Stir-Fried Cabbage with Bacon (煙肉炒椰菜)

I'm sure that there's some cabbagey-bacony dish in many cuisines - something like it always pops up on the Christmas table, and I have happy memories of having lunchtime teppan-yaki cabbage and bacon in the food court downstairs in the Metro Tower in Shanghai, when I worked there back in 2001.

We've been away for a week, and 3 days before we went, my parents emptied their fridge into mine (they were going away too). This led to much frantic peeling, chopping and freezing, and heartbroken chucking of fruit and veg into the composter. Some things I left in the fridge, including a sweetheart cabbage which I'd picked up for 10p or something in my local Waitrose on a Sunday afternoon. I used this in tonight's dish, coupled with the remainder of a packet of pancetta and it was lovely - but standard white or green cabbage and streaky bacon would be just as tasty.

Ingredients

• 1/2 sweetheart cabbage, shredded into 5mm strips
• 3 strips of pancetta or streaky bacon, cut into 5mm strips
• 1 clove of garlic, chopped finely
• 1 slice of raw ginger, peeled and bashed with the flat of a cleaver
• 1/2 tsp chicken powder
• 1/2 tsp sugar
• 50ml water
• Few drops sesame oil

Serves 2 as a side dish

Instructions

• Heat a wok or heavy-based frying pan until very hot. Add the pancetta/bacon and fry (without disturbing it too much) until crispy. Remove with a slotted spoon and put to one side. Drain away the oil, until approx. 1 tbsp remains in the pan. If you do not have this much oil from the pancetta or bacon, top up with sunflower oil
• Heat the pan back up and add the slice of ginger. Fry quickly for 30 seconds to flavour the oil, then add the shredded cabbage. Stir-fry quickly for 1 minute until the cabbage is glossy - take care not to burn the cabbage
• Add the garlic to the pan and stir-fry quickly for 1 minute, before adding the chicken powder, sugar and water. Mix to combine, cover the pan and lower the heat, until the water is boiling but not too vigorously. Boil for 4 minutes until the cabbage is softened but still with some bite
• Add the pancetta or bacon back to the pan and heat through. Remove from the heat, then add a few drops of sesame oil and mix in
• Remove the slice of ginger and serve immediately in a warmed dish

Stir-Fried Cabbage with Bacon (煙肉炒椰菜)

Cauliflower Cheese

I remember when my older sister started to earn money, probably around 14 or 15 years old. She and I both spent our teenage years teaching younger Chinese children - mainly additional help with English and Maths, and preparing children for the 11+. Often the children just needed some extra attention, as their parents were busy in the evenings working in takeaways or restaurants, and didn't have English as a first language. For some reason, my younger sister didn't follow this route of money-earning, but was instead set to work in a friend's chippy, for the princely sum of £1.42 per hour! Tuition was far more lucrative, and for those years, I think my rates ranged from £8 - £15 per hour. Not bad!

Anyway, at around this time we also started being allowed out to town on our own after Saturday Chinese Youth Club at the Pagoda Centre. My sister used to buy us treats with her wages (we still laugh about how my parents constantly told everyone she was so caring and generous for buying us a yoghurt!!). As a special treat, we sometimes also got western ready meals from Marks and Spencer for our dinner - two favourites being cottage pie and cauliflower cheese. I'm still hugely comforted nowadays by a plate of cottage pie, or cauliflower cheese, both served and mixed up with rice, of course.

My eldest and youngest loved this cauliflower cheese last night, although the middle one fussed and turned up his nose. We had it with boiled new potatoes and chicken thighs wrapped in pancetta, and it was very pleasant - although if we had not had potatoes to be used up, I would have definitely served it with rice. It could be varied by using broccoli florets, and maybe sprinkling some breadcrumbs over the top.

Update: I added macaroni to this dish last night, and it went down brilliantly with at least two children. Cook approx. 50g macaroni per person for 2/3 the time stated on the packet. Stir it into the cheese sauce before pouring it over the cauliflower, sprinkle with cheese and bake in the oven.

Ingredients

• 1 medium-sized cauliflower
• 40g butter
• 40g plain flour
• 400ml milk
• (Optional) A pinch of mustard powder, or a teaspoon of mustard (English or Dijon would be fine)
• 130g grated cheddar cheese
• (Optional) Grated parmesan cheese for sprinkling on top
• A small pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
• Salt and ground white pepper to season

Serves 2 as a main, or 4 as a side

Instructions

• Remove the leaves from the cauliflower, cut into florets and rinse
• Plunge the florets into boiling water and boil for 1 minute. Drain and arrange snugly in a baking tray. Pre-heat the oven to 185 degrees fan
• Melt the butter in a heavy based saucepan and when it starts to bubble, add the flour. Using a balloon whisk, mix the flour and butter to form a roux, and cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring all the time
• Add the milk to the roux, a splash at a time, whisking as you go. You will find that the roux remains lumpy, then eventually starts to thin and flow. Keep the heat on medium, adding more just as it begins to bubble. When all of the milk is added, you should have a thick, glossy sauce
• Add the cheddar cheese and (optional) mustard, reserving a little cheese for sprinkling on top. Continue to stir the mixture until the cheese has melted and the sauce is of a smooth consistency
• Pour the sauce over the cauliflower cheese and sprinkle the remaining cheddar (and parmesan if you're using it) over the top. Place it in the oven for 25 minutes, until the top is browned and bubbling
• Remove from the oven and let stand for a few minutes before serving

Cauliflower Cheese

Served with Chicken Thighs wrapped in Pancetta and Boiled New Potatoes

Slow-Cooked Duck with Lotus Root (蓮藕炆鴨)

It's been a slow blogging week. To be honest, I've been having a series of disasters in the kitchen, so there's been nothing of an acceptable quality to share. What have I learned?

1. Cauldron's marinaded tofu is rubbish. Better to buy the normal stuff and fry it - or even better go to Chinatown and buy some authentic stuff. Or make your own (I'm kidding). Still, needs must, and they sell it in Sainsbury's. I've had two attempts now at stir-fried tofu and veg and both of them have been pants

2. Trying to come home from work on time, cook, chat with your big sis, disentangle the grumpy toddler from your legs whilst manoeuvring a wok of hot oil, set the table for 5 kids and 2 adults - and get everyone's hands washed whilst the food is still hot - is a feat for a better woman than me. I should have gone to the chippy!

3. Not everyone is in the fortunate position of having a whole cooked duck in the freezer because they couldn't get through the food their parents brought them before it went off. Not everyone except the Chinese, that is.....

So I cooked this dish with the defrosted cooked duck, which was originally meant for 香酥鴨, or crispy shredded duck - that most beloved of Cantonese dishes and one that no-one makes better than my Dad. He forgot to bring the pancakes that day, so into the freezer it went. I'm going to write this recipe as if it was a raw duck I was starting with, as the cooked duck fell apart too much in the slow cooker. When I (ever) get around to making it again, I'll update the photo.

Lotus root can be bought from the Chinese supermarket, and is a tasty, firm-textured ingredient. It is quite fibrous, which might not be to everyone's liking, but I love it - it's very versatile and can be served cold and sweet as a Shanghainese appetiser, but I prefer it slow-cooked or in soups, so that it takes on all of the flavours it is cooked in (I copied the image from Cooking the Books).

Lotus Root

Ingredients

• 1 duck, jointed into portions
• 1 packet of lotus root, sliced into 1cm thicknesses
• 5 dried shiitake mushrooms, reconsituted by soaking in hot water for a couple of hours and sliced thickly
• 5 slices of ginger, bashed with the flat of a cleaver
• 4 cloves of garlic, bashed with the flat of a cleaver
• 3-4 stalks of spring onion, roots cut off, green and white parts cut into 6cm lengths
• 1 tsp sichuan peppercorns
• 1 star anise
• 800ml water
• 2 tbsp sunflower oil for frying
• 2-3 shakes of sesame oil
• (Optional) salt for seasoning

Sauce Mix

• 1 piece of fermented red beancurd (南乳), with 1-2 tbsp of the sauce from the jar
• 1-2 tsp sugar (I used granulated sugar, but rock sugar if you have it, is better)
• 1 tbsp miso paste (I used Clearspring miso paste from Sainsbury's)
• 2 tbsp oyster sauce
• 2 tbsp light soy sauce
• 1 tsp dark soy sauce
• 1 tsp Chinese five-spice powder
• 1-2 tsp cornflour

Serves 4-6

Instructions

• Using a fork, prick the skin of the duck all over (it's probably easiest to do this before you chop it into portions)
• Heat the oil in a wok until very hot. Add the duck pieces and fry until the oil starts to render, and the duck is well browned. Remove the duck from the wok, shaking off any excess oil, and place into the bottom of the slow cooker
• Add the ginger, garlic, spring onion, sichuan peppercorns and star anise to the wok and stir-fry quickly until fragrant. Remove from the wok and place into a spice pouch. Tie the pouch and place it into the slow cooker
• Drain most of the oil from the wok and add the fermented red bean curd (南乳) with its sauce. Mash it up and fry it in the wok, then add the remaining sauce ingredients and stir-fry briefly. Add the sliced mushrooms and lotus root slices and mix well
• Add the mushroom and lotus root to the slow cooker with as much of the sauce as you can scrape out. Add the water until a couple of cms from the top of the mixture, and cook on low for 8-10 hours
• Turn off the heat and add salt to taste if required. Add a couple of drops of sesame oil
• If you prefer the sauce to be thicker, place the contents of the slow cooker in a wok, and reheat to a gentle boil. Add increments of cornflour mixed in water (1 tsp cornflour to 20ml water) and mix into the sauce until you have achieved the required consistency

Slow-Cooked Duck with Lotus Root (蓮藕炆鴨) - I need to update this photo next time I cook it!

Slow Cooked Pork and Peas with Chu Hou Sauce (排骨豬腩炆碗豆)

We've been growing peas this summer, much to the delight of my eldest. She loves to help me to shell the peas whilst sitting in the sunshine, but refuses to eat them!

This is a lovely slow cooker recipe which requires a bit of preparation, but it is well worth it. If you don't have a slow cooker, you can cook it in a casserole and place in a low oven (say 120 degrees fan) for 90 minutes or so.

Ingredients

• 300g pork belly strips, cut into large chunks, about 3-4cm length
• 250g meaty pork ribs, cut into 4cm lengths
• 1 heaped tablespoon chu hou (柱侯) sauce - use hoisin sauce if you don't have it, and add a bit more garlic and ginger to the pot
• 3-4 slices of ginger, bashed with the flat of a cleaver
• 1 onion, sliced
• 3 cloves of garlic, bashed with the flat of a cleaver and peeled
• 1 very heaped tbsp of chu hou (柱侯) sauce
• 1-2 tbsp of light soy sauce
• 1 capful of shaoxing rice wine (or substitute dry sherry)
• 1 star anise
• 2 tsp cornflour
• 450ml pork stock
• 2 big handfuls of shelled peas
• 1 tsp sugar
• Few drops of sesame oil
• Sunflower oil for frying

Serves 2 hungry people

Instructions

• Prepare the marinade. Place the chu hou sauce, light soy sauce, shaoxing wine, cornflour and star anise into a bowl and mix to combine
• Place all of the pork into a large pan and cover with boiling water. Boil gently for 5 minutes to allow the scum to rise to the surface. Drain into a colander and rinse the scum from the meat
• Heat about 1cm depth of sunflower oil into a wok until very hot. Add the ginger and stir-fry for 30 seconds, before adding the garlic
• When the garlic begins to turn golden, add the pork. Keeping the heat high, move the pork around the wok, until it is sealed and browned. Remove the garlic and ginger and discard
• Remove the pork with a slotted spoon and place into a bowl. Add the marinade to the pork and mix well to give the meat an even coating
• Heat the oil remaining in the wok, and add the sliced onions. Stir fry quickly for a minute or two until the onions are softened and glossy. Remove from the wok, leaving behind as much excess oil as possible

(optional - at this point I added the onions to the pork and left it in the fridge overnight, as I was putting it into the slow cooker the next morning for dinner)

• Place the pork, onions, peas, sugar and pork stock into the slow cooker. Cook on low for 8-10 hours
• At the end of cooking, skim away any excess fat from the surface of the sauce. If you wish to thicken the sauce, place in a pan on the hob and add some cornflour mixed with a little water - a teaspoon of cornflour at a time. Add a few drops of sesame oil and serve with boiled rice

Slow Cooked Pork and Peas with Chu Hou Sauce (排骨豬腩炆碗豆)

Served with Rice

Fried "Purse" Eggs (煎荷包蛋)

I wasn't entirely sure whether or not to include this recipe. It is, after all, just a fried egg. However, as my wise friend Connie said, "If Delia can write an entire chapter about eggs, then I would say no, it's not too easy". Given that this is such a satisfying accompaniment when placed on a bowl of steaming white rice, or freshly cooked noodles, I hope you enjoy it too. 荷包蛋, according to Google Translate, is a poached egg, but we always had them fried. My Mum used to fry the egg in the wok, then put it between two slices of white bread with ketchup, then fry the sandwich on both sides in the wok too. Absolute bliss!

There's an art to keeping the yolk runny without breaking it in the wok, and I reckon I have about an 80% success rate. You need to use a well seasoned wok that doesn't stick, sufficient amounts of oil, and you need to make sure that the oil is really hot (almost at smoking point) before you add the egg. My children love to devour their eggs on a bowl of white rice. I usually make one for each of us, but more often than not, I end up "sharing" mine with them.

Ingredients

• 4 eggs
• Sunflower oil for frying
• Light soy sauce

Serves 4

Instructions

• Heat the wok and place a decent amount of oil in - I would say about 1.5-2cm depth - swirl around the sides of the wok
• Heat the oil till really hot - when it is starting to move around, but just before smoking point
• Crack the egg cleanly on the side of the wok, and break the egg quickly into the middle of the wok. It will start to bubble and crisp around the sides. Leave it for around 20-30 seconds, turning the heat down a little if it starts get too burned around the edges
• After 20-30 seconds, when the egg should have set at the bottom of the wok, give the wok a little shake - in the best case, the egg should slide off the bottom of the wok and move around the oil in one piece. If it has stuck, use the edge of a spatula to gently tease the edges of the egg, shaking the wok gently to try and get it to dislodge without breaking the yolk
• When the egg is moving freely in the oil, slide a bendy spatula underneath it (trying to keep the yolk away from the leading edge of the spatula), until the egg is steady on the spatula. Flip the egg so that the other side is now in the oil
• Leave for 10-15 seconds, then shake the wok gently to dislodge the egg from the bottom
• When dislodged, slide the spatula under the egg and lift it up the side of the wok, tilting the spatula so that any excess oil drains away
• Splash a little sight soy sauce over the egg, and serve immediately

Fried "Purse" Eggs (煎荷包蛋)