

Oil for frying

Directions:

Mix the batter ingredients in a shallow pan.

Lay out the flattened chicken cutlets. Place a piece of pastrami in the middle of each cutlet. Roll up each cutlet and insert two toothpicks to keep it closed.

Place oil into a 3-quart pot and heat over high flame until a drop of water sizzles upon contact.

Dip each rolled cutlet into the batter and then place in the hot oil to deep fry until golden; about three minutes per side. Remove with a slotted spoon and place on a paper-towel-lined plate to drain. Repeat with all the rolls.

Allow the cutlets to cool; remove toothpicks and cut each roll into three slices.

Put a decorative skewer into each slice before serving.

Asian Salad

●   4 small cucumbers, unpeeled

●   2 red peppers sliced thin

●   2 medium carrots peeled

●   8 oz button mushrooms sliced

●   1 can baby corn, sliced

●   6 scallions sliced

●   2 garlic cloves, minced

Dressing

●   5 tbs rice vinegar

●   4 tbs soy sauce

●   2 tbs sesame oil

Black pepper to taste

●   2 tbs sesame seeds

With a julienne peeler, julienne the carrots and cucumbers.

In a medium bowl, mix the carrots, cucumbers, red peppers, mushrooms, baby corn and scallions. Sprinkle the garlic over the top. Add rice vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil and black pepper. Toss, sprinkle with sesame seeds and serve.

Sushi Salad

●   1 cup brown rice

●   1 tbs wasabi paste

●   2 tbs soy sauce

●   2/3 cup rice wine vinegar

●   ½ tsp raw honey

●   1 cucumber diced into ¼ inch pieces

●   4 nori sheets, quartered and cut into ¼ inch strips

●   1 large carrot, peeled and sliced thin

●   8 oz mock kosher crab

●   1 avocado pitted, peeled and sliced

●   4 cups baby spinach

In a medium sauce pot, bring two cups water to a boil. Stir in rice, cover and reduce heat to low. Simmer for 30 minutes. Remove from heat and let sit, covered, for an additional 10 minutes. Spread rice on a baking sheet to cool to room temperature, about 15 minutes. In a small bowl, whisk wasabi, soy sauce, vinegar and honey. Set aside. In a large bowl, mix rice, cucumber, nori and carrot. Drizzle with wasabi-honey mixture and stir to combine. With a rubber spatula, gently fold in crab. Divide spinach evenly among serving bowls or plates and top each with rice-crab mixture and avocado.

Gail Hochman has been a resident of Bergen County for over 30 years and has been blessed with many grandchildren.

By Gail Hochman