Chinese Feast (as good as take away)

This is about my favourite Chinese cookbook - full of authentic recipes and great pictures.  A winning combination if ever there was one.  It was the starting point for our dinner tonight.  There is a very tasty recipe for "Three Cup Chicken", the internet equivalent for which seems to be quite elusive.  The other recipe I tried, from a recently acquired library cast-off (one should hang about libraries when they are culling their stock!), was a steamed pork rib dish, such as you would have if you were enjoying Yum Cha.

Neither dish contained any kind of vegetable so I quartered a bunch of baby bok choy and steamed those in with the chicken.  I had no idea, but two of the kids informed me they don't like bok choy.  Well, I just think that's not allowed, so next time I would chop them up and make it part of the dish, proper.  The flavour of bok choy is far less bossy when it's all mixed in and you get small, tender bites throughout.

~ Our Better-than-Take-Away Chinese Feast ~

Steamed Pork Ribs

Three Cup Chicken

Steamed Bok Choy

Basmati Rice

I wish I could find recipes that are closer to what I used tonight, but alas the internet is not being helpful this evening.  What I will say, is get yourself some good books with recipes that are authentic, and then be adventurous.  Or ask a friend who might be willing to share some hints and recipes with you.  What I learned tonight?  The sauces are so, so simple.  The chicken?  Dry sherry, soy sauce and chicken stock.  Liquid stock, I'm sure, made all the difference.  I normally wouldn't bother with the expense of buying stock in liquid form.  I now have a whole bunch of stock ice-cubes freezing for posterity.  And because I was smart, and measured, I know they are each a 15ml tablespoon's worth.

What is your "better than take away" meal?