Char siu roast pork
2/3 cup caster sugar
1/4 cup sea salt
2 tablespoons Chinese five-spice powder
1 tablespoon garlic, minced
750g (about 6) pork spareribs
1/3 cup honey, melted
White sesame seeds, to serve
Char siu marinade
1 cup (250g) fermented red bean curd (from Asian grocers)
3/4 cup hoisin sauce
1/2 cup Chinese ground bean sauce
2 tablespoons dry sherry
2 tablespoons sesame oil
1. Combine sugar, salt, five-spice powder and garlic powder in a bowl. Add pork ribs and turn to coat. Cover with plastic wrap and chill overnight to cure.
2. The next day, for the marinade, place all ingredients in a food processor and whiz until smooth. Pour over cured pork and turn to coat. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for a further 4 hours.
3. Preheat oven to 220C. Remove pork from fridge and wipe off most of the marinade. Transfer pork to a wire rack set in a deep roasting pan, then pour in enough water to fill pan one-third full (do not let water touch pork).
4. Roast, turning halfway, for 50 minutes or until tender and edges of ribs are caramelised.
5. Glaze ribs with honey and scatter with sesame seeds to serve
Spring onion cakes
2 cups normal flour, plus extra, to dust
¾ cup vegetable oil
2 stalks spring onions, thinly sliced, plus extra, to serve
Black vinegar dipping sauce
¼ cup Chinese black vinegar (chinkiang)
¼ cup light soy sauce
2 teaspoons caster sugar
1 teaspoon Chinese sesame oil
2 long red chillies, sliced, plus extra, to serve
1. Sift flour into a large bowl with a pinch of salt. Make a well in the centre and add 160ml lukewarm water. Using your hands, draw in flour, working from the centre outwards, until dough just comes together. Turn out onto a clean work surface and knead for 6 minutes or until smooth and elastic. Drizzle 60 ml vegetable oil into a clean bowl and add dough, turning to coat completely. Set aside to rest at room temperature for 1 hour.
2. Meanwhile, to make dipping sauce, combine all the ingredients in a small bowl, stirring to dissolve sugar, and set aside.
3. Remove dough from oil and divide into 10 pieces. Roll out one piece on a lightly floured work surface to a 15 cm round. Brush with vegetable oil, scatter with a pinch of salt and 1 tbsp spring onions. Roll up dough to enclose onion, then coil into a round disc, pressing down with your hands to seal. Using a lightly floured rolling pin, roll out again to a 15 cm round. Place on a sheet of baking paper and set aside. Repeat with remaining dough, oil and spring onions to make 10 pancakes.
4. Heat half the remaining oil in a large, non-stick frying pan over medium-high heat. Working in batches, cook pancakes, turning, for 2 minutes each side or until golden and flaky, adding more oil to the pan as necessary. Place on paper towel to absorb excess oil, then cut into wedges and serve immediately with dipping sauce, extra spring onions and chilli.
Chilli and five spiced squid
1 kg squid, cleaned
1/3 cup self-raising flour
2 teaspoons dried chilli flakes
1 teaspoon five-spice powder
Vegetable oil, to deep-fry
Chilli sesame mayonnaise
1 cup mayonnaise
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon dried chilli flakes
1. To make chilli sesame mayonnaise, combine all ingredients in a bowl, cover and refrigerate until needed.
2. Score squid and cut into triangles. Combine flour, 1½ tbsp salt, chilli flakes and five-spice powder in a bowl and set aside.
3. Fill a deep-fryer or large saucepan one-third full with oil and heat over medium heat to 180C. Working in batches, coat squid in flour mixture, shaking off excess, then gently drop into oil and fry for 1 minute or until crisp and golden. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towel.
4. Serve immediately with chilli sesame mayonnaise.
Mango pudding
This pudding is a favourite dessert at yum cha restaurants and is easy to make at home if you have tinned, frozen or fresh mango.
1 1/2 cups white sugar
4-6 tablespoons gelatin powder
6 cups hot water
1 cup milk
1 cup cream
1 can mango pulp
2-3 fresh mangoes, diced
1. Mix sugar and gelatin. Dissolve with hot water.
2. Pour in milk, heavy cream, mango pulp, and fresh mangoes. Stir.
3. Pour into a tray or individual glasses, refrigerate for at least 3-4 hours before serving.
