Tofu Soup with Chicken & Pickled Mustard Greens 🇨🇳

This is a type of Chinese soup called a 'gung' (羹) in Cantonese, that is traditionally cooked in a wok, thickened with cornflour for a smooth velvety finish.  It is often served at the banqueting table, featuring a delicious mix of seafood, meat, delicacies and vegetables.  My simple version here is a comforting dish, with cubes of silken tofu mingling with shreds of tangy, crunchy pickled mustard greens and slivers of tender chicken.

*You can find pickled mustard greens in vacuum-sealed packages from Asian grocers as well as some supermarkets. 

Serves 3-4

INGREDIENTS

• 1 packet silken tofu (300g /10oz)
• 60g / 2¼oz Chinese pickled mustard greens
• 150g /  5½oz chicken breast
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 2 cups chicken stock
• sea salt, to taste
• a pinch of white pepper
• 3 tablespoons cornstarch mixed with 3 tablespoons water in a small dish, for the slurry
• 2 tablespoon spring onion (green parts only), finely chopped, for garnishing

For marinating the chicken:

• ½ teaspoon sea salt
• 1 teaspoon Chinese Shaoxin wine
• 1 teaspoon cornflour
• 2 teaspoons water
• 1 teaspoon vegetable oil

METHOD

1. Gently invert tofu from its packet onto a dish, draining off any water that comes out of the packet by tilting the dish slightly over the sink.  Pat the tofu dry with paper towels.  Slice the block into 20 cubes by cutting lengthways into 4's and widthways into 5's. 
2. Soak the pickled mustard greens in a bowl of cold water for 5 minutes, then rinse in a colander to remove some of their saltiness and sourness.  Squeeze out any excess liquid with your hands, then cut the greens into small pieces.
3. Slice chicken breast with your knife slanting at a 45-degree angle against the grain into thin slivers.  Place in a bowl and marinate with salt, wine, cornflour, water and oil.
4. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a wok over high heat until hot.  Add chicken and sauté for a few minutes until just cooked.  Remove to a dish and set aside.
5. Clean wok.  Heat the remaining tablespoon oil over high heat and sauté mustard greens for 1 minute.  Stir in sugar.
6. Pour in stock.  Bring to a boil and season with salt and white pepper, to taste.
7. Slide the tofu cubes into the soup and bring it back to a simmer.
8. Give the cornflour mixture in the small dish a stir and add to the soup.  Mix it in by pushing the tofu around gently with the back of a wok scoop or ladle, careful not to break them up too much.
9. Continue to cook until the soup has thickened to a lustrous gravy in consistency.   Stir in the cooked chicken.  Scatter chopped spring onions on top.  Serve hot.

Chocolate Scones

Morning / afternoon tea doesn't get better than this - chocolate scones still warm from the oven served with a dollop of cream, enjoyed with your favourite brew.  It's time for a break to rejuvenate and savour life's simple pleasures.  To make them light and fluffy, sift your dry ingredients, use cold butter, work quickly with the dough, and make sure the oven is very hot.

Makes 8

INGREDIENTS

• 1¾ cups self-raising flour, plus extra for dusting work surface
• ¼ cup baking cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon caster sugar
• a pinch of salt
• 30g / 1oz unsalted butter, cut into cubes
• 100g / 3½oz dark baking chocolate block, roughly chopped into pieces
• thick cream or butter, to serve

METHOD

1. Line a baking tray with baking paper.
2. Sift the flour, cocoa, sugar and salt into a large mixing bowl.
3. Add the butter cubes, then rub in with your fingertips until the mixture looks like fine bread crumbs.  
4. Make a well in the flour mix and add most of the milk (reserving 1 tablespoon).  Using a cutlery knife, cut the milk through the mixture.  When the milk has been absorbed, use your hands to turn it into a dough.  
5. Scatter some flour onto a work surface and tip the dough out.  Add chocolate pieces and gently knead until just combined.  Pat into a disc about 4cm / 1½" thick.  
6. Use a 5cm / 2" round cutter to cut out 8 scones, re-rolling the dough as needed.
7. Arrange scones closely together on the prepared baking tray so their sides are just touching.  Brush tops with remaining milk.  
8. Bake in a preheated 200°C/400°F oven for 10-15 minutes until well risen.  Let the scones cool for a few minutes before serving them warm with dollops of thick cream or butter.

 

Steamed Prawns with Silken Tofu

I like my seafood steamed as the process preserves their natural sweetness and catches all their lovely juice in the dish they are cooked in.  Not much to wash up afterwards when you also serve directly from the dish, steaming hot.  For this recipe, morsels of prawn coated in Japanese sake, egg white and cornflour are piled on top of wobbly slices of silken tofu and steamed until they turn opaque, finished with a touch of soy.   

Serves 2-3

INGREDIENTS

• 1 packet silken tofu (300g /10oz)
• 12 medium size prawns (or 200g / 7oz prawn meat)
• 1 egg white
• 1 tablespoon Japanese cooking sake
• 1 tablespoon cornflour
• a pinch of salt
• a few coriander leaves, for garnishing

Sauce:

• 1 tablespoon light soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil

METHOD

1. Make the sauce by combining soy sauce and sesame oil in a small dish.
2. Remove heads and shells from prawns.  Make a slit on the back of each prawn to expose and remove the vein.  Cut each prawn into 2-3 sections.  Place in a bowl  
3. Combine prawns with egg white, sake, cornflour and salt.
4. Gently invert tofu from its packet onto a 20cm /8" heatproof dish with sides about 4cm / 1½" high (similar to the one pictured above).  Drain off any water that comes out of the packet by tilting the dish slightly over the sink.  Pat the tofu dry with paper towels.  Cut the tofu lengthwise in half, then crosswise 4 times into 10 equal slices.
5. Arrange the tofu slices to cover the base of the dish, then spoon the prawn mixture over the top.
6. Steam the dish for 6-7 minutes or until the prawns are just cooked and turn opaque in colour.  Pour the sauce over.  Garnish with coriander leaves.  Serve hot directly from the dish.

Setting up a steaming station:

If you don't have a tier steamer pot, you can use a wok, a large saucepan or a frying pan with a lid to set up a steaming station.  Make sure the heatproof dish fits into your pan leaving some space around it for the steam to come through.  You will also need a steamer rack to support the dish inside the pan.  Fill the pan with water to a depth of about 4 cm / 1½", and bring to a boil.  Place the dish with the prepared food on top of the rack, and cover to steam.  Heat may be reduced but water must be kept boiling during the process.  A useful tool to have is a steamer lifter that allows you to safely lift the hot dish out of the pan without scalding your hands.

Sugar Snap Peas & Chinese Sausage Stir Fry 🇨🇳

This classic home-style Cantonese stir fry is so simple, bringing together the tender-crispness of sugar snap peas with the savoury richness of Chinese sausage (or 'lap cheung') - a perfect pairing.  Snow peas also work.  I blanch the peas and immediately plunge them in ice water to retain their colour and crunch.  All they need then is a toss in the wok with the sausages, a little garlic and salt for a delightfully clean taste. 

Serves 2-3

INGREDIENTS

• 285g / 10oz sugar snap peas or snow peas
• 1-2 Chinese sausages*
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 3 garlic cloves, sliced
• a pinch of salt

*Chinese sausages or 'lap cheung' in Cantonese are available from Asian grocers and some supermarkets in their International food aisle.  Go for those made locally in Australia rather than the imported variety.  They are used in a number of recipes on this blog and can be frozen in freezer bags for up to 6 months.

METHOD

1. Snap off the stem of the peas and pull down the side to remove any tough fibres.
2. Bring a medium saucepan of water to a boil.  Tip in peas and blanch for 30 seconds.  Remove peas from the saucepan using a spider strainer and plunge them immediately into a large bowl of ice water to cool.  Drain and set aside.
3. Cut the sausage(s) diagonally into thin slices.
4. Heat oil in a wok over medium heat.  Add sausage and garlic.  Stir fry for a minute or until the sausage renders its fat and turns translucent.
5. Add the peas and a pinch of salt.  Stir fry for 1 minute or until the peas are coated with oil.  They should still be crunchy and bright green in colour.  Serve immediately.

 

Gemstones Jelly Cake

Who doesn't like a wobbly cake, as pretty as it is delicious, with multicoloured jelly cubes wedged in a mortar of sweet condensed milk like gemstones?  You can taste the different jelly flavours in each refreshing bite.  This vintage dessert (also called stained glass jelly) goes down well with children and adults alike, brilliant for parties and festive occasions like Christmas which is not far off.  It's best to make it a day in advance as the jelly requires setting time.  Slice them into blocks and serve on their own, with cream, ice cream or custard, as you like it.

Serves 12

INGREDIENTS

• 4 x 85g / 3oz box of jelly crystals, assorted colours & flavours
• 4 cups boiling water
• 3 teaspoon gelatine powder
• 2 cups hot water
• 1 tinned sweeten condensed milk (396g / 14oz)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

EQUIPMENT

• 4 x containers (900ml / 30.5 fl oz capacity)
• 1 x container (2-litre / 67.6 fl oz capacity)
• 1 small mixing bowl & whisk
• 1 medium mixing bowl

*I use rectangular plastic food containers that come with fitted lids.  Once the jelly has been set, they pop out quite easily when inverted.  Apply a gentle tap to the bottom of the container to encourage.

METHOD

1. In a small bowl, dissolve each box of jelly crystals in 1 cup boiling water, then carefully pour into separate containers.  Cover containers and chill in the fridge for several hours until fully set.
2. Once set, cut each container of jelly into small squares with a thin knife.  Invert and tip cubes randomly into the large container.  Give the container a jiggle to mix the colours up and spread them out evenly.
3. In a medium bowl, dissolve gelatine powder in 2 cups of hot water by whisking the mixture vigourously.  Add the condensed milk and vanilla.  Stir until combined
4. Let the mixture cool to room temperature, then pour the mixture over the jelly cubes.
5. Cover and chill in the fridge for several hours until fully set.
6. Invert and tip the jelly cake out of the container onto a serving plate.  Slice with a thin knife into large squares and serve.

 

Black Bean Lasagna

This might not be the traditional Italian lasagna with beef ragu and béchamel sauce, my meat-free black bean lasagne does not compromise in taste, made delicious with warm spices, a good amount of passata and plenty of cheese being Ricotta, Mozzarella and Parmesan.  I use fresh lasagna pasta sheets (available in packages from the refrigerated section of the supermarket) as they do not require pre-boiling and are easy to cut to size.  Then, it's a matter of layering the ingredients and sending it off to the oven.  Lasagna makes a satisfying family meal.  Double the recipe and use a bigger pan if you need to feed a crowd.  Leftovers can be kept in the fridge for days and it freezes well.

Serves 4-6

INGREDIENTS

• 400g / 14oz black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1 teaspoon chilli powder
• ½ teaspoon sea salt
• 400g / 14oz passata
• 1 cup water or vegetable stock
• 250g / 9oz Ricotta cheese, drained 
• 200g / 7oz Mozzarella cheese, shredded
• 250g / 9oz fresh lasagna pasta sheets
• 100g / 3½oz grated Parmesan cheese

METHOD

1. In a large frying pan, combine black beans with cumin, paprika, chilli powder, salt, passata and water/stock.  Bring the mixture to a simmer, stirring, for about 3 minutes.  Use a potato masher to smash half of the beans, leaving the rest whole for texture.  Let cool in the pan.
2. In a large bowl, combine Ricotta cheese with most of the Mozzarella cheese, leaving a handful to scatter on top of the lasagna.
3. Spread a few spoonfuls of the red sauce on the bottom of a 23cm / 9" rectangular casserole dish.  Add to it dollops of the cheese mixture.  Cover with a layer of pasta.
4. Repeat with a layer of sauce, cheese and pasta until you have 4 layers and the ingredients have been used up.  Trim the pasta sheets with a pair of kitchen scissors so they fit the dish as you go.
5. Scatter the reserved Mozzarella cheese and Parmesan cheese on top of the lasagna.
6. Cover with foil and bake in a preheated 180°C/350°F oven for 20 minutes.  Uncover and bake for a further 10 minutes until golden and piping hot.
7. Let the lasagna rest in the pan for at least 10 minutes before slicing and serving.

 

Snow Skin Mooncakes 冰皮月饼

I make these delicate, sweet little cakes each year around this time for the Moon Festival which falls on the 15th of the 8th month of the lunar calendar.  This is when Chinese people gather to admire the autumn (northern hemisphere) full moon in lantern-lit gardens and enjoy special food. In Australia the auspicious day falls in spring but our moon would be just as bright in a clear night sky.  Snow skin mooncakes feature a soft, chewy, mochi-like outer layer made with a glutinous rice flour mixture and a variety of sweet fillings.  Lighter than the traditional baked mooncakes, they have a silky, buttery texture that makes you go back for more.  You'll be dealing with a sticky dough but a freezer bag and a pair of food handling gloves overcome any potential difficulties.  A little effort and time is required to create these things but you will love how they pop out of the mould, perfectly formed and dreamily delicious.

Makes 12

EQUIPMENT

• plastic mooncake mould (50g)*
• kitchen scale
• 23cm /9" heatproof dish with rim
• a steaming station
• 1 medium plastic freezer bag
• food handling gloves

*It comes with a springy handle and several plates with different patterns, available online.

INGREDIENTS

• 50g / 1¾oz glutinous rice flour
• 40g / 1½oz  rice flour
• 20g / ¾oz wheat starch
• 30g / 1oz caster sugar
• 185g / 6½oz milk
• 20g / ¾oz vegetable oil
• 200g / 7oz red bean paste (for filling)*
• 2 tablespoons cooked glutinous rice flour (for coating the mooncakes)*

*I use readymade red bean paste which is available from Asian grocers, in their refrigerated section.  You can certainly make your own, but that's another recipe for another time!

*Cook the glutinous rice flour in a small saucepan over medium-low heat for a few minutes, stirring, until the flour turns pale yellow.  Set aside in a small dish to cool completely.

METHOD

1. Sieve glutinous rice flour, rice flour and wheat starch into a large mixing bowl.  Add sugar and stir to combine.
2. Pour milk into the flour mixture.  Stir until it becomes a smooth batter.  Stir in oil.
3. Pass the mixture through a sieve (to remove any lumps) into the heatproof dish.
4. Cover the dish securely with foil and steam for 20 minutes over medium-high heat.
5. Carefully remove the dish from the steamer.  Use a plastic spatula to scrape out the cooked flour mixture and transfer it into a plastic bag.
6. Knead the flour mixture in the bag while it is hot for 5-10 minutes until a smooth dough is formed.  Protect you hand with a tea towel while you are kneading.  Leave the dough in the bag to cool completely.
7. Meanwhile, divide the red bean paste filling into 12 equal portions, about 15g / ½oz each.  Roll each portion with your hands into a ball.  Set aside on a plate.
8. Put your gloves on.  Remove dough from the plastic bag and cut into 12 equal portions, about 25g / 1oz each.  
9. With your hands, flatten each piece of dough into a disc about 5cm / 2" in diameter.  Place a ball of the red bean filling on top.  Gather the edge towards the centre and pinch firmly to seal.  Roll the dough in between palms to smooth it into a round ball. 
10. Coat each dough with cooked glutinous rice flour.  Dust off any excess and place it on a clean, flat surface, pinched side down.  Insert and secure a plate into the mould.  Place the mould over the dough and press the springy handle down gently but firmly to shape the mooncake.  Lift the mould up.  Press the handle again to push the mooncake onto the surface.   Gently brush off any excess flour clinging on to the mooncake.  Arrange them on a plate.

Notes:

• Snow skin mooncakes are best served on the day they have been made, as they tend to dry out and harden in time (but then they are so delicious and likely to be demolished quickly!)
• If you need to store them for a little while, place them in an air-tight container and add a layer of baking paper between each layer if you are stacking them up.  Consume within 2 days.
• They can be frozen, wrapped tightly in plastic, for up to 1 month.  Leave them to thaw in the fridge.