Braised Red Dates with Chicken in Tea Leaf Sauce

Original Recipe by Amy Beh

Braised Red Dates with Chicken in Tea Leaf Sauce

500g chicken, chopped into bite-size pieces

2 potatoes, cut into wedges

7 slices ginger

2 cloves garlic, smashed

8 dried Chinese red dates, seeded

2 tbsp oil

8g Pu Er tea leaves

300ml boiling hot water

Seasoning

1 tsp sugar or to taste

½ tsp salt

½ tsp pepper

½ tsp sesame oil

1 tsp chicken stock granules

1 tsp cornflour

Marinate chicken with seasoning for 30 minutes and steep tea leaves in hot boiling water for 5-6 minutes.

Heat oil in a deep saucepan, and sauté garlic and ginger until fragrant. Add in marinated chicken and fry for a while.

Pour in tea stock and bring to the boil. Add red dates. Reduce the heat and simmer for 20 minutes.

Put in potatoes and cook until chicken is tender and the gravy is reduced.

Braised Mushrooms with Cauliflower and Broccoli

Original Recipe by Amy Beh

150g cauliflower

150g broccoli

10 dried Chinese mushrooms, soaked to soften

1 small can Baoling mushrooms, sliced

½ tsp sesame oil

A splash of Shao Hsing wine (optional)

250ml water

Seasoning

1½ tbsp organic black bean sauce

Thickening

1 tsp cornflour

1 tbsp water

ADD a pinch of salt and a few drops of oil to a pot of boiling water and blanch the cauliflower and broccoli for one to two minutes.

Remove and arrange on a serving plate. Heat sesame oil and pour in Shao Hsing wine (if using). Add both types of mushrooms and stir-fry.

Add water and seasoning; bring to a simmering boil for 15 minutes. Thicken the sauce. Spoon the mushrooms and sauce over the broccoli and cauliflower.

Braised Fish Head

Original Recipe by Amy Beh

½ fish head, about 750–800g, chopped into big chunks

1 tbsp ginger juice

1 tbsp rice wine (optional)

3–4 tbsp cornflour, for sprinkling

2 dried Chinese mushrooms, soaked and sliced

50g belly pork, sliced

50g bamboo shoots, sliced

2 stalks spring onion, cut into 4cm sections

1 red chilli, seeded and sliced

2 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped

1 tbsp oyster sauce

2 tbsp oil

1 tbsp sesame oil

1 tbsp Shao Hsing wine (optional)

Sauce

1 tbsp light soy sauce

½ tsp pepper

½ tsp thick soy sauce

1 tsp sesame oil

1 tsp chicken stock granules

¾ tsp sugar or to taste

500ml water

CLEAN fish head pieces well and season with ginger juice, rice wine (if using) and light soy sauce for 20 minutes.

Just before deep-frying, coat fish head with cornflour. Deepfry for four to five minutes, then remove and drain.

Heat oil and sesame oil in a clean wok. Lightly brown ginger and garlic, then add oyster sauce. Add mushrooms, belly pork and bamboo shoots. Sprinkle in Shao Hsing wine (if using) for added aroma.

Pour in combined sauce ingredients and bring to the boil, then add fish head pieces. Reduce the heat and simmer for five to six minutes. Add red chilli and thicken the gravy before dishing out.

Hot braised beancurd with minced meat

Ingredients
2pc Japanese tofu
200gm minced meat
20gm chopped black mushroom
50gm chopped bamboo shoot
5gm chopped red chillies
Salt, pepper
3gm sugar
3gm Sichuan sauce
5gm tomato sauce
5gm cooking oil

Method
1. Heat oil in wok. Add in all chopped ingredients and fry for two minutes.

2. Season to taste, add beancurd and thicken gravy with tomato sauce.

Braised chicken with mushrooms and pork tendons

Original Recipe by Amy Beh

Preparing the Pork Tendon

Soak about 250-300g of pork tendons in clean water. Leave in the refrigerator overnight until they are plumped up.

Put the tendons into a pot. Add a stalk of spring onion, two slices ginger and a litre of water. Add a tablespoon of Shao Hsing wine (if preferred).

Bring to a boil then remove and rinse with water to cool. Drain in a colander before use.

Try this recipe.

400g free range chicken, chopped

5 dried Chinese mushrooms, soaked to soften

200g pre-soaked pork tendons

Spice (A)

2 slices liquorice (kam choe)

4 cloves

5 cm cinnamon stick

1 star anise

4 slices ginger

1.5 litres water

Seasoning

4 Tbsp light soy sauce

1 Tbsp oyster sauce

1 tsp thick soy sauce

1 tsp chicken stock granules

Thickening

1 Tbsp cornflour mixed with 2 Tbsp water

Cook the spices and water in a pot. Bring to a boil. Add chicken and mushrooms. Bring to a boil then add combined seasoning. Reduce the heat and simmer (with pot covered) for 20 minutes.

Add pork tendons and continue to simmer until chicken meat is tender. Thicken with cornflour mixture.

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.

Deep-fried and braised kai lan

Ingredients
400g local kai lan
2 garlic cloves
2 tsps dried baby scallops
1/2 Tbsp oyster sauce
1/2 tsp salt
2 Tbsps water
1 Tbsp Hua Tiao wine
3 Tbsps oil
1 tsp fish sauce
2 Tbsps oil
1 1/2 Tbsp silver ikan bilis

Method
1. Cut the leaves off the kai lan after soaking in salt water for three minutes. Dry with kitchen towels and shred with a sharp knife to 0.3cm thick (or as thin as possible). Leave the leaves to dry a bit more naturally.

2. Cut the stems into 5cm lengths.

3. Soak the dried baby scallops in water for a few minutes to get rid of the salt.

4. Fry the whole garlic cloves in hot oil. Add in the dried scallops, then the kai lan stems. Season with salt and oyster sauce. Add water and braise till tender.

5. Turn on the heat in the wok and add in the wine. Dish out.

6. Heat oil in the wok till it smokes. Put in leaves to fry and crisp up. Drain and dish out and sprinkle with fish sauce.

7. Heat 2 Tbsps oil in clean wok till it smokes. Turn flame to low and add in silver ikan bilis. The oil must cover the ikan bilis. Fry them till there are bubbles round the oil. Turn on the high heat, for a minute. Dish out and sprinkle over crispy kai lan leaves.

Braised fungus with bamboo pith and mushrooms

Ingredients
50gm cloud fungus (wan yee)
50gm snow fungus (suet yee)
100gm pea sprouts (tau miu)
10 black mushrooms (soaked)
10 fat Australian asparagus tips
10 pc bamboo pith (soaked)
2 tbsp oyster sauce
1/2 tsp sugar

Method
1. Soak cloud and snow fungus. Cut asparagus into 10 cm lengths. Blanch together with bamboo pith in boiling water one minute. Remove. Stick asparagus tips into bamboo pith.

2. Stir-fry pea sprouts one minute. Arrange in circle on plate. Stir-fry cloud and snow fungus in oyster sauce for two minutes (if preferred, do them separately) and arrange in middle of pea-sprout circle.

3. Braise asparagus and mushrooms in oyster sauce for two minutes.

4. Remove and arrange round pea sprouts. Add 2 tbsp water, sugar and cornflour to oyster sauce and pour over vegetables.

Braised duck traditional Teochew-style

Ingredients
1 duck, about 2 1/2kg

Marinade:
1 tsp five spice powder
1 tsp black pepper powder
1 tsp salt
20g galangal (lengkuas), sliced
2 Tbsps oil
2 Tbsps brown sugar
2 Tbsps white sugar
100g rock sugar

For the spice pouch:
1 stick cinnamon
8g licorice (gan cao)
150g dried tangerine peel
5 star anise
2 cloves
10g white peppercorns, smashed
50g galangal
2 litres water
60ml Chinese rose wine or rice wine

Seasoning:
1 Tbsp dark soya sauce (for colour)
4 Tbsps light soya sauce
3 Tbsps coarse salt or to taste

Garlic sauce:
Mix together:
2 Tbsps rice vinegar
1/2 Tbsp chopped garlic
1/2 tsp sugar

Chilli sauce:
Mix together:
1 Tbsp bottled garlic chilli sauce
1 Tbsp sugar
3 Tbsps rice vinegar
1 stalk Chinese parsley for garnishing

Method
1. Wash duck thoroughly and pat dry with kitchen towel.

2. Mix the marinade and rub into the duck cavity. Close the cavity using a bamboo skewer. Leave duck to marinate for an hour in the refrigerator.

3. Bring 125 litres of water to a boil in a wok. Turn off the heat and lower the duck in the water to wash it briefly (inside and out). Remove duck to a colander to drain.

4. Heat the oil in a wok and add the sugar to melt over a low fire. Stir continuously until it caramelises. Set aside.

5. Place the spices — cinnamon, licorice, dried tangerine peel, star anise, cloves, peppercorns and galangal in a cotton pouch. Secure.

6. In a wok big enough to fit the duck, bring 2 litres of water, rock sugar and spice pouch to a boil. Lower the heat to medium and simmer for 30 minutes.

7. Add the caramel, duck and seasonings. Simmer for 2 to 2 1/4 hours, turning the duck every 20 minutes.

8. Turn off the fire and leave the duck to immerse in the sauce for another hour.

9. Cut the duck into pieces and garnish with Chinese parsley. Serve with chilli and garlic sauce.

Braised duck (from chef Fong Yau Meng, Restoran Szechuan)

Ingredients

1.8kg duck
3 onions, shredded and mixed with cornflour

Seasoning:
4 tbsp tomato ketchup
1 tbsp A1 sauce
1 tbsp HP sauce
2 tbsp light soya sauce
1 tbsp oyster sauce
a little thick soya sauce
1 tbsp sugar
1 1/2 tbsp chilli sauce
a pinch of salt
1 tbsp Chinese wine (Hua Tiao Chiew)
3 spring onions
1 piece young ginger
5kg water

Method
1. Clean duck and cut the back open. Baste the duck with both light and thick soya sauce.

2. Deep-fry until golden brown. Remove and place in pot.

3. Add seasoning and braise over medium heat for two hours.

4. Remove the layer of oil on the surface. Place braised duck on platter and pour the gravy over the duck when serving.

5. Fry shredded onions until crisp and aromatic. Sprinkle over the duck. Serve.

Braised Spare Ribs

Original Recipe by Amy Beh

700g pork ribs, chopped into 4-5cm lengths

2cm knob young ginger, shredded

1 tbsp chopped garlic

100 ml water

Marinade

1 tsp salt

2-2½ tbsp sugar or to taste

2 tbsp light soy sauce

2 tbsp premium oyster sauce

7 tbsp tomato sauce

5 tbsp chilli sauce

1 tsp chicken stock granules

3 tbsp lemon juice

Thickening

1 tbsp cornflour mixed with 2 tbsp water

Bring a pot of water to the boil, add chopped ribs and parboil for 4-5 minutes.

Remove and rinse in clear water. Drain. Season the ribs with the combined marinade for several hours.

Pan-fry garlic and ginger without oil until dry and fragrant. Place the marinated ribs in a heavy-based saucepan and add pan-fried garlic and ginger.

Bring to a quick boil, add water and reduce the heat and simmer for 1-1¼ hours until the ribs are tender.

Stir occasionally to prevent the ribs from getting burnt at the base of the saucepan. Thicken the gravy if necessary (if it is thick enough, omit the thickening).

Dish out and serve immediately.