Duck with Plum Sauce

My Mum has a lovely plum tree in her garden and so I brought a few back to London with me especially to make this recipe. It was really good, the plums went really well with the duck. I didn't have any veg but some lovely greens would have gone really well. 

Duck with Plum Sauce (from The Guardian)
(Serves 4)

4 duck breasts with skin
salt and pepper
1/2 tsp Chinese five-spice powder
1 tsp julienned ginger
8 plums, halved and stoned
2 tbsp honey
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 cinnamon stick
2 star anise
1 tbsp lime

Score the skin of the duck breasts and season with salt, pepper and five-spice powder. Fry the duck in a large frying pan, skin side down on high for 1 min, then cook on low for 8 mins. Turn over and cook for 6 mins. Move to a warm plate, cover with foil and rest.

Pour off the excess duck fat and fry the ginger for 2 mins. Add the plums to the pan, then add the honey, soy sauce, cinnamon stick, star anise and lemon juice. Cook for 5 mins, stirring occasionally, until softened.

Slice the duck breasts and serve with the sauce. 

Char Siu Duck with Mantou

So I had a hankering for duck and steamed buns, so at the weekend that is exactly what I made. I used this mantou recipe and filled them with the delicious char siu duck and broccoli and kale from my garden. Topped with a bit of extra hoi sin sauce it totally hit the spot.

Char Siu Duck (from GirliChef)
(Serves 4)

4 tbsp hoisin sauce
4 tbsp brandy
2 tbsp honey
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp toasted sesame oil
1 tbsp Sriracha
1-1/2 tbsp minced fresh ginger
3 fat cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp Chinese five-spice powder
4 duck legs

Put the duck legs into a large zip-loc bag.

Combine all of the marinade ingredients in a bowl. Add half the marinade mixture to the duck legs, turning to coat. Seal the bag and  put into the fridge for at least 4 hours or overnight.

Preheat the oven to 150C.

Put the duck legs on a rack over a roasting pan and cook for 1 hour. Brush with some of the extra Char Siu sauce, then turn the legs over, put them back into the oven and cook for 20 mins longer. Brush with more sauce, turn, then repeat twice more at 20 min intervals, for a total cooking time of about 2 hours. Serve.

Chiu Chow Fun Gwor, Pork Steamed Dumplings

This the second of the dumplings that I made at the course we did back in July. When I went to my parents house a couple of weekends ago, we made a whole batch of the pork dumplings for the freezer as they can be cooked from frozen for 10 mins. This is probably one of the most useful courses I have done as we have made dumplings twice since the course and they have worked perfectly both times!

Chiu Chow Fun Gwor, Pork Steamed Dumplings

For the filling
60g minced pork
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salted radish, finely chopped
1 tsp Chinese mushroom, finely chopped
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp soy sauce
1 tsp sesame oil
pinch white pepper
2 tsp cornflour
2 tbsp cold water

For the dough:

30g wheat starch

20g tapioca flour

20g cornflour

1/2 tsp sugar

pinch salt

60g boiling water

1 tsp vegetable oil

Mix the filling ingredients together.

To make the dough; Put all of the dry ingredients into a small plastic bowl. Weigh out the boiling water into a jug and add it to the dry ingredients, mix rapidly with a spoon for 15-20 secs then cover with a plate for 2 mins to cook the flour.

Add 1 tsp vegetable oil and knead the dough like you do bread for about 5 mins until it forms a soft dough.

Divide the dough into 10 equal portions. Flatten each piece of dough and roll into a 3 in circle, add the filling, fold in half, pleat and seal well. Steam for 8 mins.

Pork Belly Mantou

I made steamed buns! I really and truly made steamed buns! Mantou are apparently the plain version of Bao which have fillings stuffed inside them. Basically I wanted to use up some pork belly and wanted a challenge all at the same time! The bread dough was actually much easier than I thought it would be although it takes time as it needs to prove, but I love a project and pretty much make all my own bread now anyway. These were great and the pork belly was delicious too. I served it with asparagus instead of spring onion and it was a lovely foil to the sweet stickiness of the pork.

I obviously made these before I started WeightWatchers again, I don't think the pork belly recipe is in anyway WW friendly, but I had some left over dough, which I froze, so I'm sure I can find some healthy fillings.

Pork Belly Mantou (from 101 Sandwiches by Helen Graves)

(makes about 10)

For the mantou:
2 tsp active dry yeast
275ml warm water
30g caster sugar
500g plain flour
½ tsp sea salt
1 tsp vegetable oil

For the red cooked pork:
500g pork belly in one piece
1½ tbsp caster sugar
2 tbsp vegetable oil 2 garlic cloves, peeled
1 thick slice fresh ginger, peeled
a small cinnamon stick
2 spring onions, cut into several pieces
2 star anise
1½ tbsp dark soy sauce
50ml Shaoxing rice wine
300ml vegetable stock or water

Thinly sliced spring onions, to serve

To make the mantou: Mix the yeast with the warm water and a pinch or so of the sugar and set aside to activate. Once activated, mix with the remaining sugar and all the other ingredients in a large mixing bowl to form a smooth dough. Knead for about 10 minutes (this is much easier in an electric mixer with a dough hook attachment).

Shape the dough into a ball, place it in a clean oiled bowl, then cover with a clean dish towel and let it rise in a warm place for about an hour or until doubled in size. Once risen, gently punch down (knock back) the dough and knead again for a few minutes, then return it to the bowl, cover, and let stand in a warm place for 20 minutes. Roll out the dough to form a long, thin rectangle that is roughly 28in x 6in (71cm x 15cm) – don't fret, this is just approximate. Roll up the dough (from a long side) into a long log and then cut into about 10 small lengths, each about 3in (7.5cm) long.

Fill a saucepan with cold water for steaming. Line the steamer basket with muslin or greaseproof paper and place a few of the mantou buns on top (don't be tempted to add more than 3 or 4 as they will expand during steaming). Cover and steam for 20 minutes, then turn off the heat and let them steam for another 2 minutes. Do not remove the lid until the end of the cooking time. Remove the steamed mantou to a plate and repeat with the other mantou. Once they are all cooked, they can then be reheated in the steamer.

To make the red cooked pork: Place the pork belly in a saucepan, cover with cold water, and bring to the boil. Simmer for about 20 minutes, skimming off the scum that rises to the surface. Remove the pork from the pan and let cool. Discard the cooking water. When cool enough to handle, cut the pork into bite-sized chunks.

In a wok over a medium-high heat, melt the sugar with the vegetable oil. After a couple of minutes, once the sugar has begun to caramelise, add the pork (take care, it may spit) and stir to coat. Keep stir-frying this for about 5 minutes.

Add all the other ingredients to the wok and simmer, covered, for 45 minutes, stirring frequently. At the end of this time, remove the cover, remove, and discard the ginger slice, cassia bark, and star anise, then reduce the sauce until it is thick and glossy, coating the meat.

 Reheat the steamed mantou in the steamer. Serve the red cooked pork in the split mantou, topped with some finely shredded spring onions.

Baked Chinese Trout

This was dinner on Tuesday evening and it was really tasty. I served the trout over 40g rice noodles (4) and stir fry veg (0). I had forgotten how much I love rice noodles, there is just something so yummy about them, note to self, make more rice noodles in future. 

Baked Chinese Trout (adapted from WW Nice N Spicy)
(Serves 1)
(5 WW ProPoints per serving)

1/2 tsp sesame oil
2 tsp soy sauce
1/2 tsp Chinese five spice powder
120g trout fillet

Preheat the oven to 200C. Lay a piece of foil out with a smaller piece of greaseproof paper on top. Lay the trout on top and sprinkle over the five spice powder.

Scrunch up the sides of the foil to create a packet but leave the top open. Pour in the sesame oil and the soy sauce and scrunch up the top of the parcel.  Put the parcel onto a baking tray and bake in the oven for 10 mins until the trout is cooked through.

Chicken, Cucumber and Bean Sprouts

This is a very simple but really tasty carb free meal. I love being able to use veg from the garden, the bean sprouts, cucumber and green beans were all home grown.

Chicken, Cucumber and Bean Sprouts (from Gok's Wok-Gok's Wan)

(Serves 2)

1 tbsp oil

4 spring onions, chopped into 2cm pieces

1cm piece ginger, peeled and finely chopped

4 anchovy fillets, drained and roughly chopped

100g green beans

1/2 cucumber, halved lengthways, deseeded, sliced

100g oyster mushrooms, sliced

250g bean sprouts

2 tbsp shaosing rice wine or dry sherry

1 tbsp oyster sauce

300g cooked chicken, shredded

pepper

Heat the oil in a wok or frying pan over a medium high heat. Add the spring onion, ginger and anchovies. Stir fry for 1 min before adding the green beans, cucumber, mushrooms and bean sprouts. Continue to str fry for another 2 mins.

Pour over the shaosing and let it bubble and reduce for a few secs before adding the oyster sauce and pepper.

Add the shredded chicken and stir gently to mix and coat in the sauce. Cook for a couple of minutes until the chicken is warmed through. Serve.

Hairy Dieters Shredded Duck Wraps with Hoisin Sauce

This is a healthy rift in the traditional duck pancakes, using actual pancakes. I found it a bit too, well, vegetabley. One of the wonderful things about duck pancakes for me is the pancakes and this just didn't quite hit the spot, I think all in all it was just a bit watery.

Shredded Duck Wraps with Hoisin Sauce

(From The Hairy Dieters Eat For Life - Si King and Dave Myers)

(Serves 4)

2 duck breasts, skin removed

500ml cold water

2 tbsp soy sauce

2 star anise

2cloves garlic, finely sliced

25g chunk ginger, peeled and finely sliced

3 spring onions, cut sliced lengthways

200g cucumber, cut into thin matchsticks

2 little gem lettuces, leave a separated

3 tbsp hoisin sauce

Place the duck breasts in a large saucepan and put the water over them. The duck should just be covered. Add the soy sauce, star anise garlic and ginger and stir well. Bring the liquid to gentle simme, cover and keep at a gentle simmer for 1 hour. Tun the duck halfway through the cooking time.

Just before the duck is ready, prepare the veg. Remove the duck from the cooking liquid and place them on a plate. Shred the duck by tearing it apart with two forks. 

 

To eat; place a few strips of cucumber and spring onion into. Lettuce leave, add some shredded duck and top with a little hoisin sauce.

Zhong-Xi Breakfast

Apparently Zhong-Xi means Eat meets West and these eggs are certainly that. I don't make omlettes very often but they tend to be my standby when I've forgotten to take something out the freezer or I've just come back from somewhere as they are so quick and easy to make. Frying the tomatoes is genius, it made them lovely and sweet and with the Chinese ingredients it added that something a little bit different. I only had red tomatoes but the colour combination with yellow as well would be stunning. It was a delicious breakfast!

Zhong-Xi Breakfast (from Tasty Kitchen)
(Serves 1)

2 eggs
pinch salt
3 tbsp oil
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 tsp ginger, finely chopped
1 tsp brown sugar
3 red cherry tomatoes, cut in half
1 tsp soy sauce
1 tsp rice wine vinegar
1 tsp toasted sesame oil
4 whole yellow cherry tomatoes
1 tbsp parsley, chopped

In a bowl, lightly beat eggs with a pinch of salt.

In a frying pan, heat 1 tbsp of the oil. When hot, pour in the eggs. Let them cook for a minute or so, until the eggs start solidifying. Then with a wooden spoon, push the edge in so that the soggy, uncooked eggs can touch the pan. When the eggs are almost cooked but the center is still soft, fold your omelet in half and place it on a plate.

In the same pan (don’t wash it), add the remaining 2 tbsp of oil and heat till really hot. Throw in chopped garlic and ginger, stir for a minute or so. Then add the sugar and let it caramelize. Add in the tomatoes and cook till they start getting soft, about 1 minute.

Pour in soy sauce, rice vinegar and sesame oil; stir all the ingredients together. Remove from heat and pour the tomatoes on top of your omelet.

Sprinkle the parsley on top.

Chinese Prawns and Broccoli

This was a very quick and easy dinner. I miss eating lots of Chinese and Japanese food but for whatever reason I seem to have stopped. Given that I'm still aiming at a healthy diet and stir fries and Japanese food are some of the healthiest meals around that's a bit odd., but hey other things have taken over. I will definitely have to start again as I love the freshness of the veggies with fish or meat and this ticked all the right boxes.

Chinese Prawn and Broccoli (adapted from WW Cooking for One)
(Serves 1)
(8 WW ProPoints per serving)

1 tsp cornflour
pinch of cayenne pepper
1 tbsp soy sauce
100g raw peeled prawns
cooking spray
1 garlic clove, chopped
1 tsp grated fresh ginger
100g tenderstem broccoli, trimmed
50g mushrooms, sliced
2 tbsp shaoxing rice wine
1 spring onion, sliced finely at an angle

Mix together the cornflour and cayenne pepper. Add the soy sauce and mix well. Add the prawns and mix again. Set aside in the fridge to marinade for 30 mins.

Heat a non stick frying pan or wok until hot then spray with the cooking spray. Add the garlic and ginger and cook for a second before adding the broccoli and mushrooms. Stir fry over a high heat for about a minute.

Add the rice wine, then the prawns and 5 tbsp of water. Bring to the boil and simmer for 2-3 mins until the prawns turn pink. Simmer for a further 1-2 mins, then add half the spring onion. Cook for 1 min.

Sprinkle over the remaining spring onion and serve over 50g rice for an extra 5 WW ProPoints.

Nigella's Asian Braised Shin of Beef with Hot and Sour Shredded Salad

This was a casserole with a difference. It has beautiful Asian flavours in it and a cut of meat I had never cooked with before and the glorious sour shredded salad on top, which just went perfectly with the stew. If you make this, you have to make the salad too, it's just not right without it. I did take a lot of the fat off the shin of beef but as it's going to be cooked for ages I left some of it on to add extra flavour to the meat. I served it on a bed of egg noodles. Nigella suggests parsnip and ginger mash which I'm going to try with my leftovers.

Asian Braised Shin of Beef (from Nigella Kitchen)
(Serves 6)

(9 WW ProPoints per serving)

2 onions
1 5cm piece ginger
4 garlic cloves
2 tsp ground coriander
3 tbsp veg oil
250ml Chinese cooking wine or dry sherry
4 tbsp soy sauce
4 tbsp dark brown sugar
2l beef stock
2 tbsp oyster sauce
4 tbsp rice wine vinegar
2 cinnamon sticks
2 star anise
3.5kg beef shin on the bone or 1kg off the bone

Preheat the oven to 150C. Quarter and peel the onions, peel and roughly slice the ginger, peel the garlic cloves and put all these in a food processor with the coriander. Blitz until finely chopped.

Heat the oil in a large casserole and fry this mixture gently, until soft and beginning to catch in the pan; this should take about 10 mins, over a medium heat with regular stirring.

Pour in the Chinese wine and let it bubble up. Add the soy sauce, brown sugar, stock, oyster sauce and vinegar. Bring to a boil, then drop in the cinnamon sticks and star anise.

Add the pieces of shin and let everything come up to a bubble again, then clamp on a lid and put into the oven for 2 hours.

Take the casserole out of the oven and using a slotted spoon, remove the beef to an ovenproof dish, cover with foil and keep warm in the oven, while you vigorously boil the sauce in a casserole on the hob, without a lid, until it has reduced by about a half.

Arrange the beef in a serving platter and pour over the reduced sauce, then dress the top with the hot and sour shredded salad (underneath).

Hot and Sour Shredded Salad
(Serves 6)

3 carrots
4 spring onions
1/2 cucumber
1 long red chilli
1 long green chilli
small bunch coriander

for the dressing
juice 1 lime
4 tbsp Thai fish sauce
1 tsp caster sugar

Peel the carrots, cut into batons and then julienne them, do the same with the cucumber.

Trim and halve the spring onions and julienne as well.

De-seed the chillies and cut into juliennes, then finely chop the coriander.

Combine all the vegetables and the chopped coriander in a bowl. In another bowl mix the lime juice, fish sauce and sugar together and dress the veg with this, then top the Asian Braised Shin of Beef with your salad.

Sweet and Sour Pork

I really don't like sweet and sour dishes from take aways or restaurants, I find them way too sweet and the addition of pineapple does not help, so I had ignored this recipe for ages. I finally actually looked down the list of ingredients and thought that they didn't sound too bad so I gave it a go and actually it was lovely. Obviously being a WeightWatchers version it had less sugar and sweet things in it, which helped and none of that horrible pineapple, but lots of crunchy veg instead.

Sweet and Sour Pork (from WeightWatchers Book of Recipes)
(Serves 1)
(8 WW ProPoints per serving)

1 tsp cornflour
1-2 tsp chilli sauce
1 tsp light or dark muscovado sugar
2 tsp rice or wine vinegar
1 tbsp light soy sauce
cooking spray
100g lean pork shoulder, cut into strips
1 small garlic clove, crushed
1 small onion, sliced
1 small carrot, cut into fine strips
25g mange tout
1/2 chicken stock cube, dissolved in 100ml
1 tomato, skinned and quartered
salt and pepper

To Serve
75g hot cooked rice

In a small jug or bowl, mix together the cornflour, chilli sauce, sugar, vinegar and soy sauce.

Heat a wok and lightly spray it with the cooking spray. Add the pork, stir frying it over a high heat for 3-4 mins to seal and brown it.

Add the garlic, onion, carrot and mange tout and stir fry for 2 mins. Pour in the stock and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer gently for 15-20 mins or until the pork is tender.

Mix in the tomato. Then add the blended cornflour mixture, stirring as you do so. Cook for 2 mins, until the sauce is thickened. Check the seasoning, add the salt and pepper to taste.

Serve in a bowl with the hot cooked rice.

Orange Pork wth Chinese Greens

I don't seem to be in the mood much for Oriental food at the moment, pasta seems to be my thing, but occasionally I have a craving and this satisfied it wonderfully. I added a tin of bean sprouts to the recipe which worked fantastically and added some extra crunch! I would rather have had fresh but I can't eat them all quick enough before it goes off. I also added some broccoli that needed using up, can't go wrong with extra veggies!

Orange Pork with Chinese Greens (from WeightWatchers Cooking for One)
(Serves 1)
(7 WW ProPoints per serving)

150g lean pork fillet, sliced
1 tbsp soy sauce
2 tsp sweet chilli sauce
1 tsp finely grated orange zest
3 tbsp orange juice
1 tsp finely grated root ginger
2 spring onions, sliced thinly
cooking spray
125g green beans, trimmed
1 head pak choi, broken into separate leaves
1 tbsp fresh coriander

Put the pork in a bowl. Add the soy sauce, sweet chilli sauce, orange zest, orange juice, ginger and spring onions. Cover and leave to marinate for at least 2-3 hours or overnight.

When ready to cook, spray a frying pan with the cooking spray. Add the pork to the pan, reserving the marinade and cook for 5-6 mins a side. Add the marinade and simmer gently for 2-3 mins until slightly reduced.

Meanwhile bring a pan of water to the boil and steam the green beans for 4 mins and add the pak choi for the last two mins.

Serve the pork and vegetables, with the reduced marinade spooned over, sprinkled with coriander.

Serve with 40g dried noodles for an extra 4 ProPoints.

Salt and Pepper Squid

I am eating a lot more fish now than I was previously, not really sure why, I think its the summer weather which makes me want lighter foods. Anyway I had some squid left over from our trip to Borough Market, and one of my favourite dishes in a Chinese restaurant is Salt and Pepper Squid. However, this is usually deep fried and I wanted a healthier version. This delicious and simple recipe ticked all the boxes. Instead of drizzling over sesame oil and sweet chilli sauce, I had some mango and chilli salad dressing so I doused it in that instead.

Salt and Pepper Squid (from Good Food Magazine July 2005)
(Serves 4)
(3WW ProPoints per serving)

240g squid
2-3 tbsp olive oil
½ tsp Chinese five spice powder
2 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
little sesame oil, to serve
few coriander sprigs, to serve
sweet chilli sauce, to serve

Ask the fishmonger to clean the squid; little ones often come ready-cleaned. Using kitchen scissors, cut open the body and open out. Wash well, then pat dry. If you have a large squid, cut the body into four portions, roughly square. Small squid can just be opened up.

Using the tip of a very sharp knife, score the top in a neat criss-cross. Brush with oil and set aside while you heat the barbecue or griddle until ready to cook.

Mix together the salt, Chinese five-spice and pepper. Sprinkle on both sides of the squid just before cooking, according to taste. You may not need it all. Heat the griddle pan to hot and cook about 1 min each side, until it starts to curl. Remove with tongs to a serving plate and drizzle with a little sesame oil. To serve, garnish with coriander leaves and serve with small bowls of sweet chilli sauce to dip into.

Prawn and Yellow Bean Chow Mein with Pak Choi

My supper on Easter Sunday was this beautiful prawn noodle dish, it was delicious. I spent the afternoon in the Victoria and Albert Museum at the British Design Exhibition, it's fantastic to think that all the stuff has been done in the country since 1948 and I can't wait for the mini exhibition connected to that on how Japanese fashion has been influenced by British Victoriana, Gothic and Punk that will go up in the Museum next week.

















Prawn and Yellow Bean Chow Mein with Pak Choi (from Ching's Fast Food - Ching He-Huang)
(Serves 2)

100g medium egg noodles
2 tbsp toasted sesame oil
1 tbsp groundnut oil
1 large clove garlic, crushed and finely chopped
1 red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
200g cooked shelled and deveined tiger prawns
100g baby pak choi leaves

For the sauce
1 tbsp yellow bean paste
1 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tbsp shaoxing rice wine
1 tbsp cornflour

Cook the noodles in a saucepan of boiling water for 2-3 mins until al dente, or according to packet instructions. Drain then rinse under cold running water and drain again.. Drizzle the drained noodles with half the toasted sesame oil and toss together to prevent them from sticking to each other.

Meanwhile mix together all the ingredients for the sauce, along with 100ml of water and set aside.

Heat a wok over a high heat until it starts to smoke and then add the groundnut oil. Add the garlic and stir-fry for a few seconds, then add the chilli and fry for a few seconds more.

Add the prawns, pak choi and the sauce, the bring to the boil. Tip in the cooked noodles and toss together, then drizzle with the remaining toasted sesame oil and serve immediately.

Mock Duck and Tenderstem Broccoli Stir Fry

I have wanted to try mock duck for ages but never really got round to it. I'm always curious as to how good vegetarian substitutes for meat are and this is pretty good. I couldn't really tell the difference between this and real duck, but I suspect that it would only really work in Chinese dishes. Nevertheless definitely worth a go.



Mock Duck and Tenderstem Broccoli Stir-fry (from Ching's Fast Food - Ching He Huang)
(Serves 2-4 to share)

2 tbsp groundnut oil
1 clove garlic, crushed and finely chopped
1 tbsp peeled and grated root ginger
1 red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
4 shitake mushrooms, sliced
1 190g tin mock duck, drained, rinsed and sliced
100g tenderstem broccoli, sliced on the diagonal
100g french beans, topped and tailed
2 tbsp vegetarian oyster sauce
1 tbsp light soy sauce
pinch soft light brown sugar
pinch ground white pepper
dash toasted sesame oil

Heat a wok over a high heat until it starts to smoke and then add the groundnut oil.

Add the garlic, ginger, chilli and mushrooms and stir fry for 1 min, then add the mock duck and stir fry for just under a minute.

Tip in the broccoli and beans and stir fry for another minute.

Season with the remaining ingredients, then remove from the heat and serve immediately with boiled rice.

Wonton Noodle Soup

I have been wanting to make wonton noodle soup for ages but the effort and time involved in making my own wontons really put me off. I was shopping in Chinatown over the weekend and came across frozen ready-made wontons. Hurrah thought I, I can have my fix! And what a delicious fix it was. I also bought some vegetable stock cubes with tamarind in them and I love the citrusy flavour it brings to the soup.



Wonton Noodle Soup
(Serves 1)

400ml veg stock (mine had tamarind in it)
1/2 tsp crushed ginger
1/2 tsp crushed garlic
1 tbsp soy sauce
4 frozen wontons
enough ramen noodles for one person
half a head of spring greens, sliced
handful sugar snap peas
half a bag of baby spinach
1 Japanese fishcake, sliced

Bring the stock to a boil in a sauce pan and add in the ginger and garlic.

Add in the frozen wontons and cook for 4 mins, add in the noodles and fishcake and cook for a couple of minutes, add in the sugar snaps, spinach and greens and cook for two more mins.

Add in the soy sauce and serve.


And just because it's actually starting to feel like spring, here is a picture of some beautiful narcissus in my garden.

Chinese Sausage with Barbecue Sauce, Noodles and Greens

Back in November I went on a tour of Chinatown with Divertimenti. After the tour we went back to the cookery school in Marylebone High Street and the chef who took us on the tour cooked us a range of dishes using the produce that she had picked up on our way round. This was one of the dishes that she cooked and it was delicious. I have tried Chinese sausage before and never really got on with it but the spiciness of the barbecue sauce seems to tone down the sweetness of the sausage. It is fantastic served with a side of kimchi.

I am going to enter this into Presto Pasta Nights this week hosted by Juli of Pictures Of All My Princesses. Check out her blog on Friday for the round up.



Chinese Sausage with Barbecue Sauce, Noodles and Greens
(Serves 1)

2 Chinese sausages, cut into inch long pieces
rice noodles for 1 person
1 tbsp Sa Cha Chinese barbecue sauce
greens or pak choi or kai lan or choi sum (something green and leafy)

Cook the noodles according to packet instructions (if you can read the packet), for these ones I boiled them for about 5 mins. Steam the greens in a steamer on top of the noodles for a couple of minutes.

Meanwhile fry the sausages in a little oil in a frying pan for a couple of minutes. Add the cooked noodles to the pan and the barbecue sauce. Cook for a couple of minutes until combined.

Put the greens in your serving dish and then top with the noodles and sausages. Serve.

Stir Fried Chicken with Barbecue Sauce, Kai Lan and Rice Noodles

Back in November I went on a guided tour of Chinatown and then went back to the cookery school where the leader of the tour cooked us lunch. She picked up all her ingredients as we were walking round Chinatown and one of the dishes that she made was Chinese sausage with rice noodles and sa cha or Chinese barbecue sauce. I recreated that dish a couple of weeks ago, but completely forgot to take any photos. I will hopefully make it again and share the recipe with you.

I bought a jar of the barbecue sauce, so I was looking round for recipes to use up the rest of the sauce and stumbled across one for Beef with Chinese Barbecue Sauce but when I looked in the freezer I didn't have any beef, so I used chicken instead and it tasted fantastic. I served the chicken on a bed of rice noodles (which I am having a love affair with at the moment) and kai lan or Chinese broccoli.



Stir-fried Chicken with Barbecue Sauce (adapted from userealbutter.com)

450g chicken breast cut into pieces
1 tbsp shaoxing Chinese cooking wine
1 tbsp water
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp cornstarch
2 tbsp vegetable oil
3 tbsp Chinese barbecue sauce (sa cha)
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp sugar
2 tbsp vegetable oil
4 spring onions, sliced

In a medium bowl, mix the beef with the cooking sherry, water, 2 tablespoons of soy sauce, cornstarch, and 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil until the chicken is evenly coated. Set aside.

In a small bowl, combine the Chinese BBQ sauce, 2 tablespoons of soy sauce, and sugar. Stir together.

Heat 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil in a wok or sauté pan on high heat. Toss in the green onions when the oil is hot (they should sizzle when they hit the oil) and stir for ten seconds. Add the chicken and sauté until the chicken is mostly cooked. Pour in the BBQ sauce mixture and stir fry until the meat is browned. Remove from heat. Serve.

Claypot Chicken and Rice

I love rice and I love being able to use my rice cooker, which I don't get to do often enough! This is a recipe that has been hanging about for ages with the Chinese sausage sitting in my freezer, so I finally thought I should try it out. Now, I decided that I don't really like the flavour of the Chinese sausage but the dish as a whole was really tasty. I'm not really sure what to do with the rest of my Chinese sausage that will disguise its flavour, so if anyone has any ideas please let me know!



Claypot Chicken and Rice (from Soy and Pepper)
(Serves 4)

4 portions cooked rice, cooled
4 chicken thighs, skinless and boneless, cut into bite-sized pieces
2 stalks spring onion, chopped and separate the white and green parts
6 dried shitake mushrooms, soaked in warm water for 15 mins and thinly sliced
1 Chinese sausage, sliced

Seasoning for chicken

1 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tbsp Chinese rice wine
1/2 tsp cornflour
1/2 tsp sugar
1/4 teaspoon sesame oil
Dash of white pepper

Seasoning for rice

2 tsp oil
3 tbsp light soy sauce
2 tbsp oyster sauce
1 tbsp dark soy sauce
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp chilli oil (optional)

Marinate the chicken pieces and set aside for 30 minutes.

Heat some oil in a large pan or wok and stir fry the white parts of the spring onions, chicken, Chinese sausage and mushrooms for a few minutes until the chicken turns white and is almost cooked. Set aside.

Add the cooked rice, chicken, mushrooms and Chinese sausage back to the wok and pour in the rice seasoning and green parts of the spring onions. Mix well over medium heat and then transfer to a rice cooker. Let the rice mixture sit on 'Keep Warm' or 'Low' setting for 15-20 minutes for the flavours to mix thoroughly. Garnish with chopped spring onions, coriander and serve.

Daring Cooks October 2011: Moo Shu and Pancakes

The October Daring Cooks' Challenge was hosted by Shelley of C Mom Cook and her sister Ruth of The Crafts of Mommyhood. They challenged us to bring a taste of the East into our home kitchens by making our own Moo Shu, including thin pancakes, stir fry and sauce.

I loved this challenge, I love Chinese food anyway so this was so exciting! It's the first one that I've managed to complete for a little while and I was so pleased that I actually got it made as well as it being delicious. The three components together work deliciously. My hoisin sauce didn't turn out as expected, it was a bit too runny but it still tasted right!



Thin Pancakes:
Makes 24-30 pancakes
Preparation time: about 10 minutes plus 30 minutes' standing time
Cooking time: 45-50 minutes

Ingredients
4 cups (960 ml) (560 gm) (19¾ oz) all purpose flour
About 1½ cup (300ml) (10 fl oz) boiling water
1 teaspoon (5 ml) vegetable oil
Dry flour for dusting

Directions:

Sift the flour into a mixing bowl. Gently pour in the water, stirring as you pour, then stir in the oil. Knead the mixture into a soft but firm dough. If your dough is dry, add more water, one tablespoon at a time, to reach the right consistency. Cover with a damp towel and let stand for about 30 minutes.



Lightly dust the surface of a worktop with dry flour. Knead the dough for 6-8 minutes or until smooth, then divide into 3 equal portions. Roll out each portion into a long sausage and cut each sausage into 8-10 pieces. Keep the dough that you are not actively working with covered with a lightly damp dish cloth to keep it from drying out.

Roll each piece into a ball, then, using the palm of your hand, press each piece into a flat pancake. Dust the worktop with more dry flour. Flatten each pancake into a 6 to 8 inch (15 cm to 20 cm) circle with a rolling pin, rolling gently on both sides.



Place an un-greased frying pan over high heat. Once the pan is hot, lower the heat to low and place the pancakes, one at a time, in the pan. Remove when little light-brown spots appear on the underside. Cover with a damp cloth until ready to serve.



Moo Shu Pork:

Serves 4
Preparation time: 25-30 minutes
Cooking time: 6-8 minutes

Ingredients
2/3 cup (1 oz) (30 gm) Dried black fungus ('wood ears')
½ lb (450 gm) pork loin or butt
¾ cup (3½ oz) (100 gm) bamboo shoots, thinly cut
3 cups (6 oz) (170 gm) Chinese cabbage (Napa cabbage), thinly cut
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon (5 ml) (6 gm) salt
4 tablespoons (60 ml) vegetable oil
2 scallions
1 tablespoon (15 ml) light soy sauce
2 teaspoons (10 ml) rice wine
A few drops sesame oil
12 thin pancakes to serve

Soak the fungus in warm water for 10-15 minutes, rinse and drain. Discard any hard stalks, then thinly shred.
Thinly cut the pork, bamboo shoots and Chinese cabbage into matchstick-sized shreds.
Lightly beat the eggs with a pinch of salt.



Heat about 1 tablespoon (15 ml) oil in a preheated wok and scramble the eggs until set, but not too hard. Remove and keep to one side.

Heat the remaining oil. Stir-fry the shredded pork for about 1 minute or until the color changes. Add the fungus, bamboo shoots, Chinese cabbage and scallions. Stir-fry for about 2-3 minutes, then add the remaining salt, soy sauce and wine. Blend well and continue stirring for another 2 minutes. Add the scrambled eggs, stirring to break them into small bits. Add the sesame oil and blend well.



Hoisin Sauce:

Ingredients
4 tablespoons (60 ml) soy sauce
2 tablespoons (30 ml) peanut butter OR black bean paste
1 tablespoon (15 ml) honey OR molasses
2 teaspoons (10 ml) white vinegar
1/8 teaspoon (⅔ ml) garlic powder
2 teaspoons (10 ml) sesame seed oil
20 drops (¼ teaspoon) Chinese style hot sauce (optional, depending on how hot you want your hoisin sauce)
1/8 teaspoon (⅔ ml) black pepper

Directions:
Simply mix all of the ingredients together by hand using a sturdy spoon.

At first it does not appear like it will mix, but keep at it just a bit longer and your sauce will come together



Final Preparation and Serving:

Each of the three components that comprise the complete Moo Shu dish are served separately, and the diner prepares each serving on his or her own plate. Most restaurants provide four pancakes, a serving of Moo-Shu and a small dish of hoisin sauce as a single serving. To prepare each pancake for eating, the following is the most common process: a small amount of hoisin sauce is spread onto the pancake, on top of which a spoonful of the stir-fry is placed. In order to prevent (or, realistically, minimize) the filling from spilling out while eating, the bottom of the pancake is folded up, then the pancake is rolled, similarly to a soft taco. Once rolled, the prepared pancake is eaten immediately.