Braised Herbal Fish Head and Yam

Original Recipe by Amy Beh

½ portion fish head (garoupa or red snapper), about 800-900g, chopped into sizeable pieces

Oil for deep-frying

½ cup cornflour

2 chicken wings, chopped into bite-sized pieces

5 dried Chinese mushrooms, soaked and halved

300g yam, cubed

10g tong kwai

5-6 slices ginger

1 tsp chopped garlic

1 tsp Shao Hsing wine (optional)

3 stalks spring onion, cut into 3cm lengths

Marinade (combined)

1 tbsp light soy sauce

1 tsp ginger juice

½ tsp pepper

Sauce – (combined)

1 tbsp abalone sauce

1 tbsp oyster sauce

1 tbsp light spy sauce

¾-1 tsp sugar or to taste

1 tsp pepper

1 tsp sesame oil

1 litre chicken stock

Season fish head pieces with combined marinade and leave aside. Just before deep-frying in hot oil coat fish pieces with cornflour. Deep-fry for 4-5 minutes or until lightly golden. Dish out and drain from oil.

Leave 2 tablespoons oil in a wok and fry ginger, garlic and tong kwai slices until fragrant. Put in chicken and mushrooms and sprinkle in wine (optional).

Pour in combined sauce ingredients and bring to the boil. Add yam.

Reduce the heat then cover the saucepan and braise for 15-20 minutes. Put in fish head and continue to braise for 7-8 minutes. Thicken the gravy with cornflour mixture and add spring onion.

Chok Shan Guo Teem Nin (A Lovely Sweet New Year)

Original Recipe by Amy Beh

1 lohan guo (Buddha’s fruit), broken into pieces

15g yongsum soe (hair of ginseng roots), rinsed

15 red Chinese dates, seeded and rinsed

25g dried longan

30g chook shan (dried bamboo pith), soaked and both ends trimmed

50g fresh prepared lotus seeds

100g rock sugar

2 litres water

Combine lohan guo, yong sum soe, dates and water in a cooking pot.

Bring to a boil then reduce the heat and simmer for 35-40 minutes.

Add rock sugar, dried longan, bamboo pith, lotus seeds and continue to simmer for15-20 minutes. Serve hot immediately.

Garlic and herb rice

Ingredients
2 tbsps chopped garlic
4 rice bowls of cooked rice
½ tsp salt
½ tsp white pepper
1 tbsp soy sauce
2 tsps chopped bunga kantan
1 tsp chopped fresh basil
1 tsp chopped parsley
2 tbsps oil

Method
1. Brown garlic in oil in a wok over medium heat. Add the cooked rice, stirring quickly to avoid it sticking to the wok. Add salt and pepper and fry for one minute.

2. Sprinkle with two tablespoons of water and soy sauce. Fry for two minutes.

3. Dish out, then sprinkle chopped bunga kantan, basil and parsley over it, mixing them all up. Serve with the fish.

Braised herbal chicken with mushrooms and peanuts

Original Recipe by Amy Beh

300g chicken, remove the skin and fat
3 pre-fried chicken feet, chopped into halves 60g peanuts, soaked overnight
8 dried Chinese mushrooms, soaked
4 slices young ginger
½ tsp chopped garlic
1 shallot, minced
5g tong kwai
1 piece liquorice
500ml fresh chicken stock
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp oil

Marinade (A)
1 tsp oyster sauce
1 tsp light soy sauce
Dash of pepper
½ tsp cornflour

Sauce(B)
2 Tbsp light soy sauce
2 Tbsp abalone sauce
¼ tsp thick soy sauce
½ tsp sugar
1/8 tsp pepper
1 tsp Shao Hsing wine (optional)

Thickening
1 tsp sweetpotato flour
1 Tbsp water

Chop chicken into bite-sized pieces and season with marinade (A) for at least 20-30 minutes.

Heat wok with sesame oil and oil and fry ginger, garlic, tong kwai and liquorice until fragrant.

Add peanuts, chicken feet, mushrooms and combined sauce (B). Pour in fresh chicken stock and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 15 minutes. Add marinated chicken and continue to cook for another 20 minutes or until meat and peanuts are tender.

Thicken with sweet potato flour mixture.

Baked herbal chicken wings

Ingredients
8 whole chicken wings, ends cut off

Seasoning:
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp pepper
2 tsp light soya sauce
1/4 tsp thick soya sauce
1 Tbsp Hua Tiau wine
1 Tbsp cooking oil

Herbs:
10g tong kwai, chopped or powdered
20g tong sum, cut into 8 pieces
10g pak kei
10g yok chok
1 tsp kei chi
1 Tbsp Hua Tiau wine
8 greaseproof paper bags, large enough to hold chicken wings
Oil for greasing bags

Method
1. Clean chicken wings and dry with a towel. Make a small slit under each section of the wings. Marinate with seasoning ingredients for at least an hour.

2. Meanwhile, rinse herbs and place in a bowl. Sprinkle Hua Tiau wine over, and steam over rapid boiling water for 12 minutes. Cool and stir into wings.

3. Lightly grease insides of paper bags and place a wing and some herbs in each bag. Fold opening and staple ends.

4. Place wings in the oven, preheated at 190C, for 20-25 minutes.

Vegetarian Confinement Herbal Soup

Original Recipe by Amy Beh

250g vegetarian chicken (from the vegetarian grocery shop)

800-900 ml hot boiling water

Salt to taste

Herbs (rinsed)

10g pak kei

10g tong kwai

10g chuen kong

30g tong sum

20g kei chi

10g dried longan flesh

10-12 black dates, pitted

8-10 red dates, pitted

Combine all herbs, vegetarian chicken and water in a slow cooker. Turn on to low and cook for 4-4½ hours until the soup is fragrant.

Season with salt to taste.

Dish out and serve hot.