Honey Sauce Char Siu

Original recipe by Amy Beh

600g belly pork

Marinade

20g oyster sauce
1½ tsp salt
1 tbsp light soy sauce
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp thick soy sauce
1 tbsp rose wine (mei kwai loe)
1 tsp colouring (optional)

Honey or sugar syrup

200ml water
110g malt (mak ngah tong)

Rinse pork and pat dry completely with several pieces of paper towels. Cut the pork into long strips of 4cm thick. Marinate for several hours, preferably overnight in the refrigerator.

Cook the syrup ingredients until thick.

Place the marinated pork in a preheated oven at 170°C. Grill for 12-15 minutes. Remove the meat and turn it over. Pour the syrup over the meat. Increase the heat to 190°C and return the meat to the oven to grill for about 5-6 minutes. Cut the meat into thin serving slices.

Nuoc Cham

Living

Tuesday February 5, 2008

Vietnamese dip

CULINARY QUERIES with AMY BEH

Nuoc Cham, a dip with a fish sauce base, can be served with Vietnamese spring rolls.

3 fresh red chillies, seeded
2 cloves garlic
2 limes, squeeze for juice
2 tbsp grated gula Melaka
90ml fish sauce
1 tsp rice wine or vinegar

Put chillies and garlic in a food processor. Add 2-3 tablespoons lime juice. Process into a coarse paste. Remove, transfer to a glass jar and add sugar, remaining lime juice, fish sauce, and rice wine or vinegar. Stir, then put on the cap and screw tight. Shake until sugar dissolves. (If it is too sour or salty, just add 2-3 tablespoons cold water.) Serve with Vietnamese spring rolls.

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.

Grilled salmon on tau miu with black pepper sauce

Ingredients

4 pc salmon fillet (160 gm each)
200 gm tau miu (pea sprouts)
2 tbsp oil
2 tsp chopped garlic
20 pc boiled potato balls
2 tbsp chopped chives
2 tbsp sour cream

For sauce:
30 gm butter
2 tbsp chopped shallots
2 tbsp crushed black pepper
200 ml strong beef juice
2 tbsp brandy (optional)
2 tbsp cornflour (mix with warm water)
100 ml UHT cream
Salt

Method
To make sauce, heat butter in pan and saute chopped shallots and crushed pepper.

Add brandy and flame. Add beef juice, bring to boil and reduce by 1/3. Thicken with cornflour, add cream and bring to boil.

Strain. Keep warm to serve.

Brush salmon with oil and season. Grill till cooked.

Heat frying pan and add oil. Add garlic, tau miu and fry till cooked.

Heat potato balls and sauce.

Cover base of four dinner plates with black pepper sauce. Place tau miu in centre and arrange salmon fillet over this.

Place five potato balls around fillet. Spoon a little sour cream on top. Sprinkle with chopped chives and serve.

Mushrooms in Black Pepper Sauce

Original Recipe by Amy Beh

150g chicken fillet, sliced

1 tsp ginger juice

½ tsp Premium oyster sauce

A pinch of pepper

A pinch of sugar

½ tsp sesame oil

½ tsp cornflour

75g Portobello mushrooms, sliced

70g fresh cup mushrooms, sliced

20g red capsicum, sliced

20g green capsicum, sliced

20g Bombay onion, sliced into rings

1 tbsp grated ginger

1 tbsp oil

1 tsp sesame oil

Sauce ingredients

2 tbsp black pepper sauce

1 tbsp Premium oyster sauce

1 tsp light soy sauce

½ tsp pepper

¼ tsp sugar or to taste

Salt to taste

¼ cup fresh chicken stock or water

Season chicken with ginger juice, oyster sauce, pepper, sugar, sesame oil and cornflour for at least 20 minutes.

Parboil chicken in hot oil for 1-2 minutes. Remove and drain oil.

Heat oil and sesame oil until hot. Sauté gin ger until fragrant. Add chicken and onion. Stir briskly. Put in the rest of the ingredients and add sauce ingredients. When it boils, dish out and serve immediately.

Deep-fried Fish in Fragrant Sauce

Original Recipe by Amy Beh

1 siakap, approximately 600g
Oil for deep-frying
1 Tbsp chopped garlic
1 Tbsp shredded ginger
2 Tbsp oil

Seasoning
½ tsp salt
½ tsp pepper
1½ Tbsp cornflour

Sauce ingredients (combined)
1 Tbsp oyster sauce
1 Tbsp light soy sauce
1/8 tsp thick soy sauce
1 tsp sesame oil
½ tsp sugar
¼ tsp pepper
150ml fresh chicken stock or water

Garnishing
1 red chilli, cut into strips
Some coriander leaves and spring onion curls

Clean the fish, cut 2 diagonal slits across each side of the fish. Rub with seasoning ingredients. Heat oil in a wok until very hot, then put in fish. Deep-fry for 10–15 minutes or until fish is cooked, golden and crispy. Drain from oil and place on a serving dish.

In a clean wok, heat 2 tablespoons oil, and fry garlic and ginger until fragrant, mix in sauce ingredients and bring to a quick boil. Pour the sauce over the fish and serve with garnishing.