Simply Ming

Season 2 Episode 12 - Sweet & Sour Cranberry Chutney

Sweet and sour, a classic flavor contrast in Chinese cuisine, is usually achieved by using vinegar and sugar. Growing up at his family's restaurant, Mandarin Kitchen, the traditional mixture would be sweetened with pineapple, but Ming favors cranberries for their sweet tart flavor and brilliant color. Ming's Sweet & Sour Cranberry Chutney is a world tour of flavor including Japanese rice wine vinegar, Southeast Asian lemongrass, and the very American cranberry. This chutney enhances a spectrum of dishes: in Ming's Peppercorn Duck Breast, the classic French pairing of duck and fruit is updated with a dollop of the chutney and served on a bed of potato discs. Showing how to make two take-out favorites even better at home, Ming prepares Sweet and Sour Pork Fried Rice and Cranberry-Crab Rangoon by mixing the flavors that you crave with the freshest ingredients and the tart-sweet chutney. Ming visits a cranberry bog with farmer Gary Garretson to see the process of wet harvesting. Back in the studio, renowned New England chef, Melissa Kelly, proves that the chutney works just as well with her own inspired dish — a Crisp Maine Lobster-Potato Cake with a Petite Herb Salad, Pixie Mandarin Sauce and Sweet and Sour Cranberry Chutney. Say that three times fast!