Sichuan spiced tuna roll with Asian slaw

Ingredients;

For the tuna;

400g tuna loin, in a log shape approx 5cm in diametre

2tblsp sesame oil

1tsp Sichuan pepper, roasted and ground

1tblsp sesame seeds

Maldon salt

200g spinach

2 sheets filo pastry

1 egg beaten

For the salad;

¼ cabbage, very finely sliced through the robo coupe

1 small red onions, cut in half and very finely sliced on mandolin

1 large carrots cut in fine julienne strips on the mandolin

500ml dressing

For the dressing;

12 dried chillies

1ltr rapeseed oil

6 onions, finely diced

200g red curry paste

2 large knobs ginger, peeled and diced

8 large red chillies, seeded and diced

200g palm sugar

200ml rice wine vinegar

Juice of 3 limes

100ml fish sauce

250g coriander chopped

Method;

For the tuna;

Place the tuna onto a bench, brush with the sesame oil and sprinkle with Sichuan pepper and sesame seeds. Place a frying pan large enough to hold the tuna over high heat. Season the tuna with maldon salt and sear in the hot pan on all sides until the tuna is seared all over and rare inside. Remove from the heat and allow to cool.

While the tuna is cooling bring a large pot of water to the boil and blanch the spinach, briefly. Refresh under cold water and then dry completely with a clean tablecloth.  When the leaves are completely dry wrap them around the tuna loin.

Brush 1 sheet of the filo pastry with a little beaten egg; place the other sheet on top. Wrap the pastry around the tuna to form a very neat parcel, tucking in a sealing the loose edges with the remaining beaten egg.

For the dressing;

Place the shallots, paste, ginger, chillies and oil into a pan and warm through, allow to infuse for 1 hour. Place the sugar and the vinegar in a small pan and cook to a light syrup.

Remove from the heat and stir in the lime juice, fish sauce and the oil. Allow to cool completely.

Once cold add the coriander and scallions, taste to make sure the flavours are well balanced.

The taste should be hot, sweet, sour and salty with no flavour overpowering the other.

For the salad;

Place the cabbage, onion and carrots into a large bowl.  Add the dressing and mix well making sure everything has been evenly distributed.

Place the oil a wok and heat until smoking add the chillies and blacken. Strain the oil and discard the chillies.

To serve;

Heat a large pan over medium heat and add a little rapeseed oil, pan fry the wrapped tuna parcel in the hot oil for a couple of minutes, turning in the oil so it colours evenly on all sides. Remove from the pan and drain on crumpled kitchen paper.

Cut the parcel into thick slices and sprinkle with maldon salt, serve Asian slaw on the side.

Tempura Oysters Asian slaw and Thai dressing

Ingredients;

For the salad;

¼ cabbage, very finely sliced through the robo coupe

1 small red onions, cut in half and very finely sliced on mandolin

1 large carrots cut in fine julienne strips on the mandolin

500ml dressing

For the dressing;

12 dried chillies

1ltr rapeseed oil

6 onions, finely diced

200g red curry paste

2 large knobs ginger, peeled and diced

8 large red chillies, seeded and diced

200g palm sugar

200ml rice wine vinegar

Juice of 3 limes

100ml fish sauce

250g coriander chopped

6 bunches scallions finely sliced

For the tempura oyster;

Seasoning

100g plain flour

1 egg yolk

100ml ice cold sparkling water

12 oysters, removed from their shells and shells reseved

To serve;

Maldon salt

Coriander leaves

Lime wedges

Method;

For the dressing;

Place the shallots, paste, ginger, chillies and oil into a pan and warm through, allow to infuse for 1 hour. Place the sugar and the vinegar in a small pan and cook to a light syrup.

Remove from the heat and stir in the lime juice, fish sauce and the oil. Allow to cool completely.

Once cold add the coriander and scallions, taste to make sure the flavours are well balanced.

The taste should be hot, sweet, sour and salty with no flavour overpowering the other.

For the salad;

Place the cabbage, onion and carrots into a large bowl.  Add the dressing and mix well making sure everything has been evenly distributed.

Place the oil a wok and heat until smoking add the chillies and blacken. Strain the oil and discard the chillies.

For the tempura oyster;

Mix the flour and egg yolks together with a fork, add the water all in one go and stir very lightly with the fork, leave the batter quite lumpy as it is these lumps that make the tempura crisp when fried. Dip each oyster into a little flour to cover then dip into the batter, deep fry at 180c until crispy and cooked through, approx 2-3mins. Drain on kitchen roll.

To serve;

Take a rectangle plate, cover the base with maldon salt and place 3 well cleaned oyster shells on top. Place a little of the dressed Asian slaw in the empty and place a tempura oyster on top. Garnish with coriander and lime wedge and serve.

Chinese red braised pork

This would have to be one of my all time favourite Chinese recipes. The red braising stock is a Cantonese classic and its richness stands up to the robust nature and character of the pork shanks. This is a very complex recipe but one that I find well worth the effort. It is a very versatile stock and can be used for ducks, beef (chuck, brisket, short rib or cheeks), chickens or even quails and squabs.

You can prepare the red braising stock in advance and bring it to the boil before using it.

The multiple cooking methods of the pork shank are very important. It may seem strange to braise the shanks, chill, deep fry and braise them again, but this removes a lot of the fats and changes the texture of the pork. These multiple cooking methods had to be developed in China, because ovens where scarce, so the Chinese realised that a similar result could be obtained by braising and frying.

These shanks are also great served cold just like any ham, and they eat well with a simple pickled cucumber and salad!!!! (recipe below)

Ingredients;

For the red braising stock;

2 chicken carcasses

8ltrs water

1 bottle of shoaxing

5 large knobs of ginger, sliced

2 heads of garlic, sliced through the centre

2 onions, diced

500ml light soy

100ml dark soy

12 star anise

6 cinnamon sticks

12 pieces of dried orange peel

1 box lump sugar

Cooking the pork shanks;

4 pork shanks boned and soaked in water for 24 hours, reserve the bones

12 dried shiitakes, soaked, rinsed and steams removed

100ml sesame oil

Method;

For the red braising stock;

Place the chicken bones into a large stock pot, cover with the water and add the remaining ingredients, except the sugar. Place the pot over a high flame and bring to the boil, reduce to a simmer and simmer for 3 hours, skimming all the time.

Strain the stock into a large pot and skim well. Place the pot back on the stove and reduce by half. When reduced stir in the sugar and dissolve. Pour the stock through muslin cloth 3 times and allow to cool.

 Store in the fridge ready for use.

Cooking the pork shanks;

Wrap the shanks in muslin and tie tightly with string to hold an even shape while cooking.

Place the shanks and the bones into a large pot, pour over the stock and bring to the boil. Reduce to a simmer and simmer for 3 hours, skimming all the time.

Remove the pork and the bones from the stock, discard the bones and strain the stock.

Chill the pork and the stock overnight.

The next day remove all the fat from the top of the stock and place into a pan. Place on the heat and bring to the boil, skim and add the mushrooms, simmer for 30mins.

Remove the pork from the fridge and deep fry at 180c for 10mins. This will change the texture of the pork and break down the fat. After 10mins remove the pork from the hot oil and drain well, place back into the simmering stock along with the mushrooms and simmer for a further 10mins.

Strain the stock and add the sesame oil. Reduce until the sauce thickens.

Serve the pork sliced with the shiitake mushrooms, some steamed Chinese greens and jasmine rice. Pour over the sauce and serve.

For the cucumber;

1tsp Sichuan peppercorns                                

2 small dried chillies                                         

50g palm sugar                                                 

50ml rice wine vinegar                                  

25ml light soy sauce                                           

1 piece of ginger, peeled and grated 

Method;

               

Heat the oil in a wok until almost smoking. Add the peppercorns and dried chillies and cook for 15-20 seconds, working very quickly add the sugar and allow to melt, pour in the vinegar, soy and ginger and bring to the boil, simmer for 2mins then remove from the heat. Toss the cucumbers in the pickling mixture and place in sterilised jars. It is best to let the cucumber sit for a couple of days for maximum flavour.

Venison, tofu and tamarind hotpot

Ingredients;

3kg venison haunch, trimmed and cut into 2cm dice

300ml sweet soy

4 large red chillies, finely sliced

5 red onion, diced

20 cloves garlic, chopped

2 knobs of galangal, chopped

3tblsp shrimp paste

500ml tamarind water

150ml sweet soy

4ltrs beef stock

500g tofu diced

Bean sprouts, sliced chilli, scallions and coriander to serve

Method;

Marinate the venison in sweet soy.

Place the chillies, red onion, garlic, galangal and shrimp paste into the robo and blend to a coarse paste. Heat a wok over high heat with some oil and fry the paste for 5mins, then add the tamarind water and sweet soy, simmer for 5mins. Add the beef stock and bring to the boil.

Heat a deep fat fryer to 180c. Deep fry the venison in batches until well browned, then add to the stock simmer until the venison is tender approximately 2 hours. Adjust seasoning. Remove the venison from the broth and strain trough a fine sieve.

To serve;

Place the tofu, bean sprouts, chilli, scallions and coriander into serving bowls. Add the hot venison and pour over the venison and broth and serve.

Grilled chicken skewer, satay sauce and mango salad

I love the distinctly Thai flavours in this light but very spicy, Thai style chicken skewers. This recipe works perfectly on a b.b.q, but it also taste great simple cooked in a pan.

The satay sauce is a sauce I learnt how to cook while living in Thailand. There are so many variations of satay sauce but I find that this Thai version has such a depth of flavour that cannot be matched.

The flavours in the dressing should be a perfect balance between spicy, salty, sweet and sour, for that true taste of Thailand.

Ingredients;

For the satay sauce;

75g red curry paste

125g smooth peanut butter

Solidified cream of 1 tin of coconut milk

35ml veg oil

75g palm sugar

30ml fish sauce

75ml tamarind juice

2 tins coconut milk

For the dressing;

500ml vegetable oil

2 shallots, finely diced

1tblsp red curry paste

1 large knob ginger, peeled and diced

4 red chillies, deseeded and chopped

100g palm sugar, grated

100ml rice wine vinegar

Juice of 2 limes

50ml fish sauce

Coriander chopped

Lemongrass marinade;

2 tins of coconut milk
1tblsp palm sugar
2tblsps fish sauce
3tsps finely grated lime rind
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2tsps finely grated fresh ginger
1 stalk lemongrass, finely chopped

For the chicken skewers;

800g chicken breast fillets
8 wooden skewers, soaked in water for at least 2 hours

For the salad;

2 baby gem lettuce, shredded

1 ripe mango peeled and sliced

14 fresh mint leaves

12 coriander leaves

4 scallions finely sliced

2 red shallots finely sliced

1 carrot, cut into fine strips

1 small cucumber peeled, deseeded and sliced

Method;

For the satay sauce;

Blend the curry paste with the peanut butter together.

In the wok heat the coconut milk with the oil over high heat until it splits and starts to bubble, add the paste and cook for 10mins or until very fragrant, your nose will tell you when it’s ready. Add the sugar and continue to cook until completely melted.

Pour in the fish sauce, being careful as the mix will spit as the fish sauce loosens the

sugar. Finally add the tamarind and the coconut milk and bring to the boil, simmer for 5mins and remove from the heat

For the dressing;

Heat 3tblsp of the oil in a wok and add the shallots, paste, ginger and chillies fry over medium heat and cook until the paste smells very fragrant. Add the sugar and the vinegar and cook to a light syrup.

Remove from the heat and stir in the lime juice, fish sauce and the remaining oil. Finally add the coriander, taste to make sure the flavours are well balanced.

The taste should be hot, sweet, sour and salty with no flavour overpowering the other.

For the lemongrass marinade;

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl.

For the chicken skewers;

Cut chicken into 5cm dice. Add to marinade and turn to coat all over. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes or overnight. Drain chicken. Reserve marinade.  Thread the chicken pieces onto the soaked wooden skewers.

Heat oil in a grill pan. In two batches, add skewers and cook on a medium heat, turning occasionally, for about 10 minutes or until cooked through.

For the salad and to serve;

To serve place all of the salad ingredients into a bowl and mix well. Add 4tblsp of the dressing and mix well. Place chicken skewers onto of salad and pour a little satay sauce over the skewers. Serve extra satay sauce on the side.

Lions head meatballs

These meat balls are absolutely delicious, as they cook the flavours from the meat and the stock turn into a tasty broth which in turn is absorbed by the Chinese cabbage. Served with steamed rice to mope up the broth they make an interesting change for dinner that all the family will love.

 

Ingredients;

1 Chinese cabbage

700g minced pork belly

1tblsp cornflour

1tsp salt

50ml dark soy

75ml shoaxing wine

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1 pieces of ginger grated

100g toasted pinenuts                             

200ml chicken stock

50ml dark soy

30ml shoaxing wine

50g sugar

Seasoning

                                                                   

Method;

Remove 8 outer leaves from the cabbage and shred the rest. Place the pork into a bowl and add the cornflour, salt, soy, shoaxing, egg, ginger and pinenuts. Mix until combined. Roll the mix into balls. Heat the oil in a pan until hot add the meat balls and fry until golden, drain and pour out most of the oil. Add the shredded cabbage to the pan and stir fry until just wilted. Place the cooked cabbage into a baking dish and place the meat balls on top. Pour the stock, soy, shoaxing, sugar and seasoning into a pot and bring to the boil, pour over the meat balls and cover with the outer leaves. Place in a 170c oven and cook for 1 hour.

Spoon onto serving plates and serve with steamed rice.

Spiced Kilkeel crab coleslaw with roast pork belly and mango

I love the distinctly Thai flavours in this light but very spicy salad. The flavours in the dressing should be a perfect balance between spicy, salty, sweet and sour

Ingredients;

250g white crab meat

2 baby gem lettuce, shredded

1 ripe mango peeled and sliced

14 fresh mint leaves

12 coriander leaves

4 scallions finely sliced

2 red shallots finely sliced

1 carrot, cut into fine strips

1 small cucumber peeled, deseeded and sliced

For the dressing;

500ml vegetable oil

2 shallots, finely diced

1tblsp red curry paste

1 large knob ginger, peeled and diced

4 red chillies, deseeded and chopped

100g palm sugar, grated

100ml rice wine vinegar

Juice of 2 limes

50ml fish sauce

Coriander chopped

To serve;

300g piece of roasted and pressed pork belly

1 mango, sliced for garnish

Method;

For the dressing; Heat 3tblsp of the oil in a wok and add the shallots, paste, ginger and chillies fry over medium heat and cook until the paste smells very fragrant. Add the sugar and the vinegar and cook to a light syrup.

Remove from the heat and stir in the lime juice, fish sauce and the remaining oil. Finally add the coriander, taste to make sure the flavours are well balanced.

The taste should be hot, sweet, sour and salty with no flavour overpowering the other.

To serve place all of the salad ingredients into a bowl and mix well. Add 4–5tblsp of the dressing and mix well. Place crab salad into the centre of a serving plate, carve pork belly and arrange on top. Garnish with mango slices and drizzle around a little extra dressing.

Tea smoked duck breast with chilli jam

One of my all time favourite methods of cooking duck. I was shown this recipe in Australia by a Chinese chef, and I have made it so many times, slightly changing the recipe to suit my own personal taste and I am now very pleased to share with you my results. Hope you enjoy!!! 

Tea smoking duck breasts not only adds a wonderful flavour to the duck it also removes most of the fat from under the skin, so in the final pan cooking you are left with a lovely crisp, roast duck like skin. You will need a wok with a rack and a lid for this recipe; these are available at Asian supermarkets.
This method can also be use for whole ducks as above, but for the home cook it is much easier to start with the breast first.

If you do wish to try the whole duck- Submerge the duck in a Chinese red braising stock (made from water, shoaxing sliced ginger,bulb of garlic, sliced through the centre,onions diced, light soy, dark soy, star anise, cinnamon sticks, dried orange peel and Chinese lump sugar), and cook at a low simmer for 35mins remove from the heat and allow the ducks to completely cool in the stock. Smoke the same as the duck breast but for 12mins smoking and 30mins resting without removing the lid> Then bone the duck and fry to order as for the breast.

Serves 4

4 x 200g duck breasts

Sea salt

Sesame oil

Chilli jam;                                                                            

1 onion, finely diced                                                                      

4 large red chillies, seeded and diced                                       

2 cloves of garlic, crushed                                                            

1 piece of ginger, peeled and diced

10 ripe tomatoes, peeled and coarsely chopped

1tblsp red curry paste                                                             

50ml rice wine vinegar

150g caster sugar

25ml fish sauce

Juice and zest of 1 lime

2tblsp coriander, chopped

Tea smoking mixture;

100g Jasmine tea

100g brown sugar

100g un-cooked jasmine rice

Method;

For the chilli jam;

Place a pot onto the stove and add a little oil, add the onion and cook until golden. Add the chilli, garlic and ginger and cook for a further 5mins. Add the tomatoes and curry paste and cook until a thick paste is achieved.

In a separate pan add the vinegar and the sugar and cook to a very light syrup, remove from the heat and stir in the fish sauce, lime juice and zest and the coriander. Pour this into the tomato mixture and cook for a further 5mins, reduce the jam over a low heat, it should be glossy and thick.

Once cooled store the jam in an airtight container or a sterilised glass jar.

For the duck;

Bring a kettle of water to the boil. Trim the duck of any excess fat. Place the duck breasts, skin side up in a large strainer or cooling rack. Put the ducks over a sink and pour over the boiling water, you will see the skin tighten. Remove from the strainer and rub the duck breasts with sesame oil all over.

Place a wok on the stove. Cut a small circle of tin foil about 20 cm in diameter. Pull the sides up to form the shape of a bowl, place the tea smoking mix into the foil and place it on the bottom of the wok. Make sure the extraction fan is up full. Turn up the heat under the wok and once the mix starts to smoke add the rack, place the ducks on top and cover with a lid. Leave on the heat for 5mins, then remove from the heat, don’t lift the lid, allow the wok to cool and the smoke to slowly dissipate.

To complete the dish;

Remove the ducks from the wok and set aside. Place a large frying pan on the heat and add a little oil. When hot add the ducks skin side down and cook until the skin is very crisp. Turn over and cook for a further minute. Rest the duck breast for 3mins. Slice duck breast into thin slices and serve with dressed salad and chilli jam.

Tasty, simple and fresh Indian butter chicken curry

These, along with my lamb Rogan josh are my two all time favourite Indian style curry dishes that I like to cook at home. The butter chicken is quite a mild curry and great for the whole family, my children love this dish, as long as it is not to spicy for them.

It makes a perfect dish to cook for friends as the large serving platter can be set in the middle of the table along with basmati rice, a salad and some naan bread and left for everybody to dig in.

Do try this dish at home as long as you have all of the correct spices it is quite a straight forward curry to make.

I will update kitchen files with my Rogan josh recipe soon along with a naan bread recipe also, so watch this space.

Serves 4

Ingredients;

To marinade the chicken;

1 x 4cm piece of ginger peeled and finely chopped

3 cloves of garlic peeled

Small pinch maldon salt

1tsp paprika

1tsp fenugreek

1tsp garam masala

1tsp ground turmeric

1tsp ground cumin

Juice of ½ a lemon

100ml natural yoghurt

4 chicken breast cut into 2cm cubes

 

For the sauce and to finish;

1 onion sliced

2 cloves of garlic finely chopped

1 x 5cm piece ginger peeled and finely chopped

5 green cardamom pods, seeds only (lightly crush pod and remove seeds)

2 cloves

1tsp ground coriander

1tsp garam masala

1tsp ground turmeric

1tsp hot chilli powder

1tsp curry powder

1 tin of chopped tomatoes

Juice of ½ a lemon

100ml chicken stock

100ml double cream

1tblsp cold butter, diced

2tblsp coriander chopped

Method;

 

For the chicken;

Pre heat the oven to 220c.

Place the ginger, garlic and salt into a mortar, grind with the pestle until a smooth puree is achieved. Add all of the spices and mix again until everything has been well incorporated. Mix in the lemon juice and the yoghurt and mix to combine.

Place the diced chicken into a large bowl, pour over the marinade and rub it well into the chicken. Cover with cling film and leave to marinade in the fridge for at least 2 hours.

Place the chicken onto a rack set over a baking tray. Place the tray into the pre heated oven and cook for 5mins, turn the chicken over and continue to cook for 5mins or until cooked through. The chicken will start to brown around the edges, this adds to the finished flavour.

 

For the sauce;

Place a medium pan over the heat and add a little oil or ghee, add the onion, garlic and ginger and fry until golden brown.

Place the cardamom seeds and cloves into a mortar and crush with a pestle to a fine powder, add all of the other spices and mix well.

Add the spice mixture to the fried onions and garlic and add another tsp of oil or ghee if needed to prevent the spices from burning. Cook until the spices have released all of their flavour. Add the chopped tomatoes, lemon juice and chicken stock, bring to the boil. Turn the heat to a simmer and simmer the sauce for 20mins over a very low heat.

After the 20mins add the cooked chicken and the cream, cook for a further 5mins. Remove the pan from the heat and whisk in the butter, keep mixing and stirring until all of the butter has been completely absorbed. Do this away from the heat to prevent the sauce from splitting.

The curry is now ready to serve. Place the curry into a serving dish and sprinkle over the chopped coriander, serve with basmati rice and naan bread on the side.