WHITE CHINESE FISH BROTH
Serves 4
This professional trick of frying a fish before using it in a soup miraculously turns the soup to a creamy white color with a milky smooth, savory sweet flavor. Thanks to the Cantonese chefs in Hong Kong who created this technique, a good bowl of Chinese fish soup is now transcended to another level of health.
700gm whole fresh fish, descaled and chopped in large pieces
2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
1/2 cup rice flour or cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon Chinese sesame oil
2 tablespoon cooking oil
1 knob fresh ginger, peeled and sliced
1/2 cup white onions, chopped into chunks
1. Marinate fish pieces in salt, pepper and sesame oil for at least 30 minutes
2. Coat each piece in flour.
3. Heat up the oil in a wok or large pot, over high heat.
4. Fry the fish until golden brown. Drain each piece.
5. Place the fried fish into a boiling pot of soup water with ginger slices and onions. Cook on high heat for a few minutes until the water boils again.
6. Skim off any foam on the surface and add other vegetables or noodles.
7. Simmer for no longer than 45 minutes. Check seasoning.
8. Serve at anytime of the day to reduce colds and flu, or any stomach bugs and running stomachs.
THE PERFECT EGG FRIED RICE
3 tablespoon cooking oil
2 cups cooked jasmine rice, at fridge temperature
2 eggs, beaten with ½ teaspoon salt
2 spring onions, finely chopped
1 teaspoon Chinese sesame oil
1 teaspoon Light soy sauce
1/4 teaspoon White pepper
1/4 teaspoon Chinese Chicken powder (Knorrs)
This recipe is for a base egg fried rice. Add your pre-cooked meats, seafood or vegetables to make a more filling meal. A tin of corned mutton or beef is also a delicious way to enjoy fried rice.
Pre-cook the nice but don’t overcook the grains until they become mushy. Refrigerate and separate the grains with your clean or gloved hands to remove the big lumps.
Heat the oil in a wok or large frying pan on high heat until smoking, then add the rice. Spread out the rice so it all heats through, and then toss until coated well with the oil. Add the soy sauce, sesame oil and white pepper.
Add the beaten eggs to the centre, and stir furiously so most of the egg is absorbed into the rice, then continue to stir-fry for a couple of minutes until some of the rice has just begun to caramelise and toast.
Add any leftover cooked meats and vegetables (drained well), and finish with the spring onions and serve immediately.
SWEET & SOUR CHICKEN
This is an all-time favorite sauce recipe when dining at a Cantonese restaurant. The sweetly, sour smells of tomato and pineapple is the perfect sauce to enjoy with just about any vegetables, meats or seafood. If you don’t like the batter, just replace with grilled.
1 whole chicken, chopped into bite sized pieces
salt and pepper
1 cup rice flour or cornstarch
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup cooking oil
salt and white pepper, for seasoning
1/2 cup spring onions, sliced lengthways
Sauce:
1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup tomato sauce or ketchup
1/2 cup white vinegar
1 tablespoon light soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup fresh or tinned pineapple, chopped into chunks
Rinse chicken, trim off fat or extras and then cut into 1 inch cubes. Season with salt and pepper all over, and allow to marinate for 1 hour.
Dip chicken into rice flour/cornstarch and coat all the way and then into eggs. Heat oil in large pot or wok in small batches until cooked chicken is browned.
For the sauce, put all ingredients into a pot and bring to the boil then reduce to simmer for 10 minutes. Check the seasoning and adjust to balance out the sweet and sour notes.
In a wok, heat up a little oil and fry the spring onions. Put in the cooked chicken and heat through.
Add the sauce, toss until coated and serve immediately with steamed rice.
