Squash potstickers

 

MUNCH RATING: 3/5

Now that I’m working full time I really don’t have a lot of time for cooking and blogging. As soon as Steve and I get in from work I cook something quick and simple and I just don’t have the inclination to faff about photographing the dish.

 

But I made these potstickers last weekend. I had some leftover butternut squash that I’d simply roasted in the oven. I mashed it up and chucked in some finely home-grown sage (all the plants are doing well – still need to update those blog posts!) and some salt and pepper. Then I filled the gyoza wrappers (these were frozen but they only took a couple of hours to thaw out on the kitchen counter) and folder them in half and sealed with water.

 

I think I’ve finally got the knack of cooking potstickers. I heated some oil in a pan and put about 5 dumplings in and cooked them for about a minute on each side until they were nicely browned. Then I added about 2 tablespoons of water and clamped on a lid and cooked for about 3 minutes (I’d cook for longer if the dumplings contained raw meat) until all the water had disappeared. Then I put them in the oven on a low heat to keep warm.

 

Technically these aren’t really potstickers as I used a non-stick pan so they didn’t stick – I just find it easier this way.

 

TASTE TEST:

I served them with some ketchup manis (Indonesian sweet soy sauce) and because the butternut squash was sweet, it was all a bit too sweet! But they did taste nice, we just prefer meaty dumplings!

Chicken Rice – Ching-He Huang

 

MUNCH RATING: 1/5

 

I still had loads of Chinese dried mushrooms so I thought this would be the perfect dish to use them in.

 

CHANGES TO THE RECIPE:

I used boneless chicken thigh instead of chicken on the bone as it’s easier to eat and it also cooks quicker. I chopped up the mushrooms into small dice instead of slicing them and I grated my ginger instead of slicing it as we don’t like big bits of ginger. I also added some crushed garlic. I also ran out of sesame oil so I only used 50ml instead of 100ml, but I think it’s such a strong flavour that too much can spoil a dish.

 

I only used one pan as it seemed pointless frying the chicken and mushrooms in one pan, putting the rice in another pan and then pouring the chicken and mushrooms on top of the rice. So I’ve written the recipe to skip this step.

 

TASTE TEST:

This was a very disappointing dish. The rice was overcooked and soggy. Since I’ve bought my Tefal 4-in-1 I’ve been able to cook perfect rice, so I really should stop experimenting with different cooking methods!

 

But the chicken itself was very bland. I don’t think using the correct amount of sesame oil would have helped because then it would have just tasted of sesame oil. It needed something like soy sauce to give it some saltiness and flavour. We ended up pouring lots of ketchup manis (sweet soy sauce) all over our meal to give it some taste! I won’t be making this again!

 

• Serves: 4

 

Ingredients:

• 6 dried Chinese mushrooms
• 1 Tablespoon vegetable oil
• 5cm piece root ginger, peeled and grated
• 1 clove garlic, crushed (optional)
• 300g chicken thighs, skinned and cut into bitesize pieces
• 100ml Shaoshing rice wine
• 50ml pure sesame oil
• 300g jasmine rice, washed well

 

Directions:

1. Soak the dried mushrooms in hot water for about 20 mins. Drain them and cut into small dice, discarding the stalks.
2. Heat a large saucepan over a high heat and add the oil. Add the ginger and garlic and stir-fry for 1 min, then add the mushrooms and cook for 30 secs. Add the chicken and stir-fry until starting to turn opaque, then add the rice wine and sesame oil and cook for 2 mins. Season with about ½ tsp salt.
3. Add the rice to the pan, mix well and then add 500ml water and bring to the boil, then cover and simmer over a low heat for 20 mins. Allow to stand for a few mins, then fluff up the rice (a bit difficult when it’s soggy!) when ready to serve.

Tempura batter (for pork, chicken and squid)

MUNCH RATING: 3/5

 

For some reason the original pork/chicken ball batter that I’d previously used and really liked has not produced good results on all the subsequent occasions that I’ve made it. So I decided to try using John Torode’s batter, which is basically a Japanese tempura batter as it contains cold (sparkling) water.

 

CHANGES TO THE RECIPE:

I decided to batter a selection of things: 1 pork chop, 1 chicken breast and 3 pieces of squid. We didn’t cook the squid for as long, so they are the smaller, paler balls in the photo. The pork and chicken were cooked for about 5-6 minutes, turning occasionally.

 

The amount of batter was sufficient for this amount of meat and seafood. However, I ran out of cornflour for dusting the pork, so I just used plain flour instead and it was fine.

 

I got Steve to make the Sweet and Sour sauce from the original recipe we like, as we know it’s a winner! I’ve rewritten the sauce recipe below.

 

TASTE TEST:

Well the pork and chicken balls were lovely as the meat was moist and succulent. I never normally use chicken breast as I find it dry and lacking flavour. So Steve was very surprised when I told him it was breast and not thigh. Unfortunately the squid tasted very fishy, so I suspect that the frozen squid I used has spoiled, either before or after I bought it.

 

The batter was nice and crispy, but it was a little bit greasy. It might be because we didn’t drain them well enough. Or we perhaps didn’t have the oil hot enough when we dropped the battered meat/squid in, so the batter didn’t create a barrier against absorbing more oil. I still thought the batter was really nice, but Steve said it just wasn’t the same as the take-away ones! So as a batter it is very nice, but it doesn’t get as high a Munch Rating as it’s just not spongy enough in the middle for Steve’s liking.

 

So we’re still looking for the perfect recipe. I’m going to look into why the original recipe we liked hasn’t worked since the first time I made it. I think I might have converted the quantities incorrectly when I downsized the recipe.

 

I have also asked my Dad to ask his friends who own a Chinese take-away for their recipe. Hopefully I will learn some insider secrets!

 

I now have almost a whole bottle of soda water to use up. I could make up a nice drink with it, but I’ve found a recipe for pancakes which uses soda water as it apparently makes them really fluffy. So hopefully I’ll get around to experimenting with that recipe before the water goes flat!

 

• Makes: 6-8 pork balls, 6-8 chicken balls, 12-15 squid rings

 

Ingredients:

FOR THE BATTER

• 100ml soda water, chilled
• 100ml cold water
• 140g self-raising flour
• pinch of salt

 

• selection of skinless, boneless meat/seafood, cut into chunks
• 25g cornflour
• sunflower or vegetable oil, for frying

 

Directions:

1. Line a baking tray with kitchen paper and turn on the oven to low.
2. Fill a large pan 1cm deep with oil and heat until shimmering.
3. Mix the soda water and cold water into the self-raising flour with a little salt (but don’t overmix as it’s OK to have lumps in tempura batter to keep it light)
4. Tip the cornflour onto a plate and dust the chicken/pork/squid with cornflour shaking off the excess, then dip into the batter. One at a time, lower into the hot oil (about 5-6 every batch). Turn up the heat to keep the meat frying, if needed, and cook for 5-6 mins, turning once.
5. When cooked, drain on the tray, and keep warm in the oven. Repeat with the remaining meat. Stack onto a plate with the warm sauce on the side.

 

FOR THE sweet and sour SAUCE:

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup (4 Tablespoons) tomato ketchup
• 1 teaspoon soy sauce
• 1/4 cup (60ml) white vinegar (I used white wine vinegar)
• 1/4 cup (60ml) water
• 1/2 cup (100g) white sugar
• 1/4 cup (45g) brown sugar, packed
• 1 Tablespoon corn flour
• 1/8 cup (2 Tablespoons) cold water

 

Directions:

1. In a small saucepan combine the first 6 ingredients and bring to a boil whisking constantly.
2. Reduce the heat to medium-low and continue to simmer stirring for 2 minutes.
3. In a small cup dissolve the corn flour in the cold water until smooth, then add to the simmering sauce stirring constantly.
4. Cook for another 3 minutes stirring until bubbly and thickened.
5. I served this at room temperature. You can store it in an airtight container in the fridge for probably about a week or you could freeze it.

Minced soy pork with noodles

MUNCH RATING: 5/5

 

In the April issue of BBC Good Food magazine there was a recipe by Ching-He Huang for this noodle dish. It looked really tasty, but what tempted me most was that it was quite healthy at around 500 calories and 12g fat per serving. I thought this would be the perfect dish to start our healthy eating plan as it’s quick and easy to prepare and cook.

 

I do make quite a few stir-fries so I already had most of the ingredients, but there are some ingredients that I had to get from the Chinese supermarket, such as the dried mushrooms. Steve was a little dubious about the dried mushrooms as he didn’t have very fond memories of them from dishes he’d eaten in restaurants. But once he saw that I’d chopped them up into small pieces he cheered up and after tasting them in the dish he declared that they were actually quite nice as he couldn’t really taste them, but they added a depth of flavour to the dish. He’s even suggested we try putting them in Bolognese and Massaman curry!

 

CHANGES TO THE RECIPE: 

I also used some chow mein noodles (Lion Brand) that I’d bought instead of the rice noodles that Ching used, as we prefer this type of noodle. Ching added noodles that were already cooked, whereas I added mine when they were just rehydrated as I preferred to finish cooking them in the pan so that they could absorb more flavour.  I used 2½ blocks of the dried noodles and this made quite a lot when rehydrated, so I added a bit more soy sauce than the recipe suggested and I also added some oyster sauce for extra flavour. Ching added dried shrimps, spring onions and coriander to her dish, but we ran out of spring onions and I can’t stand dried shrimps and coriander so I left them out. Instead I added some mange tout for some colour and one of our 5-a-day!

 

TASTE TEST:

I haven’t really used pork mince much before, which is funny because the Chinese love to use pork! But we both really liked the texture of the meat and it wasn’t greasy like lamb or beef mince. I will definitely be using more pork mince in future, especially as it was so nice in the Potsticker Dumplings we made!

 

• Serves: 2 generously

 

Ingredients:

• 2½ blocks dried chow mein noodles rehydrated (see notes below)
• 1 Tablespoon vegetable oil
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 Tablespoon grated ginger
• 3 dried Chinese mushrooms, rehydrated and finely chopped (see notes below)
• 250g lean pork mince
• 1 Tablespoon Shaoshing rice wine
• 1 Tablespoon dark soy sauce
• 1 Tablespoon light soy sauce
• 1 Tablespoon oyster sauce
• 1 teaspoon chicken stock powder (I used Knorr granules)
• 100ml water
• 1 Tablespoon toasted sesame oil
• 2 big handfuls of mange tout

 

Directions:

1. Heat a wok over a high heat and add the oil. When it’s really hot add the garlic, ginger and finely chopped mushrooms. Stir well for a few seconds, then add the mince and stir-fry. When the meat starts to turn brown, add the rice wine, both soy sauces, oyster sauce, stock powder and the water and bring to the boil.
2. Add the rehydrated noodles and mix thoroughly, allow to cook for 2 minutes, then add the mange tout and cook for another 2 minutes until they’re cooked but still a bit crunchy.
3. Add the sesame oil, mix well and serve immediately.

 

COOK’S NOTES:

• To rehydrate the noodles: place them in a deep bowl or saucepan and pour over enough boiling water to cover them. Allow them to soften for a couple of minutes and then loosen with a pair of chopsticks until they’re all separated. Drain and rinse with cold water.
• To rehydrate the mushrooms: place them in a bowl and pour over enough boiling water to cover them. Leave them to soak for 45 minutes, then drain.

Pork Potsticker Dumplings

 

MUNCH RATING: 5/5

 

A while ago I tried to make potstickers completely from scratch using my Gran’s recipe for the dough. I added too much water and it was a bit of a disaster, so this time I cheated and used ready-made gyoza wrappers that I bought from a Chinese supermarket. So these dumplings were actually very quick and easy to make, especially when I had Steve to help me.

 

For the filling I adapted a Ken Hom recipe and I made the mistake of substituting Chinese leaves for bamboo shoots as they contributed a funny smell which wasn’t too pleasant! But other than that they tasted really good!

 

I have another recipe for the filling which uses beef mince, so I’ll try that next time. I will also have another try at making the dough from scratch!

 

• Makes: 22-25 dumplings

 

Ingredients:

• 22-25 gyoza wrappers
• a little water for sealing the dumplings
• 1 Tablespoon oil for cooking the dumplings
• 60ml water for cooking the dumplings

FOR THE FILLING:

• 250g minced pork
• 1 teaspoon ginger, finely grated
• 1 clove garlic, finely grated
• ½ Tablespoon Shaoshing rice wine
• ½ Tablespoon dark soy sauce
• ½ Tablespoon light soy sauce
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
• 2 spring onions, finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• ½ teaspoon sugar

 

Directions:

Preparation:

1. Put all the filling ingredients into a bowl and mix together well. Allow to marinate in the fridge for 1 hour.

To make the dumplings:

1. Place a large teaspoon of the filling in the centre of each gyoza wrapper and moisten the edges with water.
2. Fold over the dough to create a semi-circle and pinch together with your fingers to seal. You can add pleats if you like. Place your completed dumplings onto a lightly floured tray and keep covered whilst you make the rest.

To cook the dumplings (in batches):

1. Heat a large lidded frying pan until it is very hot. Add half the oil so that the base of the pan is covered. Place half the dumplings in the pan flat side down, reduce the heat and cook for about 2 minutes or until they are lightly browned.
2. Add 30ml of water, cover the pan tightly and simmer gently for 5-7 minutes until most of the liquid has been absorbed.
3. Uncover the pan and continue to cook the dumplings for 2 more minutes – the dumplings should look wrinkled. Remove from the pan and keep warm whilst you repeat with the other half of the dumplings.

 

COOK’S NOTES:

• The dumplings will keep in the fridge overnight as long as they are tightly covered.

Ken Hom's Udon Noodles with Beef and Chilli Bean Sauce

MUNCH RATING: 5/5

I used a recipe from a Ken Hom book (that accompanies his new Nutriwok) as a base for this dish. I added the carrots, green beans and mushrooms as I like my veggies! I also added the udon noodles as I love them, but you can use any kind of noodles you like or serve with rice.

His recipe was a bit confusing as he didn’t list the soy sauce in the marinade ingredients, but it is in the directions, so I ended up adding it at the end!
This is a great spicy dish, which is tasty but not too hot. Marinating the beef ensures that it remains soft and tender, whilst also adding flavour to the meat.

As with all stir fries, make sure all the ingredients are prepared before you start cooking.

• Serves: 2 (but the amount of beef and noodles can be doubled to serve 4)
• You will need: a large wok or frying pan

Ingredients:
FOR THE MARINADE 

• 2 Tablespoons reduced salt soy sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
• 1 Tablespoon Chinese Shaoshing rice wine or dry sherry
• 2 teaspoons cornflour

• 225g (1/2 lb) beef steak (I used rump), cut into 0.5cm x 5cm slices
• 2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
• 3 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
• 3 spring onions, finely chopped
• 1 carrot, peeled and cut into thin slices on an angle
• a handful of green beans, cut in half
• 5-6 mushrooms, sliced
• 2 packs of straight-to-wok udon noodles
• 1 Tablespoon Chinese Shaoshing rice wine or dry sherry
• 2 teaspoons chilli bean sauce (I used Amoy Toban Jhan Chilli Bean Paste)
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil

Directions:

1. Mix the marinade ingredients together and add the beef, allow to marinate for 20 minutes.
2. Heat the wok over a very high heat until it is hot, then add 1 Tablespoon of the oil and when the oil is slightly smoking add the beef and stir fry for about 5 minutes until nice and brown. Remove from the pan and set to one side.
3. Wipe the wok clean and reheat over a high heat until it is hot. Add the other 1 Tablespoon of oil and heat. Add the garlic and spring onions and stir fry for 30 seconds until it smells fragrant.
4. Add the carrots, green beans and the mushrooms and stir fry for a few minutes until just starting to soften.
5. Add the noodles and stir fry for 2-3 minutes until they are heated through.
6. Return the beef to the pan, then add the rice wine and the chilli bean sauce and stir fry for another minute so that everything is coated evenly (if it starts to stick then you can add a little water to the pan).
7. Finally, add the black pepper, sugar and sesame oil.
8. Serve immediately.

Duck Puffs

MUNCH RATING: 3/5 

 

This is Ching-He Huang’s recipe, but I have adapted it slightly to suit the ingredients I had.

 

CHANGES TO THE RECIPE:

Ching’s original recipe says it makes 10 Duck Puffs, but you will have lots of filling leftover, which is fine as I used it in some stir-fried some noodles (the duck tastes like Aromatic Crispy Duck so would be nice in wraps with cucumber and spring onion).

 

I have also changed the way the pastry is rolled out, as Ching’s way results in a lot of wasted pastry, so if you do it my way then you should get 16 Puffs out of 1 block of pastry.

 

They were quite time consuming to make, but I think they would be good for a dinner party as they can be prepared in advance and then popped into the oven for the last stage. I served them with cucumber and carrot matchsticks.

 

TASTE TEST:

The duck filling is gorgeous, but the puff pastry makes them a bit dry in the mouth. I would prefer to just serve the filling in wraps.

 

• Prep: 30 mins plus 20 mins marinating time
• Cook: min 1 hr 50 mins
• Can be frozen before baking

 

Ingredients:

• ½ finger-length piece fresh root ginger, grated
• 3 tablespoons light soy sauce
• 3 tablespoons plum sauce (I used Hoi-sin sauce instead)
• 1 tablespoon groundnut/vegetable oil
• 3 tablespoons clear honey
• 1 teaspoon Chinese 5 spice (this is my addition)
• 2 duck legs, skin on (make a few cuts into the skin & flesh)
• 3 spring onions, finely sliced (I didn’t have any!)
• 1 340g block ready-rolled puff pastry (I used Jus Rol)
• a little flour, for dusting
• 1 egg, beaten

 

Directions:

1. Marinate the duck: Mix the ginger with the soy and plum sauce (or hoi-sin), oil and honey (and Chinese 5 spice) in a deep dish, then add the duck legs, turning to coat. Cover and chill for at least 20 mins.
2. Cook the duck: Heat oven to Gas mark 3/325°F/170°C. Lift the duck legs onto a non-stick baking tray, then roast for 1½ hours until crisp and golden. Meanwhile, tip the remaining marinade into a small saucepan and simmer for 2 mins, then cool. When the duck is cool enough to handle, remove the skin and finely shred the meat. Mix with the cooled marinade and spring onions.
3. Prepare your pastry: Take your block of pastry and cut it into 16 even pieces. Dust your board and rolling pin with a little bit of flour and then roll each piece of pastry into a square.

YOU CAN MAKE TWO DIFFERENT SHAPES FOR YOUR PUFFS:

• Triangles: put 2 tsp of the duck filling in the middle of each square, brush the edges of pastry with a little egg, then fold the pastry squares in half, pressing to seal so you have a triangle shape.
• Half-moon: using a 9-10cm round cutter stamp out a circle from each pastry square. Put 2 tsp of the duck filling in the middle of each circle, brush the edges of pastry with a little egg, then fold the pastry circles in half, pressing to seal so you have a half-moon shape

To cook:

Transfer the puffs to a lightly greased baking sheet and brush with more egg. Bake at Gas mark 3/325°F/170°C for 15-20 mins until golden (I turned up the oven to Gas mark 7/425°F/220°C for the last few minutes to make them golden brown).

 

COOK’S NOTES:

• If you need to re-roll your puff pastry, stack the trimmings on top of each other to keep the layers.
• Freezing: Can be frozen for up to 1 month. Cook for 5 mins longer from frozen.

 

You might also be interested in: Hoi-sin Pork

Meeting Ken Hom!

Yesterday I went to a Press Event that Steve’s sister couldn’t attend as she’s on holiday. It was a really cool event as Ken Hom was there doing a cooking demonstration and we all got to taste the food he made, which was amazing! He made 2 dishes: Turkey & Red Pepper, and Prawns & Peas, and he prepared everything himself and even washed up the wok! He wanted to prove that you really can prepare and cook tasty, healthy meals very quickly – he did these 2 dishes in 20 minutes!

He was promoting his new Nutriwok Kit, which includes a non-stick wok, a healthy eating recipe book and DVD. The PR girls from Publicasity were absolutely lovely and really looked after me as they gave me the opportunity to meet Ken Hom and get my recipe book signed! The recipe book looks really good and easy to follow, so I shall be using it quite a lot I think!

I got to see lots of cool new kitchen products/gadgets made by Cole & Mason, Zyliss and Culinaire. I also got a goody bag with a Cole & Mason Salt & Pepper Set (they are definitely the best you can buy!), a Culinare One Touch Power Grater, and a set of Seafood Picks and a Pizza Cutter (very useful for my homemade pizza!) made by Zyliss.

So I’ve got a few things to test out and I’ll let you know if they’re any good or not!

Pork Balls in Batter with Sweet and Sour Sauce

MUNCH RATING: 5/5

When I first made this batter recipe it worked incredibly well. But ever since then it hasn't worked as well as the batter has been too runny. I think I might have converted the quantities incorrectly when I downsized the original recipe, so I need to investigate the problem and I will rewrite the recipe. I'm sorry if you have tried this recipe and it has been a disaster! But the sauce recipe is definitely good and I have used it when I tried a tempura recipe.

I asked my Dad to ask his friends who own a Chinese take-away how they make the batter for pork/chicken balls. Their response was:
Dry the meat and season with salt and pepper. Dust with plain flour. Make a batter by mixing self-raising flour (Green Dragon is the brand) with enough water until you get the consistency where it easily falls from the whisk. Dip the meat into the batter and then deep fry until pale golden brown and the 'balls' have formed their shape. In the take-away they will leave them like this until a customer makes their order and then the balls are re-fried until they are dark golden brown.

So I've got a couple of recipes to test out and will post the results asap!



SWEET AND SOUR SAUCE - INGREDIENTS

• 1/4 cup (4 Tablespoons) tomato ketchup
• 1 teaspoon soy sauce
• 1/4 cup (60ml) white vinegar (I used white wine vinegar)
• 1/4 cup (60ml) water
• 1/2 cup (100g) white sugar
• 1/4 cup (45g) brown sugar, packed
• 1 Tablespoon corn flour
• 1/8 cup (2 Tablespoons) cold water

SWEET AND SOUR SAUCE - DIRECTIONS:

1. To make the sauce: in a small saucepan combine the first 6 ingredients and bring to a boil whisking constantly.
2. Reduce the heat to medium-low and continue to simmer stirring for 2 minutes.
3. In a small cup dissolve the corn flour in the cold water until smooth, then add to the simmering sauce stirring constantly.
4. Cook for another 3 minutes stirring until bubbly and thickened.
5. I served this at room temperature. You can store it in an airtight container in the fridge for probably about a week.

---

** 5th April 2010 - Ignore this recipe! It needs updating! **

PORK BALLS – INGREDIENTS:

• 2/3 cup (80g) plain flour
• 2/3 cup (80g) corn flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 cup (240ml) cold water
• oil for deep frying
• 1.1lb (500g) pork, cut into small cubes (I used Spare Rib Chops. You could also use chicken breast).

PORK BALLS – DIRECTIONS:

1. To make the batter: in a large bowl combine the flour, corn flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, sugar and water and mix until smooth.
2. Put the pork pieces into the batter and mix thoroughly to evenly coat them. (I did this about ½ hour before I was ready to cook them as I find batter benefits from time to rest).
3. Heat the oil in a deep-fryer or large deep saucepan to 375 degrees (I used oil about 3 inches deep in a saucepan. To test the oil was hot enough I dropped some batter in and if it puffed up and sizzled then it was ready).
4. Then drop the pieces into the hot oil piece by piece and fry until golden brown, about 5-7 minutes. (Don’t put too many pieces into the fryer otherwise the temperature of the oil will drop too much, I fried about 10 at a time).
5. Remove and drain on a paper towel and keep warm in a low oven whilst you fry the rest.

Spicy Fish with Rice

MUNCH RATING: 3/5
Steve’s Mum bought some swordfish as it was half price, so I adapted a recipe that used cod and it worked really well as the swordfish held it’s shape and had a good flavour.

• Serves 3-4
• You will need: large wok or deep frying pan 

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon plain flour
• 1 tablespoon curry powder
• 1 teaspoon hot chilli powder (adapt to suit taste)
• salt and pepper
• 3 large pieces of thick cut swordfish, skinned and cut into large chunks
• 2 tablespoons oil
• 3 spring onions, sliced at an angle
• 2 small orange sweet peppers, cut into small pieces
• 1 carrot, peeled and cut into matchsticks
• A big handful of frozen peas
• 450g cooked long-grain rice (that’s 2 cups uncooked)
• A pinch of cayenne (optional, but I like it hot!)
• 4 tablespoons sweet chilli sauce (I used Blue Dragon)
• 4 tablespoons ketchup manis*
• 2 tablespoons tomato ketchup** (optional)
• big handful of roasted, salted cashews (I used Tesco Value ones!) 

Directions:

1. Mix the flour, curry powder, chilli powder, salt and pepper in a wide shallow dish and add the fish. Gently mix until the fish is coated in the spice mixture. Chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.
2. Heat your wok or pan, then add the oil and heat until almost smoking. Add the fish and fry for about 5 minutes, until brown and crispy on all sides. Remove from the pan, place on a warm plate, cover and keep warm.
3. Put the spring onions, peppers and carrots into the pan and stir fry for 2-3 minutes, then add the peas, rice and cayenne and fry until they’re heated through.
4. Then add the sweet chilli sauce, ketchup manis, tomato ketchup and cashews and stir fry for 3 more minutes.
5. Return the fish to the pan, heat for a few minutes then serve immediately.

COOK'S NOTES:
* The original recipe uses soy sauce, but I prefer Ketchup manis which is Indonesian soy sauce and it’s thicker, sweeter and less salty than normal soy sauce. The only place I’ve managed to find it is Marks and Spencers. If you can’t get it, just use ordinary soy sauce instead, but use about half the amount, and add some sugar to the dish.
** If you don’t add the tomato ketchup to the dish whilst it’s cooking, it’s still nice to serve it with the rice, as a small squirt of tomato ketchup adds a nice sweet zingy flavour!

Kung Po Chicken

MUNCH RATING: 3/5

I used Simon Rimmer’s recipe that he made on Something For The Weekend as a base for this dish.

CHANGES TO THE RECIPE:
I made quite a few changes to his recipe by simplifying it. I also added more vegetables and substituted the whole dried chillies for a pinch of crushed dried chillies and I used balsamic vinegar instead of the Chinese black rice vinegar as I couldn’t get hold of any.

I also stirred in some cooked noodles, but this was a mistake as the sauce has such an intense sweet/sour/hot flavour, that I think it would have been better to serve the dish with just some plain rice.

• Serves 6
• Prep time: 1 hour to marinate
• Cook time: 15-20 minutes 

Ingredients:

• 600g chicken, cut into strips (I used thighs and it’s roughly 1 per person if they’re big thighs)
• 3.5 Tablespoons (50ml) shaoxing rice wine
• 3.5 Tablespoons (50g) cornflour
• 3.5 Tablespoons (50ml) vegetable oil
• Pinch of crushed dried chillies
• 5cm piece fresh ginger, grated
• 2 carrots, peeled and cut into julienne pieces
• Some broccoli, cut into even pieces and lightly blanched
• 4-5 spears of asparagus, cut into pieces at an angle
• 3.5 Tablespoons (50g) soft brown sugar
• 75g cashew nuts
• 3.5 Tablespoons (50ml) light soy sauce
• 3.5 Tablespoons (50ml) balsamic vinegar 

Directions:

1. In a bowl, mix together the rice wine and cornflour until well combined, then add the chicken strips and mix until the chicken is completely coated in the mixture. Cover and chill in the fridge for one hour.
2. Heat the vegetable oil in a wok over a high heat. When the oil is smoking, fry the chicken in batches for 2-3 minutes, or until golden-brown. Remove from the wok using a slotted spoon and set aside on a plate.
3. Add the dried chillies and ginger to the pan and fry for 1 minute until fragrant.
4. Add the vegetables and chicken to the pan and stir-fry for a few minutes, then add the sugar, cashew nuts, light soy sauce and vinegar to the wok and stir-fry until the sugar has melted, the sauce is sticky and well combined and the chicken strips are cooked through.

Chinese Steamed Salmon & Rice

MUNCH RATING: 4/5
This is something I’ve been meaning to cook in my Tefal 4-in-1 for quite some time and tonight I finally got around to doing it. In the recipe book there are separate recipes for rice using the Rice Cooker function and recipes for cooking fish using the Steaming function, but no instructions on how to cook them both at once.

The rice usually takes about 20 minutes to cook, so I made an educated guess that the salmon would steam in this amount of time. So this was my little experiment and it worked out perfectly! The salmon was perfectly moist and the rice was fluffy and the grains separated.

I served this with some Pak Choi, which I cooked separately in a wok once the salmon and rice were cooked. I didn’t cook it in the steaming basket for a couple of reasons: 1) there wasn’t much room left in the steaming basket, 2) I wanted a slightly different flavour for the vegetables from the salmon.

• Serves 2
• Marinade time: up to 30 minutes (optional)
• Tefal 4-in-1 Rice Cook: 20 minutes 

Ingredients:

• 2 cups of uncooked long grain/jasmine rice
• 2 pieces of salmon (I used fairly thin fillets, about 1 inch thick x 1 inch wide)
• 1 Tablespoon sesame oil
• 2 Tablespoon of ketchup manis (or just use soy sauce)
• 1 Tablespoon honey
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• About 1 cm of root ginger, grated (I store this in the freezer so it’s easy to grate)
• 2 spring onions, chopped at an angle 

Directions:

1. Rinse the rice, then place it in Rice Cooker bowl. Fill the bowl so that it is just over line number 2 (because you’re also steaming fish, I am a little bit more generous with the water).
2. Line the steaming basket with foil so that all the holes are covered and none of the sauce can drip into the rice bowl.
3. In the steaming basket mix together the sesame oil, ketchup manis (or soy sauce), honey, garlic, ginger and spring onions. Place the salmon in the sauce and make sure both pieces are well covered in the sauce (if you like you can leave the fish to marinate for up to 30 minutes in the fridge).
4. Place the steaming basket in the rice bowl over the rice. Shut the lid and then press the Rice Cooking button. It will take about 20 minutes to cook. 

For the Pak Choi:
Wash 2 Pak Choi bulbs, then slice each one in half so it is easier to separate the leaves. Heat 1 Tablespoon of oil in a wok or large frying pan, then add a pinch of chilli flakes and fry for about 30 seconds. Add the thicker stem parts of the Pak Choi and fry for about 1 minute before adding a 2 Tablespoons of water and clamping on a lid. After 2 minutes, add the leafier parts of the Pak Choi and add 1 Tablespoon of Oyster Sauce, a teaspoon of sugar and some of the sauce from the cooked salmon, then cook for another minute. Serve immediately with the rice and salmon.

Chinese Spare Ribs

MUNCH RATING: 4/5

I slow cooked these spare ribs in my Tefal 4-in-1 for about 6 hours and then finished them in the oven to make them slightly charred for an improved flavour and appearance. They were wonderfully tender and the meat just fell off the bone!

For the marinade I used the same recipe that I use for Hoi-Sin Pork.

• Prep time: 10 minutes
• Marinade time: a few hours or ideally overnight
• Cooking time: slow cook 4-6 hours then 20 mins in oven 

Ingredients:

• 2 packs pork spare ribs (about 12 ribs)
• 3 tbsp hoi-sin sauce
• 3 tbsp brown sugar
• 3 tbsp water
• 1 tbsp (dark) soy sauce
• 1 tbsp sesame oil
• ½ tsp Chinese five-spice powder
• 1 to 2 tablespoons honey 

Directions:

1. Put the pork ribs in a plastic zip-lock freezer bag and then add all the marinade ingredients. Seal the bag and massage the meat so that it is fully and evenly coated. Alternatively, put the pork ribs and marinade ingredients into a large flat dish and cover with cling film. Leave them in the fridge for a few hours or ideally overnight.
2. Put the pork ribs and the marinade into the slow cooker and cook (on low) for 4-6 hours until the meat is tender.
3. Preheat the oven to Gas mark 4/350°F/180°C. Put the ribs into a baking tray and pour over about a third of the marinade from the slow cooker. Drizzle over 1 to 2 tablespoons of honey and roast in the oven for about 20 minutes.
4. Meanwhile put the rest of the marinade into a small saucepan and boil until it is thick and syrupy. Strain the marinade into a small serving bowl and then serve with the ribs as a dipping sauce.

Chinese style braised beef

MUNCH RATING: 3/5

This recipe is from BBC Good Food and I cooked it in my Tefal 4-in-1 rice cooker for 6 hours, but I have written the original recipe here.
The beef was incredibly tender, although we weren’t that keen on the Chinese Five Spice flavour, so would leave it out next time.

• Serves: 6

Ingredients:

• 3-4 tbsp olive oil
• 6 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• goodthumb-size piece fresh root ginger, peeled and shredded
• 1 bunch spring onions, sliced
• 1 red chilli, deseeded and thinly sliced
• 1½ kg braising beef, cut into large pieces
• 2 tbsp plain flour, well seasoned
• 1 tsp Chinese five-spice powder
• 2 star anise (optional)
• 2 tsp light muscovado sugar (or use whatever you've got)
• 3 tbsp Chinese cooking wine or dry sherry
• 3 tbsp dark soy sauce , plus more to serve
• 500ml beef stock (I used Knorr Touch of Taste vegetable stock)
• steamed bok choi and steamed basmati rice, to serve 

Directions:

1. Heat 2 tbsp of the oil in a large, shallow casserole. Fry the garlic, ginger, onions and chilli for 3 mins until soft and fragrant. Tip onto a plate. Toss the beef in the flour, add 1 tbsp more oil to the pan, then brown the meat in batches, adding the final tbsp oil if you need to. It should take about 5 mins to brown each batch properly.
2. Add the five-spice and star anise (if using) to the pan, tip in the gingery mix, then fry for 1 min until the spices are fragrant. Add the sugar, then the beef and stir until combined. Keep the heat high, then splash in the wine or sherry, scraping up any meaty bits. Heat oven to 150C/fan 130C/gas 2.
3. Pour in the soy and stock (it won't cover the meat completely), bring to a simmer, then tightly cover, transfer to the oven and cook for 1½-2 hrs, stirring the meat halfway through. The meat should be very soft, and any sinewy bits should have melted away. Season with more soy. This can now be chilled and frozen for up to 1 month.
4. Nestle the cooked bok choi into the pan, then bring to the table with the basmati rice straight away and tuck in.

Hoi-sin Pork

The marinade for the pork is based on a dish by Ching He-Huang that Steve cooked for me for Valentine's Day. Her recipe uses duck breast but I thought it would go well with pork as hoisin is the main ingredient for char-siu (chinese roast pork).

I had some leftover jasmine rice which I told Steve I was going to serve with the pork. However, I wanted to try something new with the rice so I did a twist on the italian arancini risotto balls. Steve was pleasantly surprised when he cut open the rice balls to find them filled with cheese and he really liked them, however I don't think they were 100% success so I will tweak them and then put up the recipe.

For now here's the Hoi-sin Pork recipe:

To serve 2

Ingredients:
1 large boneless pork chop (or 2 smaller ones)
Marinade:
3 tbsp hoi-sin sauce
3 tbsp brown sugar
3 tbsp water
1 tbsp (dark) soy sauce
1 tbsp oil (preferably sesame for the flavour)
Ching's recipe calls for ½ tsp Chinese five-spice powder but I didn't have any, however the pork still has lots of flavour.

Directions:

1. Put the pork in a plastic zip-lock freezer bag and then add all the marinade ingredients. Seal the bag and massage the meat so that it is fully and evenly coated. Pop it in the fridge for at least 30 minutes but preferably for a few hours.
2. Take the meat out of fridge about 30 minutes before you're ready to cook to bring it to room temperature.
3. Heat a large frying/saute pan to medium-high and then put the pork into the pan, reserving the rest of the marinade (if you have a non-stick pan you won't need to add any oil).
4. Fry the pork for a few minutes on each side until it is fully cooked and no longer pink in the middle. The cooking time will depend on thickness of your meat but you can generally tell when it is done when you press on the meat and it feels firm.
5. Remove the pork from the pan, keep warm and allow to rest for about 5 minutes.
6. Add the rest of the marinade to the pan and simmer gently for a few minutes until heated through and slightly thickened.
7. Slice the pork and drizzle the sauce on top.