accompanied by some soy sauce, or fish sauce with sliced bird's-eye chilies.
Note: The vegetable pickle is best made 2-3 hours in advance to give time for chilling; if preferred, it could be made the day before. It will keep in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to one week.
Poached eggs on ham and vegetable medley with spicy hollandaise sauce
3 tablespoons clarified butter (ghee) or vegetable oil
1 large onion, diced
8 oz (250 g) picnic ham, diced
2 cups (300 g) diced mixed vegetables, such as red bell pepper (capsicum), cassava (tapioca), potato, sweet potato, sweet corn kernels, green beans, and carrots
3 tablespoons finely chopped assorted fresh herbs, such as fresh cilantro (coriander), basil, and parsley
1/4 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
8 poached eggs (see Note)
4 slices French bread, toasted
Fresh parsley sprigs to garnish
Hollandaise sauce
2 egg yolks
Salt and white pepper to taste
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
2/3 cup (125 g) butter
Sweet chili sambal
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
5-6 large red chilies, sliced
1-2 bird's-eye chilies, sliced
4 cloves garlic, sliced
2 medium tomatoes, chopped
1/4 teaspoon dried shrimp paste
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
A touch of sweet chili sambal and creamy hollandaise accentuates this combination of finely diced vegetables, fresh herbs, ham, and poached eggs, in this self-indulgent breakfast. Serve with a slice of French bread and, if possible, a balmy tropical breeze for sharpening the appetite. Serve only those vegetables that you have at hand.
1 To prepare the hollandaise, place the egg yolks in a bowl and season with salt and pepper (preferably white pepper). Pour the yolks into a processor and blend thoroughly, about 1 minute. Heat the lemon juice and vinegar until it just begins to simmer, then switch the processor on again and slowly pour the hot lemon mixture into the eggs. Melt the butter (in the same pan as you heated the lemon and vinegar) without burning it and, when it begins to foam, switch on the processor once again and pour the butter into the mixture as slowly as you can. Wipe the bowl and process one last time. Set aside.
2 To prepare the sweet chili sambal, heat oil in a small saucepan and add both lots of chilies and garlic. Stir-fry over low-medium heat until fragrant, 4-5 minutes, then add all other ingredients and simmer for 10 minutes. Process to a smooth paste, then return to saucepan and keep warm.
3 To finalize the dish, heat clarified butter in a saucepan. Add onion and stir-fry over moderate heat for 2 minutes. Add ham and cook for 2 minutes. Add all the vegetables and herbs and season with salt and pepper, stirring to mix well and heat the vegetables through.
4 Transfer the ham and vegetables to 4 plates. Top each serving with 2 poached eggs, 2-3 tablespoons of the hollandaise sauce and a dollop of sweet sambal. Serve with toasted French bread, and garnish with a sprig of parsley, if desired.
Note: To make hollandaise by hand, simply pour the hot lemon mixture into the eggs while whisking continuously by hand. Repeat with the melted butter. To save time, you could make the sweet sambal a day or two in advance and refrigerate it until needed, or use purchased sambal. To make poached eggs, use an egg poacher or bring a skillet of water, with a few drops of vinegar added, to simmering point. Carefully crack open the eggs, a few at a time, into the water. Simmer very gently until set, about 2-3 minutes, then remove the eggs with a slotted spoon and repeat with remaining eggs.
Chicken congee with Taiwan-style accompaniments
3 quarts (3 liters) light chicken stock
5 oz (150 g) chicken breast
1/2 cup (1 00 g) short-grain rice
2 tablespoons very finely sliced scallion (spring onion)
1 1/2 tablespoons very finely julienned young ginger
2 tablespoons crisp-fried garlic slices (see Note), or 1/3 oz (1 0 g) dried rice vermicelli, deep-fried until crisp
Liberal sprinkling of white pepper
Condiments
1 century egg, coarsely chopped
1 salted duck egg, coarsely chopped
1 1/2 tablespoons canned salted cabbage, finely chopped
1 1/2 tablespoons pickled radish (tang choy)
3 tablespoons canned braised peanuts
1 large red chili, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons light soy sauce
2 squares fermented red bean curd, halved
1/2 cup (60 g) flaked canned dace fish with preserved black beans
Millions of Chinese around the world start the day with comforting congee or rice porridge, a simple gruel of rice and water eaten with various condiments. The Taiwanese version is more "soupy" than most types, and this recipe has more flavor, thanks to the chicken stock. Taiwanese congee is also distinguishable by the large range of often-salty accompaniments. It is not essential to serve all these, but the more you have, the more delicious the result. This congee is equally good as a light lunch.
1 Put the chicken stock and chicken breast in a large saucepan and bring to a boil. Lower heat, cover, and simmer very gently until the chicken is cooked, about 15 minutes. Remove the chicken, cool, then shred.
2 Add the rice to the pan and bring to a boil, stirring. Partly cover the saucepan and simmer, stirring from time to time, until the rice has broken up and the stock reduced to a thick mixture, about 1 hour. Divide between 4 bowls, then add the shredded chicken, scallion, ginger, crisp-fried garlic, and pepper to each bowl.
3 While the rice is cooking, put as many of the condiments as desired in separate small bowls and serve with
