Tag: Chinese

Cashew chicken

~ Sophie ~ Leave a comment

Takeaway staple, and deeply delicious savoury weeknight dinner. Customise however you like (change up the veg, protein, accompanying carb). And, if you have an air fryer, experience the small joy of being able to produce perfectly toasted cashew nuts in just 3 mins. Feeds 2

  • ½ tbsp cornflour
  • 1½ tbsp soy sauce
  • 2 tsp shaoxing rice wine
  • 1½ tbsp oyster sauce
  • 1 tsp sesame oil
  • White pepper
  • 300g chicken thighs, sliced into thin slices
  • 1 tbsp veg oil
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • 3 spring onions, cut into 1″ lengths
  • Baby corn, sliced in half lengthways
  • 3 tbsp water
  • Handful of cashews, toasted
  1. Mix cornflour and soy sauce until there’s no lumps. Then mix in the shaoxing, oyster sauce, sesame oil and a good pinch of white pepper
  2. Put the sliced chicken into a bowl and mix in 2 tbsp of the sauce mixture. Mix to coat and set aside for 10 mins
  3. Heat veg oil over high heat in a wok, add the garlic and spring onion, and stir fry for 1 min
  4. Add chicken and cook for around 4 mins. Add baby corn and cook for an additional minute
  5. Add sauce and water, then turn the heat down. Bring to simmer and cook, stirring, for 1 min or until sauce thickens and the chicken is cooked through
  6. Stir through the toasted cashews, remove from the heat and serve immediately with noodles and maybe some steamed pak choi

Chicken wonton meatballs

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A delectable naked wonton for when simplicity is more important than authenticity. A perfect addition to soups, noodles, egg-fried rice. If you’re feeling extra, eat them banh mi-style in a baguette with spicy mayo, pickled carrot, cucumber ribbons and fresh coriander. Or just have them plain in a lunchbox next to some sugar snap peas and sweet chilli sauce for dipping.

  • 400g minced chicken
  • 4 spring onions, roughly chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, chopped
  • 1 inch ginger, peeled and chopped
  • Small handful fresh coriander
  • 1 tbsp soy sauce
  • 1 tbsp oyster sauce
  • 2 tsp sesame oil
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • 1 tsp white pepper
  • 3 tbsp cornflour
  • 1 egg
  • Veg oil
  1. With a hand blender or small food processor, puree the spring onions, garlic, ginger and coriander with athe soy sauce, oyster sauce, sesame oil, sugar and white pepper
  2. In a mixing bowl, beat the egg and then add the aromatic puree you’ve just created, plus the chicken mince and cornflour
  3. Mix well. The texture is very odd, but trust the process
  4. Leave to stand for 15 mins to firm up a bit
  5. Heat a large frying pan with a swirl of veg oil and use a spoon to plop meatballs/mini-burgers into the pan
  6. Cook for a few mins on each side until golden and cooked through

Oh oh, you could also join the very trendy trend on tiktok and have this as a SMASH TACO (because I know about these things due to being Very Young and Hip of course). If you want to do this, it is delicious as well as being fashionable. Just follow all the steps up to #4 and then press the mixture in a thin-ish layer onto small soft tacos. And then press a coating of sesame seeds onto the top of the chicken (being careful not to contaminate your entire stock of sesame seeds with your chickeny hands). Cook them face-down in a large frying pan in a smidge of oil, and when brown flip them over and toast face-up briefly. Top with an artful drizzle of sriracha mayo, shredded lettuce, fresh coriander and fold in half to eat by the glow of your ring light.

Scissor-cut noodles

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Chewy, slippery noodle/dumpling convergence, this is the spicy cousin of spätzle – and arguably even easier to make. Just trust me, you should cook this. Feeds 2

  • 240g plain flour 
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • 125ml lukewarm water 
  • 2 spring onions, finely chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 tsp chilli flakes 
  • ½ tsp five spice powder
  • ½ tsp ground szechuan pepper 
  • 1 tsp sesame seeds
  • 3 tbsp veg oil
  • 1 tbsp soy sauce
  • ½ tsp sugar
  • 1 tbsp black rice vinegar
  1. In a large bowl, mix the flour and salt. Pour in the water gradually and use a spoon then your hands to combine
  2. Knead for 5-7 mins until it’s smooth and stretchy, then place back in the bowl and cover. Leave to rest for 20 mins
  3. While the dough is resting, make the sauce. Put the spring onion, garlic, chilli flakes, five spice, szechuan pepper and sesame seeds in a small heatproof bowl
  4. Heat the veg oil until it shimmers and pour it over the aromatics and spices. Delightedly watch it bubble, and then mix it through
  5. Add soy sauce, sugar and vinegar. Mix well and divide between 2 deep bowls
  6. Bring a large saucepan of salted water to a boil and hold the dough in one hand and the scissors in the other. Over the pot, use the scissors to slice off thin, roughly 1-inch long strips of noodles off the dough and allow them to fall into the water
  7. Once you’ve snipped in all the dough, boil for a further 2 mins or so until all of the noodumplings are cooked. 
  8. Drain and transfer to the 2 bowls, stir through the seasoning oil
  9. Serve topped with steamed greens, grilled chicken or tofu, fresh coriander and toasted sesame seeds

One pot Hainanese chicken rice

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Manages to be the most delicately delicious and comforting meal, whilst also being a super-simple weeknight dinner. Not authentic, but well worth eating anyway. Feeds 4

  • 350g basmati rice, washed
  • 600ml boiling water mixed with 1 chicken stock cube, 1 tbsp soy sauce, 0.5 tbsp turmeric, 1 tbsp sesame oil and a pinch white pepper
  • 4 spring onions, trimmed and lightly squished
  • 6 slices ginger
  • 4 garlic cloves, squished with the side of your knife
  • 2 stalks lemongrass, trimmed and squished with the side of your knife
  • 8 small chicken thighs
  1. Put a large saucepan or deep frying pan with a lid over a high heat
  2. Brown the chicken thighs in a little oil briefly over high heat. Then remove from the pann
  3. Add the rice, stock, spring onions, ginger, garlic and lemongrass
  4. Stir together, bring to the boil and place the chicken thighs on top
  5. Pop the lid on and turn down to a simmer
  6. Cook for 20 mins, then leave off the heat with the lid on to steam for a further 10 mins
  7. Remove all the bits from the rice and slice the chicken
  8. Serve the rice and sliced chicken with some sliced cucumber and dipping sauces – this could include chilli vinegar sauce, a sweetened soy sauce (like kecap manis) and a dip made of finely minced coriander, spring onion and ginger with a couple of tbsp hot oil poured over

Incredibly crunchy crackly pork belly

~ Sophie ~ 2 Comments

Imagine the most deliciously tender meat, crowned with the crackliest, crunchiest crackling ever. That’s what this is.

  • 500g piece of pork belly (no bones)
  • 2 tsp shaoxing rice wine
  • ½ tsp five spice powder
  • ½ tsp pepper
  • ¼ tsp fine salt
  • 2 tsp rice vinegar
  • 150g fine salt
  1. Combine the five spice, pepper and salt
  2. Turn the pork belly skin-side down and rub the flesh with shaoxing, then sprinkle with the spice powder all over except the skin
  3. Flip the pork right-side up and place in an open container. Dry the skin off with paper towels and leave uncovered in the fridge overnight to properly dry out
  4. Pre-heat the oven to 150C fan (170C) and remove pork from fridge
  5. Put the pork onto a sheet of foil and fold the sides up around it to enclose the meat snugly, leaving a rim sticking up around ½ cm above the pork skin
  6. Place your pork package on a baking tray and brush skin with rice vinegar. Then carefully spread the salt over the skin in an even layer, trying not to let too much fall down the sides of the package
  7. Roast for 1½ hours, then remove the pork from oven and transfer the foiled pork onto a chopping board
  8. Turn oven up to 240C fan
  9. Remove the foil and scrape the salt off, thoroughly brushing the top to remove all of it
  10. Place the now-nude pork on a rack over the same baking tray and, once the oven is to temperature, roast for a further 30 mins until the crackling is golden and crispy
  11. In high excitement, turn the crackly pork onto its skin-side to cut into squares. Try not to eat it all before it gets to the table

Serve with rice, pak choi and a vinegary-spicy dip or sauce to counteract the salty fattiness

And by all means exchange the SE Asian flavours for Western ones for a different kind of dish

Hoisin pork puffs

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Puffs of delight. A delicate shell of shiny puff pastry encasing a deeply rich, soft, sweet/savoury barbecue pork, tender and succulent. I dare you to just eat one. The perfect thing to eat with a beer in the garden at a party or as part of a dim sum spread. Or just for lunch.

  • 350g pork fillet, trimmed and cut into 1-2cm cubes
  • 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
  • 3cm ginger, peeled and finely chopped
  • 2 tsp soy sauce
  • 4 tbsp hoisin sauce
  • 3 tbsp oyster sauce
  • 1 tsp sesame oil
  • ½ tsp Chinese 5 spice
  • 1 tsp cornflour mixed with 1 tsp cold water
  • 320g ready-made and rolled puff pastry
  • 1 egg, beaten
  • Sesame seeds to sprinkle
  1. In a bowl, combine the pork with the garlic, ginger, soy sauce, hoisin, oyster sauce, sesame oil and 5 spice
  2. After it has marinated for at least 30 mins (and up to 12 hrs), heat a large non-stick frying pan over a medium heat
  3. Tip in the pork mixture. Stir and cook until the pork is cooked through and starting to brown, and the marinade is sticky and thick, almost completely disappeared. This will happen pretty quickly, in 5-10 mins
  4. Tip the cooked pork out onto a plate and add 100ml cold water to the pan, scraping all the bits off the bottom
  5. Pour in the cornflour slurry and stir in, making sure it’s well-combined
  6. Turn the heat down and continue to stir until it makes a thick sauce
  7. Pour this over the pork and mix through
  8. Let the pork mixture cool to room temperature before making the pastries
  9. Preheat the oven to 180C fan (200C) and take the pastry out of the fridge to let it come to room temp
  10. Unroll your pastry and cut into 9 rectangles
  11. Place a heaped tsp of the pork filling in the centre. Then bring together the corners and pinch closed, then the edges, folding together to seal. The parcel should be roughly round-ish
  12. Flip the bun over so the edges are underneath and gently place on the lined baking tray
  13. Brush with beaten egg and sprinkle with sesame seeds
  14. Bake for 20-30 mins until the pastry is golden

Smacked Sichuan cucumber

~ Sophie ~ 1 Comment

Spicy, sweet, salty, tangy and crunchy – a veritable feast for the senses. Super-simple to make AND you get to smack a cucumber. What more could you want?

  • 1 cucumber
  • 2 tsp sugar
  • 1 tbsp black vinegar
  • 2 tsp soy sauce
  • 1 tbsp chilli oil
  • 2 cloves garlic, lightly squashed
  1. First make the dressing as it improves with standing for 5 mins. Just mix together the sugar, vinegar, soy sauce, chilli oil and garlic. Leave on one side til all the ingredients have made friends
  2. Put the whole cucumber on a chopping board and place a wide knife flat on top.
  3. Using the palm of your hand, smack the knife until the cucumber splits and breaks
  4. Chop it into bite-sized pieces and tip into a bowl
  5. Then tip the dressing over the cucumber and mix thoroughly. Give it a couple of mins to stand before serving, sprinkled with sesame seeds and finely chopped red chilli if you like

Serve with this teriyaki aubergine rice bowl, as part of a feast with Chinese spiced roast chicken, or alongside rich, spicy pork and carrots. So many delicious options!

Spring onion noodles

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Deliciously slippery, savoury, spring oniony noodles. Serve with grilled garlic chicken or crispy tofu (this one crumbled into chunky pieces and fried) or spicy cashews. So many delicous options! Feeds 2.

  • 7 spring onions
  • 4 tbsp veg oil
  • 2 tbsp soy sauce
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • 1 tsp sesame seeds, toasted
  • 200g thin egg noodles
  1. Trim the spring onions. Cut into half or thirds across and then cut the pieces in half lengthways, giving you long strips
  2. Heat the oil in a wok over a low-medium heat and then add the spring onions
  3. Cook gently for 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally until completely soft and starting to go golden. Don’t let them get brown!
  4. In the meantime, cook the noodles in a pan of boiling salted water, then drain
  5. Add soy sauce and sugar to the wok
  6. Stir to dissolve the sugar and heat gently until it bubbles
  7. Dump the noodles into the sauce and use tongs to turn them through until everything is coated with everything else
  8. Sprinkle over the toasted sesame seeds and eat immediately – on its own or with the delicious accompaniments of your choice

Spicy steak stirfry

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As well being marvellously alliterative, this dish is so delicious you will lick the bowl clean. Feeds 2 generously.

  • 2 tbsp veg oil
  • ½ onion, cut into 2cm pieces
  • ½ red pepper, cut into 2cm pieces
  • 100g green beans, cut into 2cm lengths
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 400g rump steak, trimmed and finely sliced into slices around 3mm thick
  • 3 tbsp chilli oil
  • 2 tbsp shaoxing rice wine
  • 3 tbsp soy sauce
  • 3 tbsp oyster sauce
  • 1 tbsp honey/golden syrup
  • 1 heaped tsp cornflour
  • Small handful fresh coriander, chopped
  1. Have everything ready and to hand. This is a quickie!
  2. Heat a wok over the highest heat until scorching hot. Keep.it this hot all the way through
  3. Add the oil, swirl up the sides of the wok and then add all the veg
  4. Stir fry veg until browned round the edges and starting to soften
  5. Add the garlic and stir in
  6. Add the steak and stirfry briefly until it loses most of its pink (but not all)
  7. Add the chilli oil, shaoxing, soy sauce, oyster sauce and honey, plus 100ml water
  8. Stir in and bring to a bubble
  9. Pour in the cornflour slurry and mix quickly in create a glossy sauce
  10. Turn the heat off, stir in the coriander and serve with coconut rice for a beautiful contrast of mild sweetness against savoury spiciness. Job done.

Spicy chicken and mange tout stir fry

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Succulent chicken, crunchy greens and chewy noodles, wrapped up in a fiercely spicy-sweet sauce which will make your tongue dance the fandango.

  • 2 tbsp veg oil
  • 2 chicken breasts, sliced ½ cm thin
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1 inch piece fresh ginger, minced
  • 1 red birdseye chilli
  • 4 spring onions, cut into 1 inch pieces
  • 120g mange tout
  • 2 tbsp soy sauce
  • 2 tbsp chilli oil
  • 3 tbsp hoisin sauce
  • 400g cooked noodles of any sort (approx 200g dry weight)
  • Handful fresh coriander, chopped
  1. Prep everything before you start cooking. This is a quick one
  2. Heat the veg oil in a wok over a high flame
  3. Throw in the garlic, ginger and chilli. Stir in and almost immediately chuck in the spring onions
  4. Flip them about in the oil, then add the chicken
  5. Move the ingredients about constantly – stir frying them you might say (!) until the chicken there’s no pink left on the chicken
  6. Add the soy sauce and chilli oil and a splash of water
  7. Stir together, then throw in the mange tout
  8. Stir cook for a final couple of mins on high then turn the heat down and add the hoisin sauce and noodles
  9. Toss the noodles (I love an udon!) through the chicken, veg and sauce – should only take 1 min
  10. Sprinkle with coriander and serve immediately with chopsticks and a massive grin on your face