An unexpected and very special box arrived in the mail this week. My dear friend Kim from Seattle sent me a birthday gift that will be a treasure for The Culinary Cellar. It is an old-fashioned metal recipe box from 1965 and unlike any I have ever seen.
I’ve never seen one with print on the box like this one.
Front of the box.
Inside is this photo of two beautiful women who offer their own recipes for Chinese Cuisine. From what I found from the information inside, the box could be ordered from an address in Seattle and recipes with 12 to a package could be purchased to fill the box. On the back of the photo was a note from the women: “Wishing you many years of enjoyment in the exquisite Chinese food you prepare with your own hands and our recipes.” It was signed “By the Co-Authoresses.” In an introductory card, the women explain that these are not famous Chinese delicacies such as “Bird Nests,” “Shark Fins,” “Elephant Trunks,” or “Bear Claws,” but instead are recipes for family meals with food easily prepared.
About the time the box arrived, so did my daughter Kristina with her girls in tow. I showed her the box and we immediately dove right into it. We found so many dishes we wanted to make! Almond Chicken; Smokey Roast Chicken that has sherry, ginger juice, and Hoisin sauce; Honey-Orange Duck; Butterfly Prawns with a special Sweet-Sour Sauce that includes Chinese pickles and pineapple; Fruit Juice Pot Roast made with orange juice, aniseeds, ginger, and sherry; several interesting spare rib recipes; Barbecued Pork Egg Foo Young; Almond Cookies; and lots of salad recipes.
Since it was lunch time, Kristina and I decided to make a cold noodle salad, one of our favorites. Plus, it called for strips of ham which we had leftover from our fabulous Easter ham. The recipe card called it “Summer Delight Noodles.”
Noodles are tossed with bean sprouts and ham strips along with a sauce that includes peanut butter and sesame oil.
It was perfect and so easy to make!
Thank you again, Kim, for this very special gift, and to Diana Wu Liu, and Lily Wu Tang for sharing your family recipes.
- ½ pound fresh bean sprouts
- 1 pound Chinese fresh noodles (or dry if you can't find fresh)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup vegetable or canola oil
- ½ cup cooked ham, sliced into thin strips
- 3 Tablespoons creamy peanut butter
- 2 Tablespoons water
- 5 Tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 Tablespoons white vinegar
- 2 Tablespoons sesame oil
- 3 Tablespoons granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon MSG (Accent)
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 2 stalks green onion, sliced thin
- Garnish: Additional green onion slices, white and black sesame seeds
- Cook bean sprouts in boiling water for 2 minutes. Rinse in cold water and drain well.
- Cook noodles in boiling salted water for 4 minutes; rinse with cold water 4 times and drain well.
- Place noodles in a large bowl. Pour vegetable oil over noodles and toss well. Stir in ham and bean sprouts.
- In a medium bowl, mix peanut butter with water into a smooth paste. Stir in all remaining ingredients and blend well. Pour sauce over noodle mixture and toss to coat well. Cover bowl and chill. Serve cold.
Sounds good. Will save this one. E. j.
Wonderful that you & Kristina, & the girls, enjoyed a delightful afternoon together centered around that 1965 recipe box from my area. I wondered if those 2 ladies cooking-tradition was passed on to their next generation? All I knew is that when I found it, I knew it belonged in your Culinary Cellar. So glad you like it! The recipe you chose looks delicious & thank you for sharing your joy of cooking & cookbooks with all of us. Love & Hugs, Kim
Kim, we love the recipe box so much! It would be fun to know if the next generation carried on the tradition of the family cooking. The women had such a clever and unique idea to share their recipes, instead of a cookbook. We’re looking forward to trying more of the recipes. Thank you again for your thoughtfulness.