HUNGER STRIKE

After spending what seemed like hours chopping, slicing and cooking in the kitchen, I proudly served up yet another banquet to my Gorgeous Girl (GG) which in my mind would have been fit for Great Empress Wu when I heard shrieks of disgust, "Why can't we eat NORMAL food... I am soooo SICK of CHINESE food?" I paused for a moment and then with a smile on my face replied, "BUT GG this IS normal food as can I remind you that we DO live in CHINA!" Well, this comment did not go down well at all and in fact there was an outright protest in our household that night. GG decided that until I cooked some NORMAL FOOD that she would go on a hunger strike (even though it only lasted a matter of an hour).

OK so not everybody is as keen about Chinese food as I am - point taken. GG, I will try to cook more NORMAL FOOD even though I think that it is a bit of WESTERN STODGE and I pay FOUR times the amount for GWEILO STUFF but to appease you I will include a bit of this and a bit of that on my blog - albeit a bit more GOURMET.
Copyright © 2008 - 2009 All Rights Reserved

Dan Dan Mian

Dan Dan Mian

Ingredients:

1/2 tablespoon Sichuan peppercorns

200g minced pork

2 tablespoons light soy sauce

2 tablespoons peanut oil (for frying)

3 garlic cloves

2 tablespoons grated ginger

4 spring onions finely chopped

2 tablespoons fine peanut butter

1 tablespoon finely chopped peanuts

2 tablespoons light soy sauce

1 teaspoon chili oil

2 tablespoons Chili Bean Sauce (Toban Djan)

1 dried Sichuan chili finely sliced

1 tablespoon rock sugar

Juice of half a lime

1 1/2 cups of fresh chicken stock

1 Catty (600 gm) Fresh Noodles

Method:

1. Grind the Sichuan peppercorns in a mortar and pestle then dry fry in a wok until fragrant.
2. Marinate the pork in 2 tablespoons of the soy sauce whilst you prepare the other ingredients then stir fry the pork in the peanut oil until brown and crispy. Remove from the wok and drain.
3. Add the spring onion, ginger and garlic to the wok and stir-fry for approx. 30 seconds then add remaining ingredients. Simmer until the sauce is reduced and the sauce darkens in colour approx. 2 - 4 minutes.
4. Cook the noodles in salted boiling water for 2-3 minutes, then drain and divide between four bowls.
5. Ladle the peanut sauce over the noodles, garnish with fresh herbs and a sprinkle of crushed peanuts. Serve.

Copyright © 2008 - 2009 All Rights Reserved

Cooking up a Dragon - Snake Soup

Recently, I bought a book from www.paddyfield.com called, "Cooking up a Dragon" which is an excellent resource for anyone interested in Hong Kong cuisine. The book contains recipes from a cross-section of Hong Kong ranging from tiny Dai Pai Dongs to Haute Cuisine offered in 5 Star Hotels.

When I first received the book, I eagerly flicked through each page until, to my absolute amazement, I found a recipe for SNAKE SOUP submitted by none other than the famous snake shop "Shia Wong Hip" in Sham Shui Po.

Now, not really wanting to go out of my way to buy my own special snake or snakes just to make this recipe (ok, still a bit petrified from my last snake shop experience), I decided to visit the shop today to see if I could actually pluck up the courage to try this famous delicacy. I arrived just before lunch time and studied the snakes in a cage out front before scanning the shop itself... lots of gweilo photo's on the walls, small uninspiring tables and stools, and the familiar wooden crates that I had seen previously at the snake shop in Sheung Wan. Ok, this is all right now let's see about hygiene. There was one Chinese gentleman busy tucking into his steaming bowl of soup and I actually saw another lady getting hers so was relieved to see that porcelain bowls and spoons were actually taken out of a steamer that sterilised the crockery and utensils. Not really wanting to get a dose of food poisoning, in addition to feeling sick after tasting the soup, I felt a lot better that at least I wouldn't get sick from the lack of hygiene.

Not knowing enough Cantonese to ask the lady for a spoonful rather than a bowl we played charades until she understood that I didn't actually want a regular bowl but just a taste. She removed a porcelain spoon and small bowl from the steamer then started filling it until it measured about half a cup. The soup and crockery was extremely hot, so I sat down, waited for a bit then took a tiny amount from the side of my bowl, sipped it then waited for the "yuck" factor to arrive. BUT, funnily enough it DIDN'T and all I could taste was a delicate sweet soup with hints of ginger and citrus. Although, I could see strands of snake in my bowl and the colour was a murky brown, the taste wasn't overpowering and the snake actually tasted a bit like chicken although I would go on to say that chicken meat is a bit stronger. I continued to sip my delightful snake soup and after I had finished went over to pay but the lovely lady motioned me to put my money back in my purse, gave me a hug and with a big smile ushered me out on to the street.

Shia Wong Hip is located at G/F 170 Apliu Street, Sham Shui Po, Kowloon, Hong Kong Tel: +852 23869064

Note: If you buy the book you can substitute chicken for snake... phew! Also, click on the title to this post to see "Le Gourmet TV" footage of "Shia Wong Hip". The lady holding the snakes,"Chau Ka-Ling" is the lovely lady and restaurant owner that refused to take my money.

Also visit http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2007/12/071220-snake-video-ap.html

Copyright © 2008 - 2009 All Rights Reserved

Chan Chi Kee - Chinese Cleavers & Restaurant Quality Equipment

Yesterday, I went to my favourite street in Yau Ma Tai to get a couple of restaurant grade Chinese cleavers. One of the best shops in the street is Chan Chi Kee Cutlery, G/F 316-318 Shanghai Street, Kowloon Hong Kong www.chanchikee.com email: info@chanchikee.com

If you visit their website you will notice that shopping for Chinese cleavers is serious business as there is not one or two to choose from but a whole catalogue! Well looked after your Chinese cleaver should last many years, just remember to wash it straight away after use, apply a smear of oil and store it in a safe place.

If you are going to use a whet stone to sharpen your cleaver, soak it in water for 20 minutes then sharpen both sides of the blade at a 30-35 degree angle. If you sharpen the stone 10 times on one side then this is how many times you need to do it on the other side. If you accidently chip your cleaver whilst chopping, then sharpening is going to take considerably longer. Note: Chan Chi Kee Cutlery Co. Ltd delivers worldwide and also have a huge range of other restaurant quality items including but not limited to pastry making, baking, dim sum, moulds, woks, strainers, skimmers and ladles etc.
Copyright © 2008 - 2009 All Rights Reserved

Fuschia Dunlop's Red Braised Pork with Fresh Water Chestnuts

I am currently reading Fuschia Dunlop's "Shark's Fin & Sichuan Pepper - A sweet-sour memoir of eating in China" and am enjoying it so much that I finally bit the bullet, went to my local wet market, bought a 2lb slab of pork belly (skin, hair & nipples still attached), the required ingredients and hurried home to make Chairman Mao's Red-Braised Pork.

Upon arriving home, I went through the recipe again but decided that I'd experiment with the spices. In addition to the star anise, red chillies and cassia bark used in Fuschia's recipe, I added 2 bay leaves, 2 pieces of sand ginger, 1 small piece of tangerine peel, 1 slice of dried licorice root, 1 clove and 3 white peppercorns. I also used brown slab sugar instead of white sugar with only a teaspoon of white sugar at the final stage of cooking and a drizzle of dark soy sauce for colour. My version of the red braised pork looks a lot drier compared to Fuschia's version so I would probably add a little bit more water next time to see if it makes any difference but from the Lin Heung Tea House demonstration this was pretty much how they cooked their pork cartilage so I followed suit.

The end result was absolutely amazing! If you haven't read Fuschia's book I highly recommend it. For a copy of Fuschia's recipe click on the title to this post.

Stay tuned for some photo's of the Central wet market in Hong Kong. Also, at some stage I'll visit Sham Shui Po or West Kowloon to try and pluck up the courage to try snake soup.

Update - I made this dish again using more water but was actually happier with the result first time round. Copyright © 2008 - 2009 All Rights Reserved

Lin Heung Tea House Cooking Demo

Chicken with Preserved Black Beans

Yesterday, Wednesday 18 February 2009 I experienced a rare opportunity to watch a chef from the Lin Heung Tea House demonstrate three dishes i.e. Pork Cartilage in Special Sauce; Beancurd with Minced Pork and Black Olives; and Chicken with Preserved Black Beans. The cooking demonstration was held at the Towngas Cooking Centre in Causeway Bay.

Lin Heung Tea House, 160-164 Wellington Street, Central is a famous Hong Kong dim sum establishment that has withstood the test of time and is believed to be between 85-100 years old. Of all the tea houses that have existed throughout Hong Kong's history only two remain in operation today, namely the Lin Heung Tea House and the more up market Luk Yu Tea House.

There are plenty of websites that go into dim sum etiquette and descriptions about the Lin Heung Tea House but few if any other recipes on the internet from this tea house. The recipes provided by Towngas were very basic and lacked essential information but with excellent translation/s throughout the cooking demonstration, I was able to compose fairly detailed instructions for each dish.

Chicken with Preserved Black Beans

Ingredients:

1 fresh chicken not previously chilled if possible cut into 2 cm pieces

3 cloves garlic minced

3 tael (80 gm) shallots (small brown ones)

2 tael (80 gm) Pearl River Bridge preserved black beans with ginger

Enough red chili and green pepper for colour and according to taste (chopped)

1 tablespoon cornstarch

50 ml water

Seasonings:

2 teaspoons oyster sauce

1 teaspoon light soy sauce

1 teaspoon sugar

Drizzle of dark soy sauce for colour

A little salt

Method:

1. Pat chicken pieces with cornstarch and toss well with fingers until well combined.
   
2. Blanch the chicken in oil. Heat 3 tablespoons of oil in a wok, swirl oil around and then when hot add the chicken pieces. Continuously move the chicken around and up the sides of the wok using a medium heat (not high). Using a towel, hold the side of the wok handle, pick up the wok and swirl. You will notice that as the chicken blanches it starts to develop a golden crust. When blanched remove from wok.
   
3. Sauté the shallot, garlic and preserved black bean, red chili and green pepper in the wok then add 50 ml water.
   
4. Add chicken and fry well. Add a drizzle of dark soy for colour then add seasonings.
   
5. Cook on low heat until the sauce is absorbed and the chicken dries out. Serve.
   

Tips:

1. Chop chicken using the saw cutting and push cutting technique so that you have approx. 2cm chicken pieces with bone in. The only bone you need to remove is the thigh bone. To do this slice along the leg bone then using the push cutting technique cut the bone nearest where the chicken’s foot would have been then pull the thigh bone out to remove.
   
2. In a restaurant, the chef would blanch the chicken in quite a bit of oil but for home use only 3 tablespoons of oil is required. Note that it is important to continuously move the chicken around in the wok.
   
3. Important to make the chicken dry with not much sauce so that the flavour is good.
   
4. Whole chicken can be replaced with chicken breast.
   
5. No need to cook with lid on wok.
   
6. Add enough red chili and green pepper according to taste.
   

Beancurd with Minced Pork and Black Olives

Ingredients:

1-2 packs silken tofu (tofu for steaming)

4 pieces preserved black olives cut roughly but not minced

6 tael (240 gm) raw minced pork blanched until cooked

3 cloves garlic minced

Approx. 2 small red chillies diced

Seasonings:

2 teaspoons oyster sauce

1 teaspoon sugar

½ teaspoon cornstarch

Method:

1. Open tofu packets and drain off liquid. Slice tofu and arrange on a plate or platter.
2. Mix well oyster sauce, sugar and cornstarch. Stir in black olive, minced pork, garlic and chilli. Place the mixture on top of the tofu.
3. Steam for 5 minutes, serve.

Tips:

1. Each packet of tofu was slightly bigger than a 250 ml rectangle tub of butter. Each packet of tofu when sliced thickly yielded 8 slices. Make sure that you drain the tofu really well before adding the seasoning, pork and olives to prevent the tofu becoming watery. If you sprinkle salt over the tofu when you remove it from the packaging water will seep out straight away and you can drain this off before continuing with the recipe.
   
2. Olives are preserved and are not the western variety. Packets can be bought from Asian grocery stores or again from the Hong Kong wet market/s.
   
3. Unlike the pork cartilage, blanch the minced pork in hot water until cooked. The chef had already done this and had stored the very dry mince in a plastic container. Make sure that after you blanch the pork mince that you use a sieve to drain the meat until it becomes dry.
   

Pork Cartilage in Special Sauce

Ingredients:

1 catty (600 gm) pork cartilage (ends of ribs are best as they contain nice fat, size of each piece was approx. 1.5 cm)

2 tael (40 gm) fresh ginger (optional) this is in addition to other spices below

Seasoning:

1 x 450 ml bottle Amoy All Purpose Marinade

35 gm rock sugar (more if you are making your own marinade as the All Purpose Marinade is sweeter)

Spices:

7-8 bay leaves (dried)

2 cardamom pods

5-6 licorice roots (slices dried)

4 spicy sand ginger (dried)

Method:

1. Blanch pork cartilage until you can see all the scum/dirt coming off. Make sure that when you blanch the pork cartilage that you put it in the saucepan on the stove with cold water as this prevents the pork from cooking - as would be the case if you had blanched the pork in boiling water. Remove pork and drain.
2. Place pork cartilage in a clay pot, pour in half the bottle (approx. 225ml) of the Marinade, add 350ml water, spices, ginger (optional) and rock sugar.
3. Bring to boil then simmer on low heat with lid on for 1.5 hours then serve.

Tips:

1. The Amoy All Purpose Marinade is strong so it needs to be diluted with water.
   
2. The special secret is to add 2 tablespoons of white vinegar to the clay pot when the pork cartilage is simmering as this will speed up the cooking process and reduce the cooking time by approx. 30 minutes.
   
3. When blanching the pork cartilage, put cold water in the saucepan, add the meat then bring to the boil or the meat will cook first if put into boiling water and become tough.
   
4. Continue to check the pork as it is simmering; if the clay pot becomes dry add more water.
   
5. To check tenderness, insert a chopstick into the pork and if it goes right through then it is tender and ready to be served.
   
6. The pork cartilage can be replaced with chicken wings (no need to add vinegar as chicken cooks more quickly than pork).
   
7. After you cook the pork cartilage you can keep the marinade and re-use it a few more times (similar to a master sauce/ lu stock).
   
8. To make your own marinade for this recipe use a mixture of light and dark soy sauce with spices and sugar instead of using the All Purpose Marinade. Combine 100 ml normal soy sauce (light), 150 ml premium strong and sweet flavoured soy sauce, 200 ml water, approx. 35 gm rock sugar (more depending on taste), 4 teaspoon of caster sugar, 1 tablespoon oyster sauce and the spices listed above.
   
9. If you have difficulty buying the spices for the marinade you should also be able to buy them already made up from the wet market (Hong Kong) or Asian grocery stores. The “Marinade Stuff” I bought from Choi Hop Lee, Condiments and Asiatic Products, G/F 4 Bowrington Road Wanchai HK also included star anise, cassia bark, cloves, dried tangerine peel and white peppercorns in addition to bay leaves, cardamom pods, licorice root and sand ginger.
   
10. Note that rock sugar and caster sugar have different flavours.
    

My absolute favourite was the Pork Cartilage in Special Sauce and then the Chicken with Preserved Black Beans.

Photo of Spices - top left bowl contains blanched minced pork and the bottom left bowl contains the preserved olive. The loose spices are bay leaves, licorice root and dried sand ginger.

Copyright © 2008 - 2009 All Rights Reserved

Wing On Department Store Cooking Demo & Central Wet Market

On Friday 6 June 2008, went to Wing On Department store and came across a Chinese Cooking class demonstration. Although, the class was conducted in Cantonese a lady kindly translated some of the cooking techniques. Tried some Pork Spare Ribs cooked in Bean Sauce and Salted Plums which was absolutely delicious. Crystal sugar was placed in a pressure cooker and melted over the stove top then black bean sauce, smashed salted plums, Shaoxing rice wine and chopped pork spare ribs were added and pressure cooked for about 13 minutes. After the pork was cooked, the sauce was thickened with a little cornflour, water and soy sauce so as not to dilute the taste. The sauce was left to simmer for a couple of minutes then was served with assorted grains of steamed rice.

After this demonstration, I walked to the Peel Street wet market to buy some ginger, coriander, garlic and cabbage so that I could make some dumplings on the weekend. A huge clump of ginger, small bunch of coriander, 3 cloves of garlic and a white cabbage cost a total of $16 Hong Kong Dollars. Practiced some of my very limited Cantonese and was rewarded with lovely smiles from the vendors.

Continued on to Gage Street as I was on a mission to find out where I could buy dumpling wrappers, as I can't seem to find them in the Wellcome or Park'nShop supermarkets. Found a fresh noodle shop near a much visited fruit stall that I go to and bought a small bundle of wrappers for $3 Hong Kong Dollars.

After this, I then walked to Wellington Street to visit my favourite Chinese grocery store "Wing Woo". A little old man runs a store that looks at least 100 years old. There is a tiny song bird in a wooden cage hanging to the front of the shop and heshan sacks of rice piled high to the back of the shop. Green and red preserved vegetables are displayed in a bucket and assorted duck, chicken and quail eggs are displayed along the front of his shop. This shop is jam packed full of character and history and this is why I love it. Bought some black sweet vinegar to go with the dumplings and some chilli soy sauce for stir-frys.

Today, Saturday 7 June 2008 I made the dumplings and they turned out absolutely perfect except for the fact that I didn't buy enough dumpling wrappers. Now need to make another trip to get more so that I can use the rest of the meat filling.
Copyright © 2008 - 2009 All Rights Reserved