Stir-fried French beans

Original Recipe by Amy Beh

200g baby French beans, with both ends trimmed
20g chicken fillet, diced
¼ tsp light soy sauce
A few drops of oil
30g bamboo shoot
30g carrot, julienned
1 tsp chopped ginger
½ tsp chopped garlic
1 Tbsp hot bean paste
1 tsp preserved bean paste, minced
1 Tbsp oil
1 tsp sesame oil
1 chilli, sliced
1 Tbsp chopped spring onion, use white portion only

Sauce

1 tsp oyster sauce
¼ tsp chicken stock granules
1/8 tsp pepper
½ tsp sugar or to taste
½ tsp sesame oil
½ tsp Shao Hsing wine (optional)
1 tsp cornflour
3 Tbsp water

Lightly marinate diced chicken with light soy sauce and oil.

Blanch bamboo shoots in boiling water, then dice. Heat enough oil in a wok and scald French beans briefly. Remove and drain oil.

Heat oil and sesame oil in a wok, fry ginger, garlic, hot bean paste and preserved bean paste until fragrant.

Add marinated chicken, followed by combined sauce ingredients. Stir-fry briefly.

Add bamboo shoots, carrot and French beans and stir-fry to mix well. Dish out and garnish with chilli and spring onion.

Catfish and black bean soup

Ingredients

500g black beans
3 litres hot water
1 kg catfish
1½ tbsps salt
1 tsp white pepper
10 seedless red dates
1.4 cm length ginger (sliced)
2cm length of dried mandarin orange peel
1 tbsp chopped spring onion

Method
1. Soak the black beans in water for half an hour and change the water twice.

2. Put the soaked black beans in a soup pot and add the hot water, boil under medium heat for half an hour.

3. Wash and clean (take out the stomach and gills) the catfish, rub it with a tablespoon of salt and wash off the salt with water. Pat dry the fish. Cut the catfish into big chunks, marinate them with half a tablespoon of salt and a teaspoon of white pepper. Put aside.

4. In a non-stick pan, pan fry the catfish chunks and ginger slices with a little oil until they are light brown. Scoop out the fish and ginger slices and put aside.

5. Add the fish and ginger slices, red dates and mandarin orange peel to the black bean soup. Continue to boil the soup for 15 minutes and lower the heat to boil for a further 45 minutes.

6. Add salt to taste. The soup should look thick and yummy; serve with some chopped spring onion.

Bean Medley Soup

Original Recipe by Amy Beh

100g red beans, soaked for several hours
60g big red beans (or aduki beans), soaked for several hours
50g chickpeas, soaked overnight until well plumped up
75g candy brown sugar
80g rock sugar
2 litres water
2 screwpine leaves, shredded and knotted
1 small piece (the size of a 10 sen coin) dried mandarin skin

Wash the soaked beans and drain. Combine the beans and chickpeas in a deep saucepan.

Pour in water and add screwpine leaves and mandarin skin. Bring to the boil over medium heat for 5 minutes.

Lower the heat and simmer for about one hour or until all the beans are tender. Add in the sugars and cook until they dissolve. Dish out and serve hot.