sauce is a Cantonese speciality, regular oyster sauce is a very flavoursome soy-based sauce with oyster extract. Vegetarians should look for the vegetarian version which is sometimes sold as ‘mushroom oyster sauce’.
Red dates are also known as Chinese jujube, or hong zao in Mandarin, and are about the size of a round olive. Although Chinese red dates are sour when raw, they are sweet when matured and dried. Red dates are often eaten during Chinese New Year.
Rice is a staple food in Asia. Long-grain jasmine rice is used in the recipes in this book, and is widely available from all supermarkets. Do not use glutinous or basmati rice.
Rice wine is fermented from freshly steamed rice and has a relatively low alcoholic content. Widely used in Asian cooking, it is readily available in bottles. Japanese sake or dry sherry can be used as a substitute.
Sesame oil is extracted from sesame seeds that have been well toasted, producing a dark, dense, highly aromatic oil that can be used for cooking, marinades, sauces and soups, or as a table condiment. Its nutty, smoky flavour has become a hallmark of Chinese cuisine.
Sesame paste is made from ground, roasted sesame seeds and comes in glass jars covered with oil. It is quite hard and needs to be mixed with a little sesame oil or water to make it into a smooth paste. It should not be confused with sweet sesame paste made from black sesame seeds used in some snacks and desserts. If you can’t find it, use Middle Eastern tahini mixed with sesame oil to give it a more pronounced flavour.
Dried tangerine peel can be bought from Chinese medicinal shops or the dried food stalls in Asian markets. However, it is something that anyone can make during the citrus season—the peels of oranges, mandarins, or tangerines can be dried out in a very slow oven or in a dehydrator, or left to dry naturally, then stored airtight. Do not remove the white pith, as it contains bio-flavonoids and is good for you.
Vinegar is used to balance flavours in sauces and to bring out the natural tastes of foods, almost always in conjunction with a bit of sugar; unless the recipe calls for a specific variety of Chinese vinegar, the best choices are rice vinegar or apple cider vinegar; red wine vinegars do not go well with Chinese flavours.
White fungus, also known as white wood ears, has a crunchy texture and a slightly sweet flavour.
Wine is used frequently in Chinese cooking as a tenderizer, to eliminate the rank taste in meat and fish, to blend flavours and to enhance taste. The best wine for Chinese cooking is rice wine. A possible alternative is dry sherry.
Water chestnut is a crunchy brown tuber. Although its skin is difficult to peel, it is well worth using the fresh variety rather than canned water chestnuts. Fresh yam bean is a better substitute for fresh water chestnuts than the canned variety.
Soy sauce is indispensable to Chinese cuisine. It is fermented from soya beans and salt; used in marinades, stir-fry cooking, sauces and dips; low-salt varieties are now available. It is well worth spending a little extra to purchase high-quality soy sauce, because its distinctive flavour permeates Chinese cuisine, and a poor quality soy sauce can ruin the taste of even the best cooked food. Both light and dark soy sauces are used in the recipes in this book.
Chinese Savoury Pancakes
300 g (10 oz) plain flour
¼ teaspoon soda bicarbonate
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon chicken powder
½ teaspoon sugar
600 ml (2½ cups) stock
90 g (¼ cup) ham, diced
60 g (½ cup) carrot, quartered lengthwise, thinly sliced
30 g (¼ cup) dried shrimps, diced
90 g (⅔ cup) green leeks, diced
¼ teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon sesame oil
Oil for frying
1 Sift the flour and soda bicarbonate into a mixing bowl. Make a well in the centre and stir in the salt, chicken powder and sugar. Gradually pour in the stock and make a thick batter.
2 Add the ham, carrot, dried shrimps and leeks to the batter, stir in the pepper and sesame oil and set aside for 30 minutes.
3 Heat a griddle or pan with a little oil. Pour in 2 tablespoons batter to shallow fry on medium high heat till both sides are golden. Remove the pancakes on to a platter and keep warm. Continue the process until the batter is finished. Serve hot.
Serves 4–6
Preparation time: 45 mins
Cooking time: 30 mins
Turnip Pudding
Turnip pudding is made from Chinese turnip, or large daikon radish, which is grated, simmered with dried shrimp, mushrooms and preserved sausage, then steamed to make a cake. It is sliced and fried before serving.
2 kg (4 lb) Chinese turnip (daikon radish), washed, peeled and coarsely grated (reserve all the juices)
60 g (½ cup) dried shrimps, cleaned and soaked for 1 hour until soft, diced
60 g (½ cup) Chinese mushrooms, soaked for 1 hour until soft
3–4 preserved lap cheong (Chinese sausages), washed
2 tablespoons olive oil
¾ tablespoon salt
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon chicken powder
½ teaspoon pepper
300 g (3 cups) plus 3 tablespoons rice flour
3 spring onions, diced
1 Place the grated turnip (and juices) into a large saucepan. Arrange the dried shrimps, mushrooms and lap cheong on top of the shredded turnip, cover and simmer over very low heat for 30 minutes. Stir occasionally to prevent sticking and burning.
2 Turn off heat. Remove the mushrooms and sausages and, when cool enough to handle, dice. Return to the pan and mix thoroughly. Turn heat on again to low.
3 Add the oil, salt, sugar, chicken powder and pepper to the turnip, then sift in the rice flour. Stir vigorously until well blended.
4 Ladle the mixture into a greased, round metal tin measuring 20 to 24 cm (8 to 9½ in) in diameter. Transfer to a large steamer to cook over high heat for 1 hour, checking after 30 minutes that the water in the steamer has not dried up. Add more boiling water
