Wang, Hui Lan. Sichuan Recipes (四川名菜). Hong Kong: Wan Li Book Co, Ltd., 1988, p. 15.
In the introduction to this wonderful book, Wang Hui Lan optimistically writes:
...Most of the methods of the preparation are simple and all the main and auxiliary ingredients are available abroad. So long as the readers do the cooking in accordance with this book, they can make palatable Sichuan dishes.
Wang then launches into a series of recipes involving frogs, shark fin, and my favorite:
Bear's Paw with Hot Sesame Sauce
麻辣熊掌 / ma la xiong zhang
Ingredients: 1. processed bear's paw; (a) 1/2 spring onion, 4 slices ginger, 1 onion, shredded, 1/2 stick celery, shredded, adequate amount of xanthoxylum seeds, 1 length carrot, shredded, 1 bay leaf; (b) 20 g. each of green peppers and carrot, 20 g. celery; 1 teaspoon xanthoxoylum seeds, adequate amount each of ginger shreds and onion shreds, adequate amount of bittern, 1 small bowl hot sesame sauce, 1 tablespoon wine.
Method:
- Soak the bear's paw in water for 2 days, remove dirt out its pores, bring it together with the (b) ingredients to boil, boil them over mild heat for about 5 hours; take the paw put, wash its pores clean, remove fine hair and soak it for half a day more.
- Add wine to the same (b) ingredients, put the bear's paw in, boil it for about 2 hours and it is thoroughly done when a chopstick can be inserted; then pull bones out of the bear's paw.
- Bring bittern to boil, put the bear's paw of (2) in, stew it for about 50 minutes, sprinkle sesame oil in, cool it and freeze it in the refrigerator; then slice it for use.
- Cook the sliced (a) ingredients, season them, lay them on the rim of a plate, arrange the sliced bear's paw in and put ginger and onion shreds on top; pour the hot sesame sauce over the bear's paw slices for serving.
