Spinach, Tofu and Mushroom Soup (菠菜豆腐冬菇湯)

I've been clearing out the fridge and freezer over the last two weeks. Being stingy, it pains me to throw out anything unless it's absolutely necessary, so you'll often find odds and sods that I think I'll be able to find a use for somewhere. It's also used as overspill when my generous parents turn up with about 2 weeks' worth of food to make sure that the family doesn't starve - very much appreciated in the busy weeks. On having a root around, I discovered; two bags of pork rind, a bag of random pork bones, a huge amount of mooli cake, some extremely old black pudding, a box of chicken carcasses, two boxes of peeled broccoli stems, a bag of wholemeal breadcrumbs, some pureed beetroot, some chocolate buttercream from goodness knows when and about a million random bread bags with only the end slices remaining (for the ducks).

For dinner tonight, I defrosted the remaining portion of Slow-Cooked Chicken with Chestnut and Potatoes (栗子薯仔炆雞) and decided to use the pork bones to make soup. It gave me the chance to use up some stuff in the fridge too: half a box of tofu, about 6 days past its use-by but smelling ok, and the remaining bunch of spinach from the Chinese supermarket. This spinach is robust and hearty, pulled up by the roots and with the red iron tinge at the base of the stems. It needs to be thoroughly washed in a couple of changes of water before use, otherwise you will find little insects rising to the surface of your soup.

The taste is fresh and packed with flavour; the umami hit of the shiitake mushrooms, the metallic bitterness of the spinach and the creamy softness of the tofu. I make the stock in a slow cooker overnight, then finish the soup just before we eat, but you can also cook on the hob - give the bones and shiitake at least 30 minutes at a gentle boil to let the flavour permeate the water.

The bones were free and I am not worried about picking through them when they fall apart, however for a tidier dish, use some pork ribs or a pork chop instead.

 

Ingredients

• 2-3 pork bones (or use 4-6 pork ribs, or a large pork chop)
• 2 slices of raw ginger, peeled and bashed with the flat of a cleaver
• approx. 1.5-2 litres of water
• 3 dried shiitake mushrooms
• (Optional) 3-4 black peppercorns
• 200g firm tofu, cut into 2-3cm cubes
• A large bunch of spinach, washed thoroughly and chopped half
• Salt to season
• A dash of white pepper
• A few drops of sesame oil

Serves 4-6

 

Instructions

• Reconstitute the shiitake mushrooms by placing them in a bowl and covering with boiling water. Soak for at least 20 minutes, then remove any tough bases on the stalks
• Bring a large pot of water to the boil. Add the pork bones and boil for 5 minutes to remove the scum. Drain and rinse thoroughly
• Place the pork bones, ginger and shiitake mushrooms into a slow cooker and cover with water, to about 2/3 of the capacity of the pot. Add the peppercorns. Cook on low overnight
• Skim any fat or remaining scum from the surface of the pot and pour into a saucepan on the hob. Bring to a rolling boil and add the tofu. Bring back to the boil for 1 minute
• Add the spinach to the pot and bring back to the boil, until the leaves are just wilted
• Season generously with salt and add a pinch of white pepper, until the soup meets the desired taste
• Remove from the heat and add a few drops of sesame oil

Spinach, Tofu and Mushroom Soup (菠菜豆腐冬菇湯)

Stir-Fried Mixed Veg and Tofu with Yellow Bean and Chillis (黃醬豆腐炒蔬菜)

Goodness knows if the Chinese translation here bears any resemblance to the actual dish.... my Chinese is appalling. Enough to read my way through a menu, although we sometimes get some surprises at the table.

We've just come back from a weekend in Scotland, visiting the in-laws. There was a delicious new baby to cuddle (who pooped all over my scarf), a toddler party, and the obligatory indulgence in wine, lorne sausage, gin, crisps and chocolate. Not that I'm complaining! The two boys went for a kilt fitting, ready for a wedding this summer, and the toddler melted my heart by saying "just like 婆婆!" when he was being measured up. I thought he would kick up a stink, but he's so used to being measured for the funky creations my mum knits for him, that he behaved impeccably - even if he did insist on calling every sporran a rabbit.

So tonight we got back, minus two children, and I felt the need to EAT VEG and EAT CHINESE. Not because I haven't thoroughly enjoyed the weekend, but because I'm turning into my mum. Also because that was all that was left in the fridge. I used a whole red chilli, and although it was de-seeded, you could still feel the heat. If you're not too keen on spice, then perhaps use only half a chilli. Coupled with brown basmati rice (not so good for my sensitive teeth), it felt like a very virtuous dinner!

 

Ingredients

• 100g mangetout, washed
• 100g baby corn, cut into halves
• 3-4 closed cup mushrooms, wiped clean and quartered
• 200g firm tofu, cut into 2cm cubes
• 1 tbsp Shaoxing rice wine
• 1 tbsp yellow bean sauce
• 1 small red chilli, de-seeded and finely sliced
• 100ml chicken stock
• 1 slice raw ginger, peeled and bashed with the flat of a cleaver
• 1 clove garlic, peeled and finely chopped
• Ground black pepper to season,
• Sunflower oil for frying
• 1 tsp cornflour, mixed with 30ml water
• A few drops of sesame oil

Serves 2

 

Instructions

• Remove the tough fibre from the mangetout by pinching the ends and "unzipping" the fibre from the side
• Heat 1-2 tablespoons of oil in a wok until very hot. Add the tofu and shake around in the wok until golden on the outsides. Put to one side and keep warm
• Give the wok a wipe and heat 1 tbsp oil until very hot. Add the ginger and swirl around the wok to flavour the oil. Throw in the garlic and chilli, followed quickly by the baby corn, mangetout and mushrooms and stir-fry rapidly for one minute, coating all of the vegetables in oil. The mushrooms will soak up a lot of oil, so keep the ingredients moving
• Add the Shaoxing rice wine, chicken stock and the yellow bean sauce, with a shake of ground white pepper. Add the tofu back the the wok and mix thoroughly
• Cover the wok and cook over a high heat for 1 and a half minutes. Uncover and add 1 tsp cornflour mixed with 30ml water. Bring back to the boil and stir to thicken
• Remove from the heat and add 2-3 drops of sesame oil. Serve immediately with rice

Stir-Fried Mixed Veg and Tofu with Yellow Bean and Chillis (黃醬豆腐炒蔬菜)

Served with brown basmati rice

Stir-Fried Pea Shoots with Garlic (蒜頭炒豆苗)

I think this has to be one of my favourite vegetable dishes, tasting fresh and crunchy with a little iron tang. It doesn't appear in the restaurants or supermarkets very often, and when it does, it's only for a very short amount of time. You can get the bags of pea shoots in the salad section at some of the western supermarkets, but you'd be spending a hell of a lot before you actually got enough to make a decent side portion! It takes about 1 minute to cook from start to finish, so make it just as you're serving up and make sure there's a warm dish to tip it into.

 

Ingredients

• 350g pea shoots
• 1 large clove of garlic, chopped finely
• 1 slice of raw ginger, peeled and bashed with the flat of a cleaver
• A splash of Shaoxing rice wine (or substitute dry sherry)
• 1 tsp Knorr chicken powder (or substitute a pinch of salt)
• 1-2 tbsp Sunflower oil for frying
• 2-3 drops sesame oil

Serves 2

 

Instructions

• Wash the pea shoots in a large bowl of water, and discard any wilted leaves or tough stems
• Drain the pea shoots and put to one side
• Heat the wok until it is very hot and add the sunflower oil. Drop in the ginger and stir it around the wok for 10 seconds
• Add the pea shoots and garlic, and stir-fry rapidly until they begin to wilt
• Add the rice wine and chicken powder and stir-fry rapidly until the pea shoots are all just wilted
• Remove from the heat and add a couple of drops of sesame oil
• Stir to mix and serve immediately

Stir-Fried Pea Shoots with Garlic (蒜頭炒豆苗)

Roast Leg of Lamb

This weekend, the eldest has been very excited to welcome a guest for a sleepover. I thought it would be a good opportunity to take my leg of lamb out of the freezer, and entertained visions of leaving it all day in the slow cooker, maybe with some sliced onions, a little wine and some redcurrent jelly. No hassle at all. It turned out to be yet another case of my eyes being bigger than... erm... my slow cooker, and I couldn't be bothered to find a saw, so I roasted it in the traditional way.

It's been a lovely afternoon. The eldest and her guest have been keeping each other amused, and the middle stayed in the kitchen to keep me company whilst I cooked. He somewhat spoiled my solitude by watching "The Amazing World of Gumball" on the iPad, at a volume setting louder than my radio, but I wandered over to him every so often to give him a cuddle and a kiss, which more than made up for it.

I admit, I put the lamb back into the oven for another 15 minutes after taking a photo - I prefer lamb to be served pink, but I thought it might be a step too strange for the children. There is plenty left to go into a shepherd's pie next week. I cheated on my gravy and added the scrapings from the tin to a packet of Colman's lamb and mint gravy.

 

Ingredients

• 1 leg of lamb, approx. 2.25kg
• 3-4 cloves of garlic, sliced thinly
• 3-4 sprigs of rosemary, tender stems only
• Grated zest of 1 lemon
• Juice of 1/2 lemon
• 2-3 tablespoons of sunflower oil
• Salt and ground black pepper
• 1 glass of white wine

Serves 8-10

(Accompaniments)
Mustard Roast Potatoes

• 1-2 medium/large floury potatoes per person
• 1-2 tsp Colman's English mustard powder
• 2-3 tbsp goose fat
• Salt and ground black pepper

Carrot and Swede Mash

• 1/2 swede, peeled and cut into 2cm chunks
• 2 large carrots, cut into 2cm chunks
• 25g butter
• 2-3 tbsp milk
• Salt and pepper to season

 

Instructions

• Using a sharp knife, make several cuts, 2-3cm deep, into the flesh of the lamb. Into each cut, push a sliver of garlic and a few rosemary leaves
• Place the grated lemon zest, lemon juice, and oil into a bowl and add generous amounts of salt and pepper. Mix and massage all over the lamb joint

Push slivers of garlic and rosemary into the cuts, and rub the lamb with the lemon/oil mix

• Pre-heat the oven to 220 degrees fan and add the lamb. Cook for 30 minutes, then remove the lamb from the oven, leaving the door open to cool the oven to 170 degrees fan. Pour a glass of white wine over the lamb, and return to the oven
• Roast the lamb at 170 degrees fan for 70 minutes (guideline for pink lamb is 15 minutes per 500g after the initial sizzle)
• Remove from the oven, cover with foil and leave for minimum 30 minutes to rest

Roast leg of lamb

• To make the mustard roast potatoes, peel the potatoes and cut into 2-3 pieces per potato
• Place in a pan and pour over boiling water. Boil vigorously for 7-8 minutes
• Tip the potatoes into a colander or sieve and shake vigorously, to rough up the surfaces
• Return the potatoes to the pan, add the mustard powder, goose fat, salt and pepper. Mix well with a spoon, until all the potatoes are coated in the oil
• Place in a single layer in a roasting tin, and roast at 190 degrees fan for 40-45 minutes, turning once. If you don't have two ovens, roast the potatoes whilst the lamb is resting - it will still be warm as long as it is covered (you can throw a tea towel over the foil for good measure)

• To make the carrot and swede mash, place the carrot and swede pieces in a pan and pour over boiling water
• Boil vigorously for 20-25 minutes until soft
• Drain the vegetables and return to the pan
• Using a masher, mash and mix the swede and carrots. Add the butter and milk, and season with salt and pepper. Mash again, adding more butter and milk if you require, to achieve the desired consistency

Roast lamb dinner with mustard roast potatoes,
swede and carrot mash and broccoli

Roast lamb dinner with mustard roast potatoes,
swede and carrot mash and broccoli

Chicken and Sweetcorn Soup (玉米雞湯)

I'm a bit wary of eating in westernised Chinese restaurants, because it isn't really the sort of food that Chinese people eat at home, there isn't much on the menu that excites me, and I worry that I might be being judged by the staff for not being Chinese enough (I know they've got far more interesting things to think about, but still - if you've heard Chinese people talking about you, assuming that you can't understand them, it stays with you for rather a long time). I still recall a Christmas meal in Frodsham in 1995, where my colleagues were all looking at me interestedly, asking me to show them how to eat egg-fried rice off a plate with chopsticks (you don't).

However, there are certain things on the western Chinese menu that make my mouth water when I see them being carried past my table - salt and chilli ribs, sesame prawns on toast and the smell of a sizzling platter. Also, banana fritters!

We went to the Wah Lei Chinese association Christmas party, which was at The Slow Boat in Chester recently. It was the "all you can eat" banquet menu, which featured many of the usuals (sweet and sour pork, lemon chicken), as well as some less common (the curries and chilli dishes were very tasty). I was pleased to see the eldest tucking into salt and pepper chicken wings with gusto, and the middle hoovering up a whole bowl of chicken and sweetcorn soup.

On New Year's Eve, we had a family meal of roast chicken and most of the leftovers from Christmas - roasties, sprouts, red cabbage and carrots, along with a lovely Christmas pudding, mince pies and as much brandy cream as people could manage. I was left with two chicken carcasses which were just too good not to do anything with, and remembered how much the middle child had enjoyed his chicken and sweetcorn soup.

I've used a slow cooker to make the chicken stock overnight, but if you're short of time, just use pre-made chicken stock and chopped, cooked chicken meat. Watch the seasoning though, and don't add any additional salt before tasting.

 

Ingredients

• Carcasses of two roast chickens
• 1 onion
• 1300ml water, or enough to cover the stock ingredients
• 2 slices of raw ginger, peeled
• 400ml can of creamed corn
• 400ml can of sweetcorn
• 2 eggs, beaten
• Salt and ground white pepper to season
• 5 heaped tsp cornflour to thicken (adjust this amount according to the amount of water/stock used)
• A few drops of sesame oil

Serves 8-10

 

Instructions

• To make the stock, put the chicken carcasses into a slow cooker. Add the slices of ginger, then peel the onion (removing the roots), chop it into half lengthways and add it to the pot.
• Cover the stock ingredients with water and cook on low overnight
• Using a slotted spoon, remove and discard the onion and ginger, then remove as much of the chicken meat and bones as possible to a large bowl. Pour the stock through a sieve into a large saucepan
• Using your hands, separate as much chicken meat from the bones as possible, then chop or shred the meat finely
• Bring the stock to a rolling boil, then add the creamed corn and sweetcorn. Bring back to the boil and add the chicken meat. Stir well and reduce the heat to a moderate boil
• Mix 5 heaped tsp cornflour with 50-70ml water, until you have a smooth mixture. Add this to the stock and bring it back to a moderate boil, stirring occasionally. If the soup is not as thick as you would like, add more cornflour/water mixture, a teaspoon of cornflour at a time
• Reduce the heat to a gentle boil and stir with a ladle. Slowly pour the beaten egg into the soup, stirring continuously. When the egg has all been added, taste the soup, and add salt and ground white pepper to season.
• Remove from the heat and add a few drops of sesame oil. Ladle into bowls and serve immediately

Chicken and Sweetcorn Soup (玉米雞湯)