A wok to remember

The culinary appeal of Chinese cooking has taken Western culture by storm. Those who experience this Asian nirvana know how good and economical Chinese food can be. And you won’t be disappointed when you sit down at a table in CJ Palace in Sparks. The bonus here: It’s got sushi, too.

All in the family, Chef Dau Ngu masterfully wields the wok in the kitchen while wife, Kelly Leing, watches the front-of-the-house, and her brother Donne rules the rolls at the sushi bar. CJ’s offers a Chinese menu as long as the Great Wall. There’s a decent offering on the sushi side, but I was there for the wok wonders.

First, the Hunan-style, General Chicken ($10.95) named after General Tso Tsung-tang of the Qing Dynasty, the last dynasty of China, ruling to 1912. He was a general and statesman who was said to have enjoyed it, and perhaps helped create the dish, but there are no recorded recipes. The real roots of the dish lie in the post-1949 exodus of Chinese chefs to the United States. It was served in New York in the early 1970s.

At CJ’s, out came a generous portion of boneless, white meat chicken pieces marinated in soy sauce, lightly battered and deep-fried to a crispy, golden brown before being coated with a sweet-hot sauce made with dried chilies, more soy, honey, vinegar, a hint of orange, and a little hoisin sauce.

Hoisin is a tangy reddish-brown bean sauce, also known as Peking sauce. It’s an Asian pantry staple made from soybeans, sugar, vinegar, flour, garlic, chili peppers, sweet potatoes and assorted seasonings. The meat was hot, moist and the breading was firm bordering on crisp, not greasy. The cascade of flavors from garlic to sweet to spicy was balanced and consistent in every bit.

From the Mandarin region came Mongolian beef ($10.95), a thinly sliced “steak-cut,” stir-fried with vegetables in a savory brown sauce, made with hoisin sauce, soy sauce and chili peppers. The beef was paired with scallions and served over steamed rice. The meat was tender and the flavors of the sauce complemented the beef with a garlic, mild heat, back-of-the-mouth, slightly sweet finish. The flavor of the subtle, sweet onion scallions are always welcome to punctuate the flavors on my palate.

Lastly, triple delight ($15.25), a Cantonese dish with shrimp, scallops and chicken with traditional, steamed vegetables, in a light, garlic-lemon sauce then masterfully stir-fired. The vegetables were thoroughly cooked yet firm and full of flavor defined by the sauce and the shrimp, scallops and chicken, not over-cooked and generous on the plate.

They also snuck in a sushi long roll, the Tiger ($9.50): shrimp tempura, crab, avocado, cooked shrimp, two special sauces, and scallions. Lunch prices run from $6.50-$8.95 and dinner run from $6.95-$13.95 for a la carte. There are complete meal lunches ($6.50-$8.75) and dinner specials ($12.99-$15.99 per person). You can get a whole duck for $25.50 and a whole flounder for $20.95. There’s a modest wine list and domestic and imported beers. I went with the traditional green tea ($2.49 a pot).

Both the cooking and consumption of Chinese food are great culinary experiences. Besides appealing to our taste buds and eyes, food prepared in the Chinese manner is nutritious, retaining its vitamins with quick and minimum cooking. CJ Palace brings honor to the art of Chinese food. The only thing missing was someone to ring the giant gong.