Preparation Time: 60 mins
Cooking Time: 20 mins
Difficulty: Easy
Serves: 6

Steamed Beef Balls in Long Soup

Ingredients

500g beef mince
2 egg whites
1 tbsp ice water
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp sesame oil
2 tsp cornflour
2 tbsp coriander
2 spring onions
1/4 tsp ground white pepper
1/4 tsp five spice powder
4 cups beef stock
2 cups assorted chinese vegetables
375g thin egg noodles

Method

1. In batches, place mince in a food processor bowl. Pulse for 30 seconds or until the mixture is a fine paste. Mix in the egg whites, ice water, soy sauce, sesame oil, cornflour, onions, white pepper and five spice powder.
2. Roll balls of mixture with wet hands. Place mince balls in a steamer lined with grease proof paper and steam for 20 minutes.
3. To make the long soup, bring the stock to the boil, add the vegetables and cook for 2 minutes. Add noodles and beef balls and serve.

Result

An excellent soup. Very tasty. Just make sure that you serve immediately as the noodles will absorb the soup and you’ll end up with a stew if you leave it too long! (Still very nice even as a stew though!)

Preparation Time: 50 mins
Cooking Time: 20 mins
Difficulty: Easy
Serves: 4

Chicken & Mushrooms

Ingredients

350g chicken breast
1/2 tsp sugar
1 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tsp rice wine or dry sherry
2 tsp cornflour
6 chinese dried mushrooms
1 tbsp fresh ginger, finely shredded
salt and pepper
sesame oil
fresh coriander as garnish

Method

1. Cut the chicken into bite sized pieces and place in a bowl. Add the sugar, soy sauce, rice wine and cornflour. Coat the chicken with the mixture and marinate for 30 minutes.
2. Place the mushrooms in warm water and soak for 30 minutes.
3. Drain the mushrooms and pat dry with kitchen paper, remove the stems and slicy thinly.
4. Place the chicken pieces in one layer on a heat prood plate and place in a bamboo or other kind of steamer. Arrange the mushrooms and ginger on top of the chicken. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and sesame oil to taste. Steam over a high heat for 20 minutes.
5. Serve immediately garnished with coriander.

Result

A nice taste. We used shiitake mushrooms which were a bit bland. In the future I may use a different type of dried mushroom, or even fresh mushrooms.

Preparation Time: 20 mins
Cooking Time: 7 mins
Difficulty: Easy
Serves: 4

Chilli Chicken

Ingredients

350g chicken
1/2 tsp salt
1 egg white
2 tbsp cornflour
4 tbsp vegetable oil
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 cm fresh ginger, grated
1 red pepper, seeded and diced
1 green pepper, seeded and diced
2 fresh chillis, (seeded if you like less heat), and chopped
2 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tbsp chinese rice wine, or dry sherry
1 tbsp wine vinegar

Method

1. Cube the chicken and place in a bowl with the salt, egg white, cornflour and 1 tablespoon of oil. Coat the chicken in the mixture.
2. Heat the remaining oil in a wok and stir-fry the garlic for 30 seconds. Add the chicken and stir-fry for 3 minutes or until golden brown.
3. Add the peppers, soy sauce, rice wine, vinegar and cook for 3 more minutes. Serve immediately.

Result

Very nice. Halve the chilli or remove the seeds if you don’t like it hot!

Preparation Time: 20 mins
Cooking Time: 25 mins
Difficulty: Easy
Serves: 4

Curried Chicken & Sweetcorn Soup

Ingredients

175g can sweetcorn, drained
850ml stock (preferably chicken, but vegetable is ok)
350g chicken
16 baby corn cobs
1 tsp curry powder
1 cm fresh ginger, grated
3 tbsp light soy sauce
2 tbsp chives or spring onion, chopped

Method

1. Blend the sweetcorn and 150ml stock in a food processor until smooth.
2. Pass through a strainer to remove any of the corn skin.
3. Pour the remaining stock into a pan with the chicken strips, the strained corn and the baby corn, and bring the pan to the boil. Boil for 10 minutes.
4. Add the curry powder, ginger and soy sauce and cook for an additional 15 minutes.
5. Stir in the chives and serve immediately.

Result

Very nice. I think I prefer the traditional chicken sweetcorn soup, but this is a nice variation.

Preparation Time: 20 mins
Cooking Time: 5 mins
Difficulty: Easy
Serves: 4

Five Peppercorn Beef

Ingredients

500g beef steak
1 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tbsp rice wine
2 tsp cornflour
oil
2 tbsp five pepper mixture
1/2 tsp salt
250ml chicken stock
2 tbsp butter

Method

1. Cut the beef in to slices. Add the beef to a bowl with the soy sauce, rice wine and cornflour and marinate for 15 minutes.
2. Heat some oil in a wok and add the marinated beef to the pan. Stir fry for about 2 minutes. Don’t worry if it isn’t cooked!
3. Remove the beef and drain the wok. Add a little more oil.
4. Add the stock, salt and peppercorns and reduce by half.
5. Add the butter and when melted return the beef to the pan and stir fry for one minute or until the beef is cooked.
6. Serve with rice or noodles.

Result

Yum Yum? I think so!

Sorry about the picture. I had already half eaten the meal when I remembered that I hadn’t taken a photo!

Preparation Time: 5 mins
Cooking Time: 15 mins
Difficulty: Easy
Serves: 6

Marbled Soy Eggs

Ingredients

6 eggs
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup water
1 star anise
2 thin slices ginger
1 tablespoon black tea leaves

Method

1. Boil the eggs as normal, simmer for 5 minutes.
2. Refresh the water, and add the remaining ingredients.
3. Crack the eggs with a spoon and replace in the water and gently simmer for 15 minutes.
4. Cut into quarters and serve as a salad on top of rice.

Result

This is an extremely easy dish to prepare, however I was disappointed at the taste of the finished product. It tasted exactly like boiled egg. Not that there is anything wrong with that, I just thought that the ingredients would give it a different taste.

Unless I’m wrong, it seems that the marbled effect is actually only for effect.

Preparation Time: 30 mins
Cooking Time: 1 hour 15 mins
Difficulty: Moderate
Serves: 4

Rich Pork Curry

Ingredients

750g pork leg or shoulder
1 tablespoon oil
5 curry leaves
1 large onion, finely chooped
3 teaspoons finely chopped garlic
1 teaspoon grated ginger
1/2 teaspoon chilli powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds
1 teaspoon cumin
3 teaspoons ground coriander
2 tablespoons lemon juice, malt vinegar or tamarind liquid
1/2 cup hot water
1/2 cup coconut milk

Method

1. Trim the rind from the pork, if any, and cut into 3cm cubes.
2. Heat the oil in a pan, add the curry leaves, onion and garlic and cook until the onion is soft. Add ginger, chilli, salt and spices and cook for a few more minutes.
3. Add the pork and mix with the spice mixture, add the lemon juice and cook for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until the moisture has evaporated.
4. Cook for a further 5 minutes stirring, the colour will darken. Add the water and coconut milk and simmer for 10 minutes.

Result

A very nice taste. The photo was taken from a magazine…

Preparation Time: 15 min
Cooking Time: 15 mins
Difficulty: Easy
Serves: 4

Hoisin Chicken

Ingredients

4 large chicken breasts
cornflour
oil
1 teaspoon chopped ginger
2 onions
400g mushrooms
100g snow peas (mange tout)
1 green pepper
2 tablespoons Hoi Sin sauce
2 tablespoons rice wine
1 tablespoon soy
2 tablespoon vinegar
salt
1 cup water
2 chicken stock cubes

Method

1. Cut the chicken into strips or bite size chunks.
2. Cut the mushrooms, pepper and onion into chiunks and top and tail the snow peas if necessary.
3. Heat some oil in a wok or frying pan, then add the chicken and cook until golden brown, drain well.
4. Add extra oil to the pan and heat, add the ginger and onion and cook for one minute, then add the mushroom and pepper and cook for a further two mintutes.
5. Add the Hoi Sin sauce, rice wine, soy sauce, vinegar, salt, stock cubes and cornflour-water mixture. Cook for 30 seconds.
6. Return the chicken to the pan, and heat until the sauce thickens.
7. Serve immediately over rice or noodles.

Result

This is a really great dish, but watch how much vinegar you put into the food.

Preparation Time: 35 mins (incl 20 minutes marinating time)
Cooking Time: 10 mins
Difficulty: Easy
Serves: 2

Crispy Prawns

Ingredients

600g prawns
2 tablespoon fish sauce
flour
oil

Method

1. Deshell and devein the prawns.
2. Place in a bowl and marinate for 20 minutes in the fish sauce.
3. Coat each prawn in the flour.
4. Heat the oil in a deep frying pan and when hot deep fry the prawns until golden brown.
5. Serve immediately on thier own, or over rice or noodles.

Result

This has to be the simplest dish around. As a prawn lover I really like this dish.

Preparation Time: 20 mins
Cooking Time: 20 mins
Difficulty: Medium
Serves: 2

Teppanyaki

Ingredients

300g beef
300g pork
300g lamb
1 green pepper
1 red pepper
6 spring onions
2 open brown mushrooms
100g snow peas
4 patty pans (baby squash)
100g baby corn
1 slender egg plant

Method

1. Cut the meat into thin slices.
2. Cut the pepper into slices long ways.
3. Cut the onion into pieces about 7cm in length.
4. Cut the patty pans in half.
5. Cut the baby corn in half or leave whole.
6. Cut the egg plant into strips.
7. Fry all of the ingredients in a flat pan. Searing the meat until cooked through.
8. Server neatly on a plate.

Result

Traditionally this dish is served in restaurants by a specialised Teppan Yaki chef who not only knows exactly how to cook the food, but also knows how to tantilise the ‘audience’ by his culinary chef ‘act’.

It is unlikely that you will be able to provide the show, but you can provide the food, and not only does it taste good, it is amazingly easy to prepare.

Serve with Japanese soy sauce.

I didn’t use the lamb by the way, that’s why you can’t see it in the picture. Don’t worry if you can’t get the exact ingredients as you can substitute as much as you want.