Chinese for a crowd

[wyo_rose]

Beef Lo Mein:

4 pounds round or sirloin steak, thinly sliced
1 large cabbage, thinly sliced,
OR 3 bags shredded cabbage for coleslaw
4 stalks celery, thinly sliced on the diagonal
3 onions, cut in half then thinly sliced lengthwise
3 cloves garlic, minced, or 4 teaspoons minced garlic
2 cans beef broth
1/2 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons vinegar
2 tablespoons sugar or 4 packets sweetener
1-2 cups oil
2# uncooked weight spaghetti, angel hair or lo mein noodles, cooked

You'll be working in batches so have a big bowl ready to receive items as they're done.

For starters, begin cooking your noodles if they're not already cooked.

Working with a large skillet or wok, or preferrably two, heat on medium high heat until very hot. Add 1/4 cup oil and stirfry the beef, working in 2 or 3 batches. Cook a few minutes past the stage when all the pink is gone. Pour into bowl.

When all the beef is cooked, add 1/4 cup more oil to pan and cook the cabbage in 3 or 4 batches. Cook at least 5 minutes and maybe 10 depending on the size of your pan and the heat. It's ok to let it get a little brown on the edges.

Next stir fry all the celery in 1/4 cup more oil until crisp-tender. Then saute the onions in a little more oil in a couple batches until beginning to brown. Drain your noodles, or if you're using soft lo mein noodles - heat a little oil in the pan and stir fry the noodles for a few minutes working in batches. Or you can just transfer them to a bowl if you want to skip this step. The starch from the noodles helps thicken the sauce slightly, though.

After everything is in the bowl, begin cooking your sauce. Pour the beef broth in the pan, or if you have 2 pans going, pour 1 can in each pan. Then add the soy sauce, vinegar, sugar, and garlic. Bring to a boil, add back some of the noodles and simmer for a few minutes. Pour over ingredients in bowl and toss together.

[wyo_rose]

Fried Rice:

Cook your rice the day before and store in the refrigerator. Use a heavy pot with a tight fitting lid, and you'll have to work in batches of about 3 cups rice, 6 cups water and a Tablespoon of salt. Heat water and salt to boiling, add rice, turn heat low, cover tightly, cook for 30 minutes, fluff with fork, and let sit without taking off the lid for 15-30 minutes. Then transfer to a covered container. I like to use empty ice cream buckets.

25 cups rice or so from 5 # uncooked rice.
5 large onions, chopped
1- 1/4 cup soy sauce
12 eggs, beaten
oil

Working in batches again, saute onions in about 1/2 cup of oil - probably 2 batches. If you want chicken or some other meat in the fried rice, chop finely and saute as well. You'll probably need at least 2 pounds. Transfer ingredients to large bowl as they're done.

Next stirfry the rice in batches with about 1/4 cup oil for each 5 cups. Then add in 1/4 cup soy sauce. Transfer to bowl. When all the rice is done, toss thoroughly with other ingredients.

Now get an electric roaster ready to place the finished rice into when done. Or you can use a very large pan and cover with foil. Put about 4 cups rice mixture back into pan, stir and heat a couple minutes, clear an area to the front side of the pan, add in about 2 eggs worth of the beaten eggs, scramble in smallish pieces until about half set, then quickly mix in with rice mixture, cook a couple more minutes and transfer to roaster. Continue until you've "re-fried" all the rice mixture. Keep tightly covered.

[wyo_rose]

Beef and Broccoli:

10 # thinly sliced round or sirloin steak or roast
1/2 cups soy sauce
2 - 5# bags of frozen broccoli florets
5 packages brown gravy mix
1/2 cup minced fresh ginger, or 1/4 cup powdered ginger
1/4 cup minced garlic, or 2 tablespoons powdered garlic
2 Tablespoons sugar or 4 packets sweetener
Oil

Cook broccoli according to directions on package. Transfer to large bowl. Stir fry beef in batches in a hot skillet or wok with a little oil. When it's done and the liquid evaporated, add a couple tablespoons soy sauce. Transfer to bowl.

Mix 5 packs brown gravy with 5 cups water and bring to rolling boil. Add the ginger, garlic, and sugar. Boil about 2-3 minutes longer. Pour over ingredients in bowl and toss thoroughly.

[wyo_rose]

Sweet and sour chicken:

10 pounds chicken breast, cut into 1 inch cubes or slightly smaller
deep fryer or large saucepan with about 6 cups oil
2 boxes cornstarch
4 cans chicken broth
6 eggs
1/2 cup soy sauce

For batter: mix cornstarch (reserve 1/2 cup for sauce), 2 can's chicken broth, eggs and 1/2 cup soy sauce. It should be like thick pancake batter. If it's too thin, add some flour. If too thick, add some water. Pour over cubed chicken breast, stirring to coat thoroughly. Deep fry in small batches, draining thoroughly.

Several versions of sweet and sour sauce:

Hawaiian:
3 cans crushed pineapple
1 cup vinegar
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup cornstarch
2 cans chicken broth

Mix cornstarch and sugar, stir in vinegar and chicken broth until smooth. Add pineapple with juice and bring to a boil. Simmer for a couple minutes until thickened.

Orange sauce: substitute 6 can's mandarin oranges for the pineapple, crushing the oranges. Or substitute 1 cup orange juice plus 1 cup water.

Traditional sweet and sour:
1 cup vinegar
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup cornstarch
4 cups water

Bring vinegar, sugar and soy sauce to boil. Mix cornstarch into water and stir until dissolved. Stir into boiling vinegar/sugar mixture and cook until thickened. Mix in some red food coloring to make it look "restaurant style".


You can use as a dipping sauce, or pour over the cooked chicken and toss to cover.

[wyo_rose]

Egg drop soup by the gallon:

For each gallon of water, stir in 2 boxes of Lipton Noodle soup (4 packs) and heat on high. Beat 6 eggs very well in a bowl. When the soup begins to boil, turn down the heat and stir the soup in a circular motion while drizzling in the beaten eggs. Turn off heat.

You can substitute other chicken broth if you don't want any noodles in the soup. And maybe add some chopped green onion tops.