VIDEO Cook it! Lamb pot au feu from Charlie Chiang's

Cook It: Lamb three-cup in a wok

Photo by CARRIE WISE // Buy this photo

Chongfan Huang, head chef at Charlie Chiang's in Naples, drains the oil as he demonstrates wok cooking. Learn to prepare lamb three-cup in this week's Cookit! video online at naplesnews.com.

Christiana Chiang came to the United States from Taiwan in the late ’60s with her husband, Charles, and in 35 years they have been involved in opening more than 25 restaurants. Throughout her career, Christiana has had every job in the restaurant business — cashier, hostess, bartender, waitress, dishwasher, cook, delivery person, manager and designer — and today she is CEO of the restaurant and food service operations group Charlie Chiang’s Inc. The corporation operates restaurants, commissaries, and catering facilities in the Washington, D.C. area and Charlie Chiang’s restaurant in Naples.

Chiang and chef Chongfan “Frank” Huang have created many of the restaurant’s signature dishes, including the lamb dish they are making today. Huang received his culinary training in Beijing where he was the head chef in a popular and well-known restaurant before moving to the United States. In 2006 he joined Charlie Chiang’s and has helped create and tweak the Asian fusion dishes that are the most popular ones served at the restaurant.

Lamb 3-cup ‘pot au feu’

Ingredients for lamb

7 ounces leg of lamb,

diced into 8 to 10 pieces

¼ cup scallions, chopped

½ cup fresh basil

6 garlic cloves

5 ginger slices

2 teaspoons cooking oil

Ingredients for marinade

¼ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon sugar

¼ teaspoon corn starch

2 teaspoons Burgundy wine

¼ teaspoon ground black pepper

1 egg, mixed, but only use half

½ teaspoon cooking oil

Ingredients for sauce

3 tablespoons dark soy sauce

4 tablespoons cooking wine

2 tablespoons honey

2 tablespoons brown sugar

Preparation

Mix all the marinade ingredients except the oil in a bowl and add the lamb. Set aside.

Mix sauce ingredients in another bowl and set aside.

Heat the ½ teaspoon cooking oil in the wok to 300 degrees.

Add the lamb and marinade and cook to medium well and remove from the wok.

Wash the wok and heat up two teaspoons cooking oil.

Place the scallions, ginger and garlic in the wok and cook till sizzling.

Add the sauce mixture and cook until the brown sugar melts.

Add the lamb and basil and stir-fry for two minutes.

Plate and serve.

— Sheila Mesulam, snmesulam@naplesnews.com