Easy Chicken Dinners

<p>Chicken and asparagus yakitori. Yakitori literally means “grilled chicken” in Japanese and its simplicity means you have to be using the best quality chicken you can get. Take care skewering each piece so that it keeps a consistent shape. Yakitori at home is a little different to having it in a restaurant. I use metal skewers as they’re easier to manage on an ordinary barbecue, and I put a few extra pieces on each skewer to make them extra-large so I don’t have to tend to too many skewers on the grill.</p>




<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-ingredients">
<ul>
<li>1 kg Lilydale free range chicken thigh fillets</li>



<li>salt, to season</li>



<li>1 tbsp vegetable oil</li>



<li>1 bunch thick asparagus, trimmed and cut into 4cm lengths</li>



<li>shichimi togarashi (Japanese seven spice), to serve</li>



<li></li>



<li><strong>Grilled chicken tare</strong></li>



<li>1 tsp vegetable oil</li>



<li>1 small brown onion, cut into thick rings</li>



<li>2 cloves garlic, bruised</li>



<li>3 slices ginger, bruised</li>



<li>200ml soy sauce</li>



<li>100 ml sake</li>



<li>100 ml mirin</li>



<li>100 g sugar</li>
</ul>
</div>



<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-method">
<ol>
<li>Heat a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the oil, onion slices, garlic and ginger and cook until browned and slightly charred. Add the soy sauce, sake, mirin and sugar. Bring to a simmer and simmer for 10 minutes until reduced and glossy. Strain out the solids and transfer to a container you can keep in the fridge.</li>



<li>Cut the chicken into 4cm pieces and skewer onto wooden or metal skewers, add a piece of asparagus after every 2 pieces of chicken.</li>



<li>Heat a barbecue grill over high heat. Drizzle the skewers with a little oil and grill for about 5 minutes, turning frequently. About halfway through cooking, start brushing frequently with the tare and continue cooking until the tare is caramelised and the chicken just cooked through. Serve with the shichimi togarashi.</li>
</ol>
</div>



<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-tips"><h2>Tips</h2>
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<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-video"><h2>Video</h2></div>

<1hr

Chicken and asparagus yakitori

<p>This is one of my favourite ways to cook chicken breast because while bashing the chicken to a thin escalope might be an additional step, it only takes a minute and means that the chicken is much easier (and faster) to cook because it’s an even thickness. It all results in deliciously tender chicken breast that isn’t dry. </p>



<p>A rich, buttery sauce of black pepper and sage is an excellent accompaniment, and I know a lot of people make polenta with water, but it really is so much better with chicken stock.</p>




<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-ingredients">
<ul>
<li>4 Lilydale free range chicken breasts</li>



<li>salt and pepper, to season</li>



<li>¾ cup plain flour</li>



<li>50 ml olive oil, plus extra for frying if needed</li>



<li>70 g butter</li>



<li>10-15 sage leaves</li>



<li>1 tsp coarse and freshly ground black pepper</li>



<li></li>



<li><strong>Radicchio salad</strong></li>



<li>1½ tbsp sherry or red wine vinegar</li>



<li>1 tsp Dijon mustard</li>



<li>3 tbsp olive oil</li>



<li>½ head radicchio, leaves picked, washed and spun</li>



<li>2 tbsp finely chopped chives</li>



<li></li>



<li><strong>Parmesan polenta</strong></li>



<li>1 litre chicken stock</li>



<li>1 cup (200 g) fine polenta</li>



<li>30 g butter</li>



<li>½ cup finely grated parmesan, plus extra to serve</li>
</ul>
</div>



<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-method">
<ol>
<li>For the polenta bring the stock to the boil and whisk in the polenta. Simmer for 15-20 minutes, stirring regularly, then mix in the butter and parmesan. Season with salt to taste.</li>



<li>Divide the chicken breasts in half horizontally. Place a piece of chicken between 2 sheets of baking paper and lightly bash with a rolling pin to just under once centimetre thickness. Repeat for the remaining chicken. Season very well with salt and pepper. Dredge in the flour. Heat a large frying pan over medium-high heat and add about half of the olive oil and 20 g of the butter. Fry the chicken escalopes two at a time for about 2 minutes on each side until browned and just cooked through, then set aside. Add a little extra oil and butter to the pan between each batch of chicken if needed.</li>



<li>When all the chicken is cooked, add the remaining butter to the pan, then add the sage leaves and pepper and fry until the sage crisps. Remove from the heat.</li>



<li>For the radicchio salad, whisk the vinegar together with the mustard and then drizzle in the olive oil, season well with salt and pepper, then toss with the radicchio leaves and chives. Serve the chicken with the polenta topped with a little extra parmesan, and the radicchio salad on the side.</li>
</ol>
</div>



<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-tips"><h2>Tips</h2>
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<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-video"><h2>Video</h2></div>

Chicken escalopes with black pepper and sage

Japanese Classics

<p>This is a “belt and braces” niku udon recipe where every component is made from scratch, but even so it’s actually very easy to make. These might look like a strange list ingredients to us in Australia, but in Japanese households these are mostly just pantry staples.</p>



<p>A simple, seasoned stock, some quickly fried beef and a few toppings combined together with frozen udon noodles. Frozen udon is the best udon available in Australia for home cooking. It’s already cooked so you just need to place the frozen udon into boiling water until it separates and has warmed through. It has an excellent texture.</p>



<p>If that still all sounds too hard, there are many, many shortcuts you can take.</p>



<p>For the dashi you can use packet dashi (small packets like tea bags) or instant dashi and just add the dashi seasonings to make the soup base. Alternatively you can dilute bottled tsuyu (available from Japanese grocers) to make the soup base without having to make a separate dashi. Bottled tsuyu is a very popular shortcut in Japanese homes for making everything from simmered dishes, oden, and noodle dishes like this one.</p>



<p>This version also fries the beef separately, but you can also simmer the beef and spring onions in the stock.</p>




<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-ingredients">
<ul>
<li>4 x 250 g frozen udon cakes</li>



<li></li>



<li><strong>Dashi</strong></li>



<li>6 niboshi (dried anchovies or other small fish)</li>



<li>2 litres water</li>



<li>1 piece kombu</li>



<li>3 dried shiitake mushrooms</li>



<li>a handful of bonito flakes</li>



<li></li>



<li><strong>Dashi seasonings</strong></li>



<li>3 tbsp soy sauce</li>



<li>2 tbsp mirin</li>



<li>2 tsp sugar</li>



<li>salt, to season</li>



<li></li>



<li><strong>Beef topping</strong></li>



<li>2 tbsp vegetable oil</li>



<li>4 thick spring onions, thinly sliced on a diagonal</li>



<li>250 g thinly sliced wagyu</li>



<li>2 tbsp soy sauce</li>



<li>2 tbsp mirin</li>



<li>1 tsp sugar</li>



<li></li>



<li><strong>Additional toppings (optional), to serve</strong></li>



<li>½ stick naruto, thinly sliced on a diagonal</li>



<li>2 thin spring onions, thinly sliced in rounds</li>



<li>mitsuba, or watercress</li>



<li>shichimi tougarashi (Japanese seven spice)</li>
</ul>
</div>



<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-method">
<ol>
<li>To make the dashi, prepare the niboshi by removing the head and black intestines. This is done by pinching it off with fingers. Place the niboshi, water, kombu and shiitake in a large saucepan and bring to a simmer. Remove the kombu when the water starts to steam. Bring to a simmer, then add the bonito flakes and turn off the heat. Allow to stand for 20 minutes, then strain the dashi. Add the dashi seasonings, taste and adjust as needed. It should be salty and slightly sweet. If you want a faster method to make this soup base, refer to the notes.</li>



<li>For the beef, heat a wok or frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the oil and fry the beef until browned. Add the spring onions and toss to combine, then add the soy sauce, mirin and sugar and simmer until the sauce thickens enough to coat the beef.</li>



<li>Boil a separate pan of water and simmer the naruto slices (if using). Remove and drain. Add the frozen udon to the pot and simmer until just separated and warmed through.</li>



<li>Place the udon into serving bowls, top with the soup stock, then place the beef on top. Add the naruto, round-sliced spring onions and mitsuba or watercress. Serve with shichimi tougarashi.</li>
</ol>
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<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-tips"><h2>Tips</h2>
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<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-video"><h2>Video</h2></div>

Niku udon

Vegetarian

<p>Kadai curries are modernised versions of the North Indian classic dish of Chicken Kahari. The kadai name is a reference to the wok-like pot it’s cooked in. I just use a wok myself.</p>



<p>I made this one vegetarian (vegan) with fried eggplant and brussels sprouts. It's our go-to adult dish when my kids request butter chicken for dinner, and it’s my wife’s all-time favourite Indian dish.</p>



<p>It’s a great companion dish to butter chicken as it’s a little spicier, not so creamy (I don’t use any yoghurt or ground nuts in this). Great with a bit of sour tamarind chutney.</p>




<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-ingredients">
<ul>
<li>2 eggplants, sliced into ½ cm slices</li>



<li>salt, to season</li>



<li>2 cups brussels sprouts, halved</li>



<li>1 litre vegetable oil, for deep frying</li>



<li>1 tsp fennel seeds</li>



<li>½ tsp cumin seeds</li>



<li>4 cm cassia bark</li>



<li>3 cardamom pods</li>



<li>2 dried red chillies</li>



<li>1 brown onion, thickly sliced</li>



<li>1½ tbsp ginger and garlic paste</li>



<li>2 tomatoes, diced</li>



<li>1 tbsp tomato sauce (ketchup)</li>



<li>2 tsp dried fenugreek leaves</li>



<li>thinly sliced ginger, to serve</li>



<li>sliced green chilli, to serve</li>



<li></li>



<li><strong>Kadai Masala</strong></li>



<li>1 tbsp ground coriander</li>



<li>½ tsp ground turmeric</li>



<li>½ tsp ground black pepper</li>



<li>1 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder</li>



<li>1 tsp garam masala</li>



<li>½ tsp ground cloves</li>
</ul>
</div>



<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-method">
<ol>
<li>Salt the eggplant and stand for 20 minutes, rinse then pat dry. Heat the oil in a wok or saucepan to 180C and fry the eggplant slices and brussels sprouts in batches until golden brown. Drain well. The brussels sprouts will spit when you add them to the oil, so cover the wok with a wire mesh for the first minute of cooking until the spitting stops.</li>



<li>Heat a wok or medium saucepan over medium heat and add about 2 tsp of oil. Add the fennel, cumin, cassia, cardamom and red chillies and fry for a minute until fragrant. Add the onion and the ginger and garlic paste and fry for 4 minutes until starting to brown. Add the kadai masala ingredients and stir to combine. Add the tomatoes, tomato sauce and about 1½ cups of water and bring to a simmer. Simmer for 10 minutes, then stir through the eggplant and brussels sprouts. Taste and adjust seasoning. Stir through the fenugreek leaves stand for 10 minutes before serving. Garnish with sliced ginger and green chillies.</li>
</ol>
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<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-tips"><h2>Tips</h2>
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<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-video"><h2>Video</h2></div>

Eggplant and brussels sprouts kadai

<p>This is what you’d get if Indian butter chicken stopped off via Japanese chicken katsukare on its way to Nashville hot chicken. </p>



<p>Or perhaps it's Hokkaido soup curry with a katsukare twist?</p>



<p>Either way, it may sound like there’s a lot going on, but really it’s a simple as a bit of fried chicken and a fragrant curry sauce.</p>




<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-ingredients">
<ul>
<li>4-6 Lilydale free range chicken thigh fillets</li>



<li>1 litre vegetable oil, for deep frying</li>



<li>½ butternut pumpkin, cut into 1 cm slices</li>



<li>1 small eggplant, cut into large wedges</li>



<li>1 green capsicum, cut into 5cm pieces</li>



<li>1 red onion, cut into wedges</li>



<li>½ head broccoli, broken into large florets</li>



<li>chilli oil, to serve</li>



<li>lime wedges, to serve</li>



<li></li>



<li><strong>Dredge</strong></li>



<li>1 cup plain flour</li>



<li>½ tsp turmeric</li>



<li>½ tsp paprika</li>



<li>1 tsp garam masala</li>



<li>salt, to season</li>



<li></li>



<li><strong>Marinade</strong></li>



<li>1 cup milk</li>



<li>1 egg</li>



<li>½ tsp turmeric</li>



<li>½ tsp paprika</li>



<li>salt, to season</li>



<li></li>



<li><strong>Curry sauce</strong></li>



<li>2 tbsp vegetable oil</li>



<li>1 onion, grated</li>



<li>2 tsp minced garlic and ginger</li>



<li>1 tbsp tomato paste</li>



<li>1 tsp ground cumin, coriander and turmeric</li>



<li>1 tsp garam masala</li>



<li>3 tbsp plain flour</li>



<li>700 ml chicken stock</li>



<li>1 tsp sugar</li>



<li>100 ml thickened cream</li>



<li>1 tsp dark soy sauce</li>



<li>1 tbsp dried fenugreek leaves (optional)</li>



<li>salt, to season</li>
</ul>
</div>



<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-method">
<ol>
<li>Start with the chicken marinade. Combine the ingredients and whisk together. Add the chicken and set aside while you prepare the curry sauce.</li>



<li>For the curry sauce heat a medium saucepan over medium heat and add the oil, onion, garlic and ginger. Cook for about 6 minutes, stirring frequently, then add the tomato paste, ground spices and flour and stir to combine. Add the stock a little at a time, stirring to create a smooth sauce. Add the sugar and bring to a simmer. Simmer covered for 15 minutes, then stir through the cream, soy sauce and fenugreek leaves (if using). You should have a sauce around the consistency of gravy. If the sauce is too thick, dilute with a little water. Taste and adjust seasoning.</li>



<li>Heat the vegetable oil in a large saucepan to 180C. Fry the vegetables in separate batches until softened and lightly browned. Remove and drain well.</li>



<li>Reduce the heat of the oil to 170C. Combine the ingredients for the flour dredge. Remove the chicken from the marinade and dredge in the seasoned flour. Return to the marinade and then dredge once again in the flour. Fry in batches for about 6 minutes until cooked through then drain well.</li>



<li>Place the curry sauce in the base of a serving plate, arrange the vegetables on top, then slice the chicken and place on top as well. Drizzle with chilli oil to taste and seve with wedges of lime.</li>
</ol>
</div>



<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-tips"><h2>Tips</h2>
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<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-video"><h2>Video</h2></div>

Fried chicken and vegetable curry

<p>I love this dish so much, and it’s my family’s most popular go-to dish for vegetarian Chinese dinners. </p>



<p>The tofu takes up the flavour of the braising liquid while also transforming into a tender but meaty texture. Make sure you taste the seasoning of the liquid well. It should be salty, savoury and a little sweet and should be strong enough to season the tofu as it braises. </p>



<p>Fried tofu is available from Asian grocers and it saves you the step of having to deep-fry the tofu yourself. I prefer this with a more firm, non-puffed tofu, but you can use tofu puffs if that’s all you can find.</p>




<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-ingredients">
<ul>
<li>450 g fried firm tofu (not tofu puffs)</li>



<li>2 tbsp vegetable oil</li>



<li>3 cloves garlic, roughly chopped</li>



<li>1 cm ginger, peeled and thinly sliced</li>



<li>1 tbsp black beans</li>



<li>1½ cups unsalted chicken stock</li>



<li>1 tsp soy sauce</li>



<li>1 tsp oyster sauce</li>



<li>1 tsp sugar</li>



<li>1 tbsp Shaoxing wine</li>



<li>2 tsp potato starch mixed with ½ cup cold water 3 spring onions, thinly sliced</li>
</ul>
</div>



<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-method">
<ol>
<li>Place the tofu in a sieve and pour boiling water over to rinse. This step is optional. Heat a wok or medium saucepan over medium heat and add the vegetable oil. Add the garlic and ginger and fry for a minute until the garlic starts to brown. Add the black beans, chicken stock, soy sauce, oyster sauce, sugar and wine and bring to a simmer. Taste the braising liquid and make any adjustments you need to the seasoning. It should be strongly savoury with a touch of sweetness. </li>



<li>Add the tofu and simmer for about 20 minutes, until the tofu has absorbed the flavour of the braising liquid. Stir in as much of the starch mixture as needed to create a silky sauce. Stir though the spring onions and serve.</li>
</ol>
</div>



<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-tips"><h2>Tips</h2>
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<p></p>




<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-video"><h2>Video</h2></div>

<30min

Braised tofu with black beans

<p>This version may not look particularly "blanc" (white), but the classic beef bourguignon is usually made with red wine from Bourgogne (Burgundy) which is usually a pinor noir grape. This version uses white wine instead and I find it a lighter-flavoured alternative to the original. If you want to keep it in the Bourgogne family you could use a chardonnay, as that's the most well-known white varietal from the region but honestly I think people fuss too much about the wine they're cooking with. I'll often use wine for cooking that has even soured or oxidised and it is entirely fine. </p>



<p>I prefer to fry the bacon and mushrooms separately and add them at the end of cooking rather than stewing everything together, because I find that stewing cured meats like bacon makes them unpleasantly rubbery.</p>




<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-ingredients">
<ul>
<li>1.5 kg chuck steak, cut into 5cm pieces</li>



<li>½ cup plain flour</li>



<li>salt and pepper, to season</li>



<li>1 tbsp canola oil</li>



<li>2 medium carrots, diced</li>



<li>2 stalks celery, diced</li>



<li>1 brown onion, diced</li>



<li>4 cloves garlic, bruised</li>



<li>500 ml white wine</li>



<li>500 ml chicken stock</li>



<li>8 sprigs thyme</li>



<li>2 bay leaves</li>



<li>a handful of parsley, leaves and stalks separated</li>



<li>8 pearl onions, peeled</li>



<li>200 g thick bacon, cut into lardons</li>



<li>400 g button mushrooms, sliced</li>
</ul>
</div>



<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-method">
<ol>
<li>Heat your oven to 140C conventional. Combine the steak and flour in a large bowl and season well with salt and pepper. Toss to coat. Heat a large, lidded dutch oven over medium heat and add the oil. Fry the beef in batches until well-browned. When the beef is all browned, remove the last batch from the pot and add the carrots, celery, onion and garlic and cook for about 10 minutes, at first stirring and scraping any fond from frying the meat and then continuing to cook until the vegetables start to leave a fond on the base of the pan. Add the wine and bring to a simmer. Simmer for 5 minutes, then return the meat to the pot. Tie the thyme, bay leaves and parsley stalks together as a bouqet garni and add to the pot. Add the chicken stock and bring to a simmer. Cover with the lid and place into the oven for 90 minutes or until the beef is tender. Add the onions when there is 30 minutes remaining.</li>



<li>While the beef is cooking, microwave the mushrooms for 5 minutes on high power. Heat a large frying pan over medium heat and fry the bacon until browned. Remove the bacon from the pan and add the mushrooms. Fry for about 5 minutes in the rendered bacon fat until well-browned.</li>



<li>Remove the beef from the oven and stir through the mushrooms and bacon. Finely shred the parsley leaves and stir through the stew before serving.</li>
</ol>
</div>



<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-tips"><h2>Tips</h2>
<p>Microwaving the mushrooms collapses the air spaces within the mushroom and helps them to cook more quickly, and without sucking up too much oil. </p>
</div>




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<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-video"><h2>Video</h2></div>

1-4h

Beef bourguignon blanc

<p>I love minestrone in all its forms but this version is particularly good. Take your time browning the chicken as it adds a huge amount of flavour to the dish. Drumsticks are great value and they’re the perfect choice for this meal-sized soup.</p>




<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-ingredients">
<ul>
<li>4 tbsp olive oil</li>



<li>6 Lilydale free range chicken drumsticks</li>



<li>1 large brown onion, peeled and diced</li>



<li>2 cloves garlic, peeled and roughly chopped</li>



<li>2 carrots, peeled and diced</li>



<li>2 stalks celery, diced</li>



<li>1 medium potato, peeled and diced</li>



<li>1 zucchini, diced</li>



<li>1 tbsp tomato paste</li>



<li>½ tsp dried oregano</li>



<li>400g can diced tomatoes</li>



<li>400 g can cannellini beans, drained</li>



<li>1 litre chicken stock</li>



<li>½ tsp salt</li>



<li>150 g short pasta (e.g. conchiglie)</li>



<li>2 cups baby spinach</li>



<li>finely shredded parsley, to serve</li>



<li>freshly grated parmesan and crusty bread, to serve</li>
</ul>
</div>



<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-method">
<ol>
<li>Heat a large casserole dish over medium heat, add the oil and fry the drumsticks until well browned on all sides. Remove the chicken from the pot and add the onion, carrot, celery, garlic, potato and zucchini to the pot. Fry for about 10 minutes until softened, then add the tomato paste and oregano and stir through. Return the chicken to the pan and add the tomatoes, beans, stock, salt and 2 cups of water and bring to a simmer. Simmer covered for 20 minutes. Then add the pasta and simmer for a further 10 minutes until the pasta is al dente. Stir through the spinach, adjust for seasoning and serve with parsley, parmesan and crusty bread.</li>
</ol>
</div>



<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-tips"><h2>Tips</h2>
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<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-video"><h2>Video</h2></div>

Chicken drumstick minestrone

<p>Claypot rice is one of my favourite foods, and it isn’t hard to make. That said, it can take a little practice to get the volumes of liquid right so that the rice isn’t soggy. That’s where this cheat’s version makes life much easier. Ordinary cooked rice is flavoured with the claypot toppings in what becomes a 10-minute dish. I’ve served this to many claypot rice afficionado and despite the shortcuts, it gets rave reviews. </p>




<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-ingredients">
<ul>
<li>8 dried shiitake mushrooms</li>



<li>2 tbsp vegetable oil</li>



<li>3 chicken thighs</li>



<li>2 good quality lap cheong (Cantonese sausage)</li>



<li>1 tbsp oyster sauce</li>



<li>2 tbsp soy sauce</li>



<li>3 tsp Cheong Chan caramel sauce, or dark soy sauce</li>



<li>2 tsp sugar</li>



<li>2 tsp Shaoxing wine</li>



<li>1 tsp grated ginger</li>



<li>6 cups cooked white rice, warm</li>



<li>2 pak choy, quartered lengthways</li>



<li>¼ cup finely sliced spring onions</li>
</ul>
</div>



<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-method">
<ol>
<li>Soak the shiitake mushrooms in 2 cups of hot water for 20 minutes until softened. Trim and discard the stalks, then halve the caps.</li>



<li>Heat a wok over high heat and add the oil. Add the chicken and the lap cheong and fry until lightly browned. Add the shiitake caps and toss to combine. Add the oyster sauce, soy sauce, caramel sauce, sugar, Shaoxing wine and ginger and about ½ a cup of the shiitake soaking liquid. Bring to a simmer and simmer for about 5 minutes until the sauce is thick and the chicken barely cooked through.</li>



<li>Drizzle a little oil into the base of a claypot or separate saucepan and rub around with a piece of kitchen paper. Add the warm, cooked rice, flatten the top then pour the chicken mixture over the rice. Cover and place on low-medium heat for 5 minutes until the rice is toasted at the base and has absorbed the flavour of the topping.</li>



<li>While the rice is toasting, bring a separate saucepan of water to a simmer and add a little oil. Boil the pak choy for just a minute until softened. Serve the claypot rice with the pak choy and spring onions scattered over the top.</li>
</ol>
</div>



<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-tips"><h2>Tips</h2>
<p></p>
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<p></p>




<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-video"><h2>Video</h2></div>

Cheat’s claypot rice

Quick Pastas

<p>This simple Japanese-style pasta is lightning fast. The longest part of the process is cooking the spaghetti. While the ingredients might be more stereotypically Japanese, pasta to me is more about technique. Like a stir-fry, the ingredients are what define the distinct flavour of the dish, but it's the technique (and seasoning) that ensures it taste good. </p>



<p>Yuzu kosho is a Japanese condiment of yuzu rind and green chillies. It's available jarred from Japanese grocers. On seasoning, one thing to consider is that because yuzu kosho is salted, so together with the salted pasta water you shouldn't need to season any of the other ingredients. </p>



<p>Ladling the water over the spinach helps avoid any dirt or discolouration from the spinach, so as to keep the pasta water clean.</p>



<p></p>




<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-ingredients">
<ul>
<li>½ bunch spinach, washed</li>



<li>500 g dried spaghetti</li>



<li>¼ cup olive oil</li>



<li>200 g thinly sliced pork belly</li>



<li>1 clove garlic, sliced</li>



<li>2 spring onions, finely sliced</li>



<li>150 ml thickened cream</li>



<li>1 tsp yuzu kosho</li>
</ul>
</div>



<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-method">
<ol>
<li>Bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil. Ladle a little of the boiling water over the spinach in a heatproof bowl to wilt, just a few seconds and fresh in cold water. Rinse well and cut into 5cm lengths, discarding the root. Add the pasta and cook according to the packet directions, checking about 2 minutes before the time recommended on the packet.</li>



<li>While the pasta is cooking, heat a large frying pan over medium heat and add the oil. Add the pork belly and garlic and fry until lightly browned. Add the cream, yuzu kosho, and about 1 cup of the pasta water. Add the pasta when it is al dente, and stir to form a sauce around the consistency of pouring cream. Stir through the spinach, then scatter with the spring onions to serve.</li>
</ol>
</div>



<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-tips"><h2>Tips</h2>
<p>Yuzu kosho is a Japanese condiment of salted yuzu rind and green chillies. It's available jarred from Japanese grocers. </p>



<p>Ladling the water over the spinach helps avoid any dirt or discolouration from the spinach, so as to keep the pasta water clean.</p>
</div>




<p></p>




<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-video"><h2>Video</h2></div>

Japanese-style spaghetti with yuzu kosho cream

<p>Chrysanthemum leaves are a popular leafy green in East Asian cooking. Known as tong hao (茼蒿) in Mandarin and shungiku (春菊) in Japanese. I mainly grew up eating them in soups and to be honest they weren’t my favourite because they're quite bitter and very herbaceous and fragrant. I love them now, and use them in soups often, but they are also great as a salad. The mild bitterness is similar to rocket and the fragrance is more mild when its raw.</p>



<p>This salad uses my favourite salad dressing that I always keep in the fridge. You can mix the dressing with oil if you like, but lately I’ve preferred to mix the base only and add oil when I am dressing the salad. This allows me to control the amount of dressing I use and I can also change the oils depending on what I am making. Here I’ve used a combination of sesame oil and olive oil for flavour, but you could easily use grapeseed oil or other vegetable oil if you preferred. I also think chilli oil would be nice with this.</p>



<p>The “butashabu” part of the recipe title refers to the shabu-shabu style pork that is quickly poached and tossed through. In the picture this is also served with radish kimchi.</p>




<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-ingredients">
<ul>
<li>1 bunch chrysanthemum leaves (tong hao in Chinese, shungiku in Japanese), picked</li>



<li>1 cucumber, peeled at intervals and thinly sliced on a steep diagonal</li>



<li>3 thick spring onions, thinly sliced on a steep diagonal</li>



<li>150 g thinly sliced pork belly</li>



<li>2 tsp sesame oil</li>



<li>2 tbsp olive oil</li>



<li></li>



<li><strong>Pickled onion dressing base (makes extra)</strong></li>



<li>1 small brown onion, very finely grated</li>



<li>4 tbsp soy sauce</li>



<li>4 tbsp rice vinegar</li>



<li>2 tbsp sugar</li>
</ul>
</div>



<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-method">
<ol>
<li>Start the dressing base at least an hour in advance. The onion needs time to pickle so that it is not too sharp and bitter. Combine all the ingredients in a small jar and shake to combine. It will keep in the fridge for a few months.</li>



<li>Prepare the leaves by picking any thick stems, washing well, chilling in the fridge and spinning dry. Combine with the cucumber and spring onion.</li>



<li>Bring a small saucepan of salted water to a boil and add the pork. Boil for just 30 seconds until cooked through, remove from the pot and drain well.</li>



<li>Add the pork to the greens and toss with the sesame oil and olive oil. Add about 2 tablespoons of the dressing base and toss to combine just before serving.</li>
</ol>
</div>



<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-tips"><h2>Tips</h2>
<p>You could add other vegetable or herbs to this if you liked. Coriander would work well, as would cherry tomatoes or thinly sliced red or yellow capsicum.</p>
</div>




<p></p>




<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-video"><h2>Video</h2></div>

Chrysanthemum leaf butashabu salad

Simple Stir-fries

<p>Is Chinese-French bistro a thing? Petits pois à la française is a classic French dish of braised peas and lettuce with bacon and onions, and frankly we should all make it more often. </p>



<p>That said, I've mixed things up a bit here and made a stir-fried version. I've added some prawns so that it will eat better with rice, and because these are the ingredients I have in the fridge/freezer right now, and because stir-fried lettuce is really one of my favourite things to eat. </p>



<p>I don't know if "Chinese-French bistro" is a thing but it should be.</p>




<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-ingredients">
<ul>
<li>3 tbsp vegetable oil</li>



<li>1 rasher middle bacon, sliced</li>



<li>1 small brown onion, finely diced</li>



<li>3 cloves garlic, sliced</li>



<li>1 cup frozen baby peas</li>



<li>200 g prawns, peeled, deveined and butterflied</li>



<li>1 tbsp concentrated chicken stock</li>



<li>1 tbsp Shaoxing wine</li>



<li>½ tsp sugar</li>



<li>1 head baby cos, leaves picked</li>



<li>1 tsp potato starch mixed with ¼ cup cold water</li>
</ul>
</div>



<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-method">
<ol>
<li>Heat your wok over medium heat, then add the oil and bacon and fry until golden. Add the onion and garlic and fry for about a minute until the onion starts to colour, then add the peas and a splash of water. Cook for about a minute, then add the prawns, stock, wine and sugar. Toss for a minute or two until the prawns are nearly cooked through, then toss through the lettuce and wilt. Taste, adjust seasoning and thicken any juices with as much of the starch mixture as necessary before serving.</li>
</ol>
</div>



<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-tips"><h2>Tips</h2>
<p>Concentrated chicken stock is available from Asian grocers. It's strongly umami and has the consistency of oyster sauce, which makes it great for stir-frying.</p>
</div>




<p></p>




<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-video"><h2>Video</h2></div>

Petits pois à la chinoise

<p>Agebitashi is a Japanese technique where something is fried and then placed into seasoned dashi to absorb the seasoning. Here I’ve used eggplant, capsicum and butternut pumpkin, but this same steeping stock can be used for any vegetables in season throughout the year. Asparagus and fresh shiitake mushrooms are very good. </p>



<p>If you don’t want to deep fry you can grill the vegetables on a barbecue or frying pan instead, or even lightly blanch them in water (common for leafy greens like spinach, mushrooms or bean sprouts). That is known as 'yakibitashi' or 'ohitashi' respectively.</p>



<p>For fully vegetarian or vegan version you can use vegetable stock and omit the bonito flakes. </p>




<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-ingredients">
<ul>
<li>2 Japanese eggplants, or ½ a globe eggplant</li>



<li>6 slices butternut pumpkin, ½ cm thick </li>



<li>1 red capsicum, seeds removed and cut into large pieces</li>



<li>2 cups vegetable oil, for deep frying</li>



<li></li>



<li><strong>Steeping stock</strong></li>



<li>1 cup bonito stock</li>



<li>2 tbsp sake</li>



<li>2 tbsp soy sauce</li>



<li>(Alternatively you can use packaged tsuyu and dilute it according to the bottle directions)</li>



<li></li>



<li><strong>To serve</strong></li>



<li>1 spring onion, finely sliced</li>



<li>1 tbsp bonito flakes, to serve</li>



<li>½ tsp grated ginger</li>
</ul>
</div>



<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-method">
<ol>
<li>Mix the ingredients for the steeping stock together in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer, then pour the stock into a tray large enough to accommodate the vegetables.</li>



<li>Cut the eggplant into wedges and score the skin in a small cross-hatch pattern.</li>



<li>Heat the oil in a small saucepan to 175C, fry the vegetables in batches until each are cooked through and tender. As the vegetables are cooked, remove them from the oil and place them straight into the tray of seasoned stock. Allow to sit in the stock for at least 10 minutes.</li>



<li>Arrange the vegetables on a serving plate and spoon over a few tablespoons of the stock. Place a small mound of bonito flakes on top, add the spring onions and ginger and serve either warm or at room temperature.</li>
</ol>
</div>



<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-tips"><h2>Tips</h2>
<ol>
<li>Bonito stock can be made by adding a handful of bonito flakes to about 2 cups of simmering water. Stand for 10 minutes, then strain.</li>



<li>It’s important to transfer the vegetables straight from the oil to the stock while they are still hot. As they cool they will start to absorb the flavourful liquid.</li>
</ol>
</div>




<p></p>




<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-video"><h2>Video</h2></div>

Summer vegetable agebitashi

<p>My favourite way to cook green beans is actually to oil-blanch them until wrinkled and soft, before stir-frying. Oil-blanching is a popular technique in Chinese cooking which is essentially quickly frying in very hot oil. It's slightly different from deep-frying or shallow frying and often done by stirring the ingredients through hot oil in a wok. </p>



<p>In this case I've cooked the green beans with pork belly, oyster sauce and a bit of shiokombu, but they're also popular in Sichuanese cuisine stir-fried with pork mince, chilli and Sichuan peppercorns (干煸四季豆), or pork mince and Chinese olives. </p>



<p>Shiokombu is a dried, seasoned kombu (kelp) available from Japanese grocers. In Japanese cuisine it's most often used as a seasoning for rice, but its strong umami taste is very versatile. Here I've used it to sprinkle on top of a stir-fried dish together with aonori (dried sea lettuce). </p>




<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-ingredients">
<ul>
<li>300 g pork belly, skin and bones removed, cut into 2 cm pieces</li>



<li>¾ cup vegetable oil</li>



<li>400 g green beans, stems picked</li>



<li>4 cloves garlic, sliced</li>



<li>1 tbsp oyster sauce</li>



<li>1 tbsp Shaoxing wine</li>



<li>½ tsp sugar</li>



<li>1 tsp shiokombu, finely chopped, plus extra to serve</li>



<li>a little aonori, to serve</li>



<li></li>



<li><strong>Meat marinade</strong></li>



<li>1 tsp cornflour</li>



<li>1 tsp soy sauce</li>



<li>1 tsp Shaoxing wine</li>



<li>a pinch of salt</li>



<li>1 tsp sesame oil</li>



<li></li>
</ul>
</div>



<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-method">
<ol>
<li>Combine the pork with the marinade ingredients. Cut the green beans into 5 cm pieces. Heat a wok over high heat and add the oil. Fry the green beans in the oil for around 5-10 minutes, until the beans appear dry and wrinkled. Remove the beans from the wok with a slotted spoon or tongs. Drain the oil from the wok leaving about 2 tbsp for frying the pork and allow the oil to heat until very hot.</li>



<li>Add the pork to the hot wok and fry without stirring until well-browned on one side. Add the garlic and toss the wok for about 2 minutes until the garlic is lightly browned. Return the beans to the wok and add the oyster sauce, Shaoxing wine, sugar and shiokombu and toss to combine. Transfer to a serving plate and scatter with a little more shiokombu and some aonori.</li>
</ol>
</div>



<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-tips"><h2>Tips</h2>
<p></p>
</div>




<p></p>




<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-video"><h2>Video</h2></div>

Pork with green beans and shiokombu

<p>It’s a fairly good rule of thumb that if a dish has the name of a place in the title, it’s not usually from that place. Singapore noodles is no exception.</p>



<p>This Cantonese dish is from Hong Kong, and the name is inspired by the use of rice vermicelli popular among Singapore's Hokkien community, and curry spices used by Singapore’s large ethnic Indian community.</p>



<p>My advice for Singapore noodles is to treat it like fried rice, in the sense that I use my two rules of thumb for fried rice to make good Singapore noodles. Those are: </p>



<p>1. Use quite a lot of oil. The oil is needed to separate the rice grains (or strands of rice vermicelli) without the need to add too much water so that the rice or noodles fry instead of stewing, and </p>



<p>2. Season very aggressively. Both rice and rice vermicelli are unseasoned, so plenty of salty, umami seasonings (like stock powder or MSG, salt and soy sauce) are needed. A little sugar is helpful for balancing.</p>




<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-ingredients">
<ul>
<li>450 g dried rice vermicelli</li>



<li>6 tbsp vegetable oil</li>



<li>150 g raw peeled prawns</li>



<li>2-3 pieces fried fishcake, sliced (optional)</li>



<li>1 small carrot, thinly sliced</li>



<li>1 red capsicum, thinly sliced</li>



<li>200 g char siew pork (available from Cantonese BBQ restaurants), thinly sliced</li>



<li>2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped</li>



<li>1cm ginger, finely chopped</li>



<li>3 eggs, beaten</li>



<li>1 tbsp curry powder</li>



<li>1 tsp chicken stock powder or ½ tsp MSG</li>



<li>1 tsp salt</li>



<li>2 tbsp soy sauce</li>



<li>½ tsp caster sugar</li>



<li>4 thick spring onions, white and green part, diagonally sliced on a sharp angle</li>



<li>80 g bean sprouts</li>
</ul>
</div>



<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-method">
<ol>
<li>Pour boiling water over the vermicelli and allow to stand for 5 minutes, then drain well.</li>



<li>Heat your wok over high heat and add 2 tbsp of the oil. Add the prawns, fishcake (if using) carrot and capsicum to the wok and toss for a minute. Add the pork, garlic and ginger and toss for a further 1-2 minutes until the prawns are nearly cooked through. Remove the contents of the wok to a plate and return the wok to heat.</li>



<li>Add the remaining oil and the eggs. Stir the eggs vigorously in the oil to form threads, then add the drained vermicelli. Toss to combine and fry for 2-3 minutes until the vermicelli is lightly toasted. Return the fried ingredient mixture to the wok and add the curry powder, stock powder, salt, soy sauce and caster sugar. Toss to combine everything together, adding a little water or stock to moisten the contents of the wok as needed. Toss through the spring onions and bean sprouts for a minute or so, then serve.</li>
</ol>
</div>



<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-tips"><h2>Tips</h2>
<p></p>
</div>




<p></p>




<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-video"><h2>Video</h2></div>

Singapore noodles

<p>This is big, colourful variation of a Chinese classic. Qingjiao rou si (green peppers with sliced meat) is one of the most basic Chinese stir-fries. There are lots of different ways to do it, from cutting thin strips of both pork and capsicum, using oyster or bean sauces, to variations made with beef. </p>



<p>I've used concentrated chicken stock as the main seasoning here. You can use homemade chicken stock if you like but in Asian grocery stores you'll find a few different varieties of thick, concentrated liquid stock with a similar consistency to oyster sauce which are fantastic for stir-frying as they allow you to season your stir-fries without diluting with too much liquid or adding additional, more complicated flavours. </p>



<p>You can also add aromatics if you like - ginger, garlic or onion - but I've kept this as basic as possible. Just pork and capsicum, seasoned well. </p>




<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-ingredients">
<ul>
<li>300 g pork belly, skin and bones removed</li>



<li>2 tbsp vegetable oil</li>



<li>1 each, medium red, green and yellow capsicums, cut into irregular chunks</li>



<li>1 tbsp concentrated chicken stock (or oyster sauce)</li>



<li>½ tsp sugar</li>



<li>1 tbsp Shaoxing wine</li>



<li>1 tsp cornstarch mixed with ¼ cup cold water</li>



<li></li>



<li><strong>Meat marinade</strong></li>



<li>1 tsp soy sauce</li>



<li>a pinch of bicarbonate of soda</li>



<li>1 tsp Shaoxing wine</li>



<li>½ tsp cornflour</li>



<li>a little white pepper</li>
</ul>
</div>



<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-method">
<ol>
<li>Slice the pork first into long thin strips around 1 cm in width, then cut into 3 cm pieces. Combine the pork with the marinade ingredients.</li>



<li>Heat a wok over high heat until very hot and add the oil. Add the pork to the wok and spread it into a single layer. Let it sit in the wok without stirring for around 2 minutes until one side of the pork is browned, then toss the wok and cook for another minute. Add the capsicum and toss for a minute, then add the concentrated stock, wine and sugar. You can add a little water if the mixture is looking dry. Toss to combine, then add a little of the cornstarch mixture, tossing for a few seconds until the dish thickens. It should be thick enough to coat the meat and vegetables in the wok. Transfer to a plate and serve.</li>
</ol>
</div>



<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-tips"><h2>Tips</h2>
<p></p>
</div>




<p></p>




<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-video"><h2>Video</h2></div>

Pork and peppers

<p>Stir-frying is all about technique, but that's not to say that it's difficult. I've changed the way I stir-fry over the years to make things more efficient for home cooking. </p>



<p>While restaurant cooking usually fries or oil-blanches the meat first, for home cooking I think it's better to cook the vegetables first and then remove them from the wok to fry the meat second, returning the vegetables to the meat later. This avoids the need to wash the wok if any meat sticks to the metal (which it usually shouldn't). </p>



<p>This recipe fries the asparagus, capsicum and onion first, then the beef second, tossing everything together with simple seasonings of oyster sauce, soy sauce, wine and sugar. </p>




<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-ingredients">
<ul>
<li>400 g topside or rump steak, thinly sliced</li>



<li>4 tbsp vegetable oil</li>



<li>1 cm ginger, peeled and sliced into thin matchsticks</li>



<li>1 bunch asparagus, cut into 5 cm lengths</li>



<li>1 red onion, thickly sliced</li>



<li>1 red capsicum, cut into large chunks</li>



<li>2 cloves garlic, sliced</li>



<li>1 tsp cornstarch mixed with ¼ cup cold water</li>



<li></li>



<li><strong>Meat marinade</strong></li>



<li>1 tsp soy sauce</li>



<li>a dash of dark soy sauce</li>



<li>1 tsp Shaoxing wine</li>



<li>¼ tsp baking soda</li>



<li>1 tsp corn starch</li>



<li>1 tsp vegetable oil</li>



<li></li>



<li><strong>Seasoning Ingredients</strong></li>



<li>2 tbsp oyster sauce</li>



<li>1 tbsp soy sauce</li>



<li>2 tsp Shaoxing wine</li>



<li>1 tsp sugar</li>
</ul>
</div>



<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-method">
<ol>
<li>Combine the meat with the meat marinade ingredients. Set aside for 10 minutes if you can.</li>



<li>Heat a wok over high heat and add 1 tbsp of the vegetable oil. Add the ginger, onions and capsicum and toss for a minute until slightly softened. Remove from the wok, leaving the oil in base. Return the wok to heat and add the remaining oil, then the beef and spread it out in a single layer over the base of the wok. Fry for about 3 minutes without stirring until the beef is well-browned on one side. Toss the beef, add the garlic, fry for a minute until the garlic is lightly browned then return the vegetables to the wok. Add the seasoning ingredients and toss to combine, then add as much of the corn starch mixture as you need to produce a silky sauce.</li>
</ol>
</div>



<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-tips"><h2>Tips</h2>
<p></p>
</div>




<p></p>




<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-video"><h2>Video</h2></div>

Beef, asparagus and capsicum

<p>This is a classic Cantonese style 'lo sui' dish that is frankly so incredibly easy it feels like cheating. This is sometimes called "master stock" in English but I've never called it that (or ever heard any other Chinese people calling it that either. </p>



<p>The chicken is simmered at very low heat so that it is gently cooked and impossibly tender. </p>



<p>After the chicken has been removed, you can bring the braising liquid to the boil, allow it to cool and freeze it for poaching again another time. </p>



<p>Every so often you might need to add a little extra soy sauce, salt or sugar to maintain the seasoning, but you can just eyeball that. </p>




<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-ingredients">
<ul>
<li>2 cups soy sauce</li>



<li>1 cups dark soy sauce</li>



<li>1 brown onion, halved and with the skin on</li>



<li>1 thumb-sized knob of ginger, thickly sliced</li>



<li>2 star anise</li>



<li>2 cinnamon sticks</li>



<li>1 piece dried tangerine peel (optional)</li>



<li>1½ cups caster sugar</li>



<li>6 chicken marylands</li>



<li></li>



<li><strong>Spring onion oil (makes extra)</strong></li>



<li>2 tbsp grated ginger</li>



<li>5 spring onions, white and light green part, thinly sliced</li>



<li>½ tsp salt flakes</li>



<li>½ cup vegetable oil</li>
</ul>
</div>



<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-method">
<ol>
<li>Add all the ingredients except the chicken to a very large pot together with 1 litre of water. Bring the pot to the boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Add the chicken and reduce the heat to very low. Cover and simmer for 45 minutes. Turn off the heat and allow the chicken to cool in the liquid for a further 15 minutes.</li>



<li>Remove 2 cups of the poaching liquid to a small saucepan and bring boil to reduce by about half. </li>



<li>For the spring onion oil, pound the ginger and spring onions to a coarse paste with the salt in a heatproof mortar. Heat the oil until smoking and pour over the mixture.</li>



<li>If you can, remove the chicken from the bone and cut into slices. Serve with the spring onion oil.</li>
</ol>
</div>



<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-tips"><h2>Tips</h2>
<p>To remove the chicken from the bone, cut along the bones from the non-skin side of the chicken, then just pull the bone out with your fingers. The chicken should be tender enough for this to be able to be done quite easily. </p>



<p>I'd recommend against trying to poach chicken off the bone, but it can be done if you want to. If you want to poach chicken breast, add it to the liquid while it is cool. Then over low-medium heat bring it to a simmer. When it simmers, turn off the heat and allow to cool.</p>
</div>




<p></p>




<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-video"><h2>Video</h2></div>

Soy sauce chicken with spring onion oil

<p>Aloo matar (potatoes and peas) is a classic Indian dish cooked with cumin and spices of which there are endless variations from soupy and rich to dry and oily. Tadka is the process of finishing a dish with flavoured oil and while it's a very important process in a lot of Indian cooking, it's often missed in Western recipes.</p>



<p>While tadka is an Indian process, there are many cuisines where hot oil is poured over a finished dish to increase its aroma. Think of ali nazik kebabs in Turkey, or Chinese steamed fish. I've been trying different styles of tadka, and even cross-cultural ones and they work extremely well. </p>



<p>I love the combination of brown butter and potatoes, and this dish is no exception. </p>




<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-ingredients">
<ul>
<li>¼ cup vegetable oil</li>



<li>25 g butter</li>



<li>1 tsp cumin seeds</li>



<li>1 small brown onion, finely chopped</li>



<li>2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped</li>



<li>2 cm ginger, peeled and roughly chopped</li>



<li>½ cup tomato passata</li>



<li>½ tsp salt</li>



<li>1 tsp vegetable stock powder</li>



<li>½ tsp ground cumin</li>



<li>1 tsp ground coriander</li>



<li>½ tsp Korean or Kashmiri chilli powder</li>



<li>¼ tsp ground turmeric</li>



<li>1 tsp garam masala</li>



<li>2 large potatoes, cut into 1.5 cm cubes</li>



<li>1 cup frozen peas</li>



<li>½ cup water</li>



<li>1 tbsp dried fenugreek leaves (optional)</li>
</ul>



<ul>
<li><strong>Tadka</strong></li>



<li>25 g unsalted butter</li>



<li>½ tsp cumin seeds</li>



<li>1 clove garlic, sliced</li>



<li>¼ tsp Korean or Kashmiri chilli powder</li>
</ul>
</div>



<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-method">
<ol>
<li>Heat a large, lidded frying pan or saucepan over medium heat. Add the oil, butter and cumin seeds. When the cumin seeds start to crackle add the onion, garlic and ginger and fry for about 3 minutes until softened. Add the passata and cook for a minute or two, then add the salt, stock powder (if using) and ground spices. Stir to combine, then add the potatoes and peas and about ½ a cup of water. You can add more water if it’s too dry, but you don’t want this to be too soupy (see photo). Cover and cook for about 20 minutes until the potatoes are tender, then stir through the fenugreek leaves. Transfer to a serving dish.</li>



<li>For the tadka, heat the butter, cumin seeds and garlic in a small saucepan until the butter and garlic are browned. Remove from the heat, add the chilli powder and immediately pour over the vegetables, then serve.</li>
</ol>
</div>



<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-tips"><h2>Tips</h2>
<p>Kashmiri chilli powder is very popular in Indian cooking for its aroma and deep red colour. You can substitute Korean chilli powder if you find Kashmiri hard to get hold of. </p>
</div>




<p></p>




<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-video"><h2>Video</h2></div>

Aloo matar with brown butter and garlic tadka

<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-ingredients">
<ul>
<li>1 vanilla bean, seeds scraped</li>



<li>2 cups milk</li>



<li>¾ cup sour cream</li>



<li>3 eggs</li>



<li>2 egg yolks</li>



<li>60 g caster sugar</li>



<li>2 figs</li>



<li>1 tbsp butter</li>



<li>1 tbsp caster sugar</li>



<li>2 tbsp sherry</li>
</ul>
</div>



<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-method">
<ol>
<li>Place the milk, sour cream and pod of the vanilla bean into a small saucepan and bring to a simmer.</li>



<li>Stir the eggs, egg yolks and sugar with a whisk to combine and dissolve the sugar. Add the vanilla seeds. Pour the milk mixture into the eggs and stir to combine. Try not to incorporate air into the mixture.</li>



<li>Heat your oven to 140C (fan). Place two Adam Liaw Everyday medium bowls (or 4 small bowls) into a deep baking dish and divide the mixture between the bowls. Pour boiling water around the bowls and bake the custard for 50 minutes until set. Remove from the oven. You can chill these if you like, serve warm or at room temperature.</li>



<li>Heat the butter and caster sugar in a small frying pan and cook for about 5 minutes to a dark caramel. Add the figs cut side down to caramelise on the pan, then add the sherry to form a caramel sauce.</li>



<li>Serve the figs on top of the custard, with a few spoons of the caramel sauce.</li>
</ol>
</div>



<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-tips"><h2>Tips</h2>
<p></p>
</div>

True

Baked sour cream custard with caramelised figs

<p>I don't want to oversell this too much but this recipe changes the pavlova game, and it does so only by making one very simple change - it uses icing sugar mixture instead of caster sugar.</p>



<p>Sugar stablises meringues, and the biggest problem with most pavlovas is that people don't beat them long enough to dissolve the sugar (so therefore their meringue is not stable). This begs the question: why not just use a sugar like icing sugar that dissolves more easily?</p>



<p>I assumed that a solution so simple would have to have something wrong with it. But after a lot of research there seemed to be no reason at all why people haven't been using icing sugar instead of caster sugar to make pavlovas other than just "it's always been done that way". And this is a common problem with classic recipes in that we often don't want to break with tradition, even if it might make our lives that much easier.</p>



<p>For this pavlova you just dump the ingredients into the bowl of a stand mixer and mix it at high speed for 8 minutes. It's that easy.</p>



<p>Try it. I don't reckon you'll be going back to using caster sugar anytime soon. I certainly won't be.</p>




<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-ingredients">
<ul>
<li>4 egg whites</li>



<li>300g icing sugar mixture</li>



<li>1 tsp cornflour</li>



<li>1/2 tsp cream of tartar (or 1 tsp white vinegar)</li>



<li>a pinch of salt&nbsp;</li>



<li></li>



<li><strong>To Serve</strong></li>



<li>300ml thickened cream</li>



<li>1 tsp vanilla extract</li>



<li>fruits, to decorate</li>
</ul>
</div>



<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-method">
<ol>
<li>Heat your oven to 110˚C conventional. Add the egg whites, icing sugar, cornflour, cream of tartar and salt to the bowl of a stand mixer and beat at high speed to a glossy stiff meringue. This will take about 8 minutes.</li>



<li>Lay a piece of baking paper onto a baking sheet or pizza tray and dump the meringue onto the baking paper, spread slightly on top to form a 20cm circle with a slightly flat top. Bake the pavlova for 90 minutes and then turn off the oven, wedging the door open very slightly with a chopstick and allowing the pavlova to cool in the oven for a further 90 minutes. Remove from the oven to cool further.</li>



<li>While the pavlova is baking, whisk the cream together with vanilla in a stand mixer to soft peaks. Transfer to a bowl and chill until ready to use.</li>



<li>To transfer the pavlova to a serving plate place a light plate on top and flip the pavlova over onto the plate. Then peel off the baking paper and place your serving plate on the base of the pavlova, flipping it again. A dollop of cream on the base of the pavlova before you place the serving plate on it will keep the pavlova from sliding on the plate.</li>



<li>Top the pavlova with the cream and decorate with your preferred fruits.</li>
</ol>
</div>



<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-tips"><h2>Tips</h2>
<ul>
<li>The acid from the cream of tartar (tartaric acid) also helps stabilise the meringue.</li>



<li>I don't sweeten the cream for pavlova as the meringue itself is very sweet.</li>



<li>Some recipes call to cool the pavlova overnight in the oven, but low temperature Maillard reactions will actually brown the meringue, turning it a coffee colour. Cooling for an hour or two is fine to minimise cracking, and removing it from the oven then will keep your pavlova white.</li>
</ul>
</div>



<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-video"><h2>Video</h2>
<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F9IepMO2DIc
</div></figure>
</div>

Basic all-in pavlova

<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-ingredients">
<ul>
<li>1.5 kg potatoes, unpeeled</li>



<li>1 cup milk or pouring cream</li>



<li>75 g butter, plus extra to serve</li>



<li>2 cups shredded cabbage</li>



<li>1 cup brussels sprouts, finely sliced</li>



<li>4 spring onions, sliced</li>



<li>½ bunch cavalo nero, leaves stripped from stalks</li>



<li>½ cup flat leaf parsley, roughly chopped</li>
</ul>
</div>



<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-method">
<ol>
<li>Heat your oven to 180C and roast the potatoes for 1 hour until soft.</li>



<li>While the potatoes are roasting, heat a large frying pan and add half the butter. Add the cabbage and brussels sprouts and cook for about 5 minutes until wilted. Add the spring onions and cavalo nero and stir to wilt. Season well with salt.</li>



<li>Scoop the flesh from the hot potatoes and pass through a potato ricer into a large pot. Add the milk or cream and remaining butter and beat to a smooth mash. Stir through the vegetables and parsley and season well with salt.</li>



<li>Place the colcannon in a serving dish, make a well in the centre and add a little melted butter to serve</li>
</ol>
</div>

30min

Green vegetable colcannon

<p></p>




<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-ingredients">
<ul>
<li>1½ cups soy sauce</li>



<li>1½ cups dark soy sauce</li>



<li>1 brown onion, halved and with the skin on</li>



<li>1 thumb-sized knob of ginger, thickly sliced</li>



<li>2 star anise</li>



<li>2 cinnamon sticks</li>



<li>2 pieces black cardamom</li>



<li>1 tbsp fennel seeds</li>



<li>1 cup caster sugar</li>



<li>8 eggs</li>



<li>2 kg chicken mid-wings</li>



<li>2 thick spring onions</li>



<li>chilli sauce, to serve (optional)</li>
</ul>
</div>



<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-method">
<ol>
<li>Add all the ingredients except the eggs and chicken to a very large pot together with 1 litre of water. Bring the pot to the boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Remove 2 cups of the liquid to a separate bowl and cool to room temperature.</li>



<li>Bring a large pot of water to a boil, prick a hole in the base of each egg with a needle and boil the eggs for 6 minutes and 30 seconds. Immediately remove to a bowl of iced water and cool completely. Place the eggs into a press-seal bag and pour over the reserved poaching liquid. Seal the bag and refrigerate for up to two days to cure the eggs. If you don’t want to cure the eggs, just soak the eggs in the liquid while you cook the chicken.</li>



<li>Bring the poaching liquid in the pot to a rolling boil and add the chicken wings. Simmer on very low heat for 30 minutes. Turn off the heat and allow the chicken to cool in the liquid for a further 15 minutes. (If you aren’t planning on eating the chicken straight away, allow it too sit in the poaching liquid for longer as it will take on more flavour.)</li>



<li>Ladle 2-3 cups of the poaching liquid into a separate saucepan and boil uncovered and reduce the volume by half. This will take about 15 minutes.</li>



<li>Cut the spring onion into 5cm lengths, then cut lengthways into a fine julienne (both white and green parts). Place the spring onion into iced water to curl.</li>



<li>Serve the chicken wings with the halved eggs and drizzle with the reduced poaching liquid. Serve with the spring onions and your preferred chilli sauce.</li>
</ol>
</div>



<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-tips"><h2>Tips</h2>
<p></p>
</div>




<p></p>




<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-video"><h2>Video</h2></div>

Soy sauce chicken wings with cured eggs

<p>Green pasta sauces have exploded over the past few years. Basically green vegetables and herbs blended into a smooth sauce that can pasta can be tossed through and emulsified with olive oil or cheese. </p>



<p>This pea, spinach and parsley version is fantastic, but you could use any other green vegetables you had. You could also add a bit of ham or fried pancetta if you felt like it. It's also great if you blend a bit of butter into the pea mixture. </p>




<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-ingredients">
<ul>
<li>¼ cup olive oil, plus extra</li>



<li>2 cloves garlic</li>



<li>½ a brown onion</li>



<li>2 cup frozen green peas</li>



<li>1 cup loosely packed baby spinach</li>



<li>½ cup picked parsley leaves</li>



<li>1 cup vegetable stock</li>



<li>1 cup freshly grated pecorino, plus extra to serve</li>



<li>500g dried mafaldine (or other long pasta)</li>
</ul>
</div>



<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-method">
<ol>
<li>Heat a medium saucepan over medium heat, add the oil, garlic and onion and fry for about 5 minutes until the onion is fragrant and translucent. Add the peas, spinach and vegetable stock and bring to a simmer. Transfer the vegetables to a blender and add the parmesan. Blend to a smooth puree with the parsley leaves. Taste the puree and adjust for seasoning.</li>



<li>Bring a large pot of water to the boil and salt it for cooking the pasta. Cook the pasta according to packet directions but start checking it two minutes before the recommended cooking time has finished. When the pasta is al dente, drain it well (reserving about ¼ cup of the cooking water) and return it back to the pot on low heat (or a separate frying pan, if that is easier). Add the puree, reserved cooking water and drizzle in around ¼ cup of extra olive oil, tossing toss to coat. Serve the pasta with extra pecorino.</li>
</ol>
</div>



<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-tips"><h2>Tips</h2>
<p></p>
</div>




<p></p>




<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-video"><h2>Video</h2></div>

Mafaldine with peas, parsley and pecorino

<p>Steak frites is one of my favourite dishes in the world. One of the easiest way to make it at home is with my method of microwaving potatoes to make the chips (although frozen fries are excellent if you don't want to go to the effort), and to use a simple compound butter for the steak rather than making a sauce. Once made, the butter can be kept in the freezer for months. </p>



<p>The Everyday large plate is a simply designed plate with a broad flat area at the centre and a slight curve outwards to the lip. This means that juices and sauces pool in the centre rather than running around the plate. It's a simple element of the design, but it really helps dishes like this. </p>




<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-ingredients">
<ul>
<li>2 very thick good quality fillet steaks, around 6cm thick</li>



<li>4 potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks</li>



<li>vegetable oil, for deep frying</li>



<li>salt and pepper, to season</li>



<li>watercress, to serve</li>



<li>lemon wedges, to serve</li>



<li>6 sprigs thyme</li>



<li>25 g butter</li>



<li>olive oil</li>



<li></li>



<li><strong>Black garlic butter</strong></li>



<li>150g softened cultured butter</li>



<li>5 sprigs thyme, leaves stripped</li>



<li>2 tsp Dijon mustard</li>



<li>2 cloves garlic, grated</li>



<li>8 cloves black garlic</li>



<li>rind of ½ lemon, grated</li>



<li>6 anchovies, finely chopped</li>
</ul>
</div>



<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-method">
<ol>
<li>Microwave the potatoes for 10 minutes, then cool to room temperature. Chill in the fridge, then cut into thin chips and place on a tray lined with baking paper. Freeze for 2 hours until solid.</li>



<li>For the black garlic butter blend all the ingredients together to a coarse mixture. I prefer to keep it soft the first time I use it, and the roll it into the log and freeze it for future use after that.</li>



<li>Heat the oil in a large saucepan to about 180C. Fry the chips for about 5 minutes until golden brown. Season well with salt and pepper, and a few leaves of thyme.</li>



<li>Season the steak well with salt and pepper. Heat a frying pan until very hot and add a little oil. Fry the steak on both sides until browned, then add the separate 25 g of butter and thyme to the pan and baste the steak with the butter for a few minutes until cooked to rare (or otherwise to your liking). </li>



<li>Place the steak on your Everyday large plate and top with a thick slice of butter. Blowtorch the butter to melt slightly, and serve with the chips and watercress, with a wedge of lemon. </li>
</ol>
</div>



<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-tips"><h2>Tips</h2>
<p></p>
</div>



<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-external-link"><h2>External Link</h2></div>



<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-video"><h2>Video</h2></div>

Steak frites with black garlic butter

<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-description"><h2>Description</h2>

<p>This is one of my most frequently cooked quick meals. Basic pantry ingredients, a few others that I usually have on hand anyway, and it's all ready in 5 minutes. Delicious, too.</p>

</div>



<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-ingredients"><h2>Ingredients</h2>

<ul>

<li>For one bowl of noodles:</li>


<li>120 g dried flat, wide wheat noodles (“hand pulled” or “knife cut” noodles work best)</li>


<li>1 pak choy, quartered</li>


<li>1 tsp soy sauce</li>


<li>1 tsp dark soy sauce</li>


<li>1 tsp Chinkiang black vinegar</li>


<li>½ tsp mild Korean chilli powder</li>


<li>1 large clove garlic, minced</li>


<li>1 tbsp finely sliced spring onion</li>


<li>a good pinch of salt</li>


<li>2 tbsp vegetable oil</li>


<li>1 tbsp roughly chopped coriander</li>

</ul>

</div>



<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-method">
<ol>
<li>Bring a large pot of water to a simmer and add the noodles. Cook the noodles for about 6-7 minutes, or according to packet directions until softened but still al dente. Drain well and add to a serving bowl. Boil the pak choy for just 30 seconds and add to the bowl.</li>



<li>Add the remaining ingredients except the oil and coriander directly on top of the noodles in the order listed.</li>



<li>Place the vegetable oil in a small saucepan and heat until smoking. Pour over the noodles, then add the coriander and stir well to mix. Serve immediately.</li>
</ol>
</div>

Oil-sprinkled noodles

<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-description"><h2>Description</h2>
<p>This is a great Father’s Day gift idea. Get your dad a bottle of whisky, use a bit of it to make some handmade fudge, and then gift the fudge together with the remainder of the whisky!<br><br>This recipe is sponsored by Johnnie Walker Black Label Scotch Whiskey.</p>
</div>



<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-ingredients"><h2>Ingredients</h2>
<ul>
<li>200 g dark brown sugar</li>



<li>200 g caster sugar</li>



<li>395 g sweetened condensed milk</li>



<li>150 ml milk</li>



<li>50 g cultured butter</li>



<li>80 ml Johnnie Walker Black Label (2.53 standard drinks)</li>



<li>a few pinches of good sea salt</li>
</ul>
</div>



<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-method">
<ol>
<li>Combine all the ingredients except the salt and Johnnie Walker in a saucepan and bring to a simmer, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Simmer, stirring occasionally for about 10-15 minutes (until the mixture reaches 114C).</li>



<li>Remove from the heat and stir through the Johnnie Walker and a pinch of salt. Stand for 5 minutes, then beat the mixture with a spatula for about 10 minutes until it is no longer shiny and starting to firm.</li>



<li>Transfer to a 20 cm square baking tray roughly lined with baking paper. Allow to cool either at room temperature or in the fridge, then cut into 2 cm squares. Sprinkle with a little more sea salt and serve.</li>
</ol>
</div>



<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-tips"><h2>Tips</h2>
<p>This is a soft fudge. If you like a firmer, grainer fudge you can heat it a little higher (117-118C) and beat it more as it cools down.</p>
</div>



<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-external-link"><h2>External Link</h2></div>



<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-video"><h2>Video</h2></div>

Black label fudge

Fried Rice Fridays

<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-description"><h2>Description</h2>
<p>Yuenyeung fried rice is a two-tone mixture of egg fried rice topped with a while prawn “sauce” and a red chicken “sauce”. Popular in Hong Kong cha cha chaan teng cafes, it’s a simple dish with lots of flavour.</p>
</div>



<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-ingredients"><h2>Ingredients</h2>
<ul>
<li>3 tbsp cornstarch mixed with 1 cup cold water</li>



<li><strong>Egg fried rice</strong></li>



<li>2 cups raw Jasmine rice</li>



<li>2 tbsp vegetable oil, plus 2 tbsp extra for frying</li>



<li>3 eggs</li>



<li>salt, to season</li>



<li>½ tsp MSG, to season (optional)</li>



<li><strong>Red</strong></li>



<li>2 chicken thigh fillets, cut into thin strips</li>



<li>1 tsp soy sauce</li>



<li>a pinch of white pepper</li>



<li>a pinch of salt</li>



<li>a pinch of bicarbonate of soda</li>



<li>1 tsp cornstarch</li>



<li>2 tbsp water</li>



<li>2 tbsp vegetable oil</li>



<li>½ brown onion, cut into wedges</li>



<li>1 tomato</li>



<li><strong>Red sauce</strong></li>



<li>4 tbsp tomato sauce (ketchup)</li>



<li>2 tbsp white vinegar</li>



<li>2 tsp sugar</li>



<li>1 tbsp soy sauce</li>



<li>300 ml chicken stock</li>



<li><strong>White</strong></li>



<li>200 g raw, peeled prawns</li>



<li>a pinch of salt</li>



<li>a pinch of bicarbonate of soda</li>



<li>1 tsp cornstarch</li>



<li>2 tbsp water</li>



<li>2 tbsp vegetable oil</li>



<li>½ brown onion, diced into 1 cm cubes</li>



<li>½ cup frozen peas</li>



<li><strong>White sauce</strong></li>



<li>300 ml chicken stock</li>



<li>salt, to season</li>



<li>100 ml evaporated milk</li>
</ul>
</div>



<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-method">
<ol>
<li>Wash the rice and cover with water up to your first knuckle, cook the rice together with the vegetable oil. Separate the grains and place on a baking tray. Refrigerate uncovered overnight.</li>



<li>Combine the chicken with the soy sauce, salt, pepper, bicarb, cornstarch and water and set aside for 30 minutes. Combine the ingredients for the red sauce in a separate bowl.</li>



<li>Combine the prawns with the salt, bicarb, cornstarch and water and set aside for 10 minutes, then rinse under running water and pat dry.</li>



<li>Start with the red sauce. Heat a wok over high heat and add the vegetable oil. Fry the chicken until lightly browned then remove from the wok. Add the onion and tomato and fry until the tomato softens. Add the red sauce and bring to a simmer. Return the chicken to the wok and thicken with enough of the cornstarch slurry to form a thick, silky sauce. Transfer to a saucepan to keep warm. Brush out the wok and return to the heat.</li>



<li>Add the oil to the wok and fry the prawns until starting to turn opaque. Remove the prawns from the wok while still quite raw. Return the wok to the heat and add the onion. Fry for about 30 seconds then add the peas and stock and bring to a simmer. Season well with salt and thicken with enough of the cornstarch slurry to form a thick, silky sauce. Return the prawns to the sauce and stir in the evaporated milk. The prawns will cook through in the sauce. Transfer to a saucepan to keep warm.</li>



<li>Beat the eggs and mix with the cold rice and stir with chopsticks to coat the grains. Add the oil to the wok and add the rice. Fry until the grains separate, and season with salt and MSG.</li>



<li>Place the rice on a serving plate and cover half with the red sauce, and half with the white sauce.</li>
</ol>
</div>



<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-tips"><h2>Tips</h2>
<p></p>
</div>



<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-external-link"><h2>External Link</h2></div>



<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-video"><h2>Video</h2>
<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X9hxtBd439g
</div></figure>
</div>

Yuenyeung fried rice

<p>If you've never heard of a  green laksa, don't worry. I just made it up.</p>



<p>An ordinary laksa is a yellow-orange soup noodle that often has a bit of red oil separated out from frying the rempah that is made with fresh and dried red chilli.</p>



<p>For this more mild green version, I use green chillies and enhanced the soup ramen-style with a fragrant oil made from coriander and Vietnamese mint.</p>




<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-ingredients">
<ul>
<li>2 chicken carcasses</li>



<li>2 chicken marylands</li>



<li>1 kg raw, unpeeled large prawns</li>



<li>½ cup dried scallops (or dried shrimp)</li>



<li>4 tbsp vegetable oil</li>



<li>2 tsp salt</li>



<li>2 tsp sugar</li>



<li>1 tsp fish sauce</li>



<li>800 ml coconut cream</li>



<li>250g fried tofu puffs, halved*</li>



<li>1kg fresh Hokkien noodles</li>



<li>200g dried rice vermicelli noodles*</li>



<li>200g fried fishcake, sliced</li>



<li>300g beansprouts</li>



<li>8 eggs (optional)</li>



<li>1 cup loosely packed Vietnamese mint leaves</li>



<li>limes, to serve</li>



<li><strong>Coriander and laksa leaf oil</strong></li>



<li>½ cup loosely packed Vietnamese mint leaves</li>



<li>4 coriander plants, stems and roots only (leaves reserved)</li>



<li>1 small bunch spinach</li>



<li>1 cup canola oil</li>



<li><strong>Green laksa rempah (makes double)</strong></li>



<li>6 large green chillies, deseeded</li>



<li>1 tbsp belacan (shrimp paste)</li>



<li>1 large brown onion, peeled and roughly chopped</li>



<li>10 cloves garlic, peeled</li>



<li>5 cm ginger, peeled and thickly sliced</li>



<li>5 cm galangal, peeled and thickly sliced</li>



<li>5 cm fresh turmeric, peeled and thickly sliced</li>



<li>3 stalks lemongrass, white part, roughly chopped</li>



<li>6 candlenuts, or macadamia nuts (optional)</li>
</ul>
</div>



<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-method">
<ol>
<li>Start with the stock. Cover the chicken carcasses with 2.5L of water and bring to a low simmer. Simmer for about 1 hour, skimming any scum that rises to the surface. Add the chicken marylands and reduce the heat to very low. Simmer for 45 minutes then remove the chicken marylands and set aside. Peel the prawns (leaving the tails on), add the shells to the stock and simmer for a further 20 minutes, skimming the scum from the top and particularly removing any red scum created by the prawns. Strain, discarding the shells and bones and reserving the stock. Devein and butterfly the prawns and refrigerate. Pound the dried scallops in a mortar and pestle or blend in a blender to fine shreds (or if using dried shrimp, to a coarse powder).</li>



<li>For the green laksa rempah (laksa paste), blend all the ingredients together to a smooth paste.</li>



<li>For the coriander and laksa leaf oil pour boiling water over Vietnamese mint leaves, coriander stems and roots, and spinach. Stand for 30 seconds then drain and squeeze dry. Combine with the oil in a small blender and blend to a smooth, bright green oil. Strain through a fine sieve lined with a cloth. Reserve both the oil and the green paste.</li>



<li>Heat a large pot over low-medium heat and add the oil. Add half the laksa rempah (the other half can be refrigerated or frozen for making another batch of laksa in the future, see note) and fry in the oil for about 15-20 minutes, stirring frequently until the oil separates from the paste. Add the stock and dried scallops and bring to a simmer. Simmer covered for 30 minutes. Stir in the salt, sugar, fish sauce and coconut milk and simmer for a further 10 minutes. You can add some of the reserved paste from the coriander and laksa leaf oil here if you like, and want to make your soup more green. Add the tofu puffs and simmer for a further 10 minutes. Simmer the prawns in the soup for 2-3 minutes or until just cooked, remove and aside. Taste the soup and adjust the seasoning as required.</li>



<li>While the soup is cooking, prepare the remaining ingredients. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook the noodles according to the packet directions. While different brands will vary, generally Hokkien noodles will just need to be blanched for just a few seconds. Boil the fish cake for about 2 minutes until puffed then drain. Blanche the beansprouts for 30 seconds. Boil the eggs for 8 minutes, then refresh in a basin of iced water and peel. Halve the eggs. Keep all of the ingredients separate so that you can build your laksa as you like it. Pour boiling water over the rice vermicelli and stand for 5 minutes, then drain.</li>



<li>To assemble the laksa warm a noodle bowl (you can warm it by pouring a bit of the laksa soup into the bowl and then returning the soup to the pot. Add some Hokkien noodle, rice noodle, beansprouts, egg, prawn, and chicken to the bowl. Cover with the soup, then garnish with shredded Vietnamese mint, the reserved coriander leaves, a few spoons of the coriander and laksa leaf oil, and a wedge of lime.</li>
</ol>
</div>



<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-tips"><h2>Tips</h2>
<ul>
<li>Make sure you fry the laksa paste really well. Keep the heat low and fry for 15-20 minutes until the oil starts to separate from the paste again.</li>



<li>Vietnamese mint is known in Singapore and Malaysia as “laksa leaf” and it is a key ingredient in laksa.</li>



<li>You can serve this with a bit of sambal belacan if you want more heat and/or a stronger flavour.</li>
</ul>
</div>




<p></p>




<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-video"><h2>Video</h2></div>

Green Laksa

<p>Easier than a roast chicken. When it comes to degree of difficulty, American-style barbecue ribs are possibly the dish that has the biggest difference between perception and reality. </p>



<p>Of course, the barbecue purists will insist on 30-ingredient rubs, low'n slow smoking for hours on end, and secret recipe barbecue sauces, but a homestyle, oven version with no smoking and a homemade barbecue sauce is incredibly simple, and can literally take ten minutes of preparation and baking in the oven for 90 minutes.</p>



<p>You can use a bought barbecue sauce, but this one is much tastier in my opinion (most bought sauces tend to be a little too sweet for me), uses ordinary pantry ingredients and literally is just stirred together and simmered for a few minutes.</p>




<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-ingredients">
<ul>
<li>2 racks American pork ribs</li>



<li>2 tbsp dark brown sugar</li>



<li>2 tsp smoked paprika</li>



<li>1 tbsp Dijon mustard</li>



<li>salt and black pepper, to season</li>



<li><strong>Barbecue sauce</strong></li>



<li>½ cup tomato sauce (ketchup)</li>



<li>¼ cup apple cider vinegar</li>



<li>2 tbsp dark brown sugar</li>



<li>1 tbsp dark soy sauce</li>



<li>1 tsp Dijon mustard</li>



<li>2 tsp smoked paprika</li>



<li>1 tbsp olive oil</li>



<li>plus the juices from the ribs</li>
</ul>
</div>



<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-method">
<ol>
<li>Heat oven to 160C fan. Place two pieces of foil side by side and slightly overlapping, place two pieces of baking paper on top. Place the ribs on the paper and rub with the sugar, paprika, mustard, salt and pepper. Wrap (you may need an extra piece of baking paper and foil for the top depending on the width of your paper and foil. Bake for 90 minutes, then remove the ribs and increase the oven to 220C fan, preferably with an overhead grill.</li>



<li>Unwrap the ribs, pour the juices from the ribs into a small saucepan and combine with the barbecue sauce ingredients. Bring to a simmer and simmer until glossy and thick enough to coat a spoon. Spoon the sauce over the ribs (the top only is fine) and return to the oven and grill for a few minutes until the sauce is caramelised on top of the ribs. Serve with the remaining barbecue sauce.</li>
</ol>
</div>



<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-tips"><h2>Tips</h2>
<p></p>
</div>




<p></p>




<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-video"><h2>Video</h2></div>

Cheat’s Ribs with homemade barbecue sauce

<p>"Hayashi rice" is a Japanese dish of thinly sliced beef and mushrooms cooked in a demi-glace sauce and served with rice. This stroganoff version is a really simple one-pot dish enriched with sour cream. For even more mushroom-y flavour I add a shiitake mushroom powder I make very simply by blending dried shiitake mushrooms.</p>




<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-ingredients">
<ul>
<li>75 g butter</li>



<li>1 kg thinly sliced beef</li>



<li>1 kg sliced button mushrooms</li>



<li>3 large onions, thinly sliced</li>



<li>4 cloves garlic, finely sliced</li>



<li>1 tbsp sweet paprika</li>



<li>1 tbsp tomato paste</li>



<li>½ cup plain flour</li>



<li>½ cup white wine</li>



<li>1 tbsp Dijon mustard</li>



<li>1 litre beef stock</li>



<li>1 tbsp porcini powder, or shiitake powder, optional (see Tips)</li>



<li>300 ml sour cream</li>



<li>salt and pepper, to season</li>



<li>2 tbsp finely shredded parsley, to serve</li>
</ul>
</div>



<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-method">
<ol>
<li>Heat a large casserole pan over medium heat, add half the butter and fry the beef until browned. </li>



<li>Remove from the pot. Add the mushrooms and fry for about 10 minutes until the mushrooms, onions and garlic are browned.</li>



<li>Add the remaining butter, paprika, tomato paste and flour and fry for about 3 minutes. </li>



<li>Add the wine and cook for 2-3 minutes until thickened and starting to catch on the base of the pot.</li>



<li>Add the mustard, then the beef stock a little at a time to form a thin sauce. </li>



<li>Return the meat to the pot along with the porcini or shiitake powder if using, and stir to combine.</li>



<li>Add a little extra water if needed and simmer for about 10 minutes until the mixture is combined and thick.</li>



<li>Stir through the sour cream and adjust seasoning. Scatter with parsley to serve. Serve with rice that has been topped with a knob of butter.</li>
</ol>
</div>



<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-tips"><h2>Tips</h2>
<p></p>
</div>




<p></p>




<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-video"><h2>Video</h2></div>

Hayashi stroganoff

<p>The alkaline environment created by boiling the potatoes with sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) helps break down the pectin that holds the potato cells together. That in turn gives the potatoes a crispier texture after roasting. You can take this basic recipe in any number of directions (see Tips).</p>




<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-ingredients">
<ul>
<li>1 kg red new potatoes (or other new potatoes), washed but unpeeled</li>



<li>1 tsp sodium bicarbonate</li>



<li>½ cup olive oil, ghee, duck fat or vegetable oil, plus extra for drizzling</li>



<li>flake salt, to season</li>
</ul>
</div>



<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-method">
<ol>
<li>Heat your oven to 200C fan. Place the potatoes in a large pot and cover with tap water. Add the sodium bicarbonate and bring to a simmer. Simmer for about 15 minutes until a small, sharp knife can be inserted and withdrawn easily. Drain the potatoes and allow to stand for about 5 minutes to steam dry.</li>



<li>Place a sheet of baking paper into a roasting tray and add about ¼ cup of oil (olive oil, ghee, duck fat or vegetable oil) onto the baking paper. Place some of the potatoes on top and with a cooking weight or the bottom of a small saucepan, squash the potatoes to about 2cm thick. You can put a piece of baking paper between the base of the saucepan and the potatoes while you squash them if you want to keep the base of the saucepan clean. Repeat the process with more potatoes until the roasting tray is full in a single layer. Season with a little salt and drizzle with a little more oil. Repeat for a second tray of potatoes.</li>



<li>Place into the oven. If one tray has more potatoes than the other, put that one on top. Roast for about 40 minutes until the potatoes are browned and crisp and look like they do in the photo. Depending on your oven one tray may take longer than another. Just remove each tray when it’s done.</li>



<li>To serve, tip one tray of potatoes onto the other and then place the whole sheet of baking paper into a serving bowl. Season with extra salt and trim away the excess baking paper. Serve, and wait for your guests to say “Those are extremely good roast potatoes.”</li>
</ol>
</div>



<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-tips"><h2>Tips</h2>
<ul>
<li>You can use other potatoes, or even large potatoes that are cut into smaller chunks. You can peel the potatoes if you want, but I think they have a better flavour and texture if you don't peel them.</li>



<li>Add whole cloves of garlic, herbs or other flavourings if you like, but this is a good basic recipe for you to riff off.</li>
</ul>
</div>




<p></p>




<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-video"><h2>Video</h2></div>

Extremely good roast potatoes

Dumpling School

<p>Originally adapted from Chinese jiaozi dumplings, gyoza have become one of Japan’s favourite foods.</p>



<p>In fact, jiaozi, gyoza and gow gee are the Mandarin, Japanese and Cantonese pronunciations of the exact same word. </p>



<p>The main difference between the Japanese version and its Chinese predecessors is that where the Chinese favour a juicy, springy filling, the emphasis of the Japanese dish is on a fine, crispy skin. </p>



<p>This simple gyoza recipe makes about 50 dumplings.</p>




<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-ingredients">
<ul>
<li>250g Chinese cabbage</li>



<li>1 tsp salt</li>



<li>500g fatty pork mince</li>



<li>6 spring onions, finely minced</li>



<li>2 cloves garlic, finely minced</li>



<li>1 tsp grated ginger</li>



<li>1 tbsp soy sauce</li>



<li>1 tbsp sake</li>



<li>1 tsp vegetable oil, for brushing</li>



<li>1 tbsp potato flour, or cornflour</li>



<li>1 tsp sesame oil</li>



<li>soy sauce, to serve</li>



<li>rice vinegar, to serve</li>



<li>chilli oil, to serve</li>



<li><strong>Hot water gyoza skins</strong></li>



<li>2 cups plain flour</li>
</ul>
</div>



<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-method">
<ol>
<li>For the gyoza skins, combine 1 cup of boiling water with the plain flour and mix well. Knead for about 5 minutes, dusting with just a little more flour as necessary until the dough is smooth and firm. Cover with cling film and rest for 30 minutes.</li>



<li>For the gyoza filling, finely shred the cabbage and mix with the salt. Transfer to a strainer and allow to strain for 15 minutes. Squeeze out any excess moisture and mix the salted cabbage with the pork mince, spring onions, garlic, ginger, soy sauce, and sake. Rest in the fridge for 30 minutes.</li>



<li>On a floured board, roll the dough into a long sausage about 1 cm in diameter. Cut into 1cm rounds, press down with the palm of your hand and with a small rolling pin roll the dough into thin, round skins about 7 cm diameter. Alternatively, you could use commercial dumpling wrappers.</li>



<li>Place about a teaspoon of filling into the centre of the gyoza skin and fold the skin in half, crimping one edge to form the gyoza. Repeat for the remaining filling and skins. You can freeze the gyoza at this stage if you prefer.</li>



<li>Make a mixture of 2 tsp of potato flour (or cornflour) per cup of water. Heat a frying pan over medium heat and brush with an even layer of oil. Place the gyoza into the pan, nestling them together to fill the base of the pan with the gyoza just touching. Fry for about 1 minute until lightly browned on the bottom. Mix 2 tsp potato flour or cornflour into 1 cup of water and pour around the gyoza. Cover the pan with a lid open just a crack and steam for 7 minutes then uncover the pan until water is fully evaporated and you can hear the gyoza frying instead of boiling. Sprinkle over the sesame oil and cook for a further minute then remove the pan from the heat. Invert a serving plate over the pan, ensuring the plate completely covers the pan, then flip the pan and plate over, so that gyoza are on the plate. Serve with soy sauce, rice vinegar and chilli oil for dipping.</li>
</ol>
</div>



<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-tips"><h2>Tips</h2>
<p>If you don’t want the theatre of making the “skirt” to hold the gyoza in place, you can just fry-steam as many gyoza as you like, using plain water instead of the flour slurry.</p>
</div>




<p></p>




<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-video"><h2>Video</h2>
<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
https://youtu.be/KWgqWn3ZqcY
</div></figure>
</div>

Gyoza (Japanese-style dumplings)

<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-description"><h2>Description</h2>
<p>There’s a point in our cooking life we must leave behind the instant noodles and cereal for dinner of our teens and 20s, and start to take a little pride in being able to feed ourselves as fully functioning adults. If you’re ready to make the transition, here are 10 dishes you should know.</p>
</div>



<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-external-link"><h2>External Link</h2>
<p><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/australia-food-blog/2015/sep/30/adam-liaws-10-dishes-you-should-be-able-to-cook-by-the-time-youre-30">https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/australia-food-blog/2015/sep/30/adam-liaws-10-dishes-you-should-be-able-to-cook-by-the-time-youre-30</a></p>
</div>

10 dishes you should be able to cook by the time you’re 30

<p>Not your nanna’s cold remedy. This Chinese-style chicken brings together three familiar flavours for a modern take on a Chinese restaurant classic.</p>




<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-ingredients">
<ul>
<li>4 Lilydale free range chicken thighs (around 800 g)</li>



<li>1 tbsp soy sauce</li>



<li>1 tbsp Shaoxing wine</li>



<li>¼ tsp bicarbonate of soda</li>



<li>¼ tsp salt</li>



<li>1 cup cornflour</li>



<li>1-2 litres vegetable oil, for deep frying</li>



<li>3 spring onions, finely sliced on a steep diagonal</li>



<li>1 rice paper sheet, to serve (optional)</li>



<li>lettuce leaves, to serve (optional)</li>



<li>Japanese mayonnaise, to serve (optional)</li>



<li><strong>Sauce</strong></li>



<li>juice of 1 large lemon (or 2 small lemons)</li>



<li>100 g honey</li>



<li>1 tsp grated ginger</li>



<li>2 tbsp soy sauce</li>



<li>¼ tsp salt</li>



<li>1 tbsp Shaoxing wine</li>



<li>½ tsp sesame oil</li>



<li>½ tsp cornflour</li>



<li><strong>Batter</strong></li>



<li>½ cup plain flour</li>



<li>½ cup cornstarch</li>



<li>¼ tsp bicarbonate of soda</li>



<li>¼ tsp salt</li>
</ul>
</div>



<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-method">
<ol>
<li>Trim some of the visible fat from the chicken thighs and cut into 3cm pieces. Combine with the soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, bicarbonate of soda, salt and 1 tsp of the cornflour and set aside for 15 minutes. Combine the ingredients for the sauce in a separate bowl. In another bowl, combine the batter ingredients with ¾ cup of cold water and 5 ice cubes.</li>



<li>Heat the oil in a large saucepan or wok to 175C. Toss the chicken in the remaining cornstarch and transfer to the batter. Fry the chicken in batches one piece at a time for 3-4 minutes. Drain on a wire rack and allow to cool to room temperature. Heat the oil to 185C and fry the chicken again for about 1 minute until golden brown and crisp.</li>



<li>If using, break the rice paper sheet into large pieces and fry for about 10 seconds until puffed and crisp.</li>



<li>Place a wok over high heat. Stir the sauce ingredients and add to the wok. Bring to a simmer and simmer, stirring occasionally until thickened to the consistency of maple syrup. Toss through the chicken and the spring onions. Transfer to a serving plate with the lettuce leaves and the rice paper crisps.</li>
</ol>
</div>



<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-tips"><h2>Tips</h2>
<p></p>
</div>




<p></p>




<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-video"><h2>Video</h2></div>

Lemon, Honey and Ginger Chicken

<p>Think of this as a fresh version of a schnitzel parmigiana. Rather than tomato sauce, ham and melted cheese, this takes advantage of in-season tomatoes, proscuitto and fresh mozarella. And yes, it's still on top of a schnitty.</p>




<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-ingredients">
<ul>
<li>4 Lilydale free range chicken breasts</li>



<li>1 cup plain flour</li>



<li>salt and pepper, to season</li>



<li>4 eggs, beaten</li>



<li>3 cups panko breadcrumbs</li>



<li>4 ripe tomatoes</li>



<li>2 tbsp olive oil</li>



<li>salt and black pepper, to season</li>



<li>approx. 1-2 L canola oil, for deep frying</li>



<li>200 g (1 balls) fresh mozzarella cheese (in whey)</li>



<li>1 cup loosely packed basil leaves</li>



<li>4-6 very thin slices of prosciutto</li>



<li>lemon wedges, to serve</li>
</ul>
</div>



<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-method">
<ol>
<li>Place each chicken breast between two pieces of baking paper and with a mallet or rolling pin pound it to 1cm thin. Place the flour into a tray and season well with salt and pepper. Place the eggs and breadcrumbs into separate trays.</li>



<li>Cut the tomatoes into large chunks and place into a non-reactive bowl. Season well with salt and pepper and drizzle with the olive oil.</li>



<li>Using a skewer as a kind of hook (this will allow you to move the chicken between the flour and egg without getting your hands dirty and without tongs disrupting the coating), dip the chicken into the flour first, and then the egg, and finally into the panko breadcrumbs – ensuring that it is coated completely. Lightly press the breadcrumbs onto the chicken.</li>



<li>Heat the oil in a large, deep frying pan to 170C. Fry the chicken one piece at a time for 4 minutes, turning once during the frying process. Drain on a wire rack, standing the chicken up on an angle for better drainage. Allow to cool and drain for 5 minutes.</li>



<li>Transfer the chicken to a serving plate. Spoon over the tomatoes and tear over the mozzarella. Add the slices of proscuitto and scatter with the basil leaves. Serve with wedges of lemon.</li>
</ol>
</div>



<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-tips"><h2>Tips</h2>
<p></p>
</div>




<p></p>




<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-video"><h2>Video</h2></div>

Chicken schnitzel caprese

<p>Thigh cutlets are a great cut of chicken for a summer barbecue. I leave them on the bone but trim a little of the meat away from the bone so that they sit more flat on the barbecue and also cook more evenly. Rest the chicken well after grilling so that it stays moist.</p>




<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-ingredients">
<ul>
<li>6 Lilydale free range chicken thighs or thigh cutlets</li>



<li>1 tbsp tamarind puree</li>



<li>200 ml coconut cream</li>



<li>2 tbsp palm sugar</li>



<li>1 tbsp fish sauce</li>



<li>1 tbsp dark soy sauce</li>



<li>½ tsp salt</li>



<li>vegetable oil, to grill</li>



<li>lime wedges, to serve (optional)</li>



<li>cucumber, to serve</li>



<li><strong>Dipping sauce</strong></li>



<li>1 tsp tamarind paste</li>



<li>1 tsp chilli powder</li>



<li>2 cloves garlic, grated</li>



<li>1 tsp palm sugar</li>



<li>1 coriander plant, finely minced</li>



<li>2 tbsp fish sauce</li>



<li>2 tbsp finely shredded coriander leaves</li>
</ul>
</div>



<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-method">
<ol>
<li>If using thigh cutlets, trim around the bone slightly so that the meat sits flat. Combine with the tamarind, coconut cream, palm sugar, fish sauce, dark soy sauce and salt and refrigerate to marinate for at least 2 hours but preferably overnight. Remove from the fridge 1 hour before grilling.</li>



<li>Combine the ingredients for the dipping sauce and mix with 1-2 tbsp of cold water to form a thick saucy consistency.</li>



<li>Heat a barbecue grill over medium heat and brush with vegetable oil. Grill the chicken thighs for about 8 minutes (boneless) or 10 minutes (cutlets with bone), turning occasionally, and rest for a few minutes before serving with the dipping sauce, lime wedges and slices of cucumber.</li>
</ol>
</div>



<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-tips"><h2>Tips</h2>
<p></p>
</div>




<p></p>




<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-video"><h2>Video</h2></div>

Tamarind and coconut grilled chicken

<p>The difference between a pulao and biryani is that biryani is usually layers of cooked rice, while for pulao the rice and other ingredients are cooked together.</p>




<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-ingredients">
<ul>
<li>6 Lilydale free range chicken drumsticks</li>



<li>1 tsp turmeric</li>



<li>1 tsp salt</li>



<li>¼ cup ghee or vegetable oil</li>



<li>1 red onion, diced</li>



<li>2 garlic cloves, roughly chopped</li>



<li>2 tsp ginger, finely chopped</li>



<li>2 bay leaves</li>



<li>2 tsp brown mustard seeds</li>



<li>1½ tbsp Keen’s curry powder</li>



<li>3 cups basmati rice</li>



<li>2 tomatoes, finely diced</li>



<li>½ cup chopped coriander</li>



<li>lemon wedges, to serve</li>



<li>thick yoghurt, to serve</li>
</ul>
</div>



<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-method">
<ol>
<li>Place the chicken into a large bowl and add the turmeric and ½ tsp of the salt. Rub to cover the chicken and set aside for 30 minutes.</li>



<li>Heat your oven to 175C (fan). Heat a large, low casserole dish over medium heat and add the ghee (or oil). Fry the chicken until browned all over and remove from the pan. Add ¾ of the onion and fry for about 5 minutes until browned. Add the garlic and ginger and fry for a further minute until fragrant. Add the mustard seeds, curry powder and bay leaves and fry for just a few seconds until fragrant. Add ¾ of the tomatoes and all the rice and mix in the spices. Spread the rice over the base of the pan and add the chicken back on top. Add 2 cups of water (or stock) and the remaining salt (or to taste). Bring to a simmer and cover. Transfer to the oven for 20 minutes, then remove and stand for a further 10 minutes.</li>



<li>Uncover, then scatter with the remaining onion and tomato, and the chopped coriander. Serve with lemon wedges and yoghurt.</li>
</ol>
</div>



<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-tips"><h2>Tips</h2>
<p></p>
</div>




<p></p>




<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-video"><h2>Video</h2></div>

Turmeric chicken drumstick pulao

<p>My kids call this "Green butter chicken" and they absolutely love it. It's fairly close to a traditional saagwala except it's cooked off the bone and I make it a bit sweeter and with more cream.</p>




<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-ingredients">
<ul>
<li>2 bunches spinach</li>



<li>¼ cup vegetable oil</li>



<li>1 stick cinnamon</li>



<li>6 cardamom pods</li>



<li>1 tsp cloves</li>



<li>1 onion, finely chopped</li>



<li>5 cloves garlic, finely chopped</li>



<li>2 tsp grated ginger</li>



<li>1 tsp coriander powder</li>



<li>1 tsp cumin powder</li>



<li>1 tsp ground turmeric</li>



<li>½ tsp chilli powder (optional, or to taste)</li>



<li>1 tbsp garam masala</li>



<li>3 tomatoes, roughly chopped</li>



<li>1 kg Lilydale free range chicken thigh fillets, cut into 5cm pieces</li>



<li>1 tsp salt</li>



<li>1 tsp sugar</li>



<li>¼ tsp grated nutmeg</li>



<li>150 ml thickened cream</li>



<li>25 g butter</li>
</ul>
</div>



<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-method">
<ol>
<li>Wash the spinach well, trim and discard the root portion and place the leaves and stems into a heatproof bowl. Pour boiling water over the spinach and leave for 1 minute. Drain, then puree the spinach in a blender.</li>



<li>Heat a large pan over medium heat and add the oil and the cinnamon, cardamom, cloves and onion. Fry the onion for about 3 minutes until it starts to brown, add the garlic and ginger and fry for a further 2 minutes. Add the coriander, cumin, turmeric, chilli and garam masala, stir and then immediately add the tomatoes. Cook for about 2 minutes until the tomatoes soften, then add the chicken. Fry the chicken for 3 minutes, then add the salt, sugar and stir in the spinach puree. Cook uncovered for about 5 minutes until the chicken is cooked through, then add the nutmeg and stir through the cream. Taste, and adjust seasoning as necessary, then stir through the butter and serve.</li>
</ol>
</div>



<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-tips"><h2>Tips</h2>
<p></p>
</div>




<p></p>




<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-video"><h2>Video</h2></div>

Creamy chicken saagwala

<p>A simple stir-fry of chicken thigh and broccolini doesn't require any blanching etc. to prepare the vegetables so it's a fast dinner. I make my own XO sauce, but some commercial varieties are really good too.</p>




<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-ingredients">
<ul>
<li>400 g chicken thigh fillets, cut into 5cm pieces</li>



<li>2 tbsp vegetable oil, plus extra</li>



<li>1 small onion, cut into small wedges</li>



<li>2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped</li>



<li>1 large red chilli, sliced into 3-5 slices diagonally</li>



<li>1 bunch broccolini, sliced diagonally</li>



<li>1 tbsp Shaoxing wine</li>



<li>1 tbsp XO sauce</li>



<li>salt, to season</li>



<li>1 tsp cornflour mixed with ¼ cup cold water</li>



<li></li>



<li><strong>Chicken marinade</strong></li>



<li>½ tsp cornflour</li>



<li>½ tsp sesame oil</li>



<li>½ tsp dark soy sauce</li>



<li>1 tsp Shaoxing wine</li>
</ul>
</div>



<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-method">
<ol>
<li>Combine the chicken with the chicken marinade ingredients and stir to coat.</li>



<li>Heat a wok over high heat and add the oil. Add the chicken to the wok in a single layer and fry without stirring for about 2-3 minutes until one side of the chicken is well-browned. Toss the wok and continue to cook the chicken for another 2-3 minutes until barely cooked through. Remove from the wok and set aside.</li>



<li>Heat a little more oil in the wok and add the onion, garlic and chilli. Toss until the garlic is fragrant, then add the broccolini and toss until the broccolini is softened (about 3 minutes). Return the chicken to the wok and season well with salt. Add the Shaoxing wine and XO sauce and toss to combine. Drizzle in a little cornflour mixture while tossing the wok until the XO sauce sticks to the chicken and broccoli. Remove from the wok and serve.</li>
</ol>
</div>



<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-tips"><h2>Tips</h2>
<p></p>
</div>




<p></p>




<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-video"><h2>Video</h2></div>

Chicken and broccolini with XO sauce

<p>Chicken paprikash is stroganoff's less famous cousin, but it's possibly even easier to make and even more delicious. Free range chicken thighs are braised in stock with paprika and tomato paste, and then finished with sour cream. Served with buttered pasta.</p>




<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-ingredients">
<ul>
<li>50 g butter, plus 25 g extra for the pasta</li>



<li>1 onion, diced</li>



<li>1 green capsicum, seeds removed and diced</li>



<li>5 cloves garlic, sliced</li>



<li>2 tbsp tomato paste</li>



<li>1 tbsp flour</li>



<li>2 tbsp sweet paprika</li>



<li>1 kg chicken thigh fillets, cut into 10 cm pieces</li>



<li>500 ml chicken stock</li>



<li>150 ml sour cream</li>



<li>500 g fusilli, orecchiette or other short pasta</li>



<li>1 tbsp finely shredded parsley leaves</li>
</ul>
</div>



<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-method">
<ol>
<li>Heat a large casserole dish over medium heat and add the butter, onion and capsicum and fry for about 5 minutes until the onion is softened. Add the garlic and fry for a further 2 minutes until the garlic is fragrant. Add the tomato paste and stir to combine. Toss the chicken in the flour and add to the pan with the paprika as well. Add the chicken stock and bring to a simmer. Simmer covered for 15 minutes, then stir through the sour cream.</li>



<li>While the chicken is simmering, cook the pasta according to the packet directions, drain and toss through the extra butter. Serve the chicken alongside the pasta, scattered with parsley.</li>
</ol>
</div>



<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-tips"><h2>Tips</h2>
<p></p>
</div>




<p></p>




<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-video"><h2>Video</h2></div>

Chicken Paprikash

<p>This is a simplified version of the classic French poulet au vin jaune. Drumsticks braised in porcini stock, mushrooms and chardonnay. It's spiked with a little brandy too, and finished with cream. Truly delicious.</p>




<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-ingredients">
<ul>
<li>20 g dried porcini mushrooms</li>



<li>2 tbsp vegetable oil</li>



<li>8 Lilydale free-range chicken drumsticks</li>



<li>salt, to season</li>



<li>50 g butter</li>



<li>1 large onion, peeled and diced</li>



<li>4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced</li>



<li>250 g sliced Swiss brown mushrooms</li>



<li>4 bay leaves</li>



<li>6 sprigs thyme</li>



<li>250 ml chardonnay</li>



<li>2 tbsp brandy</li>



<li>150 ml thickened cream</li>



<li>1 tsp finely shredded parsley leaves</li>
</ul>
</div>



<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-method">
<ol>
<li>Cover the porcini mushrooms in 2 cups of hot water and stand for 15 minutes. Heat a large chef pan over high heat and add the oil. Fry the drumsticks in batches until well-browned, then remove from the pan.</li>



<li>Add the butter to the pan and fry the onion for about 3 minutes until fragrant. Add the garlic and mushrooms and fry for about 5 minutes until the mushrooms are lightly browned. Add the porcini to the pan with the other mushrooms and return the drumsticks to the pan along with the herbs. Cover with the porcini steeping liquid, wine, brandy and top up with a little more water to cover the drumsticks. Bring to a simmer, cover and simmer for 40 minutes, stirring once or twice. Add the cream and simmer for a further 10 minutes uncovered. Taste and adjust seasoning. Scatter with parsley. Serve with crusty bread and a green salad.</li>
</ol>
</div>



<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-tips"><h2>Tips</h2>
<p></p>
</div>




<p></p>




<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-video"><h2>Video</h2></div>

Chicken drumsticks with porcini and chardonnay

<p>I use a steam oven to safely cook the chicken to 62C. (Holding it at that temperature for just 10 minutes will pasteurise it so that it's entirely safe to eat.)</p>



<p>If you don't have a steam oven you can poach the chicken in water at a very, very low simmer (basically just steaming) for about 15 minutes.</p>




<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-ingredients">
<ul>
<li>¼ cup canola oil</li>



<li>½ small onion</li>



<li>5 cloves garlic</li>



<li>1 tbsp salted black beans</li>



<li>¼ tsp sugar</li>



<li>2 tsp soy sauce</li>



<li>¼ tsp sugar</li>



<li>2 chicken breasts</li>



<li>a handful of coriander sprigs, to serve</li>
</ul>
</div>



<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-method">
<ol>
<li>Bring a large pot of water to a very low simmer and add the chicken breasts. Simmer over very low heat for about 15 minutes then remove and rest for 3 minutes.</li>



<li>While the chicken is cooking add the canola oil to a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for about 2 minutes, add the garlic and continue to cook, stirring regularly until the garlic is golden brown. Add the black beans and sugar and cook for a further minute until the black beans are fragrant. Stir through the soy sauce and remove from the heat.</li>



<li>Slice the chicken and spoon over the dressing. Garnish with a few coriander sprigs and serve.</li>
</ol>
</div>



<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-tips"><h2>Tips</h2>
<p></p>
</div>




<p></p>




<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-video"><h2>Video</h2></div>

Chicken breast with garlic and black bean dressing

<p>Honey chicken is a classic Australian-Chinese dish. Deep-fried battered chicken tossed through a sweet and savoury sauce made with honey and soy sauce. Kangaroo Island in South Australia is home to the world's last remaining population of Ligurian bees. They were brought to Australia in the 19th century and since then have become extinct in their native Italy. The Black Summer bushfires threatened to wipe out this unique bee species, but their stocks are recovering.</p>




<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-ingredients">
<ul>
<li>500 g chicken breast, cut into long strips</li>



<li>1-2 litres oil for deep-frying, plus extra for wok frying</li>



<li>1 tsp toasted sesame seeds, to serve</li>



<li><strong>Alkaline batter</strong></li>



<li>1 egg white</li>



<li>½ cup plain flour</li>



<li>¼ cup cornflour</li>



<li>¼ tsp bicarbonate of soda</li>



<li>½ cup cold water</li>



<li>¼ tsp salt</li>



<li><strong>Honey sauce</strong></li>



<li>1 clove garlic, minced</li>



<li>1 cm ginger, grated</li>



<li>¼ cup Ligurian honey</li>



<li>2 tbsp rice vinegar</li>



<li>1 tsp sesame oil</li>



<li>1 tbsp soy sauce</li>



<li>¼ cup water</li>



<li>1 tsp cornflour</li>
</ul>
</div>



<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-method">
<ol>
<li>Combine the chicken with the ingredients for the batter and mix to combine. Set aside for at least 15 minutes. Combine the ingredients for the honey sauce and stir well.</li>



<li>Heat the oil in a large saucepan to around 175C. Fry the chicken in batches for about 5 minutes until cooked through, then heat the oil to 200C and fry the chicken again in batches until brown and crisp.</li>



<li>Heat a wok over high heat and add a touch of oil, then add the honey sauce. Bring to a simmer and simmer for about 2 minutes until thickened. Add the fried chicken and toss to coat in the sauce. Remove to a plate and scatter with sesame seeds to serve.</li>
</ol>
</div>



<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-tips"><h2>Tips</h2>
<p></p>
</div>




<p></p>




<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-video"><h2>Video</h2>
<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
https://youtu.be/XAhjj4ntBR8
</div></figure>
</div>

Honey Chicken

<p>The chicken is slow-roasted for 2.5 hours making it fall-apart tender, and slathered in a barbecue sauce made from apricots, then the pan juices are turned into a dresing for the salad. A very economical dish that has the added benefit of leaving you with plenty of homemade barbecue sauce for the remainder of the warm weather.</p>




<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-ingredients">
<ul>
<li>1 whole Lilydale free range chicken (around 2 kg)</li>



<li>salt, to season</li>



<li>2 onions, peeled and quartered</li>



<li>25 g melted butter</li>



<li>4 apricots, halved</li>



<li>1 tbsp apple cider vinegar</li>



<li>1 tsp finely shredded parsley</li>



<li>3 cups mixed baby salad leaves</li>



<li><strong>Apricot barbecue sauce (makes extra)</strong></li>



<li>1 large onion, peeled and roughly chopped</li>



<li>1 carrot, roughly chopped</li>



<li>6 apricots, halved with seeds removed</li>



<li>2 bay leaves</li>



<li>¼ tsp ground cloves</li>



<li>¼ cup brown sugar</li>



<li>½ cup tomato passata</li>



<li>¼ cup white vinegar</li>



<li>2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce</li>



<li>½ cup soy sauce</li>



<li>2 tbsp dark soy sauce</li>
</ul>
</div>



<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-method">
<ol>
<li>For the barbecue sauce, combine all the ingredients in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer. Simmer covered for 20 minutes until the fruits and vegetables are softened, then allow to cool to room temperature. Blend in a high-speed blender until smooth. (Pass through a sieve if your blender is not fast enough to get the sauce smooth.) The barbecue sauce will keep in a sealed container in the fridge for 2 months.</li>



<li>Heat your oven to 150C (130C fan). Cut the backbone out of the chicken with kitchen scissors and flatten the chicken by pressing on the keel bone. Place the onions in the base of a roasting tray, add the chicken on top and season the chicken very well with salt. Roast for 2 hours uncovered.</li>



<li>Combine ½ a cup of the barbecue sauce with the melted butter and brush all over the chicken. Roast for a further 30 minutes, then remove the chicken to a serving plate to rest.</li>



<li>While the chicken is resting, chargrill the apricot halves until blackened, then transfer to a bowl with the onions from the roasting tray, about 2 tbsp of fat and juices from the roasting tray, and the apple cider vinegar. Mix through the parsley and use this mixture to dress the salad leaves. Serve with the chicken.</li>
</ol>
</div>



<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-tips"><h2>Tips</h2>
<p></p>
</div>




<p></p>




<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-video"><h2>Video</h2></div>

Apricot Barbecued Chicken

<p>The Korean name for this dish is buldak, which literally translates to “fire chicken”. Usually served topped with bubbling mozzarella, using blue cheese instead plays off the savouriness of blue cheese with the hot and sweet sauce similarly to how buffalo wings in the USA are served with a blue cheese dip.</p>




<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-ingredients">
<ul>
<li>1 kg chicken thigh fillets</li>



<li>1 tbsp vegetable oil</li>



<li>200 g blue cheese</li>



<li>2 tbsp Korean or Japanese mayonnaise, to serve</li>



<li>sesame leaves (Korean perilla), to serve (optional)</li>



<li>pickled daikon, to serve (optional)</li>



<li>1 spring onion, sliced, to serve (optional)</li>



<li><strong>Fire chicken sauce</strong></li>



<li>1 tbsp sugar</li>



<li>2 tbsp Korean chilli powder (mild or hot, as you prefer)</li>



<li>1 tbsp sesame oil</li>



<li>1 tbsp gochujang (Korean chilli paste)</li>



<li>2 tbsp honey or mul yut</li>



<li>2 tbsp soy sauce</li>



<li>3 cloves garlic, peeled</li>



<li>2 cm ginger</li>



<li>½ large nashi (Asian pear), peeled and finely grated or pureed</li>
</ul>
</div>



<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-method">
<ol>
<li>Trim the fat from the chicken thighs and cut into 5 cm pieces. In a bowl, combine the ingredients for the fire chicken sauce and mix to combine.</li>



<li>Turn on your oven’s overhead grill. Heat an ovenproof frying pan over high heat and add the vegetable oil. Fry the chicken in batches until lightly browned, then return all the chicken back to the pan and cover with the fire chicken sauce. Cover the pan and cook over low heat for 5 minutes, then remove the lid and crumble over the blue cheese. Place under the grill and grill for about 5 minutes until the cheese is melted.</li>
</ol>
</div>



<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-tips"><h2>Tips</h2>
<p></p>
</div>




<p></p>




<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-video"><h2>Video</h2>
<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
https://youtu.be/-GGZk1_drIE
</div></figure>
</div>

Fire Chicken with Blue Cheese

<p>This fragrant duck dish combines the sweet and numbing heat of Sichuanese spices with fresh aromatics, all braised together in a light beer sauce. It might sound weird but if you’re a fan of Sichuanese cuisine, this is one dish you can’t miss.</p>




<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-ingredients">
<ul>
<li>1 block konnyaku (móyù)</li>



<li>½ duck, cut into pieces</li>



<li>¼ cup canola oil</li>



<li>6 garlic cloves, bashed</li>



<li>4 slices ginger, bruised</li>



<li>4 spring onions, cut into 5cm lengths</li>



<li>¼ cup dried chillies, cut into 2 cm lengths</li>



<li>2 star anise</li>



<li>1 black cardamom</li>



<li>1 piece cassia</li>



<li>2 bay leaves</li>



<li>1 tbsp Sichuan peppercorns</li>



<li>¼ cup doubanjiang</li>



<li>2 tbsp soy sauce</li>



<li>500 ml light-style beer</li>



<li>1 tbsp sugar, to taste</li>



<li>½ tsp salt, to taste</li>



<li>2 large green chillies, cut on a diagonal</li>



<li>1 red capsicum, cut into large pieces</li>



<li>1 small red onion, thinly sliced, to serve</li>



<li>coriander leaves, to serve.</li>
</ul>
</div>



<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-method">
<ol>
<li>Place the konnyaku into cold water and bring to a simmer. Simmer for 5 minutes, then drain. Cut into 5cm pieces. Blanche the duck in boiling water for around 5 minutes, then drain.</li>



<li>Heat a large frying pan or wok over high heat, add the oil and fry the duck for a few minutes until lightly browned. Add the garlic and ginger and fry for a minute, then add the dried chillies, star anise, black cardamom, cassia, bay leaves and Sichuan peppercorns. Add the doubanjiang, soy sauce. beer and konnyaku and simmer for 15 minutes. Season with sugar and salt to taste.</li>



<li>Add the green chillies, capsicum and spring onion and simmer for a further 5 minutes until the capsicum is softened, then stir through the sliced red onion. Serve garnished with coriander.</li>
</ol>
</div>



<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-tips"><h2>Tips</h2>
<p></p>
</div>




<p></p>




<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-video"><h2>Video</h2>
<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
https://youtu.be/hoOA7y8XlZI
</div></figure>
</div>

Sichuan Beer Duck

<p>Its popularity in Vietnam is unparalleled, but the banh mi might be Australia’s favourite sandwich, too. </p>



<p>This roast pork version is absolutely delicious and if you’ve never made a banh mi yourself, it might be time to roll up your sleeves and get started.</p>




<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-ingredients">
<ul>
<li><strong>Vietnamese roast pork (thit heo quay) – makes extra</strong></li>



<li>2 kg pork belly</li>



<li>½ tsp white pepper</li>



<li>1 tsp five spice powder</li>



<li>3 cloves garlic, finely chopped</li>



<li>2 tsp salt, for salting the skin</li>



<li><strong>Daikon pickle</strong></li>



<li>½ daikon, peeled and cut into 1cm square batons as long as your rolls</li>



<li>1 tbsp salt</li>



<li>¼ cup white vinegar</li>



<li>2 tbsp caster sugar</li>



<li><strong>Banh mi seasoning</strong></li>



<li>1 tbsp soy sauce</li>



<li>1 tbsp fish sauce</li>



<li>½ tsp caster sugar</li>



<li>1 clove garlic, finely chopped</li>



<li><strong>To serve</strong></li>



<li>6 crusty bread rolls</li>



<li>Vietnamese patê</li>



<li>½ cup Japanese mayonnaise</li>



<li>12 slices of Vietnamese pork loaf (cha lua)</li>



<li>2 cucumbers, sliced into batons as long as your rolls</li>



<li>2 carrots, grated with a julienne peeler</li>



<li>spring onion, green part only cut into lengths as long as your rolls</li>



<li>bird’s eye chillies, finely sliced</li>



<li>coriander, to serve</li>
</ul>
</div>



<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-method">
<ol>
<li>Cut deep slits into the meat of the pork and prick many small holes into the skin of the pork. Pour boiling water over the skin and then pat dry. You can skip this step if you like, but it does help the crackling. Rub the meat side with the pepper, five spice and garlic, and sprinkle the skin side generously with salt. Place on a rack in the fridge uncovered overnight.</li>



<li>For the daikon pickle, mix with the salt with the daikon rub until the daikon is softened enough so that it can be bent without breaking. Rinse, and combine with the vinegar and sugar, along with ¼ cup of water in a press-seal bag. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour.</li>



<li>For the banh mi seasoning, combine the ingredients and stir to dissolve the sugar.</li>



<li>Heat your oven to 180C. Roast the pork for 45 minutes, then turn the oven to grill/broil function and grill the pork for a further 15-20 minutes until the skin is crisp. Remove from the oven and rest for at least 15 minutes before slicing.</li>



<li>For the banh mi, warm the rolls. Cut the pork into thick slices. Spread the rolls with the pate and mayonnaise, fill with the poark loaf, cucumber, carrot, spring onion and daikon pickle. Add chillies and coriander to taste and drizzle with the banh mi seasoning.</li>
</ol>
</div>



<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-tips"><h2>Tips</h2>
<p></p>
</div>




<p></p>




<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-video"><h2>Video</h2>
<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
https://youtu.be/NbMZ9f3ZPZg
</div></figure>
</div>

Roast Pork Banh Mi

<p>"Sang choy bao" literally just means "lettuce packets". I use tianmianjiang (a northern Chinese sweet paste made from fermented flour) instead of hoisin (a modern Cantonese version of the sauce made from soybean), but they are fairly similar. The addition of shredded onion is something I particularly like, as it takes the flavour closer to Peking duck.</p>




<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-ingredients">
<ul>
<li>5 dried shiitake mushrooms</li>



<li>2 thick spring onions</li>



<li>¼ cup canola oil</li>



<li>1 small onion, finely diced</li>



<li>2 cloves garlic, finely chopped</li>



<li>1 tsp grated ginger</li>



<li>500 g chicken mince</li>



<li>150 g green beans, cut into ½ cm dice</li>



<li>1 small carrot, cut into ½ cm dice</li>



<li>3 tbsp tianmianjang (or hoisin sauce), plus extra to serve</li>



<li>2 tbsp dark soy sauce</li>



<li>1 tsp sugar</li>



<li>1 tsp sesame oil</li>



<li>1 tsp cornflour mixed in ¼ cup cold water</li>



<li>1 head iceberg lettuce, separated into cups</li>
</ul>
</div>



<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-method">
<ol>
<li>Cover the shiitake mushrooms with about 1.5 cups of hot water and stand for 20 minutes to soften. Trim and discard the stalks and cut the caps into a ½ cm dice. Reserve the steeping liquid.</li>



<li>Cut the spring onions into 5 cm lengths and then very finely julienne them. Place the spring onion into iced water for at least 10 minutes to curl.</li>



<li>Heat a wok over high heat and add the oil, onion, garlic and ginger and toss for about 1 minute until the onion is softened. Add the chicken mince and fry for about 3 minutes until the mince is lightly browned. Add the beans and carrot and toss for a further minute, then add the tianmianjiang, soy sauce, sugar, sesame oil and a little of the shiitake steeping liquid as needed. Bring to a simmer and simmer for about 3 minutes until the chicken is cooked through and the vegetables are softened. Mix through a little of the cornflour mixture and toss until the mixture is thickened and quite dry.</li>



<li>Serve the chicken mixture with the spring onion, a little extra tiamianjiang (or hoisin) and lettuce cups to wrap the mixture in.</li>
</ol>
</div>



<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-tips"><h2>Tips</h2>
<p></p>
</div>




<p></p>




<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-video"><h2>Video</h2></div>

Chicken sang choy bao

<p>Known in Chinese as 京都排骨 or "Capital Ribs" this dish is often translated as "Peking Pork Ribs" as Beijing - the northern capital - is the current capital, but actually the name of the dish refers to Nanjing - the southern capital in Jiangsu Province. </p>



<p>Even more confusing is the fact that the dish itself is actually a Cantonese dish, named because of its resemblence to the sweet style of cooking in Jiangsu and specifically the colour that is reminiscent of the famous dish of Wuxi pork ribs from the province.</p>



<p>Despite the difficult history of the name, the dish itself is very easy to make and the main ingredient is ketchup!</p>




<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-ingredients">
<ul>
<li>1 kg short-cut pork ribs, divided into individual ribs</li>



<li>2 tbsp cornstarch</li>



<li>2 tbsp Shaoxing wine</li>



<li>1 egg white</li>



<li>½ tsp salt</li>



<li>¼ tsp white pepper</li>



<li>1-2 litres canola oil, for deepfrying, plus 1 tbsp for wok frying</li>



<li>3 cloves garlic</li>



<li><strong>Sauce</strong></li>



<li>¼ cup tomato sauce (ketchup)</li>



<li>1 tbsp white vinegar or rice vinegar</li>



<li>1 tbsp soy sauce</li>



<li>2 tsp sugar</li>



<li>¼ cup stock or water</li>
</ul>
</div>



<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-method">
<ol>
<li>Combine the pork ribs with the cornstarch, Shaoxing wine, egg white, salt and pepper and marinate for at least 1 hour.</li>



<li>Heat the oil for deep-frying in a large saucepan or wok to 170C. Deep-fry the ribs in batches for 5-8 minutes depending on the thickness of your ribs. If just using the bone portion of the ribs 5 minutes should be enough, but if the ribs contain more of the belly fry them for 8 minutes.</li>



<li>Combine the sauce ingredients in a small bowl and stir to dissolve the sugar. Heat a wok over medium heat. Add the oil and garlic and fry until the garlic is fragrant and lightly browned. Add the sauce and bring to a simmer. Add the ribs and toss to coat in the sauce until the sauce is thickened, then serve.</li>
</ol>
</div>



<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-tips"><h2>Tips</h2>
<p></p>
</div>




<p></p>




<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-video"><h2>Video</h2>
<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
https://youtu.be/xPGQ-9JPHkk
</div></figure>
</div>

Peking Pork Ribs (京都排骨)

<p>Literally meaning “steamed in a tea bowl” this delicate and savoury Japanese custard is a lot easier to make than it looks. Just remember the ratio of 1 part egg to three parts stock and you’ll get a perfect custard every time</p>




<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-ingredients">
<ul>
<li>1 chicken breast</li>



<li>1 tsp sake</li>



<li>1 tsp soy sauce</li>



<li>2 fresh shiitake mushrooms, thinly sliced</li>



<li>6 slices fishcake</li>



<li>6 cooked ginko nuts</li>



<li>mitsuba, to serve</li>



<li><strong>Dashi</strong></li>



<li>1 piece kombu (approx. 10 cm square)</li>



<li>a handful of bonito flakes</li>



<li><strong>Egg custard</strong></li>



<li>3 eggs</li>



<li>1 tsp sake</li>



<li>½ tsp salt</li>



<li>1 tsp soy sauce</li>



<li>approx. 2 cups dashi</li>
</ul>
</div>



<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-method">
<ol>
<li>To make the dashi, place the kombu into 3 cups of cold water and bring to a simmer, removing the kombu when the water starts to steam. Add the bonito flakes to the simmering water, then turn off the heat and allow to stand for 15 minutes then strain.</li>



<li>Crack the eggs into a measuring cup and mix gently without forming bubbles. Note the measurement of the eggs. In a separate measuring cup add the sake, salt and soy sauce and add dashi to make up three times the volume of the egg. Combine the egg and dashi together, stir gently and strain to remove any lumps.</li>



<li>Place a few slices of chicken and shiitake in the base of a teacup. Pour the egg mixture over the chicken to about 3 cm from the top of the teacup. Burst any bubbles with a skewer. Steam over low heat for 12 minutes. Test the custard with a skewer. If the liquid that rises from a hole made with the skewer is clear, proceed to the next step.</li>



<li>Gently arrange the fishcake, ginko nuts and a few slices of shiitake on top of the custard and pour over a little more raw custard mix. Steam for a further 3-4 minutes, then serve with the mitsuba.</li>
</ol>
</div>



<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-tips"><h2>Tips</h2>
<p></p>
</div>




<p></p>




<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-video"><h2>Video</h2>
<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
https://youtu.be/jfWdX1YtX1U
</div></figure>
</div>

Chawanmushi

This simple stir-fried dish uses fresh Australian garlic in a buttery sauce to coat delicious and tender prawns. If you want to make things even easier, you can skip the deep-frying step and just cook the prawns directly in the garlic butter sauce.
<h2>Ingredients</h2>
600 g large whole prawns

2 tbsp cornflour, plus extra for thickening

1.5 litres vegetable oil, for deep frying

50 g butter

10 cloves garlic, roughly chopped

1 tsp fish sauce

1 tbsp Shaoxing wine

a good pinch of sugar
<h2>Method</h2>
Peel the prawns and reserve the shells. Butterfly the prawns by cutting a deep slit the back of the prawns , removing the intestine and flattening the prawn meat. Combine the prawn shells with about 1.5L of water in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer. Simmer for 15 minutes, then strain and discard the shells, reserving the stock.

Mix the prawn meat with 2 tbsp of cornflour and ½ a cup of cold tap water. Rub the prawns in the cornflour mixture and set the prawns aside for at least 15 minutes.

Place the oil into a large saucepan and heat to 175C. Remove the prawns from the cornflour mixture and add to the hot oil. Deep fry the prawns for about 2 minutes until nearly cooked through, then remove and drain.

Heat a large wok over medium heat, add the butter and the garlic. Fry the garlic for about 1 minute until fragrant but not yet browned. Add about 2 tbsp of the prawn stock, the fish sauce, Shaoxing wine and a generous pinch of sugar. Add the prawns and toss through the garlic butter sauce. Mix a little extra cornstarch with some cold water and add a little to the sauce to thicken. Remove the prawns and sauce to a plate to serve.

https://youtu.be/5W3uG8FHdw0

Garlic butter prawns

<p>This simple chicken stir-fry is first fried in a light coating of egg and cornstarch and then tossed through a sauce made with green peppercorns, rice vinegar and dark soy sauce.</p>




<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-ingredients">
<ul>
<li>600 g chicken thigh fillets, cut into 5cm pieces</li>



<li>½ cup cornstarch</li>



<li>1 egg white</li>



<li>1 tsp soy sauce</li>



<li>1 tsp sesame oil</li>



<li>¼ tsp ground white pepper</li>



<li>approx. 2 cups vegetable oil, for deep-frying</li>



<li>1 cup basil leaves, picked</li>



<li>600 g chicken thigh fillets, cut into 5cm pieces</li>



<li>½ cup cornstarch</li>



<li>1 egg white</li>



<li>3 cloves garlic, roughly chopped</li>



<li>1 small onion, sliced</li>



<li>50 g green peppercorns in brine, drained</li>



<li><strong>Sauce</strong></li>



<li>2 tsp sesame oil</li>



<li>2 tbsp oyster sauce</li>



<li>1 tbsp Shaoxing wine</li>



<li>1 tbsp soy sauce</li>



<li>1 tsp dark soy sauce</li>



<li>1 tsp sugar</li>



<li>1 tsp rice vinegar</li>



<li>1 tsp grated ginger</li>
</ul>
</div>



<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-method">
<ol>
<li>Combine the chicken, cornstarch and egg white in a large bowl with the soy sauce, sesame oil and white pepper and mix well. Refrigerate for 15 minutes.</li>



<li>Heat the oil in a wok or saucepan to 165C and fry the basil leaves (watch out, they may spit – I add them to the saucepan and quickly cover it with a lid for about 30 seconds until the spitting settles down) for about 1 minute until the basil is crisp, then remove from the oil. Increase the heat of the oil to 180C and fry the chicken in batches for about 4 minutes per batch or until just cooked through.</li>



<li>Heat a wok over high heat and add 1 tbsp of the frying oil. Fry the garlic, onio and green peppercorns for about 1 minute, then add the sauce ingredients and ½ cup of stock or water and bring to a simmer. Simmer for 3 minutes, then add the chicken and toss to coat for a further minute until the sauce is thickened and coating the chicken. Remove the chicken to a serving plate and scatter the basil leaves around to serve.</li>
</ol>
</div>



<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-tips"><h2>Tips</h2>
<p></p>
</div>




<p></p>




<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-video"><h2>Video</h2></div>

Green peppercorn chicken with crispy basil

<p>This simple salad is found all over China in varying forms. The secret is to keep it simple, and not to flavour it too strongly. Think of it as a palate cleanser, or as a super quick dish to add balance to a Chinese meal.</p>




<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-ingredients">
<ul>
<li>1 tbsp dried black fungus</li>



<li>3 Lebanese cucumbers</li>



<li>3 cherry tomatoes, halved</li>



<li>¼ tsp salt</li>



<li>½ tsp sugar</li>



<li>1 tsp soy sauce</li>



<li>2 tsp black vinegar</li>



<li>1 clove garlic, finely chopped</li>



<li>1 tsp sesame oil</li>
</ul>
</div>



<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-method">
<ol>
<li>Cover the black fungus in ample hot water and stand for 10 minutes. Trim out the hard root of the fungus and set the "ears" aside.</li>



<li>Peel the cucumbers in intervals. Place one cucumber on a cutting board and cover with a tea towel. Bash the cucumber with your hand or a rolling pin, then break the cucumber into 5 cm pieces by hand and transfer to a bowl. Repeat for the remaining cucumbers. Add the cherry tomatoes to the bowl and mix through the salt and sugar. Transfer to the fridge for 10 minutes.</li>



<li>Add the black fungus, soy sauce, vinegar, garlic and sesame oil and 1-2 tbsp of cold water to the cucumbers and stir to dissolve the sugar. Transfer to a serving plate and serve.</li>
</ol>
</div>



<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-tips"><h2>Tips</h2>
<ol>
<li>Don't try to flavour this too strongly. Adding a dash of water at the end balances the dish</li>



<li>The dish is about cucumbers and black vinegar. If you don't want to add black fungus, garlic, sesame oil etc. just leave them out.</li>



<li>This is a perfect dish for summer.</li>
</ol>
</div>




<p></p>




<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-video"><h2>Video</h2>
<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
https://youtu.be/vOB87KqHpVg
</div></figure>
</div>

Chinese Cucumber Salad

Malaysian Classics

<p>Originating in Klang, just outside Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia, bak kut teh means ‘pork bone tea’. It's basically pork ribs and other cuts in a rich and complex broth of medicinal herbs.</p>



<p>Most people make theirs using pre-packaged spice packs, which is fine, but I much prefer to make my own soup base. Once you make it from scratch once you'll never go back to the pre-packaged spices.</p>



<p>The medicinal herbs may look confusing, but they are actually quite common ingredients in Chinese cooking. Most of them are available from a good Asian grocery, but I buy mine from a Chinese herbalist which tend to have higher quality herbs. In the recipe below I’ve given you the Mandarin pronunciations and Chinese character translations of all the herbs, so you can just show the herbalist your list.</p>




<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-ingredients">
<ul>
<li>10 dried shiitake mushrooms, quickly rinsed</li>



<li>2 kg pork belly</li>



<li>1 kg pork ribs</li>



<li>3 whole garlic bulbs</li>



<li>3 teaspoons salt</li>



<li>2 tablespoons caster sugar</li>



<li>1 tablespoon white vinegar</li>



<li>2 tbsp soy sauce</li>



<li>1 pack fried tofu puffs (tau pok), halved</li>



<li>300 g enoki mushrooms</li>



<li>6 thin spring onions, very thinly sliced</li>



<li>coriander sprigs, to garnish</li>



<li>cooked rice, to serve</li>



<li>5 sticks youtiao (fried Chinese bread sticks), to serve</li>



<li>sliced bird’s eye chillies, to serve</li>



<li></li>



<li><strong>Herb pack</strong></li>



<li>20 g Codonopsis pilosula (wen tang shen) 纹黨參</li>



<li>20 g Chinese angelica (dang gui) 当归</li>



<li>15 g lovage root (Ligusticum wallichii) (chuan xiong) 川芎</li>



<li>15 g Rehmannia glutinosa (shu di) 熟地</li>



<li>5 slices licorice root (gan cao) 甘草</li>



<li>20 g Solomon’s seal (yu zhu) 玉竹</li>



<li>3 pieces dried tangerine peel (cheng pi) 陈皮</li>



<li>15 g cassia bark (gui bi) 桂皮</li>



<li>3 star anise (ba jiao) 八角</li>



<li>1 teaspoon white peppercorns (bai hu jiao) 白胡椒</li>
</ul>
</div>



<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-method">
<ol>
<li>Heat 4 litres (135 fl oz/16 cups) water in a stockpot and add the shiitake mushrooms. Turn off the heat and let the mushrooms stand for 20 minutes to soften. Remove the mushrooms, then trim off the stalks using a pair of kitchen scissors. Return the caps to the pot, and place the pot back over the heat.</li>



<li>Wrap the ingredients for the herb pack in a double layer of muslin (cheesecloth), and secure the pack with string. Add to the pot and simmer for 30 minutes.</li>



<li>While the herb pack is simmering, place the pork in a separate pot and cover with cold water. Bring the water to the boil and simmer for 20 minutes. Remove all the pork from the water and rinse the pork to remove any scum.</li>



<li>Add the pork to the simmering soup base, along with the garlic bulbs, salt, sugar, vinegar and soy sauce. Simmer for about 1 1/2 hours, until the pork is tender, but not falling apart. Remove the pork from the soup and allow to cool slightly.</li>



<li>Add the enoki mushrooms and tofu puffs to the soup and simmer just for 10 minutes, or until both are softened.</li>



<li>Cut the pork into small pieces, and separate the ribs. Add the pork and ribs to a heated serving bowls (a clay pot works well), then ladle the hot broth and mushrooms over. Scatter with the spring onion and coriander sprigs.</li>



<li>Serve with cooked rice, with youtiao and sliced chillies in soy sauce on the side.</li>
</ol>
</div>



<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-tips"><h2>Tips</h2>
<ul>
<li>This is also great served with blanched iceberg lettuce that's been covered with oyster sauce and scattered with fried shallots.</li>



<li>If you haven't tried this dish before you might want to make it from a packet first so you know the kind of thing you should be going for.</li>



<li>Seasoning the soup is all important for this dish. If the soup is too bitter or sweet it will be unpleasant. Taste the dish constantly and adjust the seasoning incrementally as you go.</li>
</ul>
</div>




<p></p>




<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-video"><h2>Video</h2>
<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
https://youtu.be/FlziVOmGIsg
</div></figure>
</div>

Bak Kut Teh

<p>These vegetarian (actually vegan) dumplings use the shiitake steeping liquid and wholemeal flour to make the skins.</p>



<p>For the filling, use flavourful and textural vegetables rather than "fillers" like tofu or cabbage.</p>




<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-ingredients">
<ul>
<li>6 dried shiitake mushrooms</li>



<li>2 tbsp peanut oil</li>



<li>1 carrot, peeled and finely diced</li>



<li>1 large bunch garlic chives</li>



<li>2 tbsp dried black fungus, soaked, trimmed and finely sliced</li>



<li>6 spring onions, finely sliced</li>



<li>1 tsp sesame oil</li>



<li>½ tsp salt</li>



<li>¼ tsp sugar</li>



<li>1 tbsp soy sauce</li>



<li>1 tbsp Shaoxing wine</li>



<li><strong>Wholemeal dumpling skins</strong></li>



<li>2 cups wholemeal flour</li>



<li>¾ cup boiling water, or hot shiitake steeping liquid</li>
</ul>
</div>



<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-method">
<ol>
<li>Soak the shiitake in 2 cups of hot water for 20 minutes then trim the stems and dice the caps.</li>



<li>To make the dumpling skins, heat the shiitake liquid until boiling and combine about ¾ of a cup with the wholemeal flour in a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. Mix at medium speed for about 10 minutes until the dough is smooth. Lightly dust with flour and rest for at least 1 hour wrapped in plastic or an oiled cloth.</li>



<li>Heat a wok over high heat and add the peanut oil. Add the carrot, diced shiitake caps, spring onions, garlic chives sesame oil, and season with thesalt, sugar, soy sauce and Shaoxing wine. Fry for about 3 minutes until the vegetables have softened and the mixture is dry. Remove from the wok and cool completely.</li>



<li>Roll and fold the dumplings (see video).</li>



<li>Heat a frying pan over medium heat and lightly coat with oil. Add the dumplings (base down) to the pan and fry without moving until lightly browned on the base. Add hot water to a level about 1 cm up the side of the dumplings and cover. Steam for 8 minutes, then remove the lid and allow any remaining liquid to evaporate. Fry for a further minute until the bases are crisp, then serve with dumpling sauce and chilli oil.</li>
</ol>
</div>



<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-tips"><h2>Tips</h2>
<ul>
<li>Using the shiitake steeping liquid for the dumpling skins will give them a brown colour and delicious savoury flavour.</li>



<li>You can vary the vegetable fillings as you like. I tend to favour textural and flavourful vegetables rather than things like cabbage or tofu for vegetarian dumplings.</li>



<li>If you prefer, you can add egg or cornstarch to the filling to give it a firmer texture.</li>



<li>If you aren't vegetarian, some soaked dried shrimp are an excellent addition to the filling.</li>
</ul>
</div>




<p></p>




<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-video"><h2>Video</h2>
<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
https://youtu.be/fPTVqzDC3wY
</div></figure>
</div>

Vegetarian Potsticker Dumplings

<p>Tonkotsu (pork bone) ramen is a labour of love. It can take 3 or 4 days to make - although most of that is just watching a pot boil - and you might wonder why anyone would ever go to the effort.</p>



<p>It is actually easier than it looks, although the first time you try to do it it will probably exhaust you completely.</p>



<p>As one of the four main styles of ramen (shio, shoyu, miso and tonkotsu) it's important to know how it's made, even if you never attempt it yourself.</p>



<p>This light style of tonkotsu is the style I prefer, although you can reduce the soup base further, add chopped fat to it etc. if you prefer the thicker, fattier versions of tonkotsu that you might have tried.</p>



<p>This recipe is for a shio gyokai style tonkotsu, meaning that it is salt-based and contains seafood, which is why it is very light in colour.</p>




<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-ingredients">
<ul>
<li><strong>Soup Base</strong></li>



<li>4 kg pork bones</li>



<li>8 kg water</li>



<li><strong>Aromatic Oil</strong></li>



<li>300 g rendered pork lard</li>



<li>200 g vegetable oil</li>



<li>70 g spring onion</li>



<li>30 g Garlic</li>



<li>1 tbsp bonito powder (see Method)</li>



<li><strong>Motodare</strong></li>



<li>10 g dried scallop</li>



<li>10 g dried fish maw</li>



<li>10 g dried sardines, cleaned</li>



<li>2 pieces rausu kombu</li>



<li>750 ml water approx.</li>



<li>100 g salt</li>



<li>1 tsp rice vinegar</li>



<li><strong>Toppings</strong></li>



<li>chashu</li>



<li>ajitama</li>



<li>noodles</li>



<li>kikurage – black wood ear fungus (soaked in hot water and sliced)</li>



<li>spring onion, finely sliced</li>



<li>menma – braised bamboo shoots</li>



<li>nori, cut into squares</li>



<li>bonito powder (see Method)</li>
</ul>
</div>



<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-method">
<ol>
<li><strong>Soup Base</strong></li>



<li>Weigh the bones and cover with cold water. Refrigerate overnight to extract the blood from the bones and marrow. Discard the soaking water and then add twice the weight of the bones of fresh cold water. Measure the distance from the top of the water to the top of the pot.</li>



<li>Bring to a simmer, using a fine mesh to skim the grey scum rising to the surface of the water, stirring occasionally. Continue until the scum rising to the top is white rather than grey. This will take about 2 hours.</li>



<li>Cover the pot and boil for a further 6 hours (the water should be active and bubbling but the heat does not necessarily have to be high), topping up the water to the starting level and stirring every half hour. Remove the lid and reduce the liquid for about 4 hours until you reach the consistency you want. The more you reduce the liquid, the thicker and stronger the soup base will be.</li>



<li>Strain the soup and cool rapidly by stirring in a bath of iced water until it is room temperature. Cover and refrigerate overnight.</li>



<li><strong>Motodare</strong></li>



<li>Make the tare, add the dried seafood, kombu and cold water to a non-reactive container and refrigerate overnight. </li>



<li>Transfer to a saucepan and heat over very low heat for about 1 hour until just warm to the touch. Remove the seafood and measure the volume of dashi produced.</li>



<li>Add salt in the ratio of 1:5 (i.e. 100 g salt for 500 g dashi) and stir over heat until the salt is fully dissolved. </li>



<li>Add the vinegar and set aside.</li>



<li><strong>Aromatic Oil</strong></li>



<li>To make the bonito powder, blend 1 cup of dried bonito flakes to a fine powder. Combine all the ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Allow to cool and strain.</li>



<li>To assemble the ramen, follow the instructions in the video.</li>
</ol>
</div>



<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-tips"><h2>Tips</h2>
<ul>
<li>There is a lot of liquid to manage here so it's worth having two large pots the same size, and also clearing enough space in your fridge to fit one of them before you even start.</li>



<li>If you prefer a thicker tonkotsu you can reduce the soup further, or thicken it with the addition of simmered backfat or use a stick blender to emulsify in some additional bonito powder.</li>



<li>This recipe is a basic recipe. You can of course add vegetables, chicken and other ingredients to the soup base if you prefer.</li>
</ul>
</div>




<p></p>




<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-video"><h2>Video</h2>
<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
https://youtu.be/F-TQjevcOf4
</div></figure>
</div>

How to Make Tonkotsu Ramen

<p>This two-ingredient omelette is a fantastic dish to make when preparing a Chinese meal. It takes minutes and its simplicity balances more strongly flavoured dishes.</p>




<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-ingredients">
<ul>
<li>5 eggs</li>



<li>1 tsp</li>



<li>fish sauce, or ¼ tsp stock powder or MSG</li>



<li>½ tsp sesame oil</li>



<li>2 tbsp vegetable oil</li>



<li>1 bunch garlic chives, sliced into 1cm lengths</li>



<li>salt, to season</li>
</ul>
</div>



<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-method">
<ol>
<li>Beat the eggs together with the fish sauce (or stock powder) and sesame oil. </li>



<li>Heat a wok over medium heat and add the vegetable oil. Add the garlic chives and toss for just a few seconds to release their aroma.</li>



<li>Season with a little salt, then add the eggs and stir occasionally over the heat until mixed.</li>



<li>Stop stirring to allow the eggs to brown slightly.</li>



<li>Remove from the wok and serve.</li>
</ol>
</div>



<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-tips"><h2>Tips</h2>
<ul>
<li>This style of omelette can be made with prawns or spinach as well.</li>



<li>Sometimes a dish like this is topped with a savoury and sour brown sauce such as for egg foo yong.</li>



<li>You can even leave out the garlic chives altogether and use spring onion instead.</li>
</ul>
</div>




<p></p>




<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-video"><h2>Video</h2></div>

Chinese-style Garlic Chive Omelette

<p>This family-style Korean recipe is the kind of dish you can make from Korean pantry basics.</p>



<p>The main ingredients of day-old rice, kimchi, gochujang and Korean toasted nori are things that most Korean households would have on hand at all times.</p>



<p>Even if you're not Korean, they're excellent items to make part of your pantry, even if it's just to make dishes like this.</p>




<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-ingredients">
<ul>
<li>1½ cups kimchi</li>



<li>1 tbs vegetable oil</li>



<li>1 tbs sesame oil</li>



<li>1 tbs gochujang (Korean chilli bean paste)</li>



<li>4 cups cooked short grain rice (refrigerated)</li>



<li>3 spring onions, finely sliced</li>



<li>1 tsp salt</li>



<li>1 egg, optional</li>



<li>1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds</li>



<li>1 sheet Japanese nori, toasted and crumbled (or Korean nori sheets, crumbled)</li>
</ul>
</div>



<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-method">
<ol>
<li>Squeeze as much juice as you can from the kimchi and set it aside. Finely slice the kimchi.</li>



<li>Heat a wok over high heat and add the vegetable oil and sesame oil. Add the kimchi to the wok and toss frequently until it is very fragrant. Add the gochujang and toss in the wok for about a minute until it is fragrant as well.</li>



<li>Add the rice, pressing it onto the sides of the wok to separate the grains. Add the reserved kimchi juice, spring onions and salt, and mix everything very well, allowing the rice to very lightly toast against the sides of the wok.</li>



<li>In a separate frying pan (or the same one after you've taken the rice out) fry the egg in a little oil until done to your liking.</li>



<li>Serve the egg on top of the rice, and scatter everything with sesame seeds and crumbled nori to serve.</li>
</ol>
</div>



<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-tips"><h2>Tips</h2>
<ul>
<li>Korean nori is often fried and salted, and is easily crumbled. If you’re using Japanese nori you can toast it by waving it over an open gas flame for just a few seconds until it becomes crisp.</li>



<li>Kimchi and gochujang keeps in the fridge for months, so they're great items to have on hand.</li>



<li>Most fried rice dishes will be a combination of oil, rice and egg and this is no exception. The egg may be optional here, but I think if you don't have it, it's not really a full meal.</li>
</ul>
</div>




<p></p>




<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-video"><h2>Video</h2>
<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
https://youtu.be/JTFWLzxCoYs
</div></figure>
</div>

Kimchi Fried Rice

<p>This simple stir-fried dish takes the classic Cantonese flavour of seafood steamed with ginger and spring onion, flipping it into a fast wok-fried dish that focuses on the natural flavours of the ingredients.</p>




<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-ingredients">
<ul>
<li>8 large prawns</li>



<li>2 tbsp peanut oil (or 1 cup for making prawn oil, optional)</li>



<li>6 spring onions, finely shredded</li>



<li>4 slices ginger</li>



<li>1 tbsp Shaoxing wine</li>



<li>salt, to season</li>



<li>1 tsp cornflour mixed into ¼ cup cold water</li>
</ul>
</div>



<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-method">
<ol>
<li>Peel and devein the prawns. Transfer the shells to a saucepan and add the 1 cup of oil. Place over high heat and bring the oil to 120C, or until the prawn shells start to sizzle. Cook the shells for 5 minutes then remove from the heat. Strain the shells and reserve the oil.</li>



<li>Heat a wok over high heat and add 2 tbsp of oil (or prawn oil). Add the prawns, season with salt and toss until barely cooked through. Remove from the wok.</li>



<li>Heat a little more oil if necessary and add the ginger and spring onions. Toss to combine and lightly char the spring onions, then add the prawns back to the wok. Season with salt and add the Shaoxing wine to the side of the wok directly onto the metal. Toss to combine again, then drizzle in a little of the cornflour mixture just to thicken any juices in the wok. Serve with steamed rice.</li>
</ol>
</div>



<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-tips"><h2>Tips</h2>
<ul>
<li>If you don't want to make the prawn oil, you can just use peeled prawns and ordinary vegetable oil (but making the oil adds a lot more flavour to the dish).</li>



<li>Butterflying the prawns will give them a meatier texture and mouthfeel, as well as making them look more substantial in the dish.</li>



<li>Don't skip the cornstarch step, as it is necessary to "stick" the flavour of the dish onto the prawns.</li>
</ul>
</div>




<p></p>




<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-video"><h2>Video</h2>
<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
https://youtu.be/asQMLzSQHrA
</div></figure>
</div>

Wok-fried prawns with ginger and spring onion

<p>This is easily the most common tofu dish we make at our house, and it never fails to convert anybody who might be suspicious of tofu (or worse still, claim that tofu is tasteless.)</p>



<p>From start to finish this literally can be done in 5 minutes.</p>




<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-ingredients">
<ul>
<li>1x 300g block silken tofu</li>



<li>1½ tbsp vegetable oil</li>



<li>4 cloves garlic, roughly chopped</li>



<li>½ small brown onion, finely diced</li>



<li>1 tbsp soy sauce</li>



<li>1 spring onion, thinly sliced</li>
</ul>
</div>



<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-method">
<ol>
<li>Turn the block of silken tofu out onto a plate, taking care not to break the block. If the tofu is set into the packet, it can help to run a sharp knife around the side.</li>



<li>Heat a small saucepan or wok over low-medium heat and add the oil, garlic and onion. Cook slowly for around 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally until the garlic and onion are browned and very fragrant. Remove from the heat and stir through the soy sauce. Pour the mixture over the top of the tofu, scatter with spring onions and serve immediately.</li>
</ol>
</div>



<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-tips"><h2>Tips</h2>
<ul>
<li>Some versions of this dish use a vinegar-based dressing instead.</li>



<li>In Japan, a similar dish is known as hiyayakko, and is cold silken tofu topped with grated ginger, bonito flakes and spring onion. It can be served with soy sauce or just with salt.</li>



<li>Different brands of tofu will have different textures. Find a brand you like and stick with it.</li>
</ul>
</div>




<p></p>




<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-video"><h2>Video</h2>
<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
https://youtu.be/JH9rHe6-Xyc
</div></figure>
</div>

Silken tofu with onion, garlic and soy sauce

<p>Stir-fried tomato and egg (番茄炒蛋) is probably the most popular home-cooked Chinese dishes of all, but it’s not one that’s often found at restaurants. That’s because it’s so simple that anyone can cook it, and so you don't need to go out for it.</p>



<p>If you want to learn how to cook Chinese dishes, start out with things like this and go for the restaurant-style dishes later.</p>



<p>Some say that this dish is the national dish of China, not just because it’s found all around the country, but also because it is the colours of the Chinese flag.</p>




<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-ingredients">
<ul>
<li>3 ripe tomatoes, roughly chopped</li>



<li>2 tbsp vegetable oil</li>



<li>½ tsp salt</li>



<li>¼ tsp sugar</li>



<li>2 spring onions, cut into 5cm lengths</li>



<li>½ tsp cornflour, mixed with a little cold water</li>



<li>5 eggs, beaten</li>
</ul>
</div>



<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-method">
<ol>
<li>Heat a wok over high heat and add 1 tbsp of oil. </li>



<li>Add the tomatoes and fry for about 2 minutes until they start to soften.</li>



<li>Add the salt, sugar, spring onions and ½ cup of water or stock.</li>



<li>When the spring onions soften, stir through enough of the cornflour slurry to thicken the tomato mixture to a saucy consistency. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary.</li>



<li>Remove the tomato mixture from the wok and rinse the wok. Return the wok to the heat and add the remaining oil.</li>



<li>Add the eggs and stir once every 15 seconds or so until the eggs set to the texture of a loose omelette.</li>



<li>Add the tomato mixture to the eggs and stir to combine. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary, then serve immediately.</li>
</ol>
</div>



<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-tips"><h2>Tips</h2>
<ul>
<li>Some people like to add cornstarch or sesame oil to the eggs as well.</li>



<li>It would be common to add a pinch of MSG to the tomatoes or eggs while cooking, but if you don't want to do that and still want more savouriness you can add a bit of chicken stock powder, or a dash of fish sauce or soy sauce instead.</li>



<li>Eat this with rice. That's what it's made for.</li>
</ul>
</div>




<p></p>




<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-video"><h2>Video</h2>
<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aJNNq_-vKEE
</div></figure>
</div>

Stir-fried Tomato and Egg

<p>If you’ve ever been on a bullet train in Japan, you’ve probably fallen in love<br>with these little finger-sized sandwiches that you can buy at the train station<br>before you get on board.</p>



<p>Katsusando is short for “cutlet sandwich” and it's a pork cutlet covered with tonkatsu sauce between two slices of thick, Japanese-style white bread. It sounds simple (and it is), but that's the beauty of it.</p>




<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-ingredients">
<ul>
<li>2 tbsp</li>



<li>salted butter, softened</li>



<li>12</li>



<li>thick slices soft, white bread (preferably Japanese-style shokupan)</li>



<li>¼ tsp karashi (Japanese mustard), or hot English mustard</li>



<li>¼ cup</li>



<li>Japanese mayonnaise (Kewpie or similar)</li>



<li>2 cups</li>



<li>finely shredded cabbage</li>



<li>4 cooked loin tonkatsu</li>



<li>¼ cup tonkatsu sauce, or express tonkatsu sauce (or you can use a bottled sauce like otafuku)</li>
</ul>
</div>



<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-method">
<ol>
<li>Butter the bread. Place three slices of bread side by side on a tea towel or piece of plastic wrap. </li>



<li>Mix together the mustard and mayonnaise and spread that mixture over the butter. </li>



<li>Place two tonkatsu along the length of the bread on the tea towel and cover the tonktasu generally with the tonkatsu sauce, top with a little shredded cabbage and place three further slices of bread on top (butter-down).</li>



<li>Fold the tea towel over the sandwiches and place a heavy chopping board on top to press them for 10 minutes. </li>



<li>Cut the crusts off each sandwich and then cut each into thirds. Repeat for the remaining bread and tonkatsu and serve.</li>
</ol>
</div>



<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-tips"><h2>Tips</h2>
<ul>
<li>Choose thick-sliced soft white bread. If the bread is sliced too thin, after it is pressed it will be too firm.</li>



<li>You can make this with fillet katsu (hirekatsu) as well, but you will need roughly 1.5 fillet katsu per sandwich as they are a different size.</li>



<li>There are lots of offcuts here (crusts, end pieces of the katsu) as a result of creating the perfectly aligned presentation. Don't let them go to waste. EAT THEM!</li>
</ul>
</div>




<p></p>




<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-video"><h2>Video</h2>
<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zvVUCbkc0eo
</div></figure>
</div>

Katsusando

<p>Katsudon is one of the most popular ways of eating katsu in Japan, but it hasn’t quite caught on abroad as much. I think it’s because of the idea of putting a crispy fried thing into a liquid that softens it isn’t often done in Western cooking. The idea, however, is quite common in Japanese cuisine and it is done so that the breading will absorb the flavour of the liquid while softening to a sticky, silky texture.</p>




<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-ingredients">
<ul>
<li>2 cooked tonkatsu, sliced</li>



<li>2 tbsp soy sauce</li>



<li>1 tbsp sake</li>



<li>1 tbsp mirin</li>



<li>2 tsp sugar</li>



<li>1 onion, peeled and thickly sliced</li>



<li>4 eggs, beaten</li>



<li>3-4 cups cooked Japanese rice</li>



<li>mitsuba, snow pea shoots or watercress, to serve</li>



<li>shichimi tougarashi (Japanese seven spice), to serve</li>



<li><strong>Cheat’s dashi</strong></li>



<li>1½ cups water</li>



<li>1½ tsp fish sauce</li>
</ul>
</div>



<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-method">
<ol>
<li>Make the cheat’s dashi by combining the ingredients together. Of course, you could use actual dashi or any other stock. Mix in the soy sauce, sake and mirin to create your seasoning liquid.</li>



<li>In a frying pan around the same diameter as your serving bowl, combine half the seasoning liquid, 1 tsp of sugar, and half the onion. Simmer until the onion softens, then place the sliced tonkatsu on top. Pour over half of the beaten egg and cover with a lid. Steam for just a minute or two until the egg begins to set.While the tonkatsu is steaming, place half of the rice into your serving bowl and flatten the top, leaving around 3cm at the top of the bowl for the katsu. When the egg is barely set, slide the entire contents of the pan on top of the rice. Garnish with mitsuba and sprinkle over a little shichimi tougarashi to serve.</li>
</ol>
</div>



<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-tips"><h2>Tips</h2>
<ul>
<li>Having a pan around the same size as the bowl is quite important, as the egg will set to the shape of the pan and you want it to cover the entire top of the bowl.</li>



<li>If I know I am going to make katsudon I will often fry my tonkatsu for a minute or two less, just so it doesn’t overcook while it’s steaming. This is not essential, however, as katsudon is often made from completely cooked tonkatsu.</li>



<li>The sugar can be added to the seasoning liquid but I find that it is easier to add to the pan as it will not fully dissolve in the cold liquid.</li>



<li>Make one serve of katsudon per pan. It is possible to make a larger serve and halve it, but it is frankly easier to make two bowl-sized servings.</li>



<li>If your katsu is too big for the pan, you can remove some of the slices before adding to the pan.</li>
</ul>
</div>




<p></p>




<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-video"><h2>Video</h2>
<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=voE-MBJqBVk
</div></figure>
</div>

How to make Katsudon

<p>Tonkatsu sauce is a sweet sauce made from fruits and vegetables that is a little like a thicker version of English Worcestershire sauce. While you can buy tonkatsu sauce in Japanese grocers under the Bulldog or Otafuku brands, high end tonkatsu places will always make their own. Try it yourself. This homemade version will change the way you look at tonkatsu.</p>




<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-ingredients">
<ul>
<li>Makes about 1L</li>



<li>½ cup white sugar, plus 2 tbsp extra</li>



<li>1 large onion, peeled and roughly chopped</li>



<li>1 carrot, roughly chopped</li>



<li>1 apple, cored and roughly chopped</li>



<li>1 peach, pit removed and roughly chopped</li>



<li>4 dates, seeds removed and roughly chopped</li>



<li>2 bay leaves</li>



<li>¼ tsp ground nutmeg</li>



<li>¼ tsp ground cloves</li>



<li>200 ml tomato passata</li>



<li>100 ml red wine</li>



<li>¼ cup rice vinegar</li>



<li>2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce</li>



<li>½ cup soy sauce</li>



<li>2 tbsp dark soy sauce</li>
</ul>
</div>



<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-method">
<ol>
<li>Combine the sugar with 2 tbsp water in a large non-reactive saucepan and place over high heat. Bring to a dark caramel, then add 150ml of water and stir to dissolve the caramel. Add the remaining 2 tbsp of sugar, the onion, carrot, apple, peach, dates, bay leaves, spices, tomato passata, red wine, rice vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce and dark soy sauce and bring to a simmer. Simmer covered for 30 mins until the fruits and vegetables are softened, then allow to cool to room temperature. Remove the bay leaves and blend in a high-speed blender until smooth. (Pass through a sieve if your blender is not fast enough to get the sauce smooth.)</li>



<li>Return the strained sauce to the saucepan and simmer until thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon while warm. Transfer to an airtight container and keep in the fridge for up to a month. Store in sterilised jars if keeping for more than 1 month.</li>
</ol>
</div>



<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-tips"><h2>Tips</h2>
<ul>
<li>Although inspired by Worcestershire sauce, tonkatsu sauce is much thicker. Its consistency can vary from something as thin as dark soy sauce, through to thick, ketchupy varieties. I prefer my tonkatsu sauce quite thick, but if you prefer a thinner sauce just dilute it with more water or other liquid ingredients.</li>



<li>You can try other fruits as well. Stonefruits like plum and apricot are also quite common.</li>



<li>This sauce keeps well, but if you aren’t eating tonkatsu all that often you can freeze half of it and thaw it later. As well as for tonkatsu you can also use this sauce for croquettes, hamburgers, okonomiyaki, takoyaki or even just as an ordinary barbecue sauce.</li>
</ul>
</div>




<p></p>




<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-video"><h2>Video</h2>
<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KemGT3NWmBo
</div></figure>
</div>

Homemade Tonkatsu Sauce

<p>Tonkatsu is a Japanese crumbed pork cutlet. A little like a German or Australian schnitzel, tonkatsu is one of the most popular forms of yōshoku (Western food incorporated into Japanese cuisine). You can find it in many forms - as curry, sandwiches, rice bowls etc. - but its most pure form is as a straight tonkatsu. Just the cutlet, served with shredded cabbage, a thick Worcestershire-like tonkatsu sauce, rice and miso soup on the side.</p>



<p>There's a bit of an art to making a great tonkatsu, and here's how you do it.</p>




<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-ingredients">
<ul>
<li>4 pork loin chops, bone removed, around 1-inch thick</li>



<li>1 cup plain flour</li>



<li>5 eggs, beaten</li>



<li>3 cups</li>



<li>panko breadcrumbs</li>



<li>approx. 1-2 L canola oil, for deep frying</li>



<li><strong>To serve</strong></li>



<li>cooked rice</li>



<li>¼ tsp hot English mustard</li>



<li>finely shredded cabbage</li>



<li>sliced cucumber</li>



<li>sliced tomato</li>



<li>lemon wedges</li>



<li>Japanese pickles (such as takuan)</li>



<li>miso soup</li>



<li><strong>Quick tonkatsu sauce</strong></li>



<li>½ cup tomato sauce (ketchup)</li>



<li>2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce</li>



<li>1 tbsp soy sauce</li>



<li>½ tsp English mustard</li>
</ul>
</div>



<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-method">
<ol>
<li></li>
</ol>
</div>



<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-tips"><h2>Tips</h2>
<ul>
<li>You can buy pre-made tonkatsu sauces from Japanese groceries which are excellent. The quick version given here is really just if you can't find it near you. My real preference, however, is to make my own tonkatsu sauce (recipe to follow).</li>



<li>You don't want to overcook your tonkatsu. Listen for when the meat starts to release its juices (the oil will start to sound very active) and remove the cutlet straight away.</li>



<li>Stay tuned to my YouTube channel for more tonkatsu recipes.</li>
</ul>
</div>




<p></p>




<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-video"><h2>Video</h2>
<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aASr5x0d3Ys
</div></figure>
</div>

How to make Tonkatsu

<p>Japanese curry is very different to most curries you might be familiar with. It takes a bit of French sauce technique and Japanese stewing technique and combines it for a unique style of curry where the European-style roux forms the base of a richly flavoured thick curry sauce that is used to coat the main ingredients.</p>



<p>Curry was introduced to Japan by the British navy which usually had canned curries for ocean voyages, and today it is often made from packaged curry roux blocks. If you want to try making it from scratch, here's how you do it.</p>




<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-ingredients">
<ul>
<li>1 kg beef chuck, cut into 3cm cubes</li>



<li>salt and pepper, to season</li>



<li>1 tbsp oil </li>



<li>75g unsalted butter</li>



<li>75g plain flour</li>



<li>3 tbsp curry powder (or 2 tbsp curry powder and 1 tbsp garam masala)</li>



<li>¼ tsp chilli powder (or to taste)</li>



<li>150g shimeji mushrooms, broken into clumps</li>



<li>1 large brown onion, thickly sliced</li>



<li>3 large carrots, peeled and cut into irregular chunks</li>



<li>2 sebago potatoes, peeled and cut into irregular chunks</li>



<li>2 tbsp tomato ketchup</li>



<li>1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce</li>



<li>1 tbsp soy sauce</li>



<li>1 tsp salt</li>



<li>1 apple, grated</li>



<li>Japanese pickles (rakkyo and fukujinzuke), to serve</li>



<li>cooked Japanese rice, to serve</li>
</ul>
</div>



<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-method">
<ol>
<li>Season the beef with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a large saucepan and fry the beef in batches until well browned. Return all of the beef to the saucepan and add around 2L of water to completely cover the meat. Bring to a simmer and simmer for 1 to 1.5 hours, skimming to remove any scum that forms on the surface.</li>



<li>When the beef is tender (but not falling apart), add in the potato and carrot and simmer for a further 15 minutes until the vegetables are tender. Remove from the heat and strain off the solids, reserving the stock.</li>



<li>Heat another large saucepan and add in the butter and flour. Stir with a wooden spoon to combine into a roux and cook until just starting to turn colour. Add in the curry powder, garam masala and chilli powder and stir for 1 minute. Add in the stock a ladle at a time until a smooth sauce develops. You can add more stock or water if it is too thick. Add the shimeji mushrooms, sliced onion, grated apple, and other remaining ingredients and simmer for 10 minutes until the onion is softened, stirring regularly to stop the sauce from sticking to the saucepan. Remove from the heat. Stir through the beef, potatoes and carrot, adjust seasoning for saltiness and allow to stand covered for at least 15 minutes before serving. Adjust seasoning (you will probably need to add some additional salt) and then serve with rice and pickles.</li>
</ol>
</div>



<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-tips"><h2>Tips</h2>
<ul>
<li>This version uses beef, but you could easily substitute any other meat or vegetable you like. If you use chicken the cooking time will be much shorter as you won't need to wait for the chicken to become tender as for the beef chuck.</li>



<li>Using a mixture of curry powder and garam masala will give a more fragrant curry with less heat.</li>



<li>If you can't find the rakkyo or fukujinzuke, try adding a few pickled cocktail onions instead.</li>



<li>Try making the sauce only and using that as a topping for a crumbed and fried pork cutlet for another Japanese favourite, katsu kare.</li>
</ul>
</div>




<p></p>




<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-video"><h2>Video</h2>
<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-YTmqExyU58
</div></figure>
</div>

Japanese Beef Curry

<h2>Ingredients</h2>



<p>600g pork belly, skin and bone removed, sliced into ½ cm wide strips</p>



<p>½ head of Chinese cabbage</p>



<p>1 tbsp sea salt</p>



<p>¼ tsp ground white pepper</p>



<p>2 tbsp sake</p>



<p>2 tbsp dried scallops (optional)</p>



<h4>Ponzu</h4>



<p>75ml sake</p>



<p>75ml&nbsp;mirin</p>



<p>¼&nbsp;tsp&nbsp;caster sugar</p>



<p>150ml light soy sauce</p>



<p>75ml freshly squeezed lemon juice</p>



<p>1 tsp sugar (or to taste)</p>



<h2>Method</h2>



<p>Very thinly slice the pork belly into long strips about the thickness of bacon. You can ask your butcher to do this for you, but if you’re doing it yourself, putting the pork in the freezer for about 1 hour before you start will make it easier to cut. Separate the leaves of the Chinese cabbage. Mix together the salt and white pepper. </p>



<p>Lay a large leaf of Chinese cabbage on a clean cutting board and lay over 2-3 strips of pork. Sprinkle with a little of the salt and pepper mix. You don’t need to cover all of the cabbage leaf. Lay another cabbage leaf over the pork in the opposite direction (the leafy end of the top leaf should be over the stem end of the bottom leaf) and lay over 2-3 more strips of pork and scatter with a little more of the salt and pepper mix. Repeat the process, alternating the direction of the cabbage leaves, and using more leaves per layer for the smaller leaves. You should end up with a large, even and tightly packed pile of layered cabbage and pork. </p>



<p>Cut the block into equal thirds crossways and pack the thirds into a heavy-bottomed casserole dish; enamelled cast iron would be perfect. </p>



<p>Place the lid on the pot and place over low heat for 1 hour without removing the cover. </p>



<p> For the ponzu, boil the sake and mirin together until just boiled. Stir through the soy sauce, lemon juice and sugar until the sugar is dissolved. Allow to cool. </p>



<p>Serve the millefeuille with the ponzu in individual bowls as a dipping sauce.   </p>




https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPQOTKxj63Y




<h2>Top Tips for Japanese Millefeuille</h2>



<ul><li>A lot of people have asked if you can use bacon for this instead of pork belly. The big difference between bacon and pork belly is of course that the bacon has already been cured. If using bacon, don't season with additional salt as it will be too salty. I would recommend using pork belly instead of bacon, as using bacon may be too heavy.</li><li>The pronunciation of this dish is from the Japanese, not the French. In French, the dish is pronounced as for "meal-foy", and in Japanese it is ミルフィユ, pronounced "mirufiyu".</li><li>Standing the cabbage and pork stack upright doesn't just look pretty, it's quite important to allow the steam to circulate. Otherwise the base of the dish will cook much faster than the top.</li></ul>

Japanese Pork and Cabbage Millefeuille with Ponzu

If you are short on time but still want a great bowl of laksa, here's how to turn a packet of instant noodles into an authentic-tasting Malaysian-style dish.


<h2>Ingredients</h2>
<ul>
 	<li>1 free-range egg</li>
 	<li>2 tsp vegetable oil</li>
 	<li>2 large prawns, peeled, shells reserved</li>
 	<li>½ tsp chilli powder</li>
 	<li>2 pcs fried fishcake*</li>
 	<li>4 pcs fried tofu puffs*</li>
 	<li>2 packets MAGGI Fusian Malaysian Laksa Soupy Noodles</li>
 	<li>½ cup beansprouts</li>
 	<li>1 tsp fried Asian shallots*</li>
 	<li>1 tbsp each Vietnamese mint and coriander (optional)</li>
 	<li>1 bird’s eye chilli, sliced (optional)</li>
 	<li>½ tsp sambal belacan* (optional)</li>
 	<li>* These ingredients are available from Asian grocers and some supermarkets.</li>
</ul>
<h2>Method</h2>
Bring a saucepan of water to the boil. Using a metal skewer poke a small hole in the base of the egg. Boil the egg for 8 minutes, then transfer to a bowl of iced water to cool completely. Peel the egg and cut in half.

While the egg is boiling, heat a separate small saucepan over medium heat and add the vegetable oil. Add the prawn shells and chilli powder fry until fragrant, then remove the shells and add 650ml of hot water. Bring to a boil, then add the fish cake and prawns and cook for about 2 seconds until the prawns are cooked through. Remove the fishcake and prawns from the pot and set aside.

Add the noodle cakes and cook for 2 minutes, then add the beansprouts and cook for a further minute. Remove everything to a bowl and stir through the flavour and creamer sachets from the noodle packets. Top with the prawn, fishcake, egg halves, herbs, chilli, fried shallots and sambal belacan. Serve immediately.

10-minute Chilli Prawn Laksa from Instant Noodles

Nagasaki champon is the most famous noodle dish from (obviously) Nagasaki in the south of Japan. When Japan went through its Sakoku isolation period from 1633 to 1853, Nagasaki was one of the only Japanese cities still open to international trade, so its cuisine became very influenced by Chinese food. These noodles are based on the Hokkien styles of noodle soups from Fujian, and the creaminess of the broth is actually achieved by adding milk. This instant noodle version is ready in in just 10 minutes.


<h2>Ingredients</h2>
2 tbsp vegetable oil

½ small onion

1 cup sliced cabbage

1 small carrot, sliced

100 g thinly sliced pork belly
6 prawns, peeled

100 g sliced squid, scored

8 slices pink and white Japanese fishcake (or naruto)

6 snow peas, halved

4 packets Maggi Fusian Teriyaki Soupy Noodle

½ cup milk

1 cup beansprouts
<h2>Method</h2>
Heat a wok over high heat, add the oil and fry the onion until fragrant. Add the cabbage and carrot and toss for a minute until the cabbage softens slightly. Add the pork, prawns, and fishcake and toss for about 1 minute. Add snow peas and fishcake, 5 cups of boiling water and the flavour sachets from the noodle packets.. Add the noodles and cook for 2 minutes until the noodles are softened, then stir through the milk and beansprouts. Serve immediately.

Instant Noodle Nagasaki Champon

Ramen School

<p>Shoyu ramen is one of the 4 basic ramen styles (along with shio, tonkotsu and miso) It’s a Tokyo style of ramen that uses soy sauce as the salty and umami base of the tare. Here’s how to make it.</p>




<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-ingredients">
<ul>
<li><strong>Shoyu Tare</strong></li>



<li>150 ml shoyu</li>



<li>60 ml sake</li>



<li>85 ml mirin</li>



<li>30 g sugar</li>



<li>40 g salt</li>



<li>250 ml Rich Double Soup</li>



<li>5 ml rice vinegar</li>



<li><strong>Aromatic Garlic Oil</strong></li>



<li>300 ml rendered pork fat</li>



<li>50 ml canola oil</li>



<li>15 ml sesame oil</li>



<li>10 cloves garlic, lightly crushed</li>



<li><strong>Noodles and Toppings</strong></li>



<li>ramen noodles – straight, cooked to your liking</li>



<li>chashu</li>



<li>ajitama (ramen eggs)</li>



<li>menma (pickled bamboo shoots)</li>



<li>spring onions, thinly sliced</li>
</ul>
</div>



<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-method">
<ol>
<li>For the Shoyu Tare, combine the ingredients except the rice vinegar in a saucepan and bring to a simmer. Simmer for 15 minutes, allow to cool. Then strain and add the vinegar.</li>



<li>For the Aromatic Oil bring the oils to 200C and add the onions and garlic. Stir until the onions are browned, then strain and allow to cool.</li>



<li>For each bowl of ramen use 480ml hot double Soup, 60ml of shoyu tare, 40ml of aromatic garlic oil. Add the noodles, arrange the toppings on top and serve.</li>
</ol>
</div>



<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-tips"><h2>Tips</h2>
<ul>
<li>Ramen toppings can vary a lot but other common toppings for shoyu ramen include naruto (pink and white fish cake) and komatsuna (a kind of Japanese leaf mustard).</li>



<li>I don’t like to overdo the shoyu in the tare, but if you prefer a more pronounced soy sauce flavour you can replace some of the salt with extra soy sauce.</li>



<li>Adjust the amount of tare and oil to your own taste. If you prefer it a little saltier, add more tare. If you like it lighter, add less oil.</li>
</ul>
</div>




<p></p>




<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-video"><h2>Video</h2>
<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
https://youtu.be/0Dv7zfWS3EQ
</div></figure>
</div>

Ramen School 007: Garlic Shoyu Ramen

<p>n the first Ramen School video we went through the process of making a very basic ramen soup base using the "double soup" method. This time we're going to use the same method, but ramping things up a bit for a more complex soup base. Using different ingredients requires a slightly different process, and of course a different length of time to get the best out of them.</p>



<p>This soup base is deeper in colour, richer in texture and will be stronger tasting than our first soup base. This would be more suited to a more strongly flavoured ramen, and next week I'll show you how to turn this base into Garlic Shoyu ramen.</p>




<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-ingredients">
<ul>
<li><strong>Meat broth</strong></li>



<li>1 kg chicken frames</li>



<li>2 kg pork leg bones</li>



<li>2 kg pork neck/back bones</li>



<li>700 g chicken feet</li>



<li>700 g halved pork trotters</li>



<li>440 g brown onions, halved unpeeled</li>



<li>400 g carrots</li>



<li>100 g shiitake mushrooms</li>



<li><strong>Gyokai - Seafood Broth</strong></li>



<li>25 g kombu</li>



<li>20 g dried fish maw</li>



<li>75 g dried prawns</li>



<li>30 g dried sardines, cleaned (pick the black belly and head away from the meat and spine)</li>
</ul>
</div>



<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-method">
<ol>
<li>Combine meat ingredients in a pot and cover with 8L water. Bring to a simmer and simmer uncovered for 75 minutes, skimming any scum that rises to the surface. Add the onions, carrots, shiitake mushrooms and simmer for a further 5 hours. Measure. Strain, and press the bones into the sieve to extract the flavour.</li>



<li>Soak the kombu in 3L cold water and refrigerate for 1 hour (that is what my notes say, but I don’t remember this). Slowly bring to a simmer over low heat over the course of about an hour, removing the kombu when it steams. Boil, then add the remaining ingredients and simmer for 45 minutes. Turn off heat and strain.</li>



<li>Combine the soups and reduce by 1/3.</li>
</ol>
</div>



<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-tips"><h2>Tips</h2>
<ul>
<li>The most common are where people go wrong with ramen soups is not reducing them far enough. It's understandable, as it takes a lot of time and also reduces yield, but the more concentrated your soup base is the stronger the flavour will be.</li>



<li>After cooling, you can take any fat that solidifies on top of the soup and add that to your aromatic oil for ramen.</li>



<li>As with all ramen recipes, any of these ingredients can be substituted for others. Watch the video to see why we're using specific ingredients to understand the effect of changing one ingredient for another.</li>
</ul>
</div>




<p></p>




<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-video"><h2>Video</h2>
<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zM52pKvBCU0
</div></figure>
</div>

Ramen School 006: Rich Double Soup for Ramen

This blood orange version of Spanish quince paste is not difficult to make, but it does take a bit of time. It's a brilliant accompaniment with strong cheeses. I particularly like it with blue cheese or good quality cheddar.


<h2>Ingredients</h2>
3 whole blood oranges (approx. 500g)

juice of 4 blood oranges (250ml)

200g caster sugar
<h2>Method</h2>
Boil whole unpeeled oranges for 1 hour. Combine with the strained juice in a blender and puree to a smooth puree (peel, pith seeds and all). Place the puree in a clean saucepan and add 200g sugar. Cover partially with a lid and cook for about 90 minutes, stirring occasionally until thickened, glossy and starting to hold together in a mass, pulling away from the sides of the pot.

Transfer the paste to a small tray or bowl lined with baking paper. The amount of paste should be around 300-400 ml and the container should be small enough so that the membrillo forms a layer of around 2 cm thickness. Smooth the top and transfer to an oven set to 80C fan-forced. Dry for around 5 hours then refrigerate overnight. Turn the membrillo out onto a second tray (the dry top will be on the bottom and the undried base will not be exposed to the air). Allow to dry overnight again. Slice and serve with cheese. Keep the membrillo in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 months.
<h2>Top Tips for Blood Orange Membrillo</h2>
<ul>
 	<li>If you can't wait for this to dry, it is perfectly delicious as a wet paste as well.</li>
 	<li>The paste can be tricky to handle until it is set, but after it has dried it will not be so sticky.</li>
 	<li>You can use a combination of citrus rather than just blood oranges.</li>
</ul>

Blood orange membrillo

Furikake is one of the most underrated Japanese foods. This is mainly because it’s not often served in restaurants, but you’d be unlikely to find a Japanese family who didn’t have furikake in their cupboard at home. It’s the ultimate convenience food, turning plain rice into a quick meal in seconds. It's a rice seasoning and we use it every single day, either just scattered over steamed rice or moulded into onigiri – rice balls. Just scatter a bit of furikake over some rice, mould it into a ball and wrap with a little nori.


<h2>Ingredients</h2>
½ cup large dried shrimp

2 sheets nori

½ cup katsuobushi (bonito flakes)

1 tsp salt

½ tsp sugar

2 tbsp shiokombu

2 tbsp aonori (dried sea lettuce flakes)

2 tbsp toasted sesame seeds

All these ingredients are available from Asian grocery stores.
<h2>Method</h2>
Place the shrimp in the small blending bowl of the Vitamix Ascent high-performance blender and blend to a coarse but fluffy texture. Transfer to a bowl. Toast the nori by waving it over an open flame until it becomes brittle. Crumble it into the blending bowl and add the bonito flakes and salt. Blend to a coarse powder and remove to the same bowl as the shrimp. Add the shiokombu to the blending bowl and pulse until roughly chopped. Combine together with the remaining ingredients and mix well. Transfer to a press-seal bag. The furikake will keep at room temperature for about 6 months.
<h2>Top Tips for Furikake</h2>
<ul>
 	<li>Keep your furikake dry for storage. You can save a little pouch of silica gel from your nori and store it together with the furikake if you like.</li>
 	<li>Taste your furikake.  It should be salty and umami with a touch of sweetness.</li>
 	<li>Try other dried seafood for your furikake too. I like to use dried scallops, sardines and other dried seaweeds.</li>
</ul>

Dried shrimp and seaweed furikake

<p>If you aren't sure you want to spend hours (days!) making shoyu ramen from scratch, here's a recipe using instant noodles that is ready in just 10 minutes. It includes all of the 5 basic elements of ramen (Broth, Noodles, Tare, Oil and Toppings) and is an excellent way to upscale your instant noodles into a proper ramen fix.</p>



<p>This post is brought to you by Maggi's Fusian Teriyaki Soupy Noodle.</p>




<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-ingredients">
<ul>
<li>1 free-range egg</li>



<li>2 tsp vegetable oil</li>



<li>2 cloves garlic, finely chopped</li>



<li>½ tsp sesame oil</li>



<li>30 g thinly sliced pork belly</li>



<li>2 packets MAGGI Fusian Japanese Teriyaki Soupy Noodles</li>



<li>2 spring onions, thinly sliced</li>



<li>¼ sheet nori</li>



<li>approx. 1 tbsp menma (Japanese pickled bamboo shoots)</li>



<li>a pinch of toasted sesame seeds (optional)</li>
</ul>
</div>



<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-method">
<ol>
<li>Bring a saucepan of water to the boil. Using a metal skewer poke a small hole in the base of the egg. Boil the egg for 6 minutes, then transfer to a bowl of iced water to cool completely. Peel the egg and cut in half.</li>



<li>While the egg is boiling, heat a separate small saucepan over medium heat and add the vegetable oil. Add the garlic and fry until fragrant and lightly browned, then add the sesame oil and 600ml of hot water. Bring to a boil, then add the pork belly and cook for about 30 seconds until the pork is cooked through. Remove the pork from the pot with chopsticks and set aside.</li>



<li>Add the soup and sauce sachets from the noodles to the pot, then add the noodle cakes and cook for 3 minutes. Remove everything to a bowl and top with the pork belly, egg halves, spring onions, menma and sprinkle with spring onions and sesame seeds. Serve immediately.</li>
</ol>
</div>



<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-tips"><h2>Tips</h2>
<ul>
<li>Cooking from a packet doesn' t mean you aren't still cooking. Taste the broth and season it to your liking. It may need a little more soy sauce, or a pinch of salt.</li>



<li>If you aren't using a packet specifically made for soup noodles, you might want to start with stock instead of water for extra taste.</li>



<li>I tend to use a little less water than the packet recommends, as I prefer the soup thicker and stronger tasting.</li>
</ul>
</div>




<p></p>




<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-video"><h2>Video</h2>
<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
https://youtu.be/231z7uDBh9Q
</div></figure>
</div>

Ramen School 005: Shoyu Ramen in 10 Minutes

<p>Afuri is one of Tokyo's most famous ramen restaurants. Their signature ramen is the a Yuzu Shio style of ramen (yuzu is a type of Japanese citrus, and 'shio' is the Japanese term for salt. This isn't intended to be a copycat recipe, but I think it's useful to have a guide to work toward when experimenting with ramen, to see how the process of making each of the elements of ramen can lead you toward a specific result.</p>



<p>In this recipe we will use a lot of the different ramen elements that we have made in previous episodes - namely the Basic Chintan broth, rolled Chashu and Ramen eggs.</p>



<p>Below are the additional elements we'll need to make the tare (sauce) and the aromatic oil.</p>




<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-ingredients">
<ul>
<li>1 quantity Basic Chintan broth</li>



<li>1 piece rolled pork belly Chashu</li>



<li>fresh ramen noodles (around 180g per person)</li>



<li>menma</li>



<li>nori, cut into 10 cm x 5 cm pieces</li>



<li>2-day cured ajitama (ramen eggs), halved</li>



<li>1 quantity Basic Chintan broth</li>



<li>1 piece rolled pork belly Chashu</li>



<li>fresh ramen noodles (around 180g per person)</li>



<li>menma</li>



<li>nori, cut into 10 cm x 5 cm pieces</li>



<li>2-day cured ajitama (ramen eggs), halved</li>



<li>Shio Tare</li>



<li>60 ml sake</li>



<li>100 ml mirin</li>



<li>20 g sugar</li>



<li>75 g salt</li>



<li>250 ml Basic Chintan broth</li>



<li>10 ml rice vinegar</li>



<li>juice of 1 yuzu (optional)</li>



<li>Aromatic Oil</li>



<li>50 ml rendered chicken fat, chopped</li>



<li>150 g solid pork fat, chopped</li>



<li>75 ml canola oil</li>



<li>5 spring onions, cut into 2cm pieces</li>



<li>rind from ½ yuzu</li>



<li>60 ml sake</li>



<li>100 ml mirin</li>



<li>20 g sugar</li>



<li>75 g salt</li>



<li>250 ml Basic Chintan broth</li>



<li>10 ml rice vinegar</li>



<li>juice of 1 yuzu (optional)</li>



<li><strong>Aromatic Oil</strong></li>



<li>50 ml rendered chicken fat, chopped</li>



<li>150 g solid pork fat, chopped</li>



<li>75 ml canola oil</li>



<li>5 spring onions, cut into 2cm pieces</li>



<li>rind from ½ yuzu</li>
</ul>
</div>



<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-method">
<ol>
<li>For the Shio Tare, combine the ingredients except the rice vinegar in a saucepan and bring to a simmer. Simmer for 15 minutes, allow to cool. Then strain and add the vinegar and yuzu juice (if using).</li>



<li>For the Aromatic Oil combine all the ingredients except the yuzu in a saucepan and bring to a simmer over low-medium heat. Simmer for about 25 minutes until the oil is rendered and the spring onions are starting to brown. Remove from the heat, strain and pour over the et aside.</li>



<li>To assemble the ramen, bring the broth to a simmer. In a separate pot, bring ample water to the boil for cooking the noodles. Take a slice of chashu around ½ cm thick and grill it until hot and the fat is bubbling.</li>



<li>Add the noodles to a noodle strainer and plunge into the boiling water. Stir vigorously with chopsticks for about 10 seconds to separate the noodles. Cook for 3 minutes or until the noodles are cooked to your preferred texture, then remove them from the water, shaking to remove any water trapped between the noodles.</li>



<li>Heat your noodle bowl by filling it with hot broth, then pour the broth back into the heating pot. Add 480ml of Chintan broth to the bowl then add 40ml of the Shio Tare and 30 ml of the Aromatic Oil (you can vary the proportions here to taste, but the broth should be quite salty before the noodles are added).</li>



<li>Add the noodles to the broth, lifting them up with chopsticks and laying them back down into the soup. Top with the menma, egg,</li>
</ol>
</div>



<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-tips"><h2>Tips</h2>
<ul>
<li>If you can't find yuzu, just leave it out. While it is similar to lemon in its aroma, it is not necessary for this dish. Focus instead on getting a good balance of seasoning into the broth and tare.</li>



<li>Good quality ramen noodles are best freshly made, but if you don't have any producers of fresh noodles in your area, you can get excellent results with frozen noodles. (Or stay tuned to my YouTube channel where I will be showing you how to make noodles from scratch.)</li>



<li>Menma, nori and mizuna can be found at Japanese grocers.</li>
</ul>
</div>




<p></p>




<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-video"><h2>Video</h2>
<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V4iVfedppEs
</div></figure>
</div>

Ramen School 004: Afuri-style Yuzu Shio Ramen

<p>The key to ramen eggs (known in Japanese as ajitsuke tamago 味付け卵) is that they aren't just flavoured by their marinade. The salty and sweet marinade actually acts as a cure to firm the whites and yolks, and give the yolks a savoury and jammy taste and consistency, which is a much better texture for ramen. Two days curing is about right for curing ramen eggs, but you can go more or less depending on the levels of salt and sugar in the liquid.</p>




<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-ingredients">
<ul>
<li>6-8 eggs</li>



<li>1 cup chashu braising liquid (or 1 cup homemade teriyaki sauce)</li>



<li><strong>Alternative</strong>:</li>



<li>½ cup soy sauce</li>



<li>¼ cup mirin</li>



<li>¼ cup sake</li>



<li>any aromatics, dried shiitake mushrooms or dried seafood you might like</li>
</ul>
</div>



<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-method">
<ol>
<li>Prick a hole in the base of the egg. Bring a pot of water to the boil, add the eggs, reduce the heat and simmer for 6 minutes. Remove to a bowl of iced water and allow to cool completely.</li>



<li>Combine the eggs with the chashu braising liquid and 2 cups of water. Refrigerate for 48 hours. Serve with ramen. Alternatively, bring the mirin and sake to the boil and flambe. Add soy sauce and 2 cups of water, plus any dried aromatics, shiitake mushrooms or seafood you might like. Add eggs and refrigerate for 2 days.</li>
</ol>
</div>



<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-tips"><h2>Tips</h2>
<ul>
<li>When cutting the eggs in half, the yolks are likely to stick to the knife. Use a wet knife to minimise this, or do as ramen shops do and cut the eggs with a piece of string or fishing line.</li>



<li>Some common flavourings that can be added to the steeping liquid are: dried shiitake mushrooms, dried sardines or anchovies, bonito flakes, kombu, and even onion and garlic.</li>



<li>Ramen eggs will keep for around 4 days refrigerated in their liquid or out of it. The eggs will likely be fully cured after 2 days.</li>
</ul>
</div>




<p></p>




<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-video"><h2>Video</h2>
<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F9IepMO2DIc
</div></figure>
</div>

Ramen School 003: Ajitama (Ramen Eggs)

<p>Chashu is easily the most popular topping for ramen. Pork (usually belly) is simmered in a sweetened soy-based broth, then chilled, sliced and often grilled. This recipe shows three different styles of chashu cooked together, but of course you could just pick one style and focus on that.</p>




<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-ingredients">
<ul>
<li>1 kg pork belly, rolled</li>



<li>1 kg pork belly, unrolled</li>



<li>1 kg pork neck, untied</li>



<li>1 piece kombu</li>



<li>6 shiitake mushrooms</li>



<li>1 tsp salt</li>



<li>100 g sugar</li>



<li>150 ml soy sauce</li>



<li>100 ml dark soy sauce</li>



<li>125 ml mirin</li>



<li>125 ml sake</li>
</ul>
</div>



<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-method">
<ol>
<li>Tie the pork belly in a roll. Place into pot, cover cold water and bring to a boil. Simmer for 20 minutes.</li>



<li>Remove the pork from the water and rinse well under running water. Rinse the pot and remove any scum.</li>



<li>Return the pork to the clean pot and add the kombu and shiitake mushrooms. Add water to cover, then bring to the boil, removing the kombu when the water starts to steam. Add the sugar and salt, reduce to a simmer and add a drop lid. Simmer covered for 1 hour, then add the soy sauce, mirin and sake. Simmer for a further hour.</li>



<li>Remove the unrolled pork belly after 90 minutes total simmering time. And the pork neck and rolled pork belly after 2 hours. Refrigerate overnight until well chilled. Slice and serve.</li>
</ol>
</div>



<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-tips"><h2>Tips</h2>
<ul>
<li>Don't skip the chilling process. The chashu is very soft when cooked and will easily break apart if sliced while warm.</li>



<li>You can play around with the proportions for this recipe to suit your taste, or the style of ramen you are wanting to make.</li>



<li>Don't discard the simmering liquid. It can be used to make ramen eggs (ajitama) or braising other meats.</li>
</ul>
</div>




<p></p>




<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-video"><h2>Video</h2>
<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=83zf7vHiXUo
</div></figure>
</div>

Ramen School 002: Three Styles of Chashu

<p>On my YouTube channel I'm starting a new series on how to make ramen at home.&nbsp;Be warned, it's not a short process but I wanted to show you the theory behind ramen so that you can produce your own, authentic and unique ramen rather than just following recipes. Hopefully through these videos you'll understand the basics of what makes a great bowl of ramen.</p>



<p>A bowl of true ramen contains 5 elements:</p>



<ol>
<li>Broth</li>



<li>Noodles</li>



<li>Tare</li>



<li>Oil</li>



<li>Toppings</li>
</ol>



<p>Let's start at the beginning with how to make a simple clear broth for ramen. This is a base for so many different types of clear ramen, like shio-ramen and shoyu-ramen.</p>




<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-ingredients">
<ul>
<li><strong>Meat Stock</strong></li>



<li>2200 g whole old chicken</li>



<li>500 g chicken feet</li>



<li>700 g halved pork trotters</li>



<li>440 g (2pc) brown onions, halved</li>



<li>400 g (2pc) carrots</li>



<li>100 g (1pc) whole head garlic</li>



<li>60 g unpeeled sliced ginger</li>



<li>9000 ml water</li>



<li><strong>Basic Dashi</strong></li>



<li>17 g (2pc) kombu</li>



<li>45 g katsuobushi</li>



<li>3000 ml water</li>
</ul>
</div>



<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-method">
<ol>
<li>Cut chickens into 6-8 pieces, breaking bones. Cut nails from chicken feet. Place the chicken and pork in a large pot and cover with 9L water. Bring to a simmer. Skim to remove scum, then turn heat to very low (below simmer) and simmer uncovered for 4 hours. Should yield around 7L, but measure. Strain and refrigerate. Skim off solidified fat for use in aromatic oil.</li>



<li>For the dashi, soak the kombu in 3L cold water while chicken stock is cooking. Slowly bring to a simmer, removing the kombu when it steams. Boil, then add the katsuoboshi. Turn off heat. Strain, and mix with the chicken soup. If preferred, you can reduce this mixed soup further to intensify the flavour and texture of the soup.</li>
</ol>
</div>



<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-tips"><h2>Tips</h2>
<ul>
<li>It's really important that the broth doesn't come to a vigorous boil. Boiling will cause fat particles to emulsify into the soup to create a cloudy soup.</li>



<li>The proportions in this recipe are by no means the only way to make ramen broth. You can change the proportions (and even the ingredients) to vary your broth in many different ways.</li>



<li>This process is known as the "double soup" method, where a meat-based soup and dried seafood-based soup are mixed together. This is generally the preferred method for making ramen broth as taught by the Yamato ramen school and practiced in the majority of ramen-ya in Japan.</li>
</ul>
</div>




<p></p>




<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-video"><h2>Video</h2>
<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nscTA7QxryM
</div></figure>
</div>

Ramen School 001: Basic Clear Ramen Broth

<p>Spaghetti bolognese is the one dish that no Australian needs to be told how to make. Every family and every person has their own way of doing it. And often more than one.</p>



<p>An Australian spaghetti bolognese is nothing like the Italian dish(es) that inspired it more than half a century ago. Often made with beef, it's thick and meaty and often more about the meat than any tomatoes.</p>



<p>But rather than just making it the same way you always have done, what if you could take a dish you know inside out and change it to suit your changing tastes?</p>



<p>For this bolognese recipe I really wanted to focus on the tomato sauce. I love a meaty bolognese, but when you want something a little lighter a simple tomato based pasta, lightly accented with meat, is a great option. I also wanted a smoother texture, rather than having chunks of celery through the bolognese.</p>



<p>I settled on making two main changes to how I would usually make bolognese. Firstly, pureeing the battuto ingredients rather than roughly chopping them gives an effect similar to a rempah in Malaysian cuisine, adding richness to the sauce. And secondly, stirring through a puree of raw cherry tomatoes at the end adds freshness to the rich ragu.</p>



<p>Makes about 1L of sauce (enough for 6-8 people)</p>




<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-ingredients">
<ul>
<li>1 carrot, stalk removed and roughly diced</li>



<li>1 large brown onion, peeled and roughly diced</li>



<li>1 stalk celery</li>



<li>6 cloves garlic</li>



<li>a handful of parsley (optional)</li>



<li>½ cup olive oil</li>



<li>500 g mixed veal and pork mince, or 250g each beef mince and pork mince</li>



<li>700ml tomato passata</li>



<li>1 tsp salt</li>



<li>1 cup whole cherry tomatoes</li>



<li><strong>To serve</strong></li>



<li>pasta of your choosing</li>



<li>extra-virgin olive oil</li>



<li>freshly grated parmesan cheese</li>



<li>black pepper</li>
</ul>
</div>



<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-method">
<ol>
<li>Combine the onion, celery, carrot, garlic and parsley (if using) in a Vitamix high-performance blender and blend to a smooth puree.</li>



<li>Heat a heavy saucepan over medium heat and add the oil. Fry the puree (called a battuto or soffritto) for about 15 minutes, stirring regularly so that it doesn’t burn. Add the mince and cook for a further 5 minutes until browned. Add the passata, salt and 300ml of water. Cover and simmer for 1.5-2 hours, stirring occasionally.</li>



<li>To finish the sauce, puree the cherry tomatoes and stir the puree through the warm sauce just before serving.</li>



<li>To prepare the pasta, cook about 100g of dried pasta per person in plenty of salted water until al dente (around 1 minute less than the packet directions). Heat a large frying pan over medium heat and add about 1-2 tbsp of olive oil or butter per person (or a combination of the two). Add the cooked pasta and ladle over the sauce, stir to mix well then transfer to serving plates and top with freshly grated parmesan cheese and freshly ground black pepper.</li>
</ol>
</div>



<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-tips"><h2>Tips</h2>
<ul>
<li>Even though bolognese is made with mince, you really want to make sure the meat cooks for long enough to break down connective tissue and contribute gelatine to the sauce. It's a real bonus for mouthfeel.</li>



<li>Finish pasta in a frying pan rather than just pouring a sauce over noodles. Finishing over heat in a pan allows the noodles to absorb some of the sauce, which provides a lot more flavour.</li>



<li>In Malaysian cuisine the pureed aromatics is known as a rempah, and it's essential to cook it for a long time to develop the flavour. The same goes for mirepoix, soffrito and battuto as well. Keep stirring in plenty of oil until the aroma really develops.</li>



<li>Battuto of pureed vegetables. Cook the battuto for at least 10 minutes, stirring frequently to develop the aromatics.</li>



<li>Pureed cherry tomatoes add freshness to the long-cooked ragu.</li>
</ul>
</div>




<p></p>




<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-video"><h2>Video</h2></div>

Better bolognese

<p>Literally meaning “pock-marked old lady tofu” this dish has to have one of the least complimentary names in all of Chinese food. It uses Chengdu’s famous Pixian chilli bean paste -豆瓣酱, sold in English as tobanjian, doubanjiang or other variations, this has become a classic of Sichuan cookery. It’s very easy to make, too.</p>




<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-ingredients">
<ul>
<li>600g firm tofu</li>



<li>200g beef mince</li>



<li>4 tbsp canola or peanut oil</li>



<li>¼ cup doubanjiang (Sichuan chilli bean sauce)</li>



<li>2 tbsp salted black beans</li>



<li>1 tsp chilli powder (optional)</li>



<li>4 cloves garlic minced</li>



<li>1 tbsp grated ginger</li>



<li>6 thick spring onions, cut into 5cm lengths</li>



<li>salt and sugar, to season</li>



<li>1 tsp cornflour mixed with 2 tbsp cold water</li>



<li>1 tsp ground Sichuan pepper, to serve</li>
</ul>
</div>



<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-method">
<ol>
<li>Bring a pot of water to just below a simmer and season lightly with salt. Cut the tofu into 2.5cm cubes and add to the water. Heat gently for about 10-15 minutes.</li>



<li>Heat a wok over high heat and add a tablespoon or two of the oil. Fry the beef mince until well browned then remove from the wok and set aside. Add the remaining oil to the wok and fry the tobanjiang until the oil turns red. Add the black beans, chilli powder (if using), garlic and ginger and fry for about a minute until fragrant.</li>



<li>Drain the tofu and add it to the wok, along with 1-2 cups of water. Stir gently and bring to a simmer. Add the fried beef and spring onion and simmer for about 5 minutes, until the onion is softened. Adjust for seasoning with salt and sugar as required, and then thicken the mixture with the cornflour slurry, adding a little at a time so that the sauce is thickened and silky, but not gloopy. Transfer to a serving boal and serve scattered with ground Sichuan pepper.</li>
</ol>
</div>



<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-tips"><h2>Tips</h2>
<ul>
<li>You can use pork mince if you prefer, but beef is more traditional.</li>



<li>Try to use a firm tofu that holds its shape but is still tender. You don't want the tofu to be too hard, but you also don't want it breaking apart to much in the dish.</li>



<li>The doubanjiang chilli bean paste can vary a lot between brands - both in texture and in taste. Make sure you adjust the seasoning with salt and/or sugar if needed before serving.</li>
</ul>
</div>




<p></p>




<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-video"><h2>Video</h2>
<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
https://youtu.be/SwET7xWuY-g
</div></figure>
</div>

Authentic Mapo Tofu

<p>Meaning "cook-sell" these dumplings are said to get their name from being so delicious they are sold as soon as you cook them.</p>



<p>The key to a good siu mai is having the pork filling in large enough pieces to give them a meaty, instead of a mince-y texture, and enough fat to keep them moist.</p>



<p>Often made with a mixture of chopped lean pork and pork fat, using pork belly gives you the perfect combination. Roughly chop it, don't mince it.</p>




<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-ingredients">
<ul>
<li>800g skinless pork belly</li>



<li>1 tsp salt</li>



<li>1 tbsp light soy sauce</li>



<li>1 tbsp Shaoxing wine</li>



<li>3 tsp caster sugar</li>



<li>¼ cup chicken stock</li>



<li>400g raw peeled prawn meat, roughly chopped</li>



<li>2 spring onions (white and light green part), finely chopped (about ½ a cup)</li>



<li>6 dried shiitake mushrooms, soaked in hot water and finely diced</li>



<li>2 tbsp minced ginger</li>



<li>50 square wonton wrappers (yellow egg pastry)</li>



<li>flying fish roe, crab roe or finely diced carrot</li>
</ul>
</div>



<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-method">
<ol>
<li>Slice the pork belly in 1cm wide slices, then cut across the slices into 1cm pieces. Roughly chop the pork with a cleaver. There should still be large pieces of pork visible, rather than a mince. Add the pork to the bowl of a stand mixer with the beater attachment. Add the salt, soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, and sugar. Beat the pork at low speed at first, gradually increasing it so that the mixture doesn’t spill, for about 10-15 minutes. Gradually add the stock to the pork mixture.</li>



<li>Add the prawn and mix through the pork at low speed. Then add the spring onion, mushrooms, and ginger, if using. Combine at low speed. Rest in the fridge for 30 minutes. Taste the filling and adjust the seasoning if necessary. If you don’t want to taste the raw filling, just steam a little of it and taste that.</li>



<li>With a circular pastry cutter that just fits inside the square wrapper, cut a circle and discard the outside. Take a wonton wrapper and with a butter knife or small spatula, place a small amount of filling in the centre of a wrapper. Gather the pastry around the filling and continue adding more filling with the knife or spatula, pushing the filling down tightly to ensure there are no air bubbles. Once the wrapper is gathered into a filled cylinder shape, tap the base against your board to flatten it, and place onto a baking tray lined with baking paper. Top each dumpling with a little roe or a small piece of carrot. Rest the dumplings in the fridge for at least 30 minutes before cooking. Repeat until all the filling is used up. Sit a steamer over boiling water and steam the siu mai for 8-12 minutes.</li>
</ol>
</div>



<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-tips"><h2>Tips</h2>
<ol>
<li>Use pork belly to get the right mixture of fat and meat in the dumpling to give it it's signature texture. Kneading the filling in a stand mixer will help it stick together and stay moist by helping to create a net of proteins released from mixing the meat.</li>



<li>This is traditionally a very simple dumpling, so you can leave out the aromatics like ginger and spring onion if you like. You can even leave out the mushrooms and just keep the filling as meat and prawn.</li>



<li>Freeze the siu mai while raw, and to cook you can steam them directly from frozen. It will take 12-15 minutes if steaming from frozen.</li>
</ol>
</div>




<p></p>




<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-video"><h2>Video</h2></div>

How to make Yum cha-style Siu Mai

<p>You may have seen similar dishes to this called ‘almond tofu’, ‘annin doufu’ or ‘almond pudding’. These are usually made with milk or cream flavoured with almond essence, or from almond milk. Those modern versions are delicious, but this Chinese dish is traditionally made not with almonds but with apricot kernels of two different varieties.</p>



<p>Both northern and southern apricot kernels have a strong almond-like aroma, but southern apricot kernels are sweeter, while northern apricot kernels are more bitter and aromatic. Use a blend of kernels to get the best flavour.</p>



<p>Although they are a traditional food and medicine in China, northern apricot kernels may contain potentially dangerous natural compounds, so they must be heated before eating. Don’t be tempted to snack on the raw kernels.</p>




<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-ingredients">
<ul>
<li>160 g southern apricot kernels</li>



<li>50 g northern apricot kernels</li>



<li>1 L water</li>



<li>100 g sugar</li>



<li>3 tsp gelatine powder</li>



<li><strong>Stewed Longans</strong></li>



<li>80 g dried longans</li>



<li>500 ml water</li>



<li>1 tbsp honey</li>



<li>1 tbsp sugar</li>



<li>2 pcs dried tangerine peel</li>
</ul>
</div>



<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-method">
<ol>
<li>Combine the kernels and water together in a Vitamix high-performance blender and blend for 1 minute. Allow to stand for 5 minutes then blend again for 30 seconds. If using a normal blender, soak the kernels overnight (or for at least 1 hour) before blending.</li>



<li>Pour ½ a cup of the mixture into a small bowl and mix through the gelatine. Transfer the remainder to a saucepan and add the sugar. Bring to a simmer and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring often and taking care that it doesn’t boil over. Add the gelatine mixture into the hot liquid and whisk for a further 5 minutes until the gelatine is dissolved. Remove from the heat and strain through a fine sieve or muslin, pressing to remove as much liquid as possible. Divide the liquid between i4 serving bowls and refrigerate for around 4 hours or until set.</li>



<li>For the longans, combine all the ingredients in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes, then allow to cool to room temperature. Refrigerate until ready to use.</li>



<li>L: Northern apricot kernels, R: Southern apricot kernels</li>
</ol>
</div>



<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-tips"><h2>Tips</h2>
<p></p>
</div>




<p></p>




<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-video"><h2>Video</h2></div>

Apricot kernel pudding (Almond pudding) with stewed longans

<p>Just about every Chinese family will have a freezer stocked with homemade dumplings. </p>



<p>Jiaozi are the classic homestyle dumpling found all over China. You can customise the filling to be whatever you like, and make different batches depending on your own personal preference.</p>



<p>The first time you try your hand at homemade dumplings, it may seem like a chore to do, but they taste so much better (and cheaper) than ones that you would buy in the supermarket. Don't worry, the second time you'll make them better and faster, and if you persevere making your own dumplings will soon become a breeze (and actually a great way to relax too).</p>



<p>Makes about 100 dumplings</p>




<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-ingredients">
<ul>
<li>¼ Chinese cabbage</li>



<li>1kg fatty pork mince</li>



<li>2cm ginger, peeled and grated</li>



<li>2 cloves garlic, finely minced (optional)</li>



<li>1 tsp salt</li>



<li>1 tbsp Shaoxing wine</li>



<li>½ tsp sugar</li>



<li>¼ tsp white pepper</li>



<li>½ cup garlic chives, cut into 1cm pieces</li>



<li><strong>Hot water dumpling skins</strong></li>



<li>3 cups plain flour, plus plenty of extra for dusting</li>



<li>1-1½ cups boiling water</li>
</ul>
</div>



<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-method">
<ol>
<li>For the dumpling skins, place the flour in a the bowl of a stand mixer with the dough hook. Add the hot water and knead for about 10 minutes until the dough is smooth. Remove from the stand mixer and wrap in floured cling film and rest for at least 30 minutes.</li>



<li>For the filling, first bring a large saucepan of water to the boil, add the cabbage and cook for about 5 minutes until tender. Drain well, refresh in cold water and then drain again. With your hands, squeeze out as much liquid from the cabbage as possible and finely chop it, squeezing out the liquid again after it's chopped.</li>



<li>Combine the pork, ginger, garlic, salt, Shaoxing wine, sugar and pepper in the bowl of a stand mixer with the beater attachment and beat for about 10 minutes until the mixture is springy. Fold through the chopped cabbage and garlic chives at low speed. Refrigerate the filling for 30 minutes. If you don't want to use a stand mixer both the dough and the filling are easily made by hand. Just knead the dough by hand, and mix the filling in a large bowl.</li>



<li>Refer to the video for the process of rolling and folding. Cut about a quarter of the dough from the piece of dough and roll it into a cylinder around 2cm in diameter. Cut the cylinder into 1cm lengths and roll into a circle around 1mm thick and 7cm in diameter. Add about 2 tsp of filling to the centre of the skin and fold the dumpling as you like.</li>



<li>You can freeze the dumplings in batches on a tray lined with baking paper, or cook them by boiling, steaming or fry-steaming them. For boiled dumplings, place the dumplings in boiling water, and then each time the water returns to the boil add about ½ a cup of cold water to reduce the temperature. When the dumplings float to the surface, cook for a further 1 minute and then remove.</li>
</ol>
</div>



<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-tips"><h2>Tips</h2>
<ul>
<li>Don't worry too much about folding. The technique shown in the video is very simple for homemade skins, but if you're using commercial skins I'd suggest just folding them in a half-moon just to get started. You can go onto fancier folding techniques later as you get more confident.</li>



<li>Tasting the filling is all-important. You don't want to fold 100 dumplings and find out that they don't taste any good. Taste the filling and adjust the seasoning if necessary BEFORE you start folding.</li>



<li>You can customise the filling however you like. Try adding herbs like dill or coriander, additional vegetables and egg, prawns, spices like Sichuan peppercorn. You can really add just about anything here.</li>
</ul>
</div>




<p></p>




<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-video"><h2>Video</h2>
<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tkGsB0omCoA
</div></figure>
</div>

How to Make Basic Dumplings

<p>Zhong dumplings are named for the family who first made these in Chengdu around 100 years ago at their stall in Lychee Lane.</p>



<p>Today, they’re officially recognised as one of Sichuan’s most famous snacks. </p>



<p>They’re a VERY simple meat-only boiled dumpling served with a sweet, aromatic soy sauce and red chilli oil. They are a PERFECT beginner dumpling!</p>




<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-ingredients">
<ul>
<li>approx. 50 round, white dumpling skins (gow gee), or homemade skins</li>



<li>Sweet aromatic soy sauce</li>



<li>¼ cup dark soy sauce</li>



<li>2 tbsp light soy sauce</li>



<li>appprox. 5 tbsp yellow rock sugar</li>



<li>2 bay leaves</li>



<li>1 tsp Sichuan peppercorn</li>



<li>1 star anise</li>



<li>1 stick cassia</li>



<li>4 slices ginger</li>



<li>¾ cup water</li>



<li><strong>Dumpling filling</strong></li>



<li>¾ cup cold water</li>



<li>1 tsp white peppercorns</li>



<li>1 piece ginger</li>



<li>500g pork mince</li>



<li>1 egg</li>



<li>1 tbsp Shaoxing wine</li>



<li>½ tsp salt</li>



<li><strong>To serve</strong></li>



<li>Minced garlic</li>



<li>Sesame seeds</li>



<li>Red chilli oil</li>
</ul>
</div>



<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-method">
<ol>
<li>Combine the ingredients for the sweet aromatic soy sauce in a saucepan and bring to a simmer. Simmer for about 15 minutes until aromatic and reduced, then allow to cool. Strain to remove the solids. This soy sauce can be kept in a jar or bottle at room temperature indefinitely.</li>



<li>For the dumpling filling, first combine the ginger and peppercorns with ¾ cup of cold water and allow to infuse for around 10 minutes. You’ll be surprised how much of the ginger and bitter pepper flavour infuse in such a short time.</li>



<li>In a bowl or medium saucepan (my preference) combine the pork mince, egg, Shaoxing wine and salt. Stir in one direction until well combined, then add the infused ginger-pepper water a little at a time, continuing to stir until the mixture is a wet and floppy paste. Refrigerate for 30 minutes before folding the dumplings.</li>



<li>For folding the dumplings, wet the edge of a dumpling skin and place around 1 tsp of the filling in the centre of the skin. Fold into a half moon and seal the edge well. You can freeze these dumplings raw at this stage if you aren’t cooking them fresh.</li>



<li>To cook, place the dumplings in boiling water, and then each time the water returns to the boil add about ½ a cup of cold water to reduce the temperature. When the dumplings float to the surface, cook for a further 1 minute and then remove.</li>



<li>To serve, drain the dumplings, pour over a generous amount of the aromatic soy sauce and chilli oil, and serve with minced garlic and a few sesame seeds.</li>
</ol>
</div>



<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-tips"><h2>Tips</h2>
<ol>
<li>Always stir the filling only in 1 direction. This will help to capture the ginger-pepper liquid added to the filling (as well as the liquid released by the meat during cooking).</li>



<li>To freeze the dumplings, lay them in a single layer on a lined sheet in the freezer until they are firm to the touch, then you can transfer them to a Ziploc bag.</li>



<li>Be generous with the sauces. They are essential.</li>
</ol>
</div>




<p></p>




<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-video"><h2>Video</h2>
<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GuWy7kUOLOk
</div></figure>
</div>

Chengdu Zhong Dumplings

<p>This red oil is great for serving with dumplings, but it is also an essential ingredient in Sichuanese food. </p>



<p>Combined with soy sauce and sugar it becomes "Red Oil Flavour", one of the key flavours of Sichuanese cuisine. </p>



<p>It may look spicy, but the level of heat will depend entirely on the chillies you use.</p>



<p>Chinese dried chilli flakes (available from Asian grocers) are often much milder than those found in the West. I'd strongly suggest finding them if you're making this oil, as you'll get a stronger chilli flavour and colour, without as much of the heat.</p>




<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-ingredients">
<ul>
<li>1L peanut or canola oil</li>



<li>4 star anise</li>



<li>4 black cardamom, bashed</li>



<li>2 large pieces cassia</li>



<li>5 bay leaf</li>



<li>6 spring onions, cut into 5cm lengths</li>



<li>1 red onion, peeled and sliced</li>



<li>5cm ginger, thickly sliced</li>



<li>2 cups Chinese dried chillies flakes</li>
</ul>
</div>



<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-method">
<ol>
<li>Heat the oil to 200C and add the star anise, black cardamom, cassia and bay leaves. Then add the spring onion, onion, and ginger and continue to fry until the wet aromatics appear dry and lightly browned. Remove all the ingredients from the oil with a strainer scoop and remove the oil from the heat.</li>



<li>Allow the oil to cool for about 10 minutes to around 120C, and then add the dried chilli flakes. Allow the oil to cool completely for about 1 hour, and then transfer the chilli oil to a jar. The chilli oil will keep at room temperature for years.</li>
</ol>
</div>



<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-tips"><h2>Tips</h2>
<ol>
<li>You can make variations on this by including Sichuan peppercorns, sesame seeds or other ingredients you might like. However, I prefer to keep mine simple, as the more simple it is the more versatile it will be.</li>



<li>Definitely try and source Chinese chilli flakes rather than using Western dried chilli. Western dried chillies are made from different varieties of chilli and tend to be over-dried, contain too many seeds, and have less colour and flavour than Chinese chillies.</li>



<li>This kind of chilli oil can be made with a mix of chilli varieties, providing heat, flavour and colour separately.</li>
</ol>
</div>




<p></p>




<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-video"><h2>Video</h2>
<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nf6CX4YwIPM
</div></figure>
</div>

Red Chilli Oil for Dumplings

<p>Sweet and sour pork gets a bad rap for being a non-authentic Westernised imitation of Chinese food, but it is actually a very common dish in modern Cantonese cuisine, even in China itself. There are many variations of sweet and sour pork dishes across China, but the Cantonese version is what is most commonly found in the West.</p>




<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-ingredients">
<ul>
<li>500g pork belly, neck or loin, cut into 3cm pieces</li>



<li>1 tbsp soy sauce</li>



<li>1 tbsp Shaoxing wine</li>



<li>1 egg</li>



<li>½ cup cornflour</li>



<li>canola oil for deep frying (approx. 1L), plus extra</li>



<li>1 small carrot, peeled and cut into irregular chunks</li>



<li>1 red capsicum, cut into irregular chunks (or a mix of different coloured capsicum)</li>



<li>1 onion, cut into large chunks</li>



<li>3 cloves garlic, crushed</li>



<li>8 cherry tomatoes, cut into wedges</li>



<li>150g fresh pineapple, cubed</li>



<li><strong>Sweet and sour sauce</strong></li>



<li>¼ cup chicken stock (optional)</li>



<li>¼ cup white vinegar</li>



<li>2 tbsp Shaoxing wine</li>



<li>2 tbsp white sugar</li>



<li>2 tbsp soy sauce</li>



<li>1 tbsp tomato sauce</li>



<li>1 tbsp grated ginger, juice only</li>



<li>½ tsp cornflour (optional)</li>
</ul>
</div>



<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-method">
<ol>
<li>Combine the pork with the soy sauce, Shaoxing wine and egg, and allow to stand for 10 minutes. Toss the pork in the cornflour to coat.</li>



<li>For the sauce, combine all the ingredients in a bowl and mix well.</li>



<li>Heat your oil to 180C and deep fry the onion, carrot and capsicum in separate batches for just a minute or so each until just barely tender. Deep fry the pork in batches for 1-2 minutes until golden brown.</li>



<li>Heat your wok over high heat and add about 2 tbsp of oil. Add the garlic and toss for just a few seconds. Add the sauce and bring to a simmer. Allow the sauce to reduce by about a third until it is thickened and glossy. Add the vegetables, pork, pineapple and tomato to the wok and toss to coat in the sauce.</li>
</ol>
</div>



<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-tips"><h2>Tips</h2>
<ul>
<li>The more concentrated the sauce is, the crispier the pork will be. If you really want crispy pork, you can leave out the stock and make sure the sauce is very reduced so that there is less water to soak into the pork coating.</li>



<li>You can use other fruits such as dragonfruit, kiwi, peaches, or lychee instead of pineapple.</li>



<li>The sauce will thicken further after the pork is added and absorbs some of the liquid, so bear that in mind when reducing the sauce.</li>
</ul>
</div>




<p></p>




<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-video"><h2>Video</h2>
<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KTPVc-zcEdY
</div></figure>
</div>

How to Make Sweet and Sour Pork

<p>This variation on my easy homemade teriyaki sauce uses red wine instead of sake, so it's a great option if you can't get hold of many Japanese ingredients. </p>



<p>A donburi is a rice bowl and it's just as it sounds - rice with a simple topping that makes a easy one-bowl meal.</p>



<p>This version is slightly fancy with garlic chips and chopped wasabi stem, but you could use a little horseradish or ordinary wasabi instead.</p>




<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-ingredients">
<ul>
<li>3 cloves garlic, sliced</li>



<li>1 tbsp vegetable oil or olive oil</li>



<li>400g good quality sirloin or scotch fillet steak</li>



<li>salt and pepper, to season</li>



<li>3-5 cups cooked Japanese rice</li>



<li>1 piece nori, cut into fine shreds</li>



<li>1/2 tsp wasabi or horseradish, or 1 tsp prepared wasabi stem, to serve</li>



<li><strong>Red wine teriyaki (Makes 600ml)</strong></li>



<li>250ml light soy sauce</li>



<li>200ml Australian shiraz</li>



<li>200ml mirin</li>



<li>80g sugar</li>
</ul>
</div>



<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-method">
<ol>
<li>To make the red wine teriyaki, combine the ingredients in a saucepan and stir over low heat until the sugar is dissolved. Transfer to an empty wine bottle and store in the pantry until ready to use.</li>



<li>Heat a frying pan over low-medium heat and add the oil and garlic. Fry the garlic, stirring frequently, until golden brown. Remove the garlic from the pan, leaving the oil in the pan. Increase the flame to high. Season the steak with salt and black pepper, and fry the steak until cooked to your liking. Remove and set aside to rest.</li>



<li>Add about 1/2 cup of the red wine teriyaki sauce to the pan and bring to a simmer. Reduce the sauce until it is the consistency of maple syrup, then return the rested steak to the pan and turn briefly to coat.</li>



<li>Place the rice into a serving bowl and scatter with the nori. Slice the steak and place it on top of the nori, pouring over a little more of the reduced sauce. Scatter with garlic chips and add little wasabi or horseradish on top of the beef.</li>
</ol>
</div>



<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-tips"><h2>Tips</h2>
<ul>
<li>I used a shiraz for this but any dry red wine will work perfectly well.</li>



<li>The key with all teriyaki is controlling the reduction. If it is too reduced, it will be too thick and salty. If it is too thin, the sauce will be insipid. Luckily, it's easy to get it right. If it's too thin, keep simmering. And if it's too thick, add a little extra teriyaki sauce to thin it out.</li>



<li>Of course, you don't need to search for wasabi stem for this. A little ordinary wasabi (like for sushi), horseradish or even English mustard would be totally fine. You just need something a little pungent to lighten the dish.</li>
</ul>
</div>




<p></p>




<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-video"><h2>Video</h2>
<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z5OnyqdXG1I
</div></figure>
</div>

Red Wine Teriyaki Steak Donburi

<p>Omurice is one of the most popular Japanese home-cooked dishes. </p>



<p>A simple fried rice known as “chicken rice” is covered in a soft-set omelette and demi-glace sauce. </p>



<p>There are three main styles of preparing the omelette for the omurice, and I’m going to show you the most popular style.</p>




<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-ingredients">
<ul>
<li>2 tbsp canola oil</li>



<li>1 small onion peeled and finely diced</li>



<li>½ cup sliced mushrooms</li>



<li>1 small carrot, finely diced (optional)</li>



<li>1 small chicken breast, cut into 2cm cubes</li>



<li>¼ cup frozen peas</li>



<li>salt, to season</li>



<li>4 cups cooked koshihikari rice, chilled overnight</li>



<li>1 tsp soy sauce</li>



<li>1-2 tbsp tomato sauce (ketchup)</li>



<li>5 eggs, beaten</li>



<li>¼ cup demiglace (available from Japanese grocers)</li>



<li>2 tbsp beef or other stock</li>



<li>1 tsp finely chopped parsley, to serve</li>
</ul>
</div>



<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-method">
<ol>
<li>Heat a frying pan over medium heat and add 1 tbsp of oil. Fry the onions for about a minute until fragrant, then add the mushrooms and carrot and fry for a further 2 minutes until the carrots are softened. Add the chicken and peas, season with salt and fry until the chicken is just cooked through.</li>



<li>Add the rice to the frying pan, along with the soy sauce and ketchup. Fry for about 3 minutes until the rice is warmed, softened and well mixed. Remove the rice from the pan and divide it between two bowls. Press the rice to the side of the bowl at a 45 degree angle, so that he rice forms a half-football or “torpedo” shape rather than a round dome. Turn the rice out onto two separate plates and keep warm while you cook the eggs.</li>



<li>For the demi-glace sauce, combine the prepared demi-glace and stock in a small saucepan and mix well over medium heat until hot and combined.</li>



<li>Heat a clean frying pan (around the same size as the plate the rice is on) over medium heat and add about 1 tbsp of oil. Add 2-3 beaten eggs and with a gentle pushing motion, push the egg from the edges of the pan to the centre as the egg slowly cooks. When the egg is set at the base but still quite wet on top, remove the pan from the heat and slide the egg over one plate the rice. Pour over the demi-glace sauce and sprinkle with a little parsley to serve. Repeat for the remaining egg.</li>
</ol>
</div>



<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-tips"><h2>Tips</h2>
<ul>
<li>There are three main ways of making the egg to go with this dish. Firstly an egg skin is cooked firm and used to wrap the rice. This is a common way of doing this, but the drawback is that the egg is usually fully set rather than soft. Secondly, a soft-centred French omelette is placed on top of the rice and cut so that it opens over the rice. This method is very difficult to achieve unless you are very good at making French-style omelettes. This is how omurice is served in many specialist, higher-end omurice restaurants. The third and most popular method is the one in this recipe, where a soft, unfolded omelette is draped over the rice on the plate. This is the most common way the dish is served at home in Japan.</li>



<li>Without the egg, this dish is called “chicken rice” and is a very popular kids dish in Japan. Of course, omurice with the egg is popular too.</li>



<li>You can leave off the demiglace if you prefer and just top the rice with a squirt of tomato sauce (ketchup).</li>
</ul>
</div>




<p></p>




<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-video"><h2>Video</h2>
<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
https://youtu.be/obwkhqu2-mc
</div></figure>
</div>

Homestyle Omurice

<p>Salt and pepper squid might be the most popular dish in Australia. With origins in Cantonese cooking, it's a dish that has moved from Chinese restaurants to everything from local pubs, Italian cafes, Thai or Vietnamese restaurants and the corner fish and chip shop.</p>



<p>It's simple to make at home, too. It's a double cooking process, which has the squid being deep-fried first and then stir-fried with aromatics and tossed with salt and pepper.</p>




<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-ingredients">
<ul>
<li>500g squid tubes, cleaned</li>



<li>¼ cup plain flour</li>



<li>¼ cup potato starch or cornflour</li>



<li>about 2L vegetable oil, for deep frying, plus extra for stir-frying</li>



<li>4 cloves garlic, peeled and roughly chopped</li>



<li>1 large red chilli, sliced</li>



<li>2 spring onions, sliced</li>



<li>½ tsp salt</li>



<li>freshly ground black pepper</li>



<li>lemon wedges, to serve</li>
</ul>
</div>



<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-method">
<ol>
<li>Score the squid in a cross-hatch pattern, taking care not to cut all the way through. Cut the squid into bite-sized pieces and toss in the plain flour and potato flour.</li>



<li>In a wok, heat the oil to 180C. Shake off any excess flour and deep fry the squid in batches for about 3 minutes until golden brown. Drain well and remove the oil from the wok.</li>



<li>Brush out the wok and return it to medium heat. Add about 1 tbsp of clean oil to the wok and add the garlic, chilli and spring onion. Fry for about 2 minutes until fragrant and lightly browned. Return the squid to the wok, season well with salt and plenty of ground black pepper and toss to combine. Remove from the wok and serve with lemon wedges.</li>
</ol>
</div>



<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-tips"><h2>Tips</h2>
<ul>
<li>Try to use fresh squid rather than frozen. Frozen squid can retain too much water, meaning that when you fry it it will be a little more soggy.</li>



<li>If you want really crispy squid make sure the squid is golden brown before removing it from the oil.</li>



<li>You can use other flours if you prefer. Rice flour works well, as does sweet potato starch or corn starch.</li>



<li>You can add dried spices to the salt and pepper mix if you want to be a little more adventurous. Spices like fennel and Sichuan peppercorn work well.</li>
</ul>
</div>




<p></p>




<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-video"><h2>Video</h2>
<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CxHTj_6sU_A
</div></figure>
</div>

Salt and Pepper Squid

<p>Hokkien Fried Rice is a Taiwanese dish with origins in the Hokkien people who originally came from Fujian Province in China. It’s different to other fried rice dishes in that a simple egg fried rice is topped with lightly braised ingredients. In true Hokkien style, the dish often contains a mixture of dried seafood, as well as ingredients from the land and mountains, but you can use any ingredients you like, really.</p>




<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-ingredients">
<ul>
<li>2 chicken thighs, cut into 3 cm pieces</li>



<li>3 dried shiitake mushrooms, soaked in 2 cups hot water for 20 minutes and sliced</li>



<li>¼ cup dried scallops, soaked in hot water</li>



<li>4 tbsp canola oil</li>



<li>2 eggs, lightly beaten</li>



<li>3 cups day-old cooked Jasmine rice, preferably cooked in chicken stock</li>



<li>salt, to season</li>



<li>2 cloves garlic</li>



<li>4 cm ginger, cut into thin matchsticks</li>



<li>2 chicken thighs, cut into 3 cm pieces</li>



<li>4 spring onions, cut into 5cm lengths</li>



<li>1 small carrot, cut into 3 cm pieces</li>



<li>2 tbsp bamboo shoots, cut into matchsticks</li>



<li>2 pieces Taiwanese five spice tofu, cut into 1.5cm pieces</li>



<li>2 tbsp oyster sauce</li>



<li>1 tbsp soy sauce</li>



<li>1 tbsp Shaoxing wine</li>



<li>a pinch of sugar</li>



<li>½ cup raw prawns, peeled and butterflied</li>



<li>1 tbsp cornflour</li>



<li><strong>Chicken marinade</strong></li>



<li>½ tsp cornflour</li>



<li>1 tsp soy sauce</li>



<li>1 tsp Shaoxing wine</li>
</ul>
</div>



<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-method">
<ol>
<li>Combine the chicken with the ingredients for the chicken marinade and set aside. Heat your wok over high heat and add half the oil. Add the eggs and stir well. When the egg is nearly set add the rice and toss well to coat with the pieces of egg. Separate the clumps of rice by pressing them against the side of the wok with the back of your wok spatula. Season with salt and remove from the wok to a bowl.</li>



<li>Return the wok to the heat and add the remaining oil. Add the garlic and ginger and toss for a few seconds until fragrant. Add the chicken and toss to coat in the fragrant oil. Add the onion, carrot, bamboo shoot, mushrooms, scallops and tofu. Toss for a minute or two and then add the reserved liquid from soaking the mushrooms and scallops, oyster sauce, soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, sugar and enough chicken stock to make a braising base. Simmer for about 5 minutes, then add the prawns and simmer for a further minute. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. Mix the cornflour with some cold chicken stock or water and stir the mixture through the braise to thicken it to a silky consistency</li>



<li>To serve, pack the egg fried rice into a bowl and invert it onto a plate. Pour the braised ingredients on top and serve.</li>
</ol>
</div>



<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-tips"><h2>Tips</h2>
<ol>
<li>Make sure you season the rice as&nbsp; well as the braised component. You want the rice to be flavourful on its own.</li>



<li>Always taste the braising mixture and adjust the seasoning if required. A little more salt or soy sauce it it does not have enough depth or saltiness, or a pinch of sugar if it tastes too savoury.</li>



<li>When thickening the sauce, add the cornflour mixture in three batches. This will stop you from adding too much at one time, which can make the mixture gluggy. Remember, the silky texture you need is a mixture of oil, liquid (stock) and the cornflour so don't skimp on the oil at the beginning.</li>
</ol>
</div>




<p></p>




<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-video"><h2>Video</h2>
<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
https://youtu.be/Ua2J8dkLP-k
</div></figure>
</div>

Hokkien Fried Rice

Shandong (or Shantung) chicken is a popular Chinese restaurant dish. Despite the name, however, it is not really a dish from Shandong Province. Shandong’s Lu cuisine is often considered the most famous and influential in China, known for its refined technique and balance of tastes – salty, sweet, sour, bitter and spicy. It is also famous for its fragrant dark vinegars, and it is the balanced taste of the vinegar that gives this dish its name.

The dish itself is a combination of a fragrant sweetened vinegar sauce characteristic of Shandong’s Jinan style of cooking, with a crisp-skinned fried chicken, more common in Cantonese cooking. It was in Cantonese restaurants that this dish was popularised.

Deep-frying a whole chicken at home can be difficult (and dangerous). My version uses a roast chicken topped with the same sauce. It makes life a lot easier and tastes fantastic.
<h2>Ingredients</h2>
1 whole free-range chicken, about 1.6kg

1/2 tsp salt

1 tbsp dark soy sauce

1 tbsp Shaoxing wine

1 tsp grated ginger, juice only
<h4>Shandong sauce</h4>
1/4 cup black vinegar (see Tips below)

2 tsp soy sauce

2 tsp sugar

2 bird’s eye chillies

1 coriander root, stalk and root finely chopped, leaves reserved

4 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped
<h2>Method</h2>
Rub the chicken all over with salt, inside and out, taking care to exfoliate to remove any dead skin from the chicken. Pour boiling water all over the skin of the chicken to tighten it. Combine the dark soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, ginger juice, and rub all over the chicken as well. Marinate uncovered in the fridge overnight. Alternatively, use a hairdryer to blow to skin of the chicken until it is dry and tightened.

Heat your oven to 200C. Place the chicken on a sheet of baking paper in a roasting pan and roast the chicken for 1 hour. Remove from the oven and rest for 15 minutes.

For the Shandong sauce combine all the ingredients together and stir to dissolve the sugar. Add a few spoons of the rendered chicken oil and juices from the pan. Cut the chicken into pieces and serve smothered in the Shandong sauce.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o2R61KrB0W4
<h2>Tips for Shandong Chicken</h2>
<ol>
 	<li>For a super easy version of this you can just buy a pre-roasted chicken (without stuffing), make the sauce and pour it over the top.</li>
 	<li>The most popular Chinese black vinegar is actually Chinkiang vinegar from Jiangsu province, not Shandong. Most Shandong chicken recipes will use this vinegar, but if you can find an authentic Shandong-made vinegar it will be a little bit more interesting. You may need to adjust the proportion of sugar.</li>
 	<li>If you do want to make a deep-fried version of this, poach the chicken first in a soy-based stock, then hang it to dry completely so it won't spit when it's deep frying.</li>
</ol>
&nbsp;

Shandong Roast Chicken

<p>Yangzhou fried rice from Jiangsu Province is the most famous variety of fried rice in China. Known for the fine knifework in cutting the ingredients, it has been the model for “special fried rice” or "house fried rice" dishes found on Chinese restaurant menus in the West. </p>



<p>The ingredients added can vary greatly but the key is the careful preparation of ingredients. You can use rice cooked in chicken stock if you want an even more flavourful result.</p>



<p>The patron of an excellent restaurant in China once told me that the secret to a really good fried rice is finding a really good chicken, and really the origins of fried rice celebrate the connection between chicken and rice. The rice is cooked in chicken stock (less common these days, as chicken powder is often used), some of the chicken meat and offal is used as an ingredient, and then egg is mixed with the rice.</p>



<p>Almost all fried rice recipes around the world still use a combination of chicken, egg and rice.</p>




<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-ingredients">
<ul>
<li>3 dried shiitake mushrooms, soaked in 2 cups hot water for 20 minutes</li>



<li>1/3 cup canola oil</li>



<li>4 spring onions, cut into ½ cm slices</li>



<li>2 cloves garlic, minced</li>



<li>50g cured Chinese-style ham (or substitute Italian cured ham)</li>



<li>1 small carrot, cut into ½ cm pieces</li>



<li>2 tbsp bamboo shoots, cut into ½ cm pieces</li>



<li>¼ cup green peas</li>



<li>¼ cup cooked chicken thigh, cut into ½ cm pieces</li>



<li>2 tbsp cooked chicken gizzard, cut into ½ cm pieces</li>



<li>¼ cup small raw prawns, peeled</li>



<li>about 1 tsp salt, to season</li>



<li>3 eggs, lightly beaten</li>



<li>5 cups day-old cooked Jasmine rice, preferably cooked in chicken stock</li>
</ul>
</div>



<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-method">
<ol>
<li>Remove the stems of the soaked mushrooms and cut the caps into ½ cm pieces. Heat a wok over high heat and add about half the oil. Fry the spring onion and garlic for about 30 seconds and then add the shiitake mushroom, carrot, and bamboo shoot and fry for a further minute. Add the chicken thigh, chicken gizzard, peas and prawns, season with a little salt, and toss until the vegetables are softened and prawns just barely cooked. Remove from the wok and set aside.</li>



<li>Return the wok to the heat and add the remaining oil. Add the egg and stir vigorously to break it apart. When the egg is nearly set add the rice and toss well to coat with the pieces of egg. Separate the clumps of rice by pressing them against the side of the wok with the back of your wok spatula. Season generously with salt. You can add a little more oil if necessary. Return the fried ingredients back to the wok and toss to mix well.</li>
</ol>
</div>



<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-tips"><h2>Tips</h2>
<ol>
<li>You can use any ingredients you like for fried rice although the basis is usually chicken, egg and rice. Bear in mind, though that you want a mix of sweeter vegetables (like carrot and peas) and savoury meats (like cured ham), as well as a mix of textures for a truly great fried rice dish.</li>



<li>Jasmine rice is the most popular but you can also use other kinds of rice is you prefer. I often make this with Japanese short grain rice.</li>



<li>Fried rice uses more oil that you might think. A good amount of oil ins necessary to separate the grains.</li>
</ol>
</div>




<p></p>




<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-video"><h2>Video</h2>
<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
https://youtu.be/slCxLUgkrmw
</div></figure>
</div>

Yangzhou Fried Rice

<p>Nasi goreng literally just means 'fried rice' in Bahasa and the key to this dish is the aromatic rempah made from eschallots, garlic, chilli and shrimp paste. </p>



<p>It can be as simple as rice fried with the rempah and topped with a fried egg, or you can add other ingredients to it like I have here, with chicken, prawns and green beans. </p>



<p>This is the third instalment of Fried Rice Fridays on my YouTube channel. Check out the video below.</p>




<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-ingredients">
<ul>
<li>3 cloves garlic, peeled</li>



<li>2 eschallots, peeled and roughly chopped</li>



<li>1 tsp belacan</li>



<li>½ cup canola oil</li>



<li>4 eggs</li>



<li>1 large red chilli, seeds removed (or other chillies as you prefer)</li>



<li>1 chicken breast, cut into 2cm cubes</li>



<li>10 medium prawns, peeled and butterflied</li>



<li>12 green beans, cut into 1cm pieces</li>



<li>4 cups cooked Jasmine rice, chilled overnight in the fridge</li>



<li>1 tbsp kecap manis</li>



<li><strong>To serve:</strong></li>



<li>prawn crackers (keropok udang)</li>



<li>sliced cucumber</li>



<li>sliced tomato</li>
</ul>
</div>



<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-method">
<ol>
<li>Combine the garlic, eschallots, belacan and chilli in a small food processor and process to a coarse paste (rempah).</li>



<li>Heat the oil in a wok and fry the eggs one at a time until puffy, and browned and crisp around the edges. Set the eggs aside. You can use this oil to fry your prawn crackers if you like. Remove the oil from the wok, leaving about 2-3 tablespoons for further frying. Return the wok to medium heat.</li>



<li>Add the rempah to the oil and fry, stirring frequently for about 5 minutes, or until the oil separates from the solids and they are darkened and fragrant. Increase the heat under the wok and add the chicken breast, prawns and beans and toss for a minute or two until the chicken and prawns are barely cooked through. Add the rice and toss well. Drizzle over the kecap manis and mix until the rice is uniformly coated and lightly toasted. Remove the fried rice to a plate and serve with the prawn crackers, sliced cucumber and tomato, and top with a fried egg.</li>
</ol>
</div>



<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-tips"><h2>Tips</h2>
<p></p>
</div>




<p></p>




<div class="wp-block-adamliaw-video"><h2>Video</h2>
<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=booFFilHbBM
</div></figure>
</div>

Introducing, the Everyday range.

Dinnerware for modern life.

Reduce waste.

Fits better in the dishwasher, and the cupboard.

Everyday Recipes

Baked sour cream custard with caramelised figs

Green vegetable colcannon

Soy sauce chicken wings with cured eggs

Mafaldine with peas, parsley and pecorino

Steak frites with black garlic butter

Made for sharing.

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